“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.” ― Octavia E. Butler Getting Unstuck: Short and Simple Tips -– Summer 2019 Here are some quick tips
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Interview with Camille Pagan–Summer 2019
Don’t be so stuck on one course of action that you miss crucial opportunities to advance your career. –Camille Pagan The Only Constant in Publishing is Change An Interview with Camille Pagan by B. Lynn Goodwin Do you ever want out of the drill and tedium of your daily life? I sure
Read MoreWRITING ADVICE — April 2019
Another April submission: Things To Consider During Revision Questions to consider as you revise: What do you already like in this piece? What questions come up about this piece? Where can you go deeper? What is the purpose of this piece (1 sentence)? How is this story or essay personal? How is this story
Read MoreWriter Advice’s 2019 Flash Fiction Contest ✍️
Latest Contest Information Writer Advice’s FLASH FICTION Contest 2019 Flash Fiction Submission Information WriterAdvice seeks flash fiction running 750 words or less. Open our eyes. Help us see the world as your characters do. Finalists receive responses from all judges. Everyone receives a detailed response from award-winning author B. Lynn Goodwin. What is Flash Fiction? For Writer
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“Beware of advice. Even this.” ~~Carl Sandburg Advice from Flash Contest Judges You’re on your 7th draft of the perfect Flash Fiction Story—you hope. Will the judges like it? You’re too familiar to know, your writing partner has given her feedback, and besides, isn’t the whole thing subjective? Yes and
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“There are no mistakes–only new material.” ~~B. Lynn Goodwin Writing Tips We’ll start with these five basic ideas and build the writing tips page regularly. Look at these when you feel stuck. Send me your suggestions. You’ll get credit. 1. Depending on the story, either write from the heart or write
Read MoreWriting Advice – Volume 19 Number 2
WRITING ADVICE FROM FLASH PROSE EXPERTS Last year I asked our finalists what tips they’d give to those who wanted to improve their flash fiction. Here’s a collection of what they said: From Corrie Adams, author of our winner, “Iceburg Season” Waste no words. Everything should do double duty. For example, dialogue should written
Read MoreWriting Advice – Volume 20 Number 1
I found this wonderful article by Dana Kaye at www.publishingcrawl.com. Ms. Kaye is the owner of Kaye Publicity, http://kayepublicity.com, and her message, filled with practical examples, may be the only article you’ll ever need about author branding. YOUR AUTHOR BRAND:WHAT IT IS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT By Dana Kaye Almost every author I’ve met, whether they write
Read MoreWriting Advice – Volume 21 Number 3
36 Writing Tips to Help You Write Like the Pros by Ajinkya Goyal The following is an excerpt from Ajinkya Goyal’s piece, which can be found here: airborneorange.com/36-writing-tips. As a blogger, writing is no doubt an integral part of your life. Be it fiction, or non-fiction, the quality of your writing should never dip below brilliant. You would no doubt have noticed
Read MoreWriting Advice – Volume 20 Number 2
How to Write a Great Story: A Roundup of Best Advice Posted on November 23, 2016 by Jane Friedman at https://janefriedman.com/write-great-story-roundup-best-advice/ Jane Friedman is a skilled, wise advisor. You can read about her expertise at https://janefriedman.com/about/. This is taken from her web page, a site you should bookmark. Over the last five years, I’ve
Read MoreWriting Advice – Volume 20 Number 4
10 Questions To Help You Distinguish Voices By B. Lynn Goodwin In the Independent Study class I teach for Story Circle Network, people ask all kinds of questions. This term one person was concerned that all her characters sounded the same. I had her find objectives, obstacles, and strategies to overcome those
Read MoreWriting Advice – Volume 19 Number 3
Incredible Writing Retreats to Attend in 2016 This is excerpted from a piece by Susan Shain. It originally appeared on December 22, 2015 at The Write Life, http://thewritelife.com/writing-retreats/ Do you dream of getting away to write, but need some guidance on the next steps for your novel? Want to meet and work with
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