2025 Get Started Right Writing Challenge: Day 4
Welcome to the fourth day of the 10-day Get Started Right Writing Challenge!
For today, read an article on writing; then, comment about something you learned and/or something you’d like to learn about writing, publishing, or anything else in 2025. The article doesn’t have to be from this site, but we have quite a lot (with a few possibilities listed below under the categories of Craft of Writing, Business of Writing, and Author Spotlights).
Craft of Writing
- How to Put a New Spin on Something That’s Been Done Before, by Jody Holford.
- 5 Things That Make a Hallmark Story, by Bryn Donovan.
- The Long Art of the Short Story, by Elly Griffiths.
- 7 Healthy Habits for Writers to Find Success, by Chris Saunders.
- 5 Tips for Writing Better and Faster, by Robert W. Bly.
Business of Writing
- How I Lost Hope in My Writing and Found It in an Unlikely Place, by Leanne Lieberman.
- 3 Ways to Fall in Love With Book Marketing, by Lauren Marie Fleming.
- How I Went From Ghostwriter to Published Author, by Katrina Kwan.
- Why I Don’t Want to Quit My Day Job for Writing, by K. X. Song.
- I Got 8 Agent Offers; Then, My Book Died on Sub, by Lauren Kay.
Author Spotlights
- Penn Cole: Focus on Your Craft.
- Anne Gracie: Have Faith That the Story Will Work Out.
- Rosa Kwon Easton: On Fiction Helping Tell a True Family Story.
- Marcus J. Moore: Dare to Be Different.
- Dan Gutman: Ignore All Advice, Including Mine.
Read one (or more) of the above (or a completely different article), and share what you learned and/or would like to learn in 2025 in the comments.
Note on commenting: If you wish to comment on the site, go to Disqus to create a free new account, verify your account on this site below (one-time thing), and then comment away. It’s free, easy, and the comments (for the most part) don’t require manual approval. That said, I will be checking a couple times per day to approve the few that do get caught in the spam filters for whatever reason.
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Here’s my comment:
In 2023, I mentioned that I’d like to learn more about various sub-genres, and while I did, I do think there’s more opportunity to learn in this area. And after nearly 25 years of covering the publishing industry, I know that this is one space that is constantly changing (even as some elements stay the same). Also, I’d love to discover some new (to me, at least) poets.
Since I work on this website (and get to read all the pieces), I’m learning new things every day here. That includes reading inspirational stories (like this piece by Barbara Nickless), helpful pieces on building an audience (like this piece on podcasting from Jaimi Ryan), nearly endless prompts (like this one from Moriah Richard), and interviews with fascinating authors (like this conversation with Joyce Carol Oates). And all these pieces are from just the past week.
As a fellow writer, I’d love to hear what you’ve learned; and, as an editor, I’d love to hear what you want to learn more about. You may send me on a new hunt for information to share on the site.