Angela Myron’s Rules for Writing

1. Use what works, Chuck the rest.

This is for writing and everything else, too.

2. Make Writing Time Sacred.

You’re a writer because you write. You’re an author because you show up at the page every day, just like any other job.

30 minutes a day is enough to keep going. Choose a time, and don’t let anyone or anything creep into it.

Remember Why You Write.

3. Plot slow. Draft Fast. Edit Slow. (A.K.A. My Process)

Plotting systems: Traditional 3 or 4 Act Structure, Michael Hague’s Six Stage Plot Structure, The Hero’s Journey/Mythic Structure, Story Question Method, Scenes and Sequels, Loglines and the Snowflake Method. Take your pick!

Drafting help:
NANOWRIMO & Camp NANOWRIMO; See #2; This Writing Club! Give yourself a deadline to show up with a new scene or chapter each time this club meets.

Editing help:
Take at least a month off before you start editing. Wait until you can look at it and it seems like someone else wrote it.

Developmental editing > copyediting > final polishing

Editminion.com; Writing clubs! The more you edit one another’s work, the more you’ll learn about writing and editing your own work; Contests: Judges are often required to give feedback, which can contain golden feedback.

4. Read. Take Notes.

Read stories in genres you love. Read stories in genres you don’t love. Read what other authors have to say about writing. Read new releases. Read classics.

Understanding what works in story—and what doesn’t—requires a lot of reading. And to sell stories, you also need some awareness of the publishing marketplace. The best way to do all of this is to read everything you can get your hands on.

5. Make Goals, Then Re-make them.

Write a goal. Adjust. Write new goal. Adjust. Keep chipping away at it and in no time, you’ll find yourself doing exactly what you want to do. Always keep your goals smart.

6. Welcome criticism.

Your writing will be subjected to the harshest critics—the reading public—when it is published, whether by yourself or an editor.

Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they’re almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong. ~ Neil Gaiman

(I’ll add: Unless it’s a widely-accepted grammar rule.)

You’re a writer or you’re not. Don’t aspire. Be.

Title: Ennara and the Fallen Druid by Angela Myron
Genre: MG Fantasy

Synopsis:

When a mysterious curse threatens to transform everyone into shadowy demons, a magical eleven year-old girl must travel to a sunken city ruin—fighting pirates, monsters, and an undead sorcerer along the way—to find a weapon that can save her world.

Warning: the story contains bad guys that younger kids might find scary. Suggested age is eleven and older (upper MG/young YA)

The book will be free on Kindle from December 25-30, so get your copy while you can!

About the Author

Angela Myron was born in Vancouver, Canada and lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband and twins. She grew up in the piney forests of southern British Columbia, studying tiny blue bells, dodging cacti, and creating fantasy worlds in her backyard.

Angela studied biology and professional writing at the University of Victoria in Canada and at San Francisco State University. She wrote grant proposals for nonprofits, computer software manuals, and freelance journalism before writing fiction