This week’s top writing advice from around the web for Sep. 18, 2022

Reading Time: 8 minutes
AI-generated illustration created with Midjourney. Read our Midjourney review here.

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

Podcast: How To Overcome Writer’s Block With Sudowrite by Thomas Umstattd Jr.

An interview with the developer of Sudowrite, an AI-powered writing assistant. Thomas Umstattd Jr. is the CEO of Author Media, literary agent, author, podcaster, and marketing experts. For more, check out his website ThomasUmstattd.com. The Novel Marketing Podcast is all about the business side of being a successful author.

The Serious Business Of Having Fun by Chad R. Allen

In contrast to other kinds of work, in writing we have more to lose because we are exposing a vulnerable part of ourselves. The stakes are high. And because the stakes are high, we are prone to procrastination and escapism. In this post, Allen suggests five ways to get some fun back into the writing process to help us stay motivated and productive. Chad R. Allen is a writer, editor, speaker, and writing coach who’s spent 20 years in the traditional publishing industry. Follow him on Twitter at @ChadRAllenand and on Facebook at Chad R. Allen. For more advice like this, follow Chad R. Allen via the website’s RSS feed (direct Feedly link here).

Video: What If I Succeed? by Becca Syme

Why writers should plan for success. Becca Syme is a Gallup-certified strengths coach, author coach, and nonfiction author. 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.

Other motivational advice this week:

The art and craft of writing

How To Write A Hook For Speculative Fiction by Disha Walia

Entry hooks can be one of the hardest elements of a story to write, regardless of the genre. But if you can nail them, not only can you grab your readers’ attention at the beginning of your story, but also reuse your newfound skills to repeat each time a new chapter starts. Disha Walia is a lifelong storyteller and an enthusiastic writer and editor in love with the idea of exploring the creative world of words. Connect with her on Quillinary.com or follow her on Twitter at @quillinary. DiyMFA offers classes, advice articles and other training materials for writers. For more advice like this, follow them on Twitter at @DIYMFA and on Facebook at @DIYMFA or subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link).

How To Start A Story: Writing Better Preview Pages by Jordan Kantey

Good basic overview of how to start a book so that you’ll hook readers right from the preview pages.
Jordan Kantey is a writer, marketer, community manager and product developer for Now Novel. You can find out more about him on his LinkedIn page. Now Novel is a company that offers writing sources, coaching, and editing. If you want more advice like this, subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link) or follow them on Twitter at @nownovel or on Facebook at @nownovel or subscribe to their YouTube channel.

Welcome To The Future, Part 1 by Lisa Norman

Authors can use AI images to bring their words to life for their more visually inclined fans, and AI is coming to the area of the written word as well. Lisa Norman writes as Deleyna Marr and is the owner of Deleyna’s Dynamic Designs, a web development company focused on helping writers, and Heart Ally Books, an indie publishing firm. She teaches for Lawson Writer’s Academy. Writers in the Storm is another great site for writing advice, with a group of regular contributors and guest writers who post frequently. It is very well worth following on RSS (direct Feedly signup link here).

Who Has The ANTS: Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Or Ms. Marvel? by Oren Ashkenazi

How three recent Marvel TV series stack up when it comes to attachment, novelty, tension, and satisfaction. Oren Ashkenazi is a speculative fiction manuscript 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:

The business side of writing

Podcast: Bookfunnel Previews, Finding Focus, And Trad Pub Stat Silliness by Bryan Cohen and H. Claire Taylor

Why authors should use Kickstarter, and how slow writing can lead to writing success, and more. Bryan Cohen is an experienced copywriter, bestselling author, and the founder of Best Page Forward and Amazon Ad School. You can find out more about Bryan at BryanCohen.com. H. Claire Taylor is a humor author and fiction strategist, as well as the owner of FFS Media. The Sell More Books Show is a weekly podcast focusing on helping new and experienced authors stay up-to-date with the latest self-publishing and indie news, tools and book selling and marketing strategies.

A Guide To Promoting Yourself As An Author Online by Elizabeth Javor

It’s important to market early in the process, even before you publish your book. You want to come into launch day with momentum, and the way to do that is to build up an audience of readers eager to read your book. Elizabeth Javor is the director of sales and marketing for Outskirts Press, a group of publishing consultants who focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process to help them publish the book of their dreams. Self Publishing Advisor offers tips and advice for self-published authors.

Video: Managing Multiple Streams Of Income With L.L. Macrae by Kristina Adams and Ellie Betts

Kristina Adams and Ellie Betts talk with L.L. Macrae, a fantasy author of character-driven stories and epic adventure. She talks about how in-person events can benefit writers and other ways to monetize writing. Kristina Adams is a bestselling author and writing instructor. Find out more at her website, KristinaAdamsAuthor.com. The Writer’s Mindset is a YouTube channel from the team behind The Writer’s Cookbook, a site that offers writing workshops and courses as well as writing and marketing services. For more advice like this, follow them on Twitter at @writingcookbook and on Facebook at @writingcookbook .

Video: Building A Brand-Consistent Backlist by Mark Dawson

On the liberation of writing genre fiction, the importance to sales of titles and subtitles, the effect on sales of better book packaging, learning to hit the beats that readers expect, using bonus stories to grow a newsletter list and the differences marketing audiobooks versus ebooks. Mark Dawson is a USA Today bestselling author who teaches courses about book production and marketing. On the Self Publishing Formula show, Mark Dawson and James Blatch talk about building a career as a self-published author.

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.

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

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *