I’ve gotten a lot of new blog readers since my first book was published two and a half years ago, and I know a lot of you are writers. So I thought it might be useful if I complied all the writing advice posts I’ve made (that I still think are reasonably useful \ud83d\ude09 ) since many of them were written before that time. And I’m going to try to remember to keep updating this on the rare occasions I do new posts about writing.<\/p>\n
Before we get started, I’d like to make one very important statement: Anything I say about writing and the creative process is merely what works for me. It is highly unlikely to work for everyone. So if you do things a different way and it works for you, more power to you!<\/b><\/p>\n
Now that we’ve got that clear\u2026<\/p>\n
Elements of writing fiction:<\/b><\/p>\n
Tending to new ideas<\/a> (how I help my shiny new ideas grow until they’re ready to become a whole book)<\/p>\n Tools for working with new story ideas<\/a> (mainly about structuring your ideas once you have a basic sense of what you want to happen)<\/p>\n In praise of research<\/a> (how research can help you write)<\/p>\n Fictional world-building<\/a> (a couple of resources for building fantasy worlds)<\/p>\n In which I ramble on about tension, for a rather long time<\/a> (this title is pretty self-explanatory, yes?)<\/p>\n Block Towers, or, How I build a middle<\/a> (Many people struggle with writing the middle of books. I love it. Here’s how I do it.)<\/p>\n More on middles<\/a> (continuing from the above)<\/p>\n Why I rewrite<\/a> (on my revision process and why it works for me)<\/p>\n Writing better<\/a> (techniques for improving your writing skills)<\/p>\n How getting my editorial letter changed the way I write<\/a> (on the importance of being sure)<\/p>\n Diversity and Difference in YA<\/a> (on how to make your fiction inclusive, and why it’s important)<\/p>\n Elements of getting published and promotion:<\/b><\/p>\n Very few journeys are smooth or straight-forward<\/a> (sharing some of the difficult parts of my publishing journey, and what I learned from them)<\/p>\n The publishing connection myth: why I investigated it<\/a> and the results of my poll<\/a> (challenging the idea that you need connections to get published)<\/p>\n Searching for an agent? Here are some tools<\/a> (some internet resources I used in my agent search, and how I used them)<\/p>\n A Shy Person’s Guide to Public Speaking<\/a> (how to deal with public appearances if you’re one of the many shy authors out there, like me)<\/p>\n Random writing-related topics:<\/b><\/p>\n Advice for aspiring writers<\/a> (some basics)<\/p>\n Try<\/a> (the one thing you absolutely have to do to succeed)<\/p>\n The choices we make, or, how I found time to write<\/a> (about making writing a priority in your life, and why that’s important)<\/p>\n The Purple Elephant Problem<\/a> (on comparing one’s books to others)<\/p>\n On getting feedback as a writer, or, You can’t win<\/a> (about handling other people’s opinions about your work)<\/p>\n How to organize a writing retreat<\/a> (something I’ve done for my in-person critique group every year for the last five years)<\/p>\n Of course they mean things. You just have to learn how to read them.<\/a> (mainly, thoughts of what writers can learn from fandom — you can skip the first few paragraphs as they’re unrelated)<\/p>\n And finally\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n My Favorite Writing Links<\/a> (advice from other people that I have found helpful in the past)<\/p>\n Enjoy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’ve gotten a lot of new blog readers since my first book was published two and a half years ago, and I know a lot of you are writers. So I thought it might be useful if I complied all … Continue reading