Author: wildsoundwritingfestival

by Cátia Isabel Silva In the previous post, we talked about how important the first page is to the success of your book. A good first page is, without a doubt, the difference between someone actually buying and reading through your whole book or merely picking it from the shelf, opening it up […] via Five… Continue reading Five Tips For Your First Page — A Writer’s Path

by Sheree Crawford A good novel has three main elements; characters, a plot, and an over-arching threat. Much as structure is distinct from plot so too is threat distinct from conflict, but you need it all to create a really good novel. Well, you need all four to create a publishable novel. If […] via Threat:… Continue reading Threat: What It Is and Why Your Story Needs It — A Writer’s Path

by Josh Langston Most of us have had moments in our lives when something bad happened. The scale of “bad” is incredibly broad. It stretches from forgettable to life-changing and covers a staggering array of situations, actions, reactions, and consequences. For memoir writers, there’s a strong temptation to downplay if not ignore such episodes. […] via… Continue reading Edit Your Writing–Don’t Edit Your Life — A Writer’s Path

by Savannah Cordova “Failures are just learning opportunities that have presented themselves successfully.” If you’ve come across that sentiment before, it’s probably because there are countless quotes from numerous successful people about the value of making mistakes. If you’ve read a few self-help books or follow any motivational influencers in Instagram, it may […] via 5… Continue reading 5 Common Writing and Publishing Mistakes First-Time Authors Make — A Writer’s Path

by Kate M. Colby Whether you’re a beginning writer or a seasoned veteran, writing can be scary. Fiction authors put out original imaginings that often hold deeper truths (or are falsely judged to reveal something about the writer). Nonfiction authors declare themselves an authority on a topic, who readers depend upon for knowledge […] via Writing… Continue reading Writing Through Your Fear — A Writer’s Path

by Christopher Slater Nothing is more devastating than running into a complete roadblock when you are trying to think of good ideas for a story or book. Humans are storytellers. We love to spin a yarn about all kinds of things. Sometimes we want to be scared, other times amazed, and still others […] via 5… Continue reading 5 Ways of Ending an Idea Drought — A Writer’s Path

by Lev Raphael It’s really hard to say “no” to a gig when you’re a writer, even when you’re not a newbie. There’s nothing more precious than your time at home writing, but there’s always the chance that saying “yes” might make you a valuable personal or professional connection. And then there’s the […] via When… Continue reading When Should Authors Say “Yes” To A Gig? — A Writer’s Path

by Morgan S. Hazelwood Sometimes, when you’re stuck at some writing stage for too long, it can be hard to remember why you started this thing in the first place. Whether you’re drafting, editing, revising, querying, submitting, or marketing, there’s likely some point where you feel like you’re never going to reach the […] via What… Continue reading What I Love Most About Being a Writer — A Writer’s Path

by S.E. Jones Sometimes, you’ve just got to take a break. When you’re so sick of your words that you can’t look at them anymore, when you start to roll your eyes at every possible idea you have, when all of your characters seem to do not much more than walk in circles… via Momentum and… Continue reading Momentum and Making Yourself Write — A Writer’s Path

by Doug Lewars It’s possible to learn quite a bit from other people’s writing. I’m sure everyone knows that but sometimes what you learn might be a bit surprising. For example, consider author Janet Evanovich. She consistently tops the New York Time’s bestseller list but in terms of pure literary merit her books […] via Learning… Continue reading Learning From Other People’s Writing — A Writer’s Path