Category Archives: Opinion

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week on the blog, we begin with the importance of downtime —  in an age that constantly pushes us to the brink of burnout — and we end with the notion of writing as a release from stress.

In between, Kristen Lamb takes us spearfishing to find that perfect catch (reader) and reminds us that drudgery builds success. Dave Chesson guides us through several Goodreads features that might prove useful in promoting your book… if you don’t mind the trolls.

Over at Writer Unboxed, Jim Dempsey offers tips to help you work through problems in your story and  Rheea Mukherjee provides ideas for bringing authenticity to characters with different skills and capabilities than their creators.

In the Kill Zone, Jordan Dane teaches us to tap into our waking dreams in order to enhance creativity while James Scott Bell channels Bryan Cranston. Enjoy!

The Compelling Case for Working A Lot Less by Amanda Ruggeri

How to Sell More Books: A Tale of Fishing and Catfishing by Kristen Lamb

Drudgery: What Separates Those Who Dream from Those Who Do by Kristen Lamb

The Mystery of the Hardy Boys and the Invisible Authors by Daniel A. Gross

How to Use Keywords to Attract the Most Visitors to Your Website by StatCounter

The Ultimate Guide to Goodreads for Authors by Dave Chesson

Fiction Therapy—What’s Your Story’s Problem? by Jim Dempsey

Writing Characters That Are ‘Smarter’ Than You by Rheea Mukherjee

What Bryan Cranston Can Teach Writers by James Scott Bell

Can Hypnagogia Improve Your Fiction Writing?  by Jordan Dane

Tolkien and Combat Stress: Writing as Release by Angry Staff Officer

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, from Writer Unboxed, Jim Dempsey defines the three major types of editing while David Corbett encourages us to improve our fiction by exploring belief systems different from our own, and Kathryn Craft urges us to dig deeper to bring out truth in our fiction.

Kristen Lamb reminds us of the difference between promotion and platform while Hank Phillippi Ryan imparts her method for crafting a story synopsis. Keep your plot moving forward with guidance from James Scott Bell and Ingram Content offers advice on book marketing in the digital age.

Possibly the most important article in this collection is Ferris Jabr’s research into the importance of mental downtime.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

The Different Types of Editing Explained by Jim Dempsey

Writing What You Don’t Believe by David Corbett

Seeking Truth in Fiction by Kathryn Craft

Five Ways to Become a Happier Writer by Mark Alpert

Creating Characters: You Can Always Start with the Car by Laura Benedict

Why Your Brain Needs More Downtime by Ferris Jabr

Promotion is Not Platform & Ads are NOT a Brand: Know the Difference by Kristen Lamb

How to Write a Fiction Synopsis A New Way by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Unsnagging Your Plot by James Scott Bell

Marketing Insights Series by Ingram Content

Book Marketing in an Era of Algorithms

How to Build a Strong Book Marketing Foundation

Develop Your Book Audience

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion

About This Writing Stuff…

This week on the blog, Ceridwen Dovey expounds the concept of “bibliotherapy” and the restorative power of reading fiction. Kristen Lamb encourages writers to be secret-keepers… and to get more rest. Jami Gold explains what it means to add layers to your characters and Anne R. Allen councils us against worrying too much about plot purloiners.

Over at Career Authors, Paula Munier cites three mistakes by debut writers that potentially exasperate agents and editors while Glenn Miller advises us on how to be trustworthy writers. C.S. Lakin offers tips on preparing your scenes, Sarah Chauncey talks effective use of POV in memoir, and from Mythcreants, Chris Winkle enumerates six manuscript mistakes that a copy editor might (or might not) help you fix.

Enjoy!

Can Reading Make You Happier? by Ceridwen Dovey

Secret-Keepers: Generate Page-Turning, Nerve-Shredding Tension and Rest for Success and Why Busy is Seriously Overrated by Kristen Lamb

Make Characters Unique with Layering by Jami Gold

What if Somebody Steals Your High-Concept Book Idea? by Anne R. Allen

Are You Making One of These Risky Moves for Writers? by Paula Munier

This is What Happens When You Stop Lying to Readers by Glenn Miller

Questions to Consider When Plotting a Scene by C.S. Lakin via Jane Friedman

The Tricky Issue of POV in Memoir by Sarah Chauncey via Jane Friedman

Six Common Wordcraft Mistakes in Manuscripts by Chris Winkle

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Jami Gold explains the role of a line editor while K.M. Weiland cautions us about using coincidence in our fiction. Gill Andrews offers advice to improve your author website (I made some minor changes to this site as soon as I read his article!).

After nine novels, soon ten, Jeff VanderMeer shares eight insights into the writing process. Over at Mythcreants, Oren Ashkenazi analyzes Kurt Vonnegut’s Eight Rules of Writing and presents common pitfalls of deep story ideas.

All that and a little more… Enjoy!

How Useful are Kurt Vonnegut’s Eight Rules of Writing? and Five Common Pitfalls for Stories with Deep Ideas by Oren Ashkenazi

Inhabiting Our Scenes: Information Versus Experience by Peter Selgin

8 Writing Tips from Jeff VanderMeer via Chicago Review of Books

Want More Readers for Your Blog and Books? Fix These 5 Website Mistakes by Gill Andrews via Anne R. Allen

Zoom In, Zoom Out: An Exercise in Creating a Memorable Setting by Steven Cooper

How Long Should a Book Be? Word Count Guidelines by Anne R. Allen

Coincidences in Fiction: What You’re Doing Wrong by K.M. Weiland

What is Line Editing and What Should Line Editors Do? by Jami Gold

Complete Fiction: Why the ‘Short Story Renaissance’ is a Myth by Chris Power

This will be the last edition of About this Writing Stuff for the next six to eight weeks (at least). Over the next few months, I shall be busy prepping not one, but two new books for release while projects at my full time job threaten to consume much of my personal time. On top of all this, I have the first draft of a science fiction novel in progress that I am determined to finish this year. I’m treading water and the tide is rising. Hey, two clichés in one sentence. Go me!

Writers' Retreat

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Anna Elliott offers three tips for “kicking your readers right in the feels” while Chris Winkle and Damon Suede explore various facets of character. Peter Selgin boils fiction down to two plot types and explains how to introduce foreshadowing in your story’s opening.

Juliet Marillier defines the fantasy genre, Blake Morrison delves into the often distressing burden of managing a deceased writer’s estate, and Olivia Mason presents a top-ten list of best works from one of my all-time favorite writers, Harlan Ellison.

All that and a little more… Enjoy!

3 Tips to Hook Your Reader’s Emotions by Anna Elliott

What Is Fantasy, Exactly? by Juliet Marillier

Take Cover! by John Gilstrap

The Six Traits of Strong Characters by Chris Winkle

Characters: More Than Just Imaginary People by Damon Suede via Jami Gold

How Works of Fiction Can Be Boiled Down to Two Types of Plots and  How Your Story Opening Foreshadows What’s to Come by Peter Selgin

Up in Smoke: Should an Author’s Dying Wishes Be Obeyed? by Blake Morrison

The Best of the Best: 10 Must-Read Works by Harlan Ellison by Olivia Mason

Scam Down Under: Love of Books Brisbane / Julie “Jules” McGregor by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware

 

Calvin & Hobbes on Writing

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Peter Selgin offers ideas on dramatizing the routine in your story, writer pal Donna Galanti shines light on how to build your author persona, and Sue Weems suggests ways to combat multitasking that will improve your writing and save your sanity.

Despite arguments to the contrary, author blogging is not dead according to Anne R. Allen, and she provides eight solid reasons why.

Struggling to avoid hackneyed methods to describe your first-person POV character? Laura DiSilverio has some advice for you while James Scott Bell wants to pump you up—or at least your prose—by showing you how to immerse your reader in both action and emotion.

All that and a little more… Enjoy!

Four Ways to Create Your Author Persona by Donna Galanti

How to Make the Best Use of “Routine” Events in Your Fiction by Peter Selgin via Jane Friedman

‘The ebook is a stupid product: no creativity, no enhancement,’ says the Hachette Group CEO by Harsimran Gill

‘Laughably bad’: Terry Goodkind Apologises After Insulting Cover of His Own Book by Sian Cain

Get Some Blood Pumping in Your Prose by James Scott Bell

Why Multitasking is Killing Your Writing by Sue Weems

How the Internet Archive Infringed My Copyrights and Then (Kind of) Blew Me Off by Victoria Strauss

8 Reasons to Start an Author Blog by Anne R. Allen

6 Tips for Describing a First Person POV Character by Laura DiSilverio

Facebook’s Algorithm has Wiped Out a Once Flourishing Digital Publisher by Mike Shields

Styles of Writing