Jon Gibbs's Blog

Back in July, I had an idea for an eCommerce business. It's taken me a while to get things organized, and I've had to learn some new skills, but I'm delighted to have completed the first stage:

The "I are a writer!" (and more) store (www.iareawriter.net) is now open for business. There's not too much there at present, but in the coming months I'll add a lot more. 

It's good to be productive again :)

Here’s my latest selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing:


Authors’ Magical Thinking (Janet Grant)
https://www.booksandsuch.com/blog/authors-magical-thinking/

Write What is Unreal But True (James Scott Bell)
https://killzoneblog.com/2020/07/write-what-is-unreal-but-true.html

How to Weave in Backstory Without Stalling Out Your Story (Tiffany Yates Martin)
https://writerunboxed.com/2020/07/06/how-to-weave-in-backstory-without-stalling-out-your-story

Even minor characters need to want something (Nathan Bransford)
https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2020/07/even-minor-characters-need-to-want-something

How Do Publishers Decide Which Books to Bet On? (Anne Trubek)
https://www.janefriedman.com/how-do-publishers-decide/

Identifying and Crafting Your Inciting Incident (Kathryn Craft)
https://writerunboxed.com/2020/07/09/identifying-and-crafting-your-inciting-incident

Writing in Different Children’s Book Genres and Categories (Mary Kole)
https://kidlit.com/2020/07/13/writing-in-different-childrens-book-genres-and-categories/

6 Principles for Writing Historical Fiction (Jane Friedman)
https://www.janefriedman.com/dos-and-donts-of-writing-historical-fiction/

The Breakout Outline (Bobbo Miller)
https://www.teachingauthors.com/2020/07/the-breakout-outline.html

4 Questions to Prevent Plot Holes (K.M. Weiland)
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/prevent-plot-holes/



If you found these useful, you may also like my personal selection of the most interesting blog posts from 2019 , and my previous list .

If you have a particular favorite among these, please let the author know (and me too, if you have time).  Also, if you've a link to a great post that isn't here, feel free to share.

Here’s my latest selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing:


A Writer’s Guide To Ruthlessly Killing Your Darlings (Katharine Grubb)
www.10minutenovelists.com/a-writers-guide-to-ruthlessly-killing-your-darlings

Online Marketing Doesn’t Have to Mean Lying, Cheating, or Gaming the System (Anne R. Allen)
https://annerallen.com/2020/06/online-marketing-ethics/

Public Speaking for Writers (James Scott Bell)
https://killzoneblog.com/2020/06/public-speaking-for-writers.html

When the Story Ends Too Soon (Cynthia Ruchti)
https://www.booksandsuch.com/blog/story-ends-too-soon/

How to Get Inspired to Write: A Proven Process (Jerry Jenkins)
https://jerryjenkins.com/writing-inspiration/

How to diagnose big picture problems in your novel (Nathan Bransford)
https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2020/05/how-to-diagnose-big-picture-problems-in-your-novel

A Look at Body Language in Writing (Ellen Buikema)
https://writersinthestormblog.com/2020/05/body-language-in-writing/

What Writers Have to Learn from the 10X Rule (Carmen Amato)
https://www.janefriedman.com/what-writers-have-to-learn-from-the-10x-rule/

How to Write Subtext (September C. Fawkes)
https://elizabethspanncraig.com/uncategorized/how-to-write-subtext/

Character Building (Part 1) (Angela Ackerman)
https://writershelpingwriters.net/2020/05/character-building-how-much-do-i-need-to-plan-part-1/

When Your Premise Paints You Into a Corner (Larry Brooks)
www.storyfix.com/when-your-premise-paints-you-into-a-corner-part-19-of-the-gsdwt-series



If you found these useful, you may also like my personal selection of the most interesting blog posts from 2019 , and my previous list .

If you have a particular favorite among these, please let the author know (and me too, if you have time).  Also, if you've a link to a great post that isn't here, feel free to share.

                 
Here’s my latest selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing:

Introducing the essential magic of PREMISE (Larry Brooks)
www.storyfix.com/the-whole-ballgame-pearls-nuggets-and-excerpts-the-series-part-17

4 Newbie Writer Mistakes that can Derail a Great Book Idea (Anne R. Allen)
https://annerallen.com/2020/05/newbie-writer-mistakes-derail-book-idea/

Rejections: What You Need to Know (Rachel Kent)
https://www.booksandsuch.com/blog/rejections-what-you-need-to-know/

The Spark of a Novel: Five Ways to Light That Spark (Barbara Linn Probst)
https://writerunboxed.com/2020/04/17/the-spark-of-a-novel-five-ways-to-light-that-spark/

Enemy Without a Face: When Dealing With a Different Sort of ‘Villain’ (Kristen Lamb)
https://authorkristenlamb.com/2020/04/enemy-different-villain/

Conflict Thesaurus Entry: Being Assigned an Undesirable Partner (Angela Ackerman)
https://writershelpingwriters.net/2020/04/conflict-thesaurus-entry-being-assigned-an-undesirable-partner/

Picture Book Endings (Natascha Biebow & Ellie Farmer)
https://www.wordsandpics.org/2016/04/ask-picture-book-editor.html

The Practice Novel (Dave King)
https://writerunboxed.com/2020/04/21/the-practice-novel/

The 3 Ms of Character Setup (C.S. Lakin)
https://www.janefriedman.com/the-3-ms-of-character-setup/

Causing confusion will sink your query letter (query critique) (Nathan Bransford)
https://blog.nathanbransford.com/2020/04/causing-confusion-will-sink-your-query-letter-query-critique


If you found these useful, you may also like my personal selection of the most interesting blog posts from 2019 , and my previous list .

If you have a particular favorite among these, please let the author know (and me too, if you have time).  Also, if you've a link to a great post that isn't here, feel free to share.

Here’s my latest selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing:

How to Write a Picture Book Query Letter in 6 Simple Steps (Reedsy)
https://blog.reedsy.com/picture-book-query-letter/
by way of Laurie Wallmark

Peer Critique Versus Professional Editing: When, Why and How to Use Both (Barbara Linn Probst)
https://www.janefriedman.com/peer-critique-versus-professional-editing/

How to Write Compelling Emotional Triggers (Lisa Hall-Wilson)
https://writersinthestormblog.com/2020/03/emotional-triggers/

The Value of Watching Bad Movies (Cynthia Ruchti)
https://www.booksandsuch.com/blog/the-value-of-watching-bad-movies/

Don’t begin query letters with empty rhetorical questions (query critique) (Nathan Lane)
https://blog.nathanbransford.com/2020/04/dont-begin-query-letters-with-empty-rhetorical-questions-query-critique

5 Questions to Ask for Stronger Scenes (Janice Hardy)
http://blog.janicehardy.com/2010/08/find-your-plot-fridays-what-to-do-what.html

Revising Their Way to a Debut (Kim Chafee)
https://writersrumpus.com/2020/04/10/revising-their-way-to-a-debut/

Plot Your Novel in 3 Simple Steps (Laurence MacNaughton)
http://blog.janicehardy.com/2020/04/plot-your-novel-in-3-simple-steps.html

Writing the Middle-Grade Novel (Kristi Holl)
www.right-writing.com/middle-grade.html

Organize your query’s plot summary in a clear way (query critique) (Nathan Bransford)
https://blog.nathanbransford.com/2020/04/organize-your-querys-plot-summary-in-a-clear-way-query-critique


If you found these useful, you may also like my personal selection of the most interesting blog posts from 2019 , and my previous list .

If you have a particular favorite among these, please let the author know (and me too, if you have time).  Also, if you've a link to a great post that isn't here, feel free to share.

Here’s my latest selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing:

Don’t release the tension (Nathan Bransford)
https://blog.nathanbransford.com/2020/02/dont-release-the-tension

How To Rewrite Your Whole Darn Book (P J Parrish)
https://killzoneblog.com/2020/02/how-to-rewrite-your-whole-darn-book.html

Audiobook Publishing and Distribution: Getting Started Guide for Authors (Jane Friedman)
https://www.janefriedman.com/audiobook-publishing/

What’s the Best Way to Discover Your Story? (James Scott Bell)
https://killzoneblog.com/2020/03/whats-the-best-way-to-discover-your-story.html

Clueless Advice People Give New Writers: 10 Things to Ignore (Anne R. Allen)
https://annerallen.com/2020/03/clueless-advice-people-give-writers/

The Imposter Syndrome (Wendy Lawton)
https://www.booksandsuch.com/blog/the-imposter-syndrome/

Synopsis Writing Made Easy (James Scott Bell)
https://writershelpingwriters.net/2020/03/synopsis-writing-made-easy/

A Three-Step Plan for Returning to a Partially Finished Manuscript (Janice Hardy)
http://blog.janicehardy.com/2020/03/a-three-step-plan-for-returning-to.html

Everything writers need to know about book series (Nathan Bransford)
https://blog.nathanbransford.com/2020/03/everything-writers-need-to-know-about-book-series

10 Common Time Management Mistakes Writers Should Avoid (Colleen M. Story)
https://writersinthestormblog.com/2020/03/time-management-mistakes/




If you found these useful, you may also like my personal selection of the most interesting blog posts from 2019 , and my previous list .

If you have a particular favorite among these, please let the author know (and me too, if you have time).  Also, if you've a link to a great post that isn't here, feel free to share.

Here’s my latest selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing:

How to Make a Book Trailer that Speaks to Readers (Victor Blasco)
https://writershelpingwriters.net/2020/01/how-to-make-an-amazing-book-trailer/

Why Your Query Blurb Isn’t Working (Jessica Faust)
http://bookendsliterary.com/2019/08/20/why-your-query-blurb-isnt-working/
by way of Laurie Wallmark

Conflict Thesaurus Entry: Confiding in the Wrong Person (Angela Ackerman)
https://writershelpingwriters.net/2020/02/conflict-thesaurus-entry-confiding-in-the-wrong-person/

The Curse of Expository Dialogue (James Scott Bell)
https://killzoneblog.com/2020/02/the-curse-of-expository-dialogue.html

How to Make It Through the Middle of Your Book (Colleen M. Story)
https://elizabethspanncraig.com/uncategorized/how-to-make-it-through-the-middle-of-your-book/

Great Expectations for Writers (Cynthia Ruchti)
https://www.booksandsuch.com/blog/great-expectations-for-writers/

Hey, Still with Me? Poking Dead Scenes With a Stick, Part One (Janice Hardy)
http://blog.janicehardy.com/2010/08/re-write-wednesday-golden-oldie-poking.html

When Revising Your Novel, Look for These 4 Problem Areas (Kris Spisak)
https://www.janefriedman.com/when-revising-your-novel-manuscript-look-for-these-problem-areas/

Finding An Opening Line Is Like SeeingThe World In a Grain of Sand (P.J. Parish)
https://killzoneblog.com/2020/02/finding-an-opening-line-is-like-seeingthe-world-in-a-grain-of-sand.html

When editing, start with the problems before jumping to solutions (Nathan Bransford)
https://blog.nathanbransford.com/2020/02/when-editing-start-with-the-problems-before-jumping-to-solutions

So Your Feedback Session is Spiraling Out of Control (Bill Ferris)
https://writerunboxed.com/2020/02/15/so-your-feedback-session-is-spiraling-out-of-control/

10 New Publishing Scams to Watch Out for in 2020 (Anne R. Allen)
https://annerallen.com/2020/02/new-publishing-scams-2020/


If you found these useful, you may also like my personal selection of the most interesting blog posts from 2020 , and my previous list .

If you have a particular favorite among these, please let the author know (and me too, if you have time).  Also, if you've a link to a great post that isn't here, feel free to share.

I'm a big fan of writing conferences. Sure, some meet our personal budget and current needs better than others, and not everyone you encounter leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy about your future potential, but if you go along with an open mind, the positives far outweigh any negatives.



If you know of a writing conference taking place this year, please share a link to its homepage in a comment. I'll upload it into the main post here.


                   FEBRUARY


SCBWI Winter Conference
Fri-Sun, February 7th-9th, 2020 - New York, New York



Farpoint Convention
Fri-Sun, February 21st-23rd, 2020 - Hunt Valley, Maryland


                      MARCH



The Write Stuff Conference
Thurs-Sat, March 12th -14th, 2020  - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania



Sleuthfest
Thurs-Sun, March 26th-29th, 2020 - Boca Raton, Florida



                                                APRIL


Create Something Magical Writers & Readers Conference
Sat-Sun, April 4th - 5th, 2020 - Iselin, New Jersey



Pikes Peak Writers Conference
Fri-Sun, April 17th - 19th, 20 20 - Colorado Springs, CO


                   MAY


Malice Domestic
Fri-Sun, May 1st - 3rd, 2020 - Bethesda, Maryland



PennWriters Conference
Fri-Sun, May 14th - 17th, 2020 - Lancaster, Pennsylvania



Balticon
Fri-Mon, May 22nd - 25th, 2020 - Baltimore, Maryland


                 JUNE


Rutgers University Writers' Conference
Sat-Sun, June 5th - 7th, 2020 - New Brunswick, New Jersey



DFW Writer's Conference
Sat-Sun, June 13th - 14th, 2020 - Dallas, Texas




SCBWI NJ Chapter - Summer Conference
June 13th - 14th 2020 - New Brunswick, New Jersey



Philadelphia Writers' Conference
Fri-Sun, June, 2020 (exact dates tba) - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania



Deadly Ink
Fri-Sun, June, 2020 (exact dates tba)  - location tba



                 JULY


Southampton Writer's Conference
Weds, July 8th - Sun, July 19, 2020 - Southampton, New York



IWWG Summer conference
Fri-Thurs, July 24th - 30th, 2020 - Beverly, Massachusetts



Shore Leave
Fri-Sun, July 10th - 12th, 2020 -  Hunt Valley, Maryland


             AUGUST


Killer Nashville
Thurs-Sun, August 20th - 23rd, 2020 - Franklin, Tennessee


Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity
Fri-Sat, August 28th - 30th, 2020 - Columbia, MD



            SEPTEMBER
Women Who Write (Men are also welcome at the conference)
Saturday, September 26th, 2020 - Madison, New Jersey



               OCTOBER


Put Your Heart in a Book
Not sure if they have a conference this year - Fri-Sat, October  2020 - Iselin, NJ



Magna Cum Murder
Fri-Sun, October 23rd - 25th, 2020 - Indianapolis, Indiana



             NOVEMBER


Crime Bake
Fri-Sun, November 2020 (tba) - Dedham, Massachusetts



South Jersey Writers Conference
Not sure if they have a conference this year - West Berlin, New Jersey


Philcon
Fri-Sun, November 20th - 22nd, 2020 - Cherry Hill, New Jersey


              DECEMBER

SOME FUN, CONFERENCE-RELATED LINKS:

10 Things You Shouldn’t Say to an Agent During an In-Person Pitch

The Agent Pitch: 10 Responses You Don't Want to Hear

  
I'm always looking to add some more New Jersey writing groups.

Scroll down for a list of the New Jersey Writing groups I currently have on file, with links to websites where available.

GROUPS WITH MEETINGS IN TWO OR MORE COUNTIES WOMEN WHO WRITE (open to ladies only)
Various groups (see their groups link for full details)


THE SCIENCE FICTION SOCIETY OF NORTHERN NEW JERSEY
Various meetings (see Meetup page for more details)

WRITING GROUPS BY COUNTY
BERGEN COUNTY
Bergen County Poets and Fictionaires
Where? See Meetup page
When? See Meetup page
Contact: See Meetup page

Mahwah Writer's Collective
Where? 100 Ridge Road Mahwah, NJ 07430
When? Tuesdays: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Contact: Mahwah Library (201) 529 2183

Ridgewood Memoir Writing Workshop
Where? See Meetup page
When? See Meetup page
Contact: See Meetup page

Science Fiction Association of Bergen County
Where? Bergen Highlands United Methodist Church,316 West Saddle River Road, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
When? 2nd Saturday of the month (see www.sfabc.org for more info)
Contact: sfabcinfo@gmail.com

BURLINGTON COUNTY
Juliette Writer's Group
Where? Barnes & Noble, Eastgate Square, 1311 Nixon Drive, Moorestown, NJ 08057
When? Every third Tuesday, 7:30pm
Contact: Run by Dawn Byrne. Call store for details: (856) 608 1622

CAMDEN COUNTY
South Jersey Writer's Group
When? See Meetup page
Where? See Meetup page
Contact: See Meetup page

Writing Group
Where? Barnes & Noble, Towne Place, 911 Haddonfield Rd, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
When? Every second Tuesday, 7:30pm
Contact: Run by Susan Pitcher. Call store for details: (856) 486 1492

ESSEX COUNTY
Montclair Editors and Writers
Where? See Meetup page
When? See Meetup page
Contact: See Meetup page

HUNTERDON COUNTY

MERCER COUNTY
Princeton Writing Group
Where? Various Meet-ups (see the group's webpage for details)
Contact: See website

MIDDLESEX COUNTY
New Jersey Romance Writers
Where? Mercer County Public Library, Hopewell Branch, 245 Pennington-Titusville Road, Pennington, NJ 08534
When? 4th Tuesday of each month, 6 - 8:30pm
Contact: See website

The Garden State Speculative FictionWriters (GSSW)
Where? Old Bridge Public Library,1 Old Bridge Plaza, Municipal Center,Old Bridge, NJ 08857
When? First Saturday of each month - see website for details
Contact: See website

Liberty States Fiction Writers
Where? Edison Library, 340 Plainfield Avenue, Edison, New Jersey 08817
When? 2nd Saturday of the month 10-10:30am (business) 10:45-11:45am (workshop) Noon-1:15 (roundtable sessions)
Contact: See website

The Princeton Writing Group
Where? See Meetup page
When? See Meetup page
Contact: See Meetup page

The Woodbridge Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers
Where? See Meetup page
When? See Meetup page
Contact: See Meetup page


MONMOUTH COUNTY
Writing Group
Where? ASBURY PARK Public Library, Children's Room500 First Ave - Asbury Park, NJ
When? 3rd WEDNESDAY of Each Month (5.30-7.30pm)
Contact: Neville - njansii_nj@yahoo.com

Writing Group
Where? Barnes & Noble, Lanes Mill Marketplace, 4831 US Hwy 9, Howell, NJ 07731
When? Contact store for info (see below)
Contact store for more info: (732) 730-2838

BelmarArts Creative Writing Group
Where? The Boatworks, 608 River Road, Belmar, NJ 07719
When? 4th Thursday, 7pm - 9pm
Contact: See website

Monmouth Creative Writing Group
Where? Monmouth County Library (HQ), 125 Symmes Drive, Manalapan, NJ 07726
When? 3rd Thursday of the month (7pm)
Contact: ?

Monmouth Writers
Where? Howell Library, Howell Library, 318 Old Tavern Road, Howell, NJ 07731
When? 2nd Saturday of each month
Contact: Rick Kelsten See website

Writing Group
Where? NEPTUNE Public Library, Meeting Rm #225 Neptune Blvd - Neptune, NJ
When? 2nd Saturday of each month (1pm - 3pm) (NB: Please check library's calendar before turning up.)
Contact: - (732) 775-8241

The Noble Writers
Where? Middletown Library, 55 New Monmouth Road, Middletown, NJ 07748
When? Wednesdays ((10am - 11:30am) (NB: Please check library's calendar before turning up.)
Contact: TBA

Writing Critique group
Where? Middletown Library, 55 New Monmouth Road, Middletown, NJ 07748
When? Wednesdays (7pm) (NB: Please check library's calendar before turning up.)
Contact: TBA

OCEAN COUNTY
Manchester (NJ) Writers' Circle
Where? Manchester Library, 21Colonial Drive, Manchester, NJ 08759
When? 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month (2pm-4pm)
Contact: See website

Berkeley Adult Writers' group
Where? OCL (Berkeley Branch), 30 Station Road, Bayville, NJ 08721
When? Last Monday of the month - 6:30pm start
Contact: (Library) 732 269 2144

The Jackson Writers' Group
Where? Jackson branch of the Ocean County Library, 2 Jackson Drive Jackson, NJ 08527
When? See website
Contact: See website

The Memoir & Fiction Writers' group
Where? OCL (Ocean Township Branch), 701 Deal Road, Ocean, NJ 07712
When? Fourth Monday of the month - 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Contact: (Library) 732 531 5092

SOMERSET COUNTY
New Jersey Writers' Critique Group
Where? Barnes & Noble (Somerset Shopping Center, 319 Route 202/206, Bridgewater, NJ 08807)
When? First Wednesday of the month, 7pm - check B&N website for latest info
Contact: (B&N) 908 526-7425

New Jersey Writers' Society
Where? Franklin Township Library (Historical Room), 485 Dermott Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873
When? Third Thursday of the month, 7pm - 9pm
Contact: (Library) 732 873 8700

UNION COUNTY
New Providence Writers
Where? Waterlilies Restaurant, 33 Union Place, Summit, NJ (parking free on Sundays)
When? 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month, 2pm.
Contact: Join and RSVP for meetings through Meetup group


Want me to add your group?If you know of any statewide or local writing groups in New Jersey which aren't listed above, please let me have contact details and/or a website link, if possible.

Also, if your group is listed, but I've got the information wrong, please let me know.

Here’s my latest selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing:

Un-Con Redux, Part II: Emotional Tipping Points (Donald Maass)
https://writerunboxed.com/2020/01/01/un-con-redux-part-ii-emotional-tipping-points/

How to be a productive writer (Nathan Bransford)
https://blog.nathanbransford.com/2020/01/how-to-be-a-productive-writer

The 100 Best Websites for Writers in 2020 (Farrah Daniel) (Jon’s Pick of the Pack)
https://thewritelife.com/best-websites-for-writers-2020/

Middle Grade or Young Adult (Allison Rushby)
https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/5-ways-to-tell-if-youre-writing-middle-grade-or-young-adult-fiction/
by way of Laurie Wallmark

How to Create a Powerful Character Arc (Jerry Jenkins)
https://jerryjenkins.com/character-arc/

5 Common Story Openings to Avoid—If You Can Help It (Jane Friedman)
https://www.janefriedman.com/5-story-openings-to-avoid/

4 Tips For Creating Villains (Sacha Black)
https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/2020/01/4-tips-for-creating-villains.html

A Simple Trick to Keep Readers Turning the Pages (Janice Hardy)
http://blog.janicehardy.com/2020/01/a-simple-trick-to-keep-readers-turning.html

2 Different Types of the Lie Your Character Believes (K. M. Weiland)
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/2-different-types-of-lie-your-character-believes/

Jane’s Guide to Getting the Most Out of a Writers Conference (Jane Friedman)
https://www.janefriedman.com/guide-to-writers-conferences/



If you found these useful, you may also like my personal selection of the most interesting blog posts from 2020 , and my previous list .

If you have a particular favorite among these, please let the author know (and me too, if you have time).  Also, if you've a link to a great post that isn't here, feel free to share.