Writing Pursuits

The puzzler approach takes a fair amount of prewriting and preparation before the real work begins, but don't call it an outline. Check out  The Heroine's Journey: For Writers, Readers, and Fans of Pop Culture  by Gail Carriger for a great addition to your author library. Read the accompanying post at WritingPursuits.com: " Don't Call It an Outline ". The question of the week is:  H...

Use content pillars to generate content for your blog, social media posts, and newsletters. Stop struggling with what to write about in your blog and your author newsletter and your social posts! Who Is Your Ideal Reader Avatar?  goes with  Episode 2: Who Is Your Ideal Reader? . Use Content Pillars to Generate Strong Content Content Pillars Exercise downloadable pdf file The question of...

The mirror moment in a story is when the main character experiences a moment of clarity that pushes them to change direction. It is the turning point. That moment of clarity is when your character experiences an ah-hah moment. Most often, it is the unveiling of a truth about—themselves, the world, what they must do if they hope to survive, or what they must do to be "save the world," regardless of...

This is part 2 of a two-part series. Part 1 is in Episode 41. Your story is finished. You've reached the end. Your beta readers are waiting, an agent has asked for a full manuscript, or maybe you are getting it ready for your editor. What are some easy ways to immediately improve it before your send it out? Let's find out in this episode of Writing Pursuits. Read the accompanying post at WritingPu...

Before you send your manuscript to an agent, editor, or your beta readers, use these steps to immediately improve your manuscript. Read the accompanying post at WritingPursuits.com: Seven Easy Ways to Improve Your Manuscript . The question of the week is:  What are your favorite last-minute checks before your send your manuscript out? Get your free copy of the  First Chapter Rubric . Lin...

Scenes are the building blocks of novel writing. If you master writing scenes, your stories will be unputdownable. Riveting. Engaging. If you are an experienced author, you know these things, but every fiction author must learn how to write a good scene. The question of the week is: How do you know you have reached the end of a scene? Get your free copy of the  First Chapter Rubric . Links: W...

Is writer's block real? Yes. Can you beat it? What to do when you have writer's block. Writer's block is not a permanent condition, and there are ways to minimize its impact. The question of the week is: What is your favorite way to get unstuck and beat writer's block? Get your free copy of the  First Chapter Rubric . Links: WritingPursuits.com Instagram : @WritingPursuitsPodcast Three Story...

Figuring out your characters' fears and deepest needs and desires is a key to characterization and generating conflict for your plot. The question of the week is: How have you used your characters' fears to drive your plot? Or, what is your favorite example of a character's fears driving a plot? Get your free copy of the  First Chapter Rubric . Links: WritingPursuits.com Instagram : @Wri...

Today, I have a guest, Stephen Schneider, and we will be discussing his middle grade fiction and a few other topics. Stephen writes as S. A. Schneider, and he is a purveyor of fantasy and a travel guide for kids to explore the many worlds found in books. Anyone who has a wolf should be a writer of fantasy, right? Enjoy the adventure. Discovered Wordsmiths (podcast)  https://www.discoveredword...

Time is our most precious commodity, but we spend too much effort and thought--too much time--on stuff that actually holds us back. We also avoid a couple of things that make all the difference. Get your free copy of the  First Chapter Rubric . Links: WritingPursuits.com Instagram : @WritingPursuitsPodcast Three Story Method Certified Editor KathreseMcKee.com Mailerlite (affiliate link) YourF...

In this week's episode, I interview Christine Daigle about her experience with Kindle Vella, and she gives lots of tips and insights for successfully writing serial fiction. Christine is co-writing two Kindle Vella series with Stewart Sternberg under the pen name of L. P. Styles. Guest: Christine Daigle who co-writes with Stewart Sternberg Author Website: https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/ L. P...

There are plenty of tools and apps to help you market your books, but most of those come at a premium. Today, we are going to look at a free tool that will simplify your life and help you market your books. In fact, you can earn money on books you didn't write by maximizing your affiliate links. Let's learn about Universal Book Links and how to use them. If you would like to sign up for a free Dra...

Do authors of books need to write blog posts too? What about doing blog tours during your book launch? Who should blog and who shouldn't? What are the best topics to blog about? Links: WritingPursuits.com Instagram : @WritingPursuitsPodcast Three Story Method Certified Editor KathreseMcKee.com Mailerlite (affiliate link) YourFirstChapter.com

First Chapter analysis with Alden Burgess's science fantasy YA novel, The Elusion Crystals. Great discussion with this film maker turned novelist. Links: WritingPursuits.com Instagram : @WritingPursuitsPodcast Three Story Method Certified Editor KathreseMcKee.com Mailerlite (affiliate link) YourFirstChapter.com

An emergency in my personal life taught be lessons about needing margin in my life. Here, I share 8 ways I have found to create margin. Links: WritingPursuits.com Instagram : @WritingPursuitsPodcast Three Story Method Certified Editor KathreseMcKee.com Mailerlite (affiliate link) YourFirstChapter.com

What do you do when your email service provider changes their product, changes their pricing, and doesn't let you migrate your data to the new platform? This is what happened to me and thousands of other clients lately when MailerLite rolled out their newer, better, shinier MailerLite and assured their existing clients that the "classic" version would continue to function for some time to come at...

Your author biography is your business card, your elevator pitch, and your introduction rolled into one. Taking the time to craft a strong author bio will help you establish a consistent image across your books and across the internet. Authors mentioned in this episode: Lane Rebelo, LCSW at TinySigns.com Jen Fisch at KetoInTheCity.com James L. Rubard at jameslrubart.com Links: WritingPursuits.com...

You need to consider plain text as a means to future-proof your written work. Why plain text? How hard is it to do? What are the advantages and disadvantages? My suggestions? Let's find out. The question of the week is: What steps have you taken to archive your manuscripts or other important work? Alternate question: What is your favorite text editor or notetaking app? Derek Sivers,  "Write p...

Full episode on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/3LTx2NYPDoM Katherine (Kat) Vinson's website: https://sparksofember.wordpress.com/ Links: WritingPursuits.com Instagram : @WritingPursuitsPodcast Three Story Method Certified Editor KathreseMcKee.com Mailerlite (affiliate link) YourFirstChapter.com

Mind maps are a powerful way to think about story writing, so today, we are looking at mind mapping software for writers. https://www.coggle.it https://www.ayoa.com https://www.mindmeister.com Links: WritingPursuits.com Instagram : @WritingPursuitsPodcast Three Story Method Certified Editor KathreseMcKee.com Mailerlite (affiliate link) YourFirstChapter.com

You want to be an author. Or maybe you already are an author, but for some reason, you are dissatisfied with the book writing software you are currently using. Today, I am going to concentrate on software you would use on a PC or Mac, not standalone writing machines like the Traveler by FreeWrite. So which software should you look at? Which one should you choose? Answers to these questions in Epis...

Cybersecurity is always a concern, but due to the war in Ukraine, world governments have issued warnings about data security to protect against hacking. How can authors protect their work and take action to protect their data? What easy steps can you take this week to be in a much better state of preparedness? To be ready? To safeguard your finances and your work? Let's dive into the Five-Day Secu...

Introducing the First Chapter Rubric In this episode, we analyze Becky Appleby-Sparrow's first chapter of Love Unlikely, a YA romantic fantasy. We use the newly available First Chapter Rubric , available for free at FirstChapterRubric.com . Get your copy and follow along. Links: WritingPursuits.com Instagram : @WritingPursuitsPodcast Three Story Method Certified Editor KathreseMcKee.com Mailerlite...

An agent can be an invaluable partner, but how do can you tell if an agent is legit ? Which literary agents should you avoid ? How much do literary agents cost ? Do you pay literary agents upfront ? Do agents charge fees ? Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) . Founded in 1991 as the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR) http://aaronline.org/Find Absolute Write Water Cooler . Loo...

Show Notes What is a memoir, really? Why would you choose to write one? Does it have to be 100% factual and accurate? Will you get sued? Answers to these questions and more on Episode 21 of Writing Pursuits. My guest, Valerie Ihsan, is a published author, a story analyst, podcaster, and coach. As a certified Three Story Method editor, she nurtures and empowers authors to create their best work. Sh...