Writing Update: My Next Novel On Grief, Identity, and What It Means to Let Go

Wanted to provide a writing update as I've been heads down for a couple of months. #writingupdate #newauthor
hauntedhamilton.substack.com/p/writing-up...

Is that good?

🎃 Trick or Treat! What are you dressing up as? #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

Writing mechanics aren’t limits. They’re launchpads. Pacing, paragraph structure, and grammar give your ideas room to land. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

If every character sounds the same, give them a secret. Secrets shape voice. So do fears, habits, and what they’re not saying. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

Yes - I'm writing a second book in Lighthouse Cove - it started as the first short story in the next volume - but I'm developing it into a longer novella because I like the characters so much. I'm also working on a new mystery series in an adjacent town in the same universe.

A solid story is built on clear wants and real obstacles. Even if the goal is small, the struggle should feel big to the character. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

A scene begins with a question and ends with a change. If nothing shifts, the scene may not be pulling its weight. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

#WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

Keep writing. Keep wondering. This path you’re on is hard. You’re doing beautifully. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

Your “bad” pages are compost. They break down into something fertile. Nothing is wasted. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

Why the best characters make you question everything you believe The Art of Writing Characters Who Challenge Your Own Beliefs

Your villain should win every debate. Here's why that makes better fiction. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

#WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

You’re not writing for everyone. You’re writing for your people. And they’re out there, waiting. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

Pacing isn’t just plot. It’s breath. Give your reader space to feel, wonder, ache. Not every beat needs to rush. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

The most powerful sentence is often the simplest one. Don’t underestimate short, quiet lines. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

#WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

Don’t try to pack every idea into one book. You’re not running out of stories. Save some for the next journey. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

The first draft is for you.
The second is for clarity.
The third is for the reader.
#WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

A “meh” writing day still matters. You showed up. You moved the story forward. That’s brave. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

Reading outside your genre is an act of expansion, not distraction. Poets can teach mystery writers. Sci-fi can teach romance writers. Let it cross-pollinate. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

Each scene should either reveal character, shift power, or raise a question. If it does none of those things, it might not belong. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

The Ancestral Awakening: A Collection of Short Stories (The Cosmic Horrors of Lighthouse Cove Book 1) Amazon.com: The Ancestral Awakening: A Collection of Short Stories (The Cosmic Horrors of Lighthouse Cove Book 1) eBook : Hamilton, Rowan: Kindle Store

Howdy! I have 1 published book at Amazon - it's ten connected short stories dealing with cosmic horror. amzn.to/4n0gBCk

#WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

If a sentence feels off, read it aloud. Your ear often catches what your eyes miss. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

Repetition is a powerful tool. But only when intentional. Used well, it becomes an echo. Used carelessly, it becomes clutter. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

How Your Imposter Syndrome Creates Characters Who Feel Real Why Your Self-Doubt Is Actually Your Greatest Writing Asset

That voice saying "you're not a real writer" is actually teaching you how to create characters who feel like real people. Your self-doubt = your secret weapon. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

#WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

Writing is thinking out loud in slow motion. You’re allowed to pause, reconsider, and revise. That’s part of the process. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity

Use dialogue tags like seasoning. Stick to “said” and “asked” most of the time. Let the words and subtext do the heavy lifting. #WritingTips #author #writing #writerslife #amwriting #booksky #WritingCommunity