Should You Use a Pen Name?
The answer is yes, and also no Up until I met my writing friend, Nicole, the thought of using a pen name literally never crossed my mind. I like my actual name and don’t plan on writing anything scandalous during…
What I Learned Picking an Old Hobby Back Up Again
Sometimes you can learn just as much from returning to your old ways as by trying something new. When I was in middle school, I started babysitting for one of our family’s next-door neighbors after school. Each weekday when I…
How to Be Happy Alone
It might seem impossible, but you can be happy with yourself, even when you’re all alone. I’ve never considered myself a loner, per se, but I am by most definitions someone who would fall into that category. I spend much…
How to Leave Breadcrumbs in Your Story
Foreshadowing is an artform you should learn to master if you want to be a successful writer When you read the title of this article, what do you envision? For many, it probably brings images of a “Hansel and Gretel” movie…
The Art of the Close Read
Being an intelligent content consumer depends on the art of the close read. It’s not just useful in your college literature class anymore. I’ll never forget the day one of my English professors in college introduced me to the (extremely)…
How to Utilize Paragraph Structure in Your Writing
The smallest details can have the biggest impact on your readers If you’re a writer, you’re probably used to thinking long and hard about everything you put into a story. If you’re like me, you probably spend hours upon hours…
How I Got Back Into Reading After a Years-Long Break
Some ways to re-ignite (or spark) your reading habits. I studied literature in college. Yep — you read that right! For anyone who loves reading like I did growing up, studying literature sounds like an absolute dream. I spent my…
College Doesn’t Prepare You for the Post-Graduation Slump
But that doesn’t mean you won’t survive it. When I graduated college, I was on top of the world. I’d worked long and hard to finish my degree — late nights, insufferable classes, long hours at work and school — it was…
Abraham Lincoln
Flashback number one. The frigid air danced through the trees, making its way through my layers of clothing. Jean jacket, blue knit scarf, purple and gold striped sweater, dingy white tank top. None were a match for the nipping of…
Writing When You Don’t Want to Write
Sometimes even doing the thing you love seems like an impossible task. I love writing. If you’ve read any of my articles or found out anything about me on the internet, you’d know that. Writing is something that’s always been…
Addey Vaters
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