Tag Archives: chris winkle

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion

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

 

 

 

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

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

 

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

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

 

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

2 Comments

This week, Ruth Harris reminds us that writing is a marathon, not a sprint while Meghan Ward offers tips for ramping up the action in our stories.

Jami Gold provides a three-part series on point of view, Kristen Lamb discusses the benefits of using an unreliable narrator, Sandra Beckwith guides us through the challenges of book marketing, and Chris Winkle walks us through plotting a novel series.

All that, and a little more. Enjoy!

A Writer’s Guide to Patience, Practice, and Persistence by Ruth Harris via Anne R. Allen

Is Your Story a Bit Lazy? Five Ways to Improve the Action by Meghan Ward via Anne R. Allen

7 Questions to Ask Before Creating Your Book Marketing Plan by Sandra Beckwith

Is Our Story’s Point of View Really What We Think It Is? by Jami Gold

How Does Our Characters POV Affect Our Story? by Jami Gold

What Do Readers Want from a Story’s POV? by Jami Gold

Deception as a Storytelling Device: Introducing the Unreliable Narrator by Kristen Lamb

Will China’s Entry into U.S. Publishing Lead to Censorship? by Ed Nawotka

How to Plot a Novel Series by Chris Winkle

Getting Comfortable with Failure by Jael McHenry

Into the Woods by Dave King

Learning from Pinocchio: Creating Charaters Who Are Fully Alive by Barbara Linn Probst

 

Articles, Blog, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Kristen Lamb delves into the traits of a perfect villain and reminds us of the importance of story mastery above all else. Anne R. Allen offers advice on writing that challenging first chapter while Marie Eberle would like to see less of certain hackneyed character types in SF and Fantasy.

It’s a foregone conclusion that conflict is the heart of storytelling, but what about conflict management? L. Deborah Sword discusses.

Over at Writer Unboxed, Jim Dempsey encourages us to delve into our characters’ values to find their ultimate motivation, and speaking of characters, Donald Maass suggests examining psychological archetypes as a means for crafting character arcs.

If you’re struggling to build a readership, there may be a good reason for that. In fact, as Shannon Ashley reveals, there might be at least twelve reasons.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

On Writing: Why Mastery Should Matter To the Serious Author by Kristen Lamb

The Villain: Crafting Scoundrels, Sinners, and Substance of Legends by Kristen Lamb

Finding and Using Competing Book Titles in Your Book Marketing by Penny Sansevieri

Writing that First Chapter: 10 Dos and Don’ts for Starting a Novel by Anne R. Allen

Avoid these Crutch Words by Dana Isaacson

Story Conflict: It’s Not as Simple as We Think by L. Deborah Sword via Jami Gold

Nine Ways for Your Hero to Earn the Clues They Need by Chris Winkle

The Two Types of Archetype by Donald Maass

What Really Drives Your Characters? by Jim Dempsey

12 Reasons Nobody Wants to Read Your Writing by Shannon Ashley

3 Types of Fantasy and Sci-Fi Characters We’ve Seen Enough Of by Marie Eberle

What is a Vignette & How Do I Write One? by Amanda Patterson

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Tim Grahl reveals the ingredients to a successful book launch while Joanna Penn offers quick advice on how to combat imposter syndrome.

Over at the Kill Zone, James Scott Bell provides guidance on character description while Jordan Dane talks layering scenes and plot. We have a twofer from that wise Mythcreant, Chris Winkle, who first expounds several methods for ensuring your protagonists pull their weight, and then points out how to spot misandry in your story.

Writer pal Kathryn Craft reveals why you might be afraid of your WIP while Tiffany Yates Martin whips our editor’s brain into shape.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

The Book Launch Framework: How I Keep Launching Bestselling Books by Tim Grahl

How Writers Can Deal with Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome by Joanna Penn

How to Describe Your Main Character by James Scott Bell

How to Enhance Your Writing by Layering Your Scenes & Plot by Jordan Dane

18 Ways for Protagonists to Contribute and Five Signs Your Story is Sexist—Against Men by Chris Winkle

CockyGate Update: One Writer’s Adjective; Another Writer’s Short-Lived Trademark by Matt Knight

How to Train Your Editor Brain by Tiffany Yates Martin

12 Signs You’re Afraid of Your WIP by Kathryn Craft

6 Ways to Immerse Your Readers in the Setting of a Story by Joslyn Chase