THE RYW Blog
WRITING, SELLING, AND BALANCING YOUR LIFE
4 Tricks When You Don’t Know What to Write
Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser (or a plontser – somewhere in between on the spectrum of story planning), there are going to be times when you stare at the page or plot outline and think… I have no idea what comes next. Sometimes you’ll write a...
The Same, but Different
If you’ve ever read an interview with an agent or editor, and someone asks “what are you looking for?” you’ll notice they often say things like “we’re always looking for a good story” or “I want to see more stories like (whatever’s popular).” They may say they want...
How to Make Your Writing Memorable
Being successful in the writing world is about standing out in a ridiculously crowded field (like, in-the-millions ridiculous.) It’s about getting people to find you, but also getting them hooked on your style of writing, on your novels, enough that they decide they...
Say No to the Multitasking Mistake
We live in a world that is full of the drive to do more, more, more. As writers, we suffer from this expectation maybe more than a lot of other people. We are expected to write more, blog more, market more, be visible on social media more. It is all Important, with...
Is Writing Full Time a Viable Option?
Note: this originally was run in my newsletter, but given the responses, I thought I'd post it here on the blog as well. Is writing full time a viable option? Around 80% of the people I work with have mentioned that, ideally,eventually, they want to be able to write...
Writers, suit up. Your game is on.
Many authors I meet are in what I call practice mode. What does practice mode look like? It can be the writer who is endlessly polishing his writing skills, but hasn't completed a draft. Or the author who is plotting an intricate series, but hasn't written a word. Or...
The Real Reason You’re Not Marketing
How much marketing are you doing, really? How much "platform building"? Being honest: probably not that much. Am I right? If you're published, you may only send out a newsletter just before a release date. If you're unpublished, you may blog and then mention it on...
How to cure the pain of criticism, bad reviews, and rejection.
Have you ever experienced the sting of someone expressing they didn't like what you wrote? Unless you've been writing in a cave and refusing to let anyone look at your stories (or only giving it to people who will mouth platitudes and "adore" everything you put to...
5 questions to ask yourself when writing your novel.
I'm sure a lot of people are plunging into novel-writing... it's January, after all. Resolution season. "This is the year I (finish the novel, start the novel, write another novel)..." You get the picture. This often also leads to pulling out whatever notes they...