This week’s top writing advice from around the web for Jan. 22, 2023

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Reading Time: 10 minutes
(Image by Maria Korolov via Midjourney.)

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

Learn How To Write Faster — 22 Tips For Writers by Dave Chesson

Very comprehensive list of tips for how to write faster, stay focused, and reach your goals. Dave Chesson is the founder of Kindlepreneur is pretty much the top site out there for self-published authors who want to sell more e-books on Amazon. The RSS feed is here (direct Feedly signup link). Follow them on Facebook at @KindlePreneur and Chesson himself on Twitter at @DaveChesson. And make sure to subscribe to his podcast, The Book Marketing Show. Kindlepreneur is pretty much the top site out there for self-published authors who want to sell more e-books on Amazon. The RSS feed is here (direct Feedly signup link). Follow them on Facebook at @KindlePreneur and founder Dave Chesson on Twitter at @DaveChesson.

Video: The Difference Between 7k And 700 Word Days by Becca Syme

The difference between productive and non-productive days is usually not about a productivity system, but about what else is happening your life. That means that writers need to look at the other system in their life — the system for how they manage family, friends, and health. We’re not usually aware of this system. It’s created organically, usually through a series of accidents, and we don’t usually think about these decisions and making intentional plans to make it work for us. The first step is to become aware of what happens in our life, and how it affects our writing. For example, did you walk through the pantry before starting writing, or opening the window shades, or talking to a friend? Sometimes it’s the little things that we don’t expect that happen in our life can throw off our entire writing day, and its usually a surprise to writers who do this exercise. Becca Syme is a Gallup-certified strengths coach, author coach, and nonfiction author who’s coached more than 5,700 authors. 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.

Video: When To Give Up On Your Writing by Daphne Gray-Grant

This isn’t actually advice on when to give up blogging to promote your writing career, but how not to give up and stay motivated for the long haul. Daphne Gray-Grant is a writing coach, author of Your Happy First Draft, and host of The Write Question show on YouTube. Publication Coach offers books, courses, videos, and one-on-one coaching for authors. If you want more advice like this, subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link) or follow them on Twitter at @pubcoach or subscribe to their YouTube channel.

Other motivational advice this week:

The art and craft of writing

The Prologue Is Past? by Dave King

According to this post, it’s too soon to give up on prologues — they’re incredibly handy. Dave King is the co-author of Self-Editing for Fiction Writer. An independent editor since 1987, he is also a former contributing editor at Writer’s Digest. For more writing tips, visit DaveKingEdits.com. Writer Unboxed is a fantastic writing advice site, with lots of helpful articles from some of the biggest names in the field. Follow them on RSS (direct Feedly signup link) and on Twitter.

What Makes A Successful Author by Jessica Faust And James Mcgowan

It’s revisions. Revisions make an author successful. Jessica Faust is the owner and president at the BookEnds literary agency. Follow her on Twitter at @BookEndsJessica or on Instagram at @jfaust_bookends or email her directly at [email protected]. James McGowan is a literary agent at the agency. BookEnds is a literary agency that represents more than 300 authors and illustrations, both fiction and non-fiction, including several New York Times and USA today bestsellers. They are currently open to submissions. If you want more advice like this, subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link) or follow them on Twitter at @bookendslit or on Facebook at @BookEndsLiterary.

Video: Indie Storytelling: Writing Books & Movies by Mark Dawson And James Blatch

Paranormal romance author Dominika Best shares her secrets as an indie storyteller that spans mediums, genres, and years of success. She talks about what storytellers can learn from how productions work in Hollywood, how her time in Hollywood influenced her writing process, and content marketing for books with podcasts. Mark Dawson is a USA Today bestselling author who teaches courses about book production and marketing. Check out his website at MarkJDawson.com. James Blatch writes military thrillers. For more, check out his website, JamesBlatch.com. On the Self Publishing Formula show, Mark Dawson and James Blatch talk about building a career as a self-published author.

Video: 10 Things Writers Do That Give Me The Ick by Jenna Moreci

The problems with writing real people into your book, giving characters too much control, bullying other authors, and more examples of bad author behavior, some of which can really damage your credibility as a writer. Jenna Moreci is a best-selling fantasy author and the host of a YouTube show about writing that has hundreds of thousands of subscribers. Writing with Jenna Moreci is a YouTube channel that offers seven years’ worth of writing advice, with new videos posted weekly.

Podcast: Ensemble Stories by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, And Wes Matlock

In this episode, the Mythcreants team discusses stories with large casts where every character gets equal time. Oren Ashkenazi is the speculative fiction manuscript editor, Chris Winkle is the founder and editor-in-chief, and Wes Matlock is a content 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.

Podcast: An Interview With Dan Wells by Mary Robinette Kowal

In this episode, Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler talk with Dan Wells about advice he gave back in the early days that he still stands by today. Mary Robinette Kowal is the Nebula and Hogo Award-winning author of the Lady Astronaut series and other books and the former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Writing Excuses is a podcast about the art and business of writing. Support them on Patreon.

Other writing advice this week:

The business side of writing

Podcast: Intuitive Writing And Book Marketing With Becca Syme by Joanna Penn

Do you sometimes just know when a story is right? Does something click during the writing process and suddenly things make sense? Do you lean into your curiosity and emotion when it comes to writing and marketing? If yes, you might be an intuitive writer, as Becca Syme explains in this interview. Becca Syme is a Gallup-certified strengths coach, author coach, and nonfiction author who’s coached more than 5,700 authors. Joanna Penn has been sharing writing and publishing advice since 2008 at The Creative Penn and is the author of Successful Self-Publishing and many other writing and publishing advice books. She also has one of my favorite writing advice podcasts, and you can subscribe to it on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. The Creative Penn offers articles, videos, books, tools, and courses for independent authors.

Announcement: Self Publishing School Is Closed, The Future Of Publishing, And Funding 75 Libraries by Chandler Bolt

Looks like they’re shutting down Self Publishing School and moving everyone over to SelfPublishing.com, where prices start at $4,000 per book. They do have some free resources, though. Chandler Bolt is an investor, advisor, the CEO of Self-Publishing School and SelfPublishing.com, and the author of six bestselling books including his most recent book titled Published. Self Publishing School offers online courses about self publishing, as well as a podcast, blog, and other resources. For more advice like this subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link), on Twitter at @Self_Pub_School and on Facebook at @Self Publishing School.

Video: Amazon Author Central Page Video Creation Guide by Julie Broad

The Amazon Author Central Page got a makeover in 2023 and looks a little different, but it still has a spot for you to upload a video. You can upload an unboxing video, a promotional video, a book trailer or other video content, such as you reading a short excerpt from your book. The videos should be shorter than 30 seconds, and focus on the value to the buyer. Julie Broad heads up a team of self-publishing experts at Book Launchers. Book Launchers is mostly aimed at non-fiction book authors, but with useful advice for fiction authors as well. You can also follow them on Facebook at @booklaunchers and on Twitter at @booklaunchers. And, of course, subscribe to their YouTube channel.

AI: The Year In Review Part 9 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

AI-generated audiobooks, images, and even text. It’s all here now, but the ethical and copyright issues are still being worked out. New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch writes bestselling science fiction and fantasy, award-winning mysteries, acclaimed mainstream fiction, controversial nonfiction, and the occasional romance. At KrisWrites.com, Rusch offers her thoughts about the publishing industry and other topics.

Other business advice this week:

Am I missing any writing advice sites? Email me at [email protected] or leave a note in the comments below.

Maria Korolov

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 [email protected]. She is also the editor and publisher of Hypergrid Business, one of the top global sites covering virtual reality.

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