This time around, I’m tackling National Novel Writing Month, specifically, five ways to rock NaNoWriMo (on your own terms) 🙂
While you’re there, take a look around. There’s lots of writerly goodness to be found.
Until next time!
DIY MFA
Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Sept 22-28, 2019
Welcome to October, when everything is pumpkin spice! And thus, I must inflict upon you the guinea pigs:
Now that you’ve survived that, please enjoy some informal writerly learnings.
Janice Hardy helps you figure out which opening works best in a novel. Then, she hopes you don’t let your plot hijack your story. Fiction University
Susan Spann wants you to throw your writing from the train. Heather Webb offers some do’s and don’ts of writing query letters. Writer Unboxed
Lori Freeland lists the up and down sides of critique groups. Writers in the Storm
K.M. Weiland says, if you’re struggling to be creative, this might be why. Helping Writers Become Authors
Joanna Penn interviews Jen Louden about trusting your creativity and choosing yourself. The Creative Penn
Sara Letourneau differentiates between topic and theme. Richelle Lyn offers five steps to creating your writing wind up (setting the stage for a productive writing session). DIY MFA
Nathan Bransford wants you to let the reader diagnose your characters.
Kris Kennedy returns to Jami Gold’s blog with the fifth and final part of the avoid infodumping by making backstory essential series.
Jenna Moreci shares her top ten science fiction tropes.
Gavin Hurley looks at effective repetition in writing as demonstrated by A Song of Ice and Fire. Writer’s Digest
Thank you for taking the time to visit. I hope you took away something for your current work in progress.
Until Thursday, be well, my writerly friends!
Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Sept 15-21, 2019
Here we are, officially in the fall. Take the time to enjoy the turning leaves and the delicious smells of the season. And, of course, spoil yourself with some informal writerly learnings.
Vaughn Roycroft is using theme to leverage revision. Julie Carrick Dalton hopes no one will notice. Writer Unboxed
K.M. Weiland critiques another brave writer to demonstrate ten ways to write excellent dialogue. Helping Writers Become Authors
Susan de Freitas points out three things you won’t learn from an MFA program. Jane Friedman
Joanna Penn interviews James Scott Bell about writing unforgettable endings. Then, Harrison Demchick offers you four ideas to help authors revise a first draft. The Creative Penn
Chris Winkle returns with the fourth aspect of goal-oriented storytelling: satisfaction. Writers Helping Writers
Jenna Moreci offers her top ten tips on character arcs.
Nathan Bransford offers six ways to build intimacy between characters. Later in the week, he asks, are you creating a mystery, or are you just being vague?
Jenn Walton shares three ways to find inspiration at a writing conference (or any work event). DIY MFA
Jenny Hansen wants you to find and share your story’s theme. Writers in the Storm
Chuck Wendig explains how to be a professional author and not die screaming and starving in a lightless abyss. Terribleminds
Jami Gold helps you figure out how to build your story with chapters, scenes, or both. Then, Kris Kennedy returns with part four of her avoid infodumping by making backstory essential series.
Bunny discusses choosing a follow-up strategy for a popular story. Then, Oren Ashkenazi shares five ways to handle parents without killing them. Mythcreants
Robert Lee Brewer advises writers regarding spacing between sentences. Writer’s Digest
Daniel Ross Goodman shows us the haunting magic of Maurice Sendak. National Review
Thank you for visiting. I hope you found something you need to move your work in progress forward.
Until Thursday, be well!
Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Sept 8-14, 2019
I present this week’s batch of informal writerly learnings 🙂
Daryl Rothman visits Helping Writers Become Authors: how to write stories that matter with writing’s secret formula.
Jim Dempsey wants you to give useful criticism. Kathryn Craft studies showing through exposition. Juliet Marillier considers publicity and the introvert. David Corbett is turning a terrible truth into compelling fiction. Kathryn Magendie is living the dreamy dreamland. Writer Unboxed
Shaelin explains how to write a scene. Reedsy
Jami Gold considers what’s stopping our characters: avoiding change. Writers Helping Writers
Kris Kennedy returns to Jami Gold’s blog for part three of her avoid infodumping by making backstory essential series.
Nathan Bransford lists seven reasons your characters feel flat. Then, Nathan lays out your options in hybrid publishing.
Manuela Williams explains how to use Pinterest to create an author brand board. DIY MFA
Fae Rowan shares ten more f-words for writers and their characters. Writers in the Storm
Sophia Jeppson explains how to make time travel logical. Oren Ashkenazi considers five ridiculous organizations from popular series. Mythcreants
Robert Lee Brewer explains the difference between prophesy and prophecy. Then, he tackles the difference between allude and elude. Writer’s Digest
Thank you for stopping by and I hope you found the information you need to move forward with your current work in progress.
Until Thursday, be well, my friends!
Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Sept 1-7, 2019
This week’s batch of informal writerly learnings is a bit more select than usual, but it’s all good stuff 🙂
Greer Macallister is defending (or not) historical fiction. Annie Neugebauer has some advice for writers who are in it. Donald Maass: the anti-arc. Therese Walsh wants you to move beyond two-dimensional character building and capture the real. Writer Unboxed
K.M. Weiland dives deep into creating your character’s inner conflict: want vs. need. Helping Writers Become Authors
James Scott Bell asks, how realistic do your action scenes need to be? Then, Angelica Hartgers recommends using backward design to plan your story. Writers Helping Writers
Helen Darling gives you the lowdown on ISBNs. Rebecca Fish Ewen expounds on the impact of lost words (and decries their loss). DIY MFA
Jenna Moreci explains how to end your story.
Chris Winkle shares six ways to add novelty to your story. Mythcreants
Kris Kennedy’s back on Jami Gold’s blog with part two of her avoid infodumping by making backstory essential series.
Jillian Boehme offers some survival tips for writers who would rather hide. Fiction University
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you found something you need to fuel your current work in progress.
Until Thursday, be well!
Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Aug 25-31, 2019
Ah. Here we are in September. Back to … all the things. Ease back into your routine with some informal writerly learnings.
Lainey Cameron advises you use a three-tier backup plan. Then Tiffany Yates Martin helps you to reclaim the creative spark in troubled times. Writers in the Storm
K.M. Weiland explains how to use a truth chart to figure out your character’s arc. Helping Writers Become Authors
Julia Munroe Martin wonders, what makes you love your main character? Molly Best Tinsley explains how hearing voice(s) led to order in a previously chaotic manuscript. Barbara O’Neal explains what happens when the book takes over everything. Writer Unboxed
Pathologist Jane Bennett Munro wants to help you explain forensics to readers. Elizabeth Spann Craig
Jeanette the Writer reveals the secret importance of readability. Tess Enterline explains why it’s okay (and sometimes necessary) to step away from our writing. Constance Emmett shares five tips for writing complex, flesh and blood, LGBTQ+ characters. DIY MFA
Janice Hardy doesn’t want you to create cardboard conflicts. Fiction University
Jami Gold explains how sequels make scenes stronger. Then, Kris Kennedy stops by to explain how to avoid info dumping by making backstory essential.
Chris Winkle: how to turn your fanfic into your original fiction. Then, Oren Ashkenazi answers the question, how do cannon affect your naval combat? Mythcreants
Robert Lee Brewer considers OK vs. Okay vs. O.K. Writer’s Digest
N.K. Jemisin, Jasmine Guillory, and Lauren Wilkinson: publishing’s still owned by white men. The Washington Post
Nick Venable talks to the creators of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance about the challenges of making a puppet series on Netflix. Saw the first episode—love! CinemaBlend
And that was tipsday. I hope you found something to help you progress with your work in progress.
Come back on Thursday for some thoughty goodness 🙂
Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Aug 18-24, 2019
Ack! We’re in the last week of August! The weather’s still holding though. I, for one, am going to extend summer for as long as I can.
Whether you’re heading back to school or work, take some time to enjoy these informal writerly learnings 🙂
Vaughn Roycroft talks story endings: happy or sad or something else? Kathleen McCleary considers the values of good fiction. Writer Unboxed
Christina Delay extolls the power of the writing tribe. Then, Jenny Hansen covers the writer hierarchy of needs. Margie Lawson wants you to strive for excellence by using what you learn. Writers in the Storm
K.M. Weiland: how to tell if your story has too much plot, not enough character. Helping Writers Become Authors
Joanna Penn interviews Cat Rose about being a creative introvert. The Creative Penn
Roz Morris offers seven swift storytelling hacks for backstory, description, dialogue, exposition, point of view, and plot. Nail Your Novel
Victoria Mixon takes a different approach to character motivation. Then, September C. Fawkes shares four keys to a powerful denouement. Writers Helping Writers
Jenna Moreci compares static and dynamic characters.
Abigail K. Perry delves into James Scott Bell’s eleventh signpost scene: lights out. Brenda Joyce Patterson takes a deep dive into playwriting. Then Bethany Henry offers five tips for creating engaging characters. DIY MFA
Janice Hardy explains how to write a scene (and what qualifies as a scene). Fiction University
Jami Gold hopes you take a leap of faith in fiction and in life.
Oren Ashkenazi analyses seven stories with contrived character conflict. Mythcreants
William R. Leibowitz details his research for his latest novel: using facts as the base of science fiction. Writer’s Digest
Laurie Penny says, we can be heroes: how nerds are reinventing pop culture. A story about stories, fanfic, structure, the hero’s journey, and awesome. Wired
Thanks for visiting. I’ll be back on Thursday with some thoughty links for you.
Until then, be well.
Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Aug 11-17, 2019
It’s time to dig into another week’s worth of informal writerly learnings 🙂
Elizabeth A. Harvey is remembering Toni Morrison. Then, Nancy Johnson shows us how Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye offers a masterclass in craft. Porter Anderson: murders she didn’t write, a provocation on writers in the context of real world gun violence. Rheea Mukherjee: negotiating social privilege as a writer. Jim Dempsey wants you to explore the wonders of your character’s world view. Sarah Callender forgets to remember that writing is an act of faith. Writer Unboxed
Jenna Moreci helps you get back into the writing habit after a break.
C.S. Lakin visits Helping Writers Become Authors: how to evoke reader emotions with “surprisingness.” Then, she heads over to Larry Brook’s Storyfix to explain how to effectively “tell” emotions in fiction.
Emily Wenstrom offers three tips for creating your author newsletter before you’re published. And here’s my latest column: find storytelling inspiration with the women of the Kalevala. Constance Emmett shares five tips for surviving rejection. DIY MFA
Lisa Hall-Wilson shares four ways to go deeper with point of view. Then, Laura Drake starts with character first. Writers in the Storm
Michelle Barker wants you to remember that the wand chooses the wizard. Writers Helping Writers
Janice Hardy explains why you want nitpicky critiquers. Fiction University
Robert Lee Brewer explains the difference between slight of hand and sleight of hand. Writer’s Digest
Some reassuring advice from Chris Winkle: why you shouldn’t worry about someone stealing your manuscript. Then, Oren Ashkenazi offers advice on choosing naval tactics for your pre-gunpowder world. Mythcreants
Sam Bleicher offers some unusual writing tips on dealing with facts in science fiction. The Creative Penn
Ferris Jabr: the story of storytelling. Harper’s
Thanks for visiting. Come back on Thursday for some thoughty.
Until then, be well!
Join me over on DIY MFA for my latest column
It’s fantasy’s turn and this month I’m helping you find some mythic storytelling inspiration with the women of the Kalevala.
While you’re there, check out some of the other excellent columnists, or any of Gabriela’s great writers resources!
Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Aug 4-10, 2019
You’ve worked hard this week (so far). Reward yourself with some informal writerly learnings.
Jael McHenry: it’s always in the last place you look. Donald Maass considers persuasion. Then, Kathryn Craft wants you to give your reader an experience. David Corbett has a conversation with Zoe Quinton about developmental editing. And Kathryn Magendie writes about becoming a rogue planet (when you lose your publisher). Writer Unboxed
K.M. Weiland shares part two of her five character arcs at a glance series: the three negative arcs. Helping Writers Become Authors
Abigail K. Perry looks at characters in terms of grit, wit, and it. Slush Pile Survivor
C.S. Lakin explains when telling, not showing, emotion is the right choice. Writers Helping Writers
Leanne Sowul: what writing can do for you. DIY MFA
Jenna Moreci lists her top ten worst dystopian tropes.
Sangeeta Mehta interviews Sarah LaPolla and Kim Lionetti for Jane Friedman’s blog.
Chuck Wendig: on writing from a place of fear vs from a place of love. Terribleminds
Reedsy offers a guide to fantasy subgenres.
Chris Winkle: filling in your story’s middle. Then, Oren Ashkenazi relates six common forms of bad writing advice. Mythceants
Jami Gold: when writing advice goes wrong.
Robert Lee Brewer looks at the difference between it’s and its. I know, seems basic. Doesn’t mean I don’t make the mistake from time to time. Reinforcement is always good. Writer’s Digest
Richard Lea and Sian Cain pay tribute to Toni Morrison, who died August 6, at the age of 88. The Guardian
Dwight Garner honours Morrison as a writer of many gifts who bent language to her will. The New York Times
There were so many more tributes, this humble curation would have been huge. I just chose a couple.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you found something of value.
Until Thursday, be well, my writerly friends!
Always Looking Up 