Mastodawn

New newsletter issue is LIVE! ✍️🔥

"Write what you know" is one of the most overused pieces of advice in our field. But how do you apply that to sci-fi, horror, or fantasy when you aren't a space marine, vampire, or wizard?

In this week's episode of Foundations, I'm breaking down a 3-part framework to turn personal experience into authentic fiction without writing your autobiography.

We cover:
🔹 The 3 interpretations of "Write What You Know" (Literal, Research, Emotional)
🔹 Why writing from fear is often more powerful than writing from experience
🔹 My "Three Layers of Research" model: Technical, Emotional, and Systemic details.
🔹 How to avoid the "Savior Narrative" trap where disabled characters exist only to teach able-bodied heroes lessons.
🔹 A practical craft exercise: Vulnerability Mapping.

I'm using my own journey with Type 2 diabetes to show how chronic illness can ground a zombie apocalypse story, turning a perceived weakness into a survival asset for the protagonist.

If you write speculative fiction and want to deepen your craft while building a more authentic world, this one is for you.

👇 Read the full issue and sign up for future emails: Link in bio or http://jhrln.link/signup

💬 Tell me in the comments: What's a fear you'd love to see explored in a story? Or a piece of writing advice you think is overrated? Let's discuss!

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #IndieAuthor #SpeculativeFiction #UrbanFantasy #HorrorWriters #ScienceFiction #WritingTips #AuthorLife #DiabetesAwareness #DisabilityRepresentation #WritingCraft #CraftOfWriting #BookLaunch #FutureRelease

Redwood Rhetorica 1d ago

Most writing tools want to generate your character for you. Type a name, get a backstory.

I find that backwards. So LaoTzu does the opposite: it hands you 100+ interview questions grounded in real craft (Weiland, Cron, Ackerman), and you answer them in your character's voice.

It asks. You answer. The character stays yours.

redwoodrhetorica.com
discord.gg/53Gx6YmTpb

#WritingCommunity #amwriting #WritingCraft #NovelWriting

Siren Bard 1d ago

#writingcraft #annelamott #birdbybird #bookreview

Allison Wyss 1d ago

It's tools, not rules, baby. This class is about interrogating a cliche writing "rule" to understand it is simply one tool of many--and exploring how its opposite has many important uses.

Jun. 20, 2026, 10am-1pm Central, Loft Classroom, Minneapolis, MN

https://loft.org/classes/craft-fiction-tell-dont-show

#WritingConversations #WritingClass #WritingCraft #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #ShowDontTell #TellDontShow #LoftLiterary

The Craft of Fiction: Tell, Don't Show

"Show, don't tell" is such standard writing advice that it's become cliche. But is it good writing advice? Well, it depends. Sometimes it's best to show. This class is about the other times. We'll look at ways telling can help you pace a story and better manage the movement of time. We'll study techniques to make summary as alive and evocative as scene. And we'll look at one of my favorite strategies—to show through telling, when the style and tone of the language puts on its own show. We'll also spend a little bit of time examining why the cliche of "show, don't tell" has been so pervasive, how all craft is culturally based, and how to be subversive about those often oppressive rules. Expect close reading of excerpts from writers such as Megan Abbott, Nnedi Okorafor, Yiyun Li, and Jamaica Kincaid. Also expect time spent writing, as we put the ideas to practical use. Please submit this request form at least two to three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this class. This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.

The Loft Literary Center

Eliot 4d ago

Sign up BY FRIDAY 6/12 to reconnect with your writing practice & joy! Small, thoughtful, kindness-minded, all-genres-friendly: not your average writer space. https://wholeheartedwriters.weebly.com/june-mini-retreat.html @edibuddies @writers #WritingCraft #FictionWriting #Poetrycommunity #memoir

June Mini-Retreat

This Friday–Saturday event offers 2 full days of programming and interaction on Zoom and in Slack, plus an additional two days to connect in the Slack space.* Join us to spark some fun and new...

Wholehearted Writers

IndieAuthors.Social News 5d ago

The Hidden Cost of Self-Censorship in Fiction

For many authors, the hardest editor to overcome is not a publisher, reviewer, or even a reader. It is the quiet voice in the back of their own mind asking whether a scene goes too far, whether a character will offend someone, or whether a bold creative choice is worth the potential backlash. We live in an age where what we write is scrutinized more closely than ever before, and many authors have quietly begun censoring themselves long before a reader ever sees the page. In this week’s blog, Ginger explores whether modern storytelling has become overly restrained and what may be lost when authors begin sanding down the rough edges of their work. Drawing on examples from film, television, publishing, and the surprising success of the dark romance genre, he…
https://www.hiddengemsbooks.com/hidden-cost-of-self-censorship/

#ForAuthors #WritingCraft #backlash #censorship #controversialtopics

The Hidden Cost of Self-Censorship in Fiction - Hidden Gems Book Blog

Today we're examining the difference between thoughtful storytelling and self-censorship, and the importance of trusting your audience.

HiddenGemsBooks

Cat Writers' Association 6d ago

Janet Vormittag's Crazy Cat Lady books are short stories about living with too many cats and my worry about becoming a crazy cat lady.

How to Generate Better Story Ideas Using the Ones That Don't Work

Predictable ideas come quickly and feel safe. Interesting ones feel strange. The best ones might make you a little nervous. Stay open.

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

JacquiG Jun 2

My June writing blog is all about handling rejection...yes, there is OODLES of personal experience represented in my advice!

#WritingCommunity #WritingCraft #WritingLife #HandlingRejection

https://www.jacquigreaves-author.com/blog/handling-rejection?fbclid=IwY2xjawSLS-RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEedlXOB0rU-X6LpiuvKryVGeBcn9pSY_2AMnJiJmuMdYlpq9fgaMri4di0ZCI_aem_YWdncwBEisQ6RWtFP8KWrk8KrX39&brid=YWdncwHq-f9dH_44VqJkLC967Jb6

Handling Rejection

In the business of being a writer, rejection is something you have to learn to handle from the first time you submit a story or a poem to the market. It’s a rare writer who never receives that...

JACQUI GREAVES

Rob Bignell, Editor/Author May 31

#writershelpingwriters #writersnetwork #WritersLife #writingadvice #writingcraft