The Daily Routine of a Full-Time Writer
I begin every single day at 4 am. I write my first major drafts on good paper with a fountain pen. I harvest my subconscious thoughts from the ...
this (now gigantic) site
After lunch, I’ll take another quick walk outside to check the mail, then head to my computer desk to get to work. I like to start out working on that week’s blog post and podcast episode. One day I will write the post, the next I will edit it, then record the podcast, then edit the podcast, etc. I will also use this time, before my brain fries out too bad, to work on social media posts. If I have time here, I may also work on whatever other projects need my attention. Sometimes this might be a new project underway, but more and more, it is maintenance or upkeep on existing material I’ve published whether on <anchor>this (now gigantic) site</anchor> or in my books.
Master List of Answers to Most Asked-For Writing Topics on This Site - Helping Writers Become Authors
Write your best story. Change your life. Astound the world.



# Master List of Answers to Most Asked-For Writing Topics on This Site

You who read this site and participate in the discussions are an endless source of inspiration to me. This is true in many ways, but most literally in that when you ask deeply insightful questions, you often give me great ideas for posts about writing topics!

A few months ago, I asked you all to tell me what kind of posts you’d like me to write in the future, and the response was tremendous. Thank you for all the great ideas! I have already posted on some of the topics you suggested and will continue to do so throughout next year.

As I’ve been going through the list of your questions, I’ve been noticing that quite a few are asking for topics I’ve already covered. Because the site is always welcoming new visitors and because, after 15 years and almost 1,600 posts, it is quite comprehensive, I wanted to take this opportunity to respond to some of these queries by creating an easy-to-scan list with links to articles I’ve already published on these writing topics.

Also, for those who are unaware, the site is very searchable. If you’re looking for a particular topic, just use the search bar. If you’re on a computer, this will show up at the top of the right-hand toolbar (just above my headshot).



If you’re on a mobile device, you’ll need to scroll down, almost all the way to the bottom (again, it will be just above my headshot).

You can also access articles by category (such as Characters, Dialogue, POV, etc.), using the drop-down menu entitled Categories, which you can find toward the bottom of the right-hand column (on a computer) or at the bottom of your screen (on a mobile device).



Now, without further ado, here are some of your questions and the posts that may help you answer them.

## Table of Contents

### Rewriting to Adjust Word Count

Anne: I’d like to learn how to rewrite/edit a large manuscript (115,000 words) into a tight 75,000 words.

sanityisuseless: How do you lengthen your novel? (I can’t seem to break even 20K on my novel.)

### Historical Research

bertram1414: I’d like to learn about historical research, tbh, but I don’t know where to look.

### Self-Publishing and Self-Editing

Jason P: I’d love to see updated self-publishing info and more on self-editing.

### Death Scenes

confidential writer: One thing that would be really helpful is if you wrote a post about how to write solid death scenes or scenes of a similar dramatic level without them being mellodramatic.

### Action Scenes

confidential writer: Also, maybe something about how to write good action scenes (like chases, duels, etc).

### Heroine’s Journey



Elisabeth: First off, I love your blog! It has taught me so much about writing. I would love to read about the Hero’s journey, and the variations between male and female journeys.

### Outlining Your Novel

Joe Copeland: Right now, my biggest interest is organizing my novel project prior to writing. I have many things I like to refer back to while writing such as character lists, character biographies, major scenes, basic plot, basic backstory, etc. I’m fashioning a list of my favorite things, but I was wondering what things you like to have before starting.

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by K.M. Weiland

Rick: I would like to know how (i.e. what process and tools you use ) you organize your thoughts/ideas when starting to write a book. Do you start from a big picture overview and then identify the individual scenes, or do you start from the beginning of the story and go forward in time or ? I assume you create an outline, but how do you incorporate character arcs, key plot points, etc. into the outline?

Steve: I would love to hear more about the beginnings of the process. Most specifically going from a very rough idea to a plot line and story structure. Then how you go from a simple plot line to one that has sub plots and interesting twists.

Outlining Your Novel Workbook 200

### Pacing

Xavier Basora: Pacing. What is it and how you incorpoate it in stories.

### Tools

Johne Cook: I’m curious about your tools. There was a time you were using yWriter, what writing tools are you using in 2022?

### Second Act

Structuring Your Novel IPPY Award 165

Milin Joshi: Writing the 2nd act.

### Conflict

Ardra: Please write about CONFLICT.

There seem to be two types of conflict:

- pleasurable to read
- hostile engagements.

For instance nice conflict includes problem solving, convincing someone, battles, mysteries, any occasion that enables the MC to display skill in an interesting way etc

Hostile engagements are unpleasant to read and leave one tired. They’re mostly centered on people being horrible to each other, aggressiveness for its own sake, internal monologue that displays envy and incompetence etc.

Insecure writers (and I realized I do this as well) tend to jump into the hardest situation possible, which is typically about people being unreasonable and aggressive. This makes for very unpleasant reading and stupid characters.

How do I internalize writing nice conflict and keep on track with it?

### Theme



Amy: Can you write about how best to shape or mine ideas or theme into compelling stories

### Revision

Galynn D Zitnik: I am in the middle of revising my novel and it is so easy to get lost and confused. Do you have an efficient system for revising?

### Writing Funny Characters

Shelley Lea Frost: Hi Katie, thanks so much for all your wonderful advice. Your insight and the effort you put into helping others are much appreciated. Do you have any words of wisdom about writing witty characters? I love people with a sense of humour but struggle to make the jokes and repartee sound different. I only have a single small sad supply of wit and it won’t stretch enough to create characters with different voices. All my funny sounds the same. Should I continue to stalk my friends? They’re starting to look cross when I stick my phone in their faces every time someone laughs. Please give me some options. For the sake of my social life and my potential writing career.

### Daydreaming

Peter Samet: I’ve realized that I don’t daydream nearly as much as I used to. I partially blame my smartphone, which prevents me from ever getting bored, but also discourages one-on-one time with my brain. How important is daydreaming for writing, and how does one make time for it when one barely has time to write either?

### Novel Doubts

Riley G.: What do you do with a scene in a novel that you liked when you first wrote it, but don’t like so much when you reread it? And how do you know what to replace the scene with, or how do you know that a new idea to replace said scene is the right thing to replace it with? How do you deal with second thoughts when working on a manuscript?

### Deciding Which Idea to Write

Miriam Harmon: Though, I used to have shiny object syndrome, now that I’ve gotten over it, I have more stories than I know how to write. Now I’m stuck wondering which of these stories I should focus on. Should I start with something easier or go for my best book idea, and which is my best book idea? Every time I try to narrow them down, I end up with ten or more stories that really deserve to be written, and I’m not sure how to choose which one to do right now. Any advice?

nick: I have so many ideas, how do I choose which idea to work on next? I’m just finishing up my first book, and it felt so pressing and all consuming for years, now I’m afraid I won’t feel that pressing importance again.

Betsy W.: Thank you for all that you create! How do you know when an idea is worth turning into a novel? Do you have a feeling about the general idea that tells you it’s enough for a novel? Or is there a list of questions you ask yourself about the idea to test it out? Thank you for the stories you tell and for all the ways you help writers.

### Subplots

Lorraine: How do you go about layering subplots into the main story? Do you write the main story first and then add in the subplots while you edit or do you include it in the story plan? I’m currently adding in a romantic subplot into my urban fantasy book. While there were elements during the editing process, it wasn’t until I was almost at the polishing stage I realized the romantic subplot didn’t have enough meat. Hence the question.

### Titles

Andrew Williams: I struggle enormously with decent titles. I can spend a year writing and editing something under a working title and still have no idea what to call it at the end. Do you have any advice on coming up with memorable, searchable titles for our writing projects?

### Subtext

Murli: How to make subtext impactful?

\\\*

Many of the posts listed here are comprehensive. A few are not, and I may return to these topics in more depth in the future. For now, thanks for the inspiration, and I hope you find some of the answers you were hoping for. If not, stay tuned!

### Wordplayers, tell me your opinions! Are there any more writing topics that you’d like me to cover in the future? Tell me in the comments!

#### Sign Up Today

Sign up to receive K.M. Weiland’s e-letter and receive her free e-book Crafting Unforgettable Characters: A Hands-On Introduction to Bringing Your Characters to Life.

- Email

- CAPTCHA

Δ

### Related Posts

About K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland

K.M. Weiland is the award-winning and internationally-published author of the acclaimed writing guides Outlining Your Novel, Structuring Your Novel, and Creating Character Arcs. A native of western Nebraska, she writes historical and fantasy novels and mentors authors on her award-winning website Helping Writers Become Authors.

### Comments

1. Rob Hill
   says

   November 14, 2022 at 4:42 am

   OMG, this post is going to be so helpful! The very first link on the list about trimming down the word count was exactly the question I was going to ask you privately next month. Thanks for reading my mind Katie.

   PS – The html code for &#8217 didn’t convert to an apostrophe in that link. Happens to me all the time when I’m editing websites. Should be a quick fix. Cheers!

   Reply

   - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
     says

     November 14, 2022 at 2:43 pm

     Thanks for pointing that out! I’ll fix it shortly.

     Reply

   - Pandey Bikash
     says

     November 16, 2022 at 9:02 am

     🍇🍇🍇

     Reply


2. theandyclark
   says

   November 14, 2022 at 6:41 am

   Lots of helpful information here. Over the years, I have learned that when I recognize I actually have a question, I can generally search your site and find the answer. One thing which I think might be useful is to refresh the lists of things like editor recommendations, which can vary over the years.

   I know you have many columns where you’ve referenced books that can help us understand our characters, or even ourselves (bleh! Who would want to do that!). Have you considered pulling together column that’s a list of favorite psychology books?

   Reply

   - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
     says

     November 14, 2022 at 2:43 pm

     I agree! I refreshed the editor list last year, and am planning to update a couple more in the new year.

     Reply


3. Eric Troyer
   says

   November 14, 2022 at 9:15 am

   That’s pretty wild! Makes sense, though. You’ve been doing this for a long time. Thank you!

   I can attest to the searchability of your site. I’ve used it many times. Most recently I was reading about scenes in Robert McKee’s “Story” and wanted to re-read what you had to say on the subject. I quickly found the series on scenes and read it again. And learned a bit more!

   Reply

   - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
     says

     November 14, 2022 at 2:44 pm

     The Search is my favorite function too. I probably use it more than anybody. :p

     Reply


4. Louis Schlesinger
   says

   November 14, 2022 at 9:30 am

   Thanksgiving is around the corner, and I’m grateful for so much. Please know that your generosity, steadfastness, and the insights you share with our community of writers is near the top of my list. This compilation is above and beyond. Thank you, Katie. 🙂

   Reply

   - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
     says

     November 14, 2022 at 2:44 pm

     I feel your kindness. Thanks, Louis. 🙂

     Reply


5. Bob
   says

   November 14, 2022 at 10:09 am

   K, I’ve been reading and saving your valuable posts for several years now. Thanks for organizing the many links to other posts in this post. I will consider it my go to reference for writing help.

   Reply

   - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
     says

     November 14, 2022 at 2:44 pm

     So glad it’s been useful over the years!

     Reply


6. Cathy Robinson
   says

   November 14, 2022 at 10:16 am

   This post is AWESOME! As are you!! Please keep sharing fabulous wisdom through your books and posts! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

   Reply

   - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
     says

     November 14, 2022 at 2:44 pm

     You’re welcome! 🙂

     Reply


7. Anglea
   says

   November 14, 2022 at 10:16 am

   This post is so helpful! I know your Site is searchable, but wow, it’s great to have a kind of “master post list” like this…I wouldn’t mind a few more, if you have other questions you get repeatedly and have already covered 🙂

   Reply

   - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
     says

     November 14, 2022 at 2:45 pm

     I’m thinking of doing a weekly Q&A feature, on social media, next year. We’ll see how it turns out. 🙂

     Reply


8. Angelique
   says

   November 14, 2022 at 10:28 am

   What an amazing list!! Thank you so much for taking the time to put this together for us! 😀

   Also, that cover for Writing Archetypal Character Arcs is phenomenal and I’m beyond excited that it’s coming out so soon! Will there be new or additional material in it that wasn’t covered in the post/podcast series or will it mainly be just the compilation of everything in one place? I am just curious, I’m buying either way lol.

   Reply

   - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
     says

     November 14, 2022 at 2:46 pm

     Yay! I’m excited too. 😀 The book version of Writing Archetypal Character Arcs is getting very close to release. I just have to finalize the cover and do a final proof of the hardcopy. So it should be out, probably by early January. It’s an updated version of the blog posts, but the information is pretty much the same.

     Reply


9. Lew Kaye-Skinner
   says

   November 14, 2022 at 10:43 am

   Katie, Thanks for doing this. I’ve noticed that your mind and mine tend toward sorting. (Stephen Pinker writes about ‘lumpers’ and ‘splitters.’ ‘Sorters’ is my addition.) Given Rumpelstiltskin’s heap of straw, we would try to find a useful way to organize it.

   Have you considered making an index with links to the various sections? It’s great that the entire blog is searchable, but sometimes, when I don’t really know what I’m looking for, a list/index can point me to what I need.

   Speaking of making things, do you ever have volunteers help with behind-the-scenes type of tasks?

   Reply

   - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
     says

     November 14, 2022 at 2:47 pm

     Good idea. If I remember, I’ll try to do that later this week.

     Reply

   - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
     says

     November 16, 2022 at 5:05 pm

     Just added the index/table of contents. Thanks for the good idea!

     Reply


10. Avon Dixon
    says

    November 14, 2022 at 10:48 am

    A great list to have for reference but one question I still have. How and when to weave backstory into the main plot? Should I start my opening scene (chapter 1) with a major plot incident and provide backstory for the main characters later? Or, tell the story in a forward motion and introduce a little backstory when characters are introduced? HELP!

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 14, 2022 at 2:47 pm

      This will depend on the individual story (and the backstory), but the best rule of thumb I know is one I talk about in this post: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/rule-backstory-matters/

      Reply


11. John Browning
    says

    November 14, 2022 at 10:48 am

    A great sign of thorough service on a topic is when the source has done so much that there has to be a directory of what has been done. Thank you!

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 14, 2022 at 2:48 pm

      Hah. I couldn’t believe it had been 15 years when I tallied it up for this post. Wild.

      Reply


12. Joan Kessler
    says

    November 14, 2022 at 11:41 am

    What a great go-to list! This saves much time. Many thanks!

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 14, 2022 at 2:48 pm

      My pleasure!

      Reply


13. Nikki
    says

    November 14, 2022 at 11:46 am

    I LOVE this post!! Thank you SO much for compiling these topics. I have a notebook I have been saving solely for the purpose of walking through your posts and recording nuggets I want to revisit. 🙂

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 14, 2022 at 2:49 pm

      I hope it comes in handy! 🙂

      Reply


14. Anonymous
    says

    November 14, 2022 at 12:16 pm

    What a beautiful cover indeed for Writing Archetypal Character Arcs. I took great interest in the series of blog posts and I look forward to buying the book. 🙂

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 14, 2022 at 2:49 pm

      Thank you! This is the “rough” cover. Still some tweaking to do, on background color and such. But I’m super happy with it.

      Reply


15. Beth Farmer
    says

    November 14, 2022 at 12:19 pm

    What a great thing for you to do. I save your emails and your articles, too, but this will be a great reference.

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 14, 2022 at 2:50 pm

      I hope so. 🙂

      Reply


16. SteveG
    says

    November 14, 2022 at 12:44 pm

    Katie, you are by far (in my opinion and, I’m convinced, many others) one of the most prolific, comprehensive, and self-less authors out there. Thank you so much for your many years of service both as a conjuror of wonderful stories and a teacher. Well done!

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 14, 2022 at 2:50 pm

      Thanks for the kind words, Steve. I’m glad the site has been of service over the years. 🙂

      Reply


17. Sara K.
    says

    November 14, 2022 at 12:48 pm

    Wow, some of those links look great (& I haven’t seen them before).

    As I’ve told you before, my favorite aspect of your website is the deep and comprehensive archive (and that’s part of why I don’t ask so many questions in the comments, instead I use the search box a lot).

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 14, 2022 at 2:51 pm

      Yeah, there’s some good stuff way back there in the archives. Some not-so-good stuff too… 😉 But I’m always in the process of going back and editing and updating.

      Reply


18. Rick D
    says

    November 14, 2022 at 12:50 pm

    WOW! Just WOW!

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 14, 2022 at 2:51 pm

      🙂

      Reply


19. Sharon
    says

    November 14, 2022 at 1:09 pm

    Thank you so much for your expertise and response to our writing needs.

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 14, 2022 at 2:52 pm

      Thanks for stopping by, Sharon!

      Reply


20. CHERYL POTTS
    says

    November 14, 2022 at 2:16 pm

    This post is so full of great information. Thanks for putting it together. One for sure I will save for reference.

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 14, 2022 at 2:53 pm

      Thanks, Cheryl!

      Reply


21. Athaia
    says

    November 14, 2022 at 3:01 pm

    What a wonderful list! I can think of one more question, though: plot twists! How do you create one that is truly surprising the readers (in a good way)? I always look at mine and think they’re lame – if I could think of it, everyone else must’ve, too. I’m terrible at thinking outside the box.

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 14, 2022 at 5:53 pm

      I have a post for that too. 😉

      https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/5-ways-to-write-killer-plot-twist/

      Reply

      - Athaia
        says

        November 16, 2022 at 10:08 am

        Ha! Thank you!

        Reply



22. Kari Gorman
    says

    November 14, 2022 at 7:00 pm

    Hi thanks for this post!

    I’m a romance writer and I’m wondering if you have any suggestions for when I’m plotting – how can I easily make sure my romance plot fits with my external story plot?

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 15, 2022 at 3:16 pm

      I am thinking of doing some more genre-specific posts next year, romance being the most requested.

      Reply


23. Florian Sonnleitner
    says

    November 15, 2022 at 9:03 am

    Wow! This is so useful. As I am in my first revisioning cycle, this will help a lot. Thx for this!

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 15, 2022 at 3:18 pm

      Happy editing! 🙂

      Reply


24. Steve S.
    says

    November 15, 2022 at 11:30 am

    Katie,

    In the past when you posted individual articles about archetypal characters you fascinated me with your concept. I’m looking forward to learning more in your book Writing Archetypal Character Arcs.

    Thank you for your generosity in taking the time to help those of us who want to become authors reach their goal. Few people demonstrate care about others as much as you do.

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 15, 2022 at 3:18 pm

      Thanks, Steve. 🙂 I’m super-excited about this book myself. It’s been one of the most personal non-fiction books I’ve ever worked on.

      Reply


25. Lisa Traugott
    says

    November 16, 2022 at 9:48 am

    This is amazing!! Thank you so much for posting. I’m sharing the link to my writing group at History Quill.

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 16, 2022 at 2:15 pm

      Thanks for sharing it! Glad it was useful. 🙂

      Reply


26. jjpk
    says

    November 18, 2022 at 11:20 am

    Thanks! This is a great reference list! I’m planning now to re-read all your articles on the Second Act.

    Reply

    - K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland
      says

      November 18, 2022 at 3:17 pm

      I hope they prove helpful! 🙂

      Reply

### Leave a ReplyCancel reply

# Helping Writers Become Authors

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

#### Write Your Best Book

#### Check out my latest novel!



2014-2023

#### Free E-Book



Welcome! I'm K.M. Weiland, the award-winning and internationally published author of acclaimed writing guides, such as Structuring Your Novel and Creating Character Arcs. I write historical and speculative fiction and mentor authors. Read More

#### Subscribe to Blog Updates

### Subscribe To Blog Posts RSS

- Email

- CAPTCHA

Δ

#### Sign Up for K.M. Weiland’s E-Letter and Get a Free E-Book

- Email

- CAPTCHA

Δ

##### Love Helping Writers Become Authors?



#### Categories

CategoriesSelect CategoryBackstoryBeginning Your BookChapter BreaksCharactersDescriptionDialogueEditing Your NovelForeshadowingHow to Become a WriterHow to Become an AuthorMarketing Your NovelMost Common Writing MistakesNarrativeNewsNovel EndingsOutlining Your NovelPlotting Your NovelPodcastPoint of ViewProseResearching Your NovelStory SettingsStructuring Your NovelThemeUncategorizedWriter’s HelpWriting InspirationWriting LifeWriting Resources