Showing posts with label good writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label good writing. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Catch Some Writer's Sparks and Fuel Your Creative Fire!

Recently our Voyagers authors, our publisher L. Diane Wolfe, and IWSG founder Alex J. Cavanaugh shared their favorite writing craft books on this blog.  Today, building on those recommendations, I am delighted to feature a wonderful writing craft book just released by IWSG member Chrys Fey:  Keep Writing with Fey:  Sparks to Defeat Writer's Block, Depression, and Burnout.  
   



Chrys deals with the serious issues of writer's block, depression, and burnout. She shares her personal struggles with each of them, but she does so in a way that fills the reader with hope that these are surmountable challenges.  She sought professional help for her depression, but her personal journey to health followed a self-help path with many holistic practices.  She states that "seeking help is important" and that "there is absolutely no shame in getting medical treatment or talking to a professional."  

However, Chrys's book is not heavy or dark.  It is filled with lightness and light. Chrys writes with a clear, compassionate, sometimes funny voice and provides the reader with positive tools to increase his or her health and to improve and grow as a writer.  I love the structure of the book, with its eighty-seven sparks to inspire, motivate, and help the reader.  Each spark can be read in a few minutes, but the reader will linger on its content much longer.  

In one section of her book, Chrys offers some thirty doses of Bactine to mitigate the pain of writer's block and writer's burnout.  For example, the first dose,  Bactine #1, soothes with its application:  "If you are afraid that you're facing writer's burnout or if you have writer's block, or even if you're not sure...share your struggle with others."  I'm grateful for Chrys doing exactly that. To me, her book is like a book of daily devotions.  I can open it to any spark at any time and read something informative, healing, or encouraging.

When I began reading Sparks, I immediately knew that it would have a prominent spot on my writing references shelf.  But I've changed my mind.  I'm keeping it on my nightstand.
  
I hope you read Chrys's book.  Better yet, I'm betting you'll want to keep it on your nightstand instead of your writing references bookshelf!

Writer's Sparks and Creative Fire



Today Chrys is hosting a Keep Writing with Fey Blog Hop.
She invites you to share your story about writer's block, depression, and/or burnout and how you overcame it or what you are currently doing to heal. Here's a link to her blog:
https://www.writewithfey.com/2020/08/dont-make-light-of-another-writers.html




About the Book:
Catch the sparks you need to conquer writer’s block, depression, and burnout!

When Chrys Fey shared her story about depression and burnout, it struck a chord with other writers. That put into perspective for her how desperate writers are to hear they aren’t alone. Many creative types experience these challenges, battling to recover. Let Keep Writing with Fey: Sparks to Defeat Writer's Block, Depression, and Burnout guide you through:

•        Writer's block
•        Depression
•        Writer's burnout
•        What a writer doesn’t need to succeed
•        Finding creativity boosts

With these sparks, you can begin your journey of rediscovering your creativity and get back to what you love - writing.

Book Links

Amazon / Nook / iTunes / Kobo / Goodreads





About the Author:  
Chrys Fey is the author of Write with Fey:  10 Sparks to Guide You from Idea to Publication.  She is also the author or the Disaster Crimes series.  Visit her blog, Write with Fey, for more tips on how to reverse writers burnout.  https://www.chrysfey.com  


Coming on Wednesday, August 12, 2020: 
A Surprise!  For me too ~ LOL.  I'm sure it will be worth a visit. 




Till next time ~
Fundy Blue 





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Here Are Some Reviews of Chrys's Book:

“Gracious, there are so many tips and lessons in this book that I dare anyone to pick it up and not be writing furiously by the last chapter.” - C. Hope Clark, author and founder of FundsforWriters.com

“Her no-nonsense approach feels like advice from a good friend, doled out in easily digestible bite-sized pieces.” – Janice Hardy, author and founder of Fiction University

“This is one book every writer should have in their arsenal.” - Best-selling cozy mystery writer Elizabeth Spann Craig


Where to Order Chrys Fey's Book:  
Keep Writing with Fey: Sparks to Defeat Writer's Block, Depression, and Burnout.  
Writing / Self-Help: Depression – Stress  
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Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Favorite Online Writing Resources (Not the IWSG) ~ Part 1


Today, as writers, we literally have the world at our fingertips.  With our computers we can access resources on a level unimaginable a generation ago: the world's best libraries and museums, much of humanity's knowledge across every field, information about people, places, and events from the earliest times to the current moment.  If we need help, guidance, or mentors we can find them online.  Sometimes the most difficult part is deciding where to begin.

As members of the IWSG we can access information about most aspects of writing, publishing, and marketing, share our knowledge and experience, and encourage and support each other as writers.  This is an excellent foundation, but where do we go beyond the IWSG's resources?  This week and next the authors featured in the 2020 Insecure Writer's Support Group anthology Voyagers:  The Third Ghost are sharing some favorite online writing resources beyond the IWSG.  Jump in and discover what great online resources our Voyager authors have found!    








Favorite Online Writing Resources ...







Katharina Gerlach
"Winter Days"

















Online Writing Resources 
The most comprehensive site with tons of free resources, a free Flash Fiction course, and the only course on revision that I ever found useful is the one by writer Holly Lisle. Her free articles can be found here (https://hollylisle.com/articles/#writingarticles) and her courses are available here (https://hollyswritingclasses.com/). Her way of teaching resonates with me, she never tries to sell you anything (although lots of students are course collectors because the courses are so helpful), and she's often giving personal feedback in the form (which is the most writer friendly forum in the world).

Bio
Although Katharina Gerlach was born in the late sixties, she’s still a child at heart. She inherited her love of fairy tales and words from her mother, an ex-secretary and avid reader, and her love of all things nature and science from her father, an ex-forester. Memories of her rather interesting life in Germany flow back at the smallest trigger, even though she tends to merge her three brothers into one when she tells stories about their childhood adventures. And more often than not, she recalls events truthfully.











Sherry Ellis
"The Ghosts of Pompeii"

















Online Writing Resource
My favorite online writing resource is Jane Friedman's blog:  https://www.janefriedman.com/blog/. She shares everything from writing tips to marketing tips. 

Bio
Ellis' books include Don't Feed the Elephant; Ten Zany Birds; That Mama is a Grouch; That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN; Bubba and Squirt's Big Dig to China; and Bubba and Squirt's Mayan Adventure. 

She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information about her work, she invites you to visit her websites at www.sherryellis.org and www.bubbaandsquirt.org.











L.T. Ward
"Return to Cahokia"












Online Writing Resources
Aside from the IWSG for online writing resources, I like to hit up two additional places for writing connections and learning. The first for me is Twitter. Of course, there are pitfalls being that it is social media, but I have found many beta readers, publishing opportunities, as well as watched industry trends on the platform. The second is The Submission Grinder. It's a fantastic website that allows writers to search for different publications for submissions. As I love writing short stories, The Submission Grinder has been a wonderful tool in helping me learn of worldwide opportunities.

Bio
LT writes mostly speculative fiction shorts and novels while spending her days raising her children and satisfying her never-ending thirst for knowledge through reading, meeting people, and first-hand life experiences. She has publications with Dancing Lemur Press and Me First Magazine while querying her first novel and writing another. She currently volunteers as a social media coordinator and content provider for WriteHive, an online writers’ conference.











Rebecca M. Douglass
"A World of Trouble"












Online Writing Resources
I’ll just list one, which is The Story-Reading Ape blog. https://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/  Chris sifts through lots of stuff and reposts many helpful blogs. Sometimes it’s a lot in my feed, but I can easily find things that really help me out! In the past, I also got a lot from the weekly writing prompts Chuck Wendig posted (www.terribleminds.com). He doesn’t do it anymore, but finding a regular writing challenge that pushes you out of your comfort zone is a great way to grow as a writer!

Bio
Rebecca is the author of the delightful Ninja Librarian books, as well as a picture book for outdoor families, a mystery series for the parents, and her middle-grade fantasy, Halitor the Hero.  After more than seventeen years working at the library, she has retired still without learning all the secrets of the Ninja Librarian.











Yvonne Ventresca
"The Third Ghost"











Online Writing Resources
One online writing resource I highly recommend is Jane Friedman’s site, https://www.janefriedman.com/writing-advice-archive/. She offers a wealth of information about a variety of topics, such as author websites, online marketing, and book promotion. Her site also includes an excellent one-page summary of publishing options: https://www.janefriedman.com/key-book-publishing-path/. If you have questions about the business of publishing, this is a great place to find answers.

Bio
Yvonne Ventresca is the award-winning author of Black Flowers, White Lies (IPPY Gold Medal for National YA fiction) and Pandemic (SCBWI’s Crystal Kite Award).  In addition to her novels, Yvonne’s other work includes two nonfiction books and several short stories selected for anthologies, including the previous IWSG anthology, Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life.  She is currently pursuing an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. You can learn more at YvonneVentresca.com, where she features resources for writers.





Coming on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 . . .
Next week more of our authors will share favorite online resources beyond The Insecure Writer's Support Group.




Till next time ~
Fundy Blue 






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You can order a copy of
VOYAGERS: The Third Ghost 
at the links below.

Print 9781939844729 $13.95
EBook 9781939844736 $4.99

Juvenile Fiction - Historical / Action & Adventure /
Fantasy & Magic









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Monday, January 21, 2019

Promises, Promises

PROMISES, PROMISES
by Jessica Ferguson

Several months ago, I read a novel—women’s fiction—that I can’t get out of my head. I didn’t like the main character or her parents. Her best friend was annoying so I didn’t like her either. Her kids were brats—one was whiny and the other was hateful. I have no idea why the main character stayed with her husband for 20+ years, so I’m glad he was deceased and I didn’t have to deal with him. Her memories of him were enough.

Are you wondering why I kept reading? The writing was great, even though the story was slow moving with sad, painful characters. Only one character captured my interest, and he showed up near the end of the book. He was a quirky university professor that dressed weird and—at the most—appeared in four short scenes. He wasn’t much more than a walk-on with interesting dialogue, but he infused hope and energy into the story, and saved the book for me. By the time I read the last page, that novel felt like the most wonderful love story I’d ever read ... not because it WAS a love story, but because it was going to BE a love story—after I closed the book and went on my merry way. Some pithy dialogue and the sweet promise of a cup of coffee captured my imagination.

Interesting how the perfect ending—the perfect promise—can save a story, and leave the reader feeling so amazingly satisfied!

And the opposite is true too.

I came across a nonfiction book on creativity that yanked me in the moment I read the title. There was such promise and encouragement on those pages. I couldn’t put the book down. I read every paragraph with a yellow highlighter, knowing there were key observations I’d want to revisit. I texted my daughter daily to tell her how wonderful the book was. Two or three chapters from the end, I noticed a change in tone, and the focus of the book shifted. It was almost as if the final chapters had been written by someone else. In the last chapter, the author devoted himself to insulting me as a Christian reader/writer/creative. He told me my interpretation of the Bible and Heaven was wrong. Pardon me?

Where was the wrap-up on being creative? The encouragement I expected? My sigh of satisfaction? Had I been blind during the first 30 something chapters? He ruined the entire book for me. I can’t remember one positive thing in previous chapters.

Whether we write fiction or nonfiction, we make a promise to our readers in each story we write. Be certain what that promise is and make sure to deliver on it. Whether we’re indie or traditionally published, the old saying, “The first page sells your book and the last page sells your next book” is truer than we realize.




Jessica Ferguson is the author of The Little Girl in the Bayou, a short story included in the Tick Tock—A Stitch in Crime anthology published by Dancing Lemur Press.  A Former staff writer for Southern Writers Magazine, Jess also worked as assistant editor/writer/photographer for The Times of Southwest Louisiana. When rights to her novel and novellas were re-assigned to her, Jess had every intention to revise and republish. A search on Amazon will show you that procrastination gets you nowhere. 

Website
Instagram: @jessyferguson
Twitter: @jessyferguson
Facebook: Jessica Ferguson
WEBSITE

Tick Tock: A Stitch In Crime
The Little Girl in the Bayou by J.R. Ferguson
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