This week’s top writing advice from around the web for Oct. 15, 2023

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Reading Time: 11 minutes
(Image by Maria Korolov via Adobe Express.)

The overarching advice for this week? Make your characters human. We humans are flawed beings, and our characters must be as believably and wonderfully flawed as we are to resonate with readers, to be remembered by readers long after the final page.

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

Are You A Candidate For Binge-Writing? by DiAnn Mills

Do you find yourself cramming all your writing time into a few precious hours a night or a few days a week? When you’re a writer who works in bursts, out of necessity, practicality, or process, this article is about how to make the binge-writing approach work for you by planning ahead, putting away distractions, and allowing yourself to get into deep, focused work. DiAnn Mills is a bestselling and award-winning author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. Find out more at DiAnnMills.com. The Write Editing is a site by book editor Andrea Merrell.

Finding Writing Fascination (And Inspiration!) by Shelley Widhalm

Setting pen to paper or hands to keyboard sounds great, but if you’ve found yourself staring at a blank page, your inspiration tap refusing to flow, it may be time to try something new. In this article, Shelley Widhalm offers creative ways to find the texture and rhythm of words using your favorite books, music, artwork, and places to jiggle loose your stuck creativity and get you back into the writing flow. Shelley Widhalm is a freelance writer and editor by day who writes fiction during the other hours. She’s written six novels, a collection of short stories and hundreds of poems. She blogs about the writing life. A Writer’s Path is an advice site for writers. If you want more advice like this, subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link), on Twitter at @TheRyanLanz and on Facebook at @AWritersPath.

Video: How To Start Writing by Philip Athans

Take action and start the writing process — it’s the act of writing is what ultimately leads to progress and the creation of a story. Don’t get bogged down by doubts, excuses, or perfectionism. Just start with a simple sentence, no matter how basic or unimpressive it may seem. Philip Athans is the New York Times best-selling author of Annihilation and a dozen other books including The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction, and “Writing Monsters. His blog, Fantasy Author’s Handbook, is updated every Tuesday, and you can follow him on Twitter at @PhilAthans. The YouTube channel Fantasy Author’s Handbook offers advice for authors of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and fiction in general.

How To Use Technology To Get More Writing Done by Katy Segrove

This isn’t an article about AI. This is about two apps that help you eliminate distractions and improve your focus so that you can get more writing done. Katy Segrove is a book coach and screenwriter. In her coaching, she focuses on helping writers figure out writing plans that they can stick with. Pick Up Your Pen is a writing advice website. It also offers a free, 14-day writing routine course.

The Dichotomy Of Creativity And Order by Barbara O’Neal

How one creative, disorganized writer built systems that help her meet her writing goals — and all her other commitments. Barbara O’Neal is the author of more than a dozen award-winning, bestselling novels, including the USA Today bestseller, When We Believed in Mermaids. 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.

Podcast: Writing Faster Without Burning Out With L. A. Witt by Joanna Penn

Guest L. A. Witt writes paranormal and sci-fi romance, and in other romance genres, with over 200 novels and novellas in stores. She’s also the author of a new book for writers, Writing Faster For the Win, which deals with shaking off insecurities and self-doubt, streamlining the research process, and writing out of sequence. 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.

Other motivational advice this week:

The art and craft of writing

How Do Messages and Character Karma Interact? by Oren Ashkenazi

Character karma works independently of messaging, and regardless of whether the author wants it to. If the story’s villain acts in such a way that it seems like they’ve earned a victory but the hero wins anyway, the story is frustrating. 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.

Video: New Sudowrite Feature Fixes A Lot Of Problems by Jason Hamilton

Sudowrite is about to add Plugins, which will help authors customize this AI-powered novel writing platform to their own needs. 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.

Unpacking Suspense With Agent Zach Honey by Debbie Burke

Creating a page-turner novel means ramping up suspension to keep readers hooked. But how does a writer do that? And are there genre limits to applying suspense? Debbie interviews agent Zach Honey of FinePrint Literary Magazine, who talks about hope, fear, and uncertainty using examples from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, a story people return to despite knowing the outcome. And Zach reviews the types of suspense readers come to expect within genre fiction. Apply these methods, ratchet up the tension, and keep your readers turning until the last page. Debbie Burke is an award-winning thriller writer and journalist. For more, check out her website, DebbieBurkeWriter.com or follow her on Twitter at @burke_writer. The Kill Zone is the home of eleven top suspense writers and publishing professionals. They cover the publishing business, marketing how-tos, and the craft of writing. Follow them on RSS here (direct Feedly signup link). Follow them on Twitter @killzoneauthors.

Podcast: Deep Dive: Erin’s Short Fiction Extravaganza by Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler

The importance of antagonists, tone, and the horror genre in short stories — and how to decide if your short story should become a novel. Mary Robinette Kowal is the Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author of the Lady Astronaut series and other books and the former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Howard V. Tayler is the creator of the webcomic Schlock Mercenary. Writing Excuses is a podcast about the art and business of writing. Support them on Patreon.

Other writing advice this week:

The business side of writing

How To Get Your Self-Published Books Into Bookstores by Debbie P. Young

For most indie authors, the full print distribution route is not possible, at least not until they’ve hit that bestseller spot, which means planning and running your own bookstore distribution yourself. And if you are happy that this may not result in high sales, but will achieve your goal of having your book in stores, it’s very doable. This article shows you how. Debbie Young is the author of Your Book in Bookstores, other writing and publishing advice guides, and a series of mysteries. Self Publishing Advice is the advice center of the Alliance of Independent Authors. If you want more advice like this, subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link).

Podcast: Writing, Publishing, And Marketing Passion Projects: Publishing For Profit by Orna Ross and Joanna Penn

Are you writing a book that comes straight from the heart, a story you must write, one that begs that come out of you and onto the page? Orna and Joanna talk about their passion projects, business and publishing considerations tied to passion projects, and provide tips about writing, marketing, and publishing our most personal stories. Orna Ross is a novelist, poet, self-publishing advocate, and founder and director of the Alliance of Independent Authors. Follow her on Twitter at @OrnaRoss. 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. Self Publishing Advice is the advice center of the Alliance of Independent Authors. If you want more advice like this, subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link).

4 Book Publicity Facts That Will Help You Succeed by Sandra Beckwith

So, you’re approaching book marketing and wondering how best to reach your readers? Don’t overlook the power of publicity within your marketing plan. Sandra talks about what publicity is and provides practical steps for real people who don’t already know someone in media. Sandra Beckwith is an award-winning former publicist who now teaches authors how to market their books. Follow her on Twitter at @sandrabeckwith and on Facebook at @buildbookbuzz. Build Book Buzz offers do-it-yourself book marketing tips, tools and tactics. Follow them via their RSS feed (direct Feedly link here).

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.

Fallon Clark

Fallon Clark is a Vermont-based manuscript development coach and editor serving fiction and creative non-fiction authors. Her writing has been published in Flash Fiction Magazine. Check out her website, FallonEdits.com, or connect with her on LinkedIn or Substack.

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