Sam Knight

@samknight.bsky.social 's #writingtips: It can be difficult to establish characters, their descriptions, location, and actions all at once in the opening sentence or paragraph. Trying to do so can be worse than not doing so at all. Instead, aim for interesting and then add them in.

@samknight.bsky.social 's #writingtips: Writing "The End" is a great feeling and often a reason for celebration. But it also comes with a burst of emotional energy that can be focused into starting the next project, even if only for a few minutes. Don’t waste it!

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: Boo... Boo. Boo! BOO!!! Do those read the same to you? Some say you should never use certain punctuations, but if they didn’t do anything, they wouldn’t exist. I still avoid uncommon ones. There is no point to a mark a reader doesn't understand؟

Once I spent about five minutes trying to figure out where the h went in wind. (As in the wind blows. Not wind the watch)

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: The title of your story, not the first sentence, is your real first hook. It doesn’t have to be perfect, most readers will gloss over it, but it can’t be terrible or a reader won’t even try to read the story.

What the...? I mean... Okay. So here is my typo:
throughoughly

(Don't judge. Was thinking faster then my fingers, which were struggling to keep up. Was supposed to be thoroughly.)

and here is the suggested correction:

thoroughgoingly

Turns out that is a real word. Huh. New one on me!

If you like an author, (or are an author!) follow their author page on Amazon. Like this one of mine: www.amazon.com/stores/Sam-K... There, you can periodically check to see if any of their books are on sale. Often even cheaper than wholesale directly from the publisher.

@samknight.bsky.social 's #writingtips: Relying on online word processing can lead to problems when you lose internet access. Make sure you backup offline and have an offline way to write. Also, errors happen with file conversions. Even Word on Mac is not 100% compatible with Word on PC

One of the problems of being an exploratory writer is spending a day(s) figuring out how my characters get out of a bad situation. One of the benefits is that it is just as exciting for me to learn how as it will (hopefully) be for my readers!

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: When you co-author, you need a contract. Even with family and best friends. Maybe doubly so then. Who makes final decisions? Who owns rights? What if someone wants out or dies? Here is a resource (I may be mentioned in it): books2read.com/u/bwPAWP

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: Open calls for short stories are great ways to find writing prompts, learn about contracts (good and bad), meet new people in the industry (good and bad), get published, learn to meet deadlines, learn to work with edits (good and bad), and more.

Junkyard Rex, my story in this anthology, is but one of 17 stories by 17 awesome authors!

Over 70% of the money from this anthology goes to Lifeline Puppy Rescue

books2read.com/u/mlqMYZ

We Are The Abandoned Lands!
Hugh Sanchez, sitting at his kitchen table, shook his head at the newsfeed headline on the cracked screen of his NetTab. He didn’t need to read the article to know what it meant: there was no longer any hope of help coming from anywhere.
-Junkyard Rex

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: Over the years, about a dozen people have told me I can’t format print books with MS Word. Despite the fact I've done it over 2 dozen times. When I tell them that, they still argue. Don’t let naysayers stop you from trying what you want to try.

No, autocorrect. Peruse is not a good substitution for a slightly misspelled "pursuit." I do not want the bad guys perusing the good guys. That's just gross.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: It helps to understand why you write. Especially the thing right now. For yourself? Emotional release? To learn? Teach? For a specific person? To entertain? Money? To show or hide truth? Each has different focus and approach which affects results.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: The "third hand" is something romance readers tend to notice more than other readers, but it applies everywhere. Pay attention to what you say your characters are doing, or they can end up impossibly contorted, extra-limbed, and carrying the impossible.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: Read what you write before you send it anywhere. If someone can tell you didn't care enough to read/edit/correct your story at least once after you wrote it, it's hard for them to care enough to read it. Some mistakes are too obvious to forgive.

Project I was involved in I think you should check out:
Romancing the Rainbow
LGTBQIA+ Romance short stories
In memory of L.J. Hachmeister, over 80% of the proceeds are being donated to her family.
books2read.com/u/38v1ZV

Project I was involved in I think you should check out:
Permutations: A Well World Mosaic Novel
Officially authorized by Chalker’s estate, these stories delve into the diverse habitats and species of the Well World.
books2read.com/u/4NngJG

Project I was involved in I think you should check out:

Instinct: An Animal Rescuers Anthology
Seventeen adventures of animal companions and how they often are the ones rescuing the rescuer.

Book sale profits are donated to: Lifeline Puppy Rescue.

books2read.com/u/mlqMYZ

Project I was involved in I think you should check out:

Win in the End
A Fundraising Anthology
34 tales from 34 authors. All funds raised through retail outlets go directly to Annmarie SanSevero.
books2read.com/u/4NOq2x

That moment when you think that you've thought of something clever so you go back to an earlier chapter to set it up and find that you already set it up because you used to be clever and now you're playing catchup with yourself...

Hmmm. Something is wrong with me. I just edited three chapters and one stayed the same wordcount and two dropped a couple words. I almost ALWAYS add words. This is so weird...

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: I found out my daughter's test of a book is to open to 3 random pages and read a sentence. If all 3 are interesting, she assumes the book will be too. I think of this, and it helps me get rid of worthless sentences that don't add to the story.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: If an editor is not willing to do a test page or ten to see if you and they are a good fit before they demand a ton of money to edit your story/book, I suggest you consider that they are already not a good fit for you and look elsewhere.

When you leave "[insert solution or service]" in your spam email, it tells me that you really didn't care about me enough to try...

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: Pen names can have unforeseen consequences. Make sure you pick one you can live with. Make sure you can cash a check made out to it. Make sure the con you are speaking doesn't have the hotel reservation under a name you don't have an ID for...

Sometimes, when people find out how much money I DON'T make as a writer, they ask why I still do it, or if I would do it again. This pretty much sums up why, right here:

If you are a "fellow author" reaching out to me via email, make sure you prove you are real very quickly or the email gets deleted. So many junk AI BS imitating real authors. There needs to be a fraud/impersonation law with some real repercussions put into place soon. Just sayin'.