About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Kristen Lamb asks, “Would you STILL write even if I told you you’d never make a dime and likely die in obscurity?” Something to ponder as you embark on your writing journey.

Christina Delay explains how to clear our creative “ley lines” when we’re feeling blocked while Anne R. Allen encourages us to create (or resurrect) a blog rather than relying on the train wreck that is social media.

James Scott Bell helps us avoid sinkholes in our plot, Dave King speaks out in defense of the prologue, and Oren Ashkenazi points out typical mistakes when writing fight scenes—both with and without weapons.

All that and much more! Enjoy…

The Prologue is Past? by Dave King

Finding Those Laser Beam Words by PJ Parrish

To the Pain: Is Writing a Career or a Hobby? by Kristen Lamb

Three Things That Can Sink Your Novel by James Scott Bell

Creativity: Avoiding Blocks and Refreshing Ideas by Christina Delay via Jami Gold

Five Common Weapon Mistakes in Speculative Fiction by Oren Ashkenazi

Six Common Mistakes in Fight Scenes and How to Avoid Them by Oren Ashkenazi

7 Tips from Ernest Hemingway on How to Write Fiction by Open Culture

Stephen King’s 20 Rules for Writing by Open Culture

Blogging is Essential in the Era of Fragmenting Social Media by Anne R. Allen

Honey, I Shrunk the Plot! Learning to Love Synopses by Diana Giovinazzo

The Art of Misdirection: How to Keep Readers on Their Toes by Maggie Smith

TikTok to Sell Books Directly to Users via Marketplace by Arwa Mahdawi

BookBub Ads 101: How the Auction Model Works by AJ Jack

Book Review: Robert A. Heinlein’s Red Planet

Red Planet by Robert HeinleinOn Mars, members of Earth’s South Colony prepare to migrate north before winter arrives. It is also the beginning of a new school year at the academy on Syrtis Minor, near the North Colony. Returning to the school are best friends Jim Marlowe, Frank Sutton, and Jim’s pet, Willis. The latter is a round, furry Martian creature with the uncanny ability to remember everything it hears and repeat it with perfect accuracy.

This talent comes in handy when Jim, Frank, and Willis arrive at the academy and find themselves subject to the draconian rules and regulations of the new headmaster who confiscates Willis and locks the Martian in his office. While there, Willis overhears a conversation between the headmaster and the colony’s leader, Harold Beecher. After he is liberated by Jim and Frank, Willis recites all that he heard, including a plot to prevent the colonists in the south from migrating, thereby assuring that many will not survive the winter. With the headmaster monitoring all communications to and from the academy, there is no way to send a warning.

Can Jim and Frank break out of the school with Willis and survive the journey back to the South Colony on their own?

Published in 1949, Red Planet is the third in Heinlein’s juvenile novel collection (what might be called young adult in today’s vernacular). It’s a delightful romp with an imaginative take on indigenous Martians and their world’s landscape. I couldn’t help but think of Percival Lowell upon reading about the canals that our heroes traversed during their journey home.