I give away any free author tools I find – that’s why I’m happy to share this free collection of writing guides with you. Every day, another ‘writing tips’ blog post comes out, but somehow they never seem to answer the questions I’m asking. Worse yet, people post writing and book infographics, but I never…
Even a blind pig finds acorns once in a while. I ran across some writing rules from Emmy-Winning writer and producer Dan O’Shannon and am passing them along to you. Ignore for the moment that Dan’s career spans hit series’ like Cheers, Frasier and Modern Family. Now he’s back in Ohio, spinning out wisdom on…
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Hi there, fellow writer. Let me give you some items for your storytelling toolbox. Here’s why I’m giving them to you. I remember years ago being in woodshop and having to learn how to identify tools in order to make things. When you think about storytelling as a job, at first it sounds like fun but…
Shout-out to @ThomHarp for this writing hack, which lets you effortlessly build your scenes whether you’re writing a novel, a short story, or a movie screenplay. Like many of you, I’m on the lookout for any tool or hack that simplifies the process of writing. That’s why I found this little trick to be a…
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No Sci-Friday this week. I’ve been shooting out author query letters for MESH and that brings up another author-related topic for you, the aspiring writer. You’ve written your first novel – congratulations! That’s a big step, and you should be proud of yourself. Now it’s time to think about selling your project to a publishing…
Spotted this yesterday and am passing it along for the people who come to Inkican for free author advice. I’m happy to share with you because people shared with me, that’s how it works! This 30-minute video is a GREAT resource for young or aspiring authors: Ten Things I Wish I’d Known as a Teen…
Ran into this helpful site while discussing short story publishing. The Submission Grinder is a website dedicated to the process of submitting scifi and fantasy short stories. Why? Because you get rejected a lot! Every SF/F writer has about a million rejection slips on their desk these days. This revelation has given me new energy…
Checking in on a Monday morning – Lights, coffee, action! Getting behind the keyboard to send out more author query letters and update my draft of Mesh based on Beta Reader feedback. Meantime, here are some more free author tools I picked up over the weekend: Visit Free Author Tools PS – Happy May the…
I got a lovely note from Barbara Lincoln, a librarian in Salt Lake City last Thursday, who writes: Good Afternoon Mr. Allen, I would just like to say a quick word of thanks! As a youth services librarian and educator, I’ve been running a fun writers workshop for 12-15 year olds and thought you might…
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So, new writer pro-tip for you and for me. If you’re interested in capturing new ideas when they arrive, here’s a suggestion: have an idea file. Write it down on paper, as a Word doc, in an email – doesn’t matter. Just be in the habit of writing those ideas down when they arrive. Here’s…
