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. On Taking Advice from Your Critique Group, from WOW! Women On Writing: Critique groups are an asset for any writer. That said, like any other writing critiques, you’re going to receive some advice that may or may not be beneficial to follow. Excerpt: “In the strategies of improving our writing, the critique group is often the first line of defense against the dreaded rejection. But there are times to listen carefully to your critique partners and there are times when you should grab your manuscript and run.”
2. Writing Monsters: What Makes a Monster Scary?, from Writer’s Digest: When you’re writing a horror story–or any speculative fiction story, really–including monsters or other creatures may be something you’re considering. If you do include them, your next question may be how you make those monsters scary. Excerpt: “We’ll want our monsters to maintain a greater degree of mystery, or at least begin with a greater degree of mystery than that. Start by asking … What are people afraid of?”