Category Archives: Opinion
About This Writing Stuff…
This week, David Brown and Michelle Barker explain the differences between situation and plot while Jami Gold leads us into our protagonist’s dark moments.
Over at Mythcreants, Chris Winkle casts a skeptical eye on The Hero’s Journey and its basis, The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
Matt Knight warns against common perils in publishing contracts and agreements, Sarah Manavis discusses why Story Graph is a better online book cataloguing tool than Goodreads, and Josyln Chase provides methods to improve our productivity.
All that and a little more. Enjoy!
Situation Versus Plot by David Brown and Michelle Barker via Anne R. Allen
How to Leave Traditional Publishing, Go Indie, and Not Regret It by Kurt Dinan
Traditional and Self-Publishing Contracts—When to Say No! by Matt Knight
Black Moments: Understanding our Options by Jami Gold
Why Structures Like the Hero’s Journey Don’t Work by Chris Winkle
It’s Time to Throw Out the Hero with a Thousand Faces by Chris Winkle
Why Goodreads is Bad for Books by Sarah Manavis
Managing Your Cast by Dave King
Managing Expectations, One Book at a Time by Heather Webb
Road, Neighborhood, Sky: A Three-Layered Approach to Writing a Novel by Barbara Linn Probst
8 Proven Strategies to Write More and Boost Your Productivity by Joslyn Chase
Writing Your First Novel: How to Fix an (Accidentally) Autobiographical Novel by Sarah Gribble
About This Writing Stuff…
This week, Debbie Burke lists a dozen ways to tighten our prose while Jael R. Bakari provides an insightful guide to story development.
Dana Isaacson offers advice on keeping track of our story’s timeline, Paula Munier shows us ways to make readers fall in love with our protagonists from the first scene, and Chris Winkle discusses why some protagonists are unlikeable.
If you’re perplexed by the true meaning of premise, let Larry Brooks clear up the confusion and explain how the facets of premise should be applied to every story.
All that and a little more. Enjoy!
12 Tips to Write Tight by Debbie Burke via Anne R. Allen
Suspense in Books: 6 Ways to Grow Anticipation by Now Novel
Charting a Fictional Timeline by Dana Isaacson
Writing Process: Developing a Coherent Story by Jael R. Bakari via Jami Gold
The Grand Entrance: How to Introduce Your Protagonist so that Readers Care by Paula Munier
Seven Common Reasons Protagonists Are Unlikable by Chris Winkle
Why I Actually Prefer Stories with Prologues by Vaughn Roycroft
How to Start Writing Again When You Haven’t in a While by Sarah Gribble
How to Use Vivid Verbs to Bring Your Scenes to Life by J.D. Edwin
How to Mine the Facets of Premise for Story Gold by Larry Brooks
How to Use Simple Psychology and Basic Common Sense to Sell More Books by Barb Drodzowich via Anne R. Allen
About This Writing Stuff…
This week, Anne R. Allen reminds us that a story is more than just a series of disjointed, tragic episodes. Brian Andrews encourages us to use strong opening lines while Dana Isaacson, Barbara O’Neal, and Kim Bullock offer ideas for writing through these disconcerting times.
Jami Gold lists various ways a character’s occupation can be used to enhance a story and Terry Odell urges us to foreshadow some of our character’s skills before revealing them in a pivotal scene.
All that and a little more. Enjoy!
Promoting Your Sci-Fi or Fantasy Novel on Social Media by Erica Verrillo
The Biggest Writing Craft Issue New Novelists Face, and 7 Ways to Avoid It by Anne R. Allen
How to Write a Powerful, Enticing, Intriguing, Amazing Opening Line for Your Novel by Brian Andrews
How to Write (or Not Write) about the Pandemic by Dana Isaacson
How to Write During a Pandemic, Even if it Feels Like You Can’t by Barbara O’Neal
What’s Our Character’s Job? by Jami Gold
If They Buy the Premise by Terry Odell
Description Makeover: Creating Magical Atmosphere by Chris Winkle
Crime Fiction is Complicit in Police Violence—But It’s Not Too Late to Change by Aya de Leon
Trademarks and the Writer’s Brand Strategy by Matt Knight
Writing Througnh Turbulent Times: Using Uncertainty to Enhance Your Story by Kim Bullock
A Plotstorming Technique by Jan O’Hara
About This Writing Stuff…
This week, Charlie Jane Anders encourages us to write what is in our hearts regardless of current events. At Career Authors, David Bell provides five reasons for outlining your novel, while over at IndieReader, Savannah Cordova shows us five ways to get your novel noticed on Amazon.
Marlene Cullen explains how to use the freewrite method to chronicle traumatic experiences. Jami Gold delves into the risks and benefits of foreshadowing. John Gilstrap warns us against second guessing our writing. Kristen Lamb demonstrates how the Johari Window can be used to provide depth to our characters. Tajja Isen discusses the importance of sensitivity readers for stories involving minority characters.
Congratulations to writer pal, Amanda Headlee, on winning the “When Words Count Pitch Week XVII contest” with her upcoming horror novel, My Brother’s Keeper.
All that and a lot more. Enjoy!
Never Say You Can’t Survive: Everything is Broken! What Should I Write About? by Charlie Jane Anders
5 Tips for Navigating a Successful Novel Outline by David Bell
Freewrite: How to Write About Traumatic Events Without Adding More Trauma by Marlene Cullen
5 Tips for Getting Your Book Noticed on Amazon by Savannah Cordova
What’s the Point of Foreshadowing? by Jami Gold
Eyes Front by John Gilstrap
Pulp Diction. What We Can Learn from the Noir Czars by PJ Parrish
How to Characterize by James Scott Bell
The Johari Window: Understanding and Harnessing the Character Blind Spot by Kristen Lamb
Parody, Satire, and Fan Fiction: What’s the Difference? by Matt Knight
How Not to Write a Book About a Minority Experience by Tajja Isen
6 Ways to Incorporate a Dash of Foreign Language by Kathryn Craft
Blurbing and Being Blurbed by Barbara Linn Probst
How the Rising Action Works in a Story by Joe Bunting
Meet the Pitch Week XVII Finalists from When Worlds Collide!
About This Writing Stuff…
This week, Alice Sudlow and Dan Brotzel each offer ten tips for entering and winning short story contests. Joe Bunting provides a guide to story arcs and writing an effective first chapter, while Robert Wood challenges us to add a radical twist to our plots.
At Writer’s Digest, David Corbett teaches us how to develop our characters with each new scene while Elizabeth Sims shows us ways to elevate our stories to greatness. KD Holmberg reminds us that inanimate objects can also be powerful characters, and Chris Winkle helps us fill in our story’s middle.
All that and little more. Enjoy!
How to Write a Good First Chapter by Joe Bunting
Story Arcs: Definitions and Examples of the Six Shapes of Stories by Joe Bunting
Ten Lessons from Entering Hundreds of Short Story Competitions by Dan Brotzel
10 Steps to Win a Writing Contest by Alice Sudlow
6 Daring Plot Twists to Try in Your Writing Part I and Part II by Robert Wood
7 Simple Ways to Make a Good Story Great by Elizabeth Sims
Inanimate Objects as Characters by KD Holmberg
How to Craft Characters Scene by Scene by David Corbett
Backstory for Writers: When and How by Ane Mulligan
Filling in Your Story’s Middle by Chris Winkle
Publishers File Suit Against Internet Archive by Association of American Publishers
Publisher Rocket vs. KD Spy: Which is Best for You? by Brendan Hufford