Tag Archives: james scott bell

About This Writing Stuff…

This week on the blog, Jim Dempsey guides us toward inspiration while Kathryn Craft advises us to let it go. Jami Gold helps us with goal setting and John Gilstrap with crafting scenes. Kristen Lamb provides seven elements of self-editing that might just help us save a few bucks when we hire that professional editor later.
Over at Career Authors, Hank Phillippi Ryan discusses cause and effect while Deanna Raybourn navigates the daunting ocean of social media. While we’re on the topic of the web, Anne R. Allen offers tips on crafting strong blog content. Need help writing an effective fight scene? Oren Ashkenazi has detailed advice for you.

All that and a little more… Enjoy!

How to Find Inspiration—Fiction Therapy by Jim Dempsey

When to Let Go of Your Original Inspiration by Kathryn Craft

How Do We Set Goals When Trying Something New? by Jami Gold

On the Joys of Indie Publishing by James Scott Bell

Scene Construction by John Gilstrap

Six Common Mistakes in Fight Scenes and How to Avoid Them by Oren Ashkenazi

First Things First: Does Your Manuscript Defy Physics? by Hank Phillippi Ryan

7 Tips for Social Media Savvy by Deanna Raybourn

How to Write for a Blog: 10 Tips for Writing Strong Web Content by Anne R. Allen

Editing for Authors: 7 Ways to Tighten the Story and Cut Costs by Kristen Lamb

‘Star Trek’/Dr. Seuss Mashup Deemed Copyright Fair Use by Judge by Eriq Gardner

Los Angeles Times Wants Rights to Books Written by Staff by The Authors Guild

About This Writing Stuff…

This week on the blog, we begin with the importance of downtime —  in an age that constantly pushes us to the brink of burnout — and we end with the notion of writing as a release from stress.

In between, Kristen Lamb takes us spearfishing to find that perfect catch (reader) and reminds us that drudgery builds success. Dave Chesson guides us through several Goodreads features that might prove useful in promoting your book… if you don’t mind the trolls.

Over at Writer Unboxed, Jim Dempsey offers tips to help you work through problems in your story and  Rheea Mukherjee provides ideas for bringing authenticity to characters with different skills and capabilities than their creators.

In the Kill Zone, Jordan Dane teaches us to tap into our waking dreams in order to enhance creativity while James Scott Bell channels Bryan Cranston. Enjoy!

The Compelling Case for Working A Lot Less by Amanda Ruggeri

How to Sell More Books: A Tale of Fishing and Catfishing by Kristen Lamb

Drudgery: What Separates Those Who Dream from Those Who Do by Kristen Lamb

The Mystery of the Hardy Boys and the Invisible Authors by Daniel A. Gross

How to Use Keywords to Attract the Most Visitors to Your Website by StatCounter

The Ultimate Guide to Goodreads for Authors by Dave Chesson

Fiction Therapy—What’s Your Story’s Problem? by Jim Dempsey

Writing Characters That Are ‘Smarter’ Than You by Rheea Mukherjee

What Bryan Cranston Can Teach Writers by James Scott Bell

Can Hypnagogia Improve Your Fiction Writing?  by Jordan Dane

Tolkien and Combat Stress: Writing as Release by Angry Staff Officer

 

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, from Writer Unboxed, Jim Dempsey defines the three major types of editing while David Corbett encourages us to improve our fiction by exploring belief systems different from our own, and Kathryn Craft urges us to dig deeper to bring out truth in our fiction.

Kristen Lamb reminds us of the difference between promotion and platform while Hank Phillippi Ryan imparts her method for crafting a story synopsis. Keep your plot moving forward with guidance from James Scott Bell and Ingram Content offers advice on book marketing in the digital age.

Possibly the most important article in this collection is Ferris Jabr’s research into the importance of mental downtime.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

The Different Types of Editing Explained by Jim Dempsey

Writing What You Don’t Believe by David Corbett

Seeking Truth in Fiction by Kathryn Craft

Five Ways to Become a Happier Writer by Mark Alpert

Creating Characters: You Can Always Start with the Car by Laura Benedict

Why Your Brain Needs More Downtime by Ferris Jabr

Promotion is Not Platform & Ads are NOT a Brand: Know the Difference by Kristen Lamb

How to Write a Fiction Synopsis A New Way by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Unsnagging Your Plot by James Scott Bell


Marketing Insights Series by Ingram Content

Book Marketing in an Era of Algorithms

How to Build a Strong Book Marketing Foundation

Develop Your Book Audience

 

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Peter Selgin offers ideas on dramatizing the routine in your story, writer pal Donna Galanti shines light on how to build your author persona, and Sue Weems suggests ways to combat multitasking that will improve your writing and save your sanity.

Despite arguments to the contrary, author blogging is not dead according to Anne R. Allen, and she provides eight solid reasons why.

Struggling to avoid hackneyed methods to describe your first-person POV character? Laura DiSilverio has some advice for you while James Scott Bell wants to pump you up—or at least your prose—by showing you how to immerse your reader in both action and emotion.

All that and a little more… Enjoy!

Four Ways to Create Your Author Persona by Donna Galanti

How to Make the Best Use of “Routine” Events in Your Fiction by Peter Selgin via Jane Friedman

‘The ebook is a stupid product: no creativity, no enhancement,’ says the Hachette Group CEO by Harsimran Gill

‘Laughably bad’: Terry Goodkind Apologises After Insulting Cover of His Own Book by Sian Cain

Get Some Blood Pumping in Your Prose by James Scott Bell

Why Multitasking is Killing Your Writing by Sue Weems

How the Internet Archive Infringed My Copyrights and Then (Kind of) Blew Me Off by Victoria Strauss

8 Reasons to Start an Author Blog by Anne R. Allen

6 Tips for Describing a First Person POV Character by Laura DiSilverio

Facebook’s Algorithm has Wiped Out a Once Flourishing Digital Publisher by Mike Shields


Styles of Writing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Ava Jae looks at simple POV mistakes to avoid, while Jo Eberhart explains the difference between foreshadowing and callbacks and how each can be used in your story.

Over at the Kill Zone, James Scott Bell calls out writing flubs that throw readers out of stories, Mythcreant writer Oren Ashkenazi offers tips on creating immersive fantasy settings, and Susan Perabo expounds a method for developing characters with background and experiences entirely different from your own.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

10 Books Every Leader Should Read to Be Successful by Deep Patel

Amazon Author Insights – Understand Your Formatting Options by Honorée Corder

Is 99¢ Too Cheap a Price for Your Book? by Dana Isaacson

Different Kinds of POV Slips and How to Avoid Them by Ava Jae

Foreshadowing vs. Callbacks by Jo Eberhardt

Creating Fully Developed Fictional Characters (That Are Not Secretly You) by Susan Perabo

Stuff That Takes Readers Out of a Story by James Scott Bell

Six Tips to Make Your Fantasy Setting More Immersive by Oren Ashkenazi

The New Face of Vanity Anthologies: Z Publishing House and Appelley Publishing by Victoria Strauss

Agatha Christie was Investigated by MI5 Over Bletchley Park Mystery by Richard Norton-Taylor

Snoopy Writing Again

 

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, James Curnow ponders the detrimental effect of sequels on the original material. Paula Meiner covers the pros and cons of beta readers while Sophie Hannah questions the concept behind the Staunch prize for thrillers that avoid violence against women.

James Scott Bell, Tracy Hahn-Burkett, and Steven James weigh in on the related topics of burnout, frustration, and stressing yourself out over meeting your writing goals. Bottom line: Challenge yourself without killing yourself.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

12 Books That Destroyed and Rebuilt My Mind by Jordan Bates

Why Good Sequels are Bad Sequels: Blade Runner 2049 and the Building of Worlds by James Curnow

A Short History of South Asian Speculative Fiction: Part I by Mimi Mondal

The Pros and Cons of Beta Readers by Paula Munier

Avoiding Burnout with Strategic Breaks by James Scott Bell

What to Do When Your Creativity Hits the Wall by Tracy Hahn-Burkett

From 2000 to 300—Why You’re Writing Too Much by Steven James

Prize Launched for Thrillers That Avoid Sexual Violence Against Women by Alison Flood

A Prize for Thrillers With No Violence Against Women? That’s Not Progressive by Sophie Hannah

Do Your Characters Talk Too Much? When to Use Indirect Dialogue by Anne R. Allen

Snoopy at the Typewriter