Category Archives: Opinion

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

After a two-month hiatus, About This Writing Stuff is back. What was once a bi-weekly blog post became monthly and now it happens whenever I can get to it. As I’m working on a new novel, blogging has fallen off the radar… mostly. Onward!

This week, the folks at MasterClass provide tips and examples for writing an effective novel synopsis while over at Screencraft, Ken Miyamoto warns against embellishing your screenwriting creds until you have legitimate screenwriting creds.

Speaking of creds, Liza Nash Taylor and Patricia Bradley offer advice on getting your work out there whether submitting or promoting. Hank Phillippi Ryan discusses proper etiquette when requesting a book blurb, Chris Winkle teaches best practices when using foreshadowing, and Joslyn Chase reviews writing techniques in the mystery, suspense, and thriller genres.

All that and a little more. Happy Holidays!

What is a Novel Synopsis? Here are Two Examples by MasterClass Staff

3 Most Common Screenwriter Exaggerations, White Lies, and Embellishments by Ken Miyamoto

How to Tell a Story: The Rule of Three by Anne R. Allen

How to Handle the Blurb Thing by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Getting Your Book Noticed by Patricia Bradley

Foreshadowing Reveals is Easier Than You Think by Chris Winkle

Street Cred: Getting Your Work Noticed by Liza Taylor Nash

Uses for Scrivener Beyond Your Manuscript by Gwen Hernandez

Genre Conventions: How to Satisfy Suspense Readers by Meeting Expectations by Joslyn Chase

How to Use Vivid Verbs to Bring Your Scenes to Life  by J.D. Edwin

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week’s lineup bring us several “how-to” articles including writing diverse and developed characters, marketing your book without social media, and outlining your novel (or not).

Is writing for TV better than writing feature films? Ken Miyamoto discusses. Confused about when and how to use a Framing Device in your story? Britton Perelman explains.

Jennie Nash explores the importance of asking yourself why you feel compelled to write that story that’s been bouncing around in your head. Over at Sidebar Saturdays, Matt Knight delves into estate planning for writers while at the Kill Zone, James Scott Bell argues on behalf of going exclusive with KDP and Kindle Unlimited.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Elevator Pitching: How to Grab Someone’s Attention in 30 Seconds or Less by David Young

How to Write Diverse Characters (And, Also, Are You Qualified?) by Joiya Morrison-Efemini

How to Create Characters by Kristen Overman

Why Writing TV is Better than Writing Feature Films (and Why it’s Not) by Ken Miyamoto

Everything You Need to Know About Framing Devices by Britton Perelman

Sequencing and Layering: Advanced Techniques That Will Improve Your Writing by Kevin Nelson

Why Write This Book? by Jennie Nash via Jane Friedman

How to Market Your Book Without Social Media by Carol J. Michel

Warning to Writers: You Won’t See This New Publishing Scam Coming by Anne R. Allen

How to Outline Your Novel. Or Not by Hank Phillippi Ryan

On Going Exclusive by James Scott Bell

Estate Planning for Writers by Matt Knight

Estate Planning for Writers Part II – Transferring Intellectual Property to a Corporate Entity by Matt Knight

World-Building Through Architecture by Dave King

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Ruth Harris offers sage advice on writing that ever daunting blurb. Over at the Kill Zone, James Scott Bell carves out a middle ground for plotters and pantsers while PJ Parrish ponders what comes first, plot or character.

Speaking of characters, Donald Maass encourages us to create fully realized characters by first being real with ourselves. Rebecca D’Harlingue offers advice on dual-timeline plots, Steve Myers argues that our protagonist’s outer journey is fundamentally an inner journey, and Barnes and Noble’s restructuring might be the comeback story of the year.

All that and little more. Enjoy!

How to Improve Your Writing Skills: Take Your Writing from Good to Great by Nicole Dieker

How to Write the D*mn Blurb by Ruth Harris

Writing About the Pandemic—or Not? by Paula Munier

Plot or Character: What’s Your Starting Point? by PJ Parrish

Five Questions to Ask Before Starting a Dual Timeline Novel by Rebecca D’Harlingue

Plotting for Pantsers and Pantsing for Plotters by James Scott Bell

B&N Rides a Wave of Positive Trends by Jim Milliot

Have Print ARCs Become a Hot Commodity? by Weronika Strzyżyńska

The Inward Path of the Protagonist’s Journey by Scott Myers

Purple Prose and the Word Surgeon’s Scalpel by Tom Bentley

Creating Character Safety Zones by Donald Maass

Articles, Blog, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Shanee Edwards offers advice on creating a powerful antagonist while James Scott Bell teaches us practical thaumaturgy for conjuring short stories.

Brian Andrews explains the importance of self-editing and developmental editing, while mythcreant Chris Winkle delves into crafting effective descriptions.

Joslyn Chase steps us through ten  ways to add foreshadowing, and Porter Anderson discusses the dangers of self-censorship.

All that and little more. Enjoy!

 

5 Tips for Negotiating Your Author Agreements by Joseph Perry via Anne R. Allen

Writing Rising Action by Linda S. Clare

A Love of Mystery is Woven into Our Biology, and Edgar Allan Poe was the First to Find the Formula for a Very Specific Dopamine Hit by Jonah Lehrer

7 Tips for Writing Bad Ass Antagonists by Shanee Edwards

The 3 Pass Rough Draft—Embracing Editing (Part I) by Brian Andrews

Developmental Editing —Embracing Editing (Part II) by Brian Andrews

Dialog and POV by Philip Athans

Creating and Resolving Conflict in Your Novel by Clare Langley-Hawthorne

The Alchemy and the Craft by James Scott Bell

What Do Writers Need to Describe? by Chris Winkle

Flights of Self-Censorship by Porter Anderson

Foreshadowing: 10 Clever Methods to Write an Engaging Plot Twist by Joslyn Chase

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, James Scott Bell offers practical advice on crafting stronger scenes. At Writer Unboxed, Donald Maass examines what it means to write authentic characters while Kathryn Craft urges us to elevate our descriptions from the prosaic to the extraordinary.

Lincoln Michel sheds light on nearly every facet of being a professional writer, Janice Hardy discusses character agency, and over at TIME, Megan McCluskey exposes the career-damaging extortion and fraudulent book reviews running rampant on Goodreads.

All that and a lot more. Enjoy!

Everything I’ve Learned About Being a “Professional” Writer in One Post  by Lincoln Michel

How Extortion Scams and Review Bombing Trolls Turned Goodreads Into Many Authors’ Worst Nightmare  by Megan McCluskey

Three Easy Ways to Strengthen a Scene  by James Scott Bell

4 Ways to Develop Character Agency  by Janice Hardy

Aim for the Extra in the Ordinary  by Kathryn Craft

6 Twisty Ways to Trick Your Reader  by Dana Isaacson

How to Avoid Repeating ‘I’ in First Person Writing  by Louise Harnby

How to Bring History Alive in Your Fiction  by Dana Cameron

The Walking Stick  by Donald Maass

From Mary Shelley to Carmen Maria Machado, Women Have Profoundly Shaped Horror  by Danielle Binks

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Ken Miyamoto encourages us to define our characters via their actions using Mad Max, Wall-E, and There Will be Blood as examples.

Dianne Pearce covers various ways to promote our books and help others do the same while Penny Sansevieri offers marketing strategies for a book series. Sarah Stewart Taylor delves into the emotional roller coaster of the writing life and Rob Eagar reviews recent changes on Amazon that affect authors.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Getting Away With Murder: A 5-Point Plan On How To Kill A Character by Christopher Luke Dean

Defining a Character Through Action: Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior by Ken Miyamoto

Defining a Character Through Action: Wall-E by Ken Miyamoto

Defining a Character Through Action: There Will Be Blood by Ken Miyamoto

10 Amazon Changes Authors Need to Know About by Rob Eagar

What is Kindle Vella? An In-Depth Explanation by Chris Fried

How to Sell Your Book – Part I by Dianne Pearce

How to Sell Your Book – Part II: Finish Your Damn Novel and What About Flash Fiction? by Dianne Pearce

How to Sell Your Book – Part III: Pay It Forward by Dianne Pearce

How to Make the Most of a Writing Hour by Ramona DeFelice Long

3 Quick Fixes for Your Dialogue by Jessica Strawser

5 Simple Marketing Strategies for Your Book Series by Penny Sansevieri

The Parts They Don’t Tell You by Sarah Stewart Taylor

How to Juggle More Than One Manuscript by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb