Writing advice for the writer who wants to be better than they were the day before
I’m a professional Hugo Award finalist editor and writer with work appearing in top publications like Rue Morgue, Tordotcom, Vice, WIRED, and more. This is my place for you, the writer who wants to learn from someone in the trenches.
I not only share my advice, but I offer advice from other professionals in the writing, editing, and publishing field. I believe you can become the writer you want to be. With this, the path will be clearer for you, too.
*The below links are all friend links so you don’t have to be a Medium member to read them…
And how you can, too.
Who I Am
I’ve been writing every day for ten years and have been working professionally at it for five. I didn’t get here overnight. It took a lot of work, a lot of failures, and a lot of not having any idea what I was doing. I’m a professional Hugo Award finalist editor and writer with work appearing in or forthcoming in top publications like Rue Morgue, Tordotcom, Vice, WIRED, and more.
I write and edit fiction, poetry, and nonfiction professionally, which simply means, I get paid higher than average rates for my services. …
Neil Gaiman’s advice about characters
Characters are the actors of your story. They are the people, places, or things that fill your story and act out what you wish to take place. Relatability is key when it comes to designing or creating characters. If your readers can’t relate to anyone in your story, then they won’t have a lot to grasp onto or care about.
With relatable characters, writers can create unbelievable and otherworldly stories that still hold their readers because the characters help pull them through. But don’t just stop there. Gaiman cautions writers to give their characters funny hats.
In other words, make…
Who got one and who didn’t
Extra Cash for Extra Engagement?
Medium sent out $500 bonuses to people for extra engagement during the month of April. Almost everyone got one, though, even people who didn’t get any extra engagement.
The ones who haven’t got them say they didn’t post in April at all.
So things seem … odd.
Is the bonus for extra engagement or simply engagement? I’ve been doing some math about the site and its writers vs readers or active members and the numbers are greatly outweighed. There are by far more active Medium members than there are writers.
Medium has ~60 million members. Of that 60 million, only…
Thank you!
I was in the same boat until I started implementing sequels or reflection scenes. It's taken my stories to a whole new level and added depth that I always thought was there but never showed.
Thanks for always being a reader and wrestling with the text.
The Story Grid method is tremendously helpful, but I tend to use it more as an add on to other systems. In the end, like a lot of writers, my system looks like a mad cauldron of styles and processes.
I think that's why I wrote this. Lots of professional writers don't have one particular style, but instead modify several styles to fit their needs and the story's needs.
Outlining processes for the beginner, intermediate, or advanced writer.
Outlining might not be for you. Freewriting may also not be for you. You may exist somewhere in-between or outside of both. By learning what’s out there, you’ll be closer to finding what works for you or what can help sharpen your current system.
Have a writing system already in place? Tell me about it. What works for you? What do you want to change?
You can call outlining and plotting your story whatever you want. Sometimes when I’m plotting, I call it storyboarding or playtesting. What terms you assign to your process are all you.
I’ve included a video…
This is a self-designed writing retreat, workshop, inspiration hub, and all-around writing reference.
I’ve been updating my writing tutorial archive here on Medium. There are a few new articles surrounding novel writing, creativity, marketing, earning, and more.
What I’m most excited about is that I’ve started breaking sections out into what writers might want to learn. Looking for how to pitch your article? There’s a link at the top of the document that takes you to all of those articles. Same with making writing a sustainable business or crafting believable and spellbinding characters.
It’s all there!
And easy to navigate. Feel free to check it out below.
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As always, my comments on…
The force that decides your future as a writer is waiting to be realized.
Knowing what your intentions are as a storyteller and writer allows you to embody story and your career in a way that moves past simply writing. It also helps you stay grounded in the world of publishing and writing.
When I first started writing, I just had this simple intention of writing good thought-provoking speculative fiction stories. And that’s what I wrote.
Except they weren’t all that good. I mean, they were good in the sense that they made me happy and I had people who liked to read them. But deep down, I knew that I was missing my…
Sell more stories, engage your readers, and create memorable pieces.
The Way You Write Scenes is Wrong
Most writers stick to a basic cause and effect, or conflict and consequence, ordering of their scenes.
Jack was bad->Jack’s dad punished him->Jack got angry->Jack’s dad punished him again->Jack got revenge. THE END
While there is forward motion and conflict present in this type of story, it is not enthralling or page-turning. It simply goes until it stops. It also doesn’t create an effect on the reader that is memorable. Why? It’s not playing on emotional beats or giving readers time to engage with the story and characters.
In this tutorial, we won’t focus on how to write scenes in…
Aigner Loren Wilson
Over 200 published pieces. Thought provoking prose and poetry. Better Humans | Tordotcom | The Startup | Better Marketing. Follow to level up your writing.
