April 27, 2022

With Carol Brennan King

Our class this week was the last of our spring term. The summer term starts June 1, and in light of that, in today’s class, in addition to the reading of student work, we talked about a number of resources available either online or in book form.
–

Let’s start with online resources:

1. This site is full of “tried and tested resources” ranging from the number 1 recommended by WordPress.org web hosting resource by WordPress.org to Grammarly and ProWritingAid to reedsy, a marketplace of editors, designers, markets, and more. Just click on it and browse to see what is out there and useful for both self- and traditional publishing helps  https://selfpublishingformula.com/spf-resources/

• https://selfpublishingrelief.com/2021/12/a-manuscript-explains-how-to-get-self-published-self-publishing-relief/  This site explains how to get self-published.

• We talked about seeing the elements of a story (setting, protagonist, antagonist, inciting incident, climax or scene, vignette, and back story as lego blocks all used to build the chapter, section, or story. https://annsheybani.com/what-a-music-video-can-teach-you-about-writing-3/    It is only a 3-minute video, and her commentary is on point.

• https://s3.amazonaws.com/becomingwriter/Book+Writing+Roadmap.pdf  This takes you to a free downloadable 15-page PDF: book writing roadmap: 10 Signposts on Your Journey to Writing a Book by Joe Bunting. This is definitely worth your time.

• One final announcement you must look at before April 30: Traci Skuse teams up with Emma Dhesi to offer a 2-hour workshop free about how to keep your readers reading! This workshop is on April 30, at 1 pm ET on zoom, and did I say free?

We also talked about some writing craft books to check out. Look them up on Amazon to see if they might be helpful to you.

I have talked about lots of books and tools in class, so I am not saying these are the best. I am saying they are very useful and might be just what you are looking for. So look them up online and check them out.

1. Let’s start with The Portable MFA in Creative Writing. Buy it used on Amazon. Honestly, I wish I had found this book before grad school. It is practical with class content and exercises. I am planning on using it in the summer class.
2. Self-editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King Learn how to apply editing techniques they have developed to your own manuscript. Each point (dialogue, exposition, interior monologue) is illustrated with examples.
3. Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass. This book presents techniques and writing exercises from Maass’s writing workshops and offers instruction and practical guidance to develop and strengthen your prose. It has sections on building plot layers, creating inner conflict, strengthening voice and point of view, character qualities, strengthening theme, and more.
4. Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The last book on Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need by Jessica Brody Presents the 15 essential plot points needed to make any novel a success. Amazon includes a PDF with charts, lists, and exercises from the audiobook.

Have a great and productive May and I will see you again in June!!