Writing Tips: Make a Habit of Writing

Hi, everyone! Well, I have more thoughts about writing, self-publishing and all sorts of other things. But right now I am so focused on the Hammett Awards that I can barely get my thoughts together on other things.

But yes, I am a screener for the Hammett Awards, which is an award given by the International Association of Crime Writers. And it’s been quite an experience. I have a box of books downstairs that is waiting for me to look at it and I’m tearing through the books that I’m able to tear through as fast as I can. And it’s given me a new appreciation for what it must be like to be an agent, a publisher, or a producer, like a movie producer or television producer. I can totally now appreciate where they’re coming from. And this underscores for me, the importance to creators of doing good work and doing good work involves continuing the day in, day out process of the doing. That’s the most important part, along with all the other stuff that goes with it afterward, of course. There’s lots of work involved in self-publishing or doing anything creative on your own.

But in any case, it really underscores for me the importance of focusing on quality. And that’s why I try to teach people. I have a couple of courses. I have a mystery writing course and a plotting course I teach on Udemy, and I hope someday to offer more advice to people, maybe in a different manner. I don’t know. We’ll see, I’m thinking about it. All right, then that’s it for now? And it’s back to working on a screenplay and reading books like mad. Good books at that. Take care and I’ll talk to you later.

Here are the links to my Udemy writing courses (for a few days, there’s a Black Friday sale in effect):

Beginner’s Guide to Mystery Fiction: https://www.udemy.com/share/102SpO/

Plot First, Write Faster: https://www.udemy.com/share/103Nra/