I subscribe to more than 180 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
How To Be More Productive In The Summer by Daphne Gray-Grant
Some very useful advice here, starting with setting aside LESS time to write. Daphne Gray-Grant is a writing coach, author of Your Happy First Draft, and host of The Write Question show on YouTube. Publication Coach offers books, courses, videos, and one-on-one coaching for authors. If you want more advice like this, subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link) or follow them on Twitter at @pubcoach or subscribe to their YouTube channel.
Training = Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield
Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have professional habits. How does the pro acquire professional habits? By training like a pro. The amateur by contrast either trains like an amateur or doesn’t train at all. Steven Pressfield is the author of The Legend of Bagger Vance and other novels as well as The War of Art and other non-fiction books about creative success. Check out his Amazon author page here. StevenPressfield.com offers weekly articles as well as a free mini-course about the business of writing.
Other motivational advice this week:
- How To Find The Writer Within, Your Creative Self by Ellen Buikema for Writers In The Storm
- How To Rediscover The Joy Of Writing by K. M. Weiland for Helping Writers Become Authors
- How To Write A Book When You Don’t Have Time To Write A Book by Bradeigh Godfrey for Career Authors
- Maturing As A Writer by Renee Roberson for WOW! Women On Writing Blog
- Podcast: Perseverance & Positivity With Agent Kaitlyn Sanchez Of Bradford Literary Agency by Julie Kingsley and Jessica Sinsheimer for Manuscript Academy
- The Daily Visioning Journal by Rochelle Melander for Write Now Coach!
- Using Sensory Triggers To Prime Your Brain For Writing by Holly Henderson for The Craft of Writing – SFWA
- Writers, Inspiration Will Fail You by Kyle Massa for A Writer’s Path
- Writing Myths: The Perfect Time and Place To Write by Elizabeth Spann Craig for Elizabeth Spann Craig
- Your First Draft Is Beautiful — Even If It Is A Beautiful Mess by Grant Faulkner for BookBaby Blog
The art and craft of writing
Three Types Of Sentences Writers Love But Should Never Use In Dialogue by Matt Bird
The three types of sentences are dependent clauses, conditionals, or parallel construction. Unless the character is a college professor. Matt Bird is the author of The Secrets of Story: Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers. The Secrets of Story blog offers in-depth, detailed advice about writing and structuring novels and screenplays.
Video: What?! Is Novel Ai Better Than Chatgpt For Fiction Writing? by Karen Brown
Novel AI now has its own large language model, named Kara, which does not have any restrictions on explicit or violent content. Karen Brown is an accountant by day and fiction writer by night. Future Fiction Academy’s YouTube channel offers video lab sessions and training for authors who want to learn how to write fiction with AI ethically and efficiently. for more information, check out their website, FutureFictionAcademy.com.
Video: Breaking: Fine-Tuned Models Are Here And It’s A Game-Changer by Jason Hamilton
Writers will soon be able to train AIs on their own writing. How will this change fiction? Jason Hamilton is a fantasy author. Check out Hamilton’s site, MythHQ. You can also follow him on Twitter at @StoryHobbit and on Facebook at Jason Hamilton. The Nerdy Novelist is a YouTube channel focusing on using AI to write and market books.
Video: The Dialogue Doctor Will See You Now – With Jeff Elkins by Mark Dawson and James Blatch
Dialogue expert Jeff Elkins explains how the way our characters talk influences the way our readers view their personalities. Mark Dawson is a USA Today bestselling author who teaches courses about book production and marketing. Check out his website at MarkJDawson.com. James Blatch writes military thrillers. For more, check out his website, JamesBlatch.com. On the Self Publishing Formula show, Mark Dawson and James Blatch talk about building a career as a self-published author.
Video: The Only Writing Skill You Need To Succeed by Jason Hamilton
The one skill is “story hacking.” I.e., reading critically and trying to figure out what makes for successful books and series. That includes analyzing scene structures, characters, and relationships. Jason Hamilton is a fantasy author. Check out Hamilton’s site, MythHQ. You can also follow him on Twitter at @StoryHobbit and on Facebook at Jason Hamilton. The Nerdy Novelist is a YouTube channel focusing on using AI to write and market books.
Video: Improve Your AI Writing Skills With This One Simple Method by Jason Hamilton
The one simple method in this video is to give the AI an extremely detailed outline, including every single beat in a scene. Jason Hamilton is a fantasy author. Check out Hamilton’s site, MythHQ. You can also follow him on Twitter at @StoryHobbit and on Facebook at Jason Hamilton. The Nerdy Novelist is a YouTube channel focusing on using AI to write and market books.
Podcast: Love Interests by Oren Ashkenazi and Chris Winkle
What makes a love interest tick, how to make them desirable without being exploitative, and, obviously, who the best love interests are. Oren Ashkenazi is the speculative fiction manuscript editor and Chris Winkle is the founder and editor-in-chief 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:
- 4 Tips For Memorable Characters From Jack Sparrow by Lisa Hall Wilson for Writers In The Storm
- 5 Lessons I Learned Working With David Farland by September C. Fawkes for MyStoryDoctor
- 5 Tips For Adding A Little Magic To Your Rom-Com by Lana Harper for Writer’s Digest
- 5 Tips To Show Time Passing In Deep Point Of View by Lisa Hall-Wilson for Lisa Hall-Wilson
- 6 Vellum Alternatives: Other Formatting Software [+1 That Is Better] by Jason Hamilton for Kindlepreneur
- A Step-By-Step Guide To Developing Your Fantasy Character by Hannah Lee Kidder for Self Publishing School
- Action First, Detail Second by Philip Athans for Fantasy Author’s Handbook
- Video: Bad Plot Twists vs Good Plot Twists by Brandon McNulty for Writer Brandon McNulty
- Balancing Story And Worldbuilding At Any Writing Stage by E. M. Sherwood Foster for A Writer’s Path
- Be Afraid! Creating Fear In Your Characters by DiAnn Mills for Career Authors
- Character Type &Trope Thesaurus: Doomsday Prepper by Becca Puglisi for Writers Helping Writers
- Explore The Fictional Character That You Present To Readers by Anne Janzer for Jane Friedman
- Exposition In A Story by Francine Toon for The Novelry
- Fantasy Creatures: How To Create And Write Mythical Beings by Hannah Lee Kidder for Self Publishing School
- First Draft Definition: Key Differences Between First And Second Drafts by Callie Sutcliffe for The Write Practice
- Growing Pains: Why Coming Of Age Stories Are For Everyone by Emilie-Noelle Provost for Writer Unboxed
- How Do I Plan For Eclectic Magic? by Oren Ashkenazi for Mythcreants
- Video: How Do We Know Which Ai Model Is The Most Powerful For Fiction Writing? Chatgpt, Claude, And More! by Elizabeth Ann West, Steph Pajonas, and Leeland Artra for Future Fiction Academy
- Video: How To Go About Reducing Clichés by Daphne Gray-Grant for Publication Coach
- Podcast: How To Use Polarization To Create Compelling Supporting Characters by Matt Bird for The Secrets of Story
- Video: How To Use The 24 Chapter Novel Outline For Fast Outlining by Jason Hamilton for The Nerdy Novelist
- How To Use The Five Senses In Stories by Stavros Halvatzis for Stavros Halvatzis
- Video: How To Write A Book With Ai (For Beginners) From Idea To Finished Product by Jason Hamilton for The Nerdy Novelist
- How To Write Great Dialogue: A Masterclass From Thriller Writer Eric Ambler by Nicole Bianchi for Nicole Bianchi
- Video: How To Write Narrative Summary (That’s Actually Interesting) by Shaelin Bishop for ShaelinWrites
- Video: How To Write Reaction Scenes & Why You Absolutely Need Them by Stavros Halvatzis for Get Writing
- Learn The Art And Purpose Of Subtext To Make The Books You Write And The Stories You Tell Better by DiAnn Mills for The Write Conversation
- Mastering The Art Of The Story Climax by Dave Villalva for David Villalva
- Red Herrings, Foreshadows And Creating A Mystery by Dale Ivan Smith for Killzoneblog.com
- Video: Should I Write My Book In Microsoft Word Or Google Docs? by M.K. Williams for M.K. Williams
- The Art Of Revision: Four Strategies To Apply by Candyce Carden for The Write Editing
- The Dos And Don’ts Of Using Magic In Romance by Oren Ashkenazi for Mythcreants
- The Importance Of Character Growth In Fiction by Annie Rains for Writer’s Digest
- The Important Role Secondary Characters Play by C. S. Lakin for Live Write Thrive
- What Is An Epilogue? And Is It Okay To Use One In Your Book? by Joe Bunting for The Write Practice
- Video: What Is Voice And Why Does It Matter? by Claire Fraise for Write with Claire Fraise
- What Makes An Ineffective Antihero & When To Use One by Bella Rose Pope for Self Publishing School
- Who Do You Write For? by Karen Cioffi for Sharing with Writers and Readers
- Why It’s Okay To Hire A Developmental Editor—And Not Keep It A Secret by Caroline Leavitt for Writer’s Digest
- Writing About Pain: Different Types To Explore by Becca Puglisi for Writers Helping Writers
- Writing About Pain: Three Stages Of Awareness by Angela Ackerman for Writers Helping Writers
- Writing Authentic Battle Scenes by Ian J. Miller for A Writer’s Path
- Writing Characters Readers Connect With Part Two by Donna Jo Stone for Almost An Author
- Writing Theme: The Simple Way To Weave A Thematic Message Into Your Story by J. D. Edwin for The Write Practice
The business side of writing
EPUB vs. Mobi Vs. PDF: Which Book Format Should You Use? by Dave Chesson
EPUB. The answer is almost always EPUB. Dave Chesson is the founder of Kindlepreneur is pretty much the top site out there for self-published authors who want to sell more e-books on Amazon. The RSS feed is here (direct Feedly signup link). Follow them on Facebook at @KindlePreneur and Chesson himself on Twitter at @DaveChesson. And make sure to subscribe to his podcast, The Book Marketing Show. Kindlepreneur is pretty much the top site out there for self-published authors who want to sell more e-books on Amazon. The RSS feed is here (direct Feedly signup link). Follow them on Facebook at @KindlePreneur and founder Dave Chesson on Twitter at @DaveChesson.
Business Musings: Over The Decades by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
What Barbie can teach writers about niche marketing. (It’s a lot!) New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch writes bestselling science fiction and fantasy, award-winning mysteries, acclaimed mainstream fiction, controversial nonfiction, and the occasional romance. At KrisWrites.com, Rusch offers her thoughts about the publishing industry and other topics.
Video: 25 Years Of Publishing – Lessons Learned by Kevin Tumlinson
Guest Kerrie Flanagan is a highly accomplished author, writing consultant, and instructor known for her expertise in the publishing industry. With 25 years of experience, she has established herself as a respected figure in the writing community. Novelist Kevin Tumlinson is also the director of marketing 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.
Loglines by Staci Troilo
How the use the logline formula: A (PROTAGONIST) in (SETTING) has a (PROBLEM) caused by an (ANTAGONIST) and (faces CONFLICT) as they try to (achieve a GOAL). Staci Troilo is a multi-genre best-selling author, editor, and ghostwriter. Learn more about her at StaciTroilo.com. For more advice like this, follow the Story Empire Blog on Facebook at @StoryEmpire5 or on Twitter at @StoryEmpire or get their RSS feed here (direct Feedly signup link).
Other business advice this week:
- 10 Updated Word Of Mouth Tactics To Power The Holy Grail Of Traditional Book Marketing by Laurence O’Bryan for #PublishingReinvented
- Podcast: Build A Successful Author Business For The Long Term With Joe Solari by Joanna Penn for The Creative Penn
- How To Write Sharable Newsletters Part 2—A Fish Story by Lisa Norman for Writers In The Storm
- Podcast: Publicity For Indie Authors With Halima Khatun by Rachel Wharton and Joni Di Placido for Kobo Writing Life
- Podcast: AI Stole My Name: A Chat With Jane Friedman by Michael Woodson for Writer’s Digest
- 50 Sites Offering Free Images For Commercial Use: An Author’s Guide by The Book Designer for The Book Designer
- How To Choose The Right Kindle Keywords And Reach More Readers by Dave Chesson for Kindlepreneur
- StoryOrigin Review: Pros, Cons, And My Favorite Features by Jason Hamilton for Kindlepreneur
- Podcast: The One Where Sara DiVello Explains How To Properly Promote On Social Media by J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, JP Rindfleisch, and Kevin Tumlinson for Writers, Ink.
- Podcast: AI-Free Certification, Business Liability, And Kickstarter Strategy by Bryan Cohen and H. Claire Taylor for Sell More Books Show
- Podcast: From Passion To Print: How To Run An Independent Publishing Company by Thomas Umstattd Jr. for Author Media
- What Happens When An Agent Submits Your Book? by Jessica Faust and James McGowan for BookEnds Literary Agency
- How Do You Protect Your Writing? by Tiffany Yates Martin for FoxPrint Editorial
- How To Plan A Book Tour On Your Own by Scott McCormick for BookBaby Blog
- 15 Book Promotion Ideas To Boost Your Sales And Reach by Scott McCormick for BookBaby Blog
- How To Start Your Writing Business: Investing In Your Future As An Author by Holly Mortimer for Kobo Writing Life
- A Practical Story: Why A Proposal Is Important by Terry Whalin for Almost An Author
- How To Use AI To Boost Your Book Marketing And Content Creation by Penny Sansevieri for Author Marketing Experts, Inc.
- 8 Tips To Become An Author Email Expert by Grant Shepherd for Written Word Media
- How To Find Your Readers by Dan Blank for WeGrowMedia
- Video: Fixing My Beta Reader Process + Sensitivity Readers // How To Find, Screen & Manage Feedback by Nicole Wilbur for Nicole Wilbur
- Video: My 4 Step Social Media Content Creation Routine by Shelby Leigh for Marketing by Shelby
- Where To Submit Short Stories: 30 Options For Writers by Farrah Daniel for The Write Life
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.