Writing Tips and Writerly Musings

With all the risks, why would I want a literary agent? Well, at Balticon 52, I got to hear a variety of perspectives from published authors who’ve had every sort of agent possible. Here are the stories of Leah Cypess, Keith RA DeCandido, CS Friedman, Tee Morris, and their hunt for a quality agent. Note: this was originally recorded in 2018, but the questions are perenial. =========================...

I don't know about you, but these are all things I always want to know: What is Your Biggest Pet Peeve? Should A Writer Use Different Names For Different Genres? How Has The Market Changed In The Last Ten Years? and Where Do Querying Writers Lose You? ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed...

If you get the opportunity to read your own work, here are some tips on how to get ready. ============================================== 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 Fa...

Last week, I talked about giving characters agency, but that’s not all editors and agents request. Another thing they ask for is ‘tension’. If the reader doesn’t have a reason to care what happens next, you’ve lost your tension. But! Tension doesn't always have to mean conflict! ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas a...

One thing you hear about a lot when you start sending your manuscript out into the world is ‘agency’. Most agents (and publishers) are looking for characters who make things happen, not ones who merely react to the situation they’re stuck with. It's okay to start off with a character with minimal agency, but most readers want to see the characters come into their own. =============================...

Talking about where to find literary agents, ways to vet them, and a not-so-gentle reminder to Follow The Directions when querying them. ============================================== 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...

A shout out to all the teachers who helped me become the person I am today. ============================================== 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 Facebook | Twitt...

Remember me talking about how I was losing faith? Well.... having hope can be even scarier. ============================================== 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...

There comes a time when one must look in the mirror and face accountability. We’re a third of the way through the year, my move turned into a two month ordeal, and I’ve gotten distracted from my writing by hunting page views on WAY too many social mediums. And? To be honest? I’m starting to lose faith that I’ll find my agent with this story. =============================================== Thanks f...

Last time I moved houses, I talked about how sometimes -- change is exactly what you need -- both in your own life and in your writing. ============================================== 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 B...

Querying can almost be like a religion. You've got: the common tenents, the different sects, the proper rituals, and the heretics. ============================================== 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 Blogge...

I love being supportive and encouraging of my fellow authors, but sometimes, I've just got to rant. And one thing that makes me rant is being asked to read a first chapter. =============================================== 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...

Since I recorded this episode, I've gotten active in the online #AuthorTube community. For readers, there's the #booktube community. And all the things you can stream to youtube, also work on Twitch and more! But I still follow ALL these tips. ============================================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this ep...

While tumblr has dropped a lot in popularity since this episode was first recorded, there are still a lot of good reasons to use both Tumblr AND Reddit. ============================================== 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 add...

The visual side of social media! You don't have to take photos for this either, resharing content is fine (assuming you're not breaking copyright) I've got a lot more tips and tricks, though. =============================================== 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! An...

Today I'm talking about ways to establish your presence and best practice guides fro using Facebook, Twitter, and hashtags. (which I use ironically and wrong ALL the time.) ================================================ 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 prett...

If you want to be a writer, the ubiquitous “they” tell you that you need to “Establish a Social Media Presence”, but so much of the advice out there is aimed at Non-fiction writers. Non-fiction writers sell books based on establishing their expertise in a particular area. Fiction writers? We sell books based on the story, the writing, and word-of-mouth. So how do we make social media work for us?...

If you want to be a writer, the ubiquitous “they” tell you that you need to “Establish a Social Media Presence”, but so much of the advice out there is aimed at Non-fiction writers. Non-fiction writers sell books based on establishing their expertise in a particular area. Fiction writers? We sell books based on the story, the writing, and word-of-mouth. So how do we make social media work for us?...

You can only spend so long revising and editing a novel. Somewhere between revision 3 and revision 12, you’re probably going to be done with your book. But now what? If you want to get your novel traditionally published, you’re gonna need to query some agents. But why? In this episode, I'm answering your burning questions: What are your publishing options? What are the benefits of having an agent?...

Getting a rough draft out on paper is a monumental achievement... but then? You've got to polish it. By using this trick, you'll be all set to have a clear plan to fix that rough draft in about 30 minutes. 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 med...

Last year was a year of querying/submitting, revisions, reading, and networking. This year? The goal is publication! Yet again, I need to refocus on what will get me there. ======================================================= 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...

How Do You Please Everyone With Your Writing? Spoiler Alert: You can’t. In the query trenches, you see agents posting about what they don’t want and there’s this knee-jerk reaction, when I recognize a trope from my writing in their ‘no thank you’ list. The feeling of, “Oh! I can fix it! And then you’ll love it!” Especially when you see so much of your story in their ‘please send me’ list. But, bef...

When you look at our history books and the artifacts that exist from prehistory, there’s a definite trend. Humanity has always looked upwards. From Stonehenge to the Pyramids in Maya and Egypt and elsewhere, to China’s Puyang Tomb and its mosaic of constellations, the moon and stars have always inspired us. Here are 5 aspects of world-building the moon can influence. Thanks for listening! I'll be...

I had a lot of SMART goals set for 2020. Let's see how I did with my writing resolutions, check my top viewed content on all my different sources, and -- for my own sake -- talk numbers and stats for my social media. While not strictly writing related, a writer's platform can be pretty useful. Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed thi...

After you’ve written your novel and revised the BLEEP out of it, one thing remains: To edit your manuscript! In this episode, I share 5 sites that can help http://thewritelife.com/edit-your-copy/ http://thesaurus.com/ https://www.etymonline.com/ http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ & https://www.grammarly.com/ Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. Pleas...