In this inspiring piece, Clay Stafford explores patience as the hidden foundation of every successful writing career. Through insight, encouragement, and practical advice, he reminds writers that progress happens quietly, through consistent effort and long-term devotion to the craft—one word, one page, one day at a time.
“Show, don’t tell” isn’t just a writing cliché—it’s the heartbeat of immersive storytelling. In this piece, Clay Stafford explores how sensory details, specificity, and subtext transform simple narration into a living experience. Learn how to make readers feel your story, not just read it.
Every writer faces moments of creative block. Writing prompts can help bypass perfectionism, spark new ideas, and remind us that the act of writing—imperfect as it may be—is what truly matters. Prompts help us rediscover curiosity, playfulness, and the joy of simply putting words on the page.
Every writer needs to know their audience. Writing for “everyone” often means reaching no one, but tailoring your story for a specific readership builds clarity, resonance, and loyalty.
I’m going to take you behind the scenes with this essay. This morning, I rewrote the opening of my new book—again, for the sixth time. I think I’m getting close. I don’t usually count my rewrites, but this one is different. The first chapter has been a thorn in my...
If your story feels like it is stalling right from the first page, your problem might not be your plot. Before you rush off to rewrite the progression of the first chapter or maybe insert one of those unnecessary prologues, take a moment and look at your protagonist’s entrance. Readers decide whether to care (or […]
If your scene feels slow, no matter how perfectly written, it may be missing urgency. Add a meaningful deadline and let it reshape your character’s actions, raise the stakes, and create real-time evolution that your reader can feel.
Have you ever stared at the top of a blank page, not looking at the story but looking at the title, and felt like a complete idiot because you can’t put a name to the thing that it took you 120,000 words to write? You’re not alone. In my consulting work, titles stop...
Have you ever written a scene that looked good on paper, but there was just something about it that didn’t have…something? Maybe it felt hollow. Perhaps the characters said all the right things, yet…Maybe the setting was vivid, and you described it perfectly,...
As writers, we often feel this burning need to say something important. We’ve lived. We’ve lost. We’ve witnessed. We’ve studied the human condition, wrestled with pain, and collected moments of truth we feel everyone should know. We feel impassioned. We want to take...