October 28, 2020

October Edition of “The Break From HOKAIC”

Posted by in News
October Edition of “The Break From HOKAIC”

Editor’s Note: We’d like to welcome back our new monthly feature bywriter, writing coach, and longtime FC barista, Jason Brick. Here’s his October edition of writing news from around the web. Greetings all! As many of you know, I run a weekly newsletter of useful, fun, or amusing pieces of writing industry news called The Break From HOKAIC. As writers and lovers of writing yourselves, The Fictional Café thought you’d enjoy some highlights for your information and entertainment: ASU posted a list of the common traits among the best writers 7 Hacks to help you start writing A cute article about writing for kids while you’re raising some How to organize an effective writing group How to write better dialogue The latest salvo in an ongoing discussion about trans rights and author responsibility A great video on…

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September 27, 2020

September Edition: “The Break from HOKAIC”

Posted by in Writing
September Edition: “The Break from HOKAIC”

Editorial Note: This is the September edition of our new monthly feature from writing coach and longtime FC Barista Jason Brick. In this column, he’ll bring you news and advice from the writing world. Greetings again! September has been an interesting month in the publishing world. Here’s a selection of the most interesting, informative, or amusing things I found around the internet while researching my weekly newsletter for writers: A piece on the fact-checking crisis in publishing Whether you should offer comp titles in a query letter Case study on why women write under men’s names A solid article on how to market your book Writing advice from GRR Martin Why Gillian Flynn gets her best writing done after midnight If you have any questions or comments about these articles, leave a comment and let’s…

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August 30, 2020

“The Break From HOKAIC” with Jason Brick

Posted by in Guest Posts, News
“The Break From HOKAIC” with Jason Brick

Editorial Note: We’re excited to announce a new monthly feature from writing coach and longtime FC Barista Jason Brick. In this column, he’ll bring you news and advice from the writing world. Greetings all! As many of you know, I run a weekly newsletter of useful, fun, or amusing pieces of writing industry news called The Break From HOKAIC (my own term for the writer’s daily grind, which stands for Hands On Keyboard, Ass In Chair). As writers and lovers of writing yourselves, The Fictional Cafe thought you’d enjoy some highlights for your information and entertainment: VICE magazine took a real look at how much can be reasonably made publishing online.  Check out this list and review of free online publishing platforms for new writers. A report on virtual writers retreats during the pandemic Writing advice delivered…

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