The Best of the Writing Cooperative in March

Plus, I ramble a bit about Major League Baseball and springtime

Yesterday was the MLB Opening Day. This glorious occasion means that Spring has officially arrived! That also means that pollen is everywhere, and my sinuses are on another level. Though it’s a fun time of the year, and I hope it’s finding you well.

Before we get into this month’s best articles, let’s talk briefly about quality.

In case you missed it, I can nominate stories for boosting throughout Medium. I take this privilege incredibly seriously and use it as a way to highlight and support incredible writers.

If you want to know what I consider quality writing, I encourage you to start with the monthly best of. March’s stories are below; I’m also now collecting all “best of” stories in a dedicated list. While not every “best of” story will be nominated for boosting, I draw my nominations from here.

Enough explanation. Enjoy this month’s featured stories.

Justin’s Picks for March:

What Charcuterie Boards Can Teach Us About Writing by Beth Dumey

Strategic selection means we eliminate some foods and add others. Like crafting an essay, the creator edits and re-assembles to achieve the optimal result.

7-Step Guide To The Novel-Writing Process by Tim White

That “50%” up there isn’t a typo. My fiction coaching clients often look at me like I’ve lost my mind when I tell them that at least half of the entire novel-writing process should be devoted to creating a robust outline.

Why Becoming A Writer Late Has Some Advantages by John Ilho

Some writers knew they wanted to be writers all their lives and prepared accordingly. They went to college to study journalism and English literature, fell asleep countless times face first onto the works of Shakespeare, and wrote well over a million words before they even attempted to land an unpaid internship. Contrastingly, some writers woke up one morning in their thirties and thought, hmm, I bet I could tackle that.

3 Storytelling Frameworks I Am Using To Transform My Content Writing by Nimra Khalid

Think about it, while AI can take over your content creation, it can’t possibly replicate the human experience. Your unique perspective and cultural interaction will stay unique and novel regardless of whether you are retelling the mundane day-to-day event or imagining a Sci-fi thriller.

A 15-Minute Exercise To Discover What You Want To Write About by Jenny Messerle

Think outside the box. Your answers can include more than just essayists and authors. They can include singers, cartoonists, and public speakers. Any content creator whose output contains words. My favorite musical artists are Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift. My favorite cartoonists are John Porcellino and Lynda Barry. My favorite essayist is Brianna Wiest. Those are my favorite writers.

5 Psychology Principles To Apply To Copywriting by H. K. Tongco

By regularly sharing and publishing high-quality content that shows off your knowledge and expertise, you can establish yourself as an authority in your field. When you provide value to your audience and give them helpful and insightful content that answers they’re most commonly answered questions, they will start viewing you as their go-to resource for information.

Every Writer Needs To Be Rejected. Regularly. by Simon Whaley

I believe every writer should be rejected and rejected regularly. I am a rejected writer, even though my first book spent three weeks on the UK bestseller lists, and I regularly contribute to several UK print publications.

Understand The Last Of Us And The Art Of Subtle World-Building by Cameron Thomson

When it comes to telling stories, developing plots, and building worlds, it is nearly impossible to create a truly original work. Originality on a macro level isn’t something the Last of Us set out to do. It’s setting (overall) isn’t much different from what each of us has seen or read before.

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The Best of the Writing Cooperative in March was originally published in The Writing Cooperative on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.