The dreaded words of social media: "I've been hacked!" It sends chills through an online community. Especially for writers with established platforms. It can happen to anyone. And if you aren't smart about your online habits, it probably WILL.
Tag: writing help
Research Your Work – Without Getting Lost in Rabbit Holes
Creating your own worlds, creatures, and characters is half the fun of writing. But you can't go off the rails crazy and do whatever you want and still expect people to join you on the ride. There has to be SOME crumb of reality there. And that means conducting research before you write. As onerous a task as that sounds.
Theme: Four Little Words, One Big Deal
Do you know what your book's about? Not the plot summary (although you need that, too). We're talking the absolute core of the story. Without it, everything collapses. Every novel has a theme. And until you lock that down, your writing will go NOWHERE.
Finding Anthologies For Your Writing
You know the usual routine: Write a story, edit it, and then start the cycle of submitting it to various publications. But markets disappear. Or they close to submissions for one reason or another. And you're left wondering what to do. Well, why not try one of the many anthologies out there? You'll get to share the publication with other accomplished authors. AND see your story in print!
Handling Rejections (With a Touch of Dignity)
If you don't have a collection of rejections, are you even a writer? (No, no you're not) But that doesn't make them any more fun to get. And, sometimes, they can really wear you down. So how can you cope with all of the "NO" coming at you?
Writing Workshops: A Writer’s One-Stop Shop
Catapult is no longer available for writers looking for top-notch classes. So what are you supposed to do? Find another ready source. And Writing Workshops is one of those handy spots just waiting for you to swing by.
Why You Need an Editorial Calendar
Do you juggle multiple writing sources? A blog, a newsletter, social media? Do you find yourself struggling to find ideas? Or are you constantly scraping together time to complete each one? Then you are in desperate need of an editorial calendar!
Pros and Cons of the Writing Workshop Hawaii Writing Retreat
"Writing retreat" sets the imagination on fire and gets writers dreaming of focused time with their laptop and notebook. Nothing but seclusion and time to discuss and hammer out trouble sections of their book or essays. And a retreat IS a dream come true. But there are downsides that no one ever mentions. So I'm here to offer both sides of that coin based on my recent excursion to Hawaii.
How to Perform a Useful Writing Critique
Writers help each other out (or they SHOULD). And one of the biggest services is supplying critiques. But if you aren't familiar with best practices, you could end up doing more harm than good to your writing buddies. So let's review how to review a manuscript from start to finish, shall we?
Fairy Tale Indices for Unicorn Writers
Plenty of stories take inspiration from fairy tales. And you can probably name the Grimm Brothers' basics. But do you know where they got the tales from? Or how many variations exist for every story out there? When you start diving into the history and themes of these favorites, you find startling nuggets you can exploit for new story ideas. Or you can simply learn something new!