writing advice - Matt Athanasiou

writing advice

Short Story and Poetry Cover Letter Template

Sending stories and poems to publications often requires sending a cover letter. Here’s a template that has worked for me throughout the years. You may need to make updates based on individual publication guidelines, but this version requires the fewest for me. You can copy the template or example

learnings

Here There Be Promises: Writing Goals for Q4 2023

That time of year, again. Sharing more good ol’ goals. And, actually, if you look at the date on this post, it’s a little past that time of year, but the Post Your Goals On Time Police rarely patrol these parts, so we should be safe. I’m not

learnings

Here There Be Promises: Writing Goals for Q3 2023

Apparently, Squarespace has an AI feature that helps people write. Always curious to toy with new tech—even if I don’t intend to continue using it—of course I tried it. I asked it to sum up my goals from Q2. And according to AI, I spent a lot

learnings

How to Tell a Story With a Central Dramatic Argument

If you read my goals for this quarter, you know this entry is a few days late, but life (and other writing projects) happen. On we go. Some time back, my favorite writing podcast, The Bestseller Experiment, mentioned writing with a Central Dramatic Argument in mind. The concept comes from

writing advice

A Writing Interview With a Manuscript Pitch

I recently had the privilege of chatting with author Mark Stay on one of my favorite writing podcasts, The Bestseller Experiment. We briefly discuss why I joined the Bestseller Academy for a spell, how it surrounded me with a much-needed creative community, and we talk about my finished novel manuscript.

writing advice

A Note About the Time I Failed to Quit Writing

This entry turned out longer than expected. I had planned to write about a small piece of good writing news, but I found that the backstory was relevant, and important for me personally, to jot down. So here we go. # Once, before I understood query letters and the amount of

writing advice

200 Words a Day Challenge

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen me tweet with the hashtag #200wordsaday. This comes from The Bestseller Experiment’s 200 Words a Day Challenge. The basic premise is this: the best way to learn to write is to write consistently. Consistency builds habits, making what can

writing advice

A Smidge of Writing Advice

“Write what grabs your heart. Write what you care about.” That’s it. That’s the advice. If you want to stop reading there, know that’s one of the best pieces I have, and the following is general thoughts on writing advice. # There is a bottomless well of writing