The Best of The Writer's Attic
Newsletter readers review my articles
I started The Writers Attic as a way to explore ideas about writing fiction so that I might improve my own skills—and help you improve yours. It’s been so great to read your comments and notes (and emails) over the past couple of years and see that you’re finding this newsletter helpful!
In case you’ve missed anything, or in case you’re just curious to see what others readers find to be the best of The Writer’s Attic, here’s a list of my top articles, along with reader reviews of each…
Most Popular (most likes, views, comments, and new subscribers)
If you’re querying agents and want help figuring out why you’re receiving rejections, check out this post, which goes over ever scenario I could think of! This post has the most views by far out of all of my articles.
Reviews:
“I really appreciate this post, the insight, and the resources you've linked to. It will be very helpful to me going forward! Thanks :)” —James
“A thorough, insightful read!” —Sophie
Most Shared
Possibly the most effective way to get better at writing fiction is to improve your characters’ motivations. In this second article of a two-part series, I talk about how to fix motivations that are too complicated or obscure. Lots of people shared this article with their friends (and enemies?)
Reviews:
“This is the kind of helpful and thought-provoking content that I actually stop to read on Substack.” —Bryan
“This article is well worth reading for writers. As always, Parker Peevyhouse explains concepts simply and persuasively. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐” —Linda
Most Print-Worthy
Watch me grapple with a revision of my manuscript, and get a step-by-step guide to approaching a tricky revision, along with my deep thoughts on keeping the uniqueness of your story. This one got rave reviews.
Reviews:
“There are several Substack posts I save but this one hit the far more rare ‘print’ tier.” —Matt
“Excellent.” —Janet
Most Required
As someone who gives fiction critiques, I see so many manuscripts that are very similar to published novels. But don’t despair—it’s fun and exciting to add an ironic twist to your premise. I get lots of exclamation marks from readers on this one!
Reviews:
“Required reading for all writers!” —Gina
“Every aspiring author should read this!” —Fran
Most-Loved Series
I recently started this series in which I break down a novel to show how its pieces work together. It’s a bit like a book review that focuses what works well. Both posts in this series have a lot of views!
Reviews:
“I love this series and am very invested.” —BB
“So many excellent takeaways!” —Laura
Most Helpful For Mystery Writers
My obsession with fair play mystery novels drove me to create a list of rules I wish every mystery writer would follow. A lot of people downloaded my list!
Reviews:
“Brilliant! I loved this summary.” —JW
“This is such a helpful summation of the crucial things to consider.” —Ann
Most Useful For Querying Writers
Track your query letters and keep all of your querying materials in one place with this spreadsheet. As you send out more queries, your tree will grow into a forest! I get emails and direct messages from querying writers who find this tool (and the accompanying article) very helpful.
Reviews:
“Super helpful - thank you.” —Helen
“A useful nuts-and-bolt article about querying.” —Karin
Thank you so much for reading The Writers Attic and leaving your comments! I’m so glad you’re having a great time working on your writing skills with me.•