Description: Alexa talks with Autumn Birt, Dawn Mena, Ruth Snyder, and Jamie Beth Cohen, about writing tips.

Format: Panel

Level: This presentation is for all levels. 

Mentioned in this video:

Audience: Fiction and nonfiction beginner writers

A lot was covered in this video, and our panelists have kindly provided downloadable tip sheets, which can be found HERE. 

Dawn – Nonfiction, more business related books. Bite Sized Books – Often choose topics that are just too big. Pick a goal and transform change. Start with small projects; narrowing your focus so you aren’t all over the place.

Jamie Beth Cohen – long and short form; essays and fiction; works in different modality in different locations (long form when she has more time) but in her shorter windows is when she tackles the essays, not the novel.

Ruth – Master of time management so that she could find time to write even with 5 young kids. Ruth likes to remind people they can’t tackle all ideas at once, so she does a 20 minute brain dump session. After the time is up, she picks her favorite idea from the list and spends time honing in on that.

Autumn – fantasy author – why she recommends using an outline and plotting after her experience with just diving in

Two camps – fiction and nonfiction – writing concepts and ideas, basic terms and skills and how to start for both major genres

• Plotter vs. pantser
• Why it’s so important to study the genre you want to write in and know and understand the conventions of the genre and age category.
• Understanding the nuances of the genre that make the readers happy
• How fantasy as a genre as changed; new trends in different genres
• The trend in nonfiction on shorter books
• The importance of building your brand as a nonfiction author – choose topics that are aligned with your brand
• Choose topics that you are able to talk about with authority (nonfiction)
• Organizing with an outline (nonfiction)
• Include a call to action (nonfiction)
• Tips for the very beginning writer – Ruth suggests to just start where you are; even if it’s small, short, not a lot of time each day
• How Ruth started her writing by using Twitter as a mini-blogger
• Block off time to write at the best time for you
• The importance of good storytelling in nonfiction as well as fiction

Resources:

• Autumn’s free video course – The Starter Kit – for new fantasy writers – https://www.amwritingfantasy.com/product/ultimate-fantasy-writers-starter-kit-short-course/
• Local writing / feedback groups – find one in your area; online communities
• Handouts
• Contests – especially those that offer critique
• ProWritingAid!
• Finding conferences, in particular small, local conferences
  • Lancaster, PA – Creative Nonfiction Conference
  • SCBWI – https://www.scbwi.org/
  • Barrel House – https://www.barrelhousemag.com/events
  • 20 Books to 50K
  • San Francisco Writer’s Group
  • IBPA PubU
  • Inscribed Christian Writers Conference – Canada

[bctt tweet=”Join us as we talk about #writingtips and #resources with @Weifarer, @Jamie_Beth_S, @wwjdr, and Dawn Mena today @womeninpublish1. #womeninpublishingsummit #amwriting #ampublishing” username=”writepubsell”]

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