Writing Tips and Writerly Musings

Welcome back for season 5 of "Writing Tips and Writerly Musings". I've got a lot in store for you with tips from the pros. Kicking off with 'Intro to Hopepunk', and even a few of my own tricks for managing my time with Trello. =============================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friend...

Coming of age stories have always been a large part of the fantasy genre in particular, but now, it can be hard to know where to draw the line between YA and Adult novels. =============================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! You can find most of these posts over...

Where do you get started and tell me more about this whole monetization thing -- or at least the rules that existed last week. They're always changing. =============================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! You can find most of these posts over on my Blog / Vlog/Yo...

You know stories need stakes. You know you need to get your readers to care. So? You try to make the stakes big enough and scary enough to drive the story forward. But you don’t HAVE to traumatize characters — or readers — to advance your story. =============================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share...

I talk a lot about pitching agents via the query process, but that’s not the only way to pitch. There are verbal pitches to agents. And? There’s the pitching you need to do to the READERS! ==================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! You can find mos...

If you find yourself behind the microphone, sharing a story of your own, be prepared to pull in your audience with Dynamic Voice Acting. ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! And I've got a pretty bad social media addiction... I'm a...

Women writers of speculative fiction are often getting shelved with the YA books -- even when they're clearly not intended for teens. Unfortunately, getting misclassified has dire consequences for the novel. How is this happening and how can we stop this trend? ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If y...

Doomsday cults have been around for a long time, probably since the dawn of civilization. Writers and readers alike have found them endlessly fascinating. But, what motivates someone to start a doomsday cult? And why do people join? ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, shar...

When you're writing a story, there's usually SOMETHING the main character doesn't know and has to figure out. Sometimes, it's what someone else is thinking. It could be, where to find the McGuffin? But often? There's a whole mystery to solve! With a body growing cold. ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writin...

Most writers end up writing fight scenes -- be they verbal or physical. But some writers, especially if they're writing historical novels, epic fantasy, or military fiction are going to be in the fight for the long haul. They're going to writing a Military Campaign. Here are mistakes to avoid. ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more r...

Not everyone has a visual imagination. While some of you are out there taking dictation from the movies in your heads. That's not how it works for me. ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! And I've got a pretty bad social media addic...

Being a writer requires: 1. Resilience, 2. Persistence, and 3. Perseverance. How do you handle setbacks? ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! And I've got a pretty bad social media addiction... I'm a Blogger and Vlogger/Youtuber Of...

One of the hardest things to do as a writer is to make the ending work for your readers. To tie everything together, in a way that the readers feel satisfied. =============================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! You can find most of these posts over on my Blog /...

Our lives are busy, but it can be all too easy to blink and realize you've wasted your writing time. Here's a reminder for those of you who want to make your writing a priority. =============================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! You can find most of these posts...

The problem with being a writer is we can always edit and revise and change and improve things. How do we know it's time to stop? =============================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! You can find most of these posts over on my Blog / Vlog/Youtube If you want to c...

I'm not Catholic, but as the season of Lent comes upon us, here are things I'm trying to give up -- for my writing. What do you need to give up? Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! You can find most of these posts over on my Blog / Vlog/Youtube If you want to connect? Check out...

I've attended a few book launches in my day. Here are things I like, things that seem to work, and a few things I'm not a fan of. ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! And I've got a pretty bad social media addiction... I'm a Blogger...

Dealing with feedback has a lot in common with the stages of grief. And just like grief? You don't necessarily progress in order. ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! And I've got a pretty bad social media addiction... I'm a Blogger...

As you grow yourself as a writer, it always helps to have someone ahead of you in the process that can guide you and understand your worries and fear. Here are some tips for vetting these mentors and making sure you're working with someone who is a good fit. ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you...

What do you write when you've got multiple stories pulling you in different directions? ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! And I've got a pretty bad social media addiction... I'm a Blogger | Vlogger/Youtuber Of course, I'm on Face...

If you put your work out there, you're going to get feedback -- whether it's friends, beta-readers, or people who purchased your book. And that feedback can be scary. Here are my top 5 fears when receiving feedback. ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your fr...

When I write, I'm pretty focused on the characters and what's going on -- both plotwise and in their heads. That can leave my descriptions... lacking. But! That's okay, because you don't have to get everything in during your rough draft! You can layer in detail. ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If...

While resolutions aren't for everyone, I think they work for me. Here are my plans for 2022. ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! And I've got a pretty bad social media addiction... I'm a Blogger | Vlogger/Youtuber Of course, I'm on...

Long story short -- I now have a P.O. Box with a street address, a MailChimp account, and this handy how-to guide for setting up Groups in MailChimp and starting Automated Emails (welcoming new users and weekly blog updates) For screenshot directions, check out the blog post at: https://morganhazelwood.com/2019/02/07/how-i-finally-gave-in-and-set-up-my-own-newsletter/ Thanks for listening! I'll be...

This year was a lot. I've got some big news, I achieved some of my goals, I failed others, and I have fun with charts. ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! And I've got a pretty bad social media addiction... I'm a Blogger | Vlogger/...