Links to Blog Posts on Writing – August 2016
Here’s the pick of August’s blog posts on the art of writing. Enjoy!
Jirble – The action of spilling liquid by means of unsteady movements, trembling or shaking of the container. “When the ghost popped out of the Gents, I jirbled my glass of ale.”
Six Bad Arguments Against Social Justice in Speculative Fiction and Five Social Justice Fails That Angered Fans – Two excellent articles on the Mythcreants blog about diversity and ‘social justice’ which are applicable to all genres.
The Problem with Female Protagonists – Jo Eberhardt at Writer Unboxed with a short but telling article that concludes “Here’s the problem with female protagonists: There aren’t enough of them. And we don’t even notice it.” Some very good comments there too.
25 Reasons Why I Stopped Reading Your Book – the inimitable Chuck Wendig
The 7 Critical Elements Of A Great Book – Amanda Patterson at Writers Write.
10 Things Stranger Things Taught Me About Storytelling – Chuck on what can be learned from other media
Writing Is Work, And It’s Art, Except When It’s Not – Chuck on top form, talking about shovelling unicorn shit.
Using Collage to create a snapshot of your novel – oddly compelling post on images and glue. I feel the need to buy a Pritt Stick.
In Defense of Slow, Thoughtful Writing – Stephanie Raffelock at Storyfix
5 Common Plotting Mistakes to Avoid When You’re Writing a Novel – Janice Hardy guesting at The Write Life
Getting Up Close and Personal With Intimate Point of View – excellent post on deep POV by P J Parrish at The Kill Zone.
Questions About Deep POV – helpful post by Beth Hill at The Editor’s Blog
All The Story Structure You’ll Ever Need – Philip Athans at the Fantasy Writer’s Handbook.
Vital Craft Lessons for Every Writer – Jordan Dane at The Kill Zone
The Most Important Tip About Setting Descriptions – James Scott Bell at The Kill Zone
What “Stranger Things” Can Teach Us About Flashbacks – Janice Hardy at the Fiction University
Don’t Let Your Characters “Nod” Off – Janice Hardy again with a good post on cutting out something that I know afflicts my characters badly…
How to Describe a Character – really good post from James Scott Bell at The Kill Zone.
The Structural Underpinnings of Characterization in Harry Potter and How to Apply those Concepts to Your Own Writing – excellent post at a recent fan convention by Harry Potter fanfic writer Pir8fancier, with a wider application for all writers. At her Live Journal blog
So You Wrote a First Draft—Dear God! What NOW? – Kristen Lamb on what to look for as you edit that first draft. With lots of pictures.
Legendary Screenwriting Guru Robert McKee On Creating Incredible Dialogue – at FastcoCreate
Chuck Wendig: Five Things I Learned Writing Invasive
Hayley Stone: Five Things I Learned Writing Machinations
Brooke Johnson: Five Things I Learned Writing The Guild Conspiracy
Melanie Meadors: Five Things I Learned Editing Hell Hath No Fury
Marketing a New Book: 6 Tactics Authors & Publishers Love – Diana Urban at Bookbub
17 New Release Marketing Examples We Love – Charlotte How at BookBub. You have to wade through this a bit, but there’s some useful stuff embedded in it.
Slaying The Dragon: Social Media For Writers, And What That Means For The Success Of Your Book – Chuck Wendig on promoting yourself and your book.
The Power of Instagram – Marketing Tips for Indie Authors – Penny Sansevieri at Writers In The Storm. Another social media site in which to lose all sense of self and time…
What’s Your Newsletter Plan? Part One – Jami Gold at the Fiction University
Authors: Here’s All You Need to Grow Your Email List – Emily Wenstrom at The Write Life with some tips for getting more people to sign up and keeping them when you’ve got them.
How to Grow Your Author Blog – Kristen Lamb, who knows her shit when it comes to digital marketing.
Five Reasons I Stop Reading Your Blog Post – Allison Maruska at Writer’s Path
25 Simple Ways To Recycle Your Blog Posts – Amanda Patterson at Writers Write
My Agent Will Negotiate / The Agent Clause / Agent Agreements / How To Hire A Lawyer Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s continuing **must read** series on authorial contracts.
Understanding Ebook Rights – Susan Spann with *her* continuing series on contracting, at Writers In The Storm.
How To Use Scrivener To Accelerate Your Writing – a crib sheet for using the Scrivener programme.
9 of the Best Books on Writing You’ll Want to Read ASAP – list compiled by Kristen Pope at The Write Life
128 words to use instead of ‘very’
