writer meditations

Tipsday: Informal writerly learnings, Oct 16-22, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

This is the final tipsday of October (!) Will you NaNoWriMo this year? I am. It will probably be another NaNo rebel combo, though I will be focusing on Alice in Thunderland. It might actually be a novella, though I’m not certain, yet.

In any case, it’s time to get your fill of informal writerly learnings. Enjoy!

Richelle Lyn is teaming up with other solopreneurs. Then, Jeanette the Writer explains what an editor actually does. Stephanie Dethlefs helps you get to know your ideal reader. Later in the week, Ashley Christiano offers five meditations to help you find your writing confidence. DIY MFA

Jan O’Hara discusses journaling and the writer (episode: man versus table saw). Then, Barbara Linn Probst is grappling with the awkward question of “women’s” fiction. Sophie Masson considers food in fiction. Writer Unboxed

Janice Hardy lists five ways dialogue can annoy your readers. Fiction University

K.M. Weiland reveals the nine negative character arcs in the enneagram. Helping Writers Become Authors

This fairy tale is an actual nightmare. Tale Foundry

Becca Puglisi lists the ingredients for a successful story climax. Margie Lawson says, here be monsters: writers beware! Lynette M. Burrows shares seven ways to increase your creativity through workspace design. Writers in the Storm

Jessica Conoley is writing through the impossible. Then, Hattie Fletcher explains how to avoid taking edits too personally. C.S. Lakin helps you use weather to convey mood in fiction. Jane Friedman

On her own site, Susanne shares tips on how to bring setting to life in your fiction. Live, Write Thrive

Marissa Graff suggests five micro-edits to hook readers on your first page. Then, Julie Artz shares her top three world-building pitfalls and how to avoid them. Writers Helping Writers

The Rings of Power has a narrative momentum problem. Like Stories of Old

Nathan Bransford wonders, can you see what is and isn’t on the page?

Tiffany Yates Martin explains how to speak as well as you write (part 2). Fox Print Editorial

Kristen Lamb reveals why we love, hate, and need horror.

Chris Winkle explains why you should consider present tense. Mythcreants

Roz Morris interviews Jessica Bell on making good decisions about cover design. Nail Your Novel

Louise Harnby answers this question: can I place a dialogue tag before the character’s speech?

How to prevent creative burnout as a writer. Reedsy

Hannah McGregor shares how her Harry Potter podcast made her a better scholar. The Walrus

Jeff Beer explains why Marvel’s She-Hulk finale is the best branded content of the year. Fast Company

Michelle Cyca interviews Ann-Marie MacDonald on exile, imagination, and her new gothic ghost story. The Walrus

John Garth explains how J.R.R. Tolkien came to write the stories that were the source material for The Rings of Power. The Smithsonian Magazine

David Routt: HBO’s House of the Dragon was inspired by a real medieval dynastic struggle over a female ruler. The Conversation

Thanks you for spending some time with me, and I hope you took away something to support your current work(s) in progress.

Until Thursday, keep staying safe and well.

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, May 16-22, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

You’ve just survived a Tuesday-that-feels-like-a-Monday after a long weekend. Reward yourself with some informal writerly learnings.

Vaughn Roycroft shows you how story tropes can be our friends. Dave King writes to whom it may concern. Then, Barbara Linn Probst says, there’s writing—and then there’s writing about writing. Later in the week, Anne Brown wonders, why am I like this? Writer Unboxed

Can you swordfight in a wedding dress? (Things writers want to know.) Jill Bearup

K.M. Weiland introduces us to the six flat archetypes in part 15 of her archetypal character arcs series. Helping Writers Become Authors

What makes up a character’s identity? Breaking up aspects of self. Mary Robinette Kowal

Kris Maze outlines the value (and the struggle) of writer meditations. Then, Barbara Linn Probst wonders how your book ends—with destination or discovery? Writers in the Storm

Shaelin covers line editing. Reedsy

Janice Hardy explains how scene titles make it easier to writer your novel. Then, Rayne Hall tells you how to keep your short story short. Bonnie Randall shows you less cliché ways the body responds to emotional states. Fiction University

Basilisk of cockatrice? The mysterious king of serpents. Dr. Emily Zarka. Monstrum | PBS Storied

Christina Delay takes the anonymous road. Writers Helping Writers

Jessica Conoley: your final responsibility to your story is creative stewardship. Then, Jane herself delivers some tough love: how much do authors earn? Here’s the answer no one likes. Jane Friedman

Jeanette the Writers is writing for readers with dyslexia. Later in the week, Crystal Swain-Bates shares five tips to finish writing your book in 2021. DIY MFA

Jenna Moreci interviews Sacha Black about creating a podcast.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch continues her series on fear-based decision-making with part 2: fear vs. growth.

Chris Winkle does a narration makeover: giving action more immediacy. Then, Oren Ashkenazi analyzes six stories with weak romantic attraction. Mythcreants

And that was tipsday. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you took away something to support your current work in progress.

Until Thursday, be well and stay safe!