Articles
Articles

Articles

Food for Thought?

We talk a lot about how to write better and the tools you need to do that, but we don’t talk a lot about the main tool you use when writing: Your brain. Writing is entirely a cerebral activity. Without a healthy brain, it is very difficult to write. So, how do you keep your brain healthy. The answers probably won’t surprise you, but they do bear repeating. Water is Life Staying hydrated is probably the biggest key to keeping your brain in a good place for creating. And you have to hydrate before you get thirsty. The brain is...

This content is for members only.
Join Now
Already a member? Log in here

Writing That Resonates

Resonate. It’s the word I use most often when talking about writing. But what does it really mean? Take the word home. The dictionary definition is “The place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.” But that’s not what anyone thinks when they hear the word. They think of their home. What it looks like, what it sounds and smells like, how it feels to be there. They think of the people who occupy it and the often complex emotions they engender. They think about history and family and legacy and…well, you get the...

This content is for members only.
Join Now
Already a member? Log in here

What to Do When the Writing Won’t Work

Sometimes the writing just won’t work. The words won’t come, or they’re all wrong when they do. Even if you manage to type something, you delete it seconds later. You’re blocked. We’ve all been there. Don’t panic. It will come back. Meanwhile, I have some ideas to get it back sooner rather than later. Though it’s important to match the techniques with what you’re trying to write and where you are in the process — you’re going to need different techniques when you’re starting a short story than when you’re in the middle of a novel — no matter where...

This content is for members only.
Join Now
Already a member? Log in here

Using Short Stories to Grow Your Business

You’re probably not going to make a lot of money writing short stories. Not by directly selling them, anyway. But they are quite useful in a number of other ways, and if used—and written—well, they can help grow your writing business. Reader Magnets A lead magnet is a sales term for something you give away to get contact details so you sell to the person later. When that thing is a piece of writing, we call it a reader magnet. Why is it so important to gather contact details? So you can have an email list to send your newsletter...

This content is for members only.
Join Now
Already a member? Log in here

Plotters vs. Pantsers

In the eternal debate about what is the best way to write, two terms have come into common usage: plotter and pantser. Plotters are the planners, the outliners, the writers that like everything in place before they write a single word. Pantsers (called so because they “fly by the seat of their pants”) are those who leap into the void, writing their way into and out of situations without a map. Despite the exclusivity of the terms, there are few, if any, writers who are purely one or the other. Most plotters do some improvisation, at least when writing scenes...

This content is for members only.
Join Now
Already a member? Log in here

A Publisher Wants My Book!

So a publisher wants to publish your book? That is so exciting! But before you get carried away, let’s take a look at that contract. Unfortunately there are a lot of shady “publishers” out there who just want to take advantage of the fact that there are tens of thousands of writers desperately hoping to be published.  Because you’re a member here at Written Well, we’ll assume that you already know that the old dream of finding a traditional publisher and riding a road to riches was incredibly rare even twenty years ago, and now it’s almost unheard of. Self-published...

This content is for members only.
Join Now
Already a member? Log in here

Why Do I Need to Write a Series?

Most self-published authors who make a significant income write in series of books. And most of them have many books available for readers who like what they do. It’s something beginners in the self-pub world rarely understand. They expect to write one book and have the world discover how brilliant they are and then rake in the money and the fame. But it rarely works that way in traditional publishing, and almost never in self-publishing. This is primarily because there are only so many readers who want what you have to offer, and only a few ways to reach them....

This content is for members only.
Join Now
Already a member? Log in here

Don’t Get Rid of All the Negative People in Your Life

Let’s talk about critics. There are a lot of affirmations rolling around the internet about how you must get rid of the negative people in your life. And while this can be helpful to your self-esteem, jettisoning everyone who is the slightest bit critical of your decisions is limiting to self-growth. I am speaking mostly, of course, about writing. My best friends are extremely critical of my work. Hell, I give them my manuscripts with the express intent of them being critical of it. It’s how I improve it. The more I engage with this process, the better my work...

This content is for members only.
Join Now
Already a member? Log in here

Books to Read for Writing Fantasy

Nobody springs fully formed from the head of Zeus, and none less so than the writer. To attain any skill in writing, we devour thousands of books, write millions of words, and talk endlessly with each other about the act of turning our private thoughts into stories for strangers’ consumption. This list isn’t anywhere near exhaustive, and some of the selections may seem downright strange, but I’m hoping to showcase some books that maybe you haven’t heard of before. Note: I am a big early/middle medieval guy, so a lot of the history books on this list are centered around that time...

This content is for members only.
Join Now
Already a member? Log in here

How to Quit Your Day Job and Write Full-Time

The first thing to know about quitting your day job and writing full-time is don’t quit your day job. 99.9% of writers got into writing for the love and joy that writing provided them. It can be difficult to maintain those emotions when you have to do it for work. If you have a job that you can stand and provides you a decent living, hold onto it and write in your free time. You won’t burn out on the writing and you might make a little money on the side. But you’re not here for that, are you? Good,...

This content is for members only.
Join Now
Already a member? Log in here