All industries have their own specialized terms, and even inside an industry, different people can want things done different ways. In the publishing world, you hear a lot about blurbs, queries, synopses, and more. Now, I can’t tell you what ALL agents, publishers, and readers are looking for, but I can point you in the right direction. =============================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! You can find most of these posts over on my Blog (https://morganhazelwood.com) / Vlog/Youtube (https://youtube.com/MorganHazelwood) If you want to connect? Check out my Linktree (https://linktr.ee/morganHazelwood)

Some people work with partners. And some people like to work with their romantic partner. But whether you’re romantically involved or not, there’s techniques that could work for you. At WorldCon2019, Heidi Goody led the working couples of Peter Morwood and Diane Duane, plus Delia Sherman and Ellen Kushner in discussing how to maintain working and romantic relationships — with the same person. =============================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! You can find most of these posts over on my Blog (https://morganhazelwood.com) / Vlog/Youtube (https://youtube.com/MorganHazelwood) If you want to connect? Check out my Linktree (https://linktr.ee/morganHazelwood)

Some books are straight up romances, some have no romantic dealings at all, but for everything in between, they’ve probably got a romantic sub-plot (or two) simmering in the background. At WorldCon2019, PRK, Kate Johnson, Darlene Marshall, and Elliot Kay shared their tips for creating a successful romantic subplot. =============================== Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and subscribe! You can find most of these posts over on my Blog (https://morganhazelwood.com) / Vlog/Youtube (https://youtube.com/MorganHazelwood) If you want to connect? Check out my Linktree (https://linktr.ee/morganHazelwood)

Writing Tips and Writerly Musings: Recent Episodes

Morgan Hazelwood

Welcome back for season 5 of "Writing Tips and Writerly Musings". I've got a lot in store for you with tips from the pros. Kicking off with 'Intro to Hopepunk', and even a few of my own tricks for managing my time with Trello.

Coming of age stories have always been a large part of the fantasy genre in particular, but now, it can be hard to know where to draw the line between YA and Adult novels.

Where do you get started and tell me more about this whole monetization thing -- or at least the rules that existed last week. They're always changing.

You know stories need stakes. You know you need to get your readers to care. So? You try to make the stakes big enough and scary enough to drive the story forward. But you don’t HAVE to traumatize characters — or readers — to advance your story.

I talk a lot about pitching agents via the query process, but that’s not the only way to pitch. There are verbal pitches to agents. And? There’s the pitching you need to do to the READERS!

If you find yourself behind the microphone, sharing a story of your own, be prepared to pull in your audience with Dynamic Voice Acting.

Women writers of speculative fiction are often getting shelved with the YA books -- even when they're clearly not intended for teens. Unfortunately, getting misclassified has dire consequences for the novel. How is this happening and how can we stop this trend?

Doomsday cults have been around for a long time, probably since the dawn of civilization. Writers and readers alike have found them endlessly fascinating. But, what motivates someone to start a doomsday cult? And why do people join?

When you're writing a story, there's usually SOMETHING the main character doesn't know and has to figure out. Sometimes, it's what someone else is thinking. It could be, where to find the McGuffin? But often? There's a whole mystery to solve! With a body growing cold.

Most writers end up writing fight scenes -- be they verbal or physical. But some writers, especially if they're writing historical novels, epic fantasy, or military fiction are going to be in the fight for the long haul. They're going to writing a Military Campaign. Here are mistakes to avoid.

Not everyone has a visual imagination. While some of you are out there taking dictation from the movies in your heads. That's not how it works for me.

Being a writer requires: 1. Resilience, 2. Persistence, and 3. Perseverance. How do you handle setbacks?

One of the hardest things to do as a writer is to make the ending work for your readers. To tie everything together, in a way that the readers feel satisfied.

Our lives are busy, but it can be all too easy to blink and realize you've wasted your writing time. Here's a reminder for those of you who want to make your writing a priority.

The problem with being a writer is we can always edit and revise and change and improve things. How do we know it's time to stop?

I've attended a few book launches in my day. Here are things I like, things that seem to work, and a few things I'm not a fan of.

Dealing with feedback has a lot in common with the stages of grief. And just like grief? You don't necessarily progress in order.

As you grow yourself as a writer, it always helps to have someone ahead of you in the process that can guide you and understand your worries and fear. Here are some tips for vetting these mentors and making sure you're working with someone who is a good fit.

What do you write when you've got multiple stories pulling you in different directions?

If you put your work out there, you're going to get feedback -- whether it's friends, beta-readers, or people who purchased your book. And that feedback can be scary. Here are my top 5 fears when receiving feedback.

When I write, I'm pretty focused on the characters and what's going on -- both plotwise and in their heads. That can leave my descriptions... lacking. But! That's okay, because you don't have to get everything in during your rough draft! You can layer in detail.

While resolutions aren't for everyone, I think they work for me. Here are my plans for 2022.

This year was a lot. I've got some big news, I achieved some of my goals, I failed others, and I have fun with charts.

What are 'stage directions', why you don't need them, and how to fix it.

I think we all know what that means.

Instead of my expected discussion of different types of strengths being compared to the default of physical strength, the panel these notes were based on veered into magical strength and stayed there.

Explaining gender, ways genre fiction can improve, authors who don't do badly, and things we could see more of. [Aimed at a cis audience - challenging us to do better for those whose gender identities weren't just handed to them at birth]

A discussion exploring the motivations behind people’s writing and reoccurring themes in one's writing, either intentionally or unintentionally.

Some writers are sprinters, some are marathoners, and some are hikers who will reach the end, someday. Finding the pace that works for you, for your current story, for your current life situation is crucial.

When writing, we all strive to bring our scenes to life, but it’s easy to forget a component. Scenes need action, setting, sensory descriptions, and emotional impact.

No matter if your fantasy world is a shifted version of our reality or something totally alien, no matter if you're a planner or a pantser, these tips should work for you.

Different agents and editors want different things. Take these answers with a grain of salt, because, as we all know, if you do it well enough, they'll throw their own guidelines out.

If you get the opportunity to read your own work, here are some tips on how to get ready.

Talking about where to find literary agents, ways to vet them, and a not-so-gentle reminder to Follow The Directions when querying them.

A shout out to all the teachers who helped me become the person I am today.

Remember me talking about how I was losing faith? Well.... having hope can be even scarier.

Last time I moved houses, I talked about how sometimes -- change is exactly what you need -- both in your own life and in your writing.

Querying can almost be like a religion. You've got: the common tenents, the different sects, the proper rituals, and the heretics.

I love being supportive and encouraging of my fellow authors, but sometimes, I've just got to rant. And one thing that makes me rant is being asked to read a first chapter.

While tumblr has dropped a lot in popularity since this episode was first recorded, there are still a lot of good reasons to use both Tumblr AND Reddit.

The visual side of social media! You don't have to take photos for this either, resharing content is fine (assuming you're not breaking copyright) I've got a lot more tips and tricks, though.

Today I'm talking about ways to establish your presence and best practice guides fro using Facebook, Twitter, and hashtags. (which I use ironically and wrong ALL the time.)

I'll be back next week with more writing tips and writerly musings. Plus, a little more.