The Daily Port of Call: April 28, 2014

Photo by Alexander Lvov/bigstockphoto.com

In today’s Daily Port of Call, you’ll find how to read a poem, five ways to add personality and voice to every blog post, and the importance of including the right facts.

National Poetry Month is almost over and you haven’t read even one poem? Feeling curious about poetry but not sure where to start? Check out the Poetry Foundation, where you will learn how to read a poem.

James Patterson shares his secrets for writing an “unputdownable story.”

Uncover five ways to add personality and voice to every blog post you write.

Here are some simple ways to infuse your writing with magical realism.

Discover the importance of including the right facts.

Here is a short video with twenty-nine ways to jumpstart your creativity.

The Daily Port of Call: April 25, 2014

Photo by Alexander Lvov/bigstockphoto.com

In today’s Daily Port of Call, you’ll find ten poems that are sure to delight, the power of story, and opportunities for writers in May and June.

Here are ten poems that show “close reading is courtship, a passionate, delicate way to find out what makes this particular poem worth a second date (that is, writing a paper about) or maybe worth spending the rest of your life with (that is, memorizing).”

There are challenges in self-publishing, and plenty of benefits.

Explore the power of story in this collaboration between Brain Picking’s Maria Popova and Noodle.

Discover how to use emotional growth to propel the story and capture the reader.

Aerogramme Writers’ Studio collects opportunities for writers. Here is the list for May and June.

Have you ever wondered what your favorite literary meals actually look like? So has Dinah Fried. And then she found out.