I’ve been an indie author since 2011, and juggling all my daily tasks – marketing, writing, administrative – can be overwhelming! Have you had the same experience? As someone who is obsessed with improving work processes, I’m determined to keep my life as stress-free as possible, and I want to help you do the same.
Below are some of the tools and resources I recommend. I hope they’ll help you achieve the work-life balance we all crave.
Expanding on her highly successful process for doubling daily word counts, Rachel Aaron offers practical writing advice for anyone who longs to increase their daily output. Full of easy to follow, practical advice from a commercial author who doesn’t eat if she doesn’t produce quality books on a regular basis, 2k to 10k focuses not just on writing faster, but writing better, and having more fun while you do it.
All too often, following the “rules” of writing can constrict rather than inspire you. With Story Trumps Structure, you can shed those rules – about three-act structure, rising action, outlining, and more – to craft your most powerful, emotional, and gripping stories.
If you need inspiration for creating characters’ emotional responses that are personalized and evocative, this ultimate show-don’t-tell guide for emotion can help. It includes body language cues, thoughts, and visceral responses for 130 emotions.
Characters are as complex as people and revealing their inner layers without chunky blocks of pace-stopping description is a challenge. The Occupation Thesaurus can help you unlock one of the best tools in your show-don’t-tell writing kit: a character’s job.
The setting can build mood, convey meaning through symbolism, drive the plot by creating challenges that force the hero to fight for what he wants, and trigger his emotions to reveal his most intimate feelings, fears, and desires. This thesaurus is a list of the sights, smells, tastes, textures, and sounds for over 100 settings revolving around school, home, and nature.
Every location has the potential to become a conduit for conveying emotion, characterizing the cast, providing opportunities for deep point of view, and revealing significant backstory. This thesaurus is a list of the sights, smells, tastes, textures, and sounds for over 120 urban settings.
Award-winning author James Scott Bell offers clear, concise information that will help you create a believable and memorable plot, including: techniques for crafting strong beginnings, middles, and ends; easy-to-understand plotting diagrams and charts; brainstorming techniques for original plot ideas.
Do you get conflicting advice on how to write a blurb from books, blog posts and internet comments? Have you tried gimmicks from blurb gurus only to see no difference in sales? This book delivers methods that will work for you. It studies blurbs from a copywriting, neuroscience and artistic perspective.
This short guide isn’t bogged down with stories or fluff. It lays out the essential parts of winning cover copy in easy-to-understand language with actionable steps.
In addition to escaping handcuffs, picking locks, and spotting when someone is telling a lie, ex-CIA officer Jason Hanson can improvise a self-defense weapon, pack a perfect emergency kit, and disappear off the grid if necessary. In this book, Jason reveals how to prevent home invasions, carjackings, muggings, and other violent crimes; run counter-surveillance and avoid becoming a soft target; recognize common scams at home and abroad; etc.
A hands-on, practical survival guide from retired Navy SEAL Clint Emerson—adapted for civilians from actual special forces operations—to eluding pursuers, evading capture, and surviving any dangerous situation.
Aiki Flinthart is a long-time martial artist, archer, knife-thrower, assault-survivor, and author of 11+ novels, all with kick-ass heroines and heroes. You should come away with an excellent understanding of the differences between males and females, how they fight, react, and think, and what weapons and techniques work well for smaller physiques.
In Fight Write you’ll learn practical tips, terminology, and the science behind crafting realistic fight scenes for your fiction. Broken up into “Rounds,” trained fighter and writer Carla Hoch guides you through the many factors you’ll need to consider when developing battles and brawls.
