Tag Archives: phil giunta

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Anne R. Allen warns us against critiques that do more harm than good while Amanda Bennett takes a graphical approach to story structure.

C.S. Lakin encourages us to be the Foley artists of our fiction, Sarah Gribbles delves into the elements of compelling short stories, and Matt Knight reviews basics of copyright law.

Jaime Herndon and Adam Gabbatt address the alarming rise in book burning and book banning, respectively.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

10 Dangerous Critiques: Beware Bad Writing Advice by Anne R. Allen

Copyright Basics for Writers by Matt Knight

How I Came Up with My Story Structure Mash-Up by Amanda Bennet

US Conservatives Linked to Rich Donors Wage Campaign to Ban Books from Schools by Adam Gabbatt

Draft2Digital Acquires Smashwords by Kevin Tumlinson

Rereading Fahrenheit 451 in an Age of Mass Censorship by Jaime Herndon

Grab the Popcorn and Improve Your Novel by Wendall Thomas

How to Use Framing Devices in Fiction by Heather Webb

How to Effectively Bring Sounds into Your Fiction by C.S. Lakin

What is a Satire and How Do I Write One? by Susanne Bennett

Elements of a Short Story by Sarah Gribble

Articles, Blog, Craft, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Kristen Overman shows us what active dialogue is all about while Anne Hawley analyzes how our brains process exposition.

Over at BookBub, Diana Urban offers ideas for unusual book marketing, promoting sequels, and using social media effectively while avoiding burnout. At Writer Unboxed, Donald Maass has seen the gods, monsters, and murderbots and they are us!

Clayton Noblit and Lauren McLean prognosticate on what’s ahead in publishing this year and Michael Ventrella provides an astonishing example of how NOT to handle a story rejection.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

How to Write Active Dialogue by Kristen Overman

Gods, Monsters, and Murderbots by Donald Maass

Too Much Information: Exposition and the Reading Brain by Anne Hawley

FBI Arrests Man Who Allegedly Stole Book Manuscripts and Defrauded Hundreds by Deepra Shivaram

Authors on Social Media: Choosing Platforms & Avoiding Burnout by Diana Urban

6 Out of the Box Marketing Ideas You HAVE to See by Diana Urban

12 Clever Ideas for Promoting Sequels or Later-Series Books by Diana Urban

The Top Eight Publishing Trends for 2022 by Clayton Noblit

2022 Publishing Predictions from Literary Agent Laurie McLean via Anne R. Allen

How Not to Accept a Rejection by Michael A. Ventrella

List of 234 Interesting Character Quirks presented by YourDictionary

Blog, New Releases, Retrospective

Onward to the New Year, Whatever It Might Bring

All too happy to leave 2021 behind, but if nothing else, it was a successful writing year.
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Finished the second draft of a SF novel, started the first draft of paranormal mystery novel #4, had eight short stories published across six anthologies (plus one story in a convention anthology), and three stories accepted (so far) for 2022 including a science fiction adventure, a murder/heist mystery, and a science fiction comedy.
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One of my ghost stories (“Bottom of the Hour”) made it to the quarterfinals in the Screencraft Cinematic Short Story contest and another ghost story (“Before She’s Gone Forever”) was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Not too shabby!
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I wish everyone the best in the new year.  Onward to 2022, whatever it might bring.
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2021 Books   Space-Opera-Digest-2022 Cover
Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

After a two-month hiatus, About This Writing Stuff is back. What was once a bi-weekly blog post became monthly and now it happens whenever I can get to it. As I’m working on a new novel, blogging has fallen off the radar… mostly. Onward!

This week, the folks at MasterClass provide tips and examples for writing an effective novel synopsis while over at Screencraft, Ken Miyamoto warns against embellishing your screenwriting creds until you have legitimate screenwriting creds.

Speaking of creds, Liza Nash Taylor and Patricia Bradley offer advice on getting your work out there whether submitting or promoting. Hank Phillippi Ryan discusses proper etiquette when requesting a book blurb, Chris Winkle teaches best practices when using foreshadowing, and Joslyn Chase reviews writing techniques in the mystery, suspense, and thriller genres.

All that and a little more. Happy Holidays!

What is a Novel Synopsis? Here are Two Examples by MasterClass Staff

3 Most Common Screenwriter Exaggerations, White Lies, and Embellishments by Ken Miyamoto

How to Tell a Story: The Rule of Three by Anne R. Allen

How to Handle the Blurb Thing by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Getting Your Book Noticed by Patricia Bradley

Foreshadowing Reveals is Easier Than You Think by Chris Winkle

Street Cred: Getting Your Work Noticed by Liza Taylor Nash

Uses for Scrivener Beyond Your Manuscript by Gwen Hernandez

Genre Conventions: How to Satisfy Suspense Readers by Meeting Expectations by Joslyn Chase

How to Use Vivid Verbs to Bring Your Scenes to Life  by J.D. Edwin

Blog, Book Launch, New Releases

The Secret is Out!

Beach Secrets BooksThe secret is out and my copies arrived this week! Beach Secrets is the ninth annual anthology comprised of winning stories from the Rehoboth Beach Reads short story contest sponsored by Cat & Mouse Press and Browseabout Books.
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Beach Secrets includes my story, “Where Do I Begin?” dedicated to my friend Jessica Headlee who lost her yearlong battle with cancer in June at the age of 25.
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Where Do I Begin? First Page
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After a series of tragedies, a middle-aged man moves to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to start a new life. While on his way to a date with a woman he met online, the man is plagued by hostile voices that threaten to undermine his plans—until one voice reminds him that it’s never too late to find happiness.
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Beach Secrets cover    Beach Secrets Back Cover
Blog, New Releases

Can’t Suppress These Shivers!

Fae Shivers AnthologiesThey’re heeere…
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Thrilled to receive my copies today of Fae Shivers, published by Fae Corps Publishing! This two-volume large print horror anthology will be available in hardback, paperback, and ebook on November 15.
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The set consists of Forgotten Horrors and Remembered Nightmares. The latter features my story, “Break and Enter.” After a fugitive breaks into an old country chapel, the pastor learns that he’s running from something far more terrifying than the death penalty.
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It’s an honor to be included among this august group of writers and artists! Check out some of the interior illustrations below by Vonnie Winslow Crist and Patricia Harris.
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Both books are available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
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Fae Shivers: Forgotten Horrors Cover     Fae Shivers: Remembered Nightmares Cover‌
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Under the Bed by Vonnie Winslow Crist    Dolls by Vonnie Winslow Crist
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‌Ghost by Patricia Harris     Trees by Vonnie Winslow Crist
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Briar by Patricia Harris