Tag Archives: writer unboxed

Articles, Blog, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Robert Lee Brewer presents several examples of successful query letters categorized by genre. Anne R. Allen offers methods for rescuing a stagnant manuscript as well as an analysis of Amazon’s increasingly stringent review system.

Over at Mythcreants, Oren Ashkenazi discusses ways to avoid recycling the same types of conflict within your story while on Writer Unboxed,  Donald Maass discusses the dread and anxiety that propel our protagonists forward. No one likes to receive one-star reviews, but Sandra Beckwith explains how writers can learn from them.

All that and little more. Enjoy!

How to Write Successful Queries for Any Genre of Writing by Robert Lee Brewer

How to Rescue an Endangered Book and Restore Your Author Mojo by Anne R. Allen

Amazon’s Review Rules Have Become Even Stricter in 2020 by Anne R. Allen

Space Kadet: The Twisted Tale of a Sad, Sad Internet Troll by Victoria Strauss

Six Tips for Avoiding Repetitive Conflict by Oren Ashkenazi

5 Important Tips for Achieving Indie Author Success by Dave Chesson

3 Reasons to Embrace One-Star Reader Reviews by Sandra Beckwith

Writing Craft: How Point-of-View Affects Dialogue by Jami Gold

‘Emergency’ Online Library Draws Ire of Some Authors by Alexander Alter

Will Online-Only Events Bring Book Sales? No One Knows Yet by Kate Dwyer

The Upside of Anxiety by Donald Maass

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Lawrence Block reminds us that while real life often does not make sense, our fiction must. Ruth Harris provides a handy checklist on effective dialogue while Jami Gold and Janice Hardy expound ways to ensure that our characters are not puppets to plot.

Calling all Scrivener users, Gwen Hernandez and Joslyn Chase offer tips on using some of the app’s features to organize our work.

Jennifer L. Harris shows us how to determine whether or not our story ideas will support a full-length novel. Over at the Write Practice, David Stafford reviews methods for applying the principle’s of the Hero’s Journey, and Jane Friedman delivers a comprehensive guide to writing query letters.

All that a little more. Enjoy!

Stop Making Sense: Explaining Some Fiction Rules of Logic by Lawrence Block

He Said. She Said. Fifteen Keys to Writing Great Dialogue by Ruth Harris

How Can We Make Our Protagonist More Proactive? by Jami Gold

Things to Consider When Adding a POV Character by Janice Hardy

What is Causing the Uptick in Independent Bookstores? by Mike Shatzkin

Using Bookmarks in Scrivener 3 for Quick Access to Supporting Materials by Gwen Hernandez

How to Use Scrivener to Write Scenes That Work by Joslyn Chase

5 Essential Hero’s Journey Themes and Symbolic Archetypes That Will Thrill Your Readers by David Stafford

The Complete Guide to Query Letters by Jane Friedman

13 Tips for Writers Who Just Want to Finish Something For Once by Meg Dowell

How to Test Your Story Idea: Is Your Idea Strong Enough to Support a Novel? by Jennifer L. Harris

Why I Don’t Write Every Day by Phoebe Quinn

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Kristine Kathryn Rusch summarizes exciting opportunities brewing in the audio book space while Anne R. Allen instructs us on writing the almighty query letter.

We’re often inundated with lessons on time management to help us balance our workloads and achieve our writing goals, but Paula Munier reminds us that it’s equally important to set boundaries and learn to say NO.

On a related note, Jami Gold shares the frustrations of juggling contradictions in the writing and publishing world based on a glorious article from Kali Wallace (included below) about the pressures and stresses placed on writers today.

Matt Knight discusses cover art copyright and Kathryn Craft offers methods for handling leaps of time in our narrative. Meanwhile, trolls and sockpuppets continue to erode the value of Goodreads.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Business Musings: The Future of Audio by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

How to Write a Professional, Not-Embarrassing Query to an Agent, Reviewer, Editor, or Blogger by Anne R. Allen

The Key to a Writer’s Productivity: Just Say No by Paula Munier

Your Heart is a Moving Target by Kali Wallace

Writing and Publishing are Full of Contradictions by Jami Gold

12 Tips for New Public Speakers by Debbie Burke

Can a Work of Fiction about the Holocaust be Inaccurate? by Patrick Freyne

Looking Deeper into the Goodreads Troll Problem by Camestros Felapton

Book Covers and Copyrights by Matt Knight

The Compelling, Emotional Complex Sentence by Jeanne Cavelos

Bridging Temporal Story Gaps by Kathryn Craft

 

 

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Harrison Demchick delivers a comprehensive four-part series on Point of View.* Over at Mythcreants, Chris Winkle talks specifically about omniscient narration and Anthony Ehlers at Writer Write touches on ways to spice up your writing by changing POV.

(*Mr. Demchick will be a guest at The Write Stuff writers conference in March in Bethlehem, PA!)

Anne R. Allen offers advice on writing your final chapter while Peter Selgin warns against wasting the first one. James Scott Bell encourages us to find the one thing at the heart of your novel.

Matthew V. Clemens sites one of my all-time favorite films as the apotheosis of suspense—which is precisely what Allison Brennan discusses in her article about pacing.

All that and a lot more. Enjoy!

How to Write Better Fiction Using Limited Point of View by Harrison Demchick

How to Choose the Best Point of View for Your Story’s Purpose by Harrison Demchick

How to Rely on the Unreliable Narrator by Harrison Demchick

How to Exploit Uncommon Points of View in Your Novel by Harrison Demchick

Writing Your Final Chapter: 6 Do’s and Don’ts for Bringing Your Novel to a Satisfying Conclusion by Anne R. Allen

Secrets of Suspense: What I Learned from JAWS by Matthew V. Clemens

Pacing: The Key to Scintillating Suspense by Allison Brennan

What One Thing is Your Novel About? by James Scott Bell

Five Essentials of Omniscient Narration by Chris Winkle

Taxes and the Writer—The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 by Matt Knight

Fiction Contests Worth Your Time in Winter 2019 by Arthur Klepchukov

When Your Story Opening Does Nothing but Blow Smoke by Peter Selgin via Jane Friedman

Revive Dull Descriptions with Simple Tweaks in Viewpoint by Anthony Ehlers

How Do You Find the Plot of a Story? Using Scenarios by Now Novel

A Home Library Can Have a Powerful Effect on Children by Robby Berman

Articles, Blog, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Kristen Lamb delves into the traits of a perfect villain and reminds us of the importance of story mastery above all else. Anne R. Allen offers advice on writing that challenging first chapter while Marie Eberle would like to see less of certain hackneyed character types in SF and Fantasy.

It’s a foregone conclusion that conflict is the heart of storytelling, but what about conflict management? L. Deborah Sword discusses.

Over at Writer Unboxed, Jim Dempsey encourages us to delve into our characters’ values to find their ultimate motivation, and speaking of characters, Donald Maass suggests examining psychological archetypes as a means for crafting character arcs.

If you’re struggling to build a readership, there may be a good reason for that. In fact, as Shannon Ashley reveals, there might be at least twelve reasons.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

On Writing: Why Mastery Should Matter To the Serious Author by Kristen Lamb

The Villain: Crafting Scoundrels, Sinners, and Substance of Legends by Kristen Lamb

Finding and Using Competing Book Titles in Your Book Marketing by Penny Sansevieri

Writing that First Chapter: 10 Dos and Don’ts for Starting a Novel by Anne R. Allen

Avoid these Crutch Words by Dana Isaacson

Story Conflict: It’s Not as Simple as We Think by L. Deborah Sword via Jami Gold

Nine Ways for Your Hero to Earn the Clues They Need by Chris Winkle

The Two Types of Archetype by Donald Maass

What Really Drives Your Characters? by Jim Dempsey

12 Reasons Nobody Wants to Read Your Writing by Shannon Ashley

3 Types of Fantasy and Sci-Fi Characters We’ve Seen Enough Of by Marie Eberle

What is a Vignette & How Do I Write One? by Amanda Patterson

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, Tim Grahl reveals the ingredients to a successful book launch while Joanna Penn offers quick advice on how to combat imposter syndrome.

Over at the Kill Zone, James Scott Bell provides guidance on character description while Jordan Dane talks layering scenes and plot. We have a twofer from that wise Mythcreant, Chris Winkle, who first expounds several methods for ensuring your protagonists pull their weight, and then points out how to spot misandry in your story.

Writer pal Kathryn Craft reveals why you might be afraid of your WIP while Tiffany Yates Martin whips our editor’s brain into shape.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

The Book Launch Framework: How I Keep Launching Bestselling Books by Tim Grahl

How Writers Can Deal with Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome by Joanna Penn

How to Describe Your Main Character by James Scott Bell

How to Enhance Your Writing by Layering Your Scenes & Plot by Jordan Dane

18 Ways for Protagonists to Contribute and Five Signs Your Story is Sexist—Against Men by Chris Winkle

CockyGate Update: One Writer’s Adjective; Another Writer’s Short-Lived Trademark by Matt Knight

How to Train Your Editor Brain by Tiffany Yates Martin

12 Signs You’re Afraid of Your WIP by Kathryn Craft

6 Ways to Immerse Your Readers in the Setting of a Story by Joslyn Chase