Writing Advice Posts: A Handy Reference Guide
(Updated 05/2024) Hey all, I’ve got quite a few writing advice posts & answered Asks on my blog at this point, so I’m making this reference guide to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. Hope it helps!
Free Resource Library for Fiction Writers
Get access to my Free Resource Library on my website.
Join my email list and get free writing advice emails sent straight to your inbox. You’ll also get early notification of any discounts or giveaways, and direct access to me to ask questions about writing. It’s totally free and you can unsubscribe anytime!
The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers is my comprehensive, step-by-step editing guide which you can purchase on my website.
8 Ways to Improve Your Writing
10 Best Books About Writing Fiction
How to Spot Bad Writing Advice: 6 Red Flags to Look For
“Show Don’t Tell”? Not Always. Here’s When to Use Summary
Where and How to Start a Story
More about starting stories
Why Just About Every Published Book in the World Does 57 Things That Just About Every Book About Writing Tells You Not to Do
How to Read Like a Writer
How to Write During a Pandemic
The Writing Process, Writer’s Block, & Inspiration
To all the Writers Suffering from Depression
How to Train Yourself to Write Faster
Just a friendly reminder that creativity is difficult to quantify.
Quick Writing Tip: Make a Note to Your Future Self in Your WIP
Quick Writing Tip: Take Notes!
Just a friendly reminder that writing is not always a linear process.
Quick Cure for Writer’s Block: Lower Your Expectations
Your Skills May Need Time to Catch Up to Your Vision
It’s Okay to Experiment and Be Weird As Fuck
Surround Yourself With Supporters
It’s okay to take a break.
Your First Draft is Raw Material
Writing from Your Imagination vs. Reality
Getting Bored with Your Own Writing
Doing research on topics you don’t have first-hand experience with
Hitting a wall with your WIP? Try writing about it.
How to Keep Yourself From Editing As You Write
Advice for Getting Over a Writing Slump
Dealing with Procrastination
How to Write Like You Used to, Before You Learned Stuff that Fucked Up Your Natural Creative Flow and Turned Your Writing into Boring, Stilted Garbage
Concept: Maybe Your First Draft DOESN’T Suck
How to Deal with Post-Writing Depression
Being Flexible With Your Writing Routine
Obsessing about word count can be your enemy
Creating Character Arcs with the DCAST Method
What Does Your Main Character Want?
How to Activate Your Passive Characters, One Verb at a Time
How to Use Description to Show Character Development
How to Create a Non-Cliched First-Meeting Scene
When to identify your character’s goal
Writing about normal people with normal problems
If you’re worried about your character being too similar to someone else’s character
Describing your characters without messing up your pacing
Naming Your Fictional Characters
When Your Character Doesn’t Change
Quick Plotting Tip: Write Your Story Backwards
How to Spot an “Info-dump”
Slowing Down the Pace of Your Story Without Boring Your Reader
How to Create a Non-Cliched First-Meeting Scene
When & how to cut a scene
If you’re good at creating characters but awful at creating plot
When you’ve plotted your story but can’t get started
Writing to Your Ideal Reader
What to write between moments of conflict
Starting a story with waking-up scene
How to Know When You’re Done Outlining
Doing a Structural Overhaul on Your Story
How to Find an Ending from a Beginning
Editing Tip: How to Speed Up or Slow Down Your Pacing
Adding Stakes to Your Story
You can burn your story slower than you think
Description, Setting, & Worldbuilding
How to Make Your Descriptions Less Boring
How to Spot an “Info-dump”
Adding Descriptions to Intense Scenes Without Messing Up Your Story’s Flow
How to Use Description to Show Character Development
Worldbuilding: How much is too much?
Modeling your fantasy world from stuff in the real world
How to Do World-Building Research
5 Tips for Writing Great Descriptions
How to Choose the Right Point of View for Your Story
A Beginner’s Guide to Multiple Point of View
6 Questions to Ask About Your Point of View
How to decide if you should use first person or third person
More point of view basics
How to Head Hop without Head Hopping
What to Do When You’re Halfway Through Your Story and Realize Your POV Isn’t Working
3 Tips to Avoid Overusing “I” in a First Person Story
How to Improve Your Dialogue
3 Ways to Make Your Dialogue More Interesting
Starting a story with dialogue
Are You Using Too Much Stage Direction?
Which is Better: Exposition or Expository Dialogue?
Publishing & Sharing Your Work
7 Tips to Build an Audience for Your Writing
Pros and Cons of Self Publishing
Quick Publishing Tip: Don’t Bury Your Gold
How to Properly Format Your Manuscript for Publication
A warning about posting writing online that you intend to publish later
Advice for writers who are worried about people stealing their work or ideas
Getting feedback on your writing
How to Create a Cover Letter for a Literary Magazine or Journal
How to Make a 3D Mockup of Your Book for Free
A Word of Advice About Critique Groups, Beta Readers, and Other Peer-Based Feedback on Your Writing
When Your Story Gets a Lackluster Response from Readers
10 Questions to Ask an Editor Before Hiring Them
Quick Revision Tip: Read Your Writing Out Loud
How to Keep Yourself From Editing As You Write
Are you suffering from -ing disease?
Are you Using Too Much Stage Direction?
What “Editing” Really Means
Quick Editing Tip: “That”
Quick Revision Tip: Read Faster
Should You Use a Contract When Hiring an Editor?
Quick Editing Tip: Passing Time
Deleting the words feel/felt/feeling from your writing
The Difference Between a Semi-Colon and an Em-Dash
Should you become an editor?
…if you find any broken links please let me know and I will fix them!
jacobvanloon
gummygunk
kianamaiart
2087
dailybridgerton
snowghoul
jbbartram-illu
discoholicmusic
romaincrisis
annaxmalina
turnnoffyourmind
