Tag Archives: jane friedman

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

August 16, 2022 philgiunta@ptd.net

This month, personal experiences come into play as Kathryn Craft reminds us to cultivate a productive and fulfilling writing life, Gwen Plano examines different aspects of character diversity, and Scott Hines creates meaningful connections on social media.

In the marketing department, Jan Sikes delves into BookTok while AJ Jack offers seven methods for analyzing reader habits. Want to know more about the book-to-screen process? Literary agents Allison Hunter and Jennifer Weltz give us the low down.

All that and a lot more. Enjoy!

The Book that Tore Everyone Apart by Gaby Hinsliff

The Fight Between Authors and Librarians Tearing Book Lovers Apart by Pranshu Verma

How Are Books Adapted for the Screen? Two Agents Demystify the Process by Sangeeta Mehta

Transparency in Slush: The Wizard Behind the Curtain by AJ Cunder

Dear Writer: Advice on Cultivating Connection in the Internet Age by Scott Hines

Fill Your Writing Life by Kathryn Craft

7 Clever Ways Authors Can Learn More About Readers Online by AJ Jack

8 Sequence Structure: The Best-Kept Screenwriting Secret by Britton Perelman

#MKTG 17 – TikTok by Jan Sikes

Characters and Diversity Part I: Race by Gwen M. Plano

Characters and Diversity Part II: Wealth by Gwen M. Plano

Characters and Diversity Part III: Physical Ability by Gwen M. Plano

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

May 21, 2022 philgiunta@ptd.net 2 Comments

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.

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

October 3, 2021 philgiunta@ptd.net

This week’s lineup bring us several “how-to” articles including writing diverse and developed characters, marketing your book without social media, and outlining your novel (or not).

Is writing for TV better than writing feature films? Ken Miyamoto discusses. Confused about when and how to use a Framing Device in your story? Britton Perelman explains.

Jennie Nash explores the importance of asking yourself why you feel compelled to write that story that’s been bouncing around in your head. Over at Sidebar Saturdays, Matt Knight delves into estate planning for writers while at the Kill Zone, James Scott Bell argues on behalf of going exclusive with KDP and Kindle Unlimited.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Elevator Pitching: How to Grab Someone’s Attention in 30 Seconds or Less by David Young

How to Write Diverse Characters (And, Also, Are You Qualified?) by Joiya Morrison-Efemini

How to Create Characters by Kristen Overman

Why Writing TV is Better than Writing Feature Films (and Why it’s Not) by Ken Miyamoto

Everything You Need to Know About Framing Devices by Britton Perelman

Sequencing and Layering: Advanced Techniques That Will Improve Your Writing by Kevin Nelson

Why Write This Book? by Jennie Nash via Jane Friedman

How to Market Your Book Without Social Media by Carol J. Michel

Warning to Writers: You Won’t See This New Publishing Scam Coming by Anne R. Allen

How to Outline Your Novel. Or Not by Hank Phillippi Ryan

On Going Exclusive by James Scott Bell

Estate Planning for Writers by Matt Knight

Estate Planning for Writers Part II – Transferring Intellectual Property to a Corporate Entity by Matt Knight

World-Building Through Architecture by Dave King

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

July 8, 2021 philgiunta@ptd.net

This week, Deb Caletti offers reliable tips on unreliable narrators while Chris Winkle explains the importance of planning character arcs. Emma Lombard and Carol Van Den Hende discuss developing a marketing plan and creating an author brand, respectively.

At the Write Practive, Jeff Elkins provides six critical steps to creating a good villain and J.D. Edwin gets back to basics with four foundational skills for writing fiction.

Claire Armitstead delves into the growing theme of climate fiction (cli-fi) and if you’re struggling to write the perfect ending to your novel, the folks at NaNoWriMo might be of help.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

8 Tips to Writing Unreliable Narrators by Deb Caletti

How to Develop a Marketing and Promotion Plan as an Indie Author by Emma Lombard

Don’t Cheat Your Reader by Mae Clair

Keeping it Real—or Not: Fact and Fiction in the Novel by Carol Goodman

Planning Character Arcs by Chris Winkle

How Twitter Can Ruin a Life by Emily VanDerWerff

Stories to Save the World: The New Wave of Climate Fiction by Claire Armitstead

Selling Foreign Book Rights – How Authors Generate International Income by Matt Knight

How to Write Good Fiction: 4 Foundational Skills and How to Build Them by J.D. Edwin

How to Write a Villain – 6 Scenes Your Story Needs by Jeff Elkins

8 Mistakes to Avoid While Writing the Perfect Ending to Your Novel from the NaNoWriMo Blog

The Myth of Quality vs Quantity in Publishing by Kristina Adams (podcast)

What is Author Brand and How to Craft Yours by Carol Van Den Hende

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

March 6, 2021 philgiunta@ptd.net

The past several weeks have been hectic, leaving me little time for blogging. Unfortunately, I’ve also been contending with depression, burnout, and fatigue for reasons too long to elucidate here (and you probably don’t care anyway). Winter and ongoing pandemic stress have exacerbated the problem. Whatever. I’m working through it.

On a lighter note, I’m thrilled to announce that four of my short stories will be published across two anthologies in late March. More information on that soon! For now, I lined up another fantastic selection of helpful articles about writing and publishing.

Monica Valentinelli discusses the ingredients of dark science fiction and offers a generous helping of positive writing advice to keep us motivated.

Ken Miyamoto explains the difference between story and plot while Susan DeFreitas delves into strategies for presenting backstory.

Over at Mythcreants, Oren Ashkenazi warns prose writers against emulating TV and film while Chris Winkle teaches us how to improve reader engagement.

Brian Andrews guides us through writing believable action scenes, Julie Duffy provides pointers on transitioning between novels and short stories, and Philip Athens summarizes the history of pulp magazines.

All that a little more. Enjoy!

When Science Fiction Meets Horror in World-Building by Monica Valentinelli

101 Softly-Delivered Writing Lessons by Monica Valentinelli

What the 2021 Facebook Changes Mean for Authors by Thomas Umstattd, Jr.

Plot vs. Story: What’s the Difference? by Ken Miyamoto

Backstory and Exposition: 4 Key Tactics by Susan DeFreitas via Jane Friedman

Focus on Short Fiction by Julie Duffy

Five Bad Habits Writers Learn from Movies and TV by Oren Ashkenazi

Optimizing Your Story Ideas for Better Engagement by Chris Winkle

How to Write Amazing Action Scenes by Brian Andrews

How to Write A Bestselling Thriller by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Doublespeak: A Look at Voice by Terry Odell

A Brief History of Pulp Fiction by Philip Athans

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff

December 23, 2020 philgiunta@ptd.net

In our final edition of About This Writing Stuff for 2020, Ken Brosky offers advice for managing multiple narrators while Abigail Perry helps us decide when our story can support two protagonists.

Even as an inveterate plotter, I admit that Hank Phillippi Ryan makes a strong case for writing without an outline (aka pantsing, but I like her use of “emergent design”).

In the Kill Zone, Sue Coletta provides insightful tips for crafting a series bible while James Scott Bell shows us three ways to weave humor into our stories. Over at Mythcreants, Oren Ashkenazi discusses how to handle content edits and Chris Winkle suggests clever ways to describe your POV character.

If you’re considering self-publishing, I encourage you to take some pointers from Anne R. Allen, and if you’re struggling to find that powerful opening to your story, let Josyln Chase help.

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

How to Effectively Manage Multiple Narrators in Your Novel by Ken Brosky via Jane Friedman

5 Tell-Tale Signs of an Amateur Self-Published Book by Anne R. Allen

How to Write Without an Outline by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Productive Procrastination: Re-Purposing Downtime to Profitably Promote by Ellen Byron

6 Tips to Help You Network Like a Natural by Penny Sansevieri

Tips to Create a Series Bible by Sue Coletta

On Using Humor in Fiction by James Scott Bell

Five Things to Know When You Get Content Editing by Oren Ashkenazi

Nine Ways to Describe Your Viewpoint Character by Chris Winkle

Staging the Scene by John J. Kelley

The Secret for Creating Characters that Readers Want to Root For by J.D. Edwin