Wednesday links: Dips in creativity and subplots

I love regularly reading tips and advice articles in certain subjects — particularly writing and publishing. I don’t always need the information right then, but I know that it’ll eventually come in handy. Or at least, I hope it will.

I know there are a lot of other people out there who feel the same way I do, but sometimes it can be difficult to find every useful advice article that’s out there. So I thought I’d bring you a few. Here are the tips and advice articles that jumped out at me the most over the past week.

1. Let’s Talk About Creativity and the Fear of Losing the Magic, from Kameron Hurley: I think everybody experiences a dip in their creativity or motivation at one point or another. We have to do our best to face that dip, though, and not give in to it. Excerpt: “Worse, after a couple months of this, I realized I was developing The Fear. The fear that I couldn’t write anymore. The fear that I’d never write anything good again.”

2. 5 Tips for Organizing Subplots, from Helping Writers Become Authors: Oh, subplots. Working them into a story isn’t always easy, but it’s necessary. Here are a few tips to help you with the process. Excerpt: “This is because subplots, when done right, are all but camouflaged within the larger story. Good subplots integrate with the main plot to the point they’re inextricable from the story’s bigger picture.”