Tag Archives: writer unboxed

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, we’re doing it by the numbers. At Career Authors, Polly Stewart offers five tips for creating suspense while Barbara Butcher explains six rules for writing true crime.

Mythcreants Chris Winkle and Oren Ashkenazi give us five ways to maintain tension in our stories and five mistakes to avoid when crafting our villain’s master plan.

Over at the Kill Zone, Sue Coletta shows us a formula for writing effective back cover copy while James Scott Bell reviews the latest news in the publishing industry.

If you want to make sure your characters aren’t boring, listen to Amy Wilson at Good Story Company. If you want your characters to be iconic, take some advice from literary agent Donald Maass.

All that and a lot more. Enjoy!

CRAFT

Boring Characters by Amy Wilson

3 Helpful Tips for How to Rewrite a Novel by Rhiannon Richardson

Better Book Descriptions in 3 Easy Steps by Sue Coletta

Five Secrets to Writing Suspense by Polly Stewart

Five Ways to Restore Tension by Chris Winkle

Five Questions to Ask About Your Villain’s Master Plan by Oren Ashkenazi

Six Rules for Writing About True Crime by Barbara Butcher

Iconic Characters: Made Not Born by Donald Maass

BUSINESS

Eye on the Publishing Business by James Scott Bell

The Balance Between Indies by Lauren Wise

8 Unexpected Benefits from BookBub’s New Releases for Less Promotions by AJ Yee

Top Tips on BookBub Cost-Per-Click Bidding from 15 Advertisers by Carolyn Robertson

KKR in Advanced Talks to Buy Simon & Schuster for $1.65 Billion by Anirban Sen and Milana Vinn

 

 

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, take some lessons in suspense from the master himself, Alfred Hitchcock.

Speaking of lessons, Amy Wilson and Anne R. Allen offer advice about writing effective dialogue while Maggie Smith teaches us several ways to make our secondary characters stand out. Over at Mythcreants, Chris Winkle discusses passive voice and how to create a story outline.

The nice folks at Good Story Company show us how to build a better author website and at BookBub, it’s all about promotion and crafting a captivating book description.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Using Dialogue Tags Effectively by Amy Wilson

Electrify Your Thriller with These Tips from the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock by Dana Isaacson

Writing Under a Pseudonym by Good Story Company

How to Write a Book Description: Tips from BookBub Editors by Lauren Aldrich

What Fiction Writers Should Know About Passive Voice by Chris Winkle

How to Outline Your Story by Chris Winkle

From Sidekick to Scene-Stealer: Making Your Secondary Characters Memorable by Maggie Smith

Who Should Be Telling This Story? by Jeanne Kisacky

9 Common Dialogue Problems and How to Fix Them by Anne R. Allen

10 Author Websites and Why They Work by Good Story Company

12 Fantastic BookBub Ad Designs Promoting New Releases by Shailee Shah

25 Authors Running Fantastic Book Promotions on Instagram by Shailee Shah

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Dave Chesson reviews the pros and cons of Draft2Digital’s services while Chuck Wendig expresses concern about the current literary landscape with a focus on AI and book bans.

At Mythcreants, Chris Winkle reminds us that the hero of our story should always have agency, even when things go sideways.  Elisa Bernick advises new writers on the right and wrong ways to approach established authors for advice while the nice folks at Good Story Company offer tips on marketing your books to libraries.

Over at BookBub, we have a trove of information on book promotion covering topics such as pre-orders, contests and giveaways, and attracting new readers.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Draft2Digital: Read THIS Before You Sign Up by Dave Chesson

Marketing to Libraries by Good Story Company

Giving Your Hero Agency When Things Go Wrong by Chris Winkle

Origin Stories and Big Reveals: Do We Really Need Them? by Barbara Linn Probst

Let’s Chat About ChatGPT by James Scott Bell

6 Ways Clichés Can Help Your Writing by Kathryn Craft

Striking Hollywood Scribes Ponder AI in the Writer’s Room by Mandalit del Barco

The State of Being a Published Writer in 2023 is Really Weird and a Little Worrisome by Chuck Wendig

The Right Way to Ask a Published Writer for Publishing Advice by Elisa Bernick

24 Great Prize Ideas for Book Promotion Contests and Giveaways by Leila Hirschfeld

11 Ways to Promote Preorder Books that Drive Real Results by Therese Walsh

BookBub: Promoting a New Book to Current Fans and New Readers [Case Study] by Carolyn Robertson

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, we focus more on craft than business. From Good Story Company comes advice on writing authentic female characters, enticing opening lines, and effective descriptions.

Jami Gold reviews the different types of character arcs and how they can be applied to short stories.  Over at Mythcreants, Chris Winkle delves into the use of foreshadowing and also explains why realism has no place in fiction.

From Writer Unboxed, John J. Kelley shows us how social events can be used to help with character and plot development while Kim Bullock offers self-care advice for writers during trying times.

All that a lot more. Enjoy!

Writing Descriptions by Good Story Company

Writing Female Characters by Amy Wilson

3 Ways to use AI for Screenwriting (Other Than Writing a Bad Script) by Ken Miyamoto

Writing the Opening Line by Rhiannon Richardson

Using TikTok to Promote Your Writing by Ellen Levitt

Short Stories: Can They Still Have Character Arc? by Jami Gold

Traditional or Self-Publishing – That is the Question by Rod Martinez

Subtext – Guest Post by Karen Albright Lin via Debbie Burke on Kill Zone

The Why and How of Foreshadowing by Chris Winkle

10 Things to Know About BookBub Readers [Infographic] by Carlyn Robertson

Handling Editorial Feedback without Getting Overwhelmed by Tessa Barbosa

Self-Care for Writers in a Pseudo-Dystopian World by Kim Bullock

The Big Event – Using Social Occasions to Elevate Your Story by John  J. Kelley

Why Realism is Toxic to Fiction by Chris Winkle

The Last Word: Epilogues by Sophie Masson

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff

This week, Kathryn Craft provides strategies for managing POV in your story while James Scott Bell discusses the three types of “mirror moments” in fiction.

Chris Winkle encourages writers to simplify their stories for improved reader experience. Looking for better ways to build suspense? Tracy Clark has a few tips for you.

With language AI gaining attention, Erma Clare examines ChatGPT as a story development tool for writers and Joe Bunting reviews the ten types of stories and their underlying values.

All that and a bit more. Enjoy!

A Copy-Editing Checklist for Novelists by Dana Isaacson

Writing for Theater and Film by Carina Jaramillo*

How to Write an Optimized and High-Converting Book Description by Rob Kosberg

4 Ways to Organize Your Third-Person POVs by Kathryn Craft

5 Strategies I Use to Launch New Books on Kindle Unlimited by Nicholas Harvey

6 Tips for Building Suspense by Tracy Clark via Hank Phillippi Ryan

How Promo Stacking Helps Authors Hit Bestseller Lists by Diana Urban

Put a Funhouse Mirror in the Middle of Your Mystery by James Scott Bell

Managing Exposition Starts With Simplifying the Story by Chris Winkle

Friend or Foe: ChatGPT Has Pushed Language AI into the Spotlight by Erma Clare

An Anxiety Episode Changed My (Dis)Belief in Writer’s Block by Kathryn Magendie

How to Use Scars to Deepen Characterization by Sue Weems

The Ten Types of Stories and How to Master Them by Joe Bunting

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*Special thanks to youth services librarian and educator Chloe Pederson and her student, Anna, for alerting me to this one. Who would have thought a home theater furniture store would offer such a helpful blog?

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Kristen Lamb asks, “Would you STILL write even if I told you you’d never make a dime and likely die in obscurity?” Something to ponder as you embark on your writing journey.

Christina Delay explains how to clear our creative “ley lines” when we’re feeling blocked while Anne R. Allen encourages us to create (or resurrect) a blog rather than relying on the train wreck that is social media.

James Scott Bell helps us avoid sinkholes in our plot, Dave King speaks out in defense of the prologue, and Oren Ashkenazi points out typical mistakes when writing fight scenes—both with and without weapons.

All that and much more! Enjoy…

The Prologue is Past? by Dave King

Finding Those Laser Beam Words by PJ Parrish

To the Pain: Is Writing a Career or a Hobby? by Kristen Lamb

Three Things That Can Sink Your Novel by James Scott Bell

Creativity: Avoiding Blocks and Refreshing Ideas by Christina Delay via Jami Gold

Five Common Weapon Mistakes in Speculative Fiction by Oren Ashkenazi

Six Common Mistakes in Fight Scenes and How to Avoid Them by Oren Ashkenazi

7 Tips from Ernest Hemingway on How to Write Fiction by Open Culture

Stephen King’s 20 Rules for Writing by Open Culture

Blogging is Essential in the Era of Fragmenting Social Media by Anne R. Allen

Honey, I Shrunk the Plot! Learning to Love Synopses by Diana Giovinazzo

The Art of Misdirection: How to Keep Readers on Their Toes by Maggie Smith

TikTok to Sell Books Directly to Users via Marketplace by Arwa Mahdawi

BookBub Ads 101: How the Auction Model Works by AJ Jack