Going through the file of an unfinished short story from 2013 and I found a quiet reminder of what it was like to be a writer with little kids around the house. I'm sure I put it there, but I have no idea how it got there.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: Not every character needs a backstory and motivation. Even if you think they do, as a reader, I do not need/want to know why the old lady at the post office, mentioned in two whole sentences, has a scar on her left ankle from when she was 4yrs old

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: Cool ideas are cheap. Well executed ideas are hard to come by. Don't just write a cool idea. Write something that takes a cool idea, adds cool characters, settings, plots, themes and conflicts, and makes it into a great story.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: Nothing about writing is easy. Except when it is. But then it isn't again. Don't let it get to you. There are times you'll be overwhelmed and times you'll be having a ball. Come to think about it, it's a lot like life. Just do your best. ❤️

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: When trying to meet an editor/agent/publisher/author, do not follow them into the bathroom. And if you were talking to them and they head that way, and you think you know them well enough to follow, you're wrong. That will always be wrong.

Our friend Norah Segrist, who recently packed everything up and moved to Nashville to try to make it in the music industry, has had most ( if not all) of her stuff (including her professional equipment) destroyed by smoke from a neighboring house fire. If you can,

Shipping was a pain, but I finally got the posters. The paper is a bit thinner than I expected. The colors and production are lovely. I’m very happy with what was delivered. 16x20 is a good size for art. #jeremybrundageauthor #curseddragonshippublishing #notquitelegendaryseries #twelvetrialsofdoug

Our friend Norah Segrist, who recently packed everything up and moved to Nashville to try to make it in the music industry, has had most ( if not all) of her stuff (including her professional equipment) destroyed by smoke from a neighboring house fire. If you can,

Please consider supporting A CURIOSITY OF CATS, the fourth "Forgotten Lore" anthology from @especbooks.bsky.social and @telltalesteampunk.bsky.social, with stories inspired by Lewis Carroll! Including my Signora Spada story, "Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say," and lots more! kck.st/3LpVKdP

This campaign has gone live. Lewis Carroll-inspired stories. I have one in the collection alongside stories by @kradec.bsky.social , Michelle D. Sonnier, John L. French, Dana Fraedrich, and more all edited by @dackleymcphail.bsky.social - Find it at: www.kickstarter.com/projects/e-s...

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: If your story (sometimes only part of it) is available online for free, Amazon may reject your attempt to publish it. This could be your website, social media, or an online publication. Be cautious where your story appears if you want to publish.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: Don't ruin a story with unnecessary crudity. Many stories are rejected because of random, horrible, out of place, unrelated atrocities or language. Sexual, hateful, bigoted, taboo... Some authors just throw one in. Don't do that.

I've found this applies pretty well to everything... #raybradbury #lifelessons

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: All writing advice is bad advice—except the advice that works for you. Don't get overwhelmed sticking to something that doesn't work. Don't shoot yourself in the foot by not trying something you don't think will work. You won't know until you try.

As we go into the new year, I want to share a thought my son-in-law shared with me: never again will wonder at someone who spent hours, days, years making art or literature that we think is deranged or weird and why would they do that? From now on, we will assume it is AI.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips: Happy New Year! Time for authors to talk about how many words they wrote last year and how many they're going to write next year. Be happy for them but don't let it overwhelm you. You do you. Just keep on keeping on. You got this.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: Don't be discouraged that people will spend $9 on a caramel mocha latte but think books should be free. If you place value on yourself, and then find your audience, they will value you, too. The hard part is finding your audience.

It's not too late to Subscribe to my Substack and get a couple of freebee eBooks, including the short story collection A Small Town Santa and a special surprise I wasn’t expecting to be able to give away... Happy Holidays, everyone! substack.com/@authorsamknight

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: Sometimes you get an idea but decide it would be too difficult to write, that you can't pull it off. In my experience, those are the things you need to write, because they make your story better. Don't shy away from the difficult.

@samknight.bsky.social 's #writingtips for new authors: No written word is wasted, it's all learning, but that doesn't mean it's ALL worth publishing or posting. Think twice before putting it out there. It will be less than years later you are embarrassed by it. Happens to all of us.

@samknight.bsky.social 's #writingtips for new authors: There aren't very many businesses where if they gather together they do better. Wineries are one. Furniture stores seem to be another. Writers are definitely one. Other writers are not your competition. They are your support.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: Writing is like a team sport: the more writers on your team encouraging you and enticing you to encourage them, the better you, and the team, will perform. You can go it alone but marathons are much tougher mentally and emotionally

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: One sentence more or less won't make or break your story. But every story starts with a sentence. And every story ends with a sentence. And if you don't write at least one sentence, you won't ever have a story.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: There's a lot in the news about companies using AI to scan your book for various (possibly nefarious) purposes. It's okay if you don't understand everything. Not many (If any) do. But don't be blasé either. It affects us all.

Subscribe to my Substack and you’ll get a couple of freebee eBooks, including the short story collection A Small Town Santa and a special surprise I wasn’t expecting to be able to give away... Happy Holidays, everyone! substack.com/@authorsamkn...

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: Don't worry too much about things being "unrealistic" in your stories, they just have to flow and make sense. The only things I've ever been called out on for being "unrealistic" were things that were historically accurate.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: It's okay to use current events for inspiration, but make sure you're writing a story and not just an op-ed. Unless you have a following who love your opinion, like a news podcast/blog, you likely won't sell it or gain readers.

Sometimes the camera just can’t capture the wonderful colors.

@samknight.bsky.social 's #writingtips for new authors: I have found that when my "writing brain" poops out, the parts that like to do art, formatting, cover design, etc., still work. So I do those instead. That's how/why I tend to juggle multiple projects.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: No writing prompt works better than a pro-paying open call. If you feel you don't have ideas, go find open calls that pay and that excite you. If you "only write novels," remember, short stories are where you explore ideas.

@samknight.bsky.social 's #writingtips for new authors: There is a reason I don't watch made-for-cable scifi/fantasy movies anymore. Poor writing, acting, directing, special effects, etc., are the norm. Be wary of putting out unedited work, less you too become a thing people auto-avoid.

@samknight.bsky.social 's #writingtips for new authors: As much as it pains me, the "PC", MS Word, and Adobe PDFs are pretty much the industry standard. Using other programs, even those "100% compatible" like Google Docs, will eventually cause you problems. Nothing is 100% compatible.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: If you feel like writing Holiday stories now, do it! But don't expect to sell them until next year. Write all the stories! And them put them in a folder and mark your calendar to watch for calls during the summer-fall months.

If you know someone who is a Jack L Chalker's Well World fan, this would be a no-brainer holiday gift! books2read.com/u/4NngJG

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: Keep a list of things you have problems with. Words you can't spell, punctuation rules you can't remember, words you know you overuse, lay vs lie...whatever is a problem. Just putting them on that list starts to fix the problem.

Subscribe to my Substack and you’ll get a couple of freebee eBooks, including the short story collection A Small Town Santa and a special surprise I wasn’t expecting to be able to give away... Happy Holidays, everyone! substack.com/@authorsamkn...

The gingerbread baking in the oven smells great. The Christmas music is festive. The lights are lit on the tree, the gas fireplace is on, spreading a warm glow through my living room. And yet, my house feels like a house instead of a home... books2read.com/u/3LN1Y1

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: Write on typewriter, phone, desktop, distraction-free word processor, or by hand in a journal, notebook, or legal pad. Whatever works for you is the right way to do it. As long as you can read your writing. If not, maybe dictate?

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: Once you're published, make an Amazon Author Central account. Amazon often sells books, randomly, at lower prices than even the publisher can get them. It's a great way to watch price drops and get copies to resell or give away.

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: Short stories can be complex as a novel. A novel can be simple as a short story. Like many things, we put labels on them to talk about them, but reality doesn't fit neatly into categories. Write what you want, just make it good.

It's about that time when you feel that panic about getting someone something when you don't know what to give them. If they're a reader, consider giving this. It'll be like giving twice, as all royalties go Annmarie, who still needs the help... amzn.to/3YaEA6G

@samknight.bsky.social 's #writingtips for new authors: J.A. Campbell came up with the idea for this anthology. My story idea was about a ghost-hunting goldfish. No idea is too too far out there or too unrealistic. If you want to write it, write it. Just make sure it's a good story.

My Daughter Liked It. open.substack.com/pub/authorsa...

If you feel inclined to subscribe to my Substack, you'll get a couple of freebee eBooks, including the short story collection A Small Town Santa and a special surprise I wasn't expecting to be able to give away... Happy Holidays, everyone! authorsamknight.substack.com

Stumbled across this, this morning. Hard to beat an audiobook for $6, especially when it has one of my stories in it! (Just kidding, but not. There are some great stories in here!) amzn.to/48yLYha

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: A sandwich maker doesn't need to know how to make bread, mustard, or pastrami to make a good sandwich. Same with writers. You don't need to know about publishing to write a good story, but you do need to write a good story.

I'm trying something new... Substack. Yes, another social media platform. Supposedly it can be like a website, a storefront, Patreon, newsletter and personal chef, trainer, and chauffer. We'll see. Anyway...,

@samknight.bsky.social's #writingtips for new authors: They say throw away your first three ideas to come up with an original story. But sometimes, when everyone does that, the editors never see the story they really wanted. Don't always skip the obvious. But still write a great story.

Only 36 hours left to get the @storybundle.bsky.social 2025 Novel Writing Tools Bundle. Hurry! 13 eBooks on writing for $25! storybundle.com/writing

@samknight.bsky.social 's #writingtips for new authors: Places that publish you if you pay them? Keep in mind, once they have your money, they no longer have incentive to do anything. Meaning they likely won't promote or fix issues until you pay more. That's why they are not publishers.