This space is dedicated to the art of the written word. Discover all kinds of tips, resources, and projects focused on writing.
Discover the basic tools and utensils you’ll need to start practicing the art of traditional Japanese writing If you had to explain what shodō calligraphy is, you could start by saying that it is a form of artistic writing. Calligrapher Rie Takeda (@rietakeda) describes it as the art of Japanese calligraphy, one of the country's oldest and deep-rooted traditions, which emerged in the 5th century.
Learn basic tips to create attention-grabbing copy in a range of advertising formats, with Erica Igue
The publicist behind legendary campaigns, shares the secrets to a career in advertising, in this Domestika Maestros
Learn how to find a good story with this brainstorming exercise by Enrique Torralba
Discover the life and work of the influential Russian-Jewish poet whose work was banned from publication Sophia Parnok was a Russian-Jewish poet born in 1885 and was considered the only openly lesbian voice of the Silver Age of Russian Poetry. During her lifetime, she published five volumes of poetry, a substantial body of literary criticism, and authored the libretti of several operas. Yet, despite her achievements, her work still remains relatively unknown.
Learn real-life exercises to generate ideas and unlock your creativity with Andreia Ribeiro
Discover the Brazilian writer and journalist creative work, daily rituals and the place where he creates his stories
Discover top tips for improving your blog content, building a strong community and connecting with your target audience Emma Jane Palin (@emmajanepalin) is an award-winning blogger, writer, interior stylist, and digital marketing specialist. She knows the importance of building a community around your blog and how to best reach out and connect with your target audience. The beauty of a blog is that it’s personal, but for your business, you might not want it to seem as if it’s just you. The real focus when it comes to writing should be about bringing your voice to the forefront. Do you want to be formal or passive, educational or inspiring? Emma has prepared a brilliant guide to help you work through your blog posts methodically.
Do you want to make your website or blog search engine ready? Check out this checklist and start creating content When creating content for your website, whether it be blog posts or pages, you want to ensure it’s optimized for search engines. Following this checklist will ensure you do that. Alice Benham (@alice_benham) is a multi-hyphenate marketing and business coach who helps business owners grow their online presence using a value-driven strategy. In her course, she guides you through each step of crafting the ideal online strategy to level up your business for exponential growth.
These world-famous female writers pretended they were men to ensure their work was read and published In 1929, in her essay A Room of One's Own, novelist Virginia Woolf pondered why there weren’t any literary works, poems, or sonnets written by women during Shakespeare's time that had made it into the history books. Her conclusion makes you think: "I would venture to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman." While it is now impossible to know if any of these "anonymous authors" were women, what we do know is that many female authors and writers couldn’t sign their real names due to the constraints of the times, the subjects they were writing about, or the literary genres they were interested in... Instead, they used male pen names to avoid being judged, censored, or scorned. Their talent and creativity are responsible for major contributions to the history of world literature. Have you read any of their classic texts? 1. The Brontë sisters (the Bell brothers) Sisters Charlotte Brontë (author of Jane Eyre), Emily Brontë (author of Wuthering Heights), and Anne Brontë (author of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall) launched their literary career signing the names Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Their decision to do so was down to the fact that the subjects they were writing about were considered shocking, even immoral, at the time: controversial romances, alcoholism, violence... Although many of their contemporary writers still criticized their work for its "depraved" content, the reaction would have been far more extreme had it been known that these texts were written by three women from respectable families. Today, these sisters’ novels are considered groundbreaking works of art that have made their mark on the history of literature.
Learn professional hand lettering tricks with step-by-step instructions so that you can confidently start from scratch, with Cyla Costa
Writer Shaun Levin shares his techniques for finding great stories in everyday life Shaun Levin (@shaun_levin) is a writer and creative writing teacher with over twenty years of experience in the creative sector. For the past fifteen years, he has edited literary magazines and short story collections and set up small publishing houses for whom he has designed different publications. He has also created writing maps that help to inspire other writers in whatever situation they find themselves in. According to Shaun, we tend to think that the best stories are somewhere out there, in the world, and that we have to go searching for them. However, over time, he has realized that most of the stories we want to write are already inside us. In other words, we are already carrying special moments around with us that have great narrative potential. But how do we unlock them?
Discover the origins of shodō, plus the aesthetics and mindfulness behind this Japanese art form, with Rie Takeda
Five young wordsmiths use poetry to reflect and inspire change Today is Earth Day, an annual event that sets out to educate individuals on different issues affecting the environment, raise awareness of climate change, and encourage people to live more sustainable lifestyles that protect natural resources. It also celebrates the achievements of climate activists around the world. Nature has always provided wordsmiths with an infinite source of inspiration. However, while the Romantic poets wrote about nature’s beauty, today’s ecopoets call out the destruction caused by poor choices and poor policy, while inspiring listeners to do their part.
Storyteller and papercutting artist Karishma Chugani walks us through her creative process Karishma Chugani is a storyteller and papercutting artist whose work blends ancient narrative formats from across the world. After writing a story, she creates a visual language with images specifically designed to tell that story.
Learn to create a range of illustrated books and albums with a little help from these experts in children’s and young adult literature International Children's Book Day is celebrated every year on April 2, which is also the same day that Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen was born. You are sure to have come across his works, such as The Ugly Duckling, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, and The Little Mermaid, which have also been made into films. This annual celebration aims to fuel children and young adults’ interest in books. Discovering original and inspiring stories on the page helps children and young adults to unleash their imaginations in the real world. These 12 online courses will help you to become an expert in children’s and YA literature and invent a unique language that combines words with illustrations. From picture books to theater books, the possibilities are endless. Creation of a Children's Picturebook, a course by Claudia Rueda When it comes to embarking on the creation of an illustrated children's book, it’s always better to seek out the advice of experts. Claudia Rueda is here to guide you, having published over thirty works and been nominated for important international awards such as the Hans Christian Andersen Award and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Learn how Claudia plans and elaborates a picture book from scratch, starting with the first idea to creating the layout and finalizing the project before delivering it to a publisher.
From who used it first to its evolution through the ages, find out more about one of the most popular materials of all time
Discover the story of Zelda Fitzgerald, the "muse" and writer plagiarized and silenced by her celebrated husband
Personalize your illustrations and children’s books with useful techniques from creative writing experts Following a narrative course can help you find your own style and put illustrations into words that will enhance their communicative power. Children's stories, in which words have a central role emphasizing every image, are the best narrative examples, but they are not the only ones. Under the guidance of five illustration, publishing, and creative writing experts, you can learn to create stories for your images. They will give you tips on facing your fear of the blank page and help you experiment with visual and textual elements. Click on the red links to access and enjoy the classes! Free Class: Inspiration and advice In this video, author and creative writing professor Alberto Chimal suggests you ask yourself the following question during your creative process: What next? To create your own illustrated story, you need to find new ideas. These can only come from you because, as Alberto says, inspiration is an initial desire that you need to feel and work on. Find out by following his class, taken from his course Introduction to Narrative Writing.
Discover the story of the young woman who created Frankenstein, the first modern science fiction novel Frankenstein belongs in the pantheon of classic monsters that make up the images we associate with the horror genre. Made even more famous by Boris Karloff's portrayal in the James Whale-directed film adaptation, this creature is the protagonist of the novel Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, considered one of the first modern science fiction novels, both for its plot and for the themes it explores. But it is not just its plot that made an impression on 19th-century society and continues to make an impression today. It’s the person responsible for its creation: 18-year-old Mary Shelley. Discover her fascinating story below:
From the first African-American novelist to the 22-year-old poet who performed at the 2021 presidential inauguration We are celebrating the outstanding achievements of female creatives throughout history. Stories help us understand the world and see it through another’s eyes. They can be an escape, teach us empathy, and inspire change. We have compiled a list of ten Black American female fiction writers and poets who have made their mark over two centuries and continue to shape and inspire generations. Harriet E. Wilson (1825–1900) Harriet E. Wilson is considered the first African American to publish a novel in the United States. Our Nig: Sketches from the Life of a Free Black was published anonymously in 1859, later discovered to be Wilson's work by the scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr in 1982.
Advertising copywriter Carla González analyzes iconic slogans and explains why they do and don’t work
Learn some basic tips to perfect the content of a creative magazine Content, editing, and consistency are at the root of a project's success. They help it to stand out in the digital world but aren’t always easy to achieve. Creative director Pedro Saldías (@pesaldias) has managed to successfully combine all those elements in his many innovative fashion, art, and design projects. Specialized in digital marketing, storytelling, and branded content, in his 10 years of experience, Pedro has developed work for Dolce & Gabbana, Tiffany & Co, among others. To develop editorial formats, use the following 10 tips he has set as a guideline to help you create relevant content and make the most of social media.
A selection of authors recommended by writer and professor Shaun Levin South African professor Shaun Levin (@shaun_levin), the author of the short story collection A Year of Two Summers and the novel Seven Sweet Things, believes that inspiration is everywhere. With more than 20 years as a creative writing teacher, he is living proof: he has taught in schools, schools, art galleries, bookstores, cafes, parks, a cemetery, and even in a zoo. In addition to teaching and writing, Levin edits books and literary magazines and has created a series of writing maps to inspire other writers.
Change the color of what is considered the saddest day of the year with these free creative tutorials It's been over a decade since the term "Blue Monday" was first used to refer to the saddest day of the year, and a formula was even devised to calculate it. In the Northern Hemisphere, where winter is in full swing and the days are still excessively short, there seems to be a consensus that this is one of the most depressing days on the calendar, so we strive to find alternatives and ways to make this third Monday in January shine a little brighter. To collaborate in this arduous task we have selected five tutorials to awaken your creativity that will help you overcome Blue Monday by making you start up the right side of the brain:
Prompts that will inspire you to transform people, places, objects, and memories into stories Shaun Levin (@shaun_levin) is a writer, artist, editor, bookbinder, and creative writing teacher. He is also the creator of Writing Maps: a platform sharing illustrated maps filled with creative writing prompts to inspire writers to transform people, places, objects, and memories into stories. Since the release of his first novel, Seven Sweet Things, in 2003, Shaun has published a number of books and creative writing resources including A Year of Two Summers, Isaac Rosenberg's Journey to Arras: A Meditation, and Snapshots of The Boy. He has taught creative writing for over twenty years in colleges, schools, and adult education centers, and run workshops in public spaces. He also founded and edits The A3 Review.
Find out about copywriting and discover its infinite possibilities with creative director and copywriter Erica Igue
"Branded content is not a format, but a new way of thinking", explains Carla González Over the last couple of days, you have almost certainly come across, and interacted with, branded content, probably even without realizing it. You have also heard this term before and maybe wondered what it is. So we asked Carla González (@carlagoon), a digital copywriter specializing in this type of content, to explain the origin, some examples, and the future of branded content.
Learn some of the key differences between these often confused terms The roles of a copywriter and that of a content writer are often confused. Both figures are equally important in building a brand or product. We have gathered information from Domestika experts to define these two marketing processes and understand their main differences. They may be different, but both aim to connect with customers by using important messages about a particular brand. The common part of these two disciplines is the word writing, and indeed they both exist to tell a story about a brand or a service. However, their style, purpose, and strategy deployment are quite far apart. Let’s see in detail what their differences are.
Artist Malika Favre transformed the 26 letters of the alphabet into a book of erotic writing and illustrations French artist Malika Favre has just published Kama Sutra A-Z, an audacious and original book. The 26 letters of the alphabet have been turned into artistic illustrations alluding to sexual freedom and expression. Individually laid out page by page, Malika’s illustrations are accompanied by handwritten erotic texts, focusing on poetry. Celebrated poets such as Sandra Cisneros, Yusef Komunyakaa, Stephanie Burt, Vanessa Kisuule, and Kyle Dargan have been included in the book–all of whom have inspired Malika over the years. Designed by Counter-Print, the book is the culmination of a project exhibited at London’s Somerset House in 2013, the year in which Favre was selected to take part in Pick Me Up. We interviewed the author to learn about her creative process and where she conceived the idea to combine the Kamasutra positions with the letters of the alphabet. She explains what the relationship between erotic writing and illustration is.
