Blogs By Category: Writing, Querying, Authoring, Life, SFF & More!

My every post is linked to this page by category. Click images to view posts!

About Life

Queer Life

Neurodiverse Life

Chronic Illness

On Being Asexual
(& Aromantic)

Text: What Does Pride Mean to you (written in progress pride flag colours)
Image: a rainbow at Aruthur's seat in a cloudy sky over Edinburgh

Text: Managing My Neurodiversity
Image: selfie of Elise Carlson standing before rockie creek wearing long sleeve blue, white and grey horizontal strip stop, a beige cap and glasses, blonde curls protruding from both.

Text: Managing My Neurodiversity
Image: selfie of Elise Carlson standing before rockie creek wearing long sleeve blue, white and grey horizontal strip stop, a beige cap and glasses, blonde curls protruding from both.

ADHD Struggles & Starting ADHD Meds

Oh, I’m Also Actually Autistic!

Text: Living With Long Covid -My Experience
Image: Elise's feet as they sit on a lawn at a city park, trees and a high rise building in the background.

Disability; Doctors, Diagnosis & Community

Text: 2021's Journey -A Poem
Image: Palm trees a sun dappled footpath, stone framing a garden bed left of the path, sun covered lawns slopping down to the right.

Advice For Authors

Self Publishing

Social Media

Author Platform

Text: Why I Chose to Self Publish
Image: Birds eye view of a market stall table with customers on one side and sellers seated on the other.

Text: Becoming an Indie Author
Image: Elise smiling at the camera and holding theirdebut novel, Manipulator's War under their chin before a bookshelf full of fantasy books.

Text: Becoming an Indie Author Part 2: Book Launch
Image: Copies of Manipulator's War form a small tower atop a wooden stand with a sign saying 'Books $20' in a suburban park.

Text: Indie Author InterviewsImages: top left, Cheryl Burman, top right Lily Lawson, bottom left Paula Peckham, left Dreena Collins.

Social Media for Writers: Getting Started
Image: two white man's hand hols a table with multiple social media icons on its screen.

Text: Blue Sky Newby Guide
Image: Elise's first Blue Sky post. Reads 'Hello Blue Sky. Where are my Fantasy/ SFF/ ND/ pantsers/ indie author people?I'm all of the above and writing my third epic YA Fantasy set beneath sorcerous skies, where a continent-wide war is brewing. Happy to talk all things authorly/ writerly!

Avoiding Social Media Burnout for Creatives

Text: top left #WritingCommunity, top right #BookBoost, bottom left #WritersofInsta, bottom right #Bookstagram, centre: Writer Hashtags for Twitter & Insta in white text on blue background.

Text: Formatting a novel (in Word)
Image: two pages of Secrets of the Sorcery War, formatted with indent first line of pararaphs, chapter heading and chapter art, author name and title in header, page numbers in bottom right of footer.

Text: Author Website Tips
Image:
Top: lone soldier stands atop battlements at night, fire arrows arching down at them. Centre text: Elise Carlson, A Fantasy Author's Adeventures in Fiction & Life).
Bottom: pink clouds and blue sky reflect in rectangular rockpools (foreground), cloudy sunset sky (background). Centred text reads: Follow me and i'll take you on an adventure -through fantasy worlds & Life

Text: Author Newsletters, The Basics
Image: envelop background, bronze armoured soldier (right), blue background with text: Fiction Frolics Newsletter, Jan, March, May, July, Sept Nov (left)

Texxt: KU, Twitter & Author Ethical Dilemas
Image: Blue background, article with Twitter X and Bird Logos headed Australia's esafety commissioner fines Elon Musk's X $600,00 for failing to meet anti-child abuse standards.

Indie Author Marketing & Time Management

Books & SFF Author Interviews

Text: SFF Author Interview, Character's Inner & Outer Dreams + Inspiration
Image: portrait photo of Natalie Kelda with a black and white small cat draped across her shoulders.

Text: Where Fantasy Worlds Come From
Images: SFR Coates with an emu and his bookcover for Reborn.
Mindi Briar and her book cover Adrift in Starlight.
Joyce-Reynolds Ward and her covers for Becoming Solo and Pledges of Honour

Text: Fantasy Author Feature: Debbie Iancu Hadad
Image: photo of bright red haired (side parted), caucasian Debbie in a bright pink top and denim jacket.

Text: Fantasy Author Feature Nikky Lee
Short black haired, blue eyed caucasian smiling Nikky wearing a grey and black striped top.

Text: Writer Pantser Interviews
Image: short blue haired, caucasian Miriam Cumming holding xer first two fantasy books.

Peeling paint of Manipulator's War's cover
Text: Manipulator's War (book cover)
Image: red glyphs outline a stone archway, through which fire arrows rain down on torch-lit battlements atop a castle, at night time. Spears in the foreground indicate an advancing invading army.

Text: Fantasy Author Feature: Mara Lynn Johnstone
Image: head and shoulder photo of Mara Lynn Johnstone with toy dragon perched on her shoulder, wear elf ears, her brwon hair straight, blue framed glasses and a big smile.

Craft & Critical Reader Blogs

Writing

Editing & Feedback

Critical Reader/ Self Editing Prompts

Text: 9 tips for the first 5 pagesImage: Trail of open books winds along autumn leaf scattered lawn.

Engaging Readers (of Your Novel)

How Not To Write Diverse Characters (1)

Writing Neurodiverse and Disabled Characters (2)

Writing Diverse Characters (3):
LGBTQIA+ Incusivity

Text: Writers ResourcesImage: Laptop, glasses and notebook on desk
Bottom: three levels of white balcony of shelve lined walls with stairs connecting each.

Text: Editing a Novel: Character Development ChecklistsImage: white woman's hands with beringed fingers types on silver laptop at round table with pot plant, glasses and phone beside her.

Text: Editing a Novel: Scene & Line Edit TipsImage: white woman's hands with beringed fingers types on silver laptop at round table with pot plant, glasses and phone beside her.

Text: Finding Critiques, 7 optionsImage: white dude in front of silver laptop

Text: 12 Tips for Critical Reader PartnershipsImage: white bearded man in shirt and tie high fives white woman in suit jacket and shirt at table with laptop and notes on.

Text: Critical Reader Checklist Chapter 1Image: young black woman with long black curls sitting cross legged reading on a couch, wearing black hat.

Text: Critical Reader Checklist Act 1Image: young black woman with long black curls sitting cross legged reading on a couch, wearing black hat.

Text: Critical Reader Checklist Act 2Image: young black woman with long black curls sitting cross legged reading on a couch, wearing black hat.

Text: Critical Reader Checklist Act 3Image: young black woman with long black curls sitting cross legged reading on a couch, wearing black hat.

Querying Tips

Pitching

Querying

Signing With an Agent/ Publisher/ Publishing Paths

Text: Crafting a Quality PitchImage: open book floating around books stacked to form a wall with circle window, more shelves in background.

Blue background with white text on it.Top left: Pitmad
Top right: #DVpit
Bottom left: SFFPit
Bottom Right: PBPitch
Centre: Twitter Pitch Parties

Text: Querying Your First NovelImage: wax sealed envelop with wooden seal and Querying Resources written on it.

Splayed envelops with words 'Query Letter Specifics' written over them.

Text: Querying ResourcesImage: silver computer on desk with notebook and glasses (top).
Envelopes beside a bunch of flowers (bottom)

Text: Signing with an Indie Publisher3 images: Alexandra Beaumont, CG Volgars, Nikky Lee.

Text: How Halla Got her literary AgentImage: smiling Halla holding up her contract seated before her computer desk.

Publishing Paths; interview with authors on the Traditional, Hybrid & Indie Publishing Paths

World Building Blogs

Text: World Building Power and Conflict
Image: fwo white birds fight in flight

Text: World Building GeographyImage: black basalt rocks on the calm shores off Auckland, New Zealand, with a volcano in the horizon, and clear blue sky roofed with soft white clouds

Text: World Building CulturesImage: pillars in the Temple of Karnak, Egypt, engraved with hiergrlyphs.

Text: World building humanoid LifeImage: four boys leap into the air after a ball in the grassy lane of an orchard with tall trees.

Text: World Building Food & FashionImage: green dressed brunette woman with red hairpiece sits in a black chair wielding a broad bladed silver knife.

© 2025 Elise Carlson

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