Nicole Bianchi

Writing, Copywriting, & Marketing Strategies

5 Exercises From Famous Authors That Will Sharpen Your Writing Skills

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Hand gripping sharpened pencil and writing in notebook | 5 Exercises From Famous Authors That Will Improve Your Writing
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Pianists practice scales to strengthen their skills like rhythm and timing. Artists might sketch a hundred human hands until they’ve mastered drawing that body part realistically. Dancers will practice a dance move countless times until their footwork and technique are flawless.

Just like those other artists, writers can sharpen specific skills through deliberate practice.

Are you struggling to write vivid descriptions? Or craft concise sentences?

In today’s post, I’m sharing five powerful creative writing exercises from famous authors that will help you practice those essential skills and many more.

Let’s get started. [Read more…]

5 Powerful Writing Tips from Award-Winning Editor Jack Hart’s “Storycraft”

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Want to connect with other writers? Make sure to get your invitation to my private writing community on Facebook!

Several months ago, I wrote an article sharing twelve of my favorite writing craft books. These books focus specifically on teaching you how to strengthen your skills as a writer and storyteller.

They get into the nuts and bolts of how to structure and edit your writing so it will captivate your readers.

Recently, I enjoyed re-reading one of the books on the list: Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction by Jack Hart.

Hart served for many years as managing editor at The Oregonian, the Pacific Northwest’s largest newspaper. He also guided several Pulitzer-prize winning articles to publication.

In this book, he teaches everything that he learned from his many years as a journalist. Using examples from books and newspaper articles, he shows how to tell a captivating story. He covers everything from how to develop characters to choosing point of view to bringing scenes to life.

Even though his book is aimed at writers of nonfiction, I believe there is much that writers of fiction can glean from its pages as well.

In today’s post, I’ve written up my top five takeaways from my most recent read. [Read more…]

How Crafting A One-Sentence Synopsis Will Strengthen Your Writing

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Photo by Daan Stevens on Unsplash

Whether you’re writing a blog post, a sales page, a short story, or even a book, you have something of value you want to share with your readers.

Maybe you have an incredible productivity tip that will help them finally achieve their goals or maybe it’s a fantastic product that will make their lives easier or maybe it’s a personal story that will help them feel less alone in their struggles. [Read more…]

12 Books That Will Make You a Better Writer

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Stephen King observed in his memoir On Writing,

“If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life.”

Of course, all different kinds of books can help you develop your skills as a writer. Well-written novels can show you how to tell gripping stories and paint vivid pictures with your words. Motivational books about writing can help you develop your confidence and find your voice.

But in today’s article, I’m sharing twelve books that focus specifically on teaching you how to strengthen your skills as a writer and storyteller. They get into the nuts and bolts of how to structure and edit your writing so it will captivate your readers. [Read more…]

How to Avoid Jargon and Make Your Writing More Compelling

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Want to connect with other writers? Make sure to get your invitation to my private writing community on Facebook.

Imagine your computer keyboard has started acting up or an appliance in your house has broken. Ugh!

If you’re like me, one of the first things you do is head to Google to see if there’s a tutorial that will help you fix the problem on your own.

You scroll through the search results, and one of the articles looks promising. You click it and begin reading, hoping it will help you.

But the author starts using technical terms and jargon you don’t understand. Your head begins to swim.

You don’t finish reading and, instead, quickly click away to another article so you don’t waste any more time.

Why did the author lose your attention?

Well, those jargon words and technical terms probably made you feel like you were trudging through a bog, rather than effortlessly sliding from one sentence to the next.

Are your readers having a similar experience when they read your writing? [Read more…]