Tipsday: Informal writerly learnings, March 12-18, 2023

I celebrated the spring equinox yesterday while light snow fell (not at all sarcastically). It’s spring in northeastern Ontario. What else should I expect?

However you greeted spring, celebrate with some informal writerly learnings!

Kelsey Allagood says, for better creativity, spring clean your brain. Then, Marcie Geffner explains why we don’t need “heroines.” Desmond Hall is tunnelling into POV and perspective in this month’s Desmond’s Drops. Next, Julie Gerstenblatt considers the fabric of language, or what to wear on book tour. Writer Unboxed

How to condense your novel. Shaelin Writes

Jeanette the Writer explains how to find a book editor. Then, Tammy Lough helps you get noticed on social media. Whitney Cubbison is becoming a writer after spending a career writing. DIY MFA

The most powerful art you’ll ever make. Tale Foundry

Lori Freeland discusses piecing together the perfect scene. Then, Joseph R. Lallo is getting unstuck/finding a new rut. Eldred Bird shows you how to distinguish between history vs. legend when writing about the past. Writers in the Storm

The pitfalls of friendship – The Banshees of Innisherin. The Take

Oliver Fox shows you how to write horror. Helping Writers Become Authors

Nicki Howell explains why fear is a terrible friend…and how to crush it. Live, Write, Thrive

Roz Morris: once more with feeling – some notes about description. Nail Your Novel

2022-2023 Munro Beattie Lecture with Waubgeshig Rice: Anishnaabe history and writing the future. Carleton University Department of English

Joanna Penn offers some writing tips on setting and sense of place. The Creative Penn

Daphne Gray-Grant shows you how to survive editing. Then, Adriana Barton explains how to write a hybrid memoir. Tiffany Yates Martin discusses picking a point of view for your story. Jane Friedman

Jami Gold is making a long story about character arcs short. Writers Helping Writers

Over on her own site, Jami wonders, can short stories still have character arcs?

Nathan Bransford explains how to self-edit your novel.

This story will crush your hopes and dreams. Tale Foundry

September C. Fawkes shares five keys to a satisfying denouement. My Story Doctor

Rayne Hall explains how to write a short story spinoff from your novel. Fiction University

Writing lessons I wish I’d learned earlier (AKA how to stop worrying). Shaelin Writes

Tiffany Yates Martin says, do less than your best. Fox Print Editorial

Chris Winkle says Wolf Pack is about werewolves with nothing to do. Then, Oren Ashkenazi analyzes six stories with poorly designed factions. Mythcreants

Jonathan Migneault: reflections on the INCO superstack. Why is this in tipsday? Because the Sudbury Writers’ Guild is asking for submissions to their new stack anthology 🙂 CBC

Jan Grue considers the disabled villain and why sensitivity readers can’t kill off this ugly trope. The Guardian

Thank you for spending some time with me. I hope you found something to support your current work(s) in progress.

Until Thursday, keep staying safe and well!

Tipsday: Informal writerly learnings, Aug 14-20, 2022

Week four of August is here along with your weekly batch of informal writerly learnings! Enjoy!

K.M. Weiland explains how to write emotional scenes (without making them cringey). Helping Writers Become Authors

Lisa Norman reveals how to painlessly generate dozens of blog ideas. Then, Sandy Vaile digs into research: how far will fiction authors go for facts? Laurie Schnebly Campbell wonders how much does genre matter? Writers in the Storm

Joanna Penn interviews Becca Puglisi about writing conflict. The Creative Penn

How to write a plot summary and a synopsis. Reedsy

Roz Morris considers using real people in historical fiction—how much can you invent? Nail Your Novel

Barbara Linn Probst wonders what does “award-winning author” mean—and does it matter? Then, Marcie Geffner discusses aphantasia and writing fiction with no “mind’s eye.” Writer Unboxed

AJ Harper helps you get in front of your readers’ doubts and objections. Jane Friedman

Good characters are overrated. Tale Foundry

Christina Delay: small focus. Big creativity. Becca Puglisi wants you to use your character’s career to support your story’s theme. Writers Helping Writers

Nathan Bransford says don’t outsource your agent search.

Kris Hill considers fairy tales and once upon a time. Manuela Williams: what is the poetry of witness? Then, Daria White proposes an alternative to traditional time management for writers.  Abigail Cutter suggests five ways to get inside your historical characters’ heads. DIY MFA

This fight changed everything … Jill Bearup

Angela Ackerman: does conflict really belong on every page? Jami Gold

Tiffany Yates Martin explains how to write a query letter (without losing your mind). Fox Print Editorial

Kristen Lamb examines the priority parallax: what’s truly important?

Chris Winkle lists ten reasons your characters might stop communicating. Then, Oren Ashkenazi analyzes five stories with well-written families. Mythcreants

How to write your first novel. Reedsy

Chris Martin discusses poetry, autism, and the joy of working with neurodiverse writers. Literary Hub

Peter Kafka: the newsletter boom is over. What’s next? Vox

S.L. Huang investigates the ghost of workshops past: how communism, conservatism, and the Cold War still mold our paths to SFF writing. Outstanding essay! Tor.com

Thank you for spending some time with me. I hope you found something to support your current work in progress.

Until Thursday, keep staying safe and well!