Writer’s Stuff

Realize before you dive in, there are two types of writers: Casual and Professional.

Basically everyone is a casual writer. You want to have the basic level of writing skill, so you can make posts or explain your events or really anything. A casual writer is a hobbyist. They aren’t writing to get published. They aren’t seeking to become known. If something happens in either field, cool, but it’s not their job.

Then there are the professionals. Many jobs require professional writing skills. Authors fall into this category. Anyone who uses writing to make profit falls into professional. Not everything I post is aimed at all professionals.

You’d be hard pressed to find someone not a casual writer. That doesn’t mean they wish to improve. These blog posts are meant to help someone improve writing.

The posts fall into four vague groups: Process (of writing); Rules (of writing); Concerns (of writing); and Other (ie, I don’t fit, but I’m about writing).

This is made by [About Cat Hartliebe]. [Cyro Hartliebe] is learning this stuff.

I will be making a ebook/paperback containing everything. (You know edited, proofread, and reorganized.) Once that is finished, I’ll update the entire contents here.

Process

1. The Key to Writing and my newer You Are A Writer are for casuals. Professionals should already know and understand this. A writer writes. That’s it. That’s the key to writing. That’s the key to being called a writer. And that’s all you have to do. Just write.
2. Language is About Communicating (Learning a Language) (Let’s Listen)
3. Let’s Improve Writing! The three ways to improve writing. Yeah, three. Only three. (All Words Count) (Everything- This is Literal- is Connected to Writing) (There is No Ultimate Guide; Writing is a Personal Journey)
4. Push Through the Road Block Wanna push through the writer’s block? I found a method. (Writer’s Block)
5. The Writing Process and The Writing Process 2 both are over views of the big stuff. I haven’t gone back and expanded further. I need to. (Drafting)
6. Let’s Begin! at the beginning, ie the introduction.
7. Reasons to Bail on a Project…. There really is only one reason to completely bail. Not that you have to write everything.
8. Different Strokes for Different Folks reminds us every writer is different. Every story is different. It’s important not to create judgment based on your personal style. (Writing Style) (Consistency)
9. Steps are the steps to writing a book. It explains how editing is much longer than you give it credit for. And how there will be many drafts of the same story. There should be many drafts. (New and improved Editing Steps Reworded)
10. Badly Written Prose (2016) has a bad elementary level essay about plants. If you want practice editing, check it out. But it’s also a reminder. A first draft is meant to be badly written prose.
11. Badly Written Prose (2020) goes over the importance to the first draft. Which is to get down as much badly written prose as possible. Finish the story so you can make it perfect.
12. Description is very important. Too much and not enough both ruin a story. (Description Practice) (Similes and Metaphors)
13. On a side note to description is about characters specifically: Names
14. Chapter Length and Novel Length are general ideas as to what word counts should be. Very open to interpretation, though.
15. Transition Practice would help to transition between scenes, paragraphs, chapters, etc. (Need a full post!) (Exercise! Pikachu’s Known is another practice option.)
16. Prologues have a reason and purpose. (Open Ended Short Stories relates, I swear.)
17. First to Second Draft reminds you to rewrite and shows one of my rewrites. Rewriting is your friend.
18. The Audience
19. Outline and Notes are Required (Notes are Required 2) fall into how I don’t outline in the normal sense. It’s not that I never did or never learned, the styles taught didn’t fit my writing. These explain my outline styles.
20. Research! Essential… Yet… It’s not as important as you think. Don’t fall into any researching black holes. Limit yourself.
21. Research and Sensitivity Reader reminds you you can’t research culture. It’s live it or find someone else who has.
22. Info Dumping basics and how to get rid of it.
23. Poem and comments explains my flash fiction/poetry dropping so quickly at such a high level and why. And how I manage.
24. The Final Edit: Read Out Loud not that everyone needs this, but it can help everyone.
25. Perfection and the Final Draft. Perfection isn’t possible. We’re trying to get close, but you need to aim a little bit lower. Or you’ll never publish.
26. Readers explains the readers we need when publishing.
27. Preorders are your Friend. Seriously. They are. They give you a big jump in sales on first day. Use them.
28. Elevator Speech shows the fact I have a background in sales. No. I have knowledge of sales. If I had a real background, I’d be managing marketing better.
29. Marketing My Book 101 just goes to show you knowledge does not equal action or success.
30. Motivations and Goals are important too. (Check out Poems for March where I talk about my poem goal for the month.)
31. Series: Same World or Same Plot. Series can be focused on characters or plot just like a single book. Same world would mean same characters with limited connections with plots.
32. Pen name is important for many. For many different reasons. And don’t forget about Author’s Signature while we’re talking names.
33. Covers Matter far more than you wish they did.
34. And a reminder about Reviews [Want me to review?]

Rules

1. Grammar… A spelling/grammar rant (Language bonus rant) (Breaking Writing Rules)
2. MLA and APA has a bit of information on both. And how writers don’t have to follow either. Even professional writers.
3. Noun Verb Agreement goes over basics in the topic.
4. Active vs Passive verbs, you know this is important.
5. Contractions in English (such as it’s and you’re)
6. Proper Nouns vs nouns and Fantasy The basics to proper nouns.
7. Pronouns 1: The Basics ; Pronouns 2: Grammar Rules ; It and They; Names Instead of the Pronoun You; Pronoun Confusion Ray
8. Adverbs, Can We Keep Them?
9. Modifiers and their dangles
10. Commas. There are rules. A quick write up about them.
11. Dialogue Tags
12. Appositive? What’s that?
13. POV expanded goes through all of types of point of view. (POV is the old post that compares 1st and 3rd.)
14. Problem Words are words we switch without realizing. Or use too often. Shudder versus Shutter, Lie vs Lay, and Compliment vs Complement are some of mine.
15. Prepositions are problem words, aren’t they? Luckily, you don’t need to know what a preposition is, only how to use them.
16. Repetition and Redundancy are dealing with flow of language. They draw attention, so only use them when attention is desired.
17. Ode to the Ellipsis my favorite punctuation mark.
18. Similes and Metaphors are fun ways to improve descriptions while using less direct words.
19. Idioms are a step above similes and metaphors because society has already fully accepted them.

Concerns

1. Writer’s Block doesn’t exist, but neither does a writer’s world. More the block is a collection of reasons you can’t write. I offer some of them and a jump start if needed. (Push Through the Road Block)
2. Support is essential to success in this field. You can’t dive deep without support. (My supporters) (Dear Supporter,) (Know a Budding Poet or Writer?)
3. Cursing can be a question for writers. If this post doesn’t answer it, leave a comment.
4. Don’t be Afraid of Cliches. Seriously. Just because it’s been done before doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
5. Just a reminder is reminding you to keep your social pages, brands, and websites up and running. They have to be active and useful and easy to read/use. If you are on Amazon, make your page. It’s free as long as they’re selling your stuff. Make a facebook page, twitter account, instagram, etc. Something to send your readers to.
6. Double Space and how to get rid of it. (I have since stopped double spacing.)
7. Disabled touches on a topic I should expand on. Disability has two layers: “in some way you are have needs outside of the general person, and those needs are not being met.” When writing disability, both need to be considered.
8. Origins of Dragon Rider is a fanfiction post. I suck at writing fanfiction, but it is very valuable as practice for a writer. (Fanfiction)

Other

1. Print or Ebook? is more for reading, but that counts. Kinda. If you read, you’re a reader. It doesn’t matter what you read on or with.
2. Random definitions in writing covers dabbler, pantser, gardener, plotter, architect, hobbyist writer, and professional writer.
3. Random Writing Definitions #2 covers WIP, MC, LI, HEA, DNF, and IDK.
4. Plots and Series is about my series of shorts. Series of shorts isn’t a thing. Yet it is. And I try to explain it.
5. Shortcuts Usable Everywhere (pretty much) some shortcut options for when you are working and researching.
6. Everyone has a creative side but not everyone can handle the pressure of the art. This is to remind you: give up if you can. If you can’t realize it’ll be hard work.
7. Word Crawls: A word crawl is like a word sprint. Except it’s not against anyone. | Word Crawl: Book Fairy | Skyling’s Special Pokemon Word Crawl | Moe’s Special Pokemon Word Crawl | Cyro’s Special Pokemon Word Crawl | Fantastic Baby Word Crawl | Apple Pie Word Crawl | Black Belt Word Crawl | Werewolf Word Crawl | Pokemon Word Crawl by Cyro | Word Crawls! |
8. Plot Bunnies definition.
9. Plot Ninja definition. (List of Plot Ninjas).
10. Random List of Components if you need some for your story.
11. Basic Book Review was written for Cyro as they figured out how to write a review more complicated than “I like it.”
12. Character Quiz for when you want more details can can’t think of what to answer about them.
13. Questions for non editor beta readers basic guide for normal readers who want to help beta read.
14. Random Collection of Inspiration Quotes has a large list just in case you need some.
15. Spells are a few elemental based spells for use by others. I should expand on the list.
16. Reading Challenges | New Reading Challenge idea |
17. Random Collection of Writing Prompts

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Any suggested topics, say something. I am always open to writing about writing.