Tag Archives: mythcreants

Articles, Blog, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Shanee Edwards offers advice on creating a powerful antagonist while James Scott Bell teaches us practical thaumaturgy for conjuring short stories.

Brian Andrews explains the importance of self-editing and developmental editing, while mythcreant Chris Winkle delves into crafting effective descriptions.

Joslyn Chase steps us through ten  ways to add foreshadowing, and Porter Anderson discusses the dangers of self-censorship.

All that and little more. Enjoy!

 

5 Tips for Negotiating Your Author Agreements by Joseph Perry via Anne R. Allen

Writing Rising Action by Linda S. Clare

A Love of Mystery is Woven into Our Biology, and Edgar Allan Poe was the First to Find the Formula for a Very Specific Dopamine Hit by Jonah Lehrer

7 Tips for Writing Bad Ass Antagonists by Shanee Edwards

The 3 Pass Rough Draft—Embracing Editing (Part I) by Brian Andrews

Developmental Editing —Embracing Editing (Part II) by Brian Andrews

Dialog and POV by Philip Athans

Creating and Resolving Conflict in Your Novel by Clare Langley-Hawthorne

The Alchemy and the Craft by James Scott Bell

What Do Writers Need to Describe? by Chris Winkle

Flights of Self-Censorship by Porter Anderson

Foreshadowing: 10 Clever Methods to Write an Engaging Plot Twist by Joslyn Chase

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Anne R. Allen urges us to promote our books regionally while Jodie Renner provides a rundown on loglines, taglines, and back cover copy.

Donald Maass and Joslyn Chase pick up the pace while Kathryn Craft helps our scenes become better oriented by asking the three (or five!) W’s.  Kelsey Allagood and Mckenzie Cassidy offer tips on self-care for creatives.

Over at Mythcreants, Oren Ashkenanzi shows us how to identify troubled throughlines while Chris Winkle helps us polish our prose.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

The Inherent Nature of Story Structure by Jim Dempsey

Want to Be a Bigger Fish? Try a Smaller Pond. Regional Fiction Sells! by Anne R. Allen

You Are Doing it Completely Wrong and You Are Doomed to Fail! by Philip Athans

How to *Easily* Publish on Apple Books by Gary Rodgers

Hook Your Readers with a Compelling Storyline, Tagline, and Back Cover Copy by Jodie Renner

The Three W’s of Scene Orientation by Kathryn Craft

On Pacing: Faster Than the Speed of Thought by Donald Maass

Story Pacing: 4 Techniques That Help Manage Your Plot’s Timeline by Joslyn Chase

Writing While Languishing: How to Be Creative When You’re Feeling ‘Blah’ by Kelsey Allagood

Six Signs of a Weak Throughline by Oren Ashkenazi

Five Simple Ways to Make Your Prose Easier to Read by Chris Winkle

Preserving Your Creativity with Self-Care by Mckenzie Cassidy

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

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…

This week, Paula Munier offers advice on transitioning from writing nonfiction to fiction while Anne R. Allen reminds us that self-publishing is serious business. Anne’s article has a few points in common with Sue Coletta’s tips on maintaining etiquette in the writing community.

TD Storm discusses the pros and cons of using filtering language, Alison Flood delves into the effects of cancel culture in publishing, and Kathryn Craft explains how we can increase tension in our stories through the eyes of an observer.

Oh, I almost forgot—Hanna Mary McKinnon provides tips on crafting characters with amnesia.

All that and much more. Enjoy!

How to Write About Amnesia by Hanna Mary McKinnon

Your Nonfiction is Showing by Paula Munier

Self-Publishing is a Business: Don’t Treat it Like a Childish Game by Anne R. Allen

To Filter or Not to Filter by TD Storm

What is DRC and How to Make it Work for You by IndieReader

Writing Community Etiquette by Sue Coletta

Six Ways to Add Stakes to a Mystery by Chris Winkle

Publishing’s Debate over Cancel Culture by Alison Flood

Managing a Motif by Dave King

Heighten Tension with a Watcher by Kathryn Craft

Character Description: 6 Tips from Stephen King’s Memoir by David Safford

Bringing a Character to Life by Barbara Linn Probst

The Unintended Consequences of a Lack of Setting by Amanda Patterson

 

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

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…

This week, Ken Miyamoto provides a regimen for becoming a screenwriter in one year. Chris Winkle offers suggestions for maintaining tension during those in-between scenes (often called sequels) while Donald Maass shows us how to meld the mundane and spectacular in our stories to suspend the reader’s disbelief.

We delve into all things editing with Patti Callhan Henry, PJ Parrish, and Jim Dempsey. Julie Glover reminds us of how real life can be fodder for fiction, and NYT bestselling author Jeffrey Deaver reveals his 13 rules for writing fiction that sells.

All that a little more. Enjoy!

365 Days: How to Become a Screenwriter in One Year by Ken Miyamoto

Self-Editing Secret: Listen Carefully by Patti Callahan Henry

Editing: The Three Levels of Hell by PJ Parrish

What to Expect from an Editor by Jim Dempsey

Five Ways to Restore Tension by Chris Winkle

The Real vs. The Unreal by Donald Maass

How Much of Our Real Life Shows Up in Our Fiction? by Julie Glover

List of Fantasy Magazines and Journals by Richie Billing

10 Things Screenwriters Don’t Need to Worry About by Ken Miyamoto

Jeffrey Deaver: Thirteen Rules for Writing Commercial Fiction by Diana Belchase (video)