A Few Great Writing Blogs You Should Check Out. A Few Great Reviews You'll Find There.
A Few Cool New People in Your Writing Life, Too.
First off… please check out my guest post today on Victoria Mixon's great SITE. More tough talking truth that will either set your free or piss you off. Both can be good for the writer in growth mode.
If you didn't catch it, Victoria blessed us earlier this week with an incredible post contrasting the approach and writing mindset between professionals and, well, someone who is not yet a professional. Just scroll down to see it, or click HERE.
A little karmic ying-for-yang today.
If you've ever published a book… when you publish your book… you're going to relate to where I am these days. Maybe you'd handle it differently, maybe not.
As most of you know, I have a new book out: "Story Engineering: Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing," from Writers Digest Books.
So far, so good. It's spent much of the past three weeks as the #1 bestseller on Amazon's fiction craft books list (until they switched me into a larger category, leaving the Kindle version back on the first list… an example of the behind-the-scenes machinations of publishers that never seem to get adequately explained).
The initial reviews are… wonderful. Humbling. Encouraging.
I'm hoping you'll pay attention, and tell your writer friends what they say.
And of course, if you haven't already, I'm hoping you'll give my book a shot.
I've tweeted it. I've pimped it on Facebook, perhaps the most over-rated "networking" venue ever invented; great for friending, sucks as a selling strategy. Like your neighbor's kid trying to sell you cookies.
And yet, I'm a bit sheepish about simply publishing the reviews here as a blatant promotional strategy.
But I'm gonna do just that.
Sort of. I'm going to refer you to the websites of the reviewers themselves.
And therein resides the win-win, quid pro quo of it all.
Because these are folks you should be reading. Their blogs are stellar, their own books are first-rate, and – gotta be honest – this strategy allows me to rationalize the inward-facing agenda of it all: we all get something here.
A little tip: most of these sites are running a little promo that can get you a free ebook from me ("101 Slightly Unpredictable Tips for Novelists and Screenwriters"). Even if the so-called deadline has passed, I'll honor the offer.
Introducing bestselling novelist Kay Kenyon
Kay is a complete and often-proven professional, with ten well-reviewed novels under her belt in the science fiction genre. She also runs a great website called Writing the World, about the writing life and process.
A couple of her posts (among many stellar windows into her wisdom) to whet your Kay Kenyon appetite:
Scare of the Week (what not to worry about) (Feb 22)
Tell her Larry sent you.
She's just posted a rave review of "Story Engineering" – read it HERE.
Introducing Randy Ingermanson
Randy is nothing short of a superstar in the galaxy of those writing about writing. He is the author of the iconic bestseller, "Writing Fiction for Dummies," which, if you haven't heard of it… well, then you haven't been looking. He is also known for his brilliant "snowflake" story development model, one of the clearest and most popular of such theories on the planet.
His website and newsletter, Advanced Fiction Writing, has more subscribers than most major magazines and a few good-sized cities, and for good reason.
Read his interview with the author of "Story Engineering" (which he blurbs on the inside cover page) HERE.
Introducing Jennifer of Procrastinating Writers
Jennifer is one of my favorite writing bloggers. She writes from the inside of the learning curve, as well as from a deep place within the heart, which lends her work a supportive, empathetic context as she explores and shares the journey toward publication.
Read her enthusiastic review of "Story Engineering" (her title: "The Last Book On Writing You'll Ever Have to Buy") by clicking HERE.
Introducing Suzannah of Writeitsideways.com
This website is all about craft, which is why we share a lot of overlapping and enthusiastic readership. Never a dull or negative moment here, yet she pulls no punches about what it takes to write a great story.
Read her "Story Engineering" review HERE
Introducing Patti Stafford
Like Jennifer and Suzannah, Patti is a major voice for the writing community when it comes to process and the marketplace. A great blog by a very knowledgeable writer.
Read her review of the book HERE.
Introducing Ollin Morales
One of my favorite people on the internet. Young, smart, sensitive, a wonderful writer. His blog is kicking butt and getting better with every post.
His review of the book will appear next Monday. Check for it HERE. He tells me it's good… so I believe.
Meet Chuck Hustmyre
Okay, this is a little different. Chuck is a loyal Storyfix reader and a successful author, one who is living the dream in a way few of us will ever know (which, to date, includes me): they've made a movie out of one of his novels.
He hasn't reviewed my book. Yet.
The DVD of "House of the Rising Sun" releases from Lionsgate on July one. It's a big time thriller, and you can watch the preview HERE. Fair warning though – it contains nudity, violence and profanity, so click through to this at your own choice and peril.
My kind of story. Then again, so was 500 Days of Summer and Bambi, so go figure.
Introducing Amazon.com, and the wonderful blurbs and reviews posted there.
A little outfit operating out of Seattle. Some of you may have heard of them.
Here you'll find blurbs by a few famous names in the writing world (Terry Brooks, Christopher Vogler, Chelsea Cain, Michael Hague and Randy Intermanson), and (at this writing) 7 more reviews, 6 with five stars (out of five), one with four. See it all HERE.
And, by the way, you can buy it there, too (here for the Kindle version). The book is available at some bookstores (editorial comment: the ones with any sense), and it if isn't there they can order it for you.
Thanks for reading this far, and for clicking through to these sites.
Your writing world is about to expand. Both in terms of these blogs and the cute little book they are recommending.
If you'd like to weigh in with a comment about the book, I'm starting a log of reader feedback, as well as a page for the next batch of reviews. Feel free to contribute, on your site or elswhere. No rules or expectations. Thanks for your support. L.
A Few Great Writing Blogs You Should Check Out. A Few Great Reviews You'll Find There. is a post from: Larry Brooks at storyfix.com
