Writer and editor B. Lynn Goodwin owns Writer Advice, www.writeradvice.com. She’s written three award-winning books, Talent, Disrupted, and a memoir titled Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62. Her flash fiction is published in Flashquake, Nebo, Cabinet of Heed, Murmur of Words, 100-Word Stories, Ariel’s Dream, & Writing in a Woman’s Voice, and 50 Give or Take. She’s also a book reviewer and teacher at Story Circle Network, as well as an editor and manuscript consultant at Writer Advice.
All books are available on Amazon, B&N, and Bookshop.org. Use the links in the article below.
I started as a journal writer, and I now write fiction, memoir, articles, personal essays, book reviews, and author interviews, so yes, I write in more than one genre. I’m also an editor who works with all kinds of prose, and you can see what I offer at Writer Advice’s Manuscript Consultation and Editing Services.
Recently, I’ve been writing wherever I’m physically comfortable—living room, office, Starbucks, or even the passenger seat of my car.
The first time I put a do-not-disturb sign on my door, my husband didn’t knock.
Whew!
Instead, he texted.
Oops!
What part of do-not-disturb did he not understand? He’s very supportive, but our brains work differently. I tolerate disruptions and relish the times when I don’t have them.
On an average day, I work on Writer Advice, book reviews, do outreach/publicity for both Writer Advice and my latest book, Disrupted, do some editing for clients and Story Circle Network Independent Study Students, and sometimes edit my past work or work on a current project.
Today, July 16, 2024, for example, I’m working on the first draft of a true story about totaling our RV and Jeep on the way home from Texas this past May, reading Javier Zamora’s Solito, sharing that I posted another piece on Writer Advice on social media, publicizing the latest piece to go up on The Winners Are, responding to new Story Circle students, and talking with several fellow writers.
Associations help me build a writing community. For example, I know George Cramer, who shares this wonderful blog through the California Writers Association. I’m on the board at Story Circle and the San Francisco Branch of the Women’s National Book Association.
My characters take more risks than I would. That makes them three-dimensional. An editor once told me that my protagonist can seem mature and foolish in the same chapter and sometimes on the same page. In Disrupted, some characters behave better than others, and you get to see how they respond to stress and situations beyond their control.
Here’s a tip for raising the stakes in your story: As soon as a conflict is resolved, another one comes up, and sometimes it comes up before an earlier one is resolved. The more personal the issue, the more private or shameful or nuanced the problem, and the more life-altering the situation, the faster the stakes will rise.
When I was asked about tips for new writers in an article with the
San Francisco National Book Association, I gave these tips:
Write daily for at least 20 minutes.
Let one idea lead to another. You can edit later.
Read widely.
Review the books of others. You’re giving back to the community.
Edit carefully, asking yourself what you intended to convey.
Keep writing.
Find a writing community.
Don’t try to do it all in one day.
Look for the joys in life.
There are stories all around us, but no two people see them in the same way
If you have the time, I’d love to have you share your opinion of Disrupted in a review on Amazon or B&N. E-mail me through the Contact Page on Writer Advice for details. While you’re there, click on Current Contest. We’d love to read your work. And if you are skilled at WordPress and would like to work on Writer Advice, please contact me.
You can reach me through the Contact box at www.writeradvice.com. Or send me an e-mail at Lgood67334 AT Comcast DOT net and put George Cramer Interview in the subject box so I can open it immediately. Other social media include:
https://www.writeradvice.com
https://www.facebook.com/writeradvice/
https://www.instagram.com/blynngoodwin/
https://writeradvice.com/books-by-lynn/
https://www.threads.net/@blynngoodwin
Thank you for reading. I’d be honored to answer your questions.
Excellent writing advice, Lynn, Best of luck to you on your new one.
Thanks so much Michael.
Great interview!!
Thanks, Linda. What are you writing these days?