Tag Archives: kathryn craft

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

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This week, Anne R. Allen laments the rise of “dark pattern marketing” by authors who attempt to bully potential readers by invading their privacy.

Dana Isaacson advises us on the effective use of flashbacks while Kristen Lamb reminds us of what it takes to be successful.

Going by the numbers, Jordan Dane expounds seven categories of conflict and Chris Winkle offers six types of climactic turning points. Oren Ashkenazi warns us to be aware of the messages we’re communicating through our writing and Angela Ackerman delves into the repercussions of fear.

All that and plenty more. Enjoy!

Is a “Personal Relationship” with Authors What Readers Want? by Anne R. Allen

How to Write Amazing Flashbacks by Dana Isaacson

Key Types of Conflict: Which One Best Fits Your Story? by Jordan Dane

In It to WIN It: How Committed Are You to Being a Successful Author? Kristen Lamb

Six Types of Turning Points for Climaxes and Filling In Your Story’s Middle by Chris Winkle

Depicting Characters Held Back by Fear by Angela Ackerman

Authorial Endorsement 101 by Oren Ashkenazi

Give Your Reader an Experience by Kathryn Craft

Negotiating Social Privilege as a Writer by Rheea Mukherjee

The Wonders of Your Character’s World View by Jim Dempsey

 

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

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

 

Articles, Blog, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, PJ Parrish weighs in on the proper use of metaphors while editor Beth Hill delves into the differences between showing and telling. At Writer Unboxed, Kathryn Craft discusses enhancing dialogue through misdirection and modulation, David Corbett provides two methods of motivating your protagonist, and Lynne Griffin advises us to knot up our stories with conflict and tension.

Jonathan Vars offers tips on creating time-bomb plots and effective use of settings, and Kate Coe reviews the etiquette of editing another writer’s work.

All that and little more… Enjoy!

Do You Dare to Eat a Peach? Finding the Perfect Metaphor by PJ Parrish

Bring Your Dialogue to Life by Kathryn Craft

Motivating the Reluctant Protagonist by David Corbett

Dying to Know, Afraid to Find Out: Building Tension in Fiction by Lynne Griffin

Building an Author Website: The First Step to Publishing by Joe Bunting

12 Tips to Get Unstuck and Finish Writing Your Book by Lorna Faith

Showing and Telling Particulars by Beth Hill

3 Tips to Creating a Time Bomb Plot Device and How to Create a Setting from Nothing in 5 Steps by Jonathan Vars

Editing Someone Else’s Work by Kate Coe

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, David Gaughran and Anne R. Allen analyze Amazon’s heavy-handed measures of fraud detection that are forcing the innocent to suffer for the guilty. P.J. Parrish illustrates the revision process using one of her own manuscripts while Ruth Harris and Andrew Falconer offer tips on writing historical fiction.

We strike gold with… who else, but… Jami Gold! Jami is busy with NaNoWriMo, so she has invited guest bloggers to discuss such topics as Imposter Syndrome (Kassandra Lamb), Deep POV (Lisa Hall-Wilson), and Productivity (J. Rose).

From the latter, this statement leapt out at me: “We’re trained to work ourselves to the bone, and that we should best each other about “who’s the most busy” or “who has the least amount of time.” I challenge you to step away from this game! Do you really want to be #1 at being stressed and being busy all the time so you don’t have time to enjoy your life?”

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Amazon’s Hall of Spinning Knives by David Gaughran

Don’t Let Impostor Syndrome Ruin Your Writing by Kassandra Lamb via Jami Gold

Deep POV and Hidden Messages in Subtext by Lisa Hall-Wilson via Jami Gold

Creating the Right Mindset to Be Productive by J. Rose via Jami Gold

Cutting Open the Sausage: A Hard Look at Rewriting by PJ Parrish

Plunge Into Story Action—and Genre by Kathryn Craft

A Character’s POV = A Character’s Truth by Sarah Callender

Five Essentials of Historical Fantasy by Andrew Falconer

How to Use Authentic Historical Detail to Trigger Emotions and Memories in Your Readers by Ruth Harris

The Most Important Rule of Backstory by Andrea Lundgren

Amazon’s Latest Crackdowns: Do They Include Amazon Review Trolls? by Anne R. Allen

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Maggie Doonan counsels us on when to throw in the towel on a writing project while Julia Munroe Martin opens up about why she abandoned one of hers.

Anne R. Allen warns new writers against mistakes that could leave them prey to publishing scams. James Scott Bell offers two methods to jumpstart your writing session. Over at MythCreants, Chris Winkle advises us on ways to better give and receive criticism.

Writer pal Kathryn Craft shares her experiences with exploring and pitching new ideas after her first two novels were published. David Gaughran provides tips on how to maximize the benefits of Kindle Unlimited. From Writer Unboxed, Steven James waxes eloquent about the “agathokakological” nature of humanity.

All that and a little more… Enjoy!

4 Signs It’s Time to Quit a Writing Project by Maggie Doonan

7 New Writer Mistakes that Make You Vulnerable to Predators by Anne R. Allen

What Happens When You Run Out of Novels? by Kathryn Craft via Sandra Hutchison

The Visibility Gambit by David Gaughran

Two Writing Mind Tricks to Get You Rolling  and Weaving Backstory into Frontstory by James Scott Bell

Telling the Truth in Fiction by Steven James

Seven Things I Learned from Wrecking my Novel by Julia Munroe Martin

A Storyteller’s Guide to Criticism by Chris Winkle

Memoir or Fiction? Should You Novelize Your Real Life Experiences? by Anne R. Allen