For Writers

I get asked this question a lot. The following links will direct you to an author friend of mine, Susan Dennard, who outlines the process far more eloquently and succinctly than I ever could:

• How to Get Traditionally Published, part 1
• How to Get Traditionally Published, part 2
• How to Get Traditionally Published, part 3

A quick note: What works for me, will not work for everyone. Remember that writing is an individual, personal process, and you should experiment to find a process that works best for you.

• Planning & Outlining
  • Write What’s In Your Heart
  • On Outlines and Diverging From Them
  • [VIDEO] A Scrivener Tutorial: Outlining
  • [VIDEO] A Scrivener Tutorial: Character Worksheets & Freeform Corkboard
  • Where To Turn When It’s Time to Research
  • [NEWSLETTER] On Letting Ideas Simmer/Finding the Right Story
  • [NEWSLETTER] On Book Proposals
  • [NEWSLETTER] How to Pick the Right Protagonist
• Drafting/Writing
  • Facing the Blank Page
  • On Not Knowing Your Characters
  • On Drafting: My Approach and General Process to a First Draft
  • One Step Back, Two Steps Forward (Revising Lightly While Drafting)
  • Ten Things I Learned While Writing a Sequel
  • Lessons Learned While Writing a Trilogy
  • [NEWSLETTER] How To Power Through a Shitty First Draft
  • More craft specific posts are listed below!
• Revising
  • Kill Your Darlings
  • Insights on Finding a Critique Partner
  • Crafting the Perfect Critique Sandwich
  • The Words You Cut Are the Most Important
  • Crutches in Writing
  • Proofing Like a Pro

Discussions on craft—plot, characters, setting, and more!

• On “Strong” Female Characters
• In Defense of Love Triangles Interests
• The Cliffhanger Dilemma
• Story First
• Writing Morally Ambiguous Characters (written for author Susan Dennard’s newsletter)
• [NEWSLETTER] Writing Ensemble Casts
• [NEWSLETTER] How to Avoid Info Dumps

Thoughts on staying inspired and leading a creative life:

• Creativity Is Not a Bottomless Well
• Some Creative Philosophies are Universal
• You Deserve a Vacation
• Facing the Blank Page
• On Writing Full-Time
• The Grass is Always Greener
• Finding the Time To Write
• [NEWSLETTER] Celebrating Accomplishments
• [NEWSLETTER] On Control (Stop Stressing About What You Can’t Control & Focus On What You Can)
• [NEWSLETTER] The Perks of a Social Media Hiatus
• [NEWSLETTER] Success is Relative
• [NEWSLETTER] Setting Goals You Can Control
• [NEWSLETTER] Imposter Syndrome and External Validation
• [NEWSLETTER] Why You’re Always Hearing the Advice ‘Don’t Quit Your Day Job’
• [NEWSLETTER] Balancing Multiple Projects

Thoughts on writing queries, trying to find an agent, and the submission process:

• My Query Process (How To Not Lose Your Mind While Querying)
• Battling the Urge to Check Email
• Querying Do’s & Don’ts, Plus a Worksheet
• [NEWSLETTER] It Only Takes One Collective Yes

A look at the publishing process after signing a book/series contract.

• Digesting the Revision Letter: A Pep Talk
• After the Editorial Letter, Part 1: A Peek at Revising Under Contract
• After the Editorial Letter, Part 2: A Peek at Pass Pages and Beyond
• Debuting, Lessons Learned
• Battling Fear
• Switching Genres — Can it Hurt Your Author Brand?
• 7 Publishing Lessons I’ve Learned So Far
• [NEWSLETTER] Letting Go as a Book Enters the World

Now more than ever, authors are expected not only to write the novel, but to help market it too. Some thoughts on self promotion:

• Making the Most of Social Networks as a Writer
• Self-Promo and Marketing Materials that Work
• How to Run a Successful Preorder Campaign

A few of my favorite books on craft and creativity:

• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
• The Anatomy of Story by John Truby
• Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon (Plus sequels, Show Your Work, and Keep Going)
• 2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron
• The Forest Through the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers by Betsy Learner
• Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson   (This book is about start-ups, but I found the insights to time management and goal setting very inspiring)
• Deep Work by Cal Newport   (productivity)