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LinkFest ~ Best Reads On Writing, Screenwriting & Self-Publishing: The Only Way To Finish

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Best Reads on Writing & Selfpublishing 15

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] The only way to finish is to first begin. -Ann Grove. [/perfectpullquote]

WRITING

With each book, I reached a point where I was convinced that a) I would never finish; b) that finishing the book was truly impossible; and c) that the fact that anyone in the history of the world had ever finished writing a novel was a wonder up there with the hanging gardens of Babylon and the Taj Mahal (and that took 20+ years to complete). But I finished every book anyway. Here are a few of the tricks that helped me get to that blessed final page.

Related content:

How To Write A Killer Novel Ending


The quest involves a main character going in search of something, and they have a basic notion of what they seek at the start of the story. They can search for almost anything.

Related content:

 The Hero With A Thousand Faces
  • Mirrors And Foils: How Characters Reflect And Highlight One Another | WRITERS WRITE

Besides the four main characters and other archetypes, which we’ll discuss soon, we can go a little deeper into character.

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Creating Characters

I’m not talking about the friends that your character thinks are friends but end up stabbing her in the back. I’m talking about real friends who cause real trouble, often unintentionally. 

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The Art Of Character

Do you live in a world of unfinished stories? Across the year, you’ve jotted scraps here and there, stuck an opening scene beneath a flowerpot, a closing line in a shopping list and a great cameo incident… well, you’ve forgotten where it is now but it was awesome.

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Beginnings, Middles & Ends

So you want to write a blind character? But you’re not blind? You’re wondering how on earth you’re going to do that?

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Writer’s Guide To Character Traits

Chnces are good you’re using a third-person POV (or Point of View) in your story right now. If not, then you likely used it in the past or will give it a try in the future. It’s a nearly universal writing technique and the most popular of all the POV choices. But are you using it correctly?

Related content:

Writing Deep Point Of View

+ Related books:

 SCREENWRITING

 

There is significant value for a screenwriter to traffic in movie story types not the least of which is they can be hugely beneficial to the brainstorming process, everything from mix-and-match, genre-bending and gender-bending, switching Protagonists, and so on.

  • COLUMN D: Setup and Payoff: Writing Foreshadowing In Your Script | SCRIPT MAG

From the name alone, you probably know what I’m talking about. Even the average movie-goer would have no difficulty figuring out what it refers to. That’s because every script/film contains setup and payoff, and when it’s done well, it adds immeasurably to the reader/viewer’s appreciation of the story.

But a script about the making of The Godfather has an ace up its sleeve. Robert Evans. Talk about a personality. He’s like the male version of Carrie Fischer.

Here’s a checklist to see if your hero needs more oomph.

Hollywood is hard enough to break into as a screenwriter. But some of us make it even harder. If you’re one of those self-destructive screenwriters who’s doing everything he or she can to fail, this listicle is for you. Here are five sure-fire, battle-tested, absolutely guaranteed ways to fail as a screenwriter (AKA How not to break into Hollywood)

Related books:

SELF-PUBLISHING

 

  • How to Save Money And Do Online Book Publicity Yourself | JANE FRIEDMAN

There are two ways to go about getting attention in the media: one is to hire experts to help you reach the media, and the other is to do the legwork yourself.

 To help you ease your way into Twitter, below I’ve created some general etiquette tips to help you understand how to create a polished profile and put your best foot forward.

  • Treat Self-Publishing As A Business  | REEDSY

We often hear that “the golden age of self-publishing is gone”, so we like to use our blog to remind authors that, no, that’s not true. There are many more indie success stories than the ones you repeatedly hear about out there, and Elise Kova‘s is one of them.

Authors, you know you crave them: subscriptions to your opt-in email list.

I have no definitive data because I’m hopeless at merging Excel files, but I can say that I check my book sales regularly, and from what I see, Fridays absolutely suck.

Related books:

 

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