24 Most Popular Writing Posts of 2024

While we’re usually sharing so much great writing-related interviews, advice, prompts, and so on throughout the year, I love being able to take a moment every December to highlight our most popular writing posts of the year. This year, we’ve collected 24 for 2024.

(23 Most Popular Writing Posts of 2023.)

Each post was originally published in 2024 and has been visited many, many times during the year. And yes, I’ve included more than 24, because a few of these can be categorized together. And I just like sharing all the fun stuff we’ve done during the year.

So here we go. Click on the titles to read the original posts.

24 Most Popular Writing Posts of 2024

1. 21 Popular Romance Tropes for Writers, by Robert Lee Brewer. Last year, “21 Popular Fantasy Tropes for Writers” topped the list, so tropes have been a hot topic for a couple years on this site now. As the title suggests, this one collects 21 popular romance tropes. “21 Popular Thriller Tropes for Writers” finished as the 13th most popular post this year.
2. 5 Tips for Writing Better and Faster, by Robert W. Bly. Bly is a career freelancer and copywriting expert who shares his top tips for writing better and faster, regardless of what genre you’re writing.
3. Top 4 Tips for Writing Great Beginnings, by Abigail Owen. Award-winning author Abigail Owen shares her top four tips for writing great beginnings, including figuring out where to start, making scenes dynamic, and more.
4. Read, Then Write: Books to Study to Help Your Stories, by Michael Woodson. Michael Woodson often puts together nice reading lists on the site for writers, and this one really spoke to writers, perhaps because it focuses on how the reading can inform the writing.
5. C.J. Box: Read Across Genres, by Robert Lee Brewer. The author spotlight series is one of my favorite things on the site. Every week, we feature multiple authors, both new and established, on the site. Check them all out here.
6. I Got 8 Agent Offers; Then, My Book Died on Sub, by Lauren Kay. While she did eventually find success, Lauren Kay shares her harrowing story of being at the top of her game to crashing to earth in publishing disappointment.
7. 7 Healthy Habits for Writers to Find Success, by Chris Saunders. In this piece, Saunders shares seven healthy habits for writers to find success with their writing, including a pro tip for each.
8. Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers 2024, by Amy Jones, Moriah Richard, and Michael Woodson. This massive list that’s updated every year by the WD print editors has become a regular feature of our most popular writing posts list.
9. Why I Choose to Self-Publish My Writing, by Norah Woodsey. In this piece, Woodsey shares her reasoning for going the self-publishing route, even if it does provoke a smirk or two from people who ask about her publisher.
10. The Writing Exercise That Inspired My Novel Series and Changed My Life, by Kelly Vincent. Any writing exercise that can change a person’s life is worth knowing, especially if it can also inspire a novel series in the process.
11. 29 Writing Prompts for the 2024 Flash Fiction Challenge, by Moriah Richard. Moriah’s February Flash Fiction Challenge has become one of the more popular events every year on the site. Here, she’s collected all her prompts for the 2024 challenge.
12. On Writing Slowly, by Luis Jaramillo. Some writers just aren’t the fastest at getting words down on the page, and that’s completely okay. In fact, Jaramillo shares some thoughts on how slow writing can actually be beneficial.
13. The 3 Best Writing Tips I’ve Gotten From Masters, and the 4 Best Writing Tips I’ve Given, by Peter Blauner. In this piece, Blauner shares the best writing tips he’s received and given, including how to create a scene, balancing shock and suspense, and more.
14. The Long Art of the Short Story, by Elly Griffiths. Award-winning author Elly Griffiths discusses the long art of the short story and how it offers opportunities that novels just can’t.
15. The Questions That Drive a Novel vs. Short Story, by María Alejandra Barrios Vélez. Related to Griffiths’ post, María Alejandra Barrios Vélez shares the questions she considers when writing a novel vs. writing a short story.
16. Think AI Is Bad? The Worst Is Yet to Come, by Mike Trigg. Author and former tech executive Mike Trigg shares why writers are right to fear AI, though maybe not for the same reason many think.
17. 5 Changes That Matter From the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition, by Russell Harper. The principal reviser of this popular style guide highlights the five top changes to the The Chicago Manual of Style.
18. 5 Ways to Write Better Copy Than ChatGPT, by Robert W. Bly. Bly shows up on this list a second time, this time with tips for writers to outperform ChatGPT when writing their copy.
19. What Is Romantasy, Anyway?, by M. K. Lobb. Romantasy is perhaps the hottest writing genre going at the moment, so Lobb takes a stab at defining what it is for other writers.
20. What I’ve Learned After Publishing My First Book, by Victory Witherkeigh. Award-winning author Victory Witherkeigh shares what she learned after publishing her first book.
21. Writing Blockbuster Fiction: Mastering the Art of Cinematic Storytelling, by Ryan G. Van Cleave. In this piece, Van Cleave explains how to fuse your novels with Hollywood flair by employing top screenwriting techniques.
22. 2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 1, by Robert Lee Brewer. The April Poem-A-Day Challenge is the biggest event on the site every year, as poets from around the world write a new poem daily. Here’s the first prompt of the 2024 challenge.
23. 5 Secrets to Writing a Great Setting, by Crystal Kaswell. In this piece, Kaswell shares her top five secrets for writing a great setting that will engage readers without slowing down the story.
24. My Unusual Debut Success Story That Landed a Two-Book Deal With a Major Publisher, by Jenna Satterthwaite. In this final piece, Satterthwaite shares her publishing success story, which takes a slightly different route than what is often considered “the norm.”

So there you have it. Now don’t forget to share what you’d like to see in 2025 and beyond in the comments below. And check our home page regularly, because we’re constantly sharing great new writing posts.

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