As writers, most of us would admit to sometimes stifling our own potential because we’re afraid to fail at something new. In fact, most people can say that about their lives in general. But, because we are creative people, we have to expect more of ourselves than the status quo. But that expectation isn’t just limited to our lifestyles; we have to see new places, meet new people, and pursue new experiences—but we also have to push ourselves to try new things in the writing itself.

If you never experiment with your style, you’ll only ever be capable of what you’re already good at today. We’re hoping that you won’t be satisfied with just what you do well at this moment, but that you’ll try some of the following suggestions and push yourself to new heights in your writing.

Point of View (or “POV”) can be one of the most important choices you make for your novel or short story, long before you ever put your pen to the paper. Determining the “voice” of your work early on can be the difference between a literary flop and a timeless classic. Below is some information that will help you choose the point of view that will be best for the piece you’re writing.

Many writers have to work hard to express confidence in their own writing, sweating through open mike readings, struggling with promoting themselves online, and—this may be the worst of all—introducing themselves at meet-and-greet events like conferences and writing retreats. The following tips will help you prepare for those encounters so that you can represent yourself and your writing to literary agents, editors, and fellow writers with professionalism and confidence.

Writers are faced with the task of completing pieces of poetry and prose with not much to guide them but raw talent and an accurate inner compass for what is “finished” and what still needs work. So when that inner compass starts to waver, many writers doubt their talent instead of realigning the compass. The following list of self-sabotage scenarios and solutions will help you evaluate your inner struggle with clear eyes so you can cancel your pity party and get back on the writing horse.

Many poets begin their early years writing rhyming poetry, which is a great way to get a handle for the rhythmic nature of poetry, and it was certainly a valid form for many great poets: John Keats, Emily Dickinson, and Robert Frost are all respected poets who wrote rhyming poetry and wrote it well. But times have changed: For those of us trying to break into the world of contemporary poetry as published authors in this lifetime, rhyme isn’t always the best way to go—at least in the sense that many of us think of rhyme.

Read on for tips on how to spice up your style so that you AND the editors reviewing your poems will be pleased.

Writers don’t always make the right decision when choosing whether or not to mention self-published books in query letter bios. And while this isn’t a black-and-white issue, we’ve prepared some basic guidelines to help you make that decision. (Note: Keep in mind that the guidelines listed below are related to mentioning the existence of self-published books when querying a different, unpublished manuscript. If you are querying agents with a self-published book, there are different “best practices” to follow.)

The writing life is tough enough. With the pressures of deadlines, always needing new work to submit, and the occasional writer’s block, the last thing a serious writer needs is to feel guilty about his or her craft. This guilt can stem from a variety of places, like having to cancel plans with friends in order to finish your new story, or from not making enough money to make all that work seem worthwhile.

But all hope is not lost! Writer’s Relief has come up with five practical ways to help minimize your guilt complex and maximize your writing potential.

When approaching literary agents in hopes of securing representation, you’ll want to make sure the agent and/or agency is legitimate. Before you get talked into signing a contract, check out our previous 3 Major Red Flags post and then ask yourself these questions.

Beginner and veteran writers alike can be victimized by shady literary agents. If you don’t know what to look for, you can fall prey to an agent who is looking to make a quick buck. So, how can you tell if a literary agent is legitimate? We’ve got answers.