“My approach was to treat it like a college degree. I searched for every bit of wisdom I could find in craft books, YouTube videos, author interviews, chatting with other people etc. and defined the pillars of what I needed to study. I created a foundation to give me enough confidence in my writing before starting to write and I think having that process pre-established is what made all the difference.”

“Stop writing in a session at a point where you know what comes next. I’ve always done this and never had writer’s block. I’m raring to go when I sit down to write.”

“Write every day. Even if it’s a hundred words. Try flash fiction. Try poetry. Explore the different types of writing. Find what you love.”

“The pomodoro method is the only way I ever get anything done. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s this thing where you set a 25 minute timer, work for those 25 minutes, and then take a 5 minute break.”

“Try to write clean sentences without too many adjectives and adverbs; it’s amazing how powerful simple subject-verb-object sentences can be to move the action along. As Mark Twain said, ‘If you catch an adjective, kill it!’.”

“You see a movie and a line of dialogue has you going down another path, write it down. You hear a song and a lyric strikes you, write it down.”

“Write in the way that fits you. Some are plotters, some are pansters (discovery writers). There is no ‘one fits all’. Write where and when fits you. Write because you have a story to tell and not because you want to be famous.”

“...give yourself permission to do something different! Write a character you don’t expect. Write a scene that confuses you. Write something off-the-wall and unique to YOU. Let YOUR voice work within the book and it will come out better, guaranteed.”

“I recommend that authors learn techniques for clear, communicative writing. One of the many hats I’ve worn is that of technical writer, and my experiences with technical writing made my writing inordinately better and more accessible. You might be a wonderfully atmospheric, descriptive author—but if your reader can’t tell who’s speaking at any given time, their brain has to work far harder just to follow the story, and that means their brain isn’t focusing as much on your lovely descriptions!”

“If you write to create the perfect book for you, the book you want to read, and you don’t compare what you’re writing to anything except what you want it to be, it’s a drive to excellence all on its own, and … in my experience, at least, it takes care of that imposter syndrome issue pretty nicely. After all, only I can create my story....”

“...(read) at least 1000 books in a genre before you attempt to write in it...Each genre has certain reader expectations and it’s best to know what they are when you write.”

“I maintain a “living” document of sentences, idioms, words, ideas, names, etc. I’ve always sorta done this, but rarely kept it organized. It was only after seeing Eminem of all people show that he kept shoeboxes filled with notes and rhymes that it kinda clicked for me. (Talented lyricists are themselves top tier writers, so their methods are worth looking into, certainly moreso than mine heh.) My “shoebox” is currently over 14,000 words now and is an invaluable asset; I always have it open while writing and/or reading.”

“...writing satire/comedy/farce allows me to get away with a raft of so-called writing no-nos. Info dumps, multiple points of view and chronological impossibilities can be sloshed in and merrily explained away with a shrug—it’s a comedy, innit?”

“Learn the basics of grammar and edit the hell out of your amazing story. And don’t only make peace with the editing process, force yourself to love it, because that’s where the magic happens. ”

“I think it’s incredibly helpful to have a trusted critique partner. My stories are stronger because of this feedback, and it’s made it easier to see where I can improve.”

“Editing your own work is tedious but essential to get better with your prose. Constantly go over your work. Can this sentence or that one be improved in any way? Can it be made more succinct? More clear? More emotionally evocative? Keep going over it, again and again, until you’re ready to go insane. And then, go over it again.”

“Your first draft will suck. If you write a first draft and think it’s okay, that’s because you’re not good enough at reading with perspective (yet). You need a team of people to help you rip that draft apart and put it back together, over and over, until it’s good. Which might never happen, but it might.”

“Beta-readers, editing, and being open to criticism, growth, and improvement.”

“Don’t just throw your book up on KDP as soon as you finish it. Test it with readers, revise, then test again. Hire qualified editors and cover artists. Do your due diligence to put out a professional product.”

“If you’re serious about self-publishing, get a professional editor. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth every penny—especially when you’re new to the game. But even that’s not enough to get noticed in the saturated world of Amazon etc… If you can’t do it yourself, get a book cover designed by a professional and spend time getting your blurb right.”

“…I eventually got over the disastrous notion that I had some special creative instinct and whatever I wrote would be good… I had to write a synopsis (the bane of all writers) when I was querying the book. It was uncomfortably revealing because it showed me how much I had faked in the book and how many otherwise good ideas I hadn’t done much with...I was in as much of a rush to get done with the novel as anyone. I cut corners, got distracted...I had to admit to myself that I hadn’t done what I thought I’d done. I’d paid a lot of attention to prose, but I needed to focus more on story… The agents weren’t wrong, my story was… From there, though, everything got easier.”

“...volunteer to read for a literary journal. They’re always needing readers, especially the smaller ones. After you’ve read 100 stories, it’ll be the clearest thing you ever saw.”

“My best piece of advice for writers is to read. Once you start writing a novel, words taste different.”

“Sensitivity readers can be a great source for feedback on representation if you are writing identities or significant experiences that are not your own...”

“ I find that when I hit ‘writer’s block’, I’m usually tired or burnt out from other aspects in my life. Reading helps recharge my creative battery.”

“Support other authors, make friends and learn from them, your peers are your biggest asset and your biggest reward, don’t operate in a vacuum.”

“I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to get involved with the community. From interacting with other authors and bloggers on Twitter, to joining a Discord of like-minded individuals. It encourages. It gets your book and name out there. It reduces the feeling that you’re a ship in a troubled sea. (Despite what Simon and Garfunkel said, you are not a rock, nor an island.) We are all in this together. Don’t have a community? Ask someone!”

“Half the reason my books end up decent at all is because I’ve built connections with other writers who have critiqued my work or given me great advice on self-publishing, and hopefully I’ve been able to help them in turn.”

“...focus on what’s most fun to you in a book, and – if you possibly can – try to make friends with other authors who are willing to swap manuscripts and offer constructive, positive feedback to help you get better and better!”

“...it’s important to remember that what you’re doing is BRAVE. It takes guts to put yourself and your story out into the world. It’s easy for others to criticize, so be prepared for it, but always keep in mind that those who are nasty about their opinions of your work probably aren’t doing anything nearly as creative as you are. Take breaks from time to time, but don’t quit!”

“...just try! Try writing, try have someone read it, try send your work to publishers and contests.”

“The best advice I can give is to not give up. I had the ideas for the books in my head for thirty years.”

““Learn the craft.
Write on, stay calm and carry on.””

“I think it’s all about passion. You know, writing about things you love and believe in. It will show from your work whatever the subject is.”

“Ha! Well in my case it was sheer determination to prove a reviewer wrong. But seriously, don’t be afraid of critique, don’t take it personally, take it on board and use it to make yourself a better writer.”

“It is only natural to think what if no-one wants to read my book or like it, they will and that you need to be assured of...hold on to your dream and never let it go.”

“Back when my Grandma was alive, she would be working on a project and someone would suggest a better way. She would smile and say, “You might be right.” She then proceeded to finish the project exactly as she planned. The moral of the story is to be polite, consider every piece of advice folks offer, but realize that even advice with the best intentions can be wrong. As an author, you’ll hear a lot of it, and the trick is picking out which is right. ”

“There’s a line from the show King of the Hill, where one of the characters - who cuts hair for a living - reminds another hairdresser that a botched haircut will grow back. “It WILL grow back.” And I think about that with writing. If I screw up this scene, the words are still there for me to fix, the ideas and the creativity will come back to me. It will grow back. I can fix this.”

“Decide on a way that your world is different and let your story and character ideas flow directly from world-building. How do I do that? Do a quick initial brainstorming session to make your world feel unique. Let’s say you decide to place your story on a planet with low gravity. How would this affect people? Are they taller and spindly thin? Can they fly? Do the characters jump or fly around and do sword fights in midair? How would low gravity impact architecture and society? And is the atmosphere a unique mix? Do these things affect the magic? Write the answers down and soon your characters and setting will be easy to visualize and you’ll get a lot of “free” story ideas.”

“You cannot feel self-conscious or hesitant about plugging yourself and your book. Again, no one else will fight for your book, so you must. Message every book blog, YouTube book reviewer, and podcaster in this industry that you can. Message every indie bookstore you can and try to line up consignment of your book with them. Bookfairs, farmer’s markets, think outside the box.”

“Share your thoughts on social media daily.”

“Reedsy. They were my go-to to find professionals that helped me through my writing and publishing. From editors to marketers and book cover designers. It is a one-stop shop for writers.”

“For marketing, I think more authors should look into Kickstarter. I’m in the middle of planning a campaign that will launch probably August 2022, and I’m really excited by the opportunity to offer my existing fans some cool things I can’t give them on retailers, plus find more potential fans!”

“New writers worry too much about promoting their first book. But promoting one book is the same as throwing all your money into the sea, hoping to catch the attention of the right reader in an ocean of books...I suggest new writers should concentrate on building their inventory, and to forget all about promotion until they have written and published at least 10 books, preferably in a series.
”

“Newsletter- (Having one helps. I get sales through it. You can too.) Currently using Mailchimp.

I use StoryOrigin to help build my newsletter subscribers.”

“Publisher Rocket is utterly superb for helping find the best keywords and for doing market research for publishing on amazon. I personally found serializing my novel to be an incredible boon, helping me to get used to a regular writing schedule and also helping me get used to interacting with readers—both the type who enjoyed my work and the type who hated it.”

“ I’ve found bookfunnel to be quite useful as a means to distribute advance copies to people who are interested in the books. The site also allows you to participate in group promotions with other authors which can help you reach a wider audience.”

“I always ask why and how with a character’s actions: why something is important/how does it affect things. I like to look at the fine details and ripple effects because sometimes things are overlooked in stories, and it can make stories feel a bit rushed. It also helps me decide if adding something to the story or character is necessary or relevant. Not everything has to be relevant, but I think it’s important to see how a small action can affect a character’s storyline and the plot.”

“Listen to people talk. Take an acting class and pay attention to the cadence of how people speak, and how infrequently we actually land on the words we really want. I feel like giving the sense of real people talking in your novel can cover a multitude of writerly sins.”

“Let your story simmer like a good stew until its richest flavours develop, and you’ll discover what really makes your characters tick.”

“Give yWriter a try. It’s a free story/novel writing tool. Similar to Scrivener but without the price tag.”

“I personally learned so much from using ProWritingAid that I can’t recommend it enough.”

“I have found Brandon Sanderson’s lectures incredibly helpful as well as a whole host of Booktubers and authors on Instagram. Of course, it is important to stress that while there are lots of people out there giving advice, it’s up to you which bits of it you listen to. ”

“I really recommend Fantasia Archive! It’s a free tool for any lore-maker. I used to use GDocs but got so overwhelmed: Fantasia does a much better job.”

“Scrivener! I do most of my writing in Microsoft Word, but Scrivener is what I use when it comes time to “publishing” and creating the ebook files for Amazon and the like. It’s a very easy and powerful tool and one that every writer should have in their toolbox.”

“Every author on Amazon should put their book on Amazon Audible ACX. You can make a deal with a narrator, so you don’t have to pay money up front. Audiobooks are the future in my opinion. Less people are reading, and more people are listening to books.
”

“I’d recommend listening to the StoryGrid Podcast. The more recent stuff is maybe a bit technical, but if you go back and listen from the beginning there are some great conversations that will light ideas in your mind to help with your own stories.”

“I’ve found that Grammarly is a good tool...It points out the little, simple mistakes that I miss when I’m editing my own work. No matter how many times I re-read my work, and it’s many, there are still things that I miss that the program picks out for me.
”

“Fantasy writers should really check out Inkarnate.com. It’s a fantastic tool for creating fantasy maps, and it can be a good way to just play with ideas.

Listen to the Script Notes podcast. It’s hosted by John August and Craig Mazin, two of the best screenwriters working today, and a lot of what they talk about crosses formats and genres.”

“I’ve always used Vellum for making eBooks, and I like the way that they are constantly updating their app with new features. It’s a visually pleasing app - probably because it was created by a couple of Pixar animators, Brad & Brad. ”