Category Archives: Writing and Publishing

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

 

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Anne R. Allen urges us to promote our books regionally while Jodie Renner provides a rundown on loglines, taglines, and back cover copy.

Donald Maass and Joslyn Chase pick up the pace while Kathryn Craft helps our scenes become better oriented by asking the three (or five!) W’s.  Kelsey Allagood and Mckenzie Cassidy offer tips on self-care for creatives.

Over at Mythcreants, Oren Ashkenanzi shows us how to identify troubled throughlines while Chris Winkle helps us polish our prose.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

The Inherent Nature of Story Structure by Jim Dempsey

Want to Be a Bigger Fish? Try a Smaller Pond. Regional Fiction Sells! by Anne R. Allen

You Are Doing it Completely Wrong and You Are Doomed to Fail! by Philip Athans

How to *Easily* Publish on Apple Books by Gary Rodgers

Hook Your Readers with a Compelling Storyline, Tagline, and Back Cover Copy by Jodie Renner

The Three W’s of Scene Orientation by Kathryn Craft

On Pacing: Faster Than the Speed of Thought by Donald Maass

Story Pacing: 4 Techniques That Help Manage Your Plot’s Timeline by Joslyn Chase

Writing While Languishing: How to Be Creative When You’re Feeling ‘Blah’ by Kelsey Allagood

Six Signs of a Weak Throughline by Oren Ashkenazi

Five Simple Ways to Make Your Prose Easier to Read by Chris Winkle

Preserving Your Creativity with Self-Care by Mckenzie Cassidy

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Deb Caletti offers reliable tips on unreliable narrators while Chris Winkle explains the importance of planning character arcs. Emma Lombard and Carol Van Den Hende discuss developing a marketing plan and creating an author brand, respectively.

At the Write Practive, Jeff Elkins provides six critical steps to creating a good villain and J.D. Edwin gets back to basics with four foundational skills for writing fiction.

Claire Armitstead delves into the growing theme of climate fiction (cli-fi) and if you’re struggling to write the perfect ending to your novel, the folks at NaNoWriMo might be of help.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

8 Tips to Writing Unreliable Narrators by Deb Caletti

How to Develop a Marketing and Promotion Plan as an Indie Author by Emma Lombard

Don’t Cheat Your Reader by Mae Clair

Keeping it Real—or Not: Fact and Fiction in the Novel by Carol Goodman

Planning Character Arcs by Chris Winkle

How Twitter Can Ruin a Life by Emily VanDerWerff

Stories to Save the World: The New Wave of Climate Fiction by Claire Armitstead

Selling Foreign Book Rights – How Authors Generate International Income by Matt Knight

How to Write Good Fiction: 4 Foundational Skills and How to Build Them by J.D. Edwin

How to Write a Villain – 6 Scenes Your Story Needs by Jeff Elkins

8 Mistakes to Avoid While Writing the Perfect Ending to Your Novel from the NaNoWriMo Blog

The Myth of Quality vs Quantity in Publishing by Kristina Adams (podcast)

What is Author Brand and How to Craft Yours by Carol Van Den Hende

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Paula Munier offers advice on transitioning from writing nonfiction to fiction while Anne R. Allen reminds us that self-publishing is serious business. Anne’s article has a few points in common with Sue Coletta’s tips on maintaining etiquette in the writing community.

TD Storm discusses the pros and cons of using filtering language, Alison Flood delves into the effects of cancel culture in publishing, and Kathryn Craft explains how we can increase tension in our stories through the eyes of an observer.

Oh, I almost forgot—Hanna Mary McKinnon provides tips on crafting characters with amnesia.

All that and much more. Enjoy!

How to Write About Amnesia by Hanna Mary McKinnon

Your Nonfiction is Showing by Paula Munier

Self-Publishing is a Business: Don’t Treat it Like a Childish Game by Anne R. Allen

To Filter or Not to Filter by TD Storm

What is DRC and How to Make it Work for You by IndieReader

Writing Community Etiquette by Sue Coletta

Six Ways to Add Stakes to a Mystery by Chris Winkle

Publishing’s Debate over Cancel Culture by Alison Flood

Managing a Motif by Dave King

Heighten Tension with a Watcher by Kathryn Craft

Character Description: 6 Tips from Stephen King’s Memoir by David Safford

Bringing a Character to Life by Barbara Linn Probst

The Unintended Consequences of a Lack of Setting by Amanda Patterson

 

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

It has been three weeks since my last blog post. How the hell did that happen? Well, I’ve been stretched thin as of late with my FT job, a few expensive home renovations, health problems, managing eBay auctions (the time has come to downsize), and yes, writing projects.

I have a short story in progress for a contest, the second draft of my SF novel awaits my attention after that, and I’m waiting to hear back from two small presses on short stories I submitted to them. I’m also scheduling a book signing or two for a speculative fiction anthology I just released with a group of fantastic writers and I’m reviewing a presentation on self-editing that I wll be giving to a local writers group on Monday evening (24 May).

However, the fact that I’ve been neglecting my blog has been gnawing at me, so here we go!

This week, Steve Hooley reviews several sites for serialized fiction, including Kindle Vella, while Jodie Renner discusses close and deep third person POV.

Mary Alice Monroe and KL Burd use fiction to raise awareness of environmental issues and social issues, respectively, while Philip Athans offers advice on blending SF, fantasy, and horror. James Scott Bell provides tips on increasing productivity, Terry Odell delves into crafting character descriptions, and Kathryn Craft wages war against the lame apology.

All that and much more. Enjoy!

Serialized Fiction and Vella – What Do You Think? by Steve Hooley

Tips for Deepening the POV in Your Fiction by Jodie Renner

Weaving Real-Life Environmental Issues into Your Fictional World by Mary Alice Monroe

Fantasy and/or Science Fiction and/or Horror by Philip Athans

The Five Things You Need When Writing a Mystery Novel by Melodie Campbell

6 Practical Business Tips for Authors to Market Their Story of Success by Taylor Payne

7 Tips for Producing More Words by James Scott Bell

Character Descriptions Part I by Terry Odell

Character Descriptions Part II by Terry Odell

Why Bookshop.org is Not the Savior the Book World Needs by Ellen Peirson Hagger

The Magic Number by Todd Sattersten

Legal Protection for Fictional Characters by Matt Knight

Kick Your Story Up a Notch by Knowing Your Character’s Conflict Style by Kelsey Allagood

Unapologetic Characterization by Kathryn Craft

Incorporating Social Issues Into Your Manuscript by KL Burd