Do You Read Recently Published Books?
Should writers read current books in their genre? Some say this is common sense, but others think it’s controversial. Why should we read recent books?
Pin It
Our Story’s Essence: What’s the Story We Want to Tell?
Last week, we talked about discovering the essence of our character, but what about the essence of our story. What makes a story idea the one we want to tell? And why does understanding our story’s essence matter?
Pin It
Writer Confidence: Do You Self-Reject?
Writers often suffer from self-doubt. We’re not sure if our story idea is interesting enough, if we’re the right person to write our idea. All that self-doubt can lead us to reject ourselves before others do—or before they even can.
Pin It
How Can a Good Publishing Partner Help Us? (and Blogiversary Winners!)
With all the obstacles in the way of our success, it can sometimes feel like we’re all alone in this career. But if we’re lucky, we might have the sense that our writing community and publishing partners are pulling for us too.
Pin It
What’s “High Concept” & How Can I Create It? — Guest: Jeff Lyons
Last week, Jeff Lyons shared how to make every story idea the best it could be. Today he’s delving into the tricky description of high concept. Many agents and editors say they prefer high-concept stories, but what does that mean?
Pin It
The Ultimate Guide to Pitch Writing
No matter how we publish, we need to introduce our story to potential readers and interest them enough to want to look closer. Whether we’re pitching and querying agents or enticing readers with back-cover blurbs, we need to grab their attention.
Pin It
What’s Your Validation?
Writers are often a neurotic, self-doubting lot, and many of us hope for validation as a means of overcoming that doubt. We never want to think about how that validation is only temporary, but the best we can do is try to create a healthy relationship with our validation desires.
Pin It
What’s the Difference between Plot and Story?
When we first start off as writers, if someone asks us about our story, we might launch into an overview of our story’s plot. It’s easy to think the plot is what our story is about. But with few exceptions, story isn’t the same as plot.
Pin It
Does Missing a Deadline Make Us Unprofessional?
As writers, we face deadlines and commitments every time we turn around. So we’re likely to be familiar with the pressure of deadlines and the expectation of meeting our commitments. But what happens when we can’t meet them? How bad is it for us and our reputation?
Pin It
Writer Dilemma: Private Life vs. Public Figures
Many of us struggle with maintaining a sense of privacy online, yet being a writer requires us to be “public figures.” That means we have to find a balance between privacy and public sharing to be an author. Let’s take a look at some of the privacy issues we might run into in our writing life.
Pin It