Tag Archives: amazon

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Anne R. Allen explains the need for sensitivity readers and the consequences of disregarding them. Also on Anne’s blog, Stefan Edmunds presents The Adversity Cycle as a method for storytelling.

On the Screencraft blog, Ken Miyamoto offers advice on how to secure a manager and agent for your screenplay and David Young shows us effective ways to describe our characters beyond mere physical appearance.

At Career Authors, Brian Andrews delves into methods for managing backstory while Erica Ferencik provides valuable guidance on navigating the writing life. Kathryn Craft and Barbara Linn Probst discuss ways to breathe life into our secondary characters.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Screenwriting Basics: How to Sign with a Manager (and Agent) by Ken Miyamoto

7 Unusual Ways to Describe Characters in Your Screenplay by David Young

The Difference Between Jeff Bezos and Me by Bradley Graham

The Adversity Cycle by Stefan Edmunds via Anne R. Allen

Writers, Do You Need a Sensitivity Reader for Your Book? by Anne R. Allen

3 Successful Strategies to Write a Short Story by Sarah Gribble

4 Tips for Writing Backstory by Brian Andrews

11 Hard-Earned Lessons from Three Decades of Writing by Erica Ferencik

Are You Drowning Your Story in Your Imagery? by Dave King

Secondary Characters Deserve a Life of Their Own by Kathryn Craft

Secondary Characters with Purpose and Pzazz by Barbara Linn Probst

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, David Gaughran and Anne R. Allen analyze Amazon’s heavy-handed measures of fraud detection that are forcing the innocent to suffer for the guilty. P.J. Parrish illustrates the revision process using one of her own manuscripts while Ruth Harris and Andrew Falconer offer tips on writing historical fiction.

We strike gold with… who else, but… Jami Gold! Jami is busy with NaNoWriMo, so she has invited guest bloggers to discuss such topics as Imposter Syndrome (Kassandra Lamb), Deep POV (Lisa Hall-Wilson), and Productivity (J. Rose).

From the latter, this statement leapt out at me: “We’re trained to work ourselves to the bone, and that we should best each other about “who’s the most busy” or “who has the least amount of time.” I challenge you to step away from this game! Do you really want to be #1 at being stressed and being busy all the time so you don’t have time to enjoy your life?”

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Amazon’s Hall of Spinning Knives by David Gaughran

Don’t Let Impostor Syndrome Ruin Your Writing by Kassandra Lamb via Jami Gold

Deep POV and Hidden Messages in Subtext by Lisa Hall-Wilson via Jami Gold

Creating the Right Mindset to Be Productive by J. Rose via Jami Gold

Cutting Open the Sausage: A Hard Look at Rewriting by PJ Parrish

Plunge Into Story Action—and Genre by Kathryn Craft

A Character’s POV = A Character’s Truth by Sarah Callender

Five Essentials of Historical Fantasy by Andrew Falconer

How to Use Authentic Historical Detail to Trigger Emotions and Memories in Your Readers by Ruth Harris

The Most Important Rule of Backstory by Andrea Lundgren

Amazon’s Latest Crackdowns: Do They Include Amazon Review Trolls? by Anne R. Allen

 

 

Blog, Book Reviews

Reviewing Your Favorite Books, Even When You’re “Not Very Good At Writing”

While many of my readers take the time to leave reviews for my books, others often compliment me in person, via Facebook, or email, but when I ask these particular readers to leave a review on Goodreads or Amazon, they express reluctance, stating that they’re “not very good at writing” or they assure me that they will leave a review and never follow through. 
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Remember, you do not need to purchase a book from Amazon to leave a review for the book there.  Also, for those unfamiliar with Goodreads, it is a social media site for book lovers where you can rate and review books, create an online library of books you currently own and would like to read, and join groups of like-minded readers to discuss your favorite books. Best of all, it’s free to join!
 
The screen capture below shows two Amazon reviews for Beach Nights, a collection of short stories from Cat and Mouse Press that contains my paranormal tale, “Tower Sixteen”.  The book was published in October 2016. 
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Note the second review from Early LBI. It’s one brief sentence: “Great group of short stories.” Five words. That’s the perfect example of a brief review you can leave for any book that you enjoyed even if you’re “not very good at writing.”
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Ratings and reviews help authors immensely. As our volume of reviews and ratings increases, new promotional and writing opportunities open for us, new readers notice our work, and most importantly, reader feedback encourages writers by letting us know that our work is reaching and touching people. 
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Thank you so much for your support! We deeply appreciate it. 
Blog, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Kristen Lamb and John Gilstrap talk story synopses to attract agents while Cynthia Shannon offers tips to engage readers on Goodreads.

We blur the line between science and science fiction with Veronica Sicoe and Kate Gwynne, who respectively explore interstellar communication and storytelling through virtual reality.

Amazon initiates new rules regarding reviews, while a common question is answered about the quality of self-published versus traditionally published books.

Janice Hardy and K.M. Weiland talk about tricks, surprises, and honesty in our fiction.

All that, and a little more. Enjoy!

Engaging with Readers on Goodreads by Cynthia Shannon

The Synopsis: Demystifying the Mystery by John Gilstrap

The Dreaded Synopsis—How to Get Started & Why We Need One BEFORE Writing the Book by Kristen Lamb

Storyworld Design: Communication Technologies by Veronica Sicoe

Read It and Bleep: Is Virtual Reality the Future of Storytelling? by Kate Gwynne

Authors Guild Opens Membership to New and Unpublished Writers by Daniel Berkowitz

Amazon’s New Review Rules: What Authors Need to Know by Anne R. Allen

The Difference Between Tricking Your Reader and Surprising Your Reader by Janice Hardy

What is Honest Fiction? by K.M. Weiland

Are Self-Published Books Inferior to Self-Published Books? Answered by Archie D’Cruz

 

 

 

 

Blog, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Chuck Wendig and Kristen Lamb eviscerate Huffington Post for exploiting contributors. Kathryn Craft encourages writers to consider how much they’re willing to give away.

Eric Wecks ponders a better info dump while Chris Winkle guides us from concept to story and Larry Brooks leads us even further to story structure. Jane Friedman explains the purpose of author websites, and Konrath dissects Lee Child regarding Amazon’s brick and mortar bookstores.

All that, and a little more. Enjoy!

***Please note that this will likely be the last installment of About This Writing Stuff for at least six months as I have become far too busy. My publisher and I are releasing a new anthology in July, I have a novella coming out after that, and I am writing the first draft of a science fiction novel.  

Additionally, I need to pass two more Microsoft exams to achieve my MCSE (Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert). I work in the IT field and–as with writing and most other areas of life–continuing education is critical to success and longevity.*** 

Scream It Until Their Ears Bleed: Pay the Fucking Writers by Chuck Wendig

Shame on You AOL/Huffington! NO More Literary Booty Calls by Kristen Lamb

How Much Will You Give Away? by Kathryn Craft

Info Dumps Aren’t Evil by Eric Wecks

Lee Child on Amazon’s Real-Life Bookshops-and Why We Should Be Worried by Lee Child

Fisking Lee Child by Joe Konrath

How to Turn You Concept into a Story by Chris Winkle

Let’s Address a Common Misunderstanding About Author Websites by Jane Friedman

A Kinder, Gentler Perspective on Story Structure by Larry Brooks

Visiting the Oldest Bookstore in America–and its Resident Ghost by Gregory Lee Sullivan

Coming Soon: The “Write Stuff” Writers Conference in Bethlehem, PA!

 

Write Stuff 2016 Conference