Tag Archives: john gilstrap

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This month, writer pal Kathryn Craft shows us how to use weddings and funerals in our stories to explore characters and heighten emotions. Over at Mythcreants, Oren Ashkenazi examines the ever-popular literary device known as unreliable narrator.

Kristen Overman offers advice on self-editing and developing strong characters while Meredith Lyons talks about keepin’ it real in paranormal fiction. Do you feel pressured to sacrifice your social time for your writing? John Gilstrap reminds us not to feel guilty for living our lives.

Kelsey McConnell discusses the need for trigger warnings in horror novels. This is a timely topic given that I just released the second edition of Testing the Prisoner, my first paranormal mystery novel from 2009 that deals with child abuse and domestic violence.

All that and a lot more. Enjoy!

Writing Believable Characters by Michal Leah

There’s Always a Choice: Revision Techniques to Make Your Writing Stronger by Kristen Overman

How Subplots and Plot Filaments Lend Texture and Depth to Any Novel by Michael Craft

Why Is Strong Character Development Important? by Kristen Overman

Marry ’em and Bury ’em: Weddings, Funerals, and Your Novel by Kathryn Craft

Is There a Place For Trigger Warnings in Horror Books? by Kelsey Christine McConnell

How to Write a Realistic Paranormal by Meredith R. Lyons

How to Point Readers’ Attention in the Right Direction by Jami Gold

How to Increase Your Productivity When You Don’t Feel Productive by James Scott Bell

Writer’s Guilt by John Gilstrap

Unreliable Narration: A Useful Tool or Just Hype? by Oren Ashkenazi

Atmosphere Literary Definition: Genre Examples that Evoke Emotion by Joslyn Chase

If you’re a LibraryThing member, I’m running a giveaway for Testing the Prisoner! Six winners will receive a signed copy. Check it out here. Ends October 25th.

Testing the Prisoner is available now in ebook ($2.99) and paperback ($18.99)!

Testing the Prisoner print promo

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, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

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

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Anna Elliott offers three tips for “kicking your readers right in the feels” while Chris Winkle and Damon Suede explore various facets of character. Peter Selgin boils fiction down to two plot types and explains how to introduce foreshadowing in your story’s opening.

Juliet Marillier defines the fantasy genre, Blake Morrison delves into the often distressing burden of managing a deceased writer’s estate, and Olivia Mason presents a top-ten list of best works from one of my all-time favorite writers, Harlan Ellison.

All that and a little more… Enjoy!

3 Tips to Hook Your Reader’s Emotions by Anna Elliott

What Is Fantasy, Exactly? by Juliet Marillier

Take Cover! by John Gilstrap

The Six Traits of Strong Characters by Chris Winkle

Characters: More Than Just Imaginary People by Damon Suede via Jami Gold

How Works of Fiction Can Be Boiled Down to Two Types of Plots and  How Your Story Opening Foreshadows What’s to Come by Peter Selgin

Up in Smoke: Should an Author’s Dying Wishes Be Obeyed? by Blake Morrison

The Best of the Best: 10 Must-Read Works by Harlan Ellison by Olivia Mason

Scam Down Under: Love of Books Brisbane / Julie “Jules” McGregor by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware

 

Calvin & Hobbes on Writing

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

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This week, we stop by the Kill Zone where James Scott Bell warns against starting your story with a dream while John Gilstrap and Jordan Dane talk internal monologue. Over at Mythcreants, Oren Ashkenazi advises against writing prequels, but if you must, he offers a few tips.

From Writer Unboxed, Julie Carrick Dalton provides timely advice on dual timeline stories. Think you can become a writer on “talent” alone? Anne R. Allen would like to give you a rude awakening. Anne also has some strong opinions on how to begin your story in order to optimize Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

What’s the Deal on Dreams in Fiction? by James Scott Bell

Internal Monologue by John Gilstrap

5 Key Ways to Balance Internal Monologue with Pitfalls to Avoid by Jordan Dane

Chronicling a Non-Chronological Story: Writing a Dual Timeline Novel by Julie Carrick Dalton

Five Tips for Telling Prequel Stories by Oren Ashkenazi

8 Qualities that are More Important than Talent for Writing Success and The One Thing That Will Kill Book Sales Dead and 10 Ways to Avoid It by Anne R. Allen

How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson

How to Spark Your Story with an Inciting Incident by Pamela Hodges

Veteran SF and Media Tie-In Writer, Michael Jan Friedman, Would Like to Take You Into Empty Space

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Goodreads announces a change to its US giveaway program and it comes with alarming costs. The Authors Guild provides information on the new GOP tax bill and Douglas Preston laments the fact that writers can no longer make a living from their craft.

From The Guardian, a recent study comparing literary fiction against science fiction returned rather “stupefying” results. John Gilstrap discusses the importance of book cover design while K.M. Weiland and Becca Puglisi each offer different tactics for character development.  From Writers Helping Writers, Sacha Black gives us the nitty gritty on sentence structure.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Goodreads Announces New US Giveaway Program by Greg Seguin

What Authors Need to Know About the New Tax Bills by The Authors Guild

Why Is It So Goddamned Hard to Make a Living as a Writer Today? by Douglas Preston

(Too) Close Third Person by Jeanne Kisacky

Science Fiction Triggers ‘Poorer Reading’, Study Finds by Alison Flood

Judging a Book By Its Cover by John Gilstrap

4 Ways to Amplify Your Characters’ Subtext by K.M. Weiland

Writing Characters that Mirror Real Life by Becca Puglisi via Kristen Lamb

Action Beats: More than Dialogue Tag Surrogates by Kathy Steinmann

Getting Jiggy with the Nitty Gritty, or, Improving Your Sentences by Sacha Black