Advice for New Writers Archives - Page 13 of 32

Archive for the ‘Advice for New Writers’ Category

Guest Post: Does Book Touring Still Matter?

by John Scalzi

When I’m out and about and recount my tour adventures to people (I can reel off my itinerary just about in my sleep at this point), the question often arises about whether all this touring is actually still useful and/or desirable in an age where so many people get their books electronically, and when one (or at least, one like me) can show up to a comic con, at which between 20k and 50k people will show up in one place, where you also happen to be.

Variations of Villainy

by Nancy Fulda

Villains are challenging to write. Make them too heartless, and no one will find them believable. Make them too empathetic, and the audience will end up rooting for the wrong team. It can be difficult to create an antagonist with enough human virtue to be interesting and enough human foibles to be, well, villainous.

New Market: Ares Magazine

The first issue of Ares Magazine is now in the hands of subscribers and available for purchase. The 84-page first issue features nine original science fiction and fantasy stories, an interview with game designer and author Bruce Cordell, and an article on singularity written by best-selling science fiction author William H. Keith (who also writes under the pseudonyms Ian Douglas and H.J. Ryker).

To Vlog or Not To Vlog

by Alethea Kontis

Luckily, there are many other outlets for writers to alternately channel their particular brand of creativity: Blogging, podcasting, memes, fan fiction…in this day and age, the possibilities are endless.

The Scientist Next Door: Or How to Approach Experts with Research Questions

by William Ledbetter

The email was short and straightforward. I identified myself as a science fiction writer who was curious about one aspect of their paper.

Overcoming Self-Doubt as a Writer

by Matthew Kressel

It’s become a cliché, the tortured writer beset by periods of crippling self-doubt. But things become clichés simply because they have been true for so many. Writing, for most people I know, is an experience of few victories and many small defeats.

Guest Post: Yog’s Law and Self-Publishing

by John Scalzi

Many years ago, writer Jim Macdonald postulated “Yog’s Law,” a handy rule of thumb for writers about the direction money is meant to flow in publishing:

“Money flows toward the writer.”

Interstitial Arts Foundation Announces Indiegogo Campaign

The Interstitial Arts Foundation, a genre-smashing nonprofit founded in 1999, announces a crowdfunding Indiegogo campaign to raise $8,500 to support its journal, Interfictions Online.

Brain – Mental Ass Kickings = More Productive WriterBrain

by Barbara A. Barnett

So my takeaway from all this babbling is this: how you write isn’t always about getting words down. Sometimes it’s about looking at other aspects of your life and figuring out if there are changes you can make that will improve your ability to get those words down.

Guest Post: Using foreign language in your story – the balancing act!

by Juliette Wade

I love to use non-English languages in a story. To me, a foreign language behaves like a form of music – it creates mood and atmosphere for the readers who don’t understand it, and it further creates a layer of meaning for those readers who do understand it.