Tag Archives: jami gold

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff

This week, James Scott Bell makes a good case for putting your protagonists between opposing characters, thereby forcing them to choose a path. Siera London introduces us to the BENP system of book marketing, and Daphne Gray-Grant links perfectionism with depression.

Richie Billing examines the use of religion in the fantasy genre, Joe Bunting provides a 20-step guide to novel writing, and Donald Maass teaches us to how dance to the beat (story beats, that is).

At Fiction University, we get schooled by Kassandra Lamb on the relationshp between backstory and behavior, Chris Eboch explains the importance of plot questions, and Janice Hardy offers advice about planting clues in your story.

All that and a lot more. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Religion in Fantasy by Richie Billing

What Kind of Marketing Plan Will Work for Us? by Siera London via Jami Gold

Put Your Lead Between Opposite Characters by James Scott Bell

How to Choose Scenes for Your Story by Chris Winkle

What is DRM (Digital Rights Management)? by Matt Knight at Sidebar Saturdays

Show Me the Money: Royalties, Rights, and Riches for Indie Authors by Erika Liodice

The Beat Goes On by Donald Maass

How to Write a Novel (Without Fail) by Joe Bunting

How to Sneak Clues Past Your Readers and Keep Them Guessing by Janice Hardy

Writing a Page-Turner: Keep the Reader Guessing with Story Questions by Chris Eboch

The Importance of Backstory (or How the Brain Connects the Present to the Past) by Kassandra Lamb

Is Your Depression Masquerading as Perfectionism? by Daphne Gray-Grant

11 Ways to Give Writing Perfectionism the Heave-Ho by Daphne Gray-Grant

60 Things For Your Character to Do When They Talk or Think by Amanda Patterson

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Dustin Grinnell discusses techniques for writing scientific fiction ala Carl Sagan while Jami Gold explores the process of piecemeal, nonlinear worldbuilding.

Over at Writer Unboxed, Kathryn Craft offers advice for trimming our manuscripts, and Donald Maass challenges us to write timeless fiction.

Boyd Morrison and Debbie Burke put us through our paces with— wait for it—pacing! PJ Parrish provides tips on crafting that perfect first chapter, and if you’re struggling with your plot, Janice Hardy has a few solutions for you.

All that and much more. Enjoy!

How to Write Scientific Fiction: Analyzing Carl Sagan’s Contact by Dustin Grinnell

5 Random Ways to Trim Your Manuscript by Kathryn Craft

Fiction of Its Times or Fiction for All Times? by Donald Maass

Surviving—and Thriving—In The Brave New World of Publishing by Paul Dinas via Anne R. Allen

How to Beat Writer’s Block – 7 Tips from the Trenches by Brian Andrews

The Thrill of the Pace: Creating a Book That Reader Can’t Put Down by Boyd Morrison

Before It’s Too Late—Six Tips to Speed Up the Pace by Debbie Burke

How Can We Worldbuild on an Epic Scale? by Jami Gold

The Do’s and Don’ts of a Great First Chapter by PJ Parrish

3 Powerful Ways to Hook Your Reader with Emotion by Joslyn Chase

Why Your Plot Isn’t Working by Janice Hardy

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, David Brown and Michelle Barker explain the differences between situation and plot while Jami Gold leads us into our protagonist’s dark moments.

Over at Mythcreants, Chris Winkle casts a skeptical eye on The Hero’s Journey and its basis, The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

Matt Knight warns against common perils in publishing contracts and agreements, Sarah Manavis discusses why Story Graph is a better online book cataloguing tool than Goodreads, and Josyln Chase provides methods to improve our productivity.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Situation Versus Plot by David Brown and Michelle Barker via Anne R. Allen

How to Leave Traditional Publishing, Go Indie, and Not Regret It by Kurt Dinan

Traditional and Self-Publishing Contracts—When to Say No! by Matt Knight

Black Moments: Understanding our Options by Jami Gold

Why Structures Like the Hero’s Journey Don’t Work by Chris Winkle

It’s Time to Throw Out the Hero with a Thousand Faces by Chris Winkle

Why Goodreads is Bad for Books by Sarah Manavis

Managing Your Cast by Dave King

Managing Expectations, One Book at a Time by Heather Webb

Road, Neighborhood, Sky: A Three-Layered Approach to Writing a Novel by Barbara Linn Probst

8 Proven Strategies to Write More and Boost Your Productivity by Joslyn Chase

Writing Your First Novel: How to Fix an (Accidentally) Autobiographical Novel by Sarah Gribble

 

 

 

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, Charlie Jane Anders encourages us to write what is in our hearts regardless of current events. At Career Authors, David Bell provides five reasons for outlining your novel, while over at IndieReader, Savannah Cordova shows us five ways to get your novel noticed on Amazon.

Marlene Cullen explains how to use the freewrite method to chronicle traumatic experiences. Jami Gold delves into the risks and benefits of foreshadowing. John Gilstrap warns us against second guessing our writing. Kristen Lamb demonstrates how the Johari Window can be used to provide depth to our characters. Tajja Isen discusses the importance of sensitivity readers for stories involving minority characters.

Congratulations to writer pal, Amanda Headlee, on winning the “When Words Count Pitch Week XVII contest” with her upcoming horror novel, My Brother’s Keeper.

All that and a lot more. Enjoy!

Never Say You Can’t Survive: Everything is Broken! What Should I Write About? by Charlie Jane Anders

5 Tips for Navigating a Successful Novel Outline by David Bell

Freewrite: How to Write About Traumatic Events Without Adding More Trauma by Marlene Cullen

5 Tips for Getting Your Book Noticed on Amazon by Savannah Cordova

What’s the Point of Foreshadowing? by Jami Gold

Eyes Front by John Gilstrap

Pulp Diction. What We Can Learn from the Noir Czars by PJ Parrish

How to Characterize by James Scott Bell

The Johari Window: Understanding and Harnessing the Character Blind Spot by Kristen Lamb

Parody, Satire, and Fan Fiction: What’s the Difference? by Matt Knight

How Not to Write a Book About a Minority Experience by Tajja Isen

6 Ways to Incorporate a Dash of Foreign Language by Kathryn Craft

Blurbing and Being Blurbed by Barbara Linn Probst

How the Rising Action Works in a Story by Joe Bunting

Meet the Pitch Week XVII Finalists from When Worlds Collide!

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

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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