Tag Archives: amy wilson

About This Writing Stuff…

This month, we begin with Rebecca Jennings’s article from Vox on the importance of TikTok to a creative’s chances of success followed by a rebuttal from publishing industry expert Jane Friedman.

From Good Story Company, Kristen Overman challenges us to try journaling as a route to a solid first draft and Amy Wilson shows us how to describe emotions through action, dialogue, and deep POV.

Speaking of deep POV, Lisa Hall-Wilson at Writers in the Storm expands on that topic while Lynette M. Burrows explains the differences between tension, suspense, and conflict.

On Anne R. Allen’s blog, guest Jodie Hurst addresses the pros and cons of that 800-pound digital gorilla in the room—artificial intelligence.

All that and a little more. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Want to sell a book or release an album? Better start a TikTok by Rebecca Jennings

Author Platform is Not a Requirement to Sell Your Novel or Children’s Book by Jane Friedman

How to Describe Emotion by Amy Wilson

Journaling to Productive First Drafts by Kristen Overman

After Your First Draft: The Search for Meaning by Patti Callahan Henry

Beguile Your Readers with Tension, Suspense, and Conflict by Lynette M. Burrows

How to Remove the Author Voice for Deep Point of View by Lisa Hall-Wilson

Don’t Kill Your Darlings by Philip Athans

Substack is Both Great and Terrible for Authors by Jane Friedman

How to Make Your Writing More Sensitive – and Why it Matters by Melissa Haun

It’s the Age of AI: How to Survive and Thrive as a Writer by Jodie Hurst via Anne R. Allen

 

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, we focus more on craft than business. From Good Story Company comes advice on writing authentic female characters, enticing opening lines, and effective descriptions.

Jami Gold reviews the different types of character arcs and how they can be applied to short stories.  Over at Mythcreants, Chris Winkle delves into the use of foreshadowing and also explains why realism has no place in fiction.

From Writer Unboxed, John J. Kelley shows us how social events can be used to help with character and plot development while Kim Bullock offers self-care advice for writers during trying times.

All that a lot more. Enjoy!

Writing Descriptions by Good Story Company

Writing Female Characters by Amy Wilson

3 Ways to use AI for Screenwriting (Other Than Writing a Bad Script) by Ken Miyamoto

Writing the Opening Line by Rhiannon Richardson

Using TikTok to Promote Your Writing by Ellen Levitt

Short Stories: Can They Still Have Character Arc? by Jami Gold

Traditional or Self-Publishing – That is the Question by Rod Martinez

Subtext – Guest Post by Karen Albright Lin via Debbie Burke on Kill Zone

The Why and How of Foreshadowing by Chris Winkle

10 Things to Know About BookBub Readers [Infographic] by Carlyn Robertson

Handling Editorial Feedback without Getting Overwhelmed by Tessa Barbosa

Self-Care for Writers in a Pseudo-Dystopian World by Kim Bullock

The Big Event – Using Social Occasions to Elevate Your Story by John  J. Kelley

Why Realism is Toxic to Fiction by Chris Winkle

The Last Word: Epilogues by Sophie Masson

 

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, we spotlight BookBub with articles about gaining followers, growing your readership, how BookBub’s auction model works, and strategies for using ads on their platform.

Becca Puglisi, co-author of the Emotion Thesaurus, offers tips on how to create insecure characters while Sarah Gribble provides a guide to writing horror. Do you know who your target audience is? If not, Amy Wilson has some advice for you.

All that and a little more, including a few discussions about Ray Bradbury. Enjoy and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

What’s Autofiction? Should You Fictionalize the Story of Your Life? by Anne R. Allen

Point of View: What’s the Best Choice? by Jami Gold

Honing Your Author Voice by Heather Webb

BookBub Ads 101: How the Auction Model Works by AJ Jack

Using BookBub Ads to Drive Series Sell-Through by AJ Jack

Who is My Target Audience? by Amy Wilson

How to Write a Novel Synopsis from Good Story Company

How to Write Horror: 8 Crucial Components to Terrify and Delight by Sarah Gribble

Ray Bradbury and Roald Dahl by David Boaz

10 Tips for Growing a Global Audience of Readers by Mark Leslie Lefebvre

Can Writing Heal Physical Pain? by Sue Coletta

In Favor of Present Tense Writing by Rhiannon Richardson

Writing Insecure Characters by Becca Puglisi

14 Ideas for Getting More BookBub Followers by Diana Urban

The Sideshow Magician Who Inspired Ray Bradbury—Then Vanished by Erik Ofgang

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, screenwriter Taika Waititi weighs in with morsels of screenwriting (and storytelling) wisdom. Niesha Davis explains the value of sensitivity readers while Allison Williams provides guidance on the effective use of social media. Speaking of which, Philip Athans ponders how much writers need to reveal about themselves online.

Over at Career Authors, Erin Flanagan offers guilt-free advice for those burned out on writing and Paula Munier reviews the rules on POV and how to break them with authority.

All that and a lot more. Enjoy!

Craft a Killer Fantasy Premise Using Good versus Evil by Amy Wilson

What Do Our Readers Need to Know About Us? by Philip Athans

Sweet Emotion by James Scott Bell

10 Pieces of Screenwriting Wisdom from Taika Waititi by Ken Miyamoto

Hiding Your Villain in Plain Sight by Sarah Penner

Being the Boss of Your Author Business by Karen A. Chase

The Daring Writer’s Guide to Point of View by Paula Munier

Burnt Out on Writing? 5 Tips for a Productive Break by Erin Flanagan

Nine Ways to Describe Your Viewpoint Character by Chris Winkle

Writers, Stop Using Social Media (Like That) by Allison Williams via Jane Friedman

Don’t Self-Publish a Book Before Answering These Crucial Questions by J.J. Hebert

Ten Years of Self-Publishing (2012-2022) by Alliance of Independent Authors

What to Expect When Hiring a Sensitivity Reader by Niesha Davis via  Leigh Shulman’s blog.