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
2023 Get Started Right Writing Challenge: Day 7 by Robert Lee Brewer
The seventh day of the Writer’s Digest Get Started Right Writing Challenge gives writers the ability to choose their own project. See all the other days here. Robert Lee Brewer is senior editor of Writer’s Digest. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer. Follow Writer’s Digest via their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link), on Twitter at @WritersDigest and on Facebook at @writersdigest.
Video: Align To Your Enneagram Type With Claire Taylor by Becca Syme
How to figure out your core motivation — your core fear and your core desire — that drives you in life. And in writing. Aligning your actual motivation and your writing will fill your emotional needs. You can get a quick free enneagram test from Truity — the full report costs $30 — and Claire Taylor herself offers a free five-day author alignment course. And here’s a nice article from another expert about how to use the results of the enneagram test to help you find your core desires and fears. 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: Quarterly Writing Goals Are Back by Jenna Moreci
How to set quarterly writing goals — and how Jenna Moreci does it, and what her current quarterly goals are. 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.
Other motivational advice this week:
- 12 Ways To Get Out Of Your Own Way In 2023 by David Villalva for David Villalva
- Video: 2022 Writing Wrap Up + 2023 Goals by Shaelin Bishop for ShaelinWrites
- Podcast: 3 Things To Focus On If You’re A Brand New Writer by Savannah Gilbo for Fiction Writing Tips
- 8 Strategies That Will Help You Improve Your Writing Skills by Nicole Bianchi for Nicole Bianchi
- A Quick Guide To Setting Goals That Work by Rochelle Melander for Write Now Coach!
- Video: Are Your Writing Dreams Sitting On Hold? by Lauren Sapala for Lauren Sapala
- Choosing Your Habit by Greer Macallister for Writer Unboxed
- Video: Ernest Hemingway’s Favorite Writing Exercise by Nicole Bianchi for Nicole Bianchi
- Finding The Time, Energy, And Confidence To Create by Dan Blank for WeGrowMedia
- How To Choose Your Best Writing Yes In The New Year by Kristen Hogrefe Parnell for The Write Conversation
- How To Develop A Daily Writing Habit: 7 Effective Strategies by Nicole Bianchi for Nicole Bianchi
- How To Establish A Shutdown Ritual by Daphne Gray-Grant for Publication Coach
- How We Can Use Resolutions To Grow As A Writer by Tim Suddeth for The Write Conversation
- Video: Is Talking About Writing Okay? by Daphne Gray-Grant for Publication Coach
- Meaningful Resolutions For Writers by Lynn H. Blackburn for The Write Conversation
- Meet Your Writing Goals In 2023 – Join A Writing Community! by Carol Gordon Ekster for Writers’ Rumpus
- Video: Reacting To My 2022 Writing & Publishing Goals — Was I Too Ambitious? by Claire Fraise for Write with Claire Fraise
- Seeing The Right Thing With Writing by Martin Wiles for The Write Conversation
- Seven Ways To Jumpstart Your Imagination by Paula Munier for Career Authors
- The 2022 Wrap Up: What Are Your Goals For 2023? by Janice Hardy for Fiction University
- Why It’s Important For Writers To Be Intentional About Celebrating Our Wins by A.c. Williams for The Write Conversation
- Video: Will My Resolutions Really Work? by Becca Syme for QuitCast for Writers with Becca Syme
- Writing Productivity Hacks: How To Write More And Finish by Jordan Kantey for Now Novel
- Writing: Building Good Habits by Linda S. Clare for Linda S. Clare
The art and craft of writing
Chaos And Creating Fiction by Donald Maass
Very detailed advice on how to add chaos into your novel to make it less predictable and more interesting for readers. Book agent Donald Maass is the author of one of my favorite writing advice books, Writing the Breakout Novel. The guy speaks from experience — a lot of experience — about what makes books sell. 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.
Video: Why 2 Authors Are Better Than 1 by Mark Dawson And James Blatch
This choice represents how a character is forced between opposing forces, internal or external, and the only way to move forward is by making a difficult decision. Guests Kerrie Flanagan and Chuck Harrelson dispel their secrets on how they co-write sci-fi and fantasy books while co-running a publishing business. 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.
Literary Crisis: Why A Dilemma Will Make Your Good Story Great by Joe Bunting
A literary or story crisis, also called a dilemma, is a the crucial moment when a character is confronted with a significant choice that will change the trajectory of their life. This choice represents how a character is forced between opposing forces, internal or external, and the only way to move forward is by making a difficult decision. Joe Bunting is a book coach, an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. Follow him on Instagram at @jhbunting. The Write Practice is an advice site from a group of writers. They also have a writing critique community and a newsletter. Follow The Write Practice on Twitter, on Facebook, or subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link).
Podcast: Conveying Time by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, And Wes Matlock
This week, the Mythcreants team is talking time jumps, time stamps, and all manner of time shenanigans. With luck, you’ll learn how to properly explain when things happen. 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.
Other writing advice this week:
- 5 Considerations When Adding Diverse Characters To Historical Romance by Lisa Rayne for Writer’s Digest
- 5 Steps To Writing Shorter First Drafts by H. Duke for The Writersaurus
- Beyond What If?: Four Plot Hacks That Really Work by Paula Munier for Career Authors
- Character Names: 5 Tips That Help Writers Pick Great Character Names by Sarah Gribble for The Write Practice
- Character Prompts: 40+ Ideas To Flesh Out Your Cast by Dave Chesson for Kindlepreneur
- Podcast: Connecting To Creativity, Going Short, And Ai In Trad Pub by Bryan Cohen And H. Claire Taylor for Sell More Books Show
- Crafting A Compelling Story Premise by C. S. Lakin for Live Write Thrive
- Creating Authentic Queer Characters (By Nick Taylor) by for Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor & Proofreader – Blog
- Five Stories That Crawl Along by Chris Winkle for Mythcreants
- From Idea To Drafting In Five Steps by Stacy Frazer for DIY MFA
- How I Combine Plotting And Pantsing In My Writing by Ali Hazelwood for Writer’s Digest
- How Should You Start Your Story? by Karen Cioffi for Writers On The Move
- Podcast: How To Raise The Emotional Stakes In Your Novel With Stephanie Dethlefs by Sacha Black for Sacha Black
- How To Write Romantic Suspense With Humor by Jayne Ann Krentz for Writer’s Digest
- Video: Improve Your Writing Style. Start By Eliminating These Mistakes! by Stavros Halvatzis for Get Writing
- The Willow Tv Show Is A Terrible Sequel by Oren Ashkenazi for Mythcreants
- What Is Plot? The 6 Elements Of Plot And How To Use Them by Joe Bunting And Ruthanne Reid for The Write Practice
- What Job Should My Hero Have? by Oren Ashkenazi for Mythcreants
- Writing A Passive Protagonist? by September C. Fawkes for MyStoryDoctor
- Podcast: Writing Diverse Characters Via Nuanced Shifts In Language — Interview With Mary Robinette Kowal by Gabriela Pereira for DIY MFA
The business side of writing
The Top 10 Publishing Trends For 2023 by Clayton Noblit
Every year, these guys survey publishing industry experts and analyze their own data to make predictions on what the new year has in store for authors and the wide world of publishing. Here are their top ten publishing trends to watch in 2023, starting with the rise of AI for writing, art, and audiobooks. Clayton Noblit is a marketing manager at Written Word Media, a book marketing company. Follow Written Word Media via their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link), on Facebook at @writtenwordmedia and on Twitter at @WrittenWordM.
Writers: Why Blogging Is Essential In The Era Of Fragmenting Social Media by Anne R. Allen
Setting up a blog is free and quick with platforms like WordPress.com, gets your name into search engines, allows you to interact with your fans, lets you control your brand, and helps you establish yourself as a professional. Plus, forcing yourself to come up with a topic every week and writing to deadline helps you build your writing muscles. Anne Allen started her career at Bantam and knows her way around the publishing industry. Allen also writes mysteries and how-to books about writing. For more advice like this, follow her on Twitter at @annerallen or on Facebook at @annerallenauthor. Anne R. Allen’s Blog… with Ruth Harris offers advice from a couple of publishing industry veterans. For more advice like this, subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly link).
Other business advice this week:
- Podcast: Multiple Streams Of Revenue With Thom Carnell by J.d. Barker, J. Thorn And Zach Bohannon for Writers, Ink.
- Video: What Literary Agents Look For On The Offer Call by Jessica Faust And James Mcgowan for BookEnds Literary Agency
- The Author-Creator Marketing Playbook by Michael Evans for Jane Friedman
- 5 Important Reasons To Use Youtube For Book Marketing (And How To Do It) by Sandra Beckwith for Build Book Buzz
- Picking The Right Book Marketing Services In 2023 by Penny Sansevieri for Self Published Author
- How To Talk About Your Book by Karen Debonis for Writers In The Storm
- Four Ways To Impress An Editor by Sarah Sally Hamer for The Write Conversation
- 23 Successful Marketing Strategies For Authors To Start Using In 2023 by Penny Sansevieri for Author Marketing Experts, Inc.
- Book Idea Validation Mastery: Is Your Book Idea A Bestseller? by Dave Chesson for Kindlepreneur
- Kdp Interior Templates: What Are They And Where To Get Them by Jason Hamilton for Kindlepreneur
- Video: Is K-Lytics A Valuable Book Marketing Research Tool? by Julie Broad for Book Launchers
- How To Get People To Your Book Signing by Michael Gallant for BookBaby Blog
- Podcast: How To Use Paid Advertising As Part Of Your Book Marketing With Mark Dawson by Joanna Penn for The Creative Penn
- Get Booked On A Podcast By Answering One Question by J. Alex Greenwood for Writers In The Storm
Am I missing any writing advice sites? Email me at [email protected] or leave a note in the comments below.
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.
Helpful round-up as always, Maria. Thank you for the mention! Hope the year ahead is kind to you.