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
Podcast: How To Overcome Writer’s Block With Sudowrite by Thomas Umstattd Jr.
An interview with the developer of Sudowrite, an AI-powered writing assistant. Thomas Umstattd Jr. is the CEO of Author Media, literary agent, author, podcaster, and marketing experts. For more, check out his website ThomasUmstattd.com. The Novel Marketing Podcast is all about the business side of being a successful author.
The Serious Business Of Having Fun by Chad R. Allen
In contrast to other kinds of work, in writing we have more to lose because we are exposing a vulnerable part of ourselves. The stakes are high. And because the stakes are high, we are prone to procrastination and escapism. In this post, Allen suggests five ways to get some fun back into the writing process to help us stay motivated and productive. Chad R. Allen is a writer, editor, speaker, and writing coach who’s spent 20 years in the traditional publishing industry. Follow him on Twitter at @ChadRAllenand and on Facebook at Chad R. Allen. For more advice like this, follow Chad R. Allen via the website’s RSS feed (direct Feedly link here).
Video: What If I Succeed? by Becca Syme
Why writers should plan for success. Becca Syme is a Gallup-certified strengths coach, author coach, and nonfiction author. The QuitCast for Writers is a video podcast where Becca Syme discusses what to keep, what to quit, and what to question, if you are trying to make a go of the author career.
Other motivational advice this week:
- 10 Types Of Toxic People Who Can Stall Your Writing Career And Literally Make You Sick by Anne R. Allen for Anne R. Allen’s Blog… with Ruth Harris
- 3 Ways That Writerly Grit Leads To Publishing Success by Susan Defreitas for Jane Friedman
- Getting Your Writing Unstuck by Linda S. Clare for Linda S. Clare
- How To Focus: Practice Deep Work by Rochelle Melander for Write Now Coach!
- Is A Writer’s Workshop Right For Me? by Morgan Hazelwood for Morgan Hazelwood
- Recognizing Your Own Skill by David Farland for MyStoryDoctor
- Short Story Benefits by Deborah Lyn Stanley for Writers On The Move
- The Magic Of A Writers’ Retreat by Juliet Marillier for Writer Unboxed
- Write What You Know? No, Write What You Love by Penny Haw for Women Writers, Women’s Books
The art and craft of writing
How To Write A Hook For Speculative Fiction by Disha Walia
Entry hooks can be one of the hardest elements of a story to write, regardless of the genre. But if you can nail them, not only can you grab your readers’ attention at the beginning of your story, but also reuse your newfound skills to repeat each time a new chapter starts. Disha Walia is a lifelong storyteller and an enthusiastic writer and editor in love with the idea of exploring the creative world of words. Connect with her on Quillinary.com or follow her on Twitter at @quillinary. DiyMFA offers classes, advice articles and other training materials for writers. For more advice like this, follow them on Twitter at @DIYMFA and on Facebook at @DIYMFA or subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link).
How To Start A Story: Writing Better Preview Pages by Jordan Kantey
Good basic overview of how to start a book so that you’ll hook readers right from the preview pages.
Jordan Kantey is a writer, marketer, community manager and product developer for Now Novel. You can find out more about him on his LinkedIn page. Now Novel is a company that offers writing sources, coaching, and editing. If you want more advice like this, subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link) or follow them on Twitter at @nownovel or on Facebook at @nownovel or subscribe to their YouTube channel.
Welcome To The Future, Part 1 by Lisa Norman
Authors can use AI images to bring their words to life for their more visually inclined fans, and AI is coming to the area of the written word as well. Lisa Norman writes as Deleyna Marr and is the owner of Deleyna’s Dynamic Designs, a web development company focused on helping writers, and Heart Ally Books, an indie publishing firm. She teaches for Lawson Writer’s Academy. 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).
Who Has The ANTS: Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Or Ms. Marvel? by Oren Ashkenazi
How three recent Marvel TV series stack up when it comes to attachment, novelty, tension, and satisfaction. 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.
Other writing advice this week:
- 5 Things All YA Novels Need To Succeed by Anthony Mcgowan for Writer’s Digest
- 6 Ways To Refresh Your Speculative Fiction by C. Lee McKenzie for Insecure Writer’s Support Group
- 7 Keys To Write The Perfect First Line Of A Novel by Joe Bunting for The Write Practice
- Video: All About Ending A Novel by Daphne Gray-Grant for Publication Coach
- All The Writing Advice You’ll Ever Need by Jim Dempsey for Writer Unboxed
- Beginnings – Not Just For Page One by Terry Odell for Killzoneblog.com
- Conflict + Choices = Character Agency by Becca Puglisi for Helping Writers Become Authors
- Five Questions That Will Guarantee Your Novel Has A Sturdy Structure by Heather Davis for DIY MFA
- How Should I Fill In Backstory? by Chris Winkle for Mythcreants
- How Your Title Can Enrich Your Writing by Michael Gallant for BookBaby Blog
- Improve Your Writing: Choose To Edit Until It Hurts by Cindy K. Sproles for The Write Conversation
- Is Deep POV Always The Best Choice? by Jami Gold for Jami Gold, Paranormal Author
- It’s Messy In The Middle: Rethinking Transgender Narratives by Colice Sanders for DIY MFA
- Managing Time In Summaries by September C. Fawkes for September C. Fawkes
- Not Just Another Post On POV by Lori Freeland for Writers In The Storm
- Podcast: Oh No I Lost The Thread by Howard Tayler, C.L. Polk, Marshall Carr, Jr., and Mary Robinette Kowal for Writing Excuses
- Old Age And End-Of-Life Characters — How To Write Them by Stavros Halvatzis for Stavros Halvatzis
- On Not Just Stringing ‘Em Along: Does Your Novel Have A Plot? by N.L. Holmes for Florida Writers Association Blog
- Should You Really Strive To Eliminate Writing Mediocrity? by Daphne Gray-Grant for Publication Coach
- Six Ways To Add Emotion To Your Narration by Chris Winkle for Mythcreants
- Stimulus And Response 101 by James Scott Bell for Killzoneblog.com
- Story And Understory by Steven Pressfield for Steven Pressfield
- The Bad Side Vs. The Good Side In Your Story by C Hope Clark for FundsforWriters
- The Catalyst For Character Change: The Dark Night Of The Soul by Janice Hardy for Fiction University
- The Fab Four Synopsis-Creation Method by Alicia Rasley for The Story Journey: Where Character and Plot Meet
- The Problem Behind The Problem by Therese Walsh for Writer Unboxed
- Podcast: The Sandman by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, and Wes Matlock for Mythcreants
- The Seven Deadly Sins Of Prologues by Kristen Lamb for Kristen Lamb
- The Villain’s Journey by Debbie Burke for Killzoneblog.com
- What Not To Include In The First Chapter by Disha Walia for DIY MFA
- Why Editing Is So Important For Writers Who Want To Continue To Improve by Linda Gilden for The Write Conversation
- Writing Better Banter: 4 Tips For Making Your Readers Laugh Out Loud by Kerry Rea for Writer’s Digest
- Your Narrator’s False Belief–And How It Drives Your Story by Mary Carroll Moore for How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book
The business side of writing
Podcast: Bookfunnel Previews, Finding Focus, And Trad Pub Stat Silliness by Bryan Cohen and H. Claire Taylor
Why authors should use Kickstarter, and how slow writing can lead to writing success, and more. Bryan Cohen is an experienced copywriter, bestselling author, and the founder of Best Page Forward and Amazon Ad School. You can find out more about Bryan at BryanCohen.com. H. Claire Taylor is a humor author and fiction strategist, as well as the owner of FFS Media. The Sell More Books Show is a weekly podcast focusing on helping new and experienced authors stay up-to-date with the latest self-publishing and indie news, tools and book selling and marketing strategies.
A Guide To Promoting Yourself As An Author Online by Elizabeth Javor
It’s important to market early in the process, even before you publish your book. You want to come into launch day with momentum, and the way to do that is to build up an audience of readers eager to read your book. Elizabeth Javor is the director of sales and marketing for Outskirts Press, a group of publishing consultants who focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process to help them publish the book of their dreams. Self Publishing Advisor offers tips and advice for self-published authors.
Video: Managing Multiple Streams Of Income With L.L. Macrae by Kristina Adams and Ellie Betts
Kristina Adams and Ellie Betts talk with L.L. Macrae, a fantasy author of character-driven stories and epic adventure. She talks about how in-person events can benefit writers and other ways to monetize writing. Kristina Adams is a bestselling author and writing instructor. Find out more at her website, KristinaAdamsAuthor.com. The Writer’s Mindset is a YouTube channel from the team behind The Writer’s Cookbook, a site that offers writing workshops and courses as well as writing and marketing services. For more advice like this, follow them on Twitter at @writingcookbook and on Facebook at @writingcookbook .
Video: Building A Brand-Consistent Backlist by Mark Dawson
On the liberation of writing genre fiction, the importance to sales of titles and subtitles, the effect on sales of better book packaging, learning to hit the beats that readers expect, using bonus stories to grow a newsletter list and the differences marketing audiobooks versus ebooks. Mark Dawson is a USA Today bestselling author who teaches courses about book production and marketing. On the Self Publishing Formula show, Mark Dawson and James Blatch talk about building a career as a self-published author.
Other business advice this week:
- Podcast: How To Pivot Genre With Alessa Thorn by Sacha Black for Sacha Black
- Business And Creativity Go Hand In Hand: Q&A With Kern Carter by Kristen Tsetsi for Jane Friedman
- How To Email A Press Release To Journalists: The Biggest Mistake To Avoid by Sandra Beckwith for Build Book Buzz
- How Your Author Platform Helps You Do More Than Sell Books by Colleen M. Story for Writers In The Storm
- How To Get A Following Before Your Book Is Published by H. Duke for The Writersaurus
- Techniques To Improve Your Book’s Amazon Rank by Susan U. Neal for The Write Conversation
- Social Media Basics For Writers: Deal With Unrealistic Expectations by Edie Melson for The Write Conversation
- Author Websites: 10 Steps To Building An Author Website by Joe Bunting for The Write Practice
- What To Do When Author Marketing Goes Against Your Nature by Penny Sansevieri for Author Marketing Experts, Inc.
- 15 Book Promotion Ideas That Help Drive Sales & Engagement by Penny Sansevieri for Author Marketing Experts, Inc.
- Book Formatting Services by Carol Tice for Make a Living Writing
- Intellectual Property: Copyrights, Trademarks, Design Marks, Oh My! by Carol Van Den Hende and Deborah C. Mortimer for DIY MFA
- Path To Publishing: An Author’s Experience With The Rapid Release Model – Interview With Nova Mcbee by Gabriela Pereira for DIY MFA
- Kindle Create Tutorial: Best Free Formatting Software? by Dave Chesson for Kindlepreneur
- Business Musings: How We Use Kickstarter by Kristine Kathryn Rusch for Kristine Kathryn Rusch
- Why Should Writers Worry About Marketing At All? by Dan Blank for WeGrowMedia
- Video: Prepare Your Author Platform Earlier Than You Think by Dan Blank for WeGrowMedia
- Video: Self-Publishing And Book Content FAQs Answered by Julie Broad for Book Launchers
- How To Reactivate A Dormant Email List And Reconnect With Readers by Patricia Durgin for The Write Conversation
- How To Write A Killer Newsletter To Help You Sell More Books by Verity Partington for WritersWeekly.com
- How To Make A Boxset And Other Ways To Repurpose Your Books by Kelsey Worsham for Written Word Media
- Video: 7 Guidelines For Running Book Ads by Julie Broad for Book Launchers
- Video: How To Upload Your Book To Kdp | A Step-By-Step Guide To Self-Publishing Your Book On Amazon by Claire Fraise for Write with Claire Fraise
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.