Write Right

From July 28th through August 15th, Elan was away, on both the Writing Excuses Cruise and in Finland for Worldcon 75. In this episode, Elan talks about his experience and John and Craig do all the question-asking! Prompt & Recommendations: Write a 250-word short story using plot randomizers. For links to plot randomizers, go to writerightpodcast.com

There’s a well-known adage in genre fiction, whereby worldbuilding is like an iceberg. You only see the 30% that is above the surface, but you build the entire thing, and that other 70% is what makes your world feel real. This isn’t a universally held belief, however. How much of the iceberg to you build when you write? Recommendation: Brandon Sanderson lecture series on YouTube.

Pen and paper. Word. Scrivener. Ulysses. Aeon Timeline. Notecards, voice recorders, lap-desks and more! What are the tools you use to write?Recommendation: www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com

Writing every day isn’t for everyone, but most people want to build a daily practice. But it’s a difficult thing to do; forming any kind of habit is hard. How do you make sure that you write every day? How do you motivate and schedule yourself? Recommendations: 2k to 10k - Rachel Aaron (We know, we keep recommending it...but it's really good!); John's Awesome Writer Spreadsheet

We live in a world of distraction. Distraction is an enormous challenge for almost all of us, rearing its shiny head to peel us away from the work we care about or need to do. We recently talked about active and reactive work, but no matter our best intentions, distractions all-too-frequently take us away from accomplishing either. How do you fight distractions? Recommendations from the episode: Forest App for iOS, Android, and Google Chrome; Focus App for Mac; F.B. Purity and News Feed Eradicator, for removing or altering the newsfeed in Facebook; This one weird trick will save your attention span! article on Medium.com; Recommended reading: Deep Work - Cal Newport

Day to day, choices are forced upon us, from the moment we get up to check our inbox and messages, to the many interruptions at work. Often, we get few opportunities to do the work we really want to do because we’re too busy reacting. Important work requires willful action to drive it, but the art of executing this requires battling the forces of reaction that surround us. Recommended reading: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey

Plotting and pantsing are often described as diametrically opposed concepts, incompatible with each other and mutually exclusive. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. In reality, we all fall somewhere in between on the spectrum of plot and pants. We plotz. Recommended reading: Wired for Story - Lisa Cron

Discovery writing! Gardening! Pantsing! How do you do it? What are the benefits and difficulties? Do we write linearly? How much do we know when we sit down to write? Recommendation: Author Accelerator (authoraccelerator.com)

Let's take a closer look at plotting: techniques, benefits, issues—the whole thing. How do you do it? How do you not? Recommendations: The Snowflake Method and 2K to 10K by Rachel Aaron.

Writing can be a solitary activity, but the reality is that the world of writing is vibrant and dynamic, with conventions, seminars, cafes, readings, and more touching the world of writing. Should you venture out?

. Where do we fit writing in? Recommendation: The Magic Spreadsheet! Look it up or get in touch to receive an invitation to our private sheet.

The great debate with no correct answer: plotting or pantsing? The answer is often a combination of the two.

Making a living on novels alone is difficult—in fact, the odds are stacked against such success. But becoming a full-time writer who can support themselves doesn’t mean hitting the bestsellers list with every book you write, it means diversifying your income. How can you make a living as an independent writer? Recommended reading: The Five Day Novel - Scott King

How do we measure our achievements against personal goals? How do we learn to feel proud of our writing achievements without throwing the rest of our lives out the window? Recommended activity: write for one hour every day.

Congratulations! You've published an Ebook. Now what? Craig and John delve into their experience marketing digital books. Recommended reading: How to Market a Book - Joanna Penn

Writing is more than typing frantically at a keyboard. Alas, we get ideas and have to work them into stories, while making sure that the final product meets our original intent and the desires of our readers. What does that process look like? Recommended website: Author Accelerator, authoraccelerator.com

Self-Publishing is complex—there are various platforms, stores, and formats to consider before even starting the process. How do you self-publish? Recommended reading: How to Self-Publish Your Book - Craig Gibb with John Robin

Self-editing is an important part of the process, when applied properly and not overexerted. How do you go about it? What kind of limitations do you need to set? Recommended reading: Self-editing for Fiction Writers - Dave King and Renni Browne

Where do you write? Do you have a special place that fills you with inspiration? Do you sit? Do you stand? Do you work at a cafe? In silent sequestration? Recommended reading: On Writing - Stephen King

NaNoIng, Speak Beastie-ing, IndiePen Ink-ing Hufflepuff Elayna Mae Darcy joins us for the next few episodes (at least!) Get to know her background and passions in this Q&A episode. Our recommendation: visit indiepenink.com to learn more about what Elayna's up to these days.