Lmst

What You Can Really Learn From a Writing Retreat

Career Authors…
https://careerauthors.com/what-you-can-really-learn-from-a-writing-retreat/

#Life #craft #publishing #writingadvice #writingretreat
@indieauthors

This is a question for amateur authors out there.
How do you keep writing when nobody else cares?

If that's enough for you to understand what I'm asking, then you don't need to read anything else.
For anyone who wants to understand where I'm coming from, keep reading and it's likely to be long and most of y'all will peace out.

I've been writing creative weird fiction since high school, thirty-five years ago, largely inspired by a childhood spent watching black and white creature features and other cheesy but incredibly earnest horror, sci-fi, and fantasy films and reading Clive Barker, Dean Koontz, Steven King, and, eventually Lovecraft and Derleth.
But I was also heavily inspired by James Joyce. Reading "The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" in English class was honestly life-changing. That's how I wanted to write. Joyce, along with Charlotte Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper", and Conrad Aiken's "Silent Snow, Secret Snow" were my goalposts.

So that's how I write, what I aspire to be.
I'm not.
I will never be.
I'm not a great writer, merely adequate.

Further, I do not have a novel in me, just short stories and the occasional poem.
Nobody cares about those today unless you are a name or have a collection to sell.

genAI scraping the web to mulch its growth means I don't even feel comfortable sharing much of my work online.

I enter contests and I do not win.

I have no "fan base" nor even peers who look forward to what I have next. Nobody asks, nobody cares.
My wife has never understood my stories but strongly encourages me to keep writing.

So. How do I keep writing when nobody cares but me, when nobody else cares?

I mean, I have other things to do. I have other responsibilities. I have a real job. I have mental health issues.
I could just stop writing forever and nobody would stop me.

I write, but not as often as I would like.
I often wonder what the point even is.
I want to share; I want to make connections. I want to find my people.
But I haven't.
Maybe never will.

Edit: added hashtags

#Writing #WritingAdvice #Writer #Writers #WritersOfMastodon

New Fathers' Day #WritingAdvice video. This one gets away from me a bit, but I hope it kickstarts some thoughts.

https://youtu.be/WN_iiic56rs

#Writing
#Fiction

Think your categories don’t matter? Think again.
Amazon KDP categories can make or break your book’s visibility—and most authors are using them wrong.
In my latest post, I show you how to choose, climb, and conquer your ideal shelf.

#KDPtips #IndieAuthor #SelfPublishingHelp #AmazonBestseller #KindleUnlimited #BookMarketing #WritingAdvice #soniarompoti #AuthorLife

http://soniamrompoti.com/2025/06/14/understanding-amazon-kdp-categories/

A short story writing pacing primer. Do we really need to know the color of the drapes? buff.ly/QYj55oc #writing #writingcommunity #writingadvice #protip #litmag #literary #writingcommunity

5 Myths of Writing and Publishing Success https://www.writersdigest.com/5-myths-of-writing-and-publishing-success #BusinessofWriting #publishingadvice #BookPublishers #literaryagents #successstories #writingadvice #GetPublished

Finding Inspiration in Everyday Life
#WriterLife #WritingCommunity #WriterCommunity #Inspiration #Observe #Emotions #WritingTips #WritingAdvice

http://georgelthomas.com/2025/06/10/finding-inspiration-in-everyday-life/

Star Trek: Voyager Got Me Through Perimenopause and Back to the Page

I didn't grow up with Voyager. I found it at 2 a.m., when I needed it most. Continue reading on The Writing Cooperative »
https://writingcooperative.com/star-trek-voyager-got-me-through-perimenopause-and-back-to-the-page-1710a8ae7ba

#startrekvoyager #writingadvice #perimenopause #writing
@indieauthors

I Hope Your First Book Doesn’t Go Viral

You don't deserve it yet. Continue reading on The Writing Cooperative »
https://writingcooperative.com/i-hope-your-first-book-doesnt-go-viral-91cc85bada2

#bookmarketing #writing #writingprocess #fictionwriting #writingadvice
@indieauthors

Want to Make Your Book a Page-Turner? Avoid This Common Mistake

Agreement is polite in real life, yet on the page, it kills momentum Continue reading on The Writing Cooperative »
https://writingcooperative.com/want-to-make-your-book-a-page-turner-avoid-this-common-mistake-94ef239f856

#writingprocess #writingadvice #writingtips #storytelling #fictionwriting
@indieauthors

Tomorrow 6/5 is the last day to register for this small, supportive, & smart summer writing group! (Thursday evenings on Zoom, have your camera off if you want, queer-led.) We've met minimum enrollment but still have room for a few writers! https://www.eliotwesteditorial.com/writing-group.html

@edibuddies @writers #WritingCommunity #WritingAdvice #WritersLife #AmEditing #AmWriting

"Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but that's the only way you can do anything really good."

William Faulkner

#quoteoftheday #writingadvice #takeachance #dogood #BeingHuman

Unless there is a lot of money on the table or some other demonic deadline, don’t lose sleep over writing. It’s not healthy.
There’s no advantage to stressing yourself out and making yourself miserable while writing a book.

#LianaEdits #AmWriting #WritingAdvice #Publishing

The Difference Between Story, Plot and Narrative
#WritingTips #amwriting #writerslife #tips #WritingCommunity #Story #Plot #Narrative #WritingAdvice #Writing #Advice

http://georgelthomas.com/2024/04/02/the-difference-between-story-plot-and-narrative/

Want to keep writing--or get back to your writing life--this summer? We'd love to help you meet your goals, grow a healthier & happier practice, and find community 💖 (Six more days to register! Meeting 8 Thursdays evenings starting 12 June on Zoom.) Details & registration: https://www.eliotwesteditorial.com/writing-group.html

@writers #WritingCommunity #Writing #AmEditing #WritingAdvice #AmWriting

brightly colored sun and shapes with the text Get happier with your writing life this summer!

Common Character Archetypes
#WriterCommunity #WritingCommunity #CharacterArchetypes #Characters #Archetypes #WritingTips #WritingAdvice #Tips #Advice

http://georgelthomas.com/2025/02/04/common-character-archetypes/

5 Hard-Earned Lessons That Made Me a Better Writer

Writing advice hits different when you've learned it the hard way Continue reading on The Writing Cooperative »
https://writingcooperative.com/5-hard-earned-lessons-that-made-me-a-better-writer-dde6dbd8d6d

#writingprocess #writingadvice #creativewriting #writingdiscipline #writing
@indieauthors

@HeliaXyana @anderlandbooks

So, there should be the occasional one dimensional character in the mix.

Just say no. It sounds to me like character depth and texture makes your work stand out. Way too many boggy-men and unfathomable Sauron evil characters in the lit, echos of memories of European wars, invasions, and the civilian devastation visited upon the innocent who couldn't understand why it happened to them. (Is the Lord of the Rings an allegory?) It might feel unfortunate to write a serial killer that the reader could empathize with, but it's the psychology and erosion of the social contract that's interesting. Empathy isn't approval of their behavior or liking someone, it's understanding them, maybe predicting their actions because you have learned their motivation. If we're talking about a supernatural being like a demon here, you have a chance to characterize why what's evil to us isn't to them. Plenty of evil happening in the world right now that the perpetrators think is doing good; dichotomies like what you're depicting make it clearer why we should prevent these things from developing. With this in mind, making your demon one-dimensional (for instance) would be a crime.

#Writer #Author #writersOfMastodon #WritingCommunity #WritingAdvice