Riley Adams's Blog, page 115

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

How to Write a Fantasy Series:  http://ow.ly/QZpXq @nownovel

Who’s Afraid of Reader Analytics? Data on where readers stop reading:  http://ow.ly/Re5B4 @Porter_Anderson

Tricks for Writing in Public:  http://ow.ly/QZqKf by Tina Jens

Different POVs for Part 1 and Part 2?  http://ow.ly/QZqz7 @glencstrathy

A Simple Landing Page Strategy for Increased Newsletter Subscribers:  http://ow.ly/QZqlm @HennekeD

Money matters for writers:  http://ow.ly/QZrxR @mikemartinez72           

The Problem With Flash Forwards as an Opening Scene http://ow.ly/QZq2B @Janice_Hardy

Mega-Wattpad Stardom: The Before And After Of Anna Todd:  http://ow.ly/Re5G8 @Porter_Anderson @imaginator1dx

Calibre: Adding a blurb to the front of a book: http://ow.ly/QZqCE @dearauthor

Writing urban fantasy in a secondary world:  http://ow.ly/QZr8a  @maxgladstone

How To Liven Up Your Story:  http://ow.ly/QZrH0 by Aaron Miles

Keyboard Shortcuts for Novelists (cartoon by @tomgauld)  http://ow.ly/QZrQQ @newyorker

Where to send your SFF book:  http://ow.ly/QZr1K by Steve Fahnestalk

After The Hype And Drama: Balancing Trad And Indie Interests:  http://ow.ly/R4teN @Porter_Anderson @ThoughtCatalog

Revision Techniques:  http://ow.ly/R4thO  @janetsfox

How to Look Good on Your Webcam: http://ow.ly/R4tkD @rachellegardner

How to Tell a Story: Script Writing vs. Novel Writing: http://ow.ly/R4tWb @whisperproject

Got a Pen Name? Here’s How to Market Your Books:  http://ow.ly/R4to8 @CaballoFrances

Writers as Project Managers:  http://ow.ly/R4twt @PascalInard

Why We Need to Appoint a Social Media Executor Now: http://ow.ly/QZq6C @annerallen

Saving Our Youngest Characters: Neonatal Information for Writers: http://ow.ly/QYf0N by Meredith Pritchard

Tips for promoting diverse novels:  http://ow.ly/QYf37 from Writing With Color

Mindmapping: a pantser’s path to the perfect story:  http://ow.ly/QYeOI @OrlyKonigLopez

5 Ways To Boost Your Productivity:  http://ow.ly/QYeYM @MariahEWilson

Writing With Confidence:  http://ow.ly/QYeXz by A. Howitt

5 Ways to Make Sure Your Ending Has No Payoff: http://ow.ly/QYf4b by Oren Ashkenazi

Kicking Great Dialogue up to Killer Dialogue (with Interstellar):  http://ow.ly/QYeRd  @SeptCFawkes

Simple and Easy Strategies to Stay Organized: http://ow.ly/QYeTh  @ArtistThink

Avoid Getting Tenses in a Tangle:  http://ow.ly/QYeVz @AJHumpage

4 Things Dexter Taught About Writing Antiheroes:  http://ow.ly/QYeJX @EmilyWenstrom

3 Keys To A Successful Story Opening:  http://ow.ly/QYeMT  @stephmorrill

Write Great Dialogue:  http://ow.ly/QY90N @angee

How to Use the Passive Voice Correctly:  http://ow.ly/QY9mS  @grammarly

4 Ways to Jump-Start a Slow Beginning:  http://ow.ly/QY93e @mythcreants by Chris Winkle

The Second Draft:  http://ow.ly/QY651  @mbtinsley

Great Character: Howard Beale (“Network”):  http://ow.ly/QY9kb @gointothestory

How to Start a Blog: A Step-by-Step Guide for Writers:  http://ow.ly/QY98b @Susan_Shain

Improve Your Writing Through the Power of Observation:  http://ow.ly/QY9ej by Barbara Baig

5 Tips for Turning Word Docs into Blog Posts Fast:  http://ow.ly/QY9FU @ShelleySturgeon

Profile of a killer:  http://ow.ly/QY8Qx by John Katzenbach

How To Build Your Own Self-Hosted Author Website In Under 30 Minutes:  http://ow.ly/QY61i @thecreativepenn

Season 2 of “True Detective” went wrong. Cautionary Lessons for Writers:  http://ow.ly/QY62k @kristenlambtx

Script Analysis: “Flight”: Psychological Journey:  http://ow.ly/QY8Wi @gointothestory

How to Write Your Characters’ Thoughts:  http://ow.ly/QSV03 @cherylrwrites

Research Mode vs. Writing Mode:  http://ow.ly/QSVz3 @tamsinsilver

Kill Your Darlings: 5 Writers on the Cutting Room Floor:  http://ow.ly/QSVvb @chloekbenjamin

5 Tips for Making Scenes in Your Novel More Tense and Interesting: http://ow.ly/QSVlz @MartinaABoone

5 tips for introverted writers:  http://ow.ly/QSV20  @MenwithPens

Pleasures of the Literary Meal:  http://ow.ly/QSVDo @KitchenBee @newyorker

What Readers Want:  Series vs. Standalone Books:  http://ow.ly/QSVsK by Big Al

Creating an Author Business Plan: Our Marketing Plan:  http://ow.ly/QSVGv @MarcyKennedy

Unsticking Yourself  From Writer’s Block:  http://ow.ly/QSUVV @karamb75

Your LOOK INSIDE! Book Preview: Will it Turn Readers Away or Close the Sale? http://ow.ly/QSVps @annerallen

Why Attend Writer’s’ Conferences:  http://ow.ly/QSUS9  @DeeWhiteAuthor

Lies, Denial, and Buried Secrets:  How to Create Dimensional Characters:  http://ow.ly/QSVBA @kristenlambtx

Fictional World-Building: 5 Types of Societies:  http://ow.ly/QQSbv  @betternovelproj

Do Your Best, Make Adjustments, Move On:  http://ow.ly/QQS0K  @finallywriting

The 12 Tools To Use Before Self-Publishing A Book:  http://ow.ly/QQRcj @LynnUsrey

3 Surprises We Need In A Story: http://ow.ly/QQRy0 @MiaJouBotha

The Case For Blurring the Lines Between Good and Evil:  http://ow.ly/QQSfb @betternovelproj

5 Writing Challenges All Writers Face (and How to Deal With Them):  http://ow.ly/QQRsG @cherilynnveland

8 Tips for Writing a Synopsis:  http://ow.ly/QQR9d @ceciliaedits

6 Ways To Achieve The Perfect Ending To Our Story: http://ow.ly/QQRNn @DeanElphick

How to Get Early Feedback on Your Book Idea or Manuscript:  http://ow.ly/QQS7Y @NinaAmir

Characters: Tormenting them for the sake of plot:  http://ow.ly/QQRjh  by Sue Bradford Edwards

The Book Launch Checklist:  http://ow.ly/QQREO @10MinNovelists

4 Real-Life Starting Points for Story Ideas:  http://ow.ly/QQRoQ @WanderfulWorld1

How Serials Can Gain You Fans: http://ow.ly/QNYr0  @willvanstonejr

On interior book design:  http://ow.ly/QNYYg @lansi26

Writing Mystery and Suspense Fiction: Can You Ever Really Know a Person? http://ow.ly/QNYez  @ShelleySturgeon

How Actions Determine Character & Arc:  http://ow.ly/QNZUF @hookedonnoir

Authors’ New, Free Entry into Libraries: SELF-e:  http://ow.ly/QNZkI @Porter_Anderson @libraryself_e

Creative Constraints In Writing:  http://ow.ly/QNXTY @rsmollisonread

6 Reasons to Read Indie Books http://ow.ly/QNZ4L  @HollyACave

How and Where to Obtain Book Reviews:  http://ow.ly/QNZSe by James Rose

Screenwriting: 3 Traps to Avoid in Love Stories:  http://ow.ly/QO07T @dougeboch

Self Publishing:on …Instagram?  http://ow.ly/QNYNe  @etmarketsbooks

Hacking Your Reader’s Brain:  http://ow.ly/QNZIa @JeffGerke

Pitch Don’ts for the Fledgling Conference Goer:  http://ow.ly/QO047  @agentsaba

Why That Ebook May Cost More Than The Hardcover:  http://ow.ly/QY8sY @Porter_Anderson @kristinerusch

How to build an email list the easy way: http://ow.ly/QLOTB  @ActivePatience_

How to Choose the Right Price for Your Book: http://ow.ly/QLNur from Fix My Story

Book Endorsements and Why We Need Them:  http://ow.ly/QLO35  @MSaintGermain

How to Write a Book From Outline to Finish Line:  http://ow.ly/QLPeo  @shelleyhitz

5 Ideas for Author Newsletter Content: http://ow.ly/QLOev  @sarahforgrave

10 Things to Know About Working With Twitter:  http://ow.ly/QLMRH  @ellisshuman

The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Demographics on Wattpad

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve had a profile and books available on Wattpad for over a year.  Wattpad is an online reading platform.  It’s a social way to share stories, with readers commenting on chapters as we release them.  I’ve written about getting on Wattpad and my thoughts on the platform.

Wattpad is free for readers.  I have enough books available for sale that offering something for free for exposure isn’t a concern.  And it is all about exposure: there are over 40 million users.

To access this feature, you’d go to your book page and click on the graph icon right next to “edit story.”

It’s interesting to see when people were reading and when they were most likely to vote or comment on a chapter.  We could use this data to figure out what days of the week might be best for us to post updates on.

Here we can see which parts generated more engagement.  This could give us real data on where our writing is resonating with readers.

We can also get interesting data on our readers–their ages and gender.  I will say that this site skews female and young.  But this is the only publishing platform where a key part of my readership is 13-18 years old.

And, below, the map is pretty cool.  Wattpad has great global reach, getting my stories into the hands of people who may not access it otherwise.

For me, this provides an interesting glimpse into my readers on the site.  It helps reinforce that I’m doing the right thing by uploading to Wattpad. I’m reaching a younger demographic than my usual reader base, and I’m also reaching readers from around the world.

Anyone else on Wattpad?  Any other ideas for reaching new demographics with our stories?

The post Demographics on Wattpad appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Marketing and Publishing Updates

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A few odds and ends and updates: 

Draft2Digital:  I’ve used Smashwords since I started self-publishing.  It’s been convenient for me to upload one file there for distribution to multiple retailers.  But I’ve experimented lately with Draft2Digital, a similar distributor (these distributors are paid a percentage of our book sales for our convenience).  I really like its user interface: it’s a nice, clean look and the site is fairly easy to navigate.

I’ve found I especially like the email updates they send that let me know when my book has gone live on the different retailers or when my price changes go through on the various sites.  It’s also nice that I can make my book free on Nook through Draft2Digital…that seemed to make Amazon move very quickly to price match when my book was free on the Barnes & Noble site.

I’m also paid more frequently with Draft2Digital than I am with Smashwords (payment is quarterly at Smashwords). 

Pen name tidbit: Apparently, my readers got an email from Amazon about Race to Refuge, which I wrote as Liz Craig.  I did list myself as the publisher, but didn’t put myself as a contributor in the author section on the KDP dashboard.  I’m thinking the reason readers received emails is because I linked to the book on my Amazon Author Central.  I guess, since Liz is a nickname, there was no trouble claiming it.  I never had such luck with my Riley Adams series for Penguin, which has a different Amazon Author Central page. 

Penguin Random House reaching out: I was blinking in amazement on August 12th.  After writing a post on the 3rd pointing out ways that my publisher, Penguin-Random House, and other traditional publishers could improve, I was surprised to see something new in my email inbox: an author newsletter.  This was the first author newsletter I’ve received and I’ve written for Penguin since 2010.

“Welcome to this month’s Penguin Random House Author News! This monthly newsletter offers Penguin Random House highlights, tips to help you connect with readers, publishing industry news, and more. It also includes information on updates to the Author Portal.”

There were links to three stories on writing, promoting, and fair use.   And even a webinar signup on learning about the role of networking in promoting.

There were 7 links to industry articles (from everything from The New Yorker to The Bookseller and GalleyCat).

Followed by…a request for feedback.  (!)

On Friday, even more astoundingly,  I got a check.  Out of the blue.   A check I was expecting in October.  According to the letter that accompanied it, however, this is likely due to the merger between Penguin and Random House and not the publishing world as we know it radically changing.

But the newsletter is a step in the right direction.  I definitely enjoy getting more information from my publisher.  It’s a good thing.

Got any updates of your own?  What are you trying out?  Thoughts on pen names and making them work better for us?

Draft2Digital, pen names, and slow publishing changes:

 

 

The post Marketing and Publishing Updates appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

MacGuffins in crime fiction:  http://ow.ly/QUB0m @mkinberg

5 tips for handling amnesia and back story:  http://ow.ly/QKI91 @Roz_Morris

Dialog Writing 101: Conversational Mechanics:  http://ow.ly/QKIIp @CSLakin

4 Tips For Finding Beta Readers:  http://ow.ly/QKJ1g @woodwardkaren

Tips for adding to a too-short draft:  http://ow.ly/QKItF @Roz_Morris

Sharing Your Space: Where we Write:  http://ow.ly/QKHSf @KeithCronin     

Why Do I Suddenly Need to Vacuum Every Time I Sit Down to Write? http://ow.ly/QKHNk  @AnneGreenawalt

Should You Write For Yourself Or Your Audience?  http://ow.ly/QKI3T  @DonnaRadley

How Setting Affects Your Characters:  http://ow.ly/QKIT2 @writers_write

How to Rekindle Your Writing When You’ve Lost Touch: http://ow.ly/QKHFY @aliventures

Screenwriting: Movie Analysis: Jurassic World:  http://ow.ly/QKHu5 @gointothestory

Sex and Science Fiction:  http://ow.ly/QKHDC  @hangingfire

Front and Back Matter in Books:  http://ow.ly/QLOr7 @msbessiebell

Book promo: joint events with non-indie authors:  http://ow.ly/QLNg9 @alison_morton

Why Authors Must Be Genuine on Social Media:  http://ow.ly/QLNFe @K8Tilton

2 Questions to Book Marketing Success or Failure:  http://ow.ly/QLN6j  @janvbear

Why Writers Conferences Are Worth It:  http://ow.ly/QLNOq @K8Tilton

4 Don’ts (Plus 1 Do) for Authors on Facebook:  http://ow.ly/QLOxQ from Fix My Story

Quick Writing Fix: Improving Story Endings:  http://ow.ly/QKIC6 @lindasclare

How to Create a Website as a Writer at Low Cost:  http://ow.ly/QHXg8 @Book_Arch

How to Write Internal Dialogue:  http://ow.ly/QHWPc @marcykennedy

5 Free “Must Use” Tech Tools for eBook Authors: http://ow.ly/QHX1E @TracyRAtkins

3 Components to Writing a Successful Collaborative Novel:  http://ow.ly/QHWir @KLHCreateWorks

The Real Price of Traditional Publishing:  http://ow.ly/QHXAt @deanwesleysmith

How to offer signed books at low cost:  http://ow.ly/QHXGx  @DebbieYoungBN

The Key to Writing Good Action Scenes (Hint: It’s Not Just the Action):  http://ow.ly/QHWV3 @KMWeiland

3rd Level Emotions:  http://ow.ly/QHX8V  @DonMaass

Tips For Being a Writer from a Journalist and Novelist:  http://ow.ly/QUlPP by Anne-Laure Thiéblemont,  @LeFrenchBook

3D Cover Generators:  http://ow.ly/QHWwU  @joleene_naylor

Want to self-publish, but can’t get your rights back?  #FutureChat: 4pBST/11aET (now) @Porter_Anderson

5 Key Ways To Entice Readers with Imagery:  http://ow.ly/QHXrb @JordanDane

How Dead-End Dialogue Kills Pacing:  http://ow.ly/QHW4H  @amyknichols

The Midpoint Reversal:  http://ow.ly/QHWpK @Janice_Hardy

Music For Writers: @MattHaimovitz’s Cello Solos Go Into ‘Orbit’:  http://ow.ly/QSRvy @Porter_Anderson

4 types of writers…that will thrive” in the enriched books era:  thhttp://ow.ly/QSRPy  @Porter_Anderson @petermeyers”

Print Vs. Ebooks: Does It Pay To Do Print? http://ow.ly/QHukF @mollygreene

How to Describe a Place:  http://ow.ly/QHuoC  @JillWilliamson @GoTeenWriters

How to Win a Twitter Pitch Contest:  http://ow.ly/QHuhn @BillFerris

100 Random Storytelling Thoughts And Tips:  http://ow.ly/QHtWl @ChuckWendig  {lang.}

The Difference Between Setup and Setup http://ow.ly/QHuI1 @Janice_Hardy

How to Craft a Page-Turning Plot:  http://ow.ly/QHtKC @cathyyardley

How Novelists Can Make “Unbelievable” Stories Feel Real:  http://ow.ly/QHuEj @michael_hauge

Words are Cheap:  http://ow.ly/QHtz9 @rachel_aaron

Could Morning Pages Help You Balance Personal and Paid Writing Work?  http://ow.ly/QHtvn  @MarianSchembari

If You’ve Only Got 15 Minutes, Is It Even Worth Writing? http://ow.ly/QHtsh @aliventures

The only way to succeed is to keep showing up:  http://ow.ly/QHtGG @kseniaanske

Want to self-publish but can’t get your rights back? http://ow.ly/QUeiS @Porter_Anderson @HarryOnTheBrink

The Power of What’s Left Unsaid When Crafting Dialogue:  http://ow.ly/QHutI by Bonnie Randall

The Perks of Writing Micro Fiction:  http://ow.ly/QFGtn @AnneGreenawalt

3 Questions for a Teachable Writer:  http://ow.ly/QFGgM @angiedicken

Finding the rhythmic beat to your writing:  http://ow.ly/QFGkw @SueColetta1

Writing Physical Challenges:  http://ow.ly/QFGnG  @FionaQuinnBooks @KatieMettner

Why Your Characters Are Boring: http://ow.ly/QFGhB  by BD Schmitt

Beyond Google: a Search Engine Just for Writers:  http://ow.ly/QPm7q @amzoltai @hiveword

How to Create a Convincing Good Guy:  http://ow.ly/QFGu9  @AJHumpage

“Speechtags are of the Devil,” He Said: http://ow.ly/QDx1d @JamesTuckwriter

10 Reasons for Authors to Blog:  http://ow.ly/QFGvH @RobinHoughton

6 Terror Tactics For Scary Villains:  http://ow.ly/QFGg1 @sacha_black

How to get our book noticed:  http://ow.ly/QFGlZ @rxena77

The 5 Absolute Dimensions of Character Personality:  http://ow.ly/QFGre @writingeekery

100+ Places to Market a YA Book:  http://ow.ly/QFGjK  @booklaunchdemon

Misspelled and Misused Foreign Phrases: http://ow.ly/QFGeR  @Jen_328

Writing for Others, Writing for Yourself: http://ow.ly/QFeZk @nevalalee

Finding the rhythmic beat to our writing: http://ow.ly/QFfc0 @SueColetta1

500 Great Words for Writing Love Scenes:  http://ow.ly/QFfbe @BrynDonovan

Creative Barriers and Self-Perception:  http://ow.ly/QFf7c @CreativeKatrina

On Prologues:  http://ow.ly/QFeWO  by Marina Montenegro

A Fiction Plotting Essentials Checklist:  http://ow.ly/QFeUC @angee

The difference between Act One midpoint and Act One end:  http://ow.ly/QFf9N @gointothestory

Why Beta Readers Can Revolutionize Our Writing:  http://ow.ly/QFf69 @MudpieWriting

Writing Emotional Scenes:  http://ow.ly/QFfcV  @enderawiggin

How to Use Platform to Sell Your Books:  http://ow.ly/QFf8P  @maria_ribas

5 Ways To Describe Characters:  http://ow.ly/QFf7T @writers_write

Keeping grief-stricken characters from becoming monotonous:  http://ow.ly/QKIe2 @Roz_Morris

3 Questions to Ask After a Rough Critique:  http://ow.ly/QFf54 @artofstoriesAB

6 Self-Editing Tips:  http://ow.ly/QDxvM @ProWritingAid

10 Most Disgusting Words:  http://ow.ly/QILjT  @CultVultures

3 Crucial Editing Phases We Need to Sell More Books:  http://ow.ly/QDxrK @CSLakin  @BookBubPartners

10 Tweets to Never Send:  http://ow.ly/QDx5T @mollygreene

4 Steps for Organizing Plot Ideas Into a Novel:  http://ow.ly/QDxor @jodyhedlund

How to Craft a Page-Turning Plot:  http://ow.ly/QDyFR @cathyyardley

Why Social Media is Still Your Best Path to Book Visibility:  http://ow.ly/QHu5G @annerallen

Pre-Orders, Sticking on Amazon, and Hitting Best Seller Lists: http://ow.ly/QDy0v @goblinwriter

Business Musings: The Crappy Parts of the Job:  http://ow.ly/QDwNg @kristinerusch

7 Things That Will Doom Your Novel:  http://ow.ly/QDxLL @jamesscottbell

Enhanced ebooks: do books need innovating? http://ow.ly/QHqEG @Porter_Anderson @camillelaguire

Why Podcasting Interviews Are Essential:  http://ow.ly/QDxeu @AudioMktgExpert

11 Author Website Must Have Elements:  http://ow.ly/QDxgJ @writerplatform

7 Tips For Starting Your Story With a Bang:  http://ow.ly/QDwSX @bryanjcollins

Witness confusion over passage of time in crime fiction:  http://ow.ly/QHqmJ @mkinberg

How to Improve Your Writing:  http://ow.ly/Qzir4 @writingforward

Common Story Problems with Simple Fixes:  http://ow.ly/Qzi5t @enderawiggin

Daily Practices to Overcome a Creative Block:  http://ow.ly/QzhUh @TaraHornor

Why We Shouldn’t Be A Writer:  http://ow.ly/QziyZ @kristaphillips

Why Is This Day Different? Knowing When To Start Your Story: http://ow.ly/Qzib7 @AnthonyEhlers

The Surprisingly Best Multipurpose Tool for Self-Publishing:  http://ow.ly/QziP6 @CKmacleodwriter

The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Tips For Being a Writer

by Anne-Laure Thiéblemont,  @LeFrenchBook

I just wanted to write. How I dreamed of that when I had nothing but a day job. Yet, if I hadn’t had that job, how could I give my stories the same realism? What I do know is that writing means I lead a double life. It’s a job, it’s a craft, it demands do it regularly and alone. Here are some tips I have picked up from my life as both a reporter and a fiction writer.



– There is no writing without passion. If your drive comes from anywhere else—wanting to make a living or be recognized and admired—you had best do something else.

– Find the time—take it from your sleep, your vacation, your time with others, your family life. I recommend at least three hours a day.

– Writing is also reading, particularly at the beginning when you still have all the techniques to learn.

– Read to understand how dialogue works.

– Read to understand how protagonists evolve, experiencing some for of transformation or even initiation.

– Read to understand how stories are cut into chapters.

– Read some more to understand that everything has a meaning and nothing is innocent—a description of landscape or a décor is only interesting if it plays a role in the story and interacts with the characters.

– It is not writing that counts the most, but building.

– Take your time. Let the text sit for a week or a month or more. Get some distance from it and even start over again.

– Never get discouraged. Perseverance is part of a writer’s DNA.

An art reporter and trained gem specialist based in Marseille, France, Anne-Laure Thiéblemont is known for her investigations into stolen art and gem trafficking. Her art world mystery novel, The Collector, just came out in English, published by Le French Book. 

The Collector: 

Some people collect art, others collect trouble. Marion Spicer spends her days examining auction catalogues and searching for stolen works of art. She is a top-notch investigator when it comes to eighteenth-century art. But for her it’s just a job and her life is well ordered. All this changes when she inherits a prestigious collection of pre-Columbian art from a father she never knew. There are conditions attached: she must first find three priceless statues. Her father’s death sparked much greed, and Marion finds herself facing the merciless microcosm of Paris art auctions and galleries, with its sharks, schemes, fences, traps, scams, and attacks. Her quest draws her into a world where people will kill for a love of beauty.

 

The post Tips For Being a Writer appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Reader Expectations for Genre

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I just finished  reading Woman With a Secret  (released as The Telling Error in the UK) by Sophie Hannah.  I’ve read a fair number of unreliable narrator books lately.  This one definitely caught my attention and sustained my interest.

One thing bothered me, as a reader and a writer.  There were several points at the end where different police investigators of the murder (and it was a murder mystery, although it could also be called a psychological thriller…more on that later), clearly knew who the killer was.  They stated they knew who the killer was, but didn’t let the reader in on it.  It’s a quibble.  But I’m a mystery writer.

This technique is still, technically, fair play in a mystery.  The great Agatha Christie kept her readers on pins and needles as Poirot gathered everyone together in a room to disclose the killer’s identity.

But many modern mysteries allow readers to solve cases alongside the sleuth, letting us in on their thought processes.  Since this novel had alternating POVs, readers weren’t always with the sleuth solving the case.  We were also in the head of one of the suspects.  Readers did have access to the same information that the police did, especially one very clever clue, I thought. The teasers, to me, were frustrating.  One of the suspects said that they’d (trying to obscure plot points with a vague pronoun, sorry) figured out why the victim had perished the way he had.  Then a detective said the same.  Then another detective knew who the killer was.

It was just a little too much teasing for me.  I might have been able to overlook one tease, but not several. Because, ultimately, the book was a whodunit.  Or was it?

That’s what made me think.  If this had been set up as more of a psychological thriller (which some reviews label the book as), then I think I might not have had the expectation that I could solve the case alongside the detective.  If we’d had some short bits from the killer’s POV, maybe.  But it was set up enough like a traditional mystery/whodunit that I was frustrated by a declaration of the case being figured out—and then a break to an alternating POV.

But the thing is…Ms. Hannah could very well be genre-blending.  With thrillers, readers aren’t necessarily trying to solve the crime—frequently we know who the killer is at the beginning of the story.  This book had elements of a psychological thriller and elements of a whodunit.  Was the author trying to take on too much? Or are mystery readers’ expectations (and mine) too rigid?

As a writer, I strictly follow the tenets of my subgenre, cozy mysteries.  The books, honestly, could be read by children because aside from the gore-free murders, there is nothing particularly disturbing about them.  No profanity (well, none in all but the first couple of books), no sex, no descriptions of violence. Nothing very dark. The murders occur off-stage. The puzzles are (hopefully) clever and my use of deep-POV is intended to make the readers feel they’re solving the cases alongside the sleuth. My readers have certain expectations associated with the genre and I deliver what they’re looking for.   This pleases me too, since I like being especially creative while writing within the limits, within the parameters, of my subgenre’s “rules.”

But I’ve enjoyed books in the past that have done a bit of genre-blending.  Paranormal mysteries are fun.  Mysteries with a bit of romance offer something a little different.  So…is it just a problem when an author dispenses with such a large reader expectation—the almost interactive mystery experience?

I did enjoy the book.  It certainly made me think as a mystery writer.  My question is this: each genre has its own set of standards or conventions.  Should we always pander to reader expectations?  Obviously, from an artistic sense, we’re completely free to deviate from the framework. But when is it okay, from a commercial sense, to blur the lines a little with category fiction?  How far can we/should we go?  Any examples of bestselling books that have really colored outside the lines?

Should we always follow our readers' genre expectations?
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Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

3 Steps To Developing A Solid Author Brand: http://ow.ly/Qx1aA @NikkiWoods

Create a Plot in 3 Easy Questions:  http://ow.ly/QwZlP  by Rebekah Lee

What YouTube Can Do for Writers:  http://ow.ly/Qx1pM by Teymour Shahabi @pubperspectives

11 Steps to Turn Your Plot Bunny into a Full-Fledged Novel: http://ow.ly/Qzj7i @shesnovel

The Passion to Teach, the Courage to Write:  http://ow.ly/QzhNB @LindsayDetwiler @womenwriters               

3 Rules on Writing About Your Family:  http://ow.ly/QziVG @hollyedexter

Envision Your Author Success with a Vision Board:  http://ow.ly/QziIj @wherewriterswin

Completing a Novel: A Look At Various Writing Methods:  http://ow.ly/QzhZ4 @Margo_L_Dill

Dear writer with countless half-finished stories:  http://ow.ly/Qzint by Jim Woods

Be Well, Write Well: Do A Character Study on Yourself:  http://ow.ly/QwYHJ @sowulwords @DIYMFA

How to be a Better Writer: Get a Running Partner:  http://ow.ly/QwZep @ErinMFeldman

Amazon’s top 10 best-selling Kindle authors: http://ow.ly/Qx1hW @Telegraph

Who Is Your Audience in Writing?  http://ow.ly/QwZ7o @McgannKellie

7 Writing Rules For Fiction:  http://ow.ly/QwYtj  @winellroad

How to Use Subplots:  http://ow.ly/QwYQM @Savage_Woman

Misspelled and Misused Foreign Phrases:  http://ow.ly/QwZ2b  @Jen_328

Can a Virtuous Character Be Interesting?  http://ow.ly/Qx0Hr @nytimesbooks by Thomas Mallon and @alicegregory

How to Find Your Novel’s Path: http://ow.ly/QwYXu @kelsieengen

10 Tips for Writing Fight Scenes:  http://ow.ly/Quba2 @robinrwrites

4 Tips to Craft a Killer Novella:  http://ow.ly/Qu9Yi by E. M. Denning

5 Tips To Deal With Internet Trolls and Bullies:  http://ow.ly/Qufo1  @_LexiScott

4 Ways to Fail as a Writer (And One Way to Succeed):  http://ow.ly/Qu8D7 @hodgeswriter

Quick Writing Fix: Improving the Flow:  http://ow.ly/Quas9 @lindasclare

From the Notebook of a Spying Writer:  http://ow.ly/Qu8yA @wordsxo

The Practice of Success:  http://ow.ly/QudGg @sarahrcallender

The Terrifying Benefits of Public Speaking for Writers:  http://ow.ly/Qudn5 @MaryVeeWriter

Can digital community support writing, really? #FutureChat 11a ET/4p BST (now) @Porter_Anderson

Keeping Informed Through Podcasts:  http://ow.ly/QC5Kj

How to Go Viral on Tumblr: 5 Steps:  http://ow.ly/Qu8Ms @BookshelfOfDoom

Can digital community support writing, really?   http://ow.ly/QC5TG @Porter_Anderson @LASbauer

How To Avoid “Episodic” Writing:  http://ow.ly/QuaBi @patverducci

Tighten Your Scenes: http://ow.ly/QuaKm  @patverducci

Avoid implementing our culture on our historical/fantasy novel:  http://ow.ly/Qua8V from You’re All Write” tumblr”

Emotional Wounds Thesaurus: Making a Very Public Mistake:  http://ow.ly/QrkXP @beccapuglisi

Platform Building for Beginners: Where to Start? http://ow.ly/QrlVi @ava_jae

Using Scrivener Collections to Organize Your Novel Project:  http://ow.ly/QrlFh @shesnovel

‘The Elements’ Of Good Book Apps:  http://ow.ly/Qzfs4 @Porter_Anderson @TheodoreGray

How to Avoid the Novel Slump:  http://ow.ly/Qrlsj @AJHumpage

You Can’t Please All Readers:  http://ow.ly/QrcZ5 @noveleditor

5 Ways In Which Sketching Inspires Writing:  http://ow.ly/Qrm8K @rsmollisonread

How To Write A Great First Scene:  http://ow.ly/QrlZL @StephMorrill

“Wasting Time” on a Practice Novel:  http://ow.ly/Qrd24 @noveleditor

Online Anger Among Crusading Writers: “Why Wasn’t I Consulted?”:  http://ow.ly/Qzfgd @Porter_Anderson @ThoughtCatalog

Getting Your Book Ready For Discovery: http://ow.ly/Qrm5h  @amcbooks

How to Nail Your Novel Pacing: http://ow.ly/Qrly1 @shesnovel

Cover Design: Book Covers Need to Grab Your Reader’s Interest:  http://ow.ly/Qrd6R by Sue Bradford Edwards

What is Your Character’s Fatal Flaw?  http://ow.ly/Qrl3U @KelsieEngen

5 Step Recipe to Create Your Protagonist’s Inner Circle: http://ow.ly/QrlJB @sacha_black

How to Punctuate Dialogue:  http://ow.ly/QqUnu @noveleditor

Do readers fall in love with your voice?  http://ow.ly/QqTRH @CalebPirtle

10 Things Best Sellers Don’t Do:  http://ow.ly/QqUVF @AmyMilesBooks

The Writer’s Delusion and Telling it Slant:  http://ow.ly/QqTAw by  Charity Singleton Craig @EDayPoems

What 1 Writer Learned Sending Her Novel Out Under a Male Name:  http://ow.ly/QwZMM @passivevoiceblg @clnichols6

What is Your Character’s Internal Struggle? http://ow.ly/QqUae  @Margo_L_Dill

Hiring a Freelance Editor:  http://ow.ly/QqU32 @c_vandenhende

Ebooks and the ‘2nd Disruptive Wave’ of Publishing:  http://ow.ly/QqUH7 @Porter_Anderson @PhilipDSJones

Balancing Dialogue and Description in Your Story:  http://ow.ly/QqUhg @RidethePen @JaneFriedman

7 Reasons Why a Writer Needs Heroes:  http://ow.ly/QqT5y @colleen_m_story

9 Ways To Ensure An Unforgettable Read:  http://ow.ly/QqUwJ @writers_write

21 Proofreading and Editing Tips for Writers:  http://ow.ly/QqSZx @WritingForward

5 Ways to Improve Your Writing’s Flow: http://ow.ly/QqSS0 @mrJRPatterson @thePenleak

Pros and Cons of Using a Pen Name:  http://ow.ly/QotHm @mariamurnane

Making Monsters:  http://ow.ly/QotPC by Naomi Richards @GothImagination

Using lists when writing:  http://ow.ly/Qotny @rodriguez_linda

The Pronoun Predicament:  http://ow.ly/QotEW by Annie Tucker @shewritesdotcom

What to Do When You Start Doubting You’ll Finish:  http://ow.ly/QuaUF @patverducci

When Friends and Family Read Your Book: Survival Tips:  http://ow.ly/QotyI @KateBrauning

Tips for Expressing Thoughts:  http://ow.ly/Qu99X  @RMNSediting

Character Development & Movement In Fiction:  http://ow.ly/QotqY  @tennessee_love

Mysteries Don’t Need Murders:  http://ow.ly/Qou2f @GerrieFerris

Give Wattpad Another Try:  http://ow.ly/QotV8 @RonEstrada

Contractions List: When To Use and When To Avoid:  http://ow.ly/QotpO @joebunting

Pros & Cons of Collaboration:  http://ow.ly/Qotww @ChristaDesir

Conferences: Advancing Your #Writing Career:  http://ow.ly/QotZj  @robincaroll

Diversity in Children’s Books Is Hard to Find —But Important:  http://ow.ly/Qotku @whet

Powerful Dialogue: Shorter Is Often Sweeter:  http://ow.ly/QnWGd @AnnetteLyon

7 ways to promote your book while watching TV:  http://ow.ly/QnX1h @sandrabeckwith

The Importance of Crediting Book Illustrators’ Work: http://ow.ly/QqNxf  @Jabberworks @Porter_Anderson

How to Personify the 7 Deadly Sins:  http://ow.ly/QnWKn by David Mesick @mythcreants

Why Your Non-Disclosure Agreement Is Probably a Bad Idea:  http://ow.ly/QnWTZ @JaneFriedman

5 Ways to Improve Your Email Newsletter Performance:  http://ow.ly/QnWUR @JaneFriedman

Multiple Points of View: Good or Bad? http://ow.ly/QnWMu by Melinda Brasher

Do you write to write? Or write to sell?  http://ow.ly/QnWW6 @OrlyKonigLopez

Authors Guild Calls For Time-Limited Contracts:  http://ow.ly/QqNgV @Porter_Anderson @ThoughtCatalog

Writing a Short Story vs a Novel:  http://ow.ly/QnWIW by Chris Winkle @mythcreants

4 ways to revive a stale book:  http://ow.ly/QnX0n @bookgal

Writing in the First Person: Pros and Cons:  http://ow.ly/QnX4L @DebbieYoungBN

How to Blog to Readers:  http://ow.ly/QnX3e @AtulyaKBingham

Interesting but apathetic characters in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/Qq4Ic @mkinberg

5 Tips To Becoming A More Conversational Writer:  http://ow.ly/QnWYi @RogerDColby

3 Step Method to Finding and Fixing Plot Holes: http://ow.ly/QnWZf @RogerDColby

How trials are more like plot-driven movies than character-driven novels:  http://ow.ly/QnhcJ by Philip N. Meyer

6 Magic Phrases to Sell More Books:  http://ow.ly/QngLP @WhereWritersWin @sandrabeckwith

Thrillerfest: Industry Experts on Platforming:  http://ow.ly/QngEP @EmilyWenstrom @DIYMFA

What a Synopsis is Not:  http://ow.ly/QnhfG by Michael Kim

Kill Characters with Purpose:  http://ow.ly/QngH9 @artofstoriesAB

Top writing links from last week:
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Keeping Informed Through Podcasts

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig                   

I’ve never been much of an audiobook listener due to my impatience.  I know I’m an extremely fast reader and I get frustrated by the slower pace of narration.  I thought the same would be true for industry podcasts. Recently, however, I’ve gotten into them.  This has surprised me, since I’d usually rather skim a transcript over listening to anything.

I still do like the transcripts to remind me of salient points.  But now podcasts are helpful resources that I enjoy listening to.  I think that’s because I’ve now got a system for making them useful for me.  I know some of you are light years ahead of me on this stuff.  I thought I’d blog my revelations  in case any of you out there are where I am in the discovery process.

I tend to listen to them when exercising (to forget that I’m exercising, since it’s my least favorite activity) or driving.

It took me a while to realize that I could subscribe to and download podcasts.  I’d thought it would be some painstaking process of pulling websites up on my phone, clicking play, and then watching my data minutes get used up.

Instead, I use free podcast apps,  Stitcher and Podcast Addict to subscribe to different podcasts.  Once I’m subscribed, I’m alerted to new episodes. Then I download the episodes to my phone. That’s key to avoid those nasty data charges when the wifi is horrid at the YMCA (i.e., all the time).  I plug in my earbuds, and learn.

And learning is what it’s all about for me. I wish I had time to be entertained, but I’m really just in search of helpful industry news and information.  And forgetting that I’m at the gym.

In the car, I have Bluetooth enabled and listen to podcasts while I’m driving (and driving and driving) my daughter to different activities.  The podcasts play through the car speakers. And entertain my nearly 14 year old! Or not. :)

I can still be an impatient listener.  Still that person who’d rather skim the transcript.  But the nice thing about Stitcher and Podcast Addict and all those other apps is that we can speed up the recording.  Which, sometimes, results in a hilarious effect, but frequently just means that I can skim the audio.  And then slow it down during parts where I really need to absorb the information.  I follow up by reading show notes on the various websites or the transcripts.

I follow a fair number of shows, but there are some I listen to more than others:

Joanna Penn.  She’s always so professional and seems to be a couple of steps or more ahead of me.  I tend to be cautions and I like following people who are experimenting.

Rocking Self Publishing Podcast.  Genial host Simon Whistler with interesting guests.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast.  Several hosts here. One is Lindsay Buroker, and I’m a fan of her blog, as well.  Useful for all genres.

Sell More Books Show.  Nice news wrap-up.

Self Publishing Podcast.  This is one that’s frequently NSFW, so heads-up on that. I believe they’re revamping their show now to make it more business, less social. A good deal of useful information and an interesting look at the way the men do business as writers.

The Author Biz. Stephen Campbell’s guests always have interesting things to talk about.

Hope this helps for anyone else who is as clueless about podcasts as I was.  They’re a nice, free way to learn more about writing and marketing. And listening to voices does, somehow, evoke more of a personal touch.  It can help me to absorb the information more easily.

Do you listen to podcasts?  Which ones? I’m always looking for something new.

Keeping informed through podcasts:
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Improving Traditional Publishing

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Recently, I was asked if I’d ever consider writing for Penguin or another publisher again.  I never like to say never because never is a long time in publishing.

But things would have to radically change for me to go back.  The amount of income that I bring in by self-publishing is far greater than the amount I bring in with trad-pub (although I have fewer self-published titles).  There would have to be some real incentive.

After some thought, this is what I came up with:

Better royalties.  Much better royalties.

No non-competes (don’t get me started on the last contract I saw).

No rights grabbing.  Allow me to retain rights to audio and foreign sales.  Allow me to get my rights back if things don’t work out between us (incidentally, this hasn’t been a problem for me, but I’ve heard nightmare stories from other authors).

Monthly payments.  Royalty statements that I can understand and access online (the online part is rolling out now).

More input into cover design, if I want it.

I’d like my books to be competitively priced in the market.  The market as a whole, not just the traditionally published market.

Marketing.  And I don’t mean catalog listings…a modern approach to marketing/getting the word out.

Real support with my own marketing: in particular, website help/design help, help with social media.

But even then…I’m still not sure I’d go for it.  I’m not sure exactly what I’d be using them for.  I’ve done all this stuff myself with better financial results.  Maybe what I really need is a virtual assistant and less stubborn determination (pigheadedness?) to do it all myself.  I’ve already started outsourcing some of the things I really dislike (accounting), so maybe it’s smarter for a self-starter author to just outsource more than to go through a publisher.

Just a note here that others will choose differently.  I know some writers state they have no time for learning self-publishing and no money to be able to pay a cover designer or formatter upfront.  I totally understand that.  But maybe there needs to be another option here…traditional publishers that take cover design and formatting costs out of the advance or initial royalty payment.  Publishers sometimes use the argument that business costs involving book design necessitate the royalty plan. But we all know excellent covers aren’t worth having low royalty rates for our lifetimes (and they certainly don’t cost that much for publishers).

What reforms would you like to see traditional publishers make?

Ideas for improving traditional publishing:
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Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

5 Ways To Check If Our Ending Suits Our Genre:  http://ow.ly/QmHVG @AnthonyEhlers

How to Develop an Outline for Our Novel:  http://ow.ly/QmI0i @farrtom

An author’s views on marketing can change over time:  http://ow.ly/QmI5D

Groundhog Day: Streamlining the Story:  http://ow.ly/Qn7Mf by James Napoli    

The 4 Types of Productivity Styles: http://ow.ly/Qn7Sf €@thecarsontate

10 Beginnings That Authors Should Avoid:  http://ow.ly/QfGyo  @selfpubreview

How to Revise a Novel:  http://ow.ly/QngQU @AnneGreenawalt

Why Talented Writers Fail: 4 Roadblocks:  http://ow.ly/Qnh2V by Michael Kim

6 Tips for Writing an Epistolary Novel:  http://ow.ly/Qnghg @TracyMarchini

6 Tips on Writing for Children:  http://ow.ly/QngCX @katytowell

How To Write A Novel In 30 Minutes Per Day:  http://ow.ly/QngJD  @writersedit

How to get the most out of a writers’ conference:  http://ow.ly/QngYA @sandrabeckwith

8 tips for using foreshadowing in the middle of our book:  http://ow.ly/QmHO0 @plotwhisperer

9 Tips to Make Your Next Writers’ Conference Awesome:  http://ow.ly/QmHIL @bookgal

Advice for Authors from a Bookseller’s Perspective:  http://ow.ly/QmHHl @THahnBurkett

How The Rules Of Screenwriting Can Improve Our Prose Fiction:  http://ow.ly/QmHEP @chris_shultz81

How a Scene List Can Change Your Novel-Writing Life:  http://ow.ly/QmHyi @monicamclark

Tips for Dealing with Depression as a Writer: http://ow.ly/QmHrR  @Lexirad

Horoscopes for writers: WriterScopes. August’s is up at:  http://ow.ly/QmAez @JanetBoyer

The Blogger’s Guide to Telling Stories That Win Hearts and Minds: http://ow.ly/QmAbu @RidethePen

Translating Criticism into Practical Tasks:  http://ow.ly/Qigwv by Shawn Coyne

Truth and Fiction: Girl Cliques:  http://ow.ly/QigpC @beccapuglisi

Get Out of the Serious Writer” Trap with 10 Ways to Laugh:  http://ow.ly/Qig4L @colleen_m_story”

How to Punch Up Your Action Scenes:  http://ow.ly/QigKs  @RidethePen

One-Starred: The Importance of Criticism and Why We Should Take It: http://ow.ly/Qih5J  @CEMcKenzie1

Story Development: 3 Keys:  http://ow.ly/Qiftd  @michaelschilf

4 Lies of Storytelling:  http://ow.ly/QifAd  @berkun

Train Your Mind for Writing with Great Books:  http://ow.ly/QiglR by Julia Reffner

#FutureChat: Enhanced ebooks: ‘Is That All There Is?’ 4pBST / 11aET / 8aPT (now): http://ow.ly/Qk20D  @Porter_Anderson

How to Ignore Pessimistic Family and Friends:  http://ow.ly/QifP3 @berkun

Bird watching in crime fiction:  http://ow.ly/QkoAK @mkinberg

5 Tips on Pitching an Agent In Person: http://ow.ly/QigaG @TraceyAfter50

10 Tips for Memorable Minor Characters:  http://ow.ly/QifZR  @SKouguell

The Best of Twitter’s ‘10 Things Not To Say To A Writer’:  http://ow.ly/QigP8 @iamthehiggs

1.1 Million Copies Later: Go Mock A Watchman: http://ow.ly/QimmG @Porter_Anderson @ThoughtCatalog

Making the Leap from Blogger to Book Author: http://ow.ly/QfGW4 @JFBookman

Deconstructing the Differences Between Thrillers & Mysteries: http://ow.ly/QfF7q @authorkendrick

On Writing And Mindset For Indie Authors:  http://ow.ly/QfGHy @thecreativepenn @susankayequinn

5 Quick Fiction Writing Tips:  http://ow.ly/QfGal @angee

8 Bad Reasons To Be a Writer: http://ow.ly/QfH1y @deborahdeetales

2 New Efforts In Publishing Diversity: http://ow.ly/QilyT @Porter_Anderson @ThoughtCatalog

Use Tension to Keep your Readers Hooked:  http://ow.ly/QfGg1  @WriteToSell

How to Write a Series: 8 Mistakes:  http://ow.ly/QfEFY @nownovel

Literary Consolation Prizes:  http://ow.ly/Qieam by @grantdraws via @AuthorCrush

6 Clues We’re Overusing Internal Dialogue in Our Fiction:  http://ow.ly/QfH9q @MarcyKennedy

10 Ways to Kick Writer’s Guilt to the Curb:  http://ow.ly/QfGsd @colleen_m_story

5 Things to Know About Querying:  http://ow.ly/QfFTw @carlywatters

10 Beginnings That Authors Should Avoid:  http://ow.ly/QfGyo  @selfpubreview

How to Use Song Lyrics in Your Book: http://ow.ly/QfFHp  @KathrynGoldman

Why We Should Sell Your Books on Apple: http://ow.ly/QbOAp @amcbooks

How to Negotiate Like a Pro (Part 1):  http://ow.ly/QbO97 @susanspann

Indie Author Pep Talk:  http://ow.ly/QbOqS @larin20

10 Writing Mistakes that Kill Our First Chapter:  http://ow.ly/QbONY @MarcyKenned

3 Reasons to Review Our Grammar Often:  http://ow.ly/QbOic @artofstoriesAB

How to Use Our Logline, Tagline, and Pitch to Create a Stronger Story:  http://ow.ly/QbOZ6 @MarcyKennedy

Why writers aren’t as sophisticated as readers. http://ow.ly/QbNHo @CalebPirtle

The Writer’s Game Plan:  http://ow.ly/QbNP5 @angiedicken

Tips for Writers Who Don’t Work Well With Outlines:  http://ow.ly/QbO2v @stephmorrill

Nonfiction Writers: Speak Your Way to Successful Authorship:  http://ow.ly/QbNzK @NinaAmir

Are you writing as much as you’d like to be? Help banishing your doubts: http://ow.ly/QbNe7 @KBullockAuthor

When We’re Stuck in the Writing Process:  http://ow.ly/QbOJP  @monicamclark

How Not to Get Sued When Writing about Real People:  http://ow.ly/Q9o7y @edsikov

Emotional Wound Entry: a Role Model Who Disappoints:  http://ow.ly/Q9p6u @angelaackerman

5 Top Tips for Writing Chapter One:  http://ow.ly/Q9n4w @sacha_black

Top 10 Things to Consider If You Want to Write Comedy:  http://ow.ly/Q9ove from A Writer’s Path

Archaic Procedures: Book Returns:  http://ow.ly/Q9nuI @111publishing

Genre, Story Tips And Getting A Film Deal:  http://ow.ly/Q9nYU @chasharris @thecreativepenn

Does Poor Word Choice Kill a Story? http://ow.ly/Q9oXS @AJHumpage

What agents want…and don’t want (pitches on Twitter).  #MSWL  http://ow.ly/QbM7X @Porter_Anderson  @thoughtcatalog

The 7 Narrator Types: http://ow.ly/Q9pqQ by Stephanie Orges

The 9 Best Apps And Tools To Help Writers Boost Productivity:  http://ow.ly/Q9mOB @writers_write

10 Things to Do Before Editing Your First Draft:  http://ow.ly/Q9ogk @ShesNovel

The Puzzling Prologue Problem:  http://ow.ly/Q9oQe @CVDalcher

20 tips for creating relatable –and lovable –protagonists: http://ow.ly/Q9pyh by  Stephanie Orges

Creating Your Own Sell Sheet: http://ow.ly/Q68GH @SouthrnWritrMag by Annette Cole Mastron

Looking for crit partners/beta readers? http://ow.ly/Q68Pr @KMWeiland

Using ‘Free’ as an Incentive:  http://ow.ly/Q7oYZ

Twitter Is Now A News Medium:  http://ow.ly/Q69qA @Porter_Anderson @thecreativepenn

5 Top Tips on being a more resilient writer:  http://ow.ly/Q68gR @ActivePatience_

How to Deal with Book Piracy:  http://ow.ly/Q68JS @Nicholas_Rossis

Romance Writers, You’ve Got to Own it:  http://ow.ly/Q69l3 @womenwriters @dlwebb

Story Equation: Applying the 4 Variables:  http://ow.ly/Q698e @michaelschilf

The unexpected effect of the €œperma free€ strategy on 1 writer’s productivity:  http://ow.ly/Q8Ony @mlouisalocke

Success Feels Better, But Doesn’t Necessarily Make You Better: http://ow.ly/Q68T2 by  Susannah Grant

The Sprint Method of Writing:  http://ow.ly/Q7nxt @ramonadef

Character Creation: Personality Core:  http://ow.ly/Q691B  @michaelschilf

The role of the village policeman in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/Q7qit @mkinberg

Audio Book Sales Increase: the Rising Popularity of the Digital Download  http://ow.ly/Q7njC @SpunkOnAStick

Wired in Series:  http://ow.ly/Q68Bj @EButlerBooks @SouthrnWritrMag

Boulevard: A Great Lesson on Torturing Your Protagonist:  http://ow.ly/Q68XG by Douglas Soesbe @CreativeScreen

The Art of the Pitch and Synopsis:  http://ow.ly/Q69dM @northerain

Productivity Methods for Writers:  http://ow.ly/Q69ck @northerain

Surviving the Space Between: A Writer€™s Journey:  http://ow.ly/Q4XPV @MSHeatherWebb @WriterUnboxed

Tax Tips for UK Authors: http://ow.ly/Q4Wu1 by Natalie Butlin

Podcasts as content: is it right for your marketing strategy? http://ow.ly/Q4WqW @wearearticulate @KatelynPiontek

Lessons Learned from Foreign Sales:  http://ow.ly/Q4WkX @lnelsonspielman

How to Build a Book Audience:  http://ow.ly/Q4Wos @nownovel

The Plot Hole That May Not Be A Plot Hole:  http://ow.ly/Q4WnC @vgrefer

Put Blog Readers First:  http://ow.ly/Q4WKC @robertleebrewer

Top writing links from last week:
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