Tag Archives: mythcreants

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

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, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Anne R. Allen reminds us that a story is more than just a series of disjointed, tragic episodes. Brian Andrews encourages us to use strong opening lines while Dana Isaacson, Barbara O’Neal, and Kim Bullock offer ideas for writing through these disconcerting times.

Jami Gold lists various ways a character’s occupation can be used to enhance a story and Terry Odell urges us to foreshadow some of our character’s skills before revealing them in a pivotal scene.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Promoting Your Sci-Fi or Fantasy Novel on Social Media by Erica Verrillo

The Biggest Writing Craft Issue New Novelists Face, and 7 Ways to Avoid It by Anne R. Allen

How to Write a Powerful, Enticing, Intriguing, Amazing Opening Line for Your Novel by Brian Andrews

How to Write (or Not Write) about the Pandemic by Dana Isaacson

How to Write During a Pandemic, Even if it Feels Like You Can’t by Barbara O’Neal

What’s Our Character’s Job? by Jami Gold

If They Buy the Premise by Terry Odell

Description Makeover: Creating Magical Atmosphere by Chris Winkle

Crime Fiction is Complicit in Police Violence—But It’s Not Too Late to Change by Aya de Leon

Trademarks and the Writer’s Brand Strategy by Matt Knight

Writing Througnh Turbulent Times: Using Uncertainty to Enhance Your Story by Kim Bullock

A Plotstorming Technique by Jan O’Hara

 

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Alice Sudlow and Dan Brotzel each offer ten tips for entering and winning short story contests. Joe Bunting provides a guide to story arcs and writing an effective first chapter, while Robert Wood challenges us to add a radical twist to our plots.

At Writer’s Digest, David Corbett teaches us how to develop our characters with each new scene while Elizabeth Sims shows us ways to elevate our stories to greatness. KD Holmberg reminds us that inanimate objects can also be powerful characters, and Chris Winkle helps us fill in our story’s middle.

All that and little more. Enjoy!

How to Write a Good First Chapter by Joe Bunting

Story Arcs: Definitions and Examples of the Six Shapes of Stories by Joe Bunting

Ten Lessons from Entering Hundreds of Short Story Competitions by Dan Brotzel

10 Steps to Win a Writing Contest by Alice Sudlow

6 Daring Plot Twists to Try in Your Writing Part I and Part II by Robert Wood

7 Simple Ways to Make a Good Story Great by Elizabeth Sims

Inanimate Objects as Characters by KD Holmberg

How to Craft Characters Scene by Scene by David Corbett

Backstory for Writers: When and How by Ane Mulligan

Filling in Your Story’s Middle by Chris Winkle

Publishers File Suit Against Internet Archive by Association of American Publishers

Publisher Rocket vs. KD Spy: Which is Best for You? by Brendan Hufford

 

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

2 Comments

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

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Melodie Campbell offers advice on how to save that sagging middle in your novel while Penny Sansevieri shows you how to optimize your Amazon Author Central page.

Jennie Nash provides a short checklist of common mistakes that might land your manuscript in the rejection pile and Jami Gold explores how our characters can drive the narrative—despite our best laid plans.

Esther Jones extols the benefits of reading SF and fantasy,  Julie Glover defends the practice of editing as you go, and Donald Maass helps us to understand how to develop a meaningful narrative.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

My Novel is as Mess: How to Survive the Chaos Point in Your Novel by Melodie Campbell via Anne R. Allen

Science Fiction Builds Mental Resiliency in Young Readers by Esther Jones

5 Quick Fixes for Making the Most of Author Central (and Why it Should be a Top Priority) by Penny Sansevieri

Do Your Characters Take on a Life of Their Own? by Jami Gold

In Defense of Editing as You Go by Julie Glover

The Secret to More Efficient Revision: Pattern Recognition by Jennie Nash

The Meaning of Meaning by Donald Maass

The Art of Condensing an Entire Book into a Brief Sales Pitch by Florence Osmund

Six Common Problems with Short Stories by Oren Ashkenazi

The Rich Can’t Hide from a Plague. Just Ask Edgar Allan Poe by Maya Phillips