We have our own Youtube channel, and I’d like to invite any Wily member to do a reading that will be posted there.
We’ll record through Zoom, and I’ll handle the technical side of things. All you have to do is show up and read. 🙂
We have our own Youtube channel, and I’d like to invite any Wily member to do a reading that will be posted there.
We’ll record through Zoom, and I’ll handle the technical side of things. All you have to do is show up and read. 🙂
Writers, almost by definition, are both busy and sedentary! It’s ironic.
Between the kids, the spouse, the day job, the hairballs, and trying to fit in time to write, many writers skip exercising. I know I did.
After a couple serious health scares, I realized I needed to work exercise into my lifestyle.
I sit so much that I was getting stiff and my hips were giving me trouble. I needed to limber up. I discovered this Youtube series, and Adriene changed my life. She has many sessions for beginners and many that are short-short (15 mins or less) or targeted to a particular profession or body part. She also does meditations that are calming and get your breath moving. Here are three of her yoga videos that I do regularly.
To get my heart rate up and strengthen, I do these quick exercises. Schellea Fowler’s brand targets women over 50, but don’t let that dissuade you men and younger people from trying these exercises. They are perfect for writers. They’ll get your heart rate up and tone your muscles—in only five minutes. They’re perfect if your mind is wandering to refocus and wake up. You control the intensity you need.
Self-published authors often find it prohibitively expensive to buy an ISBN, and if you use the free one from Amazon, then you’re letting them put their mark on your book. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but for those who aren’t comfortable with it, you have a better option.
Filling out the form on Bowker’s site can also be extremely painful if you’re unfamiliar with it. Wily Writers can make the process easy-peasy.
IMPORTANT: The following content was flagrantly copied from the BOWKER WEBSITE for your convenience.
The ISBN is a unique identifier for a book or other book-like product (such as an audiobook) that specifies its format, edition, and publisher.
There are many reasons to purchase an ISBN for your title, including:
You will need one ISBN for each edition and format of your book. The ISBN identifies the publisher as well as the specific book title, edition and format (hardback, paperback, ePub, PDF, Mobi, Audio…). Any variation of a book would require the use of a unique ISBN to identify it properly. This allows retailers to help the customer understand exactly which version of a title they are purchasing. So, you should consider:
Bowker is the official ISBN Agency for publishers physically located in the United States and its territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, as well as military bases and embassies. If an ISBN is obtained from a source other than the official ISBN Agency, it might not identify the publisher of the title accurately. This can have implications for doing business in the publishing industry supply chain.
Once you set up your account with us, your ISBNs will be added to your account immediately at purchase (Title Assignment Instructions). You will be recognized as the publisher of all book titles associated with those ISBNs. For more information about the ISBN standard, or if you are looking for the official ISBN Agency in your jurisdiction, visit the International ISBN Agency.
Wilies, let’s get together for an hour or so on Monday evenings to kick our week off right!
Let’s get the hashtag #darkfiction reinvigorated! Use it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, your blog, or wherever you talk about your writing and books.
Using hashtags in social media increases the chance that your reader soulmates will find you. It improves your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) if you include it on your website.
You can put it into your newsletter and also educate your subscribers to look for it to find the posts of other dark writers. In this way, we build a presence and begin to share readership with one another.
There are many interesting podcasts out there about dark arts, but there are few that specifically serve writers. Here’s a list of those we currently know about. If you’ve listened to any one of them, leave a note/review of it in the comments so others know what to expect. Also, if you know of one that’s not listed here, let me know in comments and I’ll add it to the list.
Each of these presents an opportunity for self-promotion. You may contact the podcast and offer to appear. Many are actively looking for guests.
NOTE: Just because a podcast is dead, doesn’t mean it’s gone. The episodes of all those listed here are still available for listening.
The Horror Writers Podcast (dead, 77 episodes) | |
This is Horror (alive, 396+ episodes) | |
Bizzong! The Weird and Wacky Fiction Podcast (alive, 239+ episodes) | |
Horror Writers Channel from Horror Writers Association (alive, collected videos, including interviews & readings) |
Books in the Freezer (alive, 93+ episodes) | |
Dead Headspace (alive) | |
Faculty of Horror (alive, 94+ episodes) | |
HorrorAddicts.net (Emerian Rich, alive, 194+ episodes) | |
Horror Rewind (alive, 98+ episodes, mostly on movies, but some fiction) | |
Ink Heist (alive, 5+ episodes) | |
Ladies of Horror Fiction (dead, 9 episodes) | |
Vox Vomitus (Jennifer Anne Gordon, alive, interviews, 47+ episodes) | |
Stephen King Boo Club (alive, discussion of Stephen King’s work, 60+ episodes) | |
Stephen King Podcast (alive, discussion of Stephen King’s work, 110+ episodes) |
The Outer Dark (alive, 98+ episodes) | |
Nightlight (alive, 411+ episodes) | |
Campfire Radio Theater (alive, audiodrama, 30+ episodes) |
Writing Excuses (alive, hundreds of episodes) | |
I Should Be Writing (alive, hundreds of episodes) | |
Grammar Girl (alive, many episodes) | |
The Hope Writers Podcast (alive, 50+ episodes) | |
Story Studio Podcast (alive, self-publishing, 50+ episodes) | |
Authorpreneur’s Almanac (dead) | |
Eight Questions (dead, many episodes, interviews) | |
Iterate and Optimize (dead, many episodes, interviews) | |
Self-Publishing Podcast (dead, many episodes, interviews) | |
the Smarter Artist (dead, many episodes) | |
Roy’s Writing Tools (dead, 50 episodes) | |
The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience (alive, many episodes) | |
Creative Writing Career (became “Creative Writing Life”, many episodes) | |
Creative Writing Life (alive, 40+ episodes) | |
The Creative Penn (alive, many episodes) | |
The Bestseller Experiment (alive, many episodes) | |
The Book Marketing Show with Dave Chesson (dead, 65 episodes) | |
Reading and Writing Podcast (alive, 400+ episodes) | |
Write Now with Sarah Werner (alive, 200+ episodes) | |
Helping Writers Become Authors (alive, many episodes) | |
The Self-Publishing Show (alive, many episodes ) | |
Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach (alive, 230+ episodes) | |
Longform Podcast (alive, 400+ episodes) | |
Write Minded / She Writes Podcast (alive, many episodes) | |
Magic Lessons Podcast with Elizabeth Gilbert (dead, 200+ episodes, interviews) | |
Authors on the Air (alive, collection of podcasts about writers & writing, interviews) |
Stuck or just want to use Google Sheets or Excel with greater effectiveness? Browse these tips.
Keep your mind fresh. These videos will challenge you, inspire you, and maybe teach you something you didn’t already know. Share your thoughts in a comment or discuss them in the forums. Have a suggestion for a video that moved, changed, or inspired you? Let us know in the comments.
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Elizabeth Gilbert, success, rejection, fear, creativity,
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Neil Gaiman, art, imagination, innovation,
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Carrie Green, clarity of vision, willpower, boldness, visualization
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Peter Dinklage, hardship, comfort, risk, people helping people
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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, storytelling, culture, preconceptions
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Ashley Stahl, inspiration, imperfection, fear, perfectionism
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Jim Carrey, manifestation, success, determination, fear
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, hardship, failure, ambition, commitment
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Brené Brown, Oprah, vulnerability, courage, shame
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Seth Godin, Marie Forleo, creativity, productivity, inspiration
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Lori Gottlieb, change, self-talk, letting go
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Logan LaPlante, innovation, courage, ingenuity, nonconformity
Practice these six hacks at night, and your mornings will go much more smoothly. Morning You will be grateful.
I (Angel McCoy) personally use these products and find they work for me. Let us know in the comments if you’ve had experience with them (what’d you think?) or a similar product that you’d recommend.
The snack foods you eat can help or hinder your brain’s functioning and thus affect your writing and productivity. Many studies have been done on this.*
Next time you’re at the grocery store, consider stocking up on these and prepare them in advance, so it’s easy to reach for them instead of the bag of chips that’s far too convenient and not so good for your brain.
Great snack foods that support your brain:
Few events energize a writing career more than going to a writers conference or a fandom con. This year, we have a unique opportunity. Most of the conferences are virtual, which means you can attend them without having to pay for flights, restaurant meals, or hotels. Broaden your horizon each month with a virtual trip to visit a different group of your peers.
Keywordsfan: primarily for fans/readers |
This is a living list and will continue to change over time. The keywords in parentheses will help you decide if the con is right for you.
Have a con you’ve attended? Click on the star rating, then tell us why it was good for you in the comments below. (REQUEST: Put the con name at the beginning of any comment about a particular one so it’s easy for others to read through them.)
Organize your convention list with a spreadsheet template for either Excel or Google Sheets.