Count Your Successes
by Luna Corbden
I have turned my inner narrative around with one simple new rule: “Count your successes.”
Information Center, Keeping At It, The Craft of Writing, The SFWA Blog, Tips for Beginners
Information Center
Advice for New Writers, Information Center, The Craft of Writing, The SFWA Blog, Tips for Beginners, Writing Technique
Sketching a Story
by Paul Jessup
Novels are hard, yo. I mean, books in general, maybe writing overall? But for me making that leap from short stories to novels was a difficult transition. I had to completely change my writerly habits, completely reinvent the ways I was doing things altogether.
SFWA Minimum Pro Rate Now in Effect
The SFWA minimum payment rate for professional short fiction markets is now eight cents per word. In accordance with our
Keeping At It, The Craft of Writing, The SFWA Blog
A Tiny Bit of Mathemagic
by Filip Wiltgren
Want to be insanely productive? Check this:
I live in a country where the fruit comes with stickers on it. Meaning that before you eat your apple, you need to remove a piece of plastic, clawing at the little sucker, then going and tossing it in the garbage. This takes about five seconds.
Building a Career, Networking and Self-Promotion, The Business of Writing, The SFWA Blog
Promoting with Podcasts
by Alan Bailey
Podcasters generally have a mixed reputation. Why? I’m not totally sure. Perhaps it’s because the entry fee is low, and anyone with an opinion can put it out there. The sheer number of podcasts doesn’t help either. So, how do you know which are worthwhile?
The Craft of Writing, The SFWA Blog, Writing Technique
Stories that Teach: Adventures on the Crossroads of Fiction and Non-fiction
by Alex Woolf
One trend that I think is likely to have more enduring appeal is narrative non-fiction (NNF): the blending of story elements with non-fiction. Typically, this involves the author inventing characters and a simple plot device, such as a journey. Along the way, the characters discover real-world information, be it about science, history or geography. The idea is that by employing narrative techniques such as characterization, dramatic tension, dialogue and atmosphere, the process of information acquisition is made a lot more compelling.
The Craft of Writing, The SFWA Blog, Writing Technique
Translating the Hero’s Journey Into a Linear Plan
by Susan Forest There are as many paths into creating fiction as there are writers, and widely differing approaches have
Building a Career, Keeping At It, The Business of Writing, The Craft of Writing, The SFWA Blog
Waking up to Productivity: Testing Robin Sharma’s The 5AM Club.
by Deborah Walker
Productivity gurus love routine and habit. They say you should have a regular bedtime and a regular time to wake up. I don’t do that. But I am an early riser and no stranger to 5 am. It should have been easy for me to test this productivity habit.
Keeping At It, The Craft of Writing, The SFWA Blog
Waking up to Productivity: Robin Sharma’s “The 5 AM Club”
by Deborah Walker
A few months ago, I began to hear great things about Robin Sharma’s bestselling, new book, “The 5 AM Club.” Sharma is a productivity guru whose work is ’embraced by rock stars, royalty, billionaires and many celebrity CEOs’. When I heard the glowing testimonies from more ordinary folk (albeit productivity types), I was quick to order a copy from my library.
Advice for New Writers, Information Center, The Craft of Writing, The SFWA Blog, Tips for Beginners, Writing Technique
Grice’s Maxims and How You Can Use Them in Your Fiction
by Dan Brotzel
The philosopher of language Paul Grice (1913-88) is best known for his four conversational maxims, which describe what’s going on when people hold a conversation. I want to look at these to see how they can help us in crafting fiction.