Category Archives: Inspiration

Email Gems: July 17-21

From my Austin Kleon weekly newsletter:
Here [with 2 Years of Exhausting Photographic Detail] Is How to Write a Book by Ryan Holiday

From the newsletter of Jill Badonsky [the author of The Muse Is In]:
“Strengthen Your Tolerance Muscle–To be good at anything in the creative realm you must be able to accept that you’re not instantly perfect or even kinda good. If you don’t have a tolerance muscle, your mission if you want to answer your creative call, is to build it before the skill you are trying to cultivate.”

 

 

 

Writers Horoscope–July 20

Today–reach out to people.

Plan your cookbook-signing.

Your biggest challenge: Finding an actual brick-and-mortar bookstore.

Alternatives? Set up a promotion table at the meat counter in Earl and Pearl’s Stop n’ Shop. [Better provide skewers and samples. Hungry shoppers don’t exactly sprout cash for text-on-paper.]

Next to the table, try something subtle, yet memorable.

“Portion-control is for wimps. Buy the whole book!”

 

Writers Horoscope: July 16

Find a new audience today for your latest chapter.
Yes, your border collie will do just fine.  border collie

Take note of when he:

  • cocks his head [your protagonist’s actions strayed too far from her core character]
  • lets his attention drift to backyard activity [your dialogue isn’t advancing the plot]
  • growls [waaaaay too much exposition]

Twitter Gems: July 10-14

IndieAuthorsAlliance @IndieAuthorALLI Book Marketing Ideas for Indie Authors: Introducing the New Bookfunnel Bundle #author bit.ly/2umr57V

David Gaughran @DavidGaughran
Scammers Break The Kindle Storetwitter-2430933_1280https://t.co/5s7fqjTBfs

Kindle Direct Pub  @AmazonKDP
Some guiding words from KDP author @jaltucher.

IndieAuthorsAlliance @IndieAuthorALLI
5 Top tips to Boost Your Productivity bit.ly/2evBWDL#selfpub
[I’ve been working on the ‘road map’ tip. Sometimes I’m just not disciplined enough.]

Jon Winokur  @AdviceToWriters
If I see an ending, I can work backward. ARTHUR MILLER #amwriting#fiction

And yet more productivity tips!! Jeff Goins  @JeffGoins
Kill Distractions and Amp Up Your Productivity buff.ly/2tCpDgv
[I like the instrumental music tip.]

Writers Horoscope-July 10-Day 14

You are trustworthy and people value your opinion.

So tread lightly when discussing your fellow writer’s dystopian Victorian western.

Appreciate its vivid descriptions and move on.

***

To thank you for visiting, here is a freebie Suspense Concept List PDF.

Nope, no email address required.

It is 11 pages of words and phrases related to, in this case, the idea of suspense. I create and use these to boost my writing and idea-generation output and am going to be offering this and others in my upcoming digital dollar store. [Hey, it’s a working title. ;->]

[Actually, I think this blog’s readers could generate stories in any number of genres from these lists.]

Here is just a sample of what’s included:

  • conspiracy theory
  • courage
  • creativity
  • curiosity (inquisitiveness)
  • democracy
  • denial
  • detente
  • deterrent
  • devotion to a cause
  • diplomatic immunity
  • disastrous outcome
  • disinformation
  • disloyalty
  • hiding place
  • keyhole
  • listening post
  • locked door
  • locked file
  • locked room
  • give a tip (information)
  • go through customs
  • go through the trash
  • grant asylum
  • hear through the wall
  • hide (conceal)
  • hold an envelope up to the light
  • infiltrate
  • inform
  • interrogate
  • investigate
  • keep a secret
  • keep a straight face
  • keep up appearances
  • leak information
  • lie (tell a lie)
  • lie low
  • look over your shoulder
  • look through a keyhole
  • make a drop
  • make a mistake
  • misrepresent
  • observe
  • overthrow the government
  • plant evidence
  • protect a source

Twitter Gems July 3-7

Some of the greatest writers of the past century on how to handle criticism   https://t.co/DvCwfSOue4

twitter-rubix cube

A self-publishing primer from @JaneFriedman is among this week’s Finds for Writers: wp.me/p4x0h8-bKZ.

You have to resign yourself to wasting lots of trees before you write anything really good. J.K. ROWLING #amwriting #writing #writinglife

“When an idea comes, spend silent time with it…” https://t.co/WjESlYRIkz

You re-learn how to write a book every time you write a book. bit.ly/2sFlNUQ

Was just hit with a major pang of guilt…

I had just opened the book Writing for Story, by Jon Franklin, and began reading one of his highly-acclaimed stories, entitled Mrs. Kelly’s Monster, that detailed surgical procedures to relieve a patient of almost four decades of suffering from a malformation of blood vessels in the back of her brain.

And I thought…36 years of agony, all the while partnering with her husband to raise a family.

And I thought…and here I am whimpering and simpering about Facebook’s cluelessness about member requests that vaporize.

And I thought…get off your duff and keep writing!

And I thought…you folks should too!

Dig in! Ramp it up! Kick some literary booty! Go!