I subscribe to more than 150 writing advice sites and gather the best posts for you every single Sunday. You can see all the previous writing advice of the week posts here and subscribe to the RSS feed for this writing advice series here (direct Feedly signup link).
Productivity, mood management, and battling the demons inside
Writers, Put Down The Measuring Stick And Rediscover Your Writing Joy by Beth Vogt
Comparison is so sneaky. One minute we’re enjoying another author’s writing. Their way with words. The next moment we’re caught in the snare of comparison, which can lead to the sharp bite of envy—wishing we had what another writer has. The Write Conversation frequently makes the top lists of writing advice blogs. Follow them via their RSS feed (direct Feedly link here).
Writing Longhand by Elizabeth Spann Craig
Writing longhand can help you get out of your head and improve your brainstorming, outlining, or even drafting a manuscript — or notes for a manuscript. Elizabeth Spann Craig is a best-selling cozy mystery author. You can her on Twitter at @elizabethscraig or on Facebook at Elizabeth Spann Craig Author. She also collates a weekly list of the best new writing-related articles, called Twitterific Writing Links, which then all get added to the Writer’s Knowledge Base database. On her website, ElizabethSpannCraig.com, Craig and her guest authors offer advice on writing and publishing.
Other motivational advice this week:
- Video: 3 Ways To Get Un-Stuck by Becca Syme for QuitCast for Writers with Becca Syme
- Creative Burnout: How To Recover And Enhance Your Creative Energy by Stacy Frazer for DIY MFA
- How Not To Overthink Your Story by Nicholas Fillmore for Writer’s Digest
- How Self-Kindness Set My Creativity Free by Martha Engber for Women Writers, Women’s Books
- If You Write, You’re A Writer – Own Your Title by Kelly Sgroi for WOW! Women On Writing Blog
- Literary Necromancy: Resurrecting Your Dead Manuscript by Kyle Massa for A Writer’s Path
- Not Making Any Progress? Try Switching Gears by Sue Bradford Edwards for WOW! Women On Writing Blog
- Writer’s Block: The 4 Answers You Need To Overcome It Once And For All by Sarah Rexford for The Write Life
- Writing By The Seat Of My Yoga Pants by Donnaldson Brown for Women Writers, Women’s Books
- Yes, I Know How Hard It Is by Julianna Baggott for Writer Unboxed
The art and craft of writing
3 Steps To Crafting A Story Arc That Sucks by Janice Hardy
What she means is crafting a story arc that sucks readers in. In this post, Janice Hardy gives some practical advice for creating an arc that keeps readers invested and engaged in your story. Fantasy author Janice Hardy has several must-have writing guides up on Amazon and you can follow her on Twitter @Janice_Hardy. Follow Janice Hardy’s Fiction University via RSS feed here (direct Feedly signup link), or follow them on Facebook at @JaniceHardysFictionUniversity. Janice Hardy’s Fiction University is one of the top writing advice sites out there. You can subscribe to their RSS feed here (direct Feedly signup link), or follow it on Twitter or on Facebook.
What Makes A Meta Mystery? by Oren Ashkenazi
The definition of a meta mystery is fairly simple: When the author withholds character knowledge that readers need to understand the character’s emotional context or what’s happening. While this strategy is tempting, it’s not a good idea. Readers will still notice that information is being kept from them, and they’ll get frustrated. Oren Ashkenazi is a speculative fiction manuscript editor at Mythcreants. Mythcreants is my all-time favorite writing advice site. Get their RSS feed here (direct Feedly signup link) or follow them on Twitter @Mythcreants and on Facebook at @mythcreants.
Writing: Describe Characters Early by Linda S. Clare
When a new character comes on stage, it’s important to describe that person right away. Linda S. Clare has been writing professionally since 1993 and has taught fiction, memoir and essay writing for Lane Community College for more than a dozen years. In addition to her published books, award-winning short stories, articles and essays, she works as an expert writing advisor for George Fox University and is a frequent presenter at writer’s conferences. For more advice like this, check out her website, LindaSClare.com on Twitter at @Lindasclare. LindaSClare.com offers advice about writing and story structure, as well as coaching services.
Where Connection Comes From by Donald Maass
Maass says that connection isn’t just about liking someone. Connection is shared experience, meaning that in what someone else is going through, we see what we ourselves have also been through. Also, and even more than that, what we fear or hope to go through. In other words, to create, maintain and grow connection with readers, elevate the human experiences that we all have. There’s an even stronger way to look at it, recognizing a simple fact about fiction: Stories enact either our fears or our hopes. Book agent Donald Maass is the author of one of my favorite writing advice books, Writing the Breakout Novel. The guy speaks from experience — a lot of experience — about what makes books sell. Writer Unboxed is a fantastic writing advice site, with lots of helpful articles from some of the biggest names in the field. Follow them on RSS (direct Feedly signup link) and on Twitter.
Lighten Up With Details by Anne Janzer
Too many abstract concepts lead to heavy, dull writing. Our readers’ brains want to visualize or imagine something as they read. Details give them something to work with. For example, you might write: They had dinner together last weekend. Too many abstract concepts lead to heavy, dull writing. Adding specific details magically makes abstraction-heavy writing lighter. And it’s easy enough to do in revision. Anne Janzer is an award-winning author, armchair cognitive science geek, nonfiction author coach, marketing practitioner, and blogger. Follow her on Facebook at @AnneHJanzer or on Twitter at @AnneJanzer. At AnneJanzer.com, Janzer offers writing and publishing advice. For more like this, subscribe to the site’s RSS feed (directly Feedly link here).
Video: Artificial Intelligence As A Writing Partner by Jim Azevedo
Guest Elizabeth Ann West from Sudowrite discusses using AI as a writing partner, how AI relates to derivative works, and potential copyright implications of AI-generated text. Jim Azevedo is the corporate communications manager at Draft2Digital. Draft2Digital is one of the leading publishing platforms that helps authors publish their books to multiple platforms. It also has a very nice and easy ebook creation and formatting tool.
Podcast: Choosing Your Story’s Perspective by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, and Wes Matlock
Who is telling your story? How close are you to their inner thoughts? What position does the story occupy in space time? These are all questions you need to answer when using your story’s perspective Oren Ashkenazi is the speculative fiction manuscript editor, Chris Winkle is the founder and editor-in-chief, and Wes Matlock is a content editor at Mythcreants. Mythcreants is my all-time favorite writing advice site. Get their RSS feed here (direct Feedly signup link) or follow them on Twitter @Mythcreants and on Facebook at @mythcreants.
Other writing advice this week:
- 33 Common Writing Errors by Jordan Kantey for Now Novel
- 5 Tips To Keep Readers Connected To Your Protagonist—Even When She Does Something Awful by Rebecca Keller for Writer’s Digest
- 6 Tips For Writing A Magical Rom-Com by Jessica Clare for Writer’s Digest
- 7 Essential Types Of Literary Conflicts + Examples Of Each by Jackie Pearce for Self Publishing School
- A Framework For Moving Beyond Your First Draft by Amy L. Bernstein for Jane Friedman
- Video: Bookish Pet Peeves I Cannot Stand — Don’t Make These Mistakes! by Abbie Emmons for Abbie Emmons
- Podcast: Building A Mystery, Now With More Tools by Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler for Writing Excuses
- Character Redemption Arcs by Laurie Buchanan for Women Writers, Women’s Books
- Characterization: One Of The Most Vital Writing Skills by Stefan Emunds for Writers In The Storm
- First, Second, Or Third… Person, That Is by Philip Athans for Fantasy Author’s Handbook
- Five Stories That Undermine Their Own Stakes by Oren Ashkenazi for Mythcreants
- How To Choose The Best Point Of View For Your Story by Savannah Gilbo for Fiction Writing Tips
- How To Punch—For Writers by Carla Hoch for Writer’s Digest
- How To Write A Story Climax That Packs A Punch by Shane Millar for BookBaby Blog
- How To Write Clear Physical Description by Nathan Bransford for Nathan Bransford
- Video: My Revision Process From From First Draft To Ready For Publication by Shaelin Bishop for ShaelinWrites
- Video: Pacing Your First Chapter by Morgan Hazelwood for Morgan Hazelwood
- Put Some Saga In Your Stories by James Scott Bell for Killzoneblog.com
- Redundancy & Why You Should Avoid It by Daphne Gray-Grant for Publication Coach
- Six Tips For Writing Your First Novel — And Series by Chris Winkle for Mythcreants
- Subvert Readers’ Expectations With Red Herrings by Scott McCormick for BookBaby Blog
- The Expanded Ultimate Story Checklist: Are Previously Asked Questions Answered And New Questions Posed? by Matt Bird for The Secrets of Story
- The Expanded Ultimate Story Checklist: As A Result Of This Scene, Does At Least One Of The Scene Partners End Up Doing Something She Didn’t Intend To Do When The Scene Began? by Matt Bird for The Secrets of Story
- The Expanded Ultimate Story Checklist: Does The Outcome Of The Scene Ironically Reverse And/Or Fulfill The Original Intention? by Matt Bird for The Secrets of Story
- The Expanded Ultimate Story Checklist: Does The Scene Cut Out Early On A Question? by Matt Bird for The Secrets of Story
- The Expanded Ultimate Story Checklist: Is The Audience Left With A Growing Hope And/Or Fear Of What Might Happen Next? by Matt Bird for The Secrets of Story
- Video: The Herald And Threshold Guardian Archetypes Are Needed In Your Story. Here’s How To Put Them There. by Stavros Halvatzis for Get Writing
- The Rewriting Process by Liam Cross for A Writer’s Path
- Theme And Symbolism In Fiction In A Nutshell by Becca Puglisi for Anne R. Allen’s Blog… with Ruth Harris
- Tips To Write Exotic Settings Your Readers Will Love by Sarah Sally Hamer for The Write Conversation
- Universal Themes That Can Be Found In Movies by C. S. Lakin for Live Write Thrive
- Worldbuilding 101 For Writers: Writing Language And Communication by A.C. Williams for The Write Conversation
- Writing Dialogue Worth Quoting by PeggySue Wells for The Write Conversation
- Writing Parallel Narratives: What They Are And How To Write Them by Ella Carey for Writer’s Digest
- Writing The Right Details by September C. Fawkes for MyStoryDoctor
The business side of writing
Know Your Genre by Jessica Faust and James McGowan
Maybe some of the most important advice you can receive when writing and querying: know your genre. It might seem straightforward, but there are actually a lot of things that slip through. Jessica Faust is the owner and president at the BookEnds literary agency. Follow her on Twitter at @BookEndsJessica or on Instagram at @jfaust_bookends or email her directly at JFaust@bookendsliterary.com. James McGowan is a literary agent at the agency. BookEnds is a literary agency that represents more than 300 authors and illustrations, both fiction and non-fiction, including several New York Times and USA today bestsellers. They are currently open to submissions. If you want more advice like this, subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link) or follow them on Twitter at @bookendslit or on Facebook at @BookEndsLiterary.
Video: My Book Was Pirated On Amazon by Jenna Moreci
Jenna talks about what happened when a pirate started selling a copy of her book on Amazon — and how she was able to get it resolved. Jenna Moreci is a best-selling fantasy author and the host of a YouTube show about writing that has hundreds of thousands of subscribers. Writing with Jenna Moreci is a YouTube channel that offers seven years’ worth of writing advice, with new videos posted weekly.
Other business advice this week:
- Podcast: Legal Aspects Of Generative AI And Copyright With Kathryn Goldman by Joanna Penn for The Creative Penn
- Five Things I Wish I Knew Before Publishing by Jenna Podjasek for Women Writers, Women’s Books
- Writing Etiquette Redux by Sue Coletta for Killzoneblog.com
- Podcast: The One Where Brenda Novak Explains What It’s Like To Sell Books And Coffee Out Of Your Airstream. by J.D. Barker and Christine Daigle for Writers, Ink.
- 4 Pillars Of Book Marketing, Or How To Sell More Books In Less Time by Matt Holmes for Jane Friedman
- What Can You Do With Book Awards And Reviews? by Hannah Jacobson for Writers In The Storm
- Podcast: Titles For Success, Inspiring Television, And AI Bombardment by Bryan Cohen and H. Claire Taylor for Sell More Books Show
- Video: Author Website Building Tips With Book Launchers Expert Shane Vigeant by Julie Broad for Book Launchers
- How To Find Comp Titles Using ChatGPT by John Matthew Fox for Jane Friedman
- The Tools And Services I Use In My Author Business by Joanna Penn for The Creative Penn
- Book Promotion Tips From A Publicist Turned Writer by Michelle Prak for Women Writers, Women’s Books
- How To Market A Book By Following The Rules For Success by Penny Sansevieri for Author Marketing Experts, Inc.
- Business Musings: AI, Copyright, And Writers by Kristine Kathryn Rusch for Kristine Kathryn Rusch
- Video: How AI May Change Writing And Creating by Dan Blank for WeGrowMedia
- Video: How To Get The Best Cover Design With The Revision Process by Julie Broad for Book Launchers
- Video: AI Artwork For Authors – With Stuart Bache by Mark Dawson and James Blatch for Self Publishing Formula
- Video: We Spent $65 On KDP Book Marketing… Worth It? by Dale L. Roberts for Self-Publishing with Dale
Am I missing any writing advice sites? Email me at maria@metastellar.com or leave a note in the comments below.
MetaStellar editor and publisher Maria Korolov is a science fiction novelist, writing stories set in a future virtual world. And, during the day, she is an award-winning freelance technology journalist who covers artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and enterprise virtual reality. See her Amazon author page here and follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, and check out her latest videos on the Maria Korolov YouTube channel. Email her at maria@metastellar.com. She is also the editor and publisher of Hypergrid Business, one of the top global sites covering virtual reality.