A Messy Miscellany for Writers

Miscellany: separate writings on varied subjects collected in one volume.

What makes this miscellany of writer guidance so messy?

• A scattering into the many areas of writing, original sketch to final draft, revision to publication
• Writing professionally, both process and attitude
• Ways to maintain productivity and keep the writing fresh
• Tools that writers find helpful
• References to help writers grow
• Writing as a long-term career

• Necessity of promotions and marketing These miscellany chapters first appeared on The Write Focus podcast; that's another reason for the word messy. Five chapters come from episodes in the podcast's first year, another five from the second year, and four others began the third year.

• 01: Resolve to Be a Writer ~ Once writing becomes not only a resolution but also a devotion, what steps do we take to achieve our devotion?
• 02: 7 Newbie Mistakes ~ Every successful writer begins with failures. The trick is to rise above the mistakes. That takes awareness as well as solutions to overcome them.
• 03: 3 Notta Mistakes ~ These could easily have turned into failures. I lucked into avoiding them. Here's the reason they're mistakes and how we can avoid them.
• 04: Write the Book, part 1 ~ Every writer needs a process to achieve that first goal, a finished manuscript.
• 05: Write that Book, part 2 ~ What's needed after we type the last word of our manuscript?
• 06: Horror Stories for Writers ~ Here's guidance on avoiding these career-killers and how to fix them if we stumble into their mucky mire.
• 07: Gifts for Writers ~ The best gifts for writers touch the heart, inspire the soul, and motivate the brain. We suggest opportunities that bring beaming smiles to writers' faces.
• 08: Four Recommended Books for Writers ~ These are ready reference to improve our writing world.
• 09: Three Essential Tools for Writers ~ Not only are these tools, but they're also essential habits. They create long-term success and prevent stress.
• 10: Three Films that Writers Need to Study ~ Films begin as words, and they're a quicker study than novels. I present how to choose films to study then launch into my recommended three chosen for their writing craft skills and the reason those skills are important.
• 11: Five Writing Crimes to Avoid ~ While these aren't potential career-killers like the five horrors, they can slow our journey to success.
• 12: Revision Is a Process ~ So many people tout revision as a key to improve a manuscript draft. Few tell us how. Revision needs a critical brain and these four major steps.
• 13: Edit & Correct ~ Even writers unsure of grammar and punctuation as well as MS style have necessary work before sending the book into the next stage.
• 14: Publish & Promo ~ What do we need in place before we publish? How do we plan for our promotional marketing, in amount and cost? Work through these 14 topics of A Messy Miscellany for Writers, and be well prepared when you declare yourself "a published writer pursuing long-term success".

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A longtime tinkerer with words, M.A. Lee published her first novels in 2015 and continues to write and explore the world of writing.

A Messy Miscellany for Writers is her ninth non-fiction book. She also has three planners for writers, each with a different focus: for newbies, for writing projects, and for a word-count tracking throughout a year.

Since 2020, she has hosted The Write Focus podcast, which offers ideas for fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. The heart of the podcast is productivity, process, craft, and tools. The summer series includes interviews with other writers.