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
Book Writing Strategies: 7 Different Ones To Try Today by Sarah Rexford
Some tried-and-true pieces of advice here, like having a daily word count, or stopping the day’s writing in the middle of a scene. But also some less usual advice, such as writing right after a workout, still covered in sweat. Sarah Rexford is a marketing content creator and writer. Rexford helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. She also writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog ItsSarahRexford.com. for more advice like this, follow her on Twitter at @sarahjrexford. 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.
Can You Banish Your Fear Of Writing? by Daphne Gray-Grant
Fear of writing is a terrible burden. But there’s things you can do that will help, such as getting very, very specific about exactly what it is you’re afraid of, then come up with a practical plan to address specific concerns. Many writers start out with a vague, looming kind of fear, but once you pull it apart and analyze it, it can become more manageable. 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:
- How To Come Back To Your Writing Practice After You’ve Been Called Away by Tracy Hahn-Burkett for Writer Unboxed
- Video: How To Stay Motivated To Write Your Book by Abbie Emmons for Abbie Emmons
- If You Think Writing Is Easy You’re Probably Not Very Good At It by Nathan Bransford for Nathan Bransford
- Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Strategies For Coping As A Writer by Jessica Majewski for Insecure Writer’s Support Group
- Setting Writing Goals: How To Set Goals And Finish Your Book by J. D. Edwin for The Write Practice
- The Soundtrack Of Your Story by PJ Parrish for Killzoneblog.com
- What Do Writers Want: Goal Setting For Scribblers And Other Creatives by Paula Munier for Career Authors
- Writing Tips: Live A Lot, Write A Lot by Liam Cross for A Writer’s Path
The art and craft of writing
How I Used Generative AI Tools For My Short Story, With A Demon’s Eye by Joanna Penn
How Joanna Penn used Sudowrite — which is similar to ChatGPT in some of its capabilities — and ProWritingAid to write her latest short story. 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.
Podcast: The 6 Scenes Every Status Story Needs by Savannah Gilbo
Status stories center around the protagonist’s inner need for respect that manifests as a specific desire to achieve or accomplish something in the external world. Savannah Gilbo is a developmental editor and book coach. At Savanna Gilbo, she offers writing and publishing advice.
The Editing Conundrum by Anne Hawkinson
A writer may consider the story done when the last sentence is typed, but there are some practical, cost-saving self-editing steps that are worth taking before handing off a finished story to anyone. One of those steps? Printing out a physical copy of the work and going through it with colored pens and highlighters. Anne K. Hawkinson is an award-winning author and poet. Find out more at her website, AnneHawkingson.com The Florida Writers Association is a great resource for writers, with a very active advice blog. Follow the Florida Writers Association via their RSS feed (direct Feedly link here), on Facebook at Florida Writers Association and on Twitter at @FloridaWriters1.
Writing Blood Loss by Carla Hoch
Trained fighter and author Carla Hoch shares the science and storytelling behind writing about blood loss and injuries. 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.
Podcast: Mentor Characters by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, and Wes Matlock
This week, the Mythcreants gang discusses why mentor characters exist, what benefits they provide, and why they’re often such a problem that authors are notorious for killing them off. 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.
P.E.A.N.U.T.: 6 steps to staying ahead of AI as a fiction author by Maria Korolov
This is an article I wrote this week about how being Personal, Emotional, Authoritative, New, Unique, and Trustworthy in your writing can help you stay relevant in the age of AI. After much internal debate, we have officially decided to accept stories written with the help of AI here at MetaStellar, but whether or not you use AI to help you with your writing, you still have to connect with readers. MetaStellar is an online magazine of speculative fiction, but you already know that, because you’re here.
Other writing advice this week:
- Video: 10 Ways Writers Treat Their Readers Like Idiots by Jenna Moreci for Writing with Jenna Moreci
- 100 Character Development Questions To Inspire Deeper Arcs by Jordan Kantey for Now Novel
- 4 Ways To Add Spice But Not Smut In Fiction by Ciera Horton McElroy for Writer’s Digest
- 4 Ways To Organize Your Third-Person POVs by Kathryn Craft for Writer Unboxed
- 6 Tips For A Satisfying Short Story Ending by Peter Mountford for Writer’s Digest
- Video: 6 Ways To Know Your Book Starts In The Wrong Place by Jessica Faust and James McGowan for BookEnds Literary Agency
- Are You Writing A Shiny Idea Or A Robust Story? by Sandy Vaile for Writers In The Storm
- Can I Write A Good Villain Who Is Completely Awful? by Chris Winkle for Mythcreants
- Critiques – How To Get Them, How To Receive Them by Diana Stout for Writers In The Storm
- Desire, Goals, Motivations, And Needs In Storytelling by Stefan Emunds for Writers In The Storm
- Friend Or Foe: ChatGPT Has Pushed Language AI Into The Spotlight by Erma Clare for Writer Unboxed
- Genre Tips: How To Write Fantasy by K. M. Weiland for Helping Writers Become Authors
- Video: How To Create Subtext In Your Story by Shaelin Bishop for ShaelinWrites
- Video: Is Your Protagonist Believable? Don’t Make This Mistake! by Stavros Halvatzis for Get Writing
- Managing Exposition Starts With Simplifying The Story by Chris Winkle for Mythcreants
- Move Along: Fixing Pacing Problems by Janice Hardy for Fiction University
- Premise: The First Step To Writing Your Book by Joe Bunting for The Write Practice
- Purple Prose: What It Is And How To Avoid It by Jackie Pearce for Craft – The Write Life
- Podcast: Secrets To Editing Success With Kristina Stanley And Lucy Cooke by Sacha Black for Sacha Black
- The Dmv In Speculative Fiction by Morgan Hazelwood for Morgan Hazelwood
- The Influence Character: One Of The Most Important Roles by September C. Fawkes for MyStoryDoctor
- The Interplay Of Point Of View And Perspective In Fiction by Kerri Schlottman for Writer’s Digest
- The Intersection Of Premise And Protagonist by C. S. Lakin for Live Write Thrive
- Podcast: The One Where Swedish Sensation Tove Alsterdal Explains The Importance Of Setting As A Character by J.D. Barker and Christine Daigle for Writers, Ink.
- The Things That Define Us by Kathleen Mccleary for Writer Unboxed
- Video: Trope Talk: The Heart by Overly Sarcastic Productions for Overly Sarcastic Productions
- Using Talk-To-Text As A Writing Tool by Julie Lavender for The Write Conversation
- What Do Ringtones Say About Your Characters? by Sue Coletta for Killzoneblog.com
- When Machines Write Books: Will AI Writing Threaten Authors’ Livelihoods? by Roz Morris for Nail Your Novel
- Writers And Their Voices by Anne Janzer for Anne Janzer
The business side of writing
Video: Write Your Book & Crush Your Goals With Honorée Corder by Kevin Tumlinson
Guest Honorée Corder is strategic book coach, speaker, and author of more than 50 books. She coaches authors who want to publish their books to bestseller status, create a platform, and develop multiple streams of income. Novelist Kevin Tumlinson is also the director of marketing at Draft2Digital. Draft2Digital is one of the leading publishing platforms that helps authors publish their books to multiple platforms. It also has a very nice and easy ebook creation and formatting tool.
Video: From Accountant To Author In 2 Years by Mark Dawson and James Blatch
Catharina Maura explains how Self Publishing Formula and TikTok launched her to the top of Amazon charts worldwide. 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: Breaking News About KDP Alternatives by Dale L. Roberts
The big news is that Draft2Digital is adding another library distribution option. They already supported OverDrive, and now they’ve added Palace Marketplace. Okay, so maybe the news isn’t all that big. Dale L. Roberts is a self-publishing advocate, fitness author, and video content creator. Self-Publishing with Dale is a YouTube channel with millions of views.
Podcast: Lessons Learned From Starting A New Pen Name by Sacha Black
Great article and accompanying podcast episode, very detailed, about the whole process of writing and publishing a book under a new pen name. Not generic advice — this is what Sacha Black actually did, exactly how much money she spent on every aspect of production and marketing, and how it worked for her. The big takeaway? TikTok really worked well for her. Sacha Black is a fantasy author and writing coach, with several writing advice books including 13 Steps to Evil: How to Craft Superbad Villains. Follow her on her website, Sacha Black, on Facebook at @Sacha Black or on Twitter at @sacha_black. Sacha Black is a site that offers writing advice, courses, and podcasts. Follow the site via their RSS feed (direct Feedly link here).
Other business advice this week:
- 10 Things Every Author Needs To Make A Book Signing Great by Kristen Hogrefe Parnell for The Write Conversation
- Best Web Hosting For Authors: The Good, The Bad, And The Heavy-Duty by Dave Chesson for Kindlepreneur
- Querying & Submitting In 2023: Q&A With Jeff Herman by Jane Friedman for Jane Friedman
- How Your Cover Speaks Volumes by Christina Hamlett for Women Writers, Women’s Books
- How To Improve Your Website For Better Book Marketing by Penny C. Sansevieri for Self Published Author
- Why Pinterest May Be The Greatest Website For Writers by Teagan Berry for A Writer’s Path
- Deciding On A Podcast Format by Renee Roberson for WOW! Women On Writing Blog
- Platform: Writing Newsletters by Linda S. Clare for Linda S. Clare
- Podcast: How To Make The Most Out Of Every Marketing Dollar by Penny Sansevieri for Author Marketing Experts, Inc.
- A Step-By-Step Guide To Using BookTok On TikTok For Book Marketing by Penny Sansevieri for Author Marketing Experts, Inc.
- Podcast: ACX Pricing, Series, And Conferences by Bryan Cohen and H. Claire Taylor for Sell More Books Show
- Pricing Ebooks: How To Choose Your Price by Dave Chesson for Kindlepreneur
- Should I Include A Prologue In A Query? And Other Prologue FAQs by Tiffany Yates Martin for FoxPrint Editorial
- Podcast: How To Look And Sound Professional On Webinars, Podcasts, And Video Calls by Thomas Umstattd Jr. for Author Media
- Video: The New Rules Of Publishing by Becca Syme for QuitCast for Writers with Becca Syme
- Video: When’s The Best Time To Publish Your Book? Now! by Alli Henderson for BookBaby Blog
- Referrals–The Networking Of The Publishing Industry by Mary Carroll Moore for How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book
- Social Media For Writers: Why Scheduling Facebook Is Tricky & Tips For Scheduling Tweets by Edie Melson for The Write Conversation
- Video: Which Is Better: Regular Or Self-Publishing? by Daphne Gray-Grant for Publication Coach
- Doing Stuff Works by Dan Blank for WeGrowMedia
- 6 Misconceptions That Keep Beginning Writers From Publishing Success by Anne R. Allen for Anne R. Allen’s Blog… with Ruth Harris
- AI Art For Authors: A Complete Guide by Clayton Noblit for Written Word Media
- 7 Inside-The-Box Publishing Rules That Writers Can Break (Or, At The Very Least, Bend) by Robert Lee Brewer for Writer’s Digest
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.