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a harbour - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

• sea pebbles
• waves in the sea

Though storms may rock harbour waters, she gives surety that they resettle with ease.

In the harbour, in the dappled light of the olive trees, are the sweetest hues of blue and green, the hues that give such life to my daydreaming.

The harbour, this generous curve of the land, brings shelter to the sea.

The harbour in every weather bequeaths its protective shelter, keeping safe each entrusted vessel.

In the harbour of the tranquil day, both rock and water sunlit and warm, there is time no clock may measure, for this is the realm of dreams.

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Novel writing ,

How to write descriptions and create a sense of place.

By Harry Bingham

Your first job as a storyteller is a simple one, and a crucial one. You have to get your passengers into your train – your readers into your story. Only then can you hope to transport them.

And that crucial first step doesn’t have much to do with characters or story or anything else.

What matters first is this: your fictional world has to seem real. It has to grip the reader as intensely as real life – more intensely, even.

Writing descriptions that  seem  vivid, with the use of evocative language, is therefore essential. The buildings, cities, places, rooms, trees, weather of your fictional world have to be convincing  there . They have to have an emphatic, solid, believable presence.

A big ask, right? But it gets harder than that.

Because at the same time, people don’t want huge wodges of descriptive writing. They want to engage with characters and story, because that’s the reason they picked up your book in the first place.

So your challenge becomes convincing readers that your world is real . . . but using only the lightest of touches to achieve that goal.

Not so easy, huh?

Start Early

Set the scene early on – then nudge.

It may sound obvious but plenty of writers launch out into a scene without giving us any descriptive material to place and anchor the action. Sure, a page or so into the scene, they may start to add details to it – but by that point it’s too late. They’ve already lost the reader. If the scene feels placeless at the start – like actors speaking in some blank, white room – you won’t be able to wrestle that sense of place back later.

So  start early .

That means telling the reader where they are in a paragraph (or so), close to the start of any new scene. That early paragraph needs to have enough detail that if you are creating a coffee shop, for example, it doesn’t just feel like A Generic Coffee Shop. It should feel like its own thing. One you could actually walk into. Something with its own mood and colour. One vivid descriptive detail will do more work for you than three worthy but colourless sentences.

And once, early in your scene, you’ve created your location, don’t forget about it. Just nudge a little as you proceed. So you could have your characters talking – then they’re interrupted by a waitress. Then they talk (or argue, or fight, or kiss) some more, and then you drop in some other detail which reminds the reader, “Yep, here we still are, in this coffee shop.”

That’s a simple technique, bit it works every time.

One paragraph early on, then nudge, nudge, nudge.

As the roughest of rough guides, those nudges need to happen at least once a page – so about every 300 words. If it’s natural to do so more often, that’s totally fine.

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Be Specific

Details matter! They build a sense of place like nothing else.

Gabriel García Márquez, opening  One Hundred Years of Solitude , introduces his village like this:

Macondo was a village of twenty adobe houses, built on the bank of a river of clear water that ran along a bed of polished stones, which were white and enormous, like prehistoric eggs.

Boom! We’re there.

In his world. In his village. Already excited to see what lies ahead.

And yes, he’s started early (Chapter 1, Page 1, Line 1). But it’s more than that, isn’t it? He could have written something like this:

Macondo was a village of about twenty houses, built on a riverbank.

I hope it’s obvious that that sentence hardly transports us anywhere. It’s too bland. Too unfocused. Too generic. There are literally thousands of villages in the world which would fit that description.

In short, what makes Marquez’s description so vivid is its use of telling detail. They’re not just houses, they’re  adobe  houses. The river doesn’t just flow over stones, its flows over  polished stones  that are  white and enormous, like  (wow!)  prehistoric eggs .

The sentence works so well because Marquez has:

• Created something totally non-generic
• Via the use of highly specific detail, and
• Uses surprising / exotic language to make those details blaze in our imagination.

That basic template is one you can use again and again. It never stales. It lies at the heart of all good descriptive writing.

So here, for example, is a more ‘boring’ space . . . but still one redolent with vividness and atmosphere thanks to the powerful use of atmospheric specificity. In Margaret Atwood’s  The Handmaid’s Tale , Offred introduces her room with details that not only grab us but hint at something dark:

A chair, a table, a lamp. Above, on the white ceiling, a relief ornament in the shape of a wreath and in the centre of it a blank space, plastered over, like the place in a face where the eye has been taken out. There must have been a chandelier once. They’ve removed anything you could tie a rope to.

Those clipped words transport us straight to Offred’s enclosed, and terrifying, space. We’re also told just enough to give us an image of that place, enough to heighten tension, enough to tease curiosity. This is just a description of a room – but we already feel powerfully impelled to read on.

Be Selective With Your Descriptive Details

Be selective – don’t overwhelm.

It might be tempting to share every detail with us on surroundings.

Even with a setting like Hogwarts – a place readers really do want to know all the hidden details of – J.K. Rowling doesn’t share how many revolving staircases it has, how many treasures in the Room of Requirement, how many trees in the Forbidden Forest. That’s not the point. (And it would write off a little of Hogwarts’ magic and mystery.)

If you’re describing a bar, don’t write:

The bar was approximately twenty-eight feet long, by perhaps half of that wide. A long mahogany bar took up about one quarter of the floor space, while eight tables each with 4 wooden chairs occupied the remaining area. There were a number of tall bar stools arranged to accommodate any drinker who didn’t want to be seated at one of the tables. The ceiling height was pleasantly commodious.

That’s accurate, yes. It’s informative, yes. But it’s bland as heck.

The reader doesn’t want information. They want atmosphere. They want vivid language. They want mood.

Here’s an alternative way to describe a bar – the Korova Milk Bar in  A Clockwork Orange.  This description delivers a sense of intimacy and darkness in a few words:

The mesto [place] was near empty … it looked strange, too, having been painted with all red mooing cows … I took the large moloko plus to one of the little cubies that were all round … there being like curtains to shut them off from the main mesto, and there I sat down in the plushy chair and sipped and sipped

We’re told what we need to know, thrown into that murky Korova atmosphere and Burgess moves the action on. All we really have in terms of detail are those mooing red cows, some cubies (curtain booths?), and a plushy chair. There’s lots more author Anthony Burgess could tell us about that place. But he doesn’t. He gives us the  right  details, not all the details.

And if that’s not enough for you, then try reading  this .

Write For  All  The Senses

You have a nose? So use it.

Visuals are important, but don’t neglect the other senses. Offering a full range of sensory information will enhance your descriptive writing.

Herman Melville, say, describes to us the chowder for the ship’s crew in  Moby Dick : ‘small juicy clams, scarcely bigger than hazel nuts, mixed with pounded ship biscuits and salted pork cut up into little flakes.’ Such descriptions are deft, specific, and brilliantly atmospheric. Where else but on board a nineteenth century American whaler would you get such a meal? By picking out those details, Melville makes his setting feel vibrantly alive.

Here’s another example.

Joanne Harris’ opening of  Chocolat  plays to readers’ senses, as we’re immersed straightaway in the world of her book through scent, sound and sight:

We came on the wind of the carnival. A warm wind for February, laden with the hot greasy scents of frying pancakes and sausage and powdery-sweet waffles cooked on the hotplate right there by the roadside, with the confetti sleeting down collars and cuffs and rolling in the gutters .

These non-visual references matter so much because sight alone can feel a little distant, a little empty.

By forcing the reader’s taste buds to image Melville’s clams or Harris’s pancakes – or making the reader feel that warm February wind, the confetti ‘sleeting’ down collars – it’s almost as though the writers are hauling the readers’ entire body into their scenes.

That’s good stuff: do likewise.

(And one easy test: take one of your scenes and highlight anything that references a non-visual sense. If you find some good references, then great: you’re doing fine. If not, your highlighter pen remains unused, you probably want to edit that scene!)

Get Place And Action Working Together

That’s where the magic happens!

Use the atmospheric properties of a place to add to other properties of the scene. That doesn’t mean you should always play things the obvious way: no need for cliché;.

You can have declarations of love happen in idyllic meadows, as in  Twilight  by Stephenie Meyer, but why not at a bus stop in the rain? Shouted over the barriers at a train station?

Your character also brings one kind of mood to the scene, and the action that unfolds will bring other sensations.

Lynda La Plante’s crime novel  Above Suspicion  makes a home setting frightening after it becomes obvious a stranger has been in protagonist DS Anna Travis’ flat, and she’s just been assigned to help solve her first murder case.

So the place is influenced by action, once Anna notices:

Reaching for the bedside lamp, she stopped and withdrew her hand. The photograph of her father had been turned out to face the room. She touched it every night before she went to sleep. It was always facing towards her, towards the bed, not away from it. … In the darkness, what had felt safe before now felt frightening: the way the dressing-table mirror reflected the street-light through the curtains and the sight of the wardrobe door left slightly ajar.

Here a comfy, nondescript flat becomes a frightening place, just because of what else is going on. Go for unfamiliar angles that add drama and excitement to your work.

Descriptions As Active Characters

You know the way that a place can turn on you? So (for example) a place that seems safe can suddenly reveal some other side, seem menacing, then almost try to harm the character.

That’s an incredibly powerful way to build descriptive writing into your text – because it feels mobile, alive and with a flicker of risk. You can use  plotting techniques  to help structure the way a reader interacts with a place: starting with a sense of the status quo, then some inciting incident that shifts that early stability, and so on. The inciting incident can be tiny – discovering that a photo frame has been moved, for example.

Having your characters voice their perceptions of a place in  dialogue  also adds to its dramatic impact, because now the reader sees place both through the eyes of a narrator and through the eyes of the characters themselves. Good, huh?

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Use Unfamiliar Locations

And smart research ALWAYS helps.

Using unfamiliar settings adds real mood and atmosphere.

Stephenie Meyer, when writing  Twilight , decided she needed a rainy place near a forest to fit key plot elements.

Like protagonist Bella, she was raised in Arizona, but explained the process of setting  Twilight  in an unfamiliar setting on her  blog :

For my setting, I knew I needed someplace ridiculously rainy. I turned to Google, as I do for all my research needs, and looked for the place with the most rainfall in the U.S. This turned out to be the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. I pulled up maps of the area and studied them, looking for something small, out of the way, surrounded by forest. … In researching Forks, I discovered the La Push Reservation, home to the Quileute Tribe. The Quileute story is fascinating, and a few fictional members of the tribe quickly became intrinsic to my story.

As her success has shown, it’s possible to write successfully about a place you don’t know, but you must make it your business to know as much as you can about it. (Or if you’re writing a fantasy or sci-fi novel, plan your world down to its most intricate details.)

And to be clear: you’re doing the research, not because you want that research to  limit  you. (Oh, I can’t write that, because Wikipedia tells me that the river isn’t as long / the forest isn’t as thick / or whatever else.)

On the contrary:

You are doing the research, because that research may inspire and stimulate a set of ideas you might not have ecountered otherwise .

The key thing is to do your research to nail specifics, especially if they are unfamiliar, foreign, exotic.

Just read how Tokyo is described in Ryu Murakami’s thriller  In the Miso Soup :

It was still early in the evening when we emerged onto a street in Tsukiji, near the fish market. … Wooden bait-and-tackle shops with disintegrating roofs and broken signs stood next to shiny new convenience stores, and futuristic highrise apartment complexes rose skyward on either side of narrow, retro streets lined with wholesalers of dried fish.

There’s authenticity, grit to this description of Tokyo, as opposed to using ‘stock’ descriptions that could apply to many modern cities.

Note this same thing with foods: in Japan, your protagonist could well be eating miso soup, as per Ryu Murakami.

Or say if your story was set in Hong Kong, you might write in a dai pai dong (a sort of Chinese street kitchen), something very specific to that city if you’re describing a street there.

Alternatively, if you are setting something in the past, get your sense of place right by doing your research right, too.

In historical novel  Girl with a Pearl Earring  by Tracy Chevalier, set in Holland in 1664, maid Griet narrates how artist Johannes Vermeer prepares her for her secret portrait, musing, to her horror, that ‘virtuous women did not open their mouths in paintings’.

That last is just a tiny detail, but Griet’s tears show us how mortified she is. Modern readers won’t (necessarily) think about seventeenth-century connotations like this, so if you’re writing a scene set in a very different era or culture to what you know, research so you’re creating a true sense of place.

Use Place To Create Foreshadowing

A brilliant technique – we love it!

Descriptions of place are never neutral.

Good writers will, in overt or gently subtle ways, introduce a place-as-character. If that character is dangerous, for example, then simply describing a place adds a layer of foreboding, foreshadowing, to the entire book.

Just read how J.R.R. Tolkien describes the Morannon in  The Two Towers : ‘high mounds of crushed and powdered rock, great cones of earth fire-blasted and poison-stained … like an obscene graveyard.’ It’s obvious from this description trouble lies ahead for Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee.

But even if you’re not writing this sort of fantasy, character psychology and plot (as we saw above) can also render seemingly harmless places suspect, too. A boring apartment in  Above Suspicion  becomes scary when it seems someone’s been inside.

In the same sense, we thrill to the sense of a place with excitement and promise, too, like when Harry makes his first trip to Diagon Alley (in  Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone ) to shop for Hogwarts equipment with Hagrid.

There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels’ eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon. … They bought Harry’s school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk.

Just weave place and action together like this to create atmosphere, excitement, tension, foreboding.

Think About Your Words – Nouns And Adjectives

Specific is good. Unexpected is great!

One final thought. When you’ve written a piece, go back and check nouns.

A bad description will typically use boring nouns (or things) in settings, i.e. a table, chair, window, floor, bar, stool, etc.

If you try to fluff up that by throwing in adjectives (i.e. a grimy table, gleaming window, wooden floor), the chances are you’ll either have (i) made the description even more boring, or (ii) made it odd.

Of course, this works for that first passage we looked over from Margaret Atwood.

We sense Offred counting the few things she has in the little room she calls hers, the window and chair, etc., in terse phrasing. We sense her tension, her dissociation, and we feel trapped with her.

All the same, play with nouns, with taking your readers to new surroundings. Give them a Moloko. Play with surroundings, how you can make them different, how you can render the ordinary extraordinary. With the right nouns in place, you’ll need fewer adjectives to jazz things up – and when you do use them, they’ll feel right, not over the top.

Happy writing!

About the author

Harry has written a variety of books over the years, notching up multiple six-figure deals and relationships with each of the world’s three largest trade publishers. His work has been critically acclaimed across the globe, has been adapted for TV, and is currently the subject of a major new screen deal. He’s also written non-fiction, short stories, and has worked as ghost/editor on a number of exciting projects. Harry also self-publishes some of his work, and loves doing so. His Fiona Griffiths series in particular has done really well in the US, where it’s been self-published since 2015. View his website , his Amazon profile , his Twitter . He's been reviewed in Kirkus, the Boston Globe , USA Today , The Seattle Times , The Washington Post , Library Journal , Publishers Weekly , CulturMag (Germany), Frankfurter Allgemeine , The Daily Mail , The Sunday Times , The Daily Telegraph , The Guardian , and many other places besides. His work has appeared on TV, via Bonafide . And go take a look at what he thinks about Blick Rothenberg . You might also want to watch our " Blick Rothenberg - The Truth " video, if you want to know how badly an accountancy firm can behave.

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Writing Prompt Story Starter: Harbour

For this week’s Story Starter, I’m thinking back to last weekend, when I was lucky enough to spend some time in Kingsbarns , in the East Neuk of Fife .

“Neuk” is the Scots word for nook, or corner, and the East Neuk is an area of fishing villages (and villages slightly inland) along the Fife coast. It was once described as a “fringe of gold” by James VI.

Kingsbarns  is named for the barns used to store the king’s grain, before it was transported to Falkland Palace. Other well-known East Neuk villages you may have heard of are Anstruther , Pittenweem , and my own favourite, Crail .

Crail is a tiny fishing village, with a charming harbour.

Ten miles south of St Andrews, it was made a Royal Burgh by Robert The Bruce in 1310. He also granted it the right to hold markets on a Sunday, in the Marketgait, where the Mercat Cross now stands. Something the church tried to change, without success!

Clergyman John Knox expressed his alarm when visiting because the fishermen were working on a Sunday!

There’s lots of history here — the Parish Church dates back to 1160, and the Tollbooth to the 1500s. But it’s the harbour which is the loveliest.

Cobbled streets lead the way there, with bobbing boats, lobster pots and a lovely tearoom nearby. The crow or “corbie-step” gable roofs of the houses were influenced by the architecture of the Low Countries.

On to the harbour

So for this week’s story starter, I’ve chosen Crail harbour. Tiny, but beautiful. Picturesque, yet a working harbour.

On the day we visited, the harbour was a little oasis of calm. A complete contrast to the sea just outwith the wall, which was wild.

You can walk along the sea wall, which we did. It definitely isn’t for the fainthearted!

It’s a lovely contrast with Kingsbarns, which is inland, and surrounded by farmland.

A village with a shop, hotel, post office and church. Absolutely beautiful, all year round. Peaceful.

And wherever you go, there’s golf!

We hope this helps inspire your writing this week. If you are looking for another Story Starter, click here to look through our archives .

• Story Starter

Lucy Crichton

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The Harbour

The harbour begins to wake as the rhythmic chug of boat engines slowly return. The waves explode like bombs against the harbour wall. Fog is dispersing to view a fantasy of narrow streets strung with captivating souvenir shops and sophisticated restaurants. Morning darkness fades, slowly the clouds drift, revealing a pure, spotless blue sky. The town hall strikes 8 o’clock, shop shutters rattle as they raise, doors bursting open with a helping hand awaiting to welcome the customer with an embrace. A pungent smell of fish fills the air. A gust of wind full with repulsive odour lingers. Sun-kissed light pours from the sky, the reflection upon the water blinding. Solitary streets are now animated. Harmony is no more but the day is still premature.

Exhaust fumes float as workers withdraw from their homes and start up their engines. The traffic is solid throughout the town. People barge their way to local banks and supermarkets through overflowing pathways. Tourists disembark upon the harbour, beginning the long awaited holiday. An enchanted wonderland of fair attractions sit upon the end of the pier, slowly they complete their circuits. Breakfast bars open in the car parks serving up crisp bacon sandwiches dripping with butter and blistering coffee. Along the harbour front, fishermen sit mending their nets as though they are knitting. People drift in and out of streets, some white, some red, some tanned; the sun’s violent rays causing skins pigment to discolour. Young and old take a morning stroll along a beach like stretch of empty space. The view is cleared, what you see sends shivers down your back, the sea’s elegance and harbour in almost complete perfection.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Slowly a frying fragrance finds it’s way up your nostrils. Yes, lunchtime rush, takeaway shops and restaurants are in full flow. The beach is filling; young children begin to play their electrifying games. Everywhere you roam there are fish and chips. Lightly battered fish, so crisp when you take a bite. Slowly the batter falls down your oesophagus leaving succulent flakes of cod warming your lips and tongue.  Chips so soft, your first taste is sea salt and malt vinegar, secondly the slight grease tickling the back of your throat. A taste of potato whirls as your teeth chew, and then all matter of food disappears from your mouth. Guilt in your mind about the fat content but the taste takes it away. Squawks are amongst the crowds as gulls swoop down for scraps. Gently relaxation occurs. Youngsters run with slight indigestion, the smouldering crisp sand making their young feet so sore.

Afternoon falls. The beach is still packed with sunbathers and children. A drowsiness dawns. Some people sit upon the harbour wall watching waves ripple in. Sticks of rock go crunch, candyfloss melts and fudge just makes you chew. A confectionary wonderland! Laughter is surrounding showing every sign of full enjoyment. Deeper into the town humanity is all common, drifting to and fro from high street designers to leather stenching shoe stores. Streets littered with cake wrappers from the bakery, sandwich boxes from the deli bar and general junk here and there. Coke cans crunch beneath your feet as you walk and a gorgeous perfume aroma wafts and asthmatics begin to choke. Calmness never seems to occur. Moving back through the town and down to the harbour, the beach is slowly beginning to clear and the tide is creeping close. Bath taps drip as parents eagerly attempt to untangle their children’s sandy locks. Light is fading cautiously as evening draws in.

Couples appear arm in arm. Shop shutters once again rattle as they close. Restaurants’ distinct smell is inviting. Open bars serve up crisps, nuts and cold beverages, alcoholic or not. Glasses chink as drunken chatter begins. In sight is a beautiful sunset, the red glow inspiring just like a painted picture but all fades when darkness gradually descends. Soothing music from an unknown live band rings in your ears. Fishing boats begin to proceed out to sea. Hard workers wander down their local pulling out the pennies to achieve a taste of real ale. All that is recognisable in the darkness is faint outlines of people and places. Ping! Pier lights turn on in their own unique brilliance. Club beats compose vibrations throughout the floor. People dancing and laughing makes the world seem blissful. So many people are having a good time. Slowly the volume creeps louder almost making your ears burst. Bang, tequila slammers hit the table hard, barely touch your lips but soon make you intoxicated. Jazz and liquor is no combination for anyone who is angelic and always seems to be composed. ‘Ring a ding ding’, bells sound. Last orders it’s time to go home. An emanation of alcohol is upon everyone. Silence in the end. As the lighthouse flickers like a candle the glimpse of a silent shadow tumbles to its death.  Anyone still awake, outside can only smell sea-salt and waste grub. The harbour is never always in tranquillity.

Document Details

• Word Count 840
• Page Count 3
• Subject English

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How to Describe a Boat in a Story

By A.W. Naves

If you’re writing a naval fiction novel and need some help, this post is for you. In it, we explain how to describe a boat in a story. Scroll down to learn about 10 words that can be used to represent a boat in writing.

Strong, robust ; able to withstand harsh conditions.

“The sturdy boat weathered the storm without any damage.”

“The sailor chose a sturdy vessel for their journey across the sea.”

How it Adds Description

The word “sturdy” describes a boat that is strong, reliable, and able to withstand rough waters, suggesting that it is capable of enduring difficult conditions. This can be important if characters are depending on it to get them safely to their destination. It is useful for creating obstacles for the characters to overcome and raising the stakes of the story.

Graceful, refined ; pleasing to the senses.

“The elegant boat glided through the water with ease.”

“The captain took pride in the boat’s elegant design and craftsmanship.”

The word “elegant” adds a sense of refinement and sophistication, illustrating that it is a well-crafted and visually pleasing boat. It suggests the quality and attention to detail that the boat possesses, indicating that the boat may have a certain level of prestige attached to it. It can be used to show that the owner of such a boat is of importance in a way significant to the story.

Tough, durable ; designed for rough conditions.

“The rugged boat was built for fishing in choppy waters.”

“The crew relied on the boat’s rugged construction to survive the storm.”

The word “rugged” shows that the boat is built to withstand harsh conditions, such as rough seas and inclement weather. It can be used to demonstrate that a boat’s crew is undertaking a challenging journey, perhaps to a remote or dangerous location, and set expectations for the boat’s performance, indicating that it will play a crucial role in the story’s action or conflict.

Fast, swift ; able to move quickly through the water.

“The speedy pace of the boat easily left behind its competitors in the race.”

“The characters relied on the boat’s speedy engine to escape from danger.”

The word “speedy” suggests that the boat is capable of moving quickly through the water, which can be useful in situations where haste is needed, such as during a race or a chase scene. It can set expectations for the reader about the boat’s capabilities, leading them to anticipate certain actions or outcomes such as winning a tough race or making a quick getaway.

5. Spacious

Roomy, expansive ; having ample space.

“The spacious boat was able to comfortably accommodate a large group of passengers.”

“The characters appreciated the boat’s spacious interior, which allowed them to move around freely.”

The word “spacious” indicates that the boat is roomy and has ample space for its occupants. This can be important in a narrative as it can evoke a sense of comfort and freedom, or perhaps suggest luxury or opulence. It may also provide insight into the boat’s intended purpose or function, as a larger and more spacious vessel may be suitable for longer journeys.

6. Luxurious

Extravagant, lavish ; characterized by comfort and indulgence.

“The luxurious boat was like a floating palace, complete with a spa and gourmet kitchen.”

“The characters reveled in the boat’s luxurious amenities and felt like royalty.”

The word “luxurious” suggests that the boat is high-quality, extravagant, and comfortable. It implies that the characters on the boat have a certain level of wealth and status. This can also create expectations for the reader about what may happen on the boat, such as extravagant parties or important business deals.

7. Stealthy

Quiet, sneaky ; designed to avoid detection.

“The stealthy boat moved through the water silently, like a ghost.”

“The characters relied on the boat’s stealthy design to avoid detection by enemy ships.”

The word “stealthy” portrays a boat designed to move in a quiet, sneaky, and unobtrusive way. It hints that it was specifically designed for secrecy and covert operations, such as spying or smuggling. It is useful in a story where the boat may be involved in secretive or illicit activities, which can create a sense of danger or conflict.

8. Seaworthy

Capable of withstanding the rigors of the sea; designed for safe travel on the water.

“The seaworthy boat had passed numerous safety inspections and was deemed fit for ocean travel.”

“The characters trusted the boat’s seaworthy design to keep them safe during their voyage.”

The word “seaworthy” conveys to the reader that the boat is reliable, sturdy, and capable of withstanding the often unpredictable and harsh conditions of the sea. A seaworthy boat lets the reader know it is well-equipped for a journey. On the other hand, if the boat is not seaworthy, a character’s safety may be in question, adding a sense of danger and excitement to the story.

9. Weathered

Aged, worn ; showing the effects of exposure to the elements.

“The weathered boat had a rugged charm that spoke of countless journeys at sea.”

“The characters felt a sense of respect for the boat’s weathered appearance and the experiences it had been through.”

Describing a boat as “weathered” conveys that it has a history and has been through many trials and tribulations. This can add depth and richness to the story, as the boat may have a backstory or be symbolic of the characters’ own struggles. It also adds a sense of authenticity and realism to the story, as weathering is a natural part of a boat’s lifespan.

10. Streamlined

Sleek, aerodynamic ; designed to reduce drag and increase speed.

“The streamlined boat cut through the water like a knife, leaving hardly a ripple behind.”

“The characters were impressed by the boat’s streamlined design, which gave them an advantage in the race.”

The word “weathered” creates a vivid image in the reader’s mind of an old and worn boat with peeling paint and rusted metal, giving it a sense of character and history. It hints that the boat has been through a lot and has a story to tell and can suggest that it may not be as reliable or seaworthy as a newer vessel, setting a scene for potential hazards on the water.

Descriptive Writing Piece: Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong + Teacher Feedback

Below, you’ll find a descriptive writing piece, plus my feedback about it.

Many of the creative writing and descriptive writing questions in exams require you to focus on an object, person, place or thing. In this mini-lesson, I’ll go through the basics of how to describe a place in detail – and not just in a boring way!

Lots of my students get stuck on descriptions; they tell me that they can’t think of anything to write. Or they feel like they can only just list details or features of the object without being ‘creative’. So, if this is relatable for you then keep reading as we’ll be breaking down how to go beyond basic descriptions and transform them into something personal, powerful and meaningful.

Descriptive Writing: What is it and How to do it

Thanks for reading! If you find this useful, take a look at our full  Basic Descriptive Writing  and  Advanced Descriptive Writing  courses.

Descriptive Writing Piece: Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

With boats perched aside the harbor, the day begins to wake as the rhythmic chug of boat engines slowly return. As time strikes 10 am, boats vanish into the distant sea. Across the ocean, you can possibly see sky-high skyscrapers – so dense, so diverse, so fascinating from its exterior appearance and its structure to the cityscape and, over time, became etched in my psyche as a kind of visual lullaby. 

Waves thrash the coastal walls with throngs of tourists. The street next to the harbor is somewhat versatile – with street busking, acting, or daily athletes running their routine. Paves are extended to a crammed street filled with souvenir shops, restaurants, boutiques – which are opened embracing tourists. A pungent smell of garlic or onion fills the air and diffuses. 

As night rose, most boats return to their slots as if it’s an automatic reset. The skyscraper lit up one window at a time, ever-changing through the starlit moments as if it were music for the eyes. Building lights hit the blanketed sea at night, reflecting various colors into people wandering on the harbor paths. Midnight closes all the shops and people leave wondrous spectacles on victoria’s harbor back.

FEEDBACK: 

This is a lovely depiction of the harbour – I’ve never been there but you capture it so well I can imagine how it would feel to be there. Some beautiful lines here! I love the idea of a visual lullaby. I can tell that you’ve made some very precise choices of words and images, with clear attention to detail with the way in which your sentences are conveying an impression to the reader. Your imagery is quite synaesthetic at times, which is an advanced technique! 

To improve, I would suggest the following:

• Add in a range of extra language features – personification, alliteration, simile etc
• Try to attain a tonal shift where the mood significantly changes in one of the paragraphs – this can go from happy to sad, dark to light, beautiful to ugly, or any other antithetical extreme
• Work on achieving a greater depth of punctuation – especially the use of colons and semicolons is considered to be quite advanced. Stick to the same tense – either past or present the whole way through.

Great work, well done! 

Thanks for reading! If you found this useful, take a look at our full  Basic Descriptive Writing  and  Advanced Descriptive Writing  courses, as well as other  English Language and Literature  courses.

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10 Types of Creative Writing (with Examples You’ll Love)

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Savannah Cordova

Savannah is a senior editor with Reedsy and a published writer whose work has appeared on Slate, Kirkus, and BookTrib. Her short fiction has appeared in the Owl Canyon Press anthology, "No Bars and a Dead Battery". 

About Rebecca van Laer

Rebecca van Laer is a writer, editor, and the author of two books, including the novella How to Adjust to the Dark. Her work has been featured in literary magazines such as AGNI, Breadcrumbs, and TriQuarterly.

A lot falls under the term ‘creative writing’: poetry, short fiction, plays, novels, personal essays, and songs, to name just a few. By virtue of the creativity that characterizes it, creative writing is an extremely versatile art. So instead of defining what creative writing is , it may be easier to understand what it does by looking at examples that demonstrate the sheer range of styles and genres under its vast umbrella.

To that end, we’ve collected a non-exhaustive list of works across multiple formats that have inspired the writers here at Reedsy. With 20 different works to explore, we hope they will inspire you, too. 

People have been writing creatively for almost as long as we have been able to hold pens. Just think of long-form epic poems like The Odyssey or, later, the Cantar de Mio Cid — some of the earliest recorded writings of their kind. 

Poetry is also a great place to start if you want to dip your own pen into the inkwell of creative writing. It can be as short or long as you want (you don’t have to write an epic of Homeric proportions), encourages you to build your observation skills, and often speaks from a single point of view . 

Here are a few examples:

“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.

This classic poem by Romantic poet Percy Shelley (also known as Mary Shelley’s husband) is all about legacy. What do we leave behind? How will we be remembered? The great king Ozymandias built himself a massive statue, proclaiming his might, but the irony is that his statue doesn’t survive the ravages of time. By framing this poem as told to him by a “traveller from an antique land,” Shelley effectively turns this into a story. Along with the careful use of juxtaposition to create irony, this poem accomplishes a lot in just a few lines. 

“Trying to Raise the Dead” by Dorianne Laux

 A direction. An object. My love, it needs a place to rest. Say anything. I’m listening. I’m ready to believe. Even lies, I don’t care.

Poetry is cherished for its ability to evoke strong emotions from the reader using very few words which is exactly what Dorianne Laux does in “ Trying to Raise the Dead .” With vivid imagery that underscores the painful yearning of the narrator, she transports us to a private nighttime scene as the narrator sneaks away from a party to pray to someone they’ve lost. We ache for their loss and how badly they want their lost loved one to acknowledge them in some way. It’s truly a masterclass on how writing can be used to portray emotions. 

If you find yourself inspired to try out some poetry — and maybe even get it published — check out these poetry layouts that can elevate your verse!

Song Lyrics

Poetry’s closely related cousin, song lyrics are another great way to flex your creative writing muscles. You not only have to find the perfect rhyme scheme but also match it to the rhythm of the music. This can be a great challenge for an experienced poet or the musically inclined. 

To see how music can add something extra to your poetry, check out these two examples:

“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen

 You say I took the name in vain I don't even know the name But if I did, well, really, what's it to ya? There's a blaze of light in every word It doesn't matter which you heard The holy or the broken Hallelujah 

Metaphors are commonplace in almost every kind of creative writing, but will often take center stage in shorter works like poetry and songs. At the slightest mention, they invite the listener to bring their emotional or cultural experience to the piece, allowing the writer to express more with fewer words while also giving it a deeper meaning. If a whole song is couched in metaphor, you might even be able to find multiple meanings to it, like in Leonard Cohen’s “ Hallelujah .” While Cohen’s Biblical references create a song that, on the surface, seems like it’s about a struggle with religion, the ambiguity of the lyrics has allowed it to be seen as a song about a complicated romantic relationship. 

“I Will Follow You into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie

 ​​If Heaven and Hell decide that they both are satisfied Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks Then I'll follow you into the dark

You can think of song lyrics as poetry set to music. They manage to do many of the same things their literary counterparts do — including tugging on your heartstrings. Death Cab for Cutie’s incredibly popular indie rock ballad is about the singer’s deep devotion to his lover. While some might find the song a bit too dark and macabre, its melancholy tune and poignant lyrics remind us that love can endure beyond death.

Plays and Screenplays

From the short form of poetry, we move into the world of drama — also known as the play. This form is as old as the poem, stretching back to the works of ancient Greek playwrights like Sophocles, who adapted the myths of their day into dramatic form. The stage play (and the more modern screenplay) gives the words on the page a literal human voice, bringing life to a story and its characters entirely through dialogue. 

Interested to see what that looks like? Take a look at these examples:

All My Sons by Arthur Miller

“I know you're no worse than most men but I thought you were better. I never saw you as a man. I saw you as my father.” 

Arthur Miller acts as a bridge between the classic and the new, creating 20th century tragedies that take place in living rooms and backyard instead of royal courts, so we had to include his breakout hit on this list. Set in the backyard of an all-American family in the summer of 1946, this tragedy manages to communicate family tensions in an unimaginable scale, building up to an intense climax reminiscent of classical drama. 

💡 Read more about Arthur Miller and classical influences in our breakdown of Freytag’s pyramid . 

“Everything is Fine” by Michael Schur ( The Good Place )

“Well, then this system sucks. What...one in a million gets to live in paradise and everyone else is tortured for eternity? Come on! I mean, I wasn't freaking Gandhi, but I was okay. I was a medium person. I should get to spend eternity in a medium place! Like Cincinnati. Everyone who wasn't perfect but wasn't terrible should get to spend eternity in Cincinnati.” 

A screenplay, especially a TV pilot, is like a mini-play, but with the extra job of convincing an audience that they want to watch a hundred more episodes of the show. Blending moral philosophy with comedy, The Good Place is a fun hang-out show set in the afterlife that asks some big questions about what it means to be good. 

It follows Eleanor Shellstrop, an incredibly imperfect woman from Arizona who wakes up in ‘The Good Place’ and realizes that there’s been a cosmic mixup. Determined not to lose her place in paradise, she recruits her “soulmate,” a former ethics professor, to teach her philosophy with the hope that she can learn to be a good person and keep up her charade of being an upstanding citizen. The pilot does a superb job of setting up the stakes, the story, and the characters, while smuggling in deep philosophical ideas.

Personal essays

Our first foray into nonfiction on this list is the personal essay. As its name suggests, these stories are in some way autobiographical — concerned with the author’s life and experiences. But don’t be fooled by the realistic component. These essays can take any shape or form, from comics to diary entries to recipes and anything else you can imagine. Typically zeroing in on a single issue, they allow you to explore your life and prove that the personal can be universal.

Here are a couple of fantastic examples:

“On Selling Your First Novel After 11 Years” by Min Jin Lee (Literary Hub)

There was so much to learn and practice, but I began to see the prose in verse and the verse in prose. Patterns surfaced in poems, stories, and plays. There was music in sentences and paragraphs. I could hear the silences in a sentence. All this schooling was like getting x-ray vision and animal-like hearing. 

This deeply honest personal essay by Pachinko author Min Jin Lee is an account of her eleven-year struggle to publish her first novel . Like all good writing, it is intensely focused on personal emotional details. While grounded in the specifics of the author's personal journey, it embodies an experience that is absolutely universal: that of difficulty and adversity met by eventual success. 

“A Cyclist on the English Landscape” by Roff Smith (New York Times)

These images, though, aren’t meant to be about me. They’re meant to represent a cyclist on the landscape, anybody — you, perhaps. 

Roff Smith’s gorgeous photo essay for the NYT is a testament to the power of creatively combining visuals with text. Here, photographs of Smith atop a bike are far from simply ornamental. They’re integral to the ruminative mood of the essay, as essential as the writing. Though Smith places his work at the crosscurrents of various aesthetic influences (such as the painter Edward Hopper), what stands out the most in this taciturn, thoughtful piece of writing is his use of the second person to address the reader directly. Suddenly, the writer steps out of the body of the essay and makes eye contact with the reader. The reader is now part of the story as a second character, finally entering the picture.

Short Fiction

The short story is the happy medium of fiction writing. These bite-sized narratives can be devoured in a single sitting and still leave you reeling. Sometimes viewed as a stepping stone to novel writing, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Short story writing is an art all its own. The limited length means every word counts and there’s no better way to see that than with these two examples:

“An MFA Story” by Paul Dalla Rosa (Electric Literature)

At Starbucks, I remembered a reading Zhen had given, a reading organized by the program’s faculty. I had not wanted to go but did. In the bar, he read, "I wrote this in a Starbucks in Shanghai. On the bank of the Huangpu." It wasn’t an aside or introduction. It was two lines of the poem. I was in a Starbucks and I wasn’t writing any poems. I wasn’t writing anything. 

This short story is a delightfully metafictional tale about the struggles of being a writer in New York. From paying the bills to facing criticism in a writing workshop and envying more productive writers, Paul Dalla Rosa’s story is a clever satire of the tribulations involved in the writing profession, and all the contradictions embodied by systemic creativity (as famously laid out in Mark McGurl’s The Program Era ). What’s more, this story is an excellent example of something that often happens in creative writing: a writer casting light on the private thoughts or moments of doubt we don’t admit to or openly talk about. 

“Flowering Walrus” by Scott Skinner (Reedsy)

I tell him they’d been there a month at least, and he looks concerned. He has my tongue on a tissue paper and is gripping its sides with his pointer and thumb. My tongue has never spent much time outside of my mouth, and I imagine it as a walrus basking in the rays of the dental light. My walrus is not well. 

A winner of Reedsy’s weekly Prompts writing contest, ‘ Flowering Walrus ’ is a story that balances the trivial and the serious well. In the pauses between its excellent, natural dialogue , the story manages to scatter the fear and sadness of bad medical news, as the protagonist hides his worries from his wife and daughter. Rich in subtext, these silences grow and resonate with the readers.

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Perhaps the thing that first comes to mind when talking about creative writing, novels are a form of fiction that many people know and love but writers sometimes find intimidating. The good news is that novels are nothing but one word put after another, like any other piece of writing, but expanded and put into a flowing narrative. Piece of cake, right?

To get an idea of the format’s breadth of scope, take a look at these two (very different) satirical novels: 

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

I wished I was back in the convenience store where I was valued as a working member of staff and things weren’t as complicated as this. Once we donned our uniforms, we were all equals regardless of gender, age, or nationality — all simply store workers. 

Keiko, a thirty-six-year-old convenience store employee, finds comfort and happiness in the strict, uneventful routine of the shop’s daily operations. A funny, satirical, but simultaneously unnerving examination of the social structures we take for granted, Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman is deeply original and lingers with the reader long after they’ve put it down.

Erasure by Percival Everett

The hard, gritty truth of the matter is that I hardly ever think about race. Those times when I did think about it a lot I did so because of my guilt for not thinking about it.  

Erasure is a truly accomplished satire of the publishing industry’s tendency to essentialize African American authors and their writing. Everett’s protagonist is a writer whose work doesn’t fit with what publishers expect from him — work that describes the “African American experience” — so he writes a parody novel about life in the ghetto. The publishers go crazy for it and, to the protagonist’s horror, it becomes the next big thing. This sophisticated novel is both ironic and tender, leaving its readers with much food for thought.

Creative Nonfiction

Creative nonfiction is pretty broad: it applies to anything that does not claim to be fictional (although the rise of autofiction has definitely blurred the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction). It encompasses everything from personal essays and memoirs to humor writing, and they range in length from blog posts to full-length books. The defining characteristic of this massive genre is that it takes the world or the author’s experience and turns it into a narrative that a reader can follow along with.

Here, we want to focus on novel-length works that dig deep into their respective topics. While very different, these two examples truly show the breadth and depth of possibility of creative nonfiction:

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

Men’s bodies litter my family history. The pain of the women they left behind pulls them from the beyond, makes them appear as ghosts. In death, they transcend the circumstances of this place that I love and hate all at once and become supernatural. 

Writer Jesmyn Ward recounts the deaths of five men from her rural Mississippi community in as many years. In her award-winning memoir , she delves into the lives of the friends and family she lost and tries to find some sense among the tragedy. Working backwards across five years, she questions why this had to happen over and over again, and slowly unveils the long history of racism and poverty that rules rural Black communities. Moving and emotionally raw, Men We Reaped is an indictment of a cruel system and the story of a woman's grief and rage as she tries to navigate it.

Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker

He believed that wine could reshape someone’s life. That’s why he preferred buying bottles to splurging on sweaters. Sweaters were things. Bottles of wine, said Morgan, “are ways that my humanity will be changed.” 

In this work of immersive journalism , Bianca Bosker leaves behind her life as a tech journalist to explore the world of wine. Becoming a “cork dork” takes her everywhere from New York’s most refined restaurants to science labs while she learns what it takes to be a sommelier and a true wine obsessive. This funny and entertaining trip through the past and present of wine-making and tasting is sure to leave you better informed and wishing you, too, could leave your life behind for one devoted to wine. 

Illustrated Narratives (Comics, graphic novels)

Once relegated to the “funny pages”, the past forty years of comics history have proven it to be a serious medium. Comics have transformed from the early days of Jack Kirby’s superheroes into a medium where almost every genre is represented. Humorous one-shots in the Sunday papers stand alongside illustrated memoirs, horror, fantasy, and just about anything else you can imagine. This type of visual storytelling lets the writer and artist get creative with perspective, tone, and so much more. For two very different, though equally entertaining, examples, check these out:

Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson

"Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success, flat stretches of boring routine and valleys of frustration and failure." 

This beloved comic strip follows Calvin, a rambunctious six-year-old boy, and his stuffed tiger/imaginary friend, Hobbes. They get into all kinds of hijinks at school and at home, and muse on the world in the way only a six-year-old and an anthropomorphic tiger can. As laugh-out-loud funny as it is, Calvin & Hobbes ’ popularity persists as much for its whimsy as its use of humor to comment on life, childhood, adulthood, and everything in between. 

From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell 

"I shall tell you where we are. We're in the most extreme and utter region of the human mind. A dim, subconscious underworld. A radiant abyss where men meet themselves. Hell, Netley. We're in Hell." 

Comics aren't just the realm of superheroes and one-joke strips, as Alan Moore proves in this serialized graphic novel released between 1989 and 1998. A meticulously researched alternative history of Victorian London’s Ripper killings, this macabre story pulls no punches. Fact and fiction blend into a world where the Royal Family is involved in a dark conspiracy and Freemasons lurk on the sidelines. It’s a surreal mad-cap adventure that’s unsettling in the best way possible. 

Video Games and RPGs

Probably the least expected entry on this list, we thought that video games and RPGs also deserved a mention — and some well-earned recognition for the intricate storytelling that goes into creating them. 

Essentially gamified adventure stories, without attention to plot, characters, and a narrative arc, these games would lose a lot of their charm, so let’s look at two examples where the creative writing really shines through: 

80 Days by inkle studios

"It was a triumph of invention over nature, and will almost certainly disappear into the dust once more in the next fifty years." 

Named Time Magazine ’s game of the year in 2014, this narrative adventure is based on Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. The player is cast as the novel’s narrator, Passpartout, and tasked with circumnavigating the globe in service of their employer, Phileas Fogg. Set in an alternate steampunk Victorian era, the game uses its globe-trotting to comment on the colonialist fantasies inherent in the original novel and its time period. On a storytelling level, the choose-your-own-adventure style means no two players’ journeys will be the same. This innovative approach to a classic novel shows the potential of video games as a storytelling medium, truly making the player part of the story. 

What Remains of Edith Finch by Giant Sparrow

"If we lived forever, maybe we'd have time to understand things. But as it is, I think the best we can do is try to open our eyes, and appreciate how strange and brief all of this is." 

This video game casts the player as 17-year-old Edith Finch. Returning to her family’s home on an island in the Pacific northwest, Edith explores the vast house and tries to figure out why she’s the only one of her family left alive. The story of each family member is revealed as you make your way through the house, slowly unpacking the tragic fate of the Finches. Eerie and immersive, this first-person exploration game uses the medium to tell a series of truly unique tales. 

Fun and breezy on the surface, humor is often recognized as one of the trickiest forms of creative writing. After all, while you can see the artistic value in a piece of prose that you don’t necessarily enjoy, if a joke isn’t funny, you could say that it’s objectively failed.

With that said, it’s far from an impossible task, and many have succeeded in bringing smiles to their readers’ faces through their writing. Here are two examples:

‘How You Hope Your Extended Family Will React When You Explain Your Job to Them’ by Mike Lacher (McSweeney’s Internet Tendency)

“Is it true you don’t have desks?” your grandmother will ask. You will nod again and crack open a can of Country Time Lemonade. “My stars,” she will say, “it must be so wonderful to not have a traditional office and instead share a bistro-esque coworking space.” 

Satire and parody make up a whole subgenre of creative writing, and websites like McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and The Onion consistently hit the mark with their parodies of magazine publishing and news media. This particular example finds humor in the divide between traditional family expectations and contemporary, ‘trendy’ work cultures. Playing on the inherent silliness of today’s tech-forward middle-class jobs, this witty piece imagines a scenario where the writer’s family fully understands what they do — and are enthralled to hear more. “‘Now is it true,’ your uncle will whisper, ‘that you’ve got a potential investment from one of the founders of I Can Haz Cheezburger?’”

‘Not a Foodie’ by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell (Electric Literature)

I’m not a foodie, I never have been, and I know, in my heart, I never will be. 

Highlighting what she sees as an unbearable social obsession with food , in this comic Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell takes a hilarious stand against the importance of food. From the writer’s courageous thesis (“I think there are more exciting things to talk about, and focus on in life, than what’s for dinner”) to the amusing appearance of family members and the narrator’s partner, ‘Not a Foodie’ demonstrates that even a seemingly mundane pet peeve can be approached creatively — and even reveal something profound about life.

We hope this list inspires you with your own writing. If there’s one thing you take away from this post, let it be that there is no limit to what you can write about or how you can write about it. 

In the next part of this guide, we'll drill down into the fascinating world of creative nonfiction.

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Literature, Creative Writing, and Marine Biology in Friday Harbor

Information about the ENGL 581 Graduate Seminar in Friday Harbor

Study in the San Juans this Fall!

This fall, live by the sea and enroll in courses that explore the beautiful and varied marine environment at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor campus. Read, write, and explore the sea and the seashore through literature, creative writing, marine biology, ocean, and fisheries courses (12-17 credits) that take full advantage of the San Juan Island setting. What better place to read works of sea-faring literature, or to take a marine biology course where you can actually interact with the marine life you are studying? Writers, artists, scientists, and researchers have long been drawn to the sea – come and experience it for yourself while earning UW credit!

The English courses, Reading and Writing the Marine Environment (ENGL 365, 5 credits-VLPA), and an optional Creative Writing Lab/Workshop (ENGL 493, 1-5 cr) will be taught by Professor Richard Kenney, UW English Department faculty, and Sierra Nelson, MFA alumna. Students who are interested in taking science courses or who need Natural World (NW) creditmay also wish to register for Introduction to Marine Biology , (FISH/BIOL/OCEAN 250, 5cr), which has no required pre-requisites and will be taught by Dr. Petra Ditsche, or Biology of Fishes (FHL 305, 5cr) taught by Dr. Adam Summers. (Other more advanced marine biology options are also available.)

An article about the Friday Harbor program was featured in the Spring 2012 issue of English Matters: "It’s not about the landscape, but it IS all about the landscape."

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“Stand on that hill with the soft-swept grass and the dying climbing-tree. Shut your eyes harder, and revive the feelings: blooming camaraderie, hesitance forgotten by the unprompted bond that digs deeper than personal discrepancies, shadows pale in the face of that which drew us to the fire every night: an unspoken commonality, a shared spark.” -- Libby Hsu, past participant

"If you have any inclination to write, whether it be creatively or not, this program will definitely be worth your while. You're going to spend 3 life expanding months out in the San Juan Islands memorizing poetry, writing expressively, and spending quality time with students who share the drive to learn and to live boldly in their quest for meaning. But it's not just about writing, this course will push your mind to think in new and wondrous ways in which you may never have known were possible. It will make you so much more curious about what words mean and how words convey ideas and thus shape our entire human experience. I cannot recommend this course more if you are at a place in your life where you don't know quite where to go next." -- Kimber Loudon, past participant

Presentation about the Program (PDF)

Location: Friday Harbor Laboratories

THE FRIDAY HARBOR LABORATORIES (FHL) is the UW’s world renowned marine science research facility located on a 484-acre biological preserve on pristine San Juan Island, 75 miles northwest of Seattle, part of an archipelago that lies between the mainland and Vancouver Island. The islands of the San Juan Archipelago are generally rocky, forested, and rimmed by precipitous shores. Some are deeply cut by fjord-like inlets. The islands were strongly glaciated and have valleys with lakes, swamps, and bogs. The varied terrestrial and freshwater habitats offer a diverse flora and fauna.

Students live on-site in the FHL dorms for the whole quarter.

"A typical day is going to start off with breakfast in a wood lodge. Good food. Coffee, tea, hot cocoa always available as well as other beverages. It's really cozy and the environment is just breath-taking. You'll go to a few classes per day, interspersed with meals and games and poetry recitations at night around a campfire. Lots of free time too to explore, take the row boats to town for a brew or a movie..." --Kimber Loudon, past participant

Application Process

How to apply: Students should apply online, via the Friday Harbor Laboratories website .

Application Deadline: Priority admission: May 15, 2015 . Standard application review date: July 1, 2015 . Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Applications will be accepted after July 1 if space is available. For information please contact Stacy Markman , FHL Student Coordinator.

Required Documents:

• Web application form
• Course preference list
• Transcripts: Electronic submission strongly preferred. Send your UW transcript as an Adobe PDF document (.pdf) to Stacy Markman , Student Coordinator, Friday Harbor Laboratories, or fax it to: (206) 543-1273.

The Director of Friday Harbor Laboratories has final authority in accepting persons for the FHL instructional program. Humanities students enrolling in the Marine Biology Quarter are not required to submit letters of recommendation or a personal statement. Only the web application form and transcripts are required.

Suggested courses for English majors and other Humanities students:

Reading and Writing the Marine Environment (5 credits: ENGL 365 - VLPA, Optional W)

Faculty: UW Professor Richard Kenney; Sierra Nelson, MFA

Inspired by writers, artists, scientists and naturalists who have taken the sea for their subject, this is a marine-minded literature and writing course intended for readers and writers from all disciplinary backgrounds, engaging both creative and critical processes.

Q: What book is an unparalleled extravagance of literary ambition and style, a firsthand observatory of sea and life at sea, a serious natural history of cetacean mammals, an apparently bottomless mirror for American philosophical self-reflection, at once a mythic quest and a white-knuckle adventure story?

A: Moby Dick , our principal quarry. Chasing the White Whale, we’ll net other specimens from the literatures of the sea, contemporary and ancient, verse and prose. In all cases, this will be reading from a writerly perspective, considering the technical aspects of literary art, asking in a practical way how this work is done.

Q: Or, in a broader sense, how does a mind move from sea to seascape—from Nature to its representation—in any medium? Consider “the marine environment” in paint, verse, field note, and mathematics: do representations in each of these modes have anything in common? What are their various intents and purposes? How does nerve by language nudge the world and come away with an impression?

A: That’s the class. Our conversation will draw courage from large questions like these and others we may wish to bring to the table. Meanwhile, our principal considerations will be practical: reading for joy, conversing together, and testing our thoughts in an experimental spirit at the point of a pencil.

All welcome: no previous experience in creative writing or literary study is presumed. UW students earn “VLPA” credits in this course. Optional"W" Writing credit is available for ENGL 365 by request. Interested students should speak with the instructor on the first class day of the program.

(Note: this course fulfills requirements for the English major and the English minor; see an adviser for more information.)

Creative Writing Lab/Workshop (1 - 5 credits: English 493)

Integrated with the literature class, this hands-on course further engages students through a series of generative creative writing experiments inspired by science and literature of the sea, as well as a dynamic roster of Visiting Artists and Scholars whose readings, lectures and prompts will focus our binoculars and microscopes more carefully on the language and skills of craft. Culminating in a portfolio of new creative writing and providing a more critical pressure toward revision than the parent class may permit, this course ignites new approaches to the creative process and develops conversational critical faculties in a communal setting. Previous creative writing experience is not required; curiosity and engagement is a requisite. (Note: this course fulfills requirements for the English major and the English minor; see an adviser for more information.)

photograph courtesy Kati Casto, past program participant

Marine Biology (5 credits: BIOL 250/OCEAN 250/FISH 250 - NW)

Faculty: Dr. Petra Ditsche

This 5-credit lecture/laboratory course focuses on the incredible diversity of organisms inhabiting the marine environment. During the quarter we will take a broad tour through the plants and animals of the marine realm (plankton, seaweeds, invertebrates, fish, birds, and mammals), exploring how these organisms have adapted to life under water. Numerous field and laboratory exercises will expose students to common marine biological techniques and to the diverse marine communities common to Washington’s San Juan Islands. (Note: this course fulfills a core requirement of the Marine Biology minor for University of Washington students.) Recommendation: at least one quarter of introductory biology (more is preferable). Enrollment limited to 30 students. For additional information contact: Dr. Petra Ditsche .

Biology of Fishes (5 credits: FHL 305 - NW, "W" Writing credits)

Faculty: Dr. Adam Summers

FHL 305 is an introductory course designed to provide an overview of the wonderful world of fishes, their kinds and ways. We’ll discuss and conduct a hands-on examination of the biology and diversity of living fishes of the world—from ancient bottom-living hagfishes and lampreys to modern-day sharks, rays, and bony fishes; from the freshwaters of Amazonia and to mangrove swamps and coral reefs; and from shallow-water lakes and streams to the deepest parts of the world's oceans. For additional information contact: Dr. Adam Summers

Other Science Course Options (prerequisites apply):

Integrative Oceans (4 credits: OCEAN 210 - NW)

Faculty: Dr Louise McGarry

We will learn about the processes that control the large scale surface and deep water circulation of the ocean. We will look at the distribution of temperature, salinity, and chemical tracers to detect the circulation pathway of currents in the deep sea. In the surface ocean, we will learn how the ocean responds to forcing from surface winds and how this response controls the pattern and speed of surface currents. Topics include temperature-salinity analysis; Coriolis force, geostrophic equilibrium, upwelling, water mass identification; water, salt, and heat budgets; advection and diffusion. Prerequisite : either Ocean 101, Ocean 200, or OCEAN 250/BIOL 250/FISH 250; recommended: either PHYS 114 or PHYS 121. The course is both quantitative and descriptive. Thus familiarity with basic concepts (e.g., units, forces, vectors,) covered in an introductory Physics class will help. Although the exams and problem sets are quantitative, the mathematical skill level is fairly basic. Basic familiarity with Excel, or a similar spreadsheet program, will be needed for some problem sets. Enrollment limited to 20 students. For additional information contact: Dr. Louise McGarry .

Research in Marine Biology (FHL 470, 6 credits, NW, "W" Writing credit)

Faculty: Dr Megan Dethier

This course provides students with a hands-on introduction of “doing science.” The bulk of the course will be spent engaged in research activities in close collaboration with a supervisor. Students’ projects will focus on selected questions of marine biology; research topics vary, but will involve lab experiments and/or field work in the local marine habitats of the San Juan Archipelago. We will also engage in lectures and class activities to gain skills in gathering, analyzing, and presenting data. Enrollment limited to 20 students. (Mary Gates funding may be available for UW-matriculated undergraduates. See the FHL website for details.) For additional information, contact Dr Megan Dethier .

"I am sure the feeling I had on returning from Friday Harbor is not an uncommon one. Really, it’s a two-step process.... The first step is longing: If I could live in a hut on an island and do nothing but write and talk about poems for the rest of my life, I would. The second is a romantic leap (lapse) of judgment: Well, why can’t I?” -- Emily Dhatt, past participant

The complete costs for a quarter at Friday Harbor are comparable to the costs for a quarter spent studying on the Seattle campus. Resident and Non-Resident tuition rates apply. (The UW has not yet established tuition rates for the 2015-16 academic year; please check back in July or August.)

Note: these costs are comprehensive: they include your room, three delicious meals per day plus snacks, tuition, materials, fees, and other expenses. Your only additional costs are your ferry ride out to the island and pocket money.  Total costs are actually far less than the usual expenses associated with full time tuition and living in Seattle, on or off campus.

Resident, Matriculated UW Undergraduates:

Resident, matriculated students pay regular UW resident tuition, plus lab fees ($0-$215, depending on courses chosen), plus room and board ($2984 for FHL housing and three meals per day). Total costs will be regular tuition plus $2,984 - 3,199 in living expenses and fees.

Non-Resident Matriculated UW Undergraduates:

Non-resident, matriculated students pay regular UW non-resident tuition, plus lab fees ($0-$215, depending on courses chosen), plus room and board ($2984 for FHL housing and three meals per day). Total costs will be regular tuition plus $2,984 - 3,199 in living expenses and fees.

Non-Matriculated Students are also eligible to enroll in Friday Harbor courses. Please visit the FHL website for details.

*For more information about Friday Harbor costs and room and board information, please visit this page on the Friday Harbor Laboratories website.

Application Deadline: Priority admission: May 15, 2015 . Standard application review date: July 1, 2015 . Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Applications will be accepted after July 1 if space is available.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the living accommodations like at Friday Harbor? Students enrolled in FHL courses stay in dormitories or huts (mini cabins), generally in double occupancy rooms. The dining hall serves three delicious meals a day, which are included in your room & board. There are coin-operated laundry facilities, and there is a library (part of the UW Libraries system). There are common-use computer and e-mail facilities in the computing lab, library, and lecture hall, and all buildings, including housing units, have UW wireless internet. More information about the facilities and resources can be found here .

On the UW Seattle campus, I live/plan to live in the dorms. Will I still be able to get a Seattle campus dorm room for winter and spring quarters if I don't live there in the fall? Yes! In fact, it is easier to reserve a Seattle campus dorm room for winter quarter than it is for autumn. Autumn quarter generally has a waiting list, whereas there are no waiting lists for winter or spring. For more information, contact UW Housing and Food Services .

Can I use my UW Financial Aid to pay for the program? Are there scholarships available? Yes, all UW financial aid applies to this program. There are some scholarships available; most are science-related, but you do not necessarily have to be an advanced science student. Students participating in the research courses can sometimes obtain funding through a Mary Gates Research Grant. Students from other universities may apply for limited financial aid from Friday Harbor Laboratories. Remember: your program costs cover everything: all tuition, all fees, all living expenses (lodging and meals), and program supplies. You will need to cover no more than your own pocket money and your ferry fare to Friday Harbor.

Do I need to be knowledgeable about science? Definitely not: several of the marine biology courses are designed for beginners and have no prerequisites or expected background. Courses at FHL are very hands-on, so come prepared to learn on boats and at the beach as well as classroom settings.

Do I need to be an experienced creative writer or literary-studies type? Not at all. Beginners in writing and literary studies are welcomed, and no prior experience is expected.

What kinds of free-time activities are available at Friday Harbor? This beautiful island setting has a plethora of nature-related, historical, and sightseeing activities available. For a short list, see FridayHarbor.com .

Marine Biology Quarter and Friday Harbor Laboratories Student Services contacts: Marine Biology Adviser, 206-543-7426; email Stacy Markman,Friday Harbor Laboratories Student Coordinator; 206-616-0753; email

Department of English Contact: Kimberly Swayze, Academic Adviser; 206-543-2634; email

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Descriptive Writing Piece: Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong + Teacher Feedback

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

3 April 2023

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Many of the creative writing and descriptive writing questions in exams require you to focus on an object, person, place or thing. In this mini-lesson, I’ll go through the basics of how to describe a place in detail – and not just in a boring way!

Lots of my students get stuck on descriptions; they tell me that they can’t think of anything to write. Or they feel like they can only just list details or features of the object without being ‘creative’. So, if this is relatable for you then keep reading as we’ll be breaking down how to go beyond basic descriptions and transform them into something personal, powerful and meaningful.

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86 Pearl Harbor Research Questions, Topics, & Examples

Check some Pearl Harbor essay examples to write about the history of Japan’s attack during WW2 and the subsequent bombing. Our team has also prepared a list of topics & research questions for students.

🏆 Best Pearl Harbor Topic Ideas & Essay Examples

📌 most interesting pearl harbor project ideas, 👍 good pearl harbor essay topics, ❓ research questions about pearl harbor.

• Movie Analysis of Pearl Harbor Using Principles of Interpersonal Communication The name of the first one is Rafe and the younger of the two is called Danny. When Evelyn listened to the plea of Rafe not to flunk him in the medical exam she was […]
• Pearl Harbor: A Look at the Historical Accuracy Scholars have studied the events leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack in order to identify reasons for the Japanese bombardment of the Pacific fleet.
• Seven Principles of Mission Command After the Pearl Harbor Attack From the importance of intelligence gathering to the effective use of command and control, the seven principles all played a crucial role after the tragedy of Pearl Harbor and remain influential in mission command today.
• Intelligence Failure Leading Up to Pearl Harbor Answering the research question requires providing an overview of different types of intelligence information that had been provided to the decision-makers in the American government leading up to the attack.
• The Impact of the Attack on Pearl Harbor With the country focusing on the reality of the Pearl Harbor attack, it was quite clear that there was a need to join the Allies and make the world safe again.
• Attack on Pearl Harbor: Foreign Policy Biases’ Effects To begin with, each of the intelligence-gathering units was not willing to carry out the roles presumed to the mandate of other companies, even in instances where the corporation and teamwork are in the best […]
• Pearl Harbor Attack: Paranoia and Conspiracy According to a conspiracy theory related to the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt was informed of the impending attack and had not warned military commanders in Hawaii in order to involve the country in […]
• Pearl Harbor and 9/11: Intelligence Failure Based on the findings of the bodies and the ongoing discussion among Americans concerning the similarities, the ensuing discourse compares the events of 7 December and 11 September.
• Why Did the Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor? Japan considered the U.S.as its only hindrance in its effort of obtaining raw materials from the Southeast and especially its naval base at Pearl Harbor The United States of America Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor […]
• The History of the Attack on Pearl Harbor The cause of the attack notwithstanding, Japan was determined to strike the American Pacific Fleet and she never relented on this pursuit.
• Attack on Pearl Harbor: Effects of Foreign Policy Specifically, the surprise attack on the Pearl Harbor will be related to the actions of the U.S.before, after the attack, and eventual participation in the Second World War.
• Pearl Harbor Attack: U.S. and Japan This was a military base of the US military forces during the Second World War. Japan was weary of the US and wanted to suppress it as it was the only threat to Japan’s conquest.
• Pearl Harbor in the World War II Pearl Harbor is very significant in the history of the World War II because it is the place where the war started. This was another factor that contributed to the World War II, which began […]
• The Attack on Pearl Harbor The most important and drastic outcome of this event was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by America. This was the outcome of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• Pearl Harbor: The Causes and the Aftermath It is important to note that, achievement of such expectations was one of the hardest things to achieve for Japan, because of the great powers that America had over this region.
• The Pearl Harbor Bombing and the Artifacts Displayed at the Museum of Florida History
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• Top 10 Most Important Facts About Pearl Harbor
• The Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor and Subsequent American
• The Massacre of the Allied Troops During the Battle of Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Omaha Beach
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• Too Great a Challenge: The Mismatch of U.S. Intelligence Capabilities and Mission Prior to Pearl Harbor
• The Attack on Pearl Harbor Shapes American History
• Waking a Sleeping Giant: Pearl Harbor
• The Contribution of the Pearl Harbor to the Involvement of the U.S. in World War II
• The Qualities That Make Michael Bay’s Movie Pearl Harbor a Big Hit
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• The Start of the Manhattan Project After the Pearl Harbor Bombing and Its Impact
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• The Bombing of Pearl Harbor Was Avoidable or Not
• The Surprise Attack of Pearl Harbor and the Involvement of the United States in the Second Great War
• The Events of the Fateful Sunday Morning During the Attack at Pearl Harbor by Japanese Planes
• The Road to Pearl Harbor and America’s Involvement in World War II
• The United States Mobilized for War After the Attack on Pearl Harbor
• The Story of the Entrance to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii
• Japanese Internment After Pearl Harbor
• The Series of Events That Led to Pearl Harbor Attack by the Japanese
• The Use of Contrast and Dialogue to Present the Central Theme in Monica Sone’s Pearl Harbor Echoes in Seattle
• The Pearl Harbor Attack Catalyzed Involvement of America
• The Theme of Infamy in President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Speech on the Pearl Harbor Attack
• The Cause and the Effects of the Attack of Pearl Harbor
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• The Pearl Harbor Conspiracy: The Attack on Pearl Harbor Could Have Been Prevented
• The History of the Bombing of Pearl Harbor
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• The Effects of Technology Warfare Due to the Attack on Pearl Harbor
• How Did Pearl Harbor Affect American Society?
• How Did America Changed After Pearl Harbor?
• Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor?
• Why Did the Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor History?
• What Were the Causes and Effects of Pearl Harbor?
• Who Really Was Responsible for Pearl Harbor’s Devastation?
• Did Franklin Roosevelt Know Pearl Harbor Was Going?
• Why Did Japan Bomb Pearl Harbor History?
• How U.S. Economic Warfare Provoked Japan’s Attack on Pearl Harbor?
• Did FDR Know About Pearl Harbor?
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• What Was Pearl Harbor?
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• Why Did the Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor?
• Why Did the Japanese Force Strike America?
• Why Did the Japanese Army Carry Out the Pearl Harbor Attack?
• Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor DBQ?
• Did Britain Have Prior Knowledge of Pearl Harbor and Not Warn the U.S?
• Why the Japanese Attacked Pearl Harbor?
• Why Study Pearl Harbor?
• Did Franklin Roosevelt Know Pearl Harbor Was Going to Be Attacked?
• How Did Pearl Harbor Affect the Japanese?
• Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor Bryan Allen Period 3?
• Did President Roosevelt Know About Pearl Harbor Before the Attack?
• Why Was Pearl Harbor Unavoidable: A Japanese Perspective?
• Was the Pearl Harbor Attack a Surprise?
• Did FDR Know About the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor on Advance?
• Why Did Japan Attack the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor Was the Attack?
• What Did We Learn From Pearl Harbor?
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Beginning Writer's Workshop

If you have a story that needs to be written, an online writing workshop is a great place to start. This course will help improve your writing skills and discover new ways to stretch your creative muscles.

Requirements

Some of the best works of fiction and nonfiction were crafted in a writer's workshop. This online course will help you write your own creative piece. Like a true writing workshop, you will learn literary techniques, peer review a classmate's work, and receive constructive criticism on your work.

In addition, you will learn how to move your work from the prewriting stage to editing and final revision. You will also learn how to use literary devices, meaningful dialogue, and imagery in your different drafts. By the end of this online workshop, you will have a thoroughly developed creative writing piece. You might even be ready for publication!

Lesson 1 - Preparing to Write

Lesson 2 - brainstorming, lesson 3 - literary devices, lesson 4 - genres, lesson 5 - peer review/workshop, lesson 6 - story, plot, and narrative, lesson 7 - characters and dialogue, lesson 8 - points of view and tense, lesson 9 - descriptive writing, lesson 10 - overcoming writer's block, lesson 11 - editing vs. revision, lesson 12 - getting published.

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Microsoft Word is recommended (not included in enrollment).
• QuickTime .
• Adobe Acrobat Reader .
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Carmen Marquez

Carmen Marquez is a seasoned journalist, writer, and writing instructor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Rutgers University and teaching certificate from Montclair State University.

Instructor Interaction : The instructor looks forward to interacting with learners in the online moderated discussion area to share their expertise and answer any questions you may have on the course content.

65 Motivational Writing Quotes to Ignite Your Creative Spark

| Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

Quotes about writing have always been powerful tools to inspire and motivate writers, helping us work through the ups and downs of our creative journeys.

We’ve pooled together an amazing list of famous quotes about writing, penned by some of the greatest authors and thinkers, to give you some guidance, insight, and maybe even a gentle nudge to keep going when the going gets tough. We’ve all been there, and sometimes, a relatable quote can help put things back into perspective.

In this article, I’ll roll out a curated collection of inspirational quotes about writing, which I’ve also categorized by themes like motivation, challenges, process, and craft. Ready to be inspired and get that kick in the britches to keep writing?

Then read on and let these motivational writing quotes ignite that spark!

What Are the Best Motivational Quotes for Writers?

The best motivational quotes for writers are the ones that resonate deeply within us. The words offer comfort, encouragement, or a fresh perspective on the carnival ride that is the writing journey. These are some of my favorite quotes from famous authors, screenwriters, poets, and even unexpected sources.

So, whether you’re losing a battle with writer’s block or looking for a fresh burst of creativity to kickstart a new freelance writing project, these quotes are here to remind you that every writer faces challenges—and every writer has the power to overcome them.

Inspirational Quotes on Writing: Motivation

Motivation is the fuel that keeps the writing engine running, and sometimes, all we need is a few powerful words to jumpstart our creativity.

These inspirational quotes about writing are perfect for pulling out during those moments when you feel absolutely stuck or just in need of a boost. They remind us that writing is a chaotic process that demands perseverance, courage, and maybe even a little bit of faith.

So, soak up these words from literary greats like Terry Pratchett, Jodi Picoult, and Ernest Hemingway, and remember the importance of telling your story.

“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” – Terry Pratchett

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” – Louis L’Amour

“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” – Jodi Picoult

“You fail only if you stop writing.” – Ray Bradbury

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” – Toni Morrison

“Write hard and clear about what hurts.” – Ernest Hemingway

“A word after a word after a word is power.” – Margaret Atwood

“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” – Anne Frank

“Writing is its own reward.” – Henry Miller

“Write what you know. That should leave you with a lot of free time.” – Howard Nemerov

“To survive, you must tell stories.” – Umberto Eco

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” – Anaïs Nin

“If a story is in you, it has to come out.” – William Faulkner

“The secret of it all is to write… without waiting for a fit time or place.” – Walt Whitman

“Write a page a day. Only 300 words. And in a year, you have written a book.” – Stephen King

“To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man.” – Aristotle

“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader—not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.” – E.L. Doctorow

Inspirational Quotes on Writing: Challenges

Writing isn’t always easy; in fact, it’s almost never easy, otherwise, everyone would do it. Writing sometimes feels like an uphill battle with no end in sight. But facing challenges head-on is all part of the writing journey, whether you want to admit it or not.

This next list of writing quotes brings together ideas that speak to the struggles every writer faces—from self-doubt to writer’s block and the fear of putting your thoughts on paper for an essay . These famous quotes about writing acknowledge the difficulties of the craft, offering both empathy and encouragement.

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” – Stephen King

“Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.” – Anne Lamott

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” – Maya Angelou

“Every writer I know has trouble writing.” – Joseph Heller

“Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.” – Natalie Goldberg

“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” – Saul Bellow

“Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.” – E.L. Doctorow

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” – Ernest Hemingway

“Writing is the art of disappointment.” – Dan Abnett

“The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress.” – Philip Roth

“The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible.” – Vladimir Nabokov

“Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” – Mark Twain

“Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards.” – Robert A. Heinlein

“First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him.” – Ray Bradbury

“The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes.” – Agatha Christie

Inspirational Quotes on Writing: Process

The writing process is different for every single writer. Some are pantsers, and others are deep plotters. I’ve even met some who are a mix of both. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, you’ll relate to this next list of motivational writing quotes.

It gets into the nuts and bolts of writing—the habits, the routines, the rituals that help writers put words on the page. These quotes emphasize the importance of persistence, imagination, and the willingness to embrace the messiness of the ever-personal creative process.

“The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book.” – Samuel Johnson

“The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.” – Anaïs Nin

“You don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” – Richard Bach

“Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” – Stephen King

“A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

“Write drunk, edit sober.” – Ernest Hemingway

“The best stories are the ones that make you feel something.” – Neil Gaiman

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” – Mark Twain

“Write without pay until somebody offers to pay.” – Mark Twain

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” – Ernest Hemingway

“To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the inner music that words make.” – Truman Capote

“Writing is thinking on paper.” – William Zinsser

“A book is simply the container of an idea—like a bottle; what is inside the book is what matters.” – Angela Carter

“Imagination is like a muscle. I found out that the more I wrote, the bigger it got.” – Philip José Farmer

“The task of a writer is not to solve the problem but to state the problem correctly.” – Anton Chekhov

“The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” – Albert Camus

“The writer must write what he has to say, not speak it.” – Ernest Hemingway

“The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words.” – William H. Gass

“The writer is an explorer. Every step is an advance into a new land.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Inspirational Quotes on Writing: Craft

Writing is an art form. There’s no doubt about it. And mastering your craft means dedication, practice, and a deep understanding of language and storytelling. Next up, we’ve gathered quotes that focus on the finer points of writing—the style, the technique, the unique voice every writer strives to develop.

I hope they encourage you to experiment, to play with language, and to express yourself fully and authentically. From the poetic wisdom of Anton Chekhov to the sharp insights of E.L. Doctorow, these quotes will inspire you to hone your craft and find your unique style.

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” – Anton Chekhov

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” – Thomas Jefferson

“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.” – Frank Herbert

“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life or better to endure it.” – Samuel Johnson

“Writers live twice.” – Natalie Goldberg

“Let the world burn through you. Throw the prism light, white hot, on paper.” – Ray Bradbury

“A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God.” – Sidney Sheldon

“The pen is the tongue of the mind.” – Horace

“The purpose of literature is to turn blood into ink.” – T.S. Eliot

“A writer should write with his eyes and a painter paint with his ears.” – Gertrude Stein

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” – William Wordsworth

“Style is to forget all styles.” – Jules Renard

How Can Motivational Quotes Inspire Writers?

Motivational quotes can be a helpful tool for writers, offering psychological benefits that combat self-doubt and encourage us to keep going. Reading a quote from a beloved author can remind a writer of their shared struggles, creating a sense of community and shared experience.

For example, knowing that even the great and all-mighty Stephen King finds the start of a first draft to be daunting can make it easier to face your own blank page.

Also, consider how motivational quotes give us daily reminders of why writing is worth the effort. Because it is. Writing isn’t just a hobby–it’s a cathartic release, a sort of therapy. It’s everything that dwells within a writer.

One of my favorite quotes that has always stuck with me is Ernest Hemingway’s advice to “write drunk, edit sober” because it reminds me to just give in and embrace the raw, unfiltered creativity in my initial drafts, knowing I can always refine it later.

Then there are Anne Lamott’s words on the necessity of “terrible first efforts,” which encourages writers to JUST START WRITING, despite the fear of imperfection. I’m a firm believer in the idea that a crappy first draft is a hundred times better than a blank page.

Do These Quotes Get You Motivated to Write?

Motivational writing quotes are more than just silly words—they’re daily reminders to look for the joy in what you love, to embrace the challenge it demands, and to relish the triumph of the writing process.

We covered quotes that speak to the writing process, motivation, challenges, and craft. Save them or bookmark this page to come back time and time again whenever you need a little pick-me-up to keep those words flowing. Which quote resonates the most with you?

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Creative Classes and Workshops

Michelle Winslow

Learn how to paint watercolours. Suitable for  beginners and improvers. We will explore various  paint techniques hints and tips to create  beautiful paintings including still life, seascapes,  built environment and portraiture. Materials will be provided and feel free to bring your own.

For more details and to book, email [email protected]

Keep up to date with our regular classes and frequent workshops, all taught by wonderful local tutors.

Tuesday Adult Art Class

Tuesdays, 10am to 12pm or 1pm to 3pm  

Harbour Arts Centre

£80 (8 classes)

The Tuesday Art Classes are suitable for all levels of ability particularly beginner to intermediate. It is a friendly & relaxed environment where you will have the freedom to work in any medium and entirely at your own pace. The coaching is one to one with an emphasis on building basic drawing skills & exploring the mediums that suit you best.

For class dates or to book, please email: [email protected]

Website: www.juliagriffinartist.com

Creative Writing

Wednesdays, 10am to 12pm

£50 (8 classes)

Take a walk through the creative writing experience, from putting those first thoughts/descriptions/emotions down on paper, to various types of publication. The group has a variety of interests and abilities so we cover as many aspects of writing as possible. No minimum level of experience required, just a willingness to put words on paper and have fun doing it.

The tutor is Francis Gay in The Sunday Post, writes The Friendship Book annually, is Wayfarer in the quarterly magazine Evergreen, wrote Dennis The Menace for The Beano, and has had a book published in Korean (which he can’t even read!)

For class dates and to book, please contact David McLaughlan at [email protected]

Drama Classes for Kids with ShowWorks Theatre

Wednesdays, 4.30pm to 6pm

£10 (3 weeks)

ShowWorks Theatre and  Harbour Arts Centre  are delighted to be working in partnership with  K:A Leisure  to deliver a new programme of drama classes for children and young people across North Ayrshire.

Primary age children can get involved in fun-filled sessions in acting, singing and movement. Led by our friendly, professional staff, this is a chance for your child to gain confidence, learn skills and make friends!

Spaces are limited (and COVID compliant!) and priced at £10 for 3 week block. Please visit  www.ShowWorkstheatre.com for more information, class dates and to book.

Adult Art Class with David Reid

Thursdays, 10am to 12pm

This class should cater for all, from the very beginner to the improver. The class is geared towards the individual and their special interests. There are occasional groupworks to challenge the students in a particular aspect of art, perhaps highlighting a famous artist or a style. Skills will improve with practical advice, hints and tips to better your artwork.

For class dates and to book please contact David at [email protected]

Art Class For 11 to 18yrs

Saturdays, 10am to 11.30am

£54 (6 classes)

The ‘Saturday Art Class’ is suitable for young people with a passion for Art. They will have the freedom to explore any medium or theme of their choosing and one to one tuition in Fine Art media and techniques will be provided. All materials included in price.

Pre-booking is essential, please email: [email protected]

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Vanessa Harbour

Dr Vanessa Harbour is currently a senior lecturer in creative writing at the University of Winchester and will be the programme leader of the BA Creative Writing from August 2023. She has extensive experience in teaching practices at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, learning and teaching, research-informed teaching and research. In addition, she has many years experience of in research and development plus management in both academic and commercial sectors. She was the editor and co-founder of the e-journal Write4Children The International Journal for the Practices and Theories of Writing for Children and Children’s Literature​. Her PhD explored the issues of representation/representing sex, drugs and alcohol in young adult fiction and had a creative writing emphasis. Vanessa is a member of the Society of Authors. She also works alongside Imogen Cooper with the Golden Egg Academy. She has published two middle-grade historical novels based during the Second World War. Flight was published by Firefly in 2018 and Feiwell and Friends in the US in 2021. It was longlisted for the Branford Boase and the Panda Book Awards in China. It was also shortlisted for the Sheffield Children's Book Award. Flight was also picked by EmpathyLabUk for one of their books in the Read Empathy Guide 2020. The Welsh Book Council has also picked Flight as one of its titles to go into every primary school as part of its mental health drive. Safe was published by Firefly in 2022 to critical acclaim. Vanessa is currently working on more historical novels one an adult novel and the other a piece of young adult fiction. She supports aspiring writers.

Her PhD in creative writing explored the issues of representing/representation of sex, drugs and alcohol in young adult fiction.

• –present Senior Lecturer of Creative Writing and Children's Lit, The University of Winchester
• 2011  University of Winchester, PhD
• Winchester,Hampshire
• Article Feed
• [email protected]
• Joined February 4, 2014

Northern Rivers Writers’ Groups

Alstonville plateau writers group.

Meets second Friday of each month, 10am – 12pm. All genres welcome, contact Kerry 66285662 or email [email protected]

  Ballina/Byron U3A Creative Writing

Meets fortnightly during school Term on Thursdays from 11.30 am to 1.00 pm at Fripp Oval, Canal Road Ballina. Contact Mandy Waring on 0427327381.

Byron Bay Memoir and Fiction Writing Group

Meets monthly at Sunrise Beach, Byron Bay. Contact Dianna on 0420282938/6685 5387 or [email protected]

Coffs Harbour Writers Group

Meets 1 st Friday of the month at 10.30am to 12.30pm. contact Rosalie Skinner on 0437 221 619 or email [email protected]   www.coffsharbourwriters.com

Cru3a River Poets

Meets every Thursday at 10:30am, venue varies, mainly in Yamba. Contact Pauline on 66458715 or email [email protected]

Dangerously Poetic Writing Circle

Meets second Wednesday or each month, 2pm-4pm at Brunswick Valley Community Centre. Contact Laura on 66801976 or visit www.dangerouslypoetic.com

Dorrigo Writers Group

Meets every second Wednesday from 10am – 2pm. Contact Iris on (02) 6657 5274 or email [email protected] or contact Carol Deane on (02) 6657 4005

Gold Coast Writers Association

Meets third Saturday of each month, 11:45am for 12:00 pm start, at Mudgeeraba Community Centre, Firth Park, Somerset Drive, Mudgeeraba 4213.

Contact 0439333033 or email [email protected]

Website: www.goldcoastwriters.org

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GoldCoastWritersAssociation/

Kyogle Writers

Meets last Saturday of the month, 10am – 12pm at in the Supper Room, Kyogle Memorial Institute, Stratheden Street, Kyogle. Contact Margit at  [email protected]

Lismore Hub Writers Group

Meets every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month in Lismore from 6pm-8pm. Contact Des on 0493 536 267 or email [email protected]

Lismore Writers

This group meets on the final Saturday in the month from 10.30am to 12.00 noon in Lismore CBD. Contact Vicki Peterson on 0428 840 093 or email [email protected] .

Nambucca Valley Writers Group

Meets fourth Saturday of each month, 1:30pm, Nambucca. Contact 65689648 or [email protected]

Taree Scribblers

Meets 2 nd Wednesday of the month, 10am-12.30pm, Taree Library. Contact Bob Winston on (02) 6553 2829 or email [email protected]

Tweed Poets and Writers

Meets weekly at the Coolangatta Senior Citizens Centre on Tuesdays from 1.30 to 3.30pm, NSW time. Poets, novelists, playwrights, short story writers are all welcome. Phone Lorraine (07) 5524 8035

If you would like to list your writers’ group on this page, or if you need to update the details of an existing group, please email [email protected] .