Blog posts about the craft of writing: thoughts, resources, things to keep in mind, and more
Scrivener lives up to its reputation. I splurged on it last month and have not regretted it for a minute. Getting by with various MS Word and Excel document was working, but comparing getting by to Scrivener is like comparing hiking without a map to racing a Ferrari on a track.
I’d recommend it to most writers.
From Jeff Goins’ article, “Trying to Be a Good Writer is a Complete Waste of Time“:
Don’t be good, be effective
Here’s the solution: Don’t be good. Be effective. Stop trying to be a good writer, and start trying to be effective.Why? Because “good” is subjective. It’s meaningless. “Good” is an artifact from long ago when writers needed gatekeepers to determine the value of their work. In today’s creative landscape, the goal of writing is connection. Not lukewarm approval. “Effective,” on the other hand, defines a clear relationship between you and the reader. The goal is to be heard, to communicate a clear message to a particular audience.
Should an aspiring writer blog? Like so many other questions in life… It depends.
On what?
Do you want to…
Continue reading
Come on, you know you know some introverts or shy folks. Maybe you are even one yourself, like me.
The core of writing is a solitary pursuit, but most of us want financial return. Part of treating writing as a business is networking with other writers.
How do you go about this? What are some first steps? What options will work for you?
Many options exist. Here are a few:
There’s so much to the business of writing that goes far beyond putting words on paper (or into Microsoft Word).
Here’s few things writers tackle that may surprise you:
Hopefully these one-liners I’ve collected on the craft of writing will help you, and perhaps not just in writing.
I keep a separate Word file that I reference often when I write, especially when revising. It contains a rather eclectic mix: scene checklists, story structure advice, lists of conjunctions, and much more that I would like to remember. I do add endnotes for the sources of most of the information.
Here’s the current Table of Contents:
Writers first diving in to the business of becoming a published author may trip over unexpected business overhead. I have.
One doesn’t know what one doesn’t know.
Continue reading
