This week’s top writing advice from around the web for Sep. 10, 2023

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Reading Time: 12 minutes
(Image by Maria Korolov via Adobe Express.)

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

5 Success Tips For Fiction Writers by C. S. Lakin

It’s time to redefine, truly and in our hearts, what success means and looks like. C. S. Lakin is a writing coach, workshop instructor, award-winning author of over 30 books, and blogger at Live Write Thrive. Her Writer’s Toolbox series of books teach the craft of fiction, and her online video courses at Writing for Life Workshops have helped more than a thousand writers. She also works as a book copyeditor and does more than 200 critiques a year for writers, agents, and publishers in six continents. I’ve been reading her advice for a few years now and she is awesome. If you want more advice from her, follow her on Twitter at @LiveWriteThrive and on Facebook at @C.S.Lakin.Author. Live Write Thrive is a writing advice site by novelist, editor and writing coach C. S. Lakin, author of eight-book The Writer’s Toolbox Series. Follow her on Twitter @LiveWriteThrive. Also check out her other site, The Self Publisher.

Podcast: Darby Harn: Sci-Fi Writer And Podcaster Overcomes Struggles With Autism To Find Success by Howard Lovy

Guest Darby Harn is a science fiction writer whose work Publishers Weekly called an “entertaining debut that uses superpowers as a metaphor to delve into class politics in an alternate America.” He also cohosts a pop culture podcast and struggles with autism. Howard Lovy is ALLi’s multimedia manager. 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).

Find A Writing Buddy! by K. M. Weiland

Add your name to the comments with a description of the kind of writing you do, and check out the other comments. Your new writing soulmate might be here. K. M. Weiland is one of my favorite writing advice people, and the award-winning author of acclaimed writing guides such as Structuring Your Novel and Creating Character Arcs. If you want more advice like this, subscribe to her blog, Helping Writers Become Authors, via its RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link). You can also follow her on Twitter @KMWeiland and on Facebook @kmweiland.author. Helping Writers Become Authors is one of our favorite writing advice sites. Follow it via its RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link), on Twitter, and on Facebook.

First Book Loves by Oren Ashkenazi and Chris Winkle

The Mythcreants team discusses the books that first sparked their love of writing and editing. Oren Ashkenazi is the speculative fiction manuscript editor and Chris Winkle is the founder and editor-in-chief 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: I Quit My Job To Be A Full-Time Author by Jed Herne

Why Jed Hearne quit his full time job to pursue his creative endeavors, and the importance of financial planning, transferability of skills, and the value of paying down “ignorance debt.” Jed Herne is a fantasy and video game writer and a writing coach. For more about him, check out his website, JedHerne.com. Jed Herne is also the name of a writing advice YouTube channel.

Resistance Is Infallible by Steven Pressfield

The better the piece we’re working on — the more important to the evolution of our soul and to our progression as an artist — the more Resistance we will feel. Good idea means Big Resistance. Great idea means Humongous Resistance. If you’re feeling super-humongous resistance, you’re about to have a break-through moment. Steven Pressfield is the author of The Legend of Bagger Vance and other novels as well as The War of Art and other non-fiction books about creative success. Check out his Amazon author page here. StevenPressfield.com offers weekly articles as well as a free mini-course about the business of writing.

Your Writing Superpower In A World Of AI by Jim Denney

The best way to make sure AI never replaces you is to write novels and stories, plays and poems, that only you can write. Jim Denney has written more than 120 books, including fantasy and writing advice books. Anne R. Allen’s Blog… with Ruth Harris offers advice from a couple of publishing industry veterans. For more advice like this, subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly link).

Other motivational advice this week:

The art and craft of writing

Back To School For Writers: A Roundup Of Advice On Learning To Write And Teaching Writing, From Ann Patchett To Ursula K. Le Guin…. by Paula Munier

A roundup of advice on learning to write and teaching writing, from Ann Patchett to Ursula K. Le Guin. Career Authors is one of Writer’s Digest top 101 websites for writers and helps authors write better, get published, and sell more books. For more advice like this subscribe to their RSS feed (direct Feedly signup link), on Twitter at @CareerAuthors and on Facebook at @CareerAuthors.

How To Write A Bestseller Book: 6 Easy Steps To A Book Readers Love by Jason Hamilton

It all starts with building solid writing habits. 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. Kindlepreneur is pretty much the top site out there for self-published authors who want to sell more e-books on Amazon. The RSS feed is here (direct Feedly signup link). Follow them on Facebook at @KindlePreneur and founder Dave Chesson on Twitter at @DaveChesson.

How To Be A Bad-As Editor by Randy Ingermanson

Some really good advice here for fixing sentences where something happens as something else is happening — but the two different things don’t actually happen at the same time or for the same length of time. For example: “Joe threw a punch at Eric as he approached.” 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.

Video: 3 Hours To Write A Full Serial Episode With AI – New Tool Uses ChatGPT, Claude, & NSFW LLLM by Elizabeth Ann West

Elizabeth Ann West is the CEO of Future Fiction Academy, an author, a publishing expert, and a leader in technological education for authors. Future Fiction Academy’s YouTube channel offers video lab sessions and training for authors who want to learn how to write fiction with AI ethically and efficiently. For more information, check out their website, FutureFictionAcademy.com.

Searching For Authenticity by David Corbett

How authenticity plays out in fiction — and some questions to ask yourself about your characters. David Corbett is a novelist and short story writer. He’s also written two textbooks on writing characters. 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.

Empathy, Emotional Resonance, And Fear by Dale Ivan Smith

Emotion is at the heart of what makes fiction connect with a reader. Dale Ivan Smith is a fantasy and sci-fi author who’s currently working on a cozy mystery series about a crime-solving librarian. 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.

Video: 10 Crazy Ways To Write A Book by Dale L. Roberts

Tips for how to get around writer’s block and inner editors in order to write books faster. 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.

Video: Outlining A 13-Book Series, How To Start & Notion Templates: Brenden Pugh Interview by Nicole Wilbur

Brenden Pugh of the Writing Quest YouTube channel is a fantasy author who talks about outlining a 13-book fantasy series using Notion templates. Nicole Wilbur is a Canadian author and YouTuber. Check out her website at NicoleWilbur.com. The Nicole Wilbur YouTube channel features videos about story structure, as well as writing vlogs, planning videos, and sharing the progress of her current projects.

Video: My Interview With Nicole Wilbur by Brenden Pugh

An interview with Nicole Wilbur, a fellow AuthorTuber and writer, about the writing process and the future of writing careers. Brenden Pugh is a fantasy novelist who is working on the first novel of a series. Writing Quest is a YouTube channel about the ideas, edits, and other faces that go into writing a book.

Video: The Best Notion Template For Writers, Authors And Novelists by Brenden Pugh

I myself use Notion for outlining and world building, and recommend it highly. If you don’t know where to start, pick up a free copy of Brenden Pugh’s Notion template. Oh, and Notion itself is also free. And watch this video. Brenden Pugh is a fantasy novelist who is working on the first novel of a series. Writing Quest is a YouTube channel about the ideas, edits, and other faces that go into writing a book.

Other writing advice this week:

The business side of writing

Systems For Authors With Katlyn Duncan by Sacha Black

Guest Katlyn Duncan — thriller author and ghostwriter — talks about techniques for the writing and publishing process and streamlining your process with digital tools. 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).

Four Ways To Boost Your Book Marketing by Brian Jud

How to segment your audience, differentiate your title, reverse your perspective, and eat the elephant — in other words, take small, incremental steps to reach your larger objective. Brian Jud is the executive director of the Association of Publishers for Special Sales and author of How to Make Real Money Selling Books and Beyond the Bookstore. Follow him on Twitter at @bookmarketing. BookBaby bills itself as the nation’s leading self-publishing services company. For more advice like this, subscribe to their RSS feed (directly Feedly link here), or follow them on Facebook at @BookBaby or on Twitter at @BookBaby.

Video: Breathe Life Into Old Books With TikTok by Mark Dawson and James Blatch

Lloyd Richards’ novel flopped 11 years ago. A single TikTok video sent it to the top of the US Amazon charts. 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.

The Best Free Marketing Tool: The World In Your Head by Lisa Norman

Writers are in the entertainment industry. Their value is in the stories they tell and the entertainment they offer. Learn your value, and then use that. 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).

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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