Tag Archives: about this writing stuff

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This month, writer pal Kathryn Craft shows us how to use weddings and funerals in our stories to explore characters and heighten emotions. Over at Mythcreants, Oren Ashkenazi examines the ever-popular literary device known as unreliable narrator.

Kristen Overman offers advice on self-editing and developing strong characters while Meredith Lyons talks about keepin’ it real in paranormal fiction. Do you feel pressured to sacrifice your social time for your writing? John Gilstrap reminds us not to feel guilty for living our lives.

Kelsey McConnell discusses the need for trigger warnings in horror novels. This is a timely topic given that I just released the second edition of Testing the Prisoner, my first paranormal mystery novel from 2009 that deals with child abuse and domestic violence.

All that and a lot more. Enjoy!

Writing Believable Characters by Michal Leah

There’s Always a Choice: Revision Techniques to Make Your Writing Stronger by Kristen Overman

How Subplots and Plot Filaments Lend Texture and Depth to Any Novel by Michael Craft

Why Is Strong Character Development Important? by Kristen Overman

Marry ’em and Bury ’em: Weddings, Funerals, and Your Novel by Kathryn Craft

Is There a Place For Trigger Warnings in Horror Books? by Kelsey Christine McConnell

How to Write a Realistic Paranormal by Meredith R. Lyons

How to Point Readers’ Attention in the Right Direction by Jami Gold

How to Increase Your Productivity When You Don’t Feel Productive by James Scott Bell

Writer’s Guilt by John Gilstrap

Unreliable Narration: A Useful Tool or Just Hype? by Oren Ashkenazi

Atmosphere Literary Definition: Genre Examples that Evoke Emotion by Joslyn Chase

If you’re a LibraryThing member, I’m running a giveaway for Testing the Prisoner! Six winners will receive a signed copy. Check it out here. Ends October 25th.

Testing the Prisoner is available now in ebook ($2.99) and paperback ($18.99)!

Testing the Prisoner print promo

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

Nice to hear from a few writer friends on the blog this month. Sara Karnish reminds us about proper critique etiquette and discusses the writer/editor relationship with Pattie Giordani.

It is said that your focus determines your reality. That applies to fictional characters as well. However, there are occasions in real life when we deliberately ignore or avoid something unpleasant. Writer pal Kathryn Craft shows us effective ways to depict that in our characters.

Over at Good Story Company, Amy Wilson draws a distinct line between editing and revision while Kristen Overman delves into the “chosen one” trope and how to ensure your hero is up to the task.

Struggling with book marketing? With a writing drought? With imposter syndrome? We got you covered on all three this month.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Follow the Energy of Denial by Kathryn Craft

Chosen One Stories: Is Your Hero Worthy of the Journey? by Kristen Overman

How Right Do Your Characters Have to Be? by Terry Odell

How to Give a Critique (Without Being Too Critical) by Sara Karnish

I Would Rather See My Books Pirated Than This (Or Why Goodreads and Amazon are Becoming Dumpster Fires) by Jane Friedman

How to Market Your Books to Get Worldwide Exposure by Diana Urban

How Authors Use Preorders to Promote New Books in 2023 by AJ Yee

5 Things Influencers Look for in a Book by Ryan Steck

5 Ways to Survive a Publishing Drought by Katrina Kittle

The Difference Between Editing and Revising by Amy Wilson

The Author/Editor Relationship: A Q&A with Pattie Giordani by Sara Karnish

How to Escape Imposter Syndrome in Your Writing Life by Lynette M. Burrows

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, we’re doing it by the numbers. At Career Authors, Polly Stewart offers five tips for creating suspense while Barbara Butcher explains six rules for writing true crime.

Mythcreants Chris Winkle and Oren Ashkenazi give us five ways to maintain tension in our stories and five mistakes to avoid when crafting our villain’s master plan.

Over at the Kill Zone, Sue Coletta shows us a formula for writing effective back cover copy while James Scott Bell reviews the latest news in the publishing industry.

If you want to make sure your characters aren’t boring, listen to Amy Wilson at Good Story Company. If you want your characters to be iconic, take some advice from literary agent Donald Maass.

All that and a lot more. Enjoy!

CRAFT

Boring Characters by Amy Wilson

3 Helpful Tips for How to Rewrite a Novel by Rhiannon Richardson

Better Book Descriptions in 3 Easy Steps by Sue Coletta

Five Secrets to Writing Suspense by Polly Stewart

Five Ways to Restore Tension by Chris Winkle

Five Questions to Ask About Your Villain’s Master Plan by Oren Ashkenazi

Six Rules for Writing About True Crime by Barbara Butcher

Iconic Characters: Made Not Born by Donald Maass

BUSINESS

Eye on the Publishing Business by James Scott Bell

The Balance Between Indies by Lauren Wise

8 Unexpected Benefits from BookBub’s New Releases for Less Promotions by AJ Yee

Top Tips on BookBub Cost-Per-Click Bidding from 15 Advertisers by Carolyn Robertson

KKR in Advanced Talks to Buy Simon & Schuster for $1.65 Billion by Anirban Sen and Milana Vinn

 

 

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, take some lessons in suspense from the master himself, Alfred Hitchcock.

Speaking of lessons, Amy Wilson and Anne R. Allen offer advice about writing effective dialogue while Maggie Smith teaches us several ways to make our secondary characters stand out. Over at Mythcreants, Chris Winkle discusses passive voice and how to create a story outline.

The nice folks at Good Story Company show us how to build a better author website and at BookBub, it’s all about promotion and crafting a captivating book description.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Using Dialogue Tags Effectively by Amy Wilson

Electrify Your Thriller with These Tips from the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock by Dana Isaacson

Writing Under a Pseudonym by Good Story Company

How to Write a Book Description: Tips from BookBub Editors by Lauren Aldrich

What Fiction Writers Should Know About Passive Voice by Chris Winkle

How to Outline Your Story by Chris Winkle

From Sidekick to Scene-Stealer: Making Your Secondary Characters Memorable by Maggie Smith

Who Should Be Telling This Story? by Jeanne Kisacky

9 Common Dialogue Problems and How to Fix Them by Anne R. Allen

10 Author Websites and Why They Work by Good Story Company

12 Fantastic BookBub Ad Designs Promoting New Releases by Shailee Shah

25 Authors Running Fantastic Book Promotions on Instagram by Shailee Shah

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Dave Chesson reviews the pros and cons of Draft2Digital’s services while Chuck Wendig expresses concern about the current literary landscape with a focus on AI and book bans.

At Mythcreants, Chris Winkle reminds us that the hero of our story should always have agency, even when things go sideways.  Elisa Bernick advises new writers on the right and wrong ways to approach established authors for advice while the nice folks at Good Story Company offer tips on marketing your books to libraries.

Over at BookBub, we have a trove of information on book promotion covering topics such as pre-orders, contests and giveaways, and attracting new readers.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Draft2Digital: Read THIS Before You Sign Up by Dave Chesson

Marketing to Libraries by Good Story Company

Giving Your Hero Agency When Things Go Wrong by Chris Winkle

Origin Stories and Big Reveals: Do We Really Need Them? by Barbara Linn Probst

Let’s Chat About ChatGPT by James Scott Bell

6 Ways Clichés Can Help Your Writing by Kathryn Craft

Striking Hollywood Scribes Ponder AI in the Writer’s Room by Mandalit del Barco

The State of Being a Published Writer in 2023 is Really Weird and a Little Worrisome by Chuck Wendig

The Right Way to Ask a Published Writer for Publishing Advice by Elisa Bernick

24 Great Prize Ideas for Book Promotion Contests and Giveaways by Leila Hirschfeld

11 Ways to Promote Preorder Books that Drive Real Results by Therese Walsh

BookBub: Promoting a New Book to Current Fans and New Readers [Case Study] by Carolyn Robertson

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, the folks at Good Story Company offer tips on writing active protagonists, realistic dialogue, and child characters.

Juliet Kemp discusses the basics of strong prose while Diana Urban provides a guide to social media for writers. How effective are author newsletters and what are the reasons to use them? Bookbub’s AJ Jack provides metrics and testimonials to answer all of your questions.

On the business side, Lauren Aratani spotlights Barnes and Noble’s second wind while David Barnett examines the often painful reality of being a debut author.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Authors on Social Media: Choosing Platforms and Avoiding Burnout by Diana Urban

Writing an Active Protagonist by Michal Leah

Tighten Up Your Writing by Juliet Kemp

Tips for Writing Child Characters by Good Story Company

Amazon Doesn’t Care About Books: How Barnes & Noble Bounced Back by Lauren Aratani

Writing Realistic Dialogue by Michal Leah

State of the Author Newsletters: Data from 500+ Authors by AJ Jack

Debut Authors Find Publishing ‘Disappointing’ — Sorry, What Do They Expect? by David Barnett

Writing Is Much Too Important to Be Left to Copywriters by Mike Reed

Know Your Story’s Selling Points by Paula Munier