Tag: writing advice

Publishing & Promotion

Book Marketing Part 2: Your Mailing List

Last month, I talked about how to build your platform: https://thewingedpen.com/book-marketing-p…re-your-best-bet/. This month, I will talk about how you can bait your readership further. A sale funnel will turn an indifferent audience into a warm audience. Your audience is made out of readers and writers like you. Think of your future audience not as potential buyers, but as a group of people who love the … Continue reading Book Marketing Part 2: Your Mailing List

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Sussu LeclercLeave a comment
Master Your Craft
Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

Master Your Craft: The Big Idea

Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Each Wednesday we’ll  discuss prewriting and drafting a new book from the BIG IDEA to QUERYING. (For more information, see last week’s intro post.) This week, I’ll discuss The Big Idea. So you’re ready to write a novel. You’ve got a character, maybe a scene, a vague idea of the plot…you’re ready to sit down and start writing, right? … Continue reading Master Your Craft: The Big Idea

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Richelle Morgan4 Comments
Writer's Life

How To Give Good Critique

We’ve talked before about the need for critique partners to help you create your best work. (Jessica Vitalis had some great suggestions about how to find the right critique partners.) But finding critique partners is only half the battle. If you want to have an ongoing, productive critique relationship – and write your best novel! – you also need to know how to be a good … Continue reading How To Give Good Critique

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Richelle Morgan9 Comments
Book Recommendations, Creativity and Craft

Review – How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way To Improve Any Manuscript

In How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way To Improve Any Manuscript, James Scott Bell promises the reader craft secrets to shape great dialogue. As a writer juggling a full life, the phrase “fastest way to improve” catches my eye and I hit Amazon’s buy now button. When the book arrives, it’s a slim 135 pages. Was it worth the price? Will it stay … Continue reading Review – How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way To Improve Any Manuscript

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Eileen Schnabel4 Comments
Creativity and Craft

Craft Intensive: Building Backstory

As a couple of my fellow Pennies can tell you, I love to do a deep dive on characters’ feelings and motivations. In fact, one of my favorite things to do while writing and critiquing is to explore and uncover why the characters act the way they do. I’m also a firm believer in that old adage that the easiest way to know what someone is … Continue reading Craft Intensive: Building Backstory

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Richelle Morgan3 Comments
Writer's Life

Find Mentors after Pitch Wars?

If Pitch Wars 2017 seems too far away or too selective for you, you can always try out other mentorship programs available online. Some are free and some come with a fee. I have listed both below. But first…. What should you expect from a mentor? A mentor is a professional who is ahead of the game and understands the industry better than you. By … Continue reading Find Mentors after Pitch Wars?

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Sussu Leclerc8 Comments
Author, Interviews, Middle Grade

Author Interview–Julie Leung

We are thrilled to have on the blog today Julie Leung, a debut author whose middle grade novel releases on October 4th. MICE OF THE ROUNDTABLE: A TAIL OF CAMELOT is an epic new middle grade series in the tradition of Redwall and Poppy, based on Arthurian legend and told from the perspective of Camelot’s most humble creatures: mice. Young mouse Calib Christopher dreams of becoming … Continue reading Author Interview–Julie Leung

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Kate Hillyer1 Comment
Creativity and Craft, Writer's Life

Going Dark: How Do You Tune Out Online “Noise”?

After being almost completely disconnected for ten days this summer, I found it a bit jarring once I returned to my normal online-heavy life. I’m deep into drafting at the moment, and all that “noise” has been wreaking havoc with my ability to focus. Hearing about others’ progress, chasing the link to yet another craft article or agent’s wishlist, or just keeping up with the … Continue reading Going Dark: How Do You Tune Out Online “Noise”?

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Richelle Morgan1 Comment
Creativity and Craft, Writer's Life

How I had a Productive Summer

Or as I like to say, how I made the most of interrupted time. Think back to June. Was this you? “I have an incredible writing project planned for this summer. I’ll write a first draft. Complete revisions. Write, query, get the book published, and go on a worldwide book tour. All before school starts in September.” Well, that did sound a bit like me … Continue reading How I had a Productive Summer

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Halli Gomez5 Comments
Author, Book Recommendations, Interviews, Writer's Life

Interview with Kelly Barnhill: Author of THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON and THE WITCH’s BOY

I had the COMPLETE PLEASURE of chatting with Kelly Barnhill, author of THE WITCH’S BOY, THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON (which I reviewed here last Friday), and many other beloved middle-grade fiction and nonfiction books. THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON is my ✨Favorite Middle-Grade 2016 Read ✨ so far, and I couldn’t think of any better way to celebrate #NationalBookLoversDay AND THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON’s book birthday than to share our … Continue reading Interview with Kelly Barnhill: Author of THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON and THE WITCH’s BOY

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Michelle Leonard3 Comments
Eight on Eight

8 on Eight: August Contest Feedback

Thank you to all the brave souls who entered this month’s 8 on Eight contest! Sharing your writing takes courage, and we appreciate your enthusiasm for our contest. If your name wasn’t drawn from the Triwizard cup this time around, keep an eye out for when our next contest window opens at 8 PM on August 31st. Below, we’ve posted the first 8 lines from … Continue reading 8 on Eight: August Contest Feedback

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Kristi WientgeLeave a comment
Mosaic owl on a pedestal in the Library of Congress.
Book Recommendations, Creativity and Craft, Writer's Life

10 Tips to Control Writing Book Fever

My parents gave me a subscription to THE WRITER magazine when I was a kid. Years later, as an adult, I shyly checked out writing books from the library. You’d think I was checking out something indecent, but laying the books on the check-out counter felt like hubris. It was hard to meet the librarian’s eyes. I mean, if anyone knows what a writer looks … Continue reading 10 Tips to Control Writing Book Fever

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Laurel DecherLeave a comment