WRITING ARTICLES

6 Unique Ways to Think Up Story Ideas – Written By Ryan Lanz

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Ask any successful author what question they get asked the most, and they’ll likely say “How do you come up with your ideas?”

We’ve all had our days where our mental engines have sputtered. Many beginning writers have the fear that they won’t be able to come up with enough ideas. I can relate to that back when I first started.

“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” – John Steinbeck

Some people write quickly, but it’s not unheard of to take a year to write and polish a novel. As long as you can think up just one idea a year, you’ve got something to work on.

I firmly believe that the best way to come up with ideas is to simply live your life. Every single writer comes up with story ideas every day. The thing is, some writers aren’t fully receiving them. I equate it to opportunity. Everyone has opportunities that come their way, but if they don’t recognize them, or embrace them, they’ll whisk by.

The trick is to be ready for an idea when it comes. And I don’t only mean ready with a pen and notebook. I mean mentally ready to recognize that your random thought could be a useful idea. When you pass by an intriguing billboard, when a friend says something interesting, when one of life’s tidbits strikes you as ironic, or when you overcome an obstacle in your personal life, they all can be converted into the foundation of your next story if you see it as such.

CONTINUE READING HERE

15 Thoughts Every Writer Has When They Aren’t Writing

On DSM Publishing I found a link to this blog post, written by Michael Cristiano on ‘A Writer’s Path’. Thanks Michael. I’m convinced many of us have exactly the same thoughts. (or at least most of the ones on your list.)

A Writer's Path

by Michael Cristiano

Not being able to write is a sad fact of life for a writer. There’s laundry to do, there’s food to cook, there’s sleep to be had. Worse, I have this pesky illness that eats up a lot of my time. I toil day in and day out to keep it at bay and under control. Sometimes, it creeps into my evenings, just when I think I’ve escaped. Worse, the horror of it all often keeps me awake at night and the dread fills my dreams with terror and sadness.

Oh, I’m not sick… I have a 9-to-5 job.

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When to Show and When to Tell

Ryan Lanz of ‘A Writer’s Path’ tells us when to show and when to tell. Thank you for a great post Ryan.

A Writer's Path

by Kyle Massa

Show, don’t tell.

If you’ve ever taken a writing course of any kind, you’ve probably heard that phrase.

If you haven’t, the meaning is pretty simple: don’t come out and tell your readers everything they need to know. Instead, show them examples and specific situations that support what you’re trying to say. Doing so often solidifies your points a little better than straight telling.

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Who Else: Writing Secondary and Minor Characters

Morgan S. Hazelwood writes about secondary and minor characters in our stories and books. You can find this blog post on Ryan Lanz’ ‘A Writer’s Path’.

A Writer's Path

by Morgan S. Hazelwood

Who Else Is There?

Writers know all about our main character–they’re the focus of our story. Often, the story is told in their voice.

But what about everyone else? Unless you’re writing a person-versus-nature like Hatchet, you’re probably going to have other characters.

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The 10 Emotional Stages of Editing

On Ryan Lanz’ ‘A Writer’s Path’ Samantha Fenton wrote about the 10 emotional stages of editing which some of us might know very well. Thank you for a great blog post, Samantha.

A Writer's Path

by Samantha Fenton

A long time ago, I started revising and editing my manuscript. And today… I am still revising and editing my manuscript. Rest assured, there have been many emotions involved. Here are some of them.

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A Simple Guide to Book Advances and Royalties

A Writer’s Path’ Ryan Lance has written a very informative and simple guide to book advances and royalties. Thank you very much!

Throwback Thursday: How to Get Your Novel Made Into a Film

Ryan Lanz provides us with great information about what’s happening when our novel will get made into a film. Thank you Ryan.

10 Things I’ve Learned From Self-Publishing

Ryan Lanz shares his experiences with self publishing. There is a lot of useful information. Thank you Ryan!

A Writer's Path

by J.U. Scribe

It’s been three years since I self published my first book. It’s definitely been a learning experience marked by relative successes and failures. As I mark the 3rd anniversary since I self-published Before the Legend , here are the top ten things I’ve learned over the course of three years in no particular order.

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