Everything you learned in school and know about writing is wrong. Adverbs are bad verbs. The writing world is different than the educational writing world.
Learning to write well is like learning a new language. There are many rules and guidelines that schools teach you, but in reality there’s no right or wrong way of doing things when it comes down just writing creatively for your own personal satisfaction – at least not until we get into the nitty-gritties: adverbs versus verbs; passive voice over active suddenly becomes important (hint hint); how long should sentences be? What kind?? Umm.. anyways
In Episode 7 of the Serious Writer Podcast Bethany Jett and Cyle Young discuss why everything you know about writing is wrong and what you can do to change it:
Go to a writers conference. Now.
Read in your genre and subgenre. Learn the style of that genre.
Get the resources you need from the beginning. (Emotions thesaurus & Story Trumps Structure)
TIP: The 1st book might not be published.
You can practice into publish later.
Fear: I won’t have another story after this one.
Tip: Learn the rules first before you break them.
Modern story is based on 3-act structure. Act 1 is short. Act 2 is rising action over the middle and it’s longer; character development. Climax. Act 3 is descending action.
Fantasy: Hero’s Journey of the 3-Act Structure.
04. Know how to structure a story.
05. Set a regular writing time period or a daily word count. Earnest Hemingway – writes 500 words a day. Stephen King writes 2000 words a day. Jack London – 1500. Mark Twain – 1400. Michael Crighton – 10,000 words – Jurassic Park. Suggestion – start lower until you’re consistent.
06. Just write and don’t edit.
07. Write in scene, not sequence. The Tik Tok guide to writing a book.
The future is shining for those who love reading! In 2022, there will be new trends that cut across the top genres in books from science fiction to romance—and everything else!
The global reading industry is doing well, (sadly) thanks in part to all the free time people had during the lockdown. Here are some fiction genres that will continue to be popular throughout 2022:
Romance
The genre of romance is a popular one, with its readership loyal to the core. The top romance subgenres include young adult and inspirational stories, in addition to historical romances which fall under this classification, as well.
Children’s
While you may suspect that romance is categorically the top seller out of all genres, you might be surprised to know that children’s fiction sold over 1 BILLION books in 2020. The children’s category ranges from board books to YA.
Did you know that Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None is the bestselling crime novel of all time. It’s been translated into 50+ languages and made into a few different feature films.
These exciting stories keep you on your toes by wondering what will happen next. Furthermore, it seems like every other week there’s an announcement about another novel being made into a movie or TV show.
Fantasy and Science Fiction
The vast, cumulative power of Science Fiction and Fantasy has always been a driving force in literature. It’s no surprise that these two genres continue to be one-of-a-kind with their broad market base or people looking for fantasy stories set among the stars
Young Adult
With the value of reading still high among young adults, this generation will continue to appreciate a good book. The top genres here include sci-fi and fantasy in equal measure with romance as well for those interested lovers’ stories!
This list definitely isn’t exhaustive. What genre is your favorite? Let us know!
“The ones that work the hardest and hustle the most get the book deals.” – Cyle Young
“If someone tells you that you need platform, they’re just eliminating their competition.” — Bethany Jett
“…net of minutia…” – Cyle Young
“You don’t get a pass for being new.” — Bethany Jett
“An erratic writing life produces erratic results. A consistent writing life produces consistent results.” — Cyle Young
LINK: Bethany quoted Seth Godin as building the platform “three years” ago. Here’s the actual quote we need to share: “The best time to start that was seven years ago. The second best time is right now. So start!” – Seth Godin Reference link: https://writetodone.com/seth-godin-part-2/
1:26 10 Tips for children’s writing 1:42 Moral Dilemma 2:58 Entertainment 4:45 Hangout with kids (know your audience) 10:39 Short and Sweet 12:06 The mentor influencer research method 15:05 Social media and research 22:09 Fiction Writing Tips 23:29 Don’t start with “weather” 25:16 Prologues 32:21 NO Exclamation Points!!!!! (except for Bethany’s exception!) 35:55 Don’t use Dialects 38:15 Conclusion, Second Annual Intensive, and Contest Details
