Nicole Bianchi

Writing, Copywriting, & Marketing Strategies

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The 5 Best Passages from Books I Read Last Year: Powerful Techniques for Captivating Description

Published March 3, 2025 | Last Updated March 3, 2025 By Nicole Bianchi Leave a Comment

Last year, I wrote a post sharing the best passages from books I’d read in 2023. I enjoyed writing it so much that I decided to write up a new version for 2025. Again, I read over twenty books, both fiction and nonfiction, last year. As I read, I tried to pay attention to the authors’ techniques: how they implemented storytelling principles, how they handled transitions, how they crafted their opening sentences and concluding paragraphs, how they wrote captivating descriptions, and much more.

When I came across a paragraph that struck me with its eloquence, I wrote it down. That helped me study it on an even deeper level and absorb the author’s techniques for structure and style.

In today’s post, I’m sharing five of the best passages (in no particular order) that I collected this past year and what I learned from them, focusing in particular on their powerful descriptions. Let’s dive in.

(I’ve also made a video version of this post that you can watch below.)

[Read more…]

Filed Under: book reviews, featured, inspiration, writing

How to Write Like John Steinbeck: Techniques for Powerful Prose

Published September 21, 2024 | Last Updated September 21, 2024 By Nicole Bianchi Leave a Comment

Photo of John Steinbeck's book "Travels with Charley"

This summer, I read Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck. In this fascinating travelogue, Steinbeck blends truth with a touch of fiction as he recounts a 1960 road trip he took across the United States accompanied by his faithful poodle, Charley.

Steinbeck is a masterful writer. It was interesting to read his musings on the different states and see how he turns ordinary moments into memorable stories (though his description of the school protest in New Orleans was saddening). 

While reading, I wrote down any passages that particularly struck me with their eloquence. That helped me study them on an even deeper level and fully appreciate Steinbeck’s techniques for structure and style.

In today’s post, I’m sharing three passages where Steinbeck recounts his travels in New England during the fall. I thought they would be particularly fitting as I am returning to blogging here in September after taking a break from the blog over the summer. Tomorrow is the first official day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere!

Let’s see what techniques Steinbeck uses that we can steal to make our own writing more powerful.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: featured, writing

The Best Writing Advice from Famous Authors to Change Your Life (Video)

Published September 8, 2024 | Last Updated September 8, 2024 By Nicole Bianchi Leave a Comment

Hi! I hope your writing projects are off to a fantastic start this September. After a summer break to re-energize my creativity, it’s great to be back to writing here.

The last time I wrote, I shared that I was working on a novel draft, having just hit the 52,000-word mark. I’m excited to report that the manuscript has now grown to nearly 70,000 words. It’s been quite a journey, and I’m eagerly writing the final pages. I’m hoping I’ll have some time in the upcoming weeks to share more about this project in a blog post.

In the meantime, I’ve also been busy working on a new video and just uploaded it to the YouTube channel. Watch it here or below.

Several years ago I wrote a blog post sharing the best writing advice I’d found from the letters of famous authors. I’ve adapted it for this new video. Discover inspiring advice from Louisa May Alcott, John Steinbeck, J. R. R. Tolkien, Kurt Vonnegut, T. S. Eliot, and Zora Neale Hurston.

Click on the CC button for subtitles if needed. I’d love for this video to inspire as many writers as possible. You can help by giving it a like on YouTube to encourage the algorithm to share it with more people. 

And I always love hearing your thoughts in the comments. Thank you!

I hope this video gives you a boost of motivation as we welcome a new season this month.

It’s the perfect time to revisit old projects (or start new ones!), reignite our creativity, and press on towards our goals with renewed enthusiasm as we race towards the end of the year.

In the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

FURTHER RESOURCES

  • 📬 My free email newsletter, The Inkwell: https://nicolebianchi.com/newsletter/
  • ✉️ Louisa May Alcott’s 1878 letter to Miss Churchill
  • 📚 The Memoir Project by Marion Roach Smith
  • ✉️ John Steinbeck’s 1962 letter to Robert Wallsten from Steinbeck: A Life in Letters
  • ✉️ J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1955 letter to W. H. Auden
  • ✉️ Kurt Vonnegut’s 2006 letter to Xavier High School students
  • 📚 Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
  • ✉️ T. S. Eliot’s 1952 letter to Alice Quinn
  • ✉️ Zora Neale Hurston’s 1925 letter to Annie Nathan Meyer
  • 🎥 C. S. Lewis’s letter to a young fan

Filed Under: creativity, featured, motivation, writing

Five of the Best Creative Writing Exercises (video)

Published June 15, 2024 | Last Updated June 15, 2024 By Nicole Bianchi Leave a Comment

It’s been a few months since I last sent this email newsletter. I’ve been busy working on a novel draft (just reached 50K words!) and working on various projects for clients. I hope all of your writing projects have been going well too. 

But I did finally manage to put the finishing touches on a new video and just published it to YouTube (I hope you’ll find it helpful).

These exercises will help you practice essential skills like crafting vivid descriptions, writing effective dialogue, creating compelling characters, and much more.

You can click on the CC button for subtitles. I’d love for this video to inspire as many writers as possible. You can help by giving it a like on YouTube to encourage the algorithm to share it with more people. 

And I always love hearing your thoughts in the comments. Thank you!

FURTHER RESOURCES

  • 📬 My free email newsletter, The Inkwell: https://nicolebianchi.com/newsletter/
  • 📚 Creating Short Fiction by Damon Knight
  • 📝 Toni Morrison Interview
  • 🎥 George R. R. Martin Interview
  • 📚 Story by Robert McKee:
  • 🎥 Dani Shapiro Interview
  • 📚 Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
  • 🎥 Hemingway’s Favorite Writing Exercise

Filed Under: creativity, featured, writing

Jack London’s Strategies for Writing Success (Video)

Published February 19, 2024 | Last Updated February 19, 2024 By Nicole Bianchi 1 Comment

Jack London was one of the most popular American writers and the highest paid of the 1900s. In a 1903 article for “The Editor” magazine, he shared the secrets of how he learned to write, persevere, and become a famous author. Discover these secrets in this new video on the Youtube channel.

I previously shared London’s advice in a blog post, but now I have updated and expanded that post and turned it into this video.

You can click on the CC button for subtitles. I’d love for this video to inspire as many writers as possible. You can help by giving it a like on YouTube to encourage the algorithm to share it with more people. 

And I always love hearing your thoughts in the comments. Thank you!

**FURTHER RESOURCES**:

  • 📬 My email newsletter, The Inkwell: https://nicolebianchi.com/newsletter/
  • 📝 Full 1903 Jack London Article, “Getting into Print” from The Editor Magazine: https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/07/jack-london-the-author-s-writing-advice.html
  • 📝 “Four Legs Good: The Life of Jack London” by Caleb Crain in The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/10/28/four-legs-good
  • 📝 “Jack London, Rags to Riches and Back Again” by Joy Lazendorfer in Literary Hub: https://lithub.com/jack-london-rags-to-riches-and-back-again/
  • 🎥 Famous Writers’ Productivity Strategies (video): https://youtu.be/CfF0fRJ9S_w
  • 📝 Article about writers who loved going on daily walks: https://nicolebianchi.com/better-writer-daily-walk/

Filed Under: creativity, featured, inspiration, motivation, productivity, video, writing

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Hi, I’m Nicole! I help creatives, business owners, and writers take their writing and copywriting to the next level and grow their online audience. I’m also a published writer of essays and short stories. As a Christian, I seek to follow in the tradition of artists like Johann Sebastian Bach, dedicating all my work Soli Deo gloria.
Find out more about me here.
•••
“My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.”
– Psalm 45:1

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