Tag: Stuff for Writers

• How To Handle Negative Feedback

  

  Over the last two weeks, we discussed How To Review a Book, and How To Be a Great Beta Reader. Let’s chat about handling negative feedback today. This can be in the form of a poor review or comments from beta readers. Now, we’re all human here. There will always be that bit of feedback…

  Yolandie Horak

  September 2, 2024

  Writing

  Better Writing, Critique, Giving Critique, Growing as a writer, How to Handle Bad Reviews, How to Handle Critique, How to learn from critique, Indie Writers, Learning from Critique, Let’s Write, Noob Writers, Review, Reviewing, Reviews, Stuff for Writers, Writer, Writer’s Life, Writers’ Resources, Writing, Writing Critique

• Let’s Write Disgust

  

  This addition to the Writing Emotions series is courtesy of Lindsay in Australia (hiya, Lindsay!) who reminded me these posts matter. I chose the topic of disgust because it’s a form of self-disgust (hello, impostor syndrome) that has been keeping me from writing posts like these. If this is your first visit to this series,…

  Yolandie Horak

  May 13, 2024

  Writing

  Better Writing, Disgust, Emotions, Indie Writers, Let’s Write, Resources, Stuff for Writers, Writer, Writer’s Life, Writers’ Resources, Writing, Writing Advice, Writing Community, Writing Disgust, Writing Emotions

• Easy Self-Editing – Redundancies (Pleonasms)

  

  The first draft of A Study of Ash & Smoke was riddled with redundancies, AKA pleonasms. My editor, Nerine Dorman, took to my debut manuscript with a kill-it-with-fire vehemence and likely mumbled a million curses at the ceiling as she removed them (among other issues) from my very *cough, cough* unpolished novel. I’ve said this…

  Yolandie Horak

  April 22, 2024

  Writing

  ADHD Writer, Basic Self-Editing, Better Writing, Common Writing Mistakes, Easy, Easy Editing, Easy Self-Editing, Edit, Editing, Indie Writers, Let’s Write, Noob Writers, Pleonasm, Pleonasms, Redundancies in Writing, Redundant Words in Writing, Resources, Self-Editing, Stuff for Writers, Writer, Writer’s Life, Writers’ Resources, Writing, Writing Advice

• Let’s Write – Dialogue

  

  For many of us, the ultimate goal is to write good stories that keep our readers submerged in our stories. That’s certainly my greatest motivator whenever I write. But it’s so easy to include quirks that yank our readers right out of our stories and dump them back into the real world. I don’t know…

  Yolandie Horak

  March 25, 2024

  Writing

  Action Tags, Better Dialogue, Better Writing, Dialogue Tags, Dialogue Writing Styles, Grammar in Dialogue, Indie Writers, Is Said Dead?, Let’s Write, Said, Said Is Dead, Said Isn’t Dead, Stuff for Writers, Writer, Writer’s Life, Writers’ Resources, Writing, Writing Advice, Writing Dialogue

• How Immigration Influences My Writing

  

  I’ve lived on three continents, in countries with 14 national languages collectively, of which I was fluent in 2 and passable in one. An adventure, people call it. For me, amid the culture shock, those times it felt impossible to adapt, and those wondrous instances of ‘I’m really here, this is really happening to me’,…

  Yolandie Horak

  February 12, 2024

  Immigration, Writing

  Calgary, Canada, Canadian, Emmigration, Emotions, Germany, Immigrant, Immigration, Indie Writers, Johannesburg, My Writing Process, New Canadian, South Africa, South African Abroad, Stuff for Writers, Toronto, Writer, Writer’s Life, Writing

• Freebie – Word Count Tracker

  

  I’ve been itching to try a tracker in my bullet journal, but I just haven’t figured out what I wanted to track. Until now. Inspiration struck a few weeks ago, and I’ve been working on a word tracker. But not just any old tracker, it’s a colouring page! The idea is to colour a block…

  Yolandie Horak

  February 5, 2024

  Art, Writing

  Art, Art by Yolandie Horak, BuJo, Bullet Journal, Bullet Journal Tracker, Downloadable, Free, Free Bullet Journal Tracker, Free Colouring Page, Free Pattern, Freebie, Indie Writers, Planning, Printable, Stuff for Writers, Word Count Tracker, Writer

• Medical Resources for Writers

  

  If you’ve ever had a character stabbed or shot and bleeding, this post is for you. Disclaimer: there is medical content in this post. If you might find that triggering, please stop reading now. “We must take out the bullet, Jack.” Jack poured rum over Mary’s wound. “You hold her down, I’ll cut it out.”…

  Yolandie Horak

  January 29, 2024

  Writing

  Better Writing, How to Write Injuries, Indie Writers, Let’s Write, Medical Fantasy, Medical Research, Medical Research for Writers, Medical Resources for Writers, Resources, Stuff for Writers, Writer, Writer’s Life, Writers’ Resources, Writing, Writing Advice, Writing Injuries, Writing Journey, Writing Life, Writing Medical Elements

• Three Easy Steps to Deep Point of View

  

  Want to level up your writing? Want to connect with your readers? Want to submerge in your character’s mind? The good news is that all three things are super achievable in three easy steps. I’m serious! The title isn’t clickbait, just a tried and trusted method to grow as a writer. All we need to…

  Yolandie Horak

  January 22, 2024

  Writing

  Active Voice, Basic Self-Editing, Better Writing, Common Nouns, Common Writing Mistakes, Deep Point of View, Deep POV, Filter Words, Indie Writers, Let’s Write, Noob Writers, Nouns, Passive Voice, Point of View, Proper Nouns, Stronger Verbs, Stuff for Writers, Writer, Writer’s Life, Writers’ Resources, Writing, Writing Advice, Writing Community, Writing Journey, Writing Life, Writing Process

• Let’s Talk About Debut Novels

  

  What is it about a debut that the world so adores? But not just any old debut, mind you—we want a newcomer with a story of runaway success and broken, no shattered, records. The debut novel must tick all the boxes: perfect characters, compelling storylines, breathtaking descriptions, an endless list of awards, and impending movie…

  Yolandie Horak

  July 17, 2023

  Writing

  A Study of Ash & Smoke, Better Writing, Common Writing Mistakes, Debut, Debut Novel, First Novel, Indie Writers, Let’s Write, My Writing Process, New Adult, New Adult Fantasy, New Beginnings, New Book, New Experiences, New Title, Personal, Stuff for Writers, The Physician’s Apprentice, Why I Write, Writer, Writer’s Life, Writing

• Let’s Talk About Setting

  

  Have you noticed how an increasing number of authors are breaking away from the Eurocentric worlds associated with speculative fiction? It has been super refreshing to read mainstream books set in magical, faraway places that are totally different than what we’ve grown used to. But now I question why I automatically default to those pseudo-European…

  Yolandie Horak

  June 12, 2023

  Writing

  Better Writing, Let’s Write, Setting, Setting in Books, Stuff for Writers, Writer, Writer’s Life, Writing, Writing Advice, Writing Community, Writing Journey, Writing Life, Writing Process