This week’s top writing advice from around the web for Sep. 25, 2022

Reading Time: 8 minutes
(Image by Maria Korolov created with 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

Video: How To Set Goals As An Author by Jessica Faust and James McGowan

In this episode, the hosts outline a framework for authors so that it’s possible for writers to make a thorough and honest evaluation for their career goals. 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.

The Benefits Of Working With A Writing Coach by Suzanne Lieurance

A good coach helps a writer stay motivated by providing constant feedback and encouragement and can provide a system for success that the writer can stick with. Suzanne Lieurance is the author of over 40 published books and a writing coach and certified life coach. For more, check out her website, SuzanneLieurance-Author.com. Writers On The Move offers writing, publishing and book marketing advice from experienced authors and marketers.

Where Do Ideas Come From? by Randy Ingermanson

Creativity often seems to be a matter of luck. In this post, Randy Ingermanson offers three tips for how to make it happen more reliably. Randy Ingermanson is a theoretical physicist, award-winning sci-fi author, and writing coach. He is best known for the snowflake method of story structure, see How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method for more info. You can follow him on Twitter at @SnowflakeGuy. Advanced Fiction Writing offer writing advice tools, books and writing courses. Follow them via their RSS feed (directly Feedly link) or on Facebook at @Advanced Fiction Writing.

Other motivational advice this week:

The art and craft of writing

Podcast: A Masterclass In Planning And Writing A Series — Interview With Helen Scheuerer by Gabriela Pereira

Guest Helen Scheuerer has a new book out, “How to Write a Successful Series.” In this interview, she talks about how to create, maintain, and use a story bible, the importance of allowing your writing process to evolve as you change, and how to decide whether traditional or indie publishing is right for you.
Gabriela Pereira is a writer, teacher, and self-proclaimed word nerd and the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, with a mission is to empower writers to take an entrepreneurial approach to their education and professional growth. 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).

Podcast: Creating Fictional Cultures by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, and Wes Matlock

The Mythcreants team discusses how to create a realistic culture, including history, economics, and religion. 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.

Seven Easy Sources Of Real World Danger by Chris Winkle

How to get your new superhero in trouble without falling back on racist or sexist stereotypes. Chris Winkle is the founder and editor-in-chief of 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.

10 Big Mistakes To Avoid When Writing Female Characters by Lucy V Hay

A great list of tips, especially if you’re a male writer who doesn’t have any real women in his life. These should all be obvious by now, but the mistakes just keep showing up everywhere, so well worth repeating. Lucy Hay is a script editor, author and blogger who helps writers at her site, Bang2write.com. Follow Bang2write.com on Twitter at @Bang2write and on Facebook at @Bang2writers.

Other writing advice this week:

The business side of writing

Why Writers And Artists Have Such A Hard Time Selling Things by Lauren Sapala

We see plenty of examples of bad advertising out there and many artists and writers often wind up thinking that all sales and marketing is inherently evil. But there is plenty of good marketing out there, where potential buyers have a chance to find out about a product that is well made and will improve their lives. This post offers some advice on how to change your mindset to the second kind of selling. Lauren Sapala is a writer and a writing coach. For more advice like this, follow her on Twitter at @losapala, on Facebook at @LaurenSapala, and on YouTube at Lauren Sapala. At LaurenSapala.com, Sapala offers writing advice, courses, and coaching services.

Podcast: Don’t Fall For Promises Of Success by Penny Sansevieri

Scammers promise authors that they’ll get you a film deal, or handle all your marketing for you, or guarantee that you’ll be a success. Here’s how to spot the scams and avoid falling for them. Penny Sansevieri is the CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, an adjunct professor at NYU, and a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Follow her on Twitter at @Bookgal and on Facebook at @therealbookgal. Her book, How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon, has just been updated for 2021 and is in Kindle Unlimited. Author Marketing Experts is a book promotion company. For more advice like this subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link).

Podcast: Author Pressure, 1-Star Experiences, And Small Books by Bryan Cohen and H. Claire Taylor

How to survive your first one-star review, how to distribute advanced reader copies that can’t be pirated, 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.

Video: Writing And Publishing Short Stories With The Indy Author’s Matty Dalrymple by Kristina Adams and Ellie Betts

How to market and sell short fiction. 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: Taking Off With Tiktok by Mark Dawson and James Blatch

Guest author Adam Beswick has proven that TikTok can help sell books, even if they’re not in the romance genre. In this interview, he talks about starting on TikTok and developing a strategy for the platform, how to deal with trolls, what tools to use, and how to sell books directly from a TikTok shop.
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.

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 *