Hi Friends:
Because writer’s block is unobligated psychological warfare, this issue includes:
A sip…
If the ground rules are set, the muse will order the Drink with No Name…
A shout out…
Where the ability to craft diverse casts of characters while writing across genres is a superpower, Alyssa Cole, has dominion.
Active since 2012 and perhaps best known as a romance novelist, her bibliography consists of roughly twenty titles, including contemporary royal romance, historical romance, fantasy romance, sci-fi romance, and more recently thrillers, many of which are New York Times and USA Today bestsellers.
Critically acclaimed by more outlets than this space affords, she crafts stories with marked events associated with American history and themes that often challenge/contain political elements, including her Edgar Award (Best Paperback Original, 2021) and Strand Critics Award (Best Debut, 2021) winning, When No One Is Watching.
A strong proponent of increased representation of Black authors in the romance publishing industry, she has collaborated with other authors on anthologies, is rumored to occasionally take part in the annual National Novel Writing Month Challenge, and is the host of:
A sentence…
Prompts gleaned from When No One Is Watching:
“I need you to channel the confidence of a mediocre white man.”
“People bury the parts of history they don't like, pave it over like African cemeteries beneath Manhattan skyscrapers.”
“Not that there’s anything wrong with WIC or forties, but is there any reason you’re making assumptions about my drinking habits or financial status?”
“It’s better this way; a warm body in bed is nice in the winter but it’s too damn hot for cuddling in the summer unless you want to run the AC nonstop, and I don’t have AC-nonstop money at the moment.”
“The North does not remember; in fact, the North has a super-selective fucking memory. As if slavery was something that happened down there, even though there were enslaved Africans building, planting, and harvesting in colonial Brooklyn alongside the Dutch.”
A few useful tips…
On writing psychological thrills:
A boring premise will never intrigue.
Each setting should be richly designed.
The protagonist cannot be run-of-the-mill.
Don’t forget to add suspense… slowly, very slowly.
Secondary characters should add value to the intrigue.
The characters must be believable and relatable, not necessarily likable.
If the ending isn’t climatic and doesn’t satisfy the reader, it isn’t a psychological thriller.
A few contests/competitions…
Little Infinite Authenticity to the Max Poetry Contest
Robert and Adele Schiff Awards
A fellowship/grant opportunities…
Elizabeth George Foundation Grants
My Time Fellowships for Parent Writers
A residency opportunity…
A few freelance opportunities…
Diem Essays is interested in personal essays, opinion pieces, and conversation starters on relationships, health, and money.
fitandwell.com seeks pitches.
Nonprofit Quarterly seeks pieces on the happenings in the nonprofits, philanthropic, and social justice movements.
A few submission opportunities…
Bannister Press seeks submissions from women-identifying writers for a themed fantasy short story anthology.
Ghoulish Tales seeks fiction and non-fiction submissions from writers who have never been published.
The Paris Review seeks prose submissions.
A few sessions & workshops…
June 18th
June 19th
June 20th
June 21st
June 22nd
Creating Your Own Writing Style
Echoes of Home: A Mindfulness-Based Writing Event
How to Launch Your Medical Freelance Writing Career with Zero Experience
June 23rd
Embodied Transformation Through Creative Writing
Navigating the Landscape as a Black Writer In & Out of the US
Writing as Medicine – Guiding Journaling
June 24th
July 8th – August 5th
Ongoing
A few virtual book clubs…
Paranormal Romance Reader Book Club
And a final thought…
This installment contains an affiliate link; I earn commissions when you purchase books using that link, or you may please buy me a coffee.
Thanks for reading,
I LOVE Alyssa Cole!!!!!!!