Okay to start off, know that I am sending each and every one of you a mental hug right now. What a challenge this year has been so far. It’s surreal for me still, that all of this is happening. We may be used to wide-scale events happening to characters in or stories, but when they happen in real life…it a lot to process.
But I’ll tell you what else–as discomforting as things are right now, I am proud of us too. Most are working hard to social distance, navigate upended schedules and work environments, help kids at home adjust, and find ways to maintain a positive mindset. And that, friends, is amazing. 🙂
In uncertain times, we struggle because we don’t feel in control. And this is precisely why it’s so important for us to focus our energy away from worrying and toward something within our power to do.
It’s wonderful to see many of you taking this unexpected time at home to work on your novels, or research writing craft, marketing, or other aspects of career management. This is a great way to redirect toward something meaningful, which contributes to a healthier mindset.
In between navigating our own home and work challenges Becca and I have been discussing how we can encourage writers to put their mental energy into things that will help them after Covid-19. So, we’ve decided to start a weekly newsletter that shares bite-sized advice to help people improve their writing craft and become more mindful about their careers.
This newsletter, the One Stop Writing Tip Double-Double, will contain a writing tip to help you master storytelling, and a career-focused tip that might offer insight into productivity practices, platform, marketing, audience, business management, or anything in between. Bit by bit, we’ll share some of what we’ve learned in hopes it will help you too.
So how do you sign up for the One Stop Writing Tip Double-Double? SO GLAD YOU ASKED. Follow this link to add yourself to the list!
NOTE, this newsletter is branded to our writing app, One Stop for Writers but you don’t have to be a member to get the double-double.
UPDATE: The first Double Double is out! Want a peek?
Now, let us turn the floor over to you…what sort of writing tips or career tips would you like to see? Let us know in the comments!
Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.
Ingmar Albizu says
Thank you for everything you do for the writing community, especially us aspiring authors. Your thesaurus are great writing tools.
At my last writing conference, several agents expressed they live to represent books that are “quotable”, which makes a lot of sense. How many lines from famous films and novels we quote daily without realizing it.
How about a post about how to write a quotable book?
ANGELA ACKERMAN says
That would be some interesting research–thanks for the idea. If it doesn’t become a tip, it might become a blog post 🙂
Karen Sargent says
I’m struggling with using the setting as a “character” in the my WIP. I read other authors who include wonderful setting details–just the right amount–that add “something” to the story. This is a layer I am struggling to master.
Karen Sargent says
Also, I have THE RURAL SETTING THESAURUS. I need to put it to use.
ANGELA ACKERMAN says
Yes this is a good area to explore. I know I covered it in a workshop but not sure if I’ve blogged about it or not? Thanks Karen!
Brenda says
How can I stay motivated long enough to actually finish a novel? I’ve outlined a dozen, get bored and often don’t even begin a draft. Then another, better (in my mind) idea comes along and I do the same thing. I enjoy the creative process of developing a wonderful plot and characters, but after that I don’t follow through with the tedious writing process.
ANGELA ACKERMAN says
I think struggling to finish is a big one–thanks for the idea, Brenda!
Sabrina Haslimeier says
Thank you, Angela and Becca! I’d love to see a post on character descriptions (do’s and don’ts, how to make your character description pull double duty, and/or how to introduce a large cast of characters without slowing down the pacing)
ANGELA ACKERMAN says
Great topics! If I can’t get to it as a tip (because this is a big topic; I’d have to break it down into bits) I will look at it as a blog post 🙂
P.I. Barrington says
I agree wholeheartedly with Sabrina!
Traci says
Great post. I’d like to see tips on avoiding overwhelm and knowing where to focus your efforts aside from writing. Sometimes it feels like I need to be in every platform and do everything. It’s hard being only one person.
ANGELA ACKERMAN says
Thank you, Traci! I agree, it can be hard. Great topic!