Incorporating Critique

May 20th, 2024  |  Season 8  |  6 mins 8 secs

beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

Someone’s read your work in progress… and they have feedback. How do you know what should be worked in, and how can you do it so that changes feel consistent with what you’ve written? How can you deal with conflicting suggestions? What’s the difference between constructive feedback and a reader’s personal preference?

Working with a 3 Act Structure

May 13th, 2024  |  Season 8  |  7 mins 46 secs

balticon, beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

The three-act structure has been the standard in Western storytelling for millenia. How can we create innovative, exciting work in a format the audience is expecting? How do we make the middle part powerful and lasting when most of the attention-grabbing moments are at the beginning and end?

Yes! That IS a Real Word

May 6th, 2024  |  Season 8  |  3 mins 36 secs

beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

Language exists to share a thought or concept. If you manage to do that? Congrats! You've used a REAL word. At least in my opinion.

Warning Signs for New & Independent Authors

April 29th, 2024  |  Season 8  |  11 mins 6 secs

balticon, beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

It’s a jungle out there for new writers. Do you know the difference between a real publisher and a vanity press? What kind of scams are currently circulating? What rights are you giving away when you sign that contract… or even enter that contest?

7 Ways Writers Handle Rejection

April 22nd, 2024  |  Season 8  |  5 mins 51 secs

beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

How do you deal with rejection?

13 Types of Responses Writers Get When Querying Agents

April 15th, 2024  |  Season 8  |  12 mins 35 secs

beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

Otherwise known as "Tales from a form rejection letter connoisseur"

How many of these have you gotten? Any I missed?

Picking a Point of View

April 8th, 2024  |  Season 8  |  6 mins 18 secs

beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

When you're writing a story, you need to pick a point of view. (POV)
First, second, or third? Close or omniscient? And whose story are you telling?

Drafting a Manuscript Using Voice-To-Text

April 1st, 2024  |  Season 8  |  9 mins 38 secs

beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

When your words aren't flowing, sometimes that means you should mix things up. Have you tried using your phone and these 5 tips?

The 5 Components of a Query Letter

March 25th, 2024  |  Season 8  |  13 mins 9 secs

beta-reading, books, critique, querying, writers, writing, writing tips

Writing Query Letters seems intimidating, but it's just a business letter. Past the gimmicks and bios, here are the 5 things you really need.

9 Terms All Querying Authors Should Know

March 18th, 2024  |  Season 8  |  8 mins 44 secs

beta-reading, books, critique, querying, writers, writing, writing tips

While many publishing terms are used to mean multiple things, these are a few basic concepts that the industry mostly agrees on.