Getting inspiration from the news The news News stories can be a fantastic source of inspiration. Remember the phrase, ‘ripped from the headlines‘? So while it has become a TV trope all its own, current events can really inspire. Because you just can’t make this stuff up. International Events In particular, when writing about an alien […]
Getting inspiration from the physical world The physical world The physical world can inspire, whether it’s the Appalachian Trail, or your bedroom, or the Himalayas. And while not everyone can live in Paris or visit Yosemite National Park, we can all be inspired by our own personal universes. Moreover, if your world can inspire you, […]
Review – There is a Road There is a Road originally came about as a response to an image prompt on the old Trek United. However, I do not have the rights to use that image, and Trek United is a mere shell of its former self. Background The original image was a dreamy almost […]
Getting inspiration from exercise Exercise Exercise should be a vital part of anyone’s life. And you don’t have to be a gym rat to get inspiration from your workout or from what happens while you’re exercising. As we have seen in other instances, exercise is just another vehicle for inspiration if you look at it […]
Character Sexuality A look at character sexuality can take you in any number of directions. First of all, you need to listen to your characters. Are they telling you who they like? Maybe they are, or maybe they’re a little shy about that. Can you see your characters with someone of the same sex, or […]
Dealing With Rejection Rejection stinks. There’s no two ways about it. Here are three things you can do if you have received a rejection from an agent or a publisher. Mourning 1) Mourn. Yes, mourn! It kinda hurts so allow yourself to feel hurt. But! Put a time limit on that. As in a week. […]
Personal Writing Process My personal writing process may or may not help you. After all, mine differs from, say, Stephen King‘s. And while he is a bestselling author several times over, that still doesn’t mean his method is better than my own. Furthermore, his method will not work for me. And that’s not a failure […]
Optimizing Twitter Now that you’re on, it’s time to start optimizing Twitter. Lists What are lists on Twitter? You may have noticed people who have a rather different follower to following ratio than you do. What do I mean by that? Let’s say you follow 100 people. And 1000 people follow you. The ratio of […]
Working with a Facebook page How do you go about working with a Facebook page? Keep in mind that Facebook is constantly A/B testing (e. g. checking to see if new layouts or color schemes, etc. will make you click more), so these instructions might be a little out of date after a while. This […]
MSWL (Manuscript Wish List) Have you ever seen the #MSWL hashtag on Twitter? It stands for Manuscript Wish List. So, what the heck is a Manuscript Wish List? What do publishers and agents want? Agents and publishers have seen it all, or at least they think they have. They are on the lookout for something […]