Look, this is basically a list of 100 Things Every Writer Should Do Before They Die. How many have you already done?
Some of them are pretty ambitious — reading 100 books in a single year is difficult, no doubt. While others like “write fan fiction” or “go to a reading” have a much lower bar.
Writers hate the term genre. Readers love it.
This is because genre creates expectations. Will these characters be able to fly, shapeshift, fall in love?
As the year draws to a close, it’s time for writers to do some self-examination.
You probably already have a sense whether this was a banner year for you or a real stinker, but you need to think about WHY.
What made this a horrible year for writing or your most successful year ever? And how can you continue your streak or even do better next year?
Guest Post by Jody J. Sperling
If you’re given to quitting, writing novels isn’t for you.
If you’re happier writing than reading, don’t bother writing.
But if you’ve bolted your heels to concrete blocks, and if you view failure as a bridge over the black abyss, and if you’d rather be reading than climbing mountains or watching television or snowboarding, write a book.
This is a parable of a writer named Austin, and how he found his audience through writing four novels.
Austin lived near a major metropolis in the United States, was middle class, and he wanted more than anything to become a writer. He read all the right people, went to all the right conferences, and wrote every day.
What makes or breaks your novel is what exists before you write your first word: your central concept.
The concept is so important. And yet it’s something that’s usually neglected when talking about writing craft.
That’s because it’s much easier to talk about sentences, or plot, or characterization, or beginnings — or really anything else. Those are easy to judge, and easy to teach.
So many articles about book clubs seem to be written by people who have never belonged to a book club. Boring, obvious information. I’m going to change that here.
I have a lot of firsthand experience: My book club is called the Bookhouse Boys (yes, we have a name!). We’re five guys who’ve been meeting together once every two months for the last nine years. We used to meet at restaurants all over Southern California, but for the last four years we’ve just met at my house.
Unless you prefer to write only with pen on paper, you probably use technology to help you write. Well, why not upgrade your technology in the hopes of upgrading your writing?
Check out the helpful technologies and softwares below which are the best tools to spur your writing along. Also, some of links below include affiliate links, which means if you click on them and purchase you’re supporting Bookfox (thanks — that’ll help me continue to help writers like you!).
Hey Bookfoxers, it can be difficult to find a writing community in your area, even if you’re an established writer.
It’s especially hard if you’re not in a major metropolis. I mean, writers are on in every street corner in San Francisco or New York, but if you’re in a smaller city or suburbs or a rural community, it becomes increasingly difficult to find fellow writers.
Most readers don’t pick up a novel thinking, “Okay. I’m going to read all 100,000 words of this right now.”
That’s why chapters exist.
Chapters give readers a stopping point without abandoning the book. They also allow readers to pick the book back up without feeling completely lost.
A short story is a fantastic model for a chapter because it offers a beginning and end (a complete story!). And it’s worth noting that the perfect length for a short story is around 4,000 words.