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
7 Things I Wish I’d Known As A Beginning Writer by September C. Fawkes
Some great advice here for novelists just starting out, like making sure every scene has a goal. Even if you’ve been writing for a while, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and start slipping on the basics, so it’s worth revisiting. I got a few good ideas from this article for the book I’m currently writing. September Hawkes is a freelance editor. Follow her on Twitter @SeptCFawkes and on Facebook at September C. Fawkes. At SeptemberCFawkes.com, Fawkes offers writing advice. Follow the site on its RSS Feed (direct Feedly signup link).
Aspiring Writers Need To Quit Now by Kristen Lamb
She doesn’t mean to quit writing. She means to quit using the word “aspiring.” And the article as a whole is actually pretty inspirational and worth reading. Mystery author Kristen Lamb is also the author of the social media guide book, Rise of the Machines: Human Authors in a Digital World as well as We Are Not Alone: The Writer’s Guide to Social Media and Are You There, Blog? It’s Me, Writer. Follow her on Twitter at @KristenLambTX or on Facebook at @authorkristenlamb. If you want more advice like this, follow the Kristen Lamb blog via its RSS feed (direct Feedly link).
How To Make Better Writing Decisions by Daphne Gray-Grant
This post suggests looking beyond yes or no options and getting more alternatives before you make decisions about your life. You could also think ahead to how your choice could lead to failure and why. Another way to make better decisions is to think about what you would advise a friend in a similar situation. 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.
I Was Right All Along – How To Write The Right Way by Johnny B. Truant
This is a fun, inspiring read about how you don’t have to write the “right” way in order to be successful. Sometimes, the “wrong” way is what’s going to work best for you. Johnny B. Truant is a best-selling sci-fi author with over 100 books to his name, one of which was made into a SyFy network series. Find out more at JohnnyBTruant.com. Writers in the Storm is another great site for writing advice, with a group of regular contributors and guest writers who post frequently. It is very well worth following on RSS (direct Feedly signup link here).
Other motivational advice this week:
- Video: 2 Rules That Make Writing Effortless by Jed Herne for Jed Herne
- 3 Tips From My Failure As An Author by Kelsie Engen for A Writer’s Path
- 7 Mindset Shifts For Writing Your Best Book—And Enjoying The Process More by Jaclyn Goldis for Writer’s Digest
- Are You Creating Your Writing Career Or Someone Else’s? by Tiffany Yates Martin for FoxPrint Editorial
- Common Obstacles Writers Face: Perfectionism by Henry McLaughlin for The Write Conversation
- Do You Have The Write Stuff? by Brian Jud for BookBaby Blog
- Have A Productive Summer Writing By Incorporating These 4 Tips Into Your Routine by Zena Dell Lowe for The Write Conversation
- How To Measure Writing Progress by Debbie Burke for Killzoneblog.com
- How To Overcome Obstacles To Writing, Part 2 by Ellen Buikema for Writers In The Storm
- How Writers Can Recover From A Bad Beta Reader by Lauren Sapala for A Writer’s Path
- Is Writing A Muscle? Should You Write Every Day? by Lev Raphael for A Writer’s Path
- Video: Is Your Writing Good Enough? by Jessica Faust and James McGowan for BookEnds Literary Agency
- Writer, Heal Thyself by Vaughn Roycroft for Writer Unboxed
- Writing Advice You Should Never Follow – A Top-10 List For Writers by Edie Melson for The Write Conversation
The art and craft of writing
Video: Character Backstories by J.P. Beaubien
Fun video about how not to write back stories. J.P. Beaubien’s current project is a book series named Aeon Legion. Follow him on Facebook at @authorJPBeaubien and on Twitter at @JosephPBeaubien. Terrible Writing Advice is a very popular YouTube channel where J.P. Beaubien offers only the most sincere and genuine writing advice delivered with absolutely no sarcasm at all.
Six Signs You’re Dehumanizing A Species Or Culture by Chris Winkle
A group doesn’t have to be evil to be problematic. Chris Winkle is the founder and editor-in-chief of 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.
Podcast: Stories Within Stories by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, and Wes Matlock
This week, the team at Mythcreants is talking about stories within stories: how they work, what their problems are, and when you should use one. 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:
- Video: 12 Steps Of The Hero’s Journey Explained (Episode 10: The Road Back) by Claire Fraise for Write with Claire Fraise
- 5 Things Writers Should Consider About The Body And Identity by Megan Baxter for Writer’s Digest
- Video: 5 Worst Plot Devices In Storytelling by Brandon McNulty for Writer Brandon McNulty
- Choose The Setting For Your Short Story: Location, Weather, Atmosphere by Rayne Hall for Fiction University
- Creating Believable Characters Is A Challenging &Amp; Rewarding Part Of Being A Writer by Ane Mulligan for The Write Conversation
- Creating Compelling Protagonists by Susan Koehler for Florida Writers Association Blog
- Do You Have A Great Story On Your Hands? by Alex J. Cavanaugh for Insecure Writer’s Support Group
- Video: Does Your Dialogue Contain These Ingredients? It Needs To! by Stavros Halvatzis for Get Writing
- Don’t Place A Protective Shield Around The Characters You Write by DiAnn Mills for The Write Conversation
- Video: First Chapter Mistakes New Fantasy Writers Make by Jed Herne for Jed Herne
- Grow Up Already: Creating Character Arcs by Janice Hardy for Fiction University
- How A Writer Can Manage Tone by Doug Lewars for A Writer’s Path
- How To Bring Back A Defeated Villain by Oren Ashkenazi for Mythcreants
- How To Create Insanely Complex Characters Using Shadow Theory by K. M. Weiland for Helping Writers Become Authors
- How To Write A Hook: 6 Tips To Use Narrative Hooks To Surprise Readers by Joslyn Chase for The Write Practice
- Podcast: How To Write Eco-Fiction With Denise Baden by Sacha Black for Sacha Black
- Is It Ethical To Use Generative Ai In Fiction Writing? by Oren Ashkenazi and Chris Winkle for Mythcreants
- Omit Needless Words: Ruthless Editing 101 by Ryan G. Van Cleave for Writer’s Digest
- Origin Stories And Big Reveals: Do We Really Need Them? by Barbara Linn Probst for Writer Unboxed
- Same Vocabulary, Different Dictionary by Carrie Padgett for Almost An Author
- The 5 Functions Of Dialogue In Your Story by Savannah Gilbo for Fiction Writing Tips
- The Setting Of A Novel And How To Choose It by Glen C. Strathy for How to Write a Book Now
- Types Of Fictional Worlds: From Present Reality To High Fantasy by Glen C. Strathy for How to Write a Book Now
- What To Do After You Write A Book: 5 Next Steps by Joe Bunting for The Write Practice
- What’s The Difference Between A Static Vs. Dynamic Character? by Jasmine Gayle for BookBaby Blog
- Podcast: Writing Novels Inspired By Place With Tony Park by Joanna Penn for The Creative Penn
The business side of writing
The 5 Marketing Strategies We Used To Help My Wife Become A Six-Figure Author by Matt Holmes
One of the best book marketing howtos I’ve seen so far. Matt Holmes helps self-published authors bring their work into the world through intentional and strategic marketing. He writes a free book marketing newsletter called The Saturday Self-Published Author as well as online courses. Follow Written Word Media via their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link), on Facebook at @writtenwordmedia and on Twitter at @WrittenWordM.
Video: Cover Images & Author Branding by Kevin Tumlinson
Guests Gene Mollica and Sasha Almazan are the co- owners of G&S Cover Design Studio and have designed some of the most iconic visuals in publishing. 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.
Other business advice this week:
- Querying Basics: 5 Tips For Landing A Literary Agent by Dario Villirilli for Live Write Thrive
- Podcast: The Empathy Gap: How To Understand What Your Publisher Is Telling You by Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler for Writing Excuses
- How To Write A Killer One Sentence Pitch (Or Logline) For Novels And Memoirs by Nathan Bransford for Nathan Bransford
- To Set Beta Reader Expectations, Have An Honest Conversation by Lisa Cooper Ellison for Jane Friedman
- 10 Reasons For Authors To Blog by Robin Houghton for A Writer’s Path
- Podcast: 5 Reasons Your Amazon Ads Aren’t Working by Penny Sansevieri for Author Marketing Experts, Inc.
- Substack For Writers: Is It Worth Joining? by Jackie Pearce for Make a Living Writing
- Podcast: Print Prices & Your Author Platform by Bryan Cohen and H. Claire Taylor for Sell More Books Show
- Podcast: The Amazing Power Of Reader Surveys by Thomas Umstattd Jr. for Author Media
- Podcast: Writing And Publishing Across Multiple Genres by Sacha Black for Self Publishing Advice
- Why Take The Risk Of Sharing? by Dan Blank for WeGrowMedia
- I Wrote This Book . . . Now What? by C. Hope Clark for FundsforWriters
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.