Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, July 1-7, 2018

July 10, 2018July 8, 2018 / Melanie Marttila

And here is another week’s worth of informal writerly learnings.

Jane Friedman says, author income surveys are misleading and flawed—and they focus on the wrong message for writers. Jane kindly offers a TL;DR summary up front, but it’s worthwhile reading her whole post. Verra interesting.

K.M. Weiland asks you to judge yourself less, trust yourself more, and write better stories. Helping Writers Become Authors

Rachael Stephen offers her tips on self-care for writers (and humans).

Tamar Sloan helps you level up your character’s wound. Writers Helping Writers

Elise Holland explains how to writer your best cover letter. DIY MFA

Fae Rowan brings us part one of a series: five conflict-making choices for your characters. This one’s about the need for control. And here’s part two: conceit and coveting. Writers in the Storm

Black, white, gray, rainbow: what is heroism now? Donald Maass on Writer Unboxed.

Anna Elliott is keeping her hustle joyful. Writer Unboxed

Natalia Sylvester offers her thoughts on writing a novel that people call political. Writer Unboxed

Jo Eberhardt delves into the challenge of writing dialog separated by a common language. Writer Unboxed

Jim C. Hines gathers contributions from the speakers of different languages. Why? Because, rather than being able to ask for a beer or a toilet anywhere in the world, Jim wants to know how to ask people for their permission to pet their dogs. A very important linguistics post about petting dogs.

Ryan Van Cleave applies Stephen Covey’s seven habits for writers’ groups. Fiction University

Chris Winkle discusses creating a magic system for superpowers. Then, Oren Ashkenazi looks at five story elements that worked in one story but not in another. Mythcreants

Gabriela Pereira interviews Jeff and Ann Vandermeer on the Writer’s Digest podcast: anthologies, the genre fiction divide, and deep reading.

Wynona Earp returns. It’s not the greatest series ever made, but it’s fun, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and I’m kind of in love with the grrl power.

And this looks good: The House with the Clock in its Walls

And that was Tipsday.

Be well until Thursday when you can return for some thoughty.

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, June 17-23, 2018

June 26, 2018June 24, 2018 / Melanie Marttila

It’s that time of the week when you get to reward yourself with some informal writerly learnings 🙂

K.M. Weiland explains how to intertwine plot, character, and theme in every scene. New insights from my favourite guru 🙂 Helping Writers Become Authors

This column was a-MA-zing. Read it. Love it. Live it! Asking myself why I write … again. Vaughn Roycroft on Writer Unboxed.

Jim Dempsey explains how to create drama with your character’s desire. Writer Unboxed

Roz Morris posts about what she wished she’d known in school: two instructions for making a creative life. Nail Your Novel

Jennie Nash stops by Writers Helping Writers to explain how the growth mindset for writers leads to the satisfaction of excellence.

Chuck Wendig explains how to be a writer in this fucked-ass age of rot and resistance. Terribleminds

Literary agent Barbara Poelle answers the question, what are the best times to query an agent? Funny you should ask. Writer’s Digest

Nathan Bransford confesses something about the fear of never finishing.

L.L. Barkat stops by Jane Friedman’s blog to share her introvert’s guide to launching a book.

Lisa Hall-Wilson encourages you to write beyond lust and attraction and use the body language of love. Writers in the Storm

Elisabeth Kauffman answers another writerly conundrum in her ask the editor column: travelling between worlds. DIY MFA

Bran L. Ayres wonders, should we include trigger warnings in our novels? Then, Bran L. Ayres returns to Jami Gold’s blog: how to develop and show a healthy romance.

Oren Ashkenazi provides six more bad arguments against social justice in speculative fiction. Then, Oren critiques six supposedly powerful abilities that don’t measure up. Really, it’s about overpowered characters. Mythcreants

Melody Wilding: how mental illness inspired Gabriela Pereira to launch a creative writing business. Forbes

Tajja Isen hopes writers of colour can expand the way they write about their identities. “Despite the position from which I write, and the need for it to inform my work, I also want that work to bloom around a richer core than the supposed pain of racial difference. If each writer chases a singular question, then I need a refrain that does more open-ended, unexpected work than just announcing the color of my skin as the intellectual bottom line — even if, or especially if, that tortured pose is the kind of work that editors expect.” Buzzfeed

Camille Perri says, we need more queer stories where nobody suffers. Electric Lit

MTV’s Decoded: code switching with Franchesca Ramsey.

And that was Tipsday. Tomorrow is hump-day and that’s one day closer to Friday!

Come back on Thursday for your weekly dose of thoughty.

Be well until then, my friends.

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, June 10-16, 2018

June 19, 2018June 17, 2018 / Melanie Marttila

You’ve made it through Monday and now it’s time to reward yourself with some informal writerly learnings 🙂

Roz Morris shares five tips for writing good prose. Nail Your Novel

K.M. Weiland walks you through the five steps to creating great character chemistry. Helping Writers Become Authors

Jeanne Kisacky explores non-verbal communication in writing. Writer Unboxed

Sarah Callender laments losing a beloved critique partner. Writer Unboxed

David Corbett follows up on Sharon Bially’s post (which I shared—last week, was it?) with whiff of death, meet moment of clarity. Writer Unboxed

Porter Anderson looks at solitude and solidarity and the advocacy of the Authors Guild. Writer Unboxed

Chuck Wendig presents the opposite of “kill your darlings.” Then, he’s setting free the sacred cows of writing advice. He was going to slaughter them, but, ick. Terribleminds

Piper Bayard and Jay Holmes glean five writing lessons from “The Americans.” Writers in the Storm

Lisa Hall-Wilson says that emotional layers are the gateway to deep point of view. Writers in the Storm

Becca Puglisi helps you determine your character’s emotional range. Writers in the Storm

Jami Gold stops by Writers Helping Writers: watch out! Avoiding sneaky plot holes.

Christina Delay dives deep into POV on Writers Helping Writers.

Kristen Lamb talks boundaries: be nice … until it’s time to not be nice.

Brenda Joyce Patterson helps you solve the riddle of voice. DIY MFA

Valentine Ferrari shares five tips to keep your blog healthy and vital for many years. DIY MFA

Nathan Bransford advises you to watch out for empty gestures in your novel.

Rebecca Monterusso on Jane Friedman’s blog: what does it mean to write a scene that works?

Chris Winkle presents five underused character archetypes. Mythcreants

And that was Tipsday. Be sure to come back for some thought on Thursday!

Until then, be well.

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, June 3-9, 2018

June 12, 2018June 10, 2018 / Melanie Marttila

Another week, another batch of informal writerly learnings.

Jane Friedman excerpts from Tanya Hall’s Ideas, Influence, and Income: what to look for in a book publicist and tips for going it alone.

Donna Galanti offers eleven ways to find and connect with other authors in your genre. Writers in the Storm

Fae Rowan explains why you have to give your readers what they want. Writers in the Storm

Jenna Moreci shares her top ten hacks for your writing process.

Agent Barbara Poelle answers a question about word counts on Funny You Should Ask. Writer’s Digest

Nancy Johnson helps you find rhythm in your prose. Writer Unboxed

Donald Maass gives you the reason to build a box. Writer Unboxed

Kathryn Magendie explores rhythms in reading and writing. Writer Unboxed

James Scott Bell invites you to use the writer’s spice cabinet. Writers Helping Writers

Chrys Fey stopps by Writers Helping Writers to help you boost your creativity mindset naturally.

K.M. Weiland reviews Avengers: Infinity War and gives us four ways to write a better antagonist. Helping Writers Become Authors

Sara Letourneau provides a case study on revenge as a literary theme. DIY MFA

And here’s my latest column. Mythic structure: The Virgin’s Promise, part one. DIY MFA

Ashley Hilst shows you five ways to inject theme into your story (without being obvious). DIY MFA

Chris Winkle explains how to give your hero sympathetic problems. Mythcreants

Monday and Tuesday are under your workweek belt. Feel good about that.

Be well until Thursday!

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, May 27-June 2, 2018

June 5, 2018June 3, 2018 / Melanie Marttila

Your informal writerly learnings are short and sweet this week. Trade wars and Harvey Weinstein on trial and the Rosanne debacle really took it out of me.

K.M. Weiland: how the truth your character believes defines your theme. Helping Writers Become Authors

Sharon Bially says, purpose is the missing link between your characters’ motives and depth. Writer Unboxed

Bryn Greenwood helps you find your empathy through Florida Man (or Florida Woman). Writer Unboxed

Becca Puglisi helps you create character empathy in your first few pages. Writers Helping Writers

Kristen Lamb explains how and why we writers are our own worst enemies. It’s called self-sabotage.

Jami Gold asks, how do you deal with writer burnout?

Oren Ashkenazi gives us five tips for creating an engaging space battle. Mythcreants

And that’s it for Tipsday.

Be well until Thoughty Thursday comes around.

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, May 6-12, 2018

May 15, 2018May 13, 2018 / Melanie Marttila

Here, once again, are your informal writerly learnings:

Jo Eberhardt: writers write, right? Writer Unboxed

Keith Cronin writes a thought-provoking post for Writer Unboxed: when a bad person makes good art. I’ve struggled with this issue myself and there are no easy answers, at least none that satisfy both my need for social justice and my need for quality art to consume.

Related: Another popular and powerful artist proves he can’t even be a decent human being. MIT to investigate allegations of bullying and unwanted sexual contact against Junot Diaz. MassLive

Juliet Marillier examines the angsty writer. Writer Unboxed

Kathryn Craft helps you compose your protagonist’s “I want” song. Writer Unboxed

Grace Wynter offers some tips for creating your novel’s soundtrack. Writer Unboxed

Nina Munteanu wonders, how do you know your story’s finished?

K.M. Weiland returns to her most common writing mistakes series with part 64: POV problems. Helping Writers Become Authors

Jenna Moreci reviews the pros and cons of traditional publishing (and busts a few myths).

Then, Jenna lists the biggest mistakes writers make.

Susan DeFreitas: what it really takes to break through with your first book deal. Jane Friedman

Penny Sansevieri offers six reasons to relaunch your book (in the age of the reboot). Jane Friedman

September C. Fawkes explains how to convey an established relationship quickly. Writers Helping Writers

Becca Puglisi is choosing the right details. Writers Helping Writers

Nathan Bransford shares everything writers need to know about pitching their books.

Emily Wenstrom explains what authors should know about Facebook’s “meaningful interactions” update. DIY MFA

Robin Lovett lists seven reasons why being unpublished is hard. You’re preaching to the choir, here, Robin 🙂 DIY MFA

Julie Glover explains when action isn’t a good thing in your novel. Writers in the Storm

Shawn Coyne gives us an insider’s look into the acquisition process: how literary agents target acquisitions editors. Steven Pressfield

Joanna Penn helps you manage stress, anxiety, and burnout. The Creative Penn

Chris Winkle discusses five types of disastrous reveals. Mythcreants

Kristen Lamb looks at a trademark issue that hit publishing news this week. Cocky blocked: how to nuke your brand from orbit.

Jami Gold: why we all need a writing community.

And that was Tipsday.

Be well until thoughty Thursday. *waves*

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, April 29-May 5, 2018

May 8, 2018May 6, 2018 / Melanie Marttila

Another week has passed and here I am with another batch of informal writerly learnings 🙂

K.M. Weiland asks, what should your characters talk about? Helping Writers Become Authors

Julie Carrick Dalton says, it’s time cli-fi (climate fiction) became its own genre. I agree in part … The examples she cites are from a number of different genres, though. I don’t know if publishing in general or marketing in particular will be willing to get on board. Stranger things have happened. Writer Unboxed

Therese Walsh explains why you think your writing is brilliant one day and horrible the next. It’s a thing. Writer Unboxed

Donald Maass considers authenticity vs. outline. As with many other aspects of craft, it’s a matter of balance, not one over the other. Writer Unboxed

Julie Glover walks you through the five stages of editing grief. Writers in the Storm

Fae Rowan helps you world build using deep POV. Writers in the Storm

Christina Delay is living for the writing wins. Writers in the Storm

Gabriela Pereira helps you write by design using colour theory. Writers Helping Writers

Kristen Lamb: why every writing project needs a synopsis, even though you hate writing them.

Elisabeth Kauffman tells you how to raise the stakes. DIY MFA

Kharma Kelley explains all authors need to know about the new EU law.

Chris Winkle: storytelling’s terminology problem. Then, Oren Ashkenazi critiques six underdeveloped love interests. Mythcreants

Kim Fahner considers Canada’s 20^th Bookmark to be a “love letter” to Sudbury. The Sudbury Star

And then watch the unveiling!

Emily Petsko lists 25 foreign words with hilarious literal meanings. Mental Floss

More fun with words: the Merriam-Webster time traveler. Check out what words entered the dictionary the year you were born … or any other year since 1828 🙂

And that was Tipsday for this week.

Be well until Thursday!

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, April 15-21, 2018

April 24, 2018April 22, 2018 / Melanie Marttila

Looking for your informal writerly learnings? Why, they’re right here!

K.M. Weiland continues her ultimate first chapter checklist with part 2: writing the opening scene. Helping Writers Become Authors

Colleen M. Story wonders, is it unhealthy to be a workaholic writer? Writers in the Storm

Margie Lawson works her deep edit analysis magic on a bunch of descriptive passages. Not your mama’s character descriptions. Writers in the Storm

Laurie Schnebly Campbell helps you use the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator to create characters who drive each other crazy. Writers in the Storm

Lisa Cron explains how you keep writing when that critical, inner voice won’t shut up. Writers Helping Writers

Christina Delay dives deep with emotion on Writers Helping Writers.

Nathan Bransford wants you to know your rights as an author. Later in the week, he helps you find good comps for your novel.

Callie Oettinger reveals the secrets of the creative brain on Steve Pressfield’s blog.

Jami Gold takes a long, hard look at reader connections, fake personas, and catfishing. Oh, my! I mean, yikes! Later in the week, Becca Puglisi stops by to explain how to create a redeemable villain.

Following up on last week’s post, Chris Winkle helps you recognize bad and good storytelling advice. Then, Oren Ashkenazi explores six novels that struggle with multiple POVs. Mythcreants

Porter Anderson offers this provocation in publishing: attention spans are shorter and word counts are trending down. My favourite quote is from Tom Goodwin: “Book publishing is not in the ‘text industry.’ It’s not in the ‘reading industry.’ It’s in the ‘what do people want to spend their time doing? industry.’” Writer Unboxed

The Unbound Book fest is ripped for lack of inclusiveness and silencing a panelist last year. Olivia Garrett for the Missourian.

This oughta be fun: The Incredibles 2 trailer 🙂

And that was Tipsday.

Be well until Thoughty Thursday!

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, April 8-14, 2018

April 17, 2018April 15, 2018 / Melanie Marttila

You may notice that your informal writerly learnings are on the small side this week. The vagaries of the interwebz 🙂

K.M. Weiland begins a new series! Your ultimate first chapter checklist, part 1: hooking readers. Helping Writers Become Authors

Joanna Penn interviews Jane Friedman: the business of being a writer. Later in the week, Joanna shares three techniques to write better settings. The Creative Penn

Then, over on Jane’s blog, Jane Anne Staw explains how to make your writing anxiety disappear by thinking small.

Sacha Black tells you how not to mess up your book series. Writers Helping Writers

A.K. Perry delves into another of James Scott Bell’s story signposts—the care package. DIY MFA

Elisabeth Kauffman continues her ask the editor series: how do you end a book? DIY MFA

Kim Bullock offers a mental health checkup for writers: when you’re not okay. Writer Unboxed

Robin LaFevers mines her characters’ wounds. Writer Unboxed

Chris Winkle explains why storytelling advice is such a mess. Mythcreants

Philip Horne: Paul Theroux, Susie Boyt, and Amit Chaudhuri let us look inside their writers’ notebooks. The Guardian

And that was Tipsday for this week.

Be well until Thursday!

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, April 1-7, 2018

April 10, 2018April 8, 2018 / Melanie Marttila

Were you looking for these? Your informal writerly learnings are here!

K.M. Weiland helps you decide between plain prose and beautiful prose. Helping Writers Become Authors

Jane Friedman returns to Writer Unboxed: a smarter author platform for the digital era of publishing.

Nathan Bransford offers a guide to social media for authors. Later in the week he offers tips on how to regain your concentration.

Emily Wenstrom explains how to use Twitter hashtags for writers. DIY MFA

Porter Anderson delves into author pay and publishing profits. And then, he looks at the success of Canada Reads as PBS announces a similar competition.

Valerie Francis joins Joanna Penn on The Creative Penn to discuss how to write a scene the Story Grid way.

Donald Maass takes a non-linear approach to middle scenes. Writer Unboxed

Sonja Yeorg is resurrecting a shelved manuscript. Writer Unboxed

Jo Eberhardt talks art and social change. It’s a ripping awesome post. Writer Unboxed

Tamar Sloan is deepening character complexity with the help of psychology. Writers Helping Writers

Angela Ackerman examines the destructive power of the lie your character believes. Writers Helping Writers

Jami Gold offers some suggestions to help you create a compelling, but quiet, black moment.

Heather Webb shares a writer’s lessons in failure. Writers in the Storm

Do the thing? Chuck Wendig offers a helpful (and hilarious) FAQ. Terribleminds

Kristen Lamb brings the LOLZ with her post on diagnosing the real writer.

Dheolos and Worldbuilding Magazine are creating a mountain setting. Mythcreants

Nina Munteanu explores how the women of The Expanse are changing our worldview.