This week’s top writing advice from around the web for Aug. 6, 2023

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Reading Time: 9 minutes
(Image by Maria Korolov via Midjourney.)

I subscribe to more than 180 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

Fight Writing Inspiration by Carla Hoch

Trained fighter and author Carla Hoch shares the difference between books meant to be read and books meant to be written, and how her experience of losing a fight showed her the importance of taking risks. Carla Hoch is the author of the Writer’s Digest book Fight Write: How to Write Believable Fight Scenes. Her blog, FightWrite.net, was in Writer’s Digest Top Websites for Writers in 2019 and 2020. She has training in almost a dozen martial arts and competes in Brazilian jiujitsu. She regularly teaches on the craft of writing fight scenes as well as the mechanics of fighting for writers. Follow Writer’s Digest via their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link), on Twitter at @WritersDigest and on Facebook at @writersdigest.

How To Break Free From Shiny Object Syndrome by Daphne Gray-Grant

Shiny Object Syndrome symptoms include a stack of unfinished files, projects or work sitting on your desk, constant changes in your plans, objectives or goals, frequently switching from one task to another. 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.

Video: How To Protect Your Creative Work From Criticism by Lauren Sapala

One of the biggest fears that people deal with around creativity is the fear of what other people will think. Many of us try to tell ourselves that we don’t care, but this just isn’t true. The solution to this problem is to keep your work private, especially in the early stages, to nurture it in a space space. 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.

Video: How To Stay Committed To Your Book by Daphne Gray-Grant

Lots of great advice for what to do when you hit “the wall” in the middle of the book. For example, rehearse coping with the bad bits ahead of time, focus on the next step, reframe your fear as excitement and boredom as a chance to let your mind wander and come up with new ideas. 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

Writing Fast, Collaboration, And Author Mindset With Daniel Willcocks by Joanna Penn

How can you write fast but also make your creative process sustainable for the long term? How can you collaborate effectively with other authors in your genre? Dan Willcocks talks about his creative and business approach. He is the international bestselling author of over 60 books, including horror, sci-fi, and nonfiction. He’s also an award-winning podcaster, author coach and speaker, and runs the Activated Author community. 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.

Are You Missing These Opportunities To Write A Better Story? by Janice Hardy

Transform your story by mining its hidden gems — including cool elements that you didn’t think mattered and throw-away lines. Fantasy author Janice Hardy has several must-have writing guides up on Amazon and you can follow her on Twitter @Janice_Hardy. Follow Janice Hardy’s Fiction University via RSS feed here (direct Feedly signup link), or follow them on Facebook at @JaniceHardysFictionUniversity. Janice Hardy’s Fiction University is one of the top writing advice sites out there. You can subscribe to their RSS feed here (direct Feedly signup link), or follow it on Twitter or on Facebook.

Video: Every Writer Should Be Using ChatGPT’s Code Interpreter (Here’s Why) by Jason Hamilton

I’ve tried ChatGPT’s code interpreter and found it to be all but unusable for anything except data-crunching, but Jason’s found a couple of things it can do for writers. Jason Hamilton is a fantasy author — check out Hamilton’s site, MythHQ. You can also follow him on Twitter at @StoryHobbit and on Facebook at Jason Hamilton. The Nerdy Novelist is a YouTube channel focusing on using AI to write and market books.

Other writing advice this week:

The business side of writing

Video: You Should Do All The Things by Becca Syme

Insead of trying to do everything, find alignment and focus on what truly matters — and learn to say no to things that don’t align with individual goals. Guest Claire Taylor is the author of Reclaim your Author Career. 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.

Top 10 Challenges Authors Face When Marketing A Book – And The Solutions by Penny Sansevieri

Great overview of the most common marketing challenges, starting with not enough money, and not enough time. 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: AI Suits, Business Plans, And Constructive Criticism by Bryan Cohen and H. Claire Taylor

What can you do to make yourself more human to your readers? 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.

Amazon’s Algorithms And Branding by Morgan Hazelwood

Tips for promoting your books on Amazon, including keywords and niches. Morgan Hazelwood writes from her lair in Northern Virginia. She’s a blogger, vlogger, and podcaster of writing tips and writerly musings, plus an actively querying fantasy author. For more advice like this, follow her on Twitter at @MorganHzlwood, on Facebook at Morgan Hazelwood, and on YouTube at Morgan Hazelwood. At Morgan Hazelwood, she offers writing advice and resources.

Video: Become A Book Rockstar With Aryn Van Dyke by Mark Dawson and James Blatch

Who is your audience, really? And are you catering to them? Is there a way to cater to them more? All of these questions are things Aryn Van Dyke, the creator of a book consulting website addresses with her authors. 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.

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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