One Stop for Writers‘ BIRTHDAY WEEK is here!

Nine years ago, Becca and I stepped outside our world of book-making and opened the doors of One Stop for Writers, a site filled with one of a kind tools and resources to make writing easier. Year by year, the toolbox at One Stop for Writers has grown and we’ve had the pleasure of helping writers all over the world. We love being part of other writers’ journeys!

25% off all plans

To celebrate NINE YEARS, we’ve cooked up a discount. Whether you’re new to One Stop for Writers or you’ve been using it since the very beginning, grab this code to access our arsenal of tools for less:

HAPPY9

To use this code:

1. Sign up or sign in.
2. Choose any paid subscription (1-month, 6-month, or 12-months) and add this code: HAPPY9 to the coupon box.
3. Once activated via the button, a one-time 25% discount will apply onscreen.
4. Add your payment method, check the Terms box, and then hit the subscribe button.

And that’s it!

Get ready to put the largest show-don’t-tell database available to writers & the rest of our incredible storytelling tools to work!

New to One Stop?

If you’re not familiar with One Stop for Writers, join Becca for a virtual tour. She’ll show you how using the right tools will help you write stronger fiction faster.

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Happy 9th Birthday, One Stop for Writers (Save 25%) appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Let the good times roll…
One Stop for Writers‘ BIRTHDAY WEEK is here!

It’s hard to believe Becca and I have been helping writers grow into confident storytellers at One Stop for Writers for EIGHT YEARS now. That’s eight years of supporting writers as they plan, write, and deliver their books into the hands of excited readers. Eight years of watching creatives all over the world go from pre-published to published. What an incredible ride! Thank you so much for letting us join your journey.

Save 25% On All One Stop for Writers Plans

Eight years is worth celebrating, so here’s a sweet birthday discount for anyone wanting a war chest of storytelling tools to support them as they plan, write, and revise:

EIGHTYEARS

To use this code:

1. Sign up or sign in.
2. Choose any paid subscription (1-month, 6-month, or 12-months) and add this code: EIGHTYEARS to the coupon box.
3. Once activated, this one-time 25% discount will apply onscreen.
4. Add your payment method, check the Terms box, and then hit the subscribe button.

And that’s it! All of One Stop for Writers’ resources, including the incredible descriptive THESAURUS, are now part of your storyteller’s toolkit.

New to One Stop?

If you’re not familiar with One Stop for Writers, join Becca for a virtual tour. She’ll show you exactly how this site is going to help you write stronger fiction faster:

Planning your NaNoWriMo Novel?

If you’re gearing up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) now’s a great time to start building your characters, plotting your story, and creating your world. The Storyteller’s Roadmap will guide you step-by-step to the tools and resources you need.

Once November hits, you’ll love having non-stop ideas on what to write using our Show-Don’t-Tell Database, too. Thanks for helping us celebrate our birthday, and happy writing!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Happy 8th Birthday, One Stop for Writers! appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

It’s a touchy topic, I know.

On one hand, we may putter a bit as a way ‘into’ writing–getting supplies together, pouring a cup of coffee, and putting a few cookies on standby. Most of us have a pre-writing ritual. But, on the other hand, after we do those things, how many of us suddenly remember something that needs our attention? Maybe, Oh, I forgot to send that email and so we head to the inbox. We send our message, but as we do, see another about a friend’s new book. So, naturally we zip over to Goodreads and add it to our shelf.

You know where this is going. Goodreads leads to Facebook, which leads to Instagram and Tiktok, and boom, an hour’s gone. Maybe more.

Another thing that chews up writing time is the research and brainstorming we need to do. There’s always things to look into for our story, and information for marketing, learning stronger craft, and more.

Finally, there’s the time we waste trying to locate our story planning materials – those characters bios, timelines, notes about the plot, worldbuilding information, and the rest which helps us as we write and revise. These things may be scattered in notebooks, on hard drives, post-its, etc. and every time we need to look something up, it pulls us out of the writing flow. Sometimes by the time we find it, we’ve lost track of what we had planned to say.

So…how do we get lost time back?

By changing our habits & process a touch so writing time is spent doing exactly that: writing. Here are some tweaks that might help you:

Procrastinate…with a timer. If you know it’s your habit to check a few things before you start writing, then give in to it, but set a timer on your phone to limit how long you spend surfing social and handling email.

Schedule time for non-writing tasks. Story planning, researching information to help us write and market, connecting with people on social media, and yes, answering email – it all needs to be done. But if we organize ourselves better, and create designated times for those bits of work, we protect our sit-down-and-write sessions.

Organize our story materials in the same place. It’s true, we can be like birds, storing shiny bits and bobs for our story all over. This happens because as we’re planning, we’re not always in the same place. Sometimes we’re at the computer and things go into a file, other times, ideas hit in the car and we jot down notes on our phone or on the back of a receipt.

Keeping things together means we always know where to go when we need to check something about a character, scan our outline, or remind ourselves of certain story details. Being able to find the information we need quickly is key to getting back to writing and more words each session.

If you’re looking for a way to organize all your story items, check out One Stop for Writers. We just revamped our dashboard, the Workspace. You can create everything for your story there, store it, and when you need to look something up, it auto-sorts everything for you. (Don’t you wish someone would create a button to sort out your actual desk? I do!)

Check it out:

Finally, if you’re procrastinating too often, ask yourself why. Often, we fall into a distraction hole because we’re struggling with the story. When the writing gets hard, our motivation drains away. We’d rather get lost on the internet than face a nasty knot in our manuscript.

Problems don’t fix themselves, so we need to push ourselves to identify what’s wrong, so we can find a solution. Going back to our story materials is often key as they can show us if we’ve planned enough, need to raise the stakes, give a character more depth, add a scene, or something else. TIP: The Storyteller’s Roadmap has a Code Red section to help you fix the most common story problems.

How do you make sure procrastination and disorganization doesn’t derail your writing? I’d love to hear your tips!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post How Much Time Do You Waste as a Writer? appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

This 40-minute recording is packed with great takeaways, and gives you a window into how Becca and I think when it comes to characters, psychology, and making sure only the strongest details make it to the page. It will be available until January 8th, so we hope you get a moment before then to watch it!

Need a Last Minute Gift?

We hope you’ll consider one of our bestselling thesaurus guides, or a One Stop for Writers subscription. We love helping writers, and your support allows us to keep doing that, so thank you!

Strengthen Your Description for Stronger Characters & Scenes

Each guide focuses on a specific topic, educates you on how to best use it in your story, and provides you with brainstorming lists to help you describe it with authority. (To see a sample from each book, download our free Show-Don’t-Tell Pro Pack.)

Available in Print, Ebook, and PDF.

VISIT OUR BOOKSTORE

Everything You Need to Create In One Place

Become a powerful storyteller with One Stop for Writers! Angela & Becca have built you the largest show-don’t-tell Thesaurus Database anywhere, intuitive tools to make story planning easier, a Storyteller’s Roadmap that guides you step-by-step as you plan, write, and revise, & much more.

Visit One Stop for Writers

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Writers, Have You Watched This Free Webinar on Reader Engagement? appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

It’s hard to believe another year has passed, but it’s birthday time again. One Stop for Writers is seven!

Over the years, Becca and I have stuffed this web app with innovative tools that help you think and write like story experts. And it’s been so great to see your confidence grow as you use them, and to know you’re getting more and more books into the hands of your readers. Thank you so much for letting us be part of your writing process!

Save 25% On All One Stop for Writers Plans

Seven years is nothing to sneeze at, so here’s a sweet birthday discount for anyone who needs a war chest of storytelling tools to support them as they plan, write, and revise:

SEVENYEARS

To use this code:

1. Sign up or sign in.
2. Choose any paid subscription (1-month, 6-month, or 12-months) and add this code: SEVENYEARS to the coupon box.
3. Add your payment details, and this one-time 25% discount will apply onscreen.
4. Check the Terms box, and then hit the subscribe button.

And that’s it! All of One Stop for Writers’ resources, including the incredible descriptive THESAURUS, is now part of your storyteller’s toolkit.

New to One Stop for Writers?

If you’re not familiar with One Stop for Writers, join Becca for a virtual tour. She’ll show you exactly how this site is going to make writing stories much easier:

Planning your NaNoWriMo Novel?

One Stop for Writers is a powerful story planner, so if you’re gearing up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) now’s a great time to sign up for a free trial and start building your characters, plotting your story, and building your world. And once November hits, you’ll love having non-stop ideas on what to write, and how to find the right words, just a click away.

Thanks for helping us celebrate our birthday, and happy writing!

Has One Stop for Writers helped you? We would love to hear about it!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Happy 7th Birthday, One Stop for Writers! appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

So, three things about me:

1. I like to help (really, I’m a bit psycho about it – be warned)
2. I like to build unique storytelling tools
3. I like to share great resource finds with other writers

Online, I try to match people with the information they need. Sometimes people reach out through email or a Facebook page to see if I can help them solve a problem they’re having. Many writers tend to have similar struggles, and so I often end up recommending the same tools or sites again and again. I thought it might be fun to round up the resources I recommend the most.

#1: The Critique Circle

A lot of writers reach out because they’ve 1) written a book and need guidance on the next steps, 2) they’ve become frustrated because they can’t seem to sell their book and need to know if there’s something wrong with it, or 3), they need an editor for a manuscript. While it sounds like these writers may need different things, likely they don’t. All three could benefit from the same thing – unbiased feedback.

Critique Circle is an online community where you can submit your work for critique and offer feedback to others in turn. You’ll get a variety of critiques (six, ten, maybe more) from writers at different levels. Having six sets of eyes (or more) on your work means collectively you’ll get some good guidance on what to fix, and multiple critiques can help with spotting patterns. If several folks are all pointing out the same or similar issues, you know there’s a problem to fix.

You might be wondering why I would send someone who is submitting to agents and publishers to a critique group and not an editor, right? Well, it’s simple: many writers submit before they’re ready. (I sure did, back in the day.) And taking your book to an editor right off the bat is going to cost money, whereas the Critique Circle is free (they do have a paid plan, too). Starting with a free option is a good first step.

So, unless a person tells me they’ve extensively workshopped a book and have already used critique groups, I recommend starting at Critique Circle, even if a person just needs an unbiased opinion on whether a book is ready for submitting. Once the writer has learned what they can at the critique level, they can decide if they need to move to an editor, or focus on their query letter & targeting to achieve a better response rate.

#2: ProWritingAid

Another handy-dandy tool I suggest to writers all the time as they polish and tighten is ProWritingAid. It’s a brilliant tool with a free and paid version (and the cost is reasonable and offers great value). As I mentioned above, hiring a freelance editor can be costly, so the stronger you make your writing before seeking one out, the better. And if you are querying, or sending a synopsis and sample pages, you don’t want typos, grammar or weak writing to distract an agent or editor from your brilliant story premise.

#3: Jane Friedman

One reason why it’s such a great time to be a writer is that our community is packed with experts willing to share their experience to help us navigate publishing. In the old days, it was straightforward – you wrote the best book you could, got an agent, and then submitted to publishers. Straightforward, but far from easy. Like today, you needed a stellar book with a fresh premise, a killer query, and then to win the lottery by finding the right agent and editor at the right time, who was looking for a project just like yours. That’s traditional publishing.

Of course now we have self-publishing and hybrid publishing options, too, and so we need to think about the right path for us. Once we decide, we need to buckle in and get ready for a mountain of work. But fear not, writing friend, because we have Jane Friedman‘s beautiful brain and her step-by-step guidance as we navigate the publishing path we’ve chosen.

Jane been in the industry for a long time and knows it inside and out. She’s taken a deep dive into different publishing routes and so has many articles and resources to help writers. (Her blog is also filled with tons of great articles on craft and marketing, too!)

#4: Buffer

Ah, marketing, the necessary evil. We can write a book, and publish it, but if we don’t market it, chances are, no one will find it. So, we need to proactively think about our audience and how to reach them. I know you’re worried about coming across as car salesman-y, but here’s a secret – marketing isn’t about selling books. It’s about having a focus, being authentic, and building relationships. (You can read more about my FAR Marketing Method here.),

If we want to find our reading audience across the entire world, we should get online and embrace social media to some degree. Don’t worry, we don’t need to do it all, but we should do some, focusing on platforms where our ideal audience hangs out.

A big problem with social media is that it can steal a lot of time, so using tools in the right way can help us be more efficient. A tool I couldn’t live without is Buffer. It allows me to schedule content on all my social platforms, so I’m always sharing helpful articles and occasional items to help people discover how I can help them. Scheduling this content means I get time back to use my social media time to hang out and chit-chat on feeds and DMs, as being social is what it’s really about.

#5: Trello

Between writing, publishing, marketing, and running a business, well, writers juggle A LOT. Lists can be our friend, but having a way to visualize our action items and track important spreadsheets, links and sites in one place is really helpful. Becca and I use Trello, which allows us to create boards, lists, and cards for everything we do from our publication process for each book, to marketing objectives and goals, to brainstorming ideas for blog posts, books, and new tools for One Stop for Writers. Cards can be dragged from one column to the next, reordered, labelled, etc. It’s a brilliant way to map out a to-do list or process, or even brainstorm ideas for a new book. Did I mention Trello has a generous free version? Check it out!

#6: One Stop for Writers

As you know, Becca and I work to help writers strengthen their description skills because the better we get at showing the things that matter in a story, the more readers can truly experience the story, and a good book becomes exceptional. Many are familiar with our Thesaurus Writing Guides, and so write us to see if we have a thesaurus on a particular topic they need help describing.

Ironically, more often than not, we point them to One Stop for Writers because we have many more descriptive thesaurus topics there (16) than we do in book form (7). Our thesauruses are all centralized in one database, meaning it’s all in one place, saving writers time.

The site has a lot of other special lists, generators, worksheets, and crazy-helpful tools (like the Character Builder) that can help writers with everything to do with a story, so even if something isn’t covered in a thesaurus, it’s tackled somewhere. If you’d like to poke around to see all the resources and tools, test drive the 2-week free trial.

#7: Wide for the Win Facebook Group

If there’s one truth in this world, it’s that writers work freaking hard to get their books into the world. And that work doesn’t stop at writing “the end” or hitting the publish button at Ingram, Amazon, or elsewhere, either.

When we choose to be authors, we’re also choosing to become business owners, marketers, publishers, publicists, and accountants. And boy, is there a lot to know.

One of the best sources of information I’ve found is the Wide for the Win Facebook group. It’s over 10,000 strong, and each member is motivated to share knowledge and experience to help one another succeed.

If you’re an indie, this is the group for you. But honestly, I think even if you’re traditionally published, I think there’s a lot to learn here about how to sell. One thing to note – this is a “going wide” group, meaning discussion is around leveraging multiple platforms to reach readers, not restricting a book to Kindle Unlimited.

#8 The Storyteller’s Roadmap

Another thing people ask about is where to hire a story coach (here are some options). A story coach can be wonderful for someone who needs guidance, but for some, the cost is not in the budget. Becca and I created a solution for writers who want step-by-step help but are on a budget – the Storyteller’s Roadmap.

There are a lot of steps to planning, writing, and revising a powerful novel, meaning more than a few places where writers can become stuck, blocked, lost, and frustrated enough to quit. It’s important to keep going because this story called out to be written, right? There’s a diamond within, and if it’s written, it can be fixed.

The Storyteller’s Roadmap is your writing GPS, helping you navigate your way to a publish-ready novel. It guides you to what you need as you need it, too, pointing out tools, resources, and advice that help make your job easier. You loved your story enough to start it, and the Storyteller’s Roadmap at One Stop for Writers will help you finish it.

#9: I Need Help With… Resource Mother Lode

Finally, last year when we redesigned Writers Helping Writers, we built a powerful I need help with… section on the home page with our very best articles, tools, tip sheets, and more. You’ll find a ton of help in key areas, not only to help you write a stronger story, but also market your book, and manage your mindset and business. Just choose your topic to find what you need:

These are my top recommendations…what are yours?

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post The Sites I Recommend the Most to Writers appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Every once in a while, I think about my early days, and how I got to where I am now. I find it gives me perspective, especially when things aren’t going well, or I feel in over my head. Looking back helps me see the ups and downs I’ve navigated and leaves me feeling more capable of handling the road ahead.

We all had a ‘first step’ in our writing journey. In my case, I signed up for a mail-in writing course (yes, “mail-in.” This was a long time ago.). They paired me with a mentor; I would turn in assignments to him, and he’d offer suggestions for improvement and words of encouragement.

When I completed the course and got my certificate, I was SURE my author career was about to launch. All I had to do was find out how to submit these ‘wonderful’ stories I’d written during the course…how hard could it be?

Since I knew nothing about publishing, I joined a few writing forums. I discovered publishing was competitive, and many writers would use critique partners to help them get their stories as strong as they could be before submitting. So, I joined the Critique Circle. Soon after, I met Becca – we clicked right away, and worked to help each other improve. We decided to study writing craft together and as you know, eventually went on to publish the Emotion Thesaurus.

But between joining the Critique Circle and creating one of the most-loved guides out there, I almost quit.

It was the learning curve. It seemed like no matter how much I knew, it was never enough. There was always more.

Joining the Critique Circle showed me I had a long way to go. And that was okay; I was ready to put the work in. I did, too – studying, critiquing others, and writing more stories. I grew my skills over time.

Eventually I queried, got an agent, left them after a time, got another, went to acquisitions. And repeat, repeat, repeat. I became stuck in a close-but-not-quite loop, and it did a number on my head. I started to doubt myself. I felt like despite all my hard work to become a stronger writer, something was wrong with me–I wasn’t smart enough, or creative enough. Maybe this writing thing wasn’t meant to be.

(I’m guessing some of you can relate to my story.)

Thankfully, today the landscape is different. We have more than one path to publishing, and a successful career is more in the hands of the writer than gatekeepers. But one thing that remains the same then to now is the learning curve. A compelling story has a lot of moving parts, and there’s a lot to know. It’s easy to get frustrated when we hit a gap after gap in our knowledge.

At some point, the weight of what we’re trying to do hits us, and it can be soul crushing to realize just how much we DON’T know about storytelling. At that point in the learning curve, some writers flirt with giving up. Others do.

But the rest? They soldier on, because they can see the forest for the trees.

Storytelling is an art. It takes time to be good at it.

All careers have a learning curve. No one expects to walk out of med school after a year ready to do brain surgery. Yet as writers, our expectations are sky-high. We irrationally can feel like if we don’t master everything quickly and see success, something is wrong, and we’re the problem. No wonder rejections can hit so hard.

This mindset, that we’re only worthy if we succeed quickly, master the curve quickly, etc. can do a lot of damage, and it’s why I almost quit. I hadn’t yet learned the most important lesson: writing, like all creative careers, means ongoing education. There will always be more to learn, new ways to grow our insight and skills. And that’s a GOOD THING. It means we’ll never peak. We’ll always have a better story ahead. And that’s pretty exciting, don’t you think?

What’s the best shortcut for the learning curve?

So…there are no shortcuts. We must all learn what we need to, and it will take as long as it takes. However, there are ways to “shorten” the learning curve! Investing in the right help and seeking out the best sources of information can keep us focused and on task. Thankfully there are many great books, resources, mentors, tools, and more out there. One of the best all-round places to start would be this page.

I mentioned earlier that shortly after we met, Becca and I began studying writing craft together. We actually took a year off from writing fiction to tandem study the best writing guides out there, and it gave us a terrific foundation of knowledge. Since then, we’ve continued to be students of the craft, reading and experimenting. We’ve also taught and mentored, passing on the best lessons we’ve learned to others.

And now we’ve created a system for planning, writing, and revising a novel: a Storyteller’s Roadmap. It’s full of expert advice, hard-won lessons, tools, checklists, and more, taking you from that first idea to a publish-ready manuscript.

This is our answer to “How can I shorten the learning curve?” because we supply the information you need as you need it. We also direct you to the best resources to help you at each step, so you’re never wasting time looking for help or wondering what tool to use.

Our intention with this roadmap is that the more you use it, the more you sharpen your skills, and that means delivering even better stories to readers. And that’s what it’s all about. If you’re interested, here’s more about our Storyteller’s Roadmap and One Stop for Writers site. (TIP, use this 30% off code: CONFLICT until September 20th.)

Can you go it alone and be a successful author?

Absolutely! It just will take a bit longer simply because there’s so much to know about writing, publishing, and marketing, and so this means more researching and trial-and-error. Reaching out to others to benefit from their wisdom and experience shortens the learning curve.

What’s something you’ve done that really helped with the learning curve? Let us know in the comments!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Writers, Do You Struggle with the Learning Curve? appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

But one thing we’ve never done is create a complete plan for writing a book…until now.

The Storyteller’s Roadmap is a user friendly, at-your-own-pace method to get you from that first word, to done.

We guide you through the important pieces of a story, helping you brainstorm and plan a great concept and plot, compelling characters, and a world that your readers won’t want to leave. Get started with this Planning Checklist.

We stay with you as you write, helping you with strategies to stay focused, creative, and on task. And all those common writing derailments like writer’s block, self-doubt, procrastination, and getting lost in the middle of your novel? We show you how to get past these and provide a Writing Checklist so the words continue to flow.

Of course, once the first draft is written, the real work begins. Revision can be where a lot of writers lose their passion for the story because they struggle to know exactly how to bring their best writing to the page. We’ve broken down the revision process into manageable pieces, and provided a First Draft Health Assessment, so you have a path through the rounds of editing, feedback, and polishing to come.

As you follow the roadmap, we point you to tools and resources that can make the job much easier, saving you time and frustration.

We also share hard-won advice, articles, and strategies, filling any gaps in your knowledge and shortening the learning curve to writing a great novel.

Hiring a story coach can be expensive, and out of reach for many writers. The Storyteller’s Roadmap is like having Becca and me with you at every step.

(And the more you use it, the more your storytelling knowledge grows, meaning your writing will only get stronger and stronger!)

So where can you access this self-guided route to a publish-ready manuscript? At our sister site, One Stop for Writers. Wherever you are in the process, planning, writing, or revising, find the roadmap section that suits you best. And then…write!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post The Storyteller’s Roadmap: Your Ultimate Guide to Planning, Writing, and Revising a Book appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.