Riley Adams's Blog, page 117

SELF-e Gets Indie Books Into Library Catalogs

by Porter Anderson, @Porter_Anderson

The American Library Association’s (ALA) 2015 Annual Conference & Exhibition opened yesterday, Thursday (25th June, #alaac15), in San Francisco with something unprecedented being offered at this year’s gathering: Library SELF-e’s first-ever national curated collection is now ready, an array of 200 indie ebooks that librarians can peruse and consider carrying for their patrons to check out and read.

Big thanks to Elizabeth for letting me jump onto her blog today to tell you about it.

As originally endorsed by indie bestsellers Hugh Howey and CJ Lyons, Library SELF-e is one of the breakthroughs many independent authors have hoped to see.

Until now, self-publishers have been generally stymied in trying to get their work into libraries. And that’s not because librarians weren’t interested in self-published work. No, it’s because there’s so much of it. My Bookseller colleagues and I in London recently estimated that the US alone is producing between 450,000 and 600,000+ new indie titles annually. Do you have time to read all those books? Neither do librarians.

What SELF-e does is give interested indie authors a way to cut through that fog of words and offer their books directly to library collections — at no cost to the author. I’ve agreed to work with Library SELF-e to get the word out to writers for exactly that reason: Here is a new, national-class service that promotes authors at no cost to them and in a critical forum formerly out of reach to indies — our libraries. One key criterion for me: This is available not only to US authors but to anyone, anywhere, writing in English.

The big moment being celebrated by SELF-e co-producers Library Journal and BiblioLabs’ BiblioBoard this weekend in San Francisco is the arrival of the first Library Journal SELF-e Select. This is the curated collection of some 200 indie ebooks that the nation’s librarians now can consider adding to their collections for patrons to check out — without limits: no maximum numbers of checkouts.

Cozies, She Wrote

I now can reveal to you that Elizabeth Spann Craig is one of the best-represented authors in the new collection: no fewer than six of her cozies are there — congratulations, Ms. C! (My favorite title in this group: A Body at Book Club.

Here are the six Elizabeth Spann Craig titles included in Library Journal’s first SELF-e Select national curated collection of self-published works for librarians.

Very quickly, here is how Library SELF-e works. (There’s much more material at the site, of course, including this excellent page of questions to use in deciding whether SELF-e is right for you.)

(1) When you submit your ebook to the SELF-e system (it’s quick and easy), a team of editors at Library Journal evaluates it.

(2) You can choose to have it automatically included in your state’s anthology for local librarians to discover and consider offering. That one is guaranteed: everybody gets in, and that anthology is provided free of charge top your local libraries.

(3) If you’re not based in the United States, SELF-e and our US librarians still want to know about your work: you simply submit your ebooks and choose the “Outside of US” option as your “state.” (Yes, we’ve basically created the 51st state in the union and it’s all about books. I have no problem with that, do you?)

(4) The big goal is to be selected by Library Journal’s evaluators for its SELF-e Select collection — this is the best of the best submitted. Libraries will be subscribing for the chance to see just which authors and which books are being put forward this way for their special consideration. That’s how the program is paid for: libraries pay to gain access to these curated collections.

(5) There’s currently a competition on, too, that might be something you want to consider: If you’re writing romance, mystery, science-fiction or fantasy, you can note as you submit that you’d like to be entered for a $1,000 prize in your genre ($4,000 total for the four genres), and the deadline is August 31. Here are complete details.

(Note: If you’ve already submitted to SELF-e and would like to be considered for a prize, let me know and I can get the word over to the SELF-e team.)

Issues and Answers

Obviously quite new on the scene, Library SELF-e is not for every author. That, again, is what its “Is SELF-e right for me?” page is about.

Here, for example, are a few points to bear in mind:

You must have the electronic rights to an ebook you submit. This can include traditionally published authors who are getting the e-rights for their backlists, of course, as well as self-published writers.
You will not be paid royalties when books are checked out by library patrons. SELF-e is designed to generate libraries’ discoverability potential for writers, not a revenue stream.
Let’s say that your self-published work finds a strong readership response and a traditional publisher offers you a contract you’d like to take. You’re not stuck. You can cancel your participation in SELF-e and libraries carrying your work will remove their copies within a specified time frame.

You may find that SELF-e’s biggest asset for you is the help it’s giving libraries that want to interface with their local writers. Instead of having to say an automatic “no” when indie authors ask if they can get their ebooks into the collection, librarians with SELF-e are able to direct authors to the program for submission through the BiblioLabs SELF-e system. The books then come through to the libraries in their state anthologies.

Mitchell Davis

Mitchell Davis, chief business officer with BiblioLabs, told Library Journal’s Meredith Schwartz about the local author-librarian relationship this way:

In the last 15 years…millions of books [were] self-published. Librarians know there are good books in there, but they don’t have the bandwidth to sort through [them]. So it seemed like a perfect marriage for Library Journal to become a readers’ advisory service for self-published books. I think that solves a really huge problem for librarians: it lets them make self-published books available with confidence and without a lot of hassle. It also solves a problem [when] local authors want their book in their local library and libraries have had to turn [them] away. Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) told us they were getting multiple emails a week and would have to say no. SELF-e lets the librarian say yes and engage their writing community more viscerally.

Next Steps

To follow Elizabeth and other authors in using SELF-e to reach library readers, keep an eye on this map. It shows you where submissions are being made (gray), where indie anthologies are already out (blue), and where they’re being put together next (red).

And bear in mind that your own local library does not have to be a SELF-e subscribing library for you to submit. You can certainly be represented in your state anthology, if you’d like, and you can have a chance to be in the ongoing releases of national-level Library Journal SELF-e. If you’d like to be in touch with me about SELF-e, drop me a line at my site or a comment here on today’s post.

Meanwhile, if you’re working in romance, mystery, science-fiction, or fantasy, you can have your submission entered into Library Journal’s 2015 Self-Published eBook Awards. Don’t forget that 31 August deadline and best of luck!

Porter Anderson (@Porter_Anderson) is a journalist and consultant in publishing. He is The Bookseller’s (London) Associate Editor in charge of The FutureBook. He is a featured writer with Thought Catalog (New York), which carries his reports, commentary, and frequent Music for Writers interviews with composers and musicians. And he’s a regular contributor of “Provocations in Publishing” with Writer Unboxed. Through his consultancy, Porter Anderson Media, Porter covers, programs, and speaks at publishing conferences and other events in Europe and the US, and works with various companies and players in publishing, such as Library SELF-e, Frankfurt Book Fair’s Business Club, and authors. You can follow his editorial output at Porter Anderson Media, and via this RSS link.

SELF-e gets self-pubbed ebooks into library catalogs (via @Porter_Anderson):
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The post SELF-e Gets Indie Books Into Library Catalogs appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Writing With Long Distance Partners

by Morgan St. James, @MorganStJames

When I’m asked about writing with a co-author, two questions top the list every time. How do you write long distance? How do you work with another writer?

I find many people assume co-authors each write complete chapters or each write one of the main characters. For many co-authors that is true. Participants at conferences, writers’ groups and readings are always interested in my answer. My sister Phyllice Bradner was the first co-author I worked with. When we began to write together in the late 1990’s, both of us were published writers in other genres with our own credits and strengths. She lived in Alaska and I lived in Los Angeles. And, neither of us had tried our hand at fiction before.

Nevertheless, we launched the Silver Sisters Mysteries series. We make it known that our protagonists Goldie and Godiva, 50-year-old identical silver-haired Mae West lookalikes, are loosely based upon our own personalities.

What people may not be aware of is that Phyllice isn’t the only partner I write with now. Phyllice and I have written three books long distance with a fourth in the works. I’ve written three books with Dennis N. Griffin and one with Caroline Rowe, plus books I’ve written on my own. So, my answer covers not only how I write with Phyllice, but with other authors with whom I’ve collaborated. My stock answer when asked, “How do you write with a co-author?” is, “It should depend upon who you are writing with and what you are writing.”

When Phyllice and I began writing together in the late 90s, email wasn’t used by many individuals and we used faxes, which was daunting at best. Every edit had to be retyped. Sometimes we had marathon phone calls where one of us would enter edits on the manuscript, and we always had at least one session where we read chapters aloud to each other. Phone bills were huge because unlimited long distance plans were also just evolving. THANK GOODNESS FOR TODAY’S EMAIL AND UNLIMITED PHONE PLANS!

Unless you definitely want the reader to know where one author left off and the other took over, there are many ways to create a seamless manuscript that appears to have been written by a single author whether it is fiction or nonfiction.

Always remember that as similar as you may think you and your co-author are, each is an individual with a different pace, personality and expertise. By setting ground rules for the collaboration right at the beginning you can tap into your partner’s strengths and agree how to handle it if you disagree. Let’s face it. We all have our differences and that can lead to conflicts. Establishing fairly comprehensive guidelines in the beginning will help to avoid unpleasantness or inefficiency down the road. While it is easier if the authors are in the same locale, when Denny and I wrote “La Bella Mafia,” Bella Capo’s shocking true story, I was in Los Angeles, Denny was in Las Vegas and later New York, and Bella who was still in hiding, was in “parts unknown.” Despite the distances, the book is seamless.

Consider the writing style of your co-author.

For example, while I cut my teeth on magazine articles, having written many “how to” articles as well as some in-depth studies and a few true short stories that won awards, Phyllice received several Alaska Press Club awards and other accolades as a journalist and graphic designer, was the print specialist for the Alaska Department of Tourism and created award-winning political print pieces. Our expertise covered various facets of writing, none of which were fiction. We both had to learn the hard way that what was stock-in-trade for what we had published represented taboo for fiction in many cases. In the case of Denny, he began with writing fiction and evolved to becoming a true crime writer. With his background in law enforcement, he was always on the alert when it came to procedures depicted in the book. Caroline was not a writer, but went through the experience with me that triggered the concept for our book “Ripoff,” so she was an idea person.

These experiences led to being aware of what you do and don’t know and not being afraid to admit it. Also, when emails don’t seem to be doing the trick for something in particular, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and call your co-author. Often more questions arise and the experience is different than banging the keys and hitting the SEND button.

My experience with Phyllice was unique.

Different writing styles and experiences can sometimes lead to conflict or disconnect. What happens when one churns out page after page while the other writes very slowly. In our case, I’m the one who writes very quickly and often click into “automatic writing,” while Phyllice massages every word and sentence to get it exactly right. My sense of humor is quite good, but hers is over-the-top.

That led to our first set of ground rules. Something easy to deal with when sending drafts and edits back and forth, now by email which is so much easier. The emerging writing team of St. James and Bradner, sisters who didn’t know each other very well when we began writing together because she moved to Alaska when she was only twenty, definitely possessed strengths in different areas. So we agreed after we our in person, Skype or telephone development meetings to plot the book, I would write the drafts and send them to her. She applied her editing skills and quirky sense of humor and sent them back. If I agreed, it went into the composite first draft manuscript. If not, we went through more rounds. My experiences with Denny and Caroline were different. Denny and I split writing chapters and were able to write in the same style. Then we had phone edit sessions. For “Ripoff,” I wrote the entire manuscript and Caroline fed in ideas.

This won’t work for everyone, and as I said I do write in different manners with different writing partners. Having identified these each partner’s traits, it isn’t hard to establish a framework for the long distance partnership.

Writing the first draft.

Often this process involves chapters going back and forth a few times. As each one is approved by both of you, paste it into the master. That way you can keep an eye on the running word count as it relates to your target word count for the whole book. Being aware of word counts can save a lot of cuts or padding later.

As a last step, schedule “out-loud” read-throughs and do them in person if possible. If it is possible one partner can travel to the city of the other and it becomes a little working vacation. If that is out of the question, with unlimited long distance on most plans it isn’t hard to have marathon phone sessions. Headphones in place or speakerphone activated, these conversations might last up to as long as five hours. Don’t set yourself a time limit for the call. If you are “on a roll” it helps to keep going. If you are tired, watching the hands on the clock until they reach the appointed time won’t result in your best effort. Reading out loud catches many things you don’t see while reading from the computer or a printout. You also catch more errors while reading a printout or print proof than on the computer.

How many drafts and how many times should you read it out loud?

Again, this depends upon who you are writing with and how much editing either of you do while the drafts are being developed. If you write with someone like my sister, often first drafts are as polished as fourth or fifth drafts of others. The test is when it sounds right and neither have objections or criticism. It is also helpful to enlist a friend who is a reader and will be very honest about their reactions. Ask them to read the first draft and the final draft. We tend to see everything through the eyes of an author when reading our own work, but readers will see different things and have different reactions.

When we are finally satisfied that we have polished the manuscript, and our editor is also satisfied, it’s time to either submit to your publisher or self-publish.

***

A frequent panelist, moderator, speaker and radio talk show host, Morgan St. James also presents a variety of workshops and has written over 600 published articles for the Los Angeles and Las Vegas editions of Examiner.com. She publishes the free bi-monthly eZine “Writers’ Tricks of the Trade.”

With 14 books to her credit, in addition to writing her own novels like “Betrayed” and “Confessions of a Cougar,” as well as “Writers’ Tricks of the Trade: 39 Things You Need to Know About the ABCs of Writing Fiction,” a handbook for writers at all stages of their careers, Morgan and her sister Phyllice Bradner co-author the award-winning Silver Sisters Mystery series. “A Corpse in the Soup” was named Best Mystery Audio Book in 2007 by USA Book News, the 3rd book, “Vanishing Act in Vegas,” recently released, and they are currently working on the 4th book in the series, “Diamonds in the Dumpster.”

She collaborated with true crime writer Dennis N. Griffin to write “La Bella Mafia,” the shocking but inspirational true story as told by Bella Capo, and the just released funny crime fiction “Bumping Off Fat Vinny.”

Many of Morgan’s award-winning short stories appear in her single author anthology, “The MAFIA FUNERAL and Other Short Stories” available as an audio book in addition to the paperback and Kindle editions. She has also contributed stories to various anthologies featuring multiple authors including two Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Memberships include Greater Los Angeles Writers Society, Sisters in Crime, , Henderson Writers Group and Las Vegas Writers Group and she is on the board of Southern Nevada Writers.

For more information visit: www.morganstjames-author.com,

and http://writerstricksofthetrade.blogspot.com

Workshop Downloads:

Crafting Twists and Dropping Clues
Pump Up Your Personality

Tips from writer @MorganStJames for writing with long distance partners.
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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.

A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Descriptions:  http://ow.ly/O435A and http://ow.ly/O435N by Nils Ödlund  @mythicscribes

Writing Prompts To Kick Off Your Commercial Fiction:  http://ow.ly/O42ti @angee

5 Google Docs shortcuts for more efficient editing:  http://ow.ly/O7ir8 by Michael Ansaldo @pcworld

Knowing When You’re Ready to Publish:  http://ow.ly/O7hZ5  @Philip_Overby @mythicscribes

Writing Tips for 1st Person POV:  http://ow.ly/O7gVS @robinrwrites

10 facts about the bestseller lists (infographic): http://ow.ly/O7gti @bookgal   

How Actions Determine Character & Arc:  http://ow.ly/O7gJi  @HookedOnNoir

How to give constructive criticism to other writers:  http://ow.ly/O7gnG @nownovel

How Travel Helps Writers:  http://ow.ly/O41SL by Sonia Thompson

5 Fantasy Character Types:  http://ow.ly/O41BN @nownovel

A wrong cover and a revamp: case study of rebranding an indie novel: http://ow.ly/O43yF @Roz_Morris

How to Write Deep POV and Bring Your Characters to Life:  http://ow.ly/O41zC @cherylrwrites

Let Your Writing Bloom: 3 Tips:  http://ow.ly/O42kL @chicklitgurrl

3 Wrong Assumptions about Agents: http://ow.ly/O42A5 @JanetKGrant

Conveying Character Emotion:  http://ow.ly/O42EW by Chris Winkle @mythcreants

What to Do if You Hate Your Book:  http://ow.ly/O42oB @AmberSkyeF

How to Build a Marketing List:  http://ow.ly/O43CJ @DIYMFA

Stuck on a Scene? Just Say No. http://ow.ly/O41Fj @Janice_Hardy

How to Self-Edit: Infographic:  http://ow.ly/O0Yc6 @nownovel

Writing the Falling Action:  http://ow.ly/O0Xed  @enderawiggin

Tips for better dialogue:  http://ow.ly/O0YfP by Art Holcomb @storyfix

Getting Motivated To Write:  http://ow.ly/O0XYQ @woodwardkaren

Author Self Promotion: 6 Things to Remember:  http://ow.ly/O0Y9Z @elspethwrites

Does Post-Apocalyptic Literature Have A (Non-Dystopian) Future? http://ow.ly/O0Xs2  @jason_m_heller @NPR

7 Reasons Why Aspiring Authors Fail to Publish:  http://ow.ly/O0XD4 by Michael Neff

8 Blunders to Edit From Our Writing:  http://ow.ly/O0Y2o @mrJRPatterson @thePenleak

5 Lessons Learned a Year After Publishing the First Book:  http://ow.ly/O0XjA @WriterAbroad

Author stress?  On mindfulness, promo, and publishing at #FutureChat: 4pBST / 11aET (now). @Porter_Anderson

How to Craft a Character Goal For Your Hero:  http://ow.ly/O0XUQ @shesnovel

How big is self-publishing?  Very big: http://ow.ly/OwBKF @Porter_Anderson @HughHowey #FutureChat

How can you fix a lackluster scene in your story? http://ow.ly/O0XPr @shalvatzis

How to sell out at a book signing without being a celebrity:  http://ow.ly/O0Y72 @janesutter

How Much Emphasis Should We Use? http://ow.ly/NZSjW  by Heidi M. Thomas

5 Tips for Going on an Offline Book Tour:  http://ow.ly/NZS9S @Book_Arch

5 Ways to Brace For the Harsh Truths of the Author Career:  http://ow.ly/NZSv0  @amcbooks

Query Question: withdrawing a query:  http://ow.ly/NZSpy @Janet_Reid

How to Plan a Box-set :  http://ow.ly/NZScj  @janerossdale @womenwriters

Writing character change:  http://ow.ly/NZSAH  @DonMaass

Amazon’s New KDP Per-Page Payments: A Closer Look:  http://ow.ly/OuVsY @Porter_Anderson @HughHowey

What Literary Agents Want to See Before Signing With a Writer:  http://ow.ly/NZSzG @Writers_Circle

Poetry at Work: The Poetry of Retirement:  http://ow.ly/NZSeD @gyoung9751

When Your Scene is Dragging: 6 Ways to Add Tension:  http://ow.ly/NZSxK @anna_elliott

How to Create Character Motivations To Rivet Readers:  http://ow.ly/NZSsW @ShesNovel

The difference between editing and proofreading:  http://ow.ly/NZS4c @LeahMcClellan

10 Tips for Great Research Interviews:  http://ow.ly/NZS8u @WritingSisters

2 Keys to Writing a Menacing Antagonist:  http://ow.ly/NWA9r @RuthanneReid

Selling your Book: 2 Steps Toward Success:  http://ow.ly/NWA6J by Deb Toor

Why are YA books about politics always dystopian?  http://ow.ly/NWAep @GdnChildrensBks

Why One Note is Helpful for Writers:  http://ow.ly/NWAaz @janice_hardy

Plotting Fiction: How To Create Richer Stories:  http://ow.ly/OstjA @angee

Slang Resources:  http://ow.ly/NWAro from Legit Writing Tips

5 Common Story Openings Done Wrong:  http://ow.ly/NWAmz @robinrwrites

You Aren’t Too Tired to Write:  http://ow.ly/NWAgX @ninaamir

3 Ways to Effectively Reveal Backstory in Your Writing :  http://ow.ly/NWAvX @whisperproject

Protecting Your Copyrights Online:  http://ow.ly/NWApF @susanspann

Balance Strength With Vulnerability:  http://ow.ly/NWAnO @jamigold

5 Tips for Tailoring Your Social Media Presence:  http://ow.ly/NWAfQ @Cara_Putman

Writing during a walk:  http://ow.ly/NWAiG by Jodi Webb

Scriptwriting: 50 Reasons Why Your Query Letter Sucks: http://ow.ly/NUHVW @dannymanus @scriptmag

Music In Writing: Pacing:  http://ow.ly/NUHmh @MiaJouBotha

3 Ways to Design the Perfect Title:  http://ow.ly/NUGLO @RogerDColby

Querying Goofs:  http://ow.ly/NUHJz  @writerdiaries

5 Ways Writers Can Steel Themselves Against Online Haters: http://ow.ly/NUGT9 @brooke_warner

What Should We Do If We’re Sick of Our Story? http://ow.ly/NUHpR @jamigold

How Much of Yourself and Others Should Your Writing Expose? http://ow.ly/NUG8a  @cdtunstall @thePenleak

The Age-Old Cynicism Surrounding the Dream of Book Writing:  http://ow.ly/NUGvg @JaneFriedman

Want to Succeed in Self-Publishing? Watch the Money: Tips from an Indie Author http://ow.ly/NUHbT @drucilla733 @freebirdmojo

The 3 Types of Reader Inside Every Writer:  http://ow.ly/NUGf5 @BenJLancaster @thePenleak

Is Self-Publishing A Good Option For Black Women Writers?  http://ow.ly/NUHzq by Lauren McEwen @madamenoire

Writing and Reading for Pleasure: Can You Teach Yourself to Write?  http://ow.ly/NUGEb by Douglas Burcham @theindiepubmag

You Don’t Have to Get it Right the First Time:  http://ow.ly/NUHNq @ava_jae

10 Things Learned From Kids About Writing a Book:  http://ow.ly/NT0Iv @ARScattergood

An agent on blurbs:  http://ow.ly/NT0oY @literaticat

10 Commonly Misused Words in Writing:  http://ow.ly/NSYei @TheRyanLanz

All you need to know about #BEA2015 by @ADStarrling: http://ow.ly/Omjsm

Importance of sequence:  http://ow.ly/NSYFs by April Macadam

Grammar Tip: Be Careful with Tenses: http://ow.ly/NSYwA @mariamurnane

The 7-Step Plan to Grow Your Author Network: http://ow.ly/NSZWu  @amcbooks

Empathy In Writing:  http://ow.ly/NSZMz @rsmollisonread

Author Branding: How to Get Started:  http://ow.ly/NT0bR Savage_W @oman

10 Tips For Daily Writing:  http://ow.ly/NT1eo  @AineGreaney

Writing Micro-concepts http://ow.ly/NT1od @SeptCFawkes

Short story writer @Pattinaseabbott ‘s challenges when writing a novel: http://ow.ly/OkfiD

9 Tips for Hosting Book Contests:  http://ow.ly/NSYQM @KimberleyGrabas

How to Get Readers into Your Story —and Keep Them There:  http://ow.ly/NT10f @lindasclare

10 tips for writing a synopsis:  http://ow.ly/NQps6 @loriagoldstein

Self-Publishing Resource Guide:  http://ow.ly/NQpKb @BlotsandPlots

How to Widen Your Funnel with Reddit, LinkedIn, Goodreads, and LibraryThing:   http://ow.ly/NQq9w  @booklaunchdemon

How to Use Advanced Facebook Ad Targeting: http://ow.ly/NQpRs @KLinwright

How to Set Up an Inviting Author Website:  http://ow.ly/NQq5E  @booklaunchdemon

Have you discovered your character’s true world? http://ow.ly/NQpCP  @WritingTxDame

Top writing links from last week:
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Writing When It’s Difficult to Write

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I pride myself on being a productive writer.  I keep to my deadlines, both self-imposed and contractual.  I write each day and meet my goals.

It’s rare I get knocked off track.  But I sure did this week. We had a water main break. Backhoes trenched from the street to our house to replace broken pipes.  We had no water.  Gardenia bushes were dug up (right when they were blooming!) Sewer lines were accidentally dinged with the backhoe (ugh).  To add insult to injury, the break was on our side, not the city’s side, so the repairs were on our dime.

And we had house guests. :)  I felt sorry for them.  Heck, I felt sorry for me. 

Yeah, I haven’t gotten much done…on the progression of the actual manuscript.

But what I do when these types of things pop up, and for most of us they will, is to do other work on the book or for my business.   If I ever think I’m running behind, I start losing motivation.

Here are  ways I stay productive and organized during a major disruption:

Although outlining definitely qualifies as a creative activity, it seems to tap into my left brain a bit.  Maybe it’s the planning aspect of it all.  This may not be a major outline…it may be lists of highlights I’d like to hit the next writing day.

Promo-related activities. Newsletters, social media updates, ads, etc.

Research.  This could mean story research or learning a new skill.  I’m currently learning how to format my own material and how to create Facebook ads.

It may even mean editing, which I don’t ordinarily do during a first draft.  But it’s far easier for me to edit than write when I’m swamped.

When I’ve got a lot going on, it’s almost as if my brain is humming with so many different ideas for what to do next that I can freeze up.  In this case,  brain dumping  tasks can help me be more productive (and sleep at night).  These lists cover everything from book-related tasks to errands to anything else I need to take care of.

In the same vein, prioritizing tasks can be helpful when it feels as if everything needs to be done at once and I’m already behind.

The water is back on, the trench is filled in, and they’ve put down grass seed and straw.  Despite the setback, I feel as if I’m going to pick back up again with no problems.  Let’s hope.

How do you handle major disruptions to your writing schedule?

Tips for writing when faced with major disruptions:
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Working My Way Toward the Novel

by Patricia Abbott , @Pattinaseabbott

I wrote approximately 100 stories and a handful of poems before it seemed time to try my hand at a novel. And it turned out to be so terribly hard that I wrote another 25 stories while I dithered about just how to do it. How do you write an novel? I read books, articles, blogs, listened to podcasts, trying to find my way inside this world.

I listened to people in my writing groups and in classes when they told me how this or that story was ripe for development into a novel.

Yes, I said, but truthfully I never really saw the potential novel in most of those stories. They seemed complete, finished. I had said all I wanted to say in about 5000 words. By then, I’d exhausted the subject and was bored with the characters. Ready to move on. Those characters just had this one thing to do and they did it with only a few other people looking on. Those stories all took place over a short period of time–or at least the best ones did.

Look, I told my writing group, Alice Munro and Ray Carver only write short stories. Lots of writers do their best work in their shorts: Charles Baxter, William Trevor,  John Cheever, Mary Lavin, and on and on.

But secretly, I wanted to try a novel. I was tired of coming up with a new idea every month. Tired of the restrictions a short story imposes.  Ready for a challenge even if it went bust.  I wanted to stretch both my brain and the length and cast I had to work with.

So I wrote a novel that I thought was pretty good and sent it along to an editor who specializes in crime novels. He very kindly wrote back and said he’d read fifty pages and no one had died. People die in crime novels. Had I thought of writing another kind of novel? I decided to try again. This time I would begin with a murder. I’m no fool, right? CONCRETE ANGEL begins with a murder. If I’d sent it to him though, it would still have let that editor down because the novel is more about the people who commit crimes than the crimes themselves. It may be categorized as crime fiction but more of the domestic suspense variety.

If getting the rules of the genre in place was one problem, making the canvas larger was very difficult too.  And there is the crux of novel v. short stories. I needed more characters, more scenes, more locales, more conversations, more description. In writing shorts I’d learned to be succinct, to tell the story as tightly as possible. A novel has more breathing room–but filling it with words worth reading was a challenge.

Since the story is about a mother and daughter though,  I could certainly add a husband, or perhaps two. I could have grandparents in the story. How about a doctor and a lawyer? Although most of these people are largely peripheral to the action, they do bring depth and their presence can add to our understanding of the protagonist. They function as people to talk to, to have lunch with, to argue with.  They can cause trouble. Each character allowed me to add nuance, to add intensity.

I think I still have a lot to learn about writing a novel and probably about writing stories too. I hope I have the time to improve.

Thanks so much for listening to me babble on here. I am still working this out myself.

Patricia Abbott is the author of CONCRETE ANGEL (Polis Books) and the forthcoming SHOT IN DETROIT. She is also the author of more than 150 short stories, two ebooks (MONKEY JUSTICE and HOME INVASION (Snubnose Press) and won a Derringer for her flash story, “My Hero.”

Short story writer @Pattinaseabbott 's challenges when writing a novel:
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The post Working My Way Toward  the Novel 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.

Tips for Novelizing True Events:  http://ow.ly/NOfdX  @kcraftwriter

Creating a Scene Outline for Your Novel:  http://ow.ly/NOeWF @JodieRennerEd

The exploitation of writers:  publishing contracts: http://ow.ly/Oh7o2 @Porter_Anderson @AuthorsGuild

Sources of Public Domain Lyrics:  http://ow.ly/NOfDN @HelenSedwick

5 Ranged Weapons That Can Replace Bows:  http://ow.ly/NOf3W @mythcreants by Mike Hernandez

How to Avoid Head-Hopping: http://ow.ly/NOeRT @JodieRennerEd

Will a Blog Tour Work for Your Book?  http://ow.ly/NOfXf  @KarenBerner

Redesigning Book Covers:  http://ow.ly/NOfPo @thebookdesignr

5 Compelling Reasons Why You Should Share Your Writing:  http://ow.ly/NOeDr @DeanElphick

Different Types of Reviewers: Do They All Matter?  http://ow.ly/NOfHr @bookgal

Overcharging Authors for Their Own Books: Buying Author Copies: http://ow.ly/NOfzH @HelenSedwick

30 Social Media Tools For Writers:  http://ow.ly/NOfoo @writers_write

How To Create An Antagonist:  http://ow.ly/NOeMb @HeatherJacksonW

7 Lessons Writers Can Learn From James Patterson: http://ow.ly/NQqul @AnthonyEhlers

5 Ways to Recover from Writer’s Fatigue:  http://ow.ly/NQpYV @LyndaRYoung

What 1 Writer Learned from Rewriting Her Novels:  http://ow.ly/NOg1F @mirymom1

Updating Your Ebook After Publication:  http://ow.ly/NQpyu @JFBookman

Mixed Martial Arts For Writers:  http://ow.ly/NOg7l @RuthHarrisBooks

How Long is a Chapter? http://ow.ly/NQqjl by Heidi M. Thomas

What’s the best way to make sure readers love my characters?  http://ow.ly/NKemY @gointothestory            A Reactive Protagonist Doesn’t Have to Be a Passive Protagonist:  http://ow.ly/NKexU @KMWeiland

Staying in Character: The Convergence of POV and Voice:  http://ow.ly/NKejq @robinpatchen

Tips to Keep Tension Taut:  http://ow.ly/NKefb @lindasclare

The Most Important Thing A Writer Needs: http://ow.ly/NKeKE  @RiteLikeRowling

Thoughts on internal monologue:  http://ow.ly/NKeUc  @christinekohle1

6 Different Ways to Publish:  http://ow.ly/NKePH @bookgal

How big is self-publishing? #FutureChat topic:  11aET/ 4pBST  (now) @Porter_Anderson @TheFutureBook

4 Tips to Write a Better Character Portrait:  http://ow.ly/NKesD @monicamclark

Script Analysis: “The Imitation Game”:  http://ow.ly/NKept @gointothestory

5 tips for blogging a book: http://ow.ly/OdtW7  @NinaAmir

3 Tips for Naming Your Novel:  http://ow.ly/NKeXY @Elysia_Regina

Rowling’s Revisions for ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ :  http://ow.ly/NKeNq @RiteLikeRowling

Increasing Sales on an Old or Flagging Series:  http://ow.ly/NKewi @goblinwriter

‘A Year of Men Self-Publishing': #FutureChat recap: http://ow.ly/OduBz @Porter_Anderson @StonehamPress

Epic Female Protagonists Written by Women: http://ow.ly/NGIX3 @Cecily_Kane

4 Signs You Might Be a Book Diva:  http://ow.ly/NGIVE @KristiBelcamino

10 Classic Superheroes, Ranked By Their Origin Stories: http://ow.ly/NGJ4L @MrAdamHolmes

4 Survival Tips for Writers Caught in the Waiting Game:  http://ow.ly/NGISr @ticewrites

How big is self-publishing? http://ow.ly/OcsDV @PhilipDSJones @Porter_Anderson @HughHowey

3 Unspoken Secrets to Getting Published:  http://ow.ly/NGJf0 @PaulAngone

7 Ways Writers Can Rock Wattpad:  http://ow.ly/NGJoT  @CherylRWrites

Action Tags for Setting and Characterization:  http://ow.ly/NGJbz @FrancaPelaccia

7 deadly sins of the writing life: greed: http://ow.ly/NGJln @hippocampusmag

How to Craft Characters Scene by Scene:  http://ow.ly/NGJdI @DavidCorbett_CA

Why Accountability Is Essential to Novelists: http://ow.ly/NGITs @writeabook

3 ways scheduling will make you a better blogger:  http://ow.ly/NGJgi  @veggie_mama @ProBlogger

How Layers Can Deepen Your Story’s Impact:  http://ow.ly/NGIRs @kcraftwriter

Fixing the First Page: A Critique:  http://ow.ly/NCZE2 @ava_jae

7 Things That Will Destroy You as a Writer:  http://ow.ly/NCZo8  @wendypmiller

How Penniless Writers Can Indie Publish:  http://ow.ly/NCZj1 @JulieMusil

How to Get More Reviews and Blurbs For Your Book:  http://ow.ly/NCZNe @booklaunchdemon

How to Find a Literary Agent for Your Book:  http://ow.ly/NCZxo @JaneFriedman

How to be an Introvert: Attending Live Events:  http://ow.ly/NCZfq  @amytschubert

Tips for better dialogue:  http://ow.ly/NCZAr  @LindaYezak

Advice For Young Writers and Illustrators:  http://ow.ly/NCZsu @smilingotis via @inkyelbows

How to Overcome Social Anxiety When You Work From Home:  http://ow.ly/NCZkX @AKWhitney

Cut From Fiction What Doesn’t Fit:  http://ow.ly/NCZJm @noveleditor

Shame and Your Writing Career:  http://ow.ly/NCZG8 @DanBlank

The case for physical books:  http://ow.ly/NCZ1U @npbooks by Robert Fulford

3 Tips For Writers Who Eavesdrop:  http://ow.ly/NABhk  @MiaJouBotha

How to Stop Haters from Infiltrating Your Blog:  http://ow.ly/NABM4  by Christopher Jan Benitez for @blogherald

Use Google+  to Increase Blog Traffic:  http://ow.ly/NAC5T @socialmedia2day by Christopher Jan Benitez

7 Deadly Sins of the Writing Life: Sloth:  http://ow.ly/NAB3I by Cheryl Wilder @HungerMtn

5 Reasons Becoming a Parent Makes You a Better Writer:  http://ow.ly/NABmQ @WriterAbroad

Debunking the Discovery Problem:  http://ow.ly/NAAOr @jwikert @passivevoiceblg

51 Websites for Romance Writers: http://ow.ly/NABUg @nownovel

7 Setting Basics That Can Bring a Story to Life:  http://ow.ly/NABYr @jodyhedlund

7 Deadly Sins of the Writing Life: Pride:  http://ow.ly/NAB8j  @HungerMtn by Cheryl Wilder @SuzFarrellSmith

A review on comma rules: http://ow.ly/NACfa by Melissa Gilbert

7 Digital Marketing Skills Every Professional Needs :  http://ow.ly/NABzi @Big_Bri @ProBlogger

#MusicForWriters:  John Supko and ‘Rest’ for Musicians, Human and Otherwise: http://ow.ly/O4ccU @Porter_Anderson @supko

Prewriting Writing Rituals That Prep Us for Writing Success:  http://ow.ly/Nz1TJ @writersrelief

Breaking the 10,000-Word-Day Barrier and Composing a Rough Draft in 2 Weeks:  http://ow.ly/Nz1zj @goblinwriter

How to Write a Story a Week: A Day-by-Day Guide: http://ow.ly/Nz18Q @EmilyWenstrom

Writing Groups: How To Write a Constructive Critique:  http://ow.ly/Nz2N3 @MandyCorine

Creative Hunger and the Magnanimity of Artists:  http://ow.ly/Nz2ym by John Walters

Want to Reach Readers Who Aren’t Your Fellow Writers? Try WattPad:  http://ow.ly/Nz1Q0 @CherylRWrites

No Zombies Allowed (in Christian Fiction):  http://ow.ly/Nz2rw  @cerebralgrump

When to Discard the 3-Act Story Structure http://ow.ly/Nz1vM @epbure

7 Tips for Metadata Magic for Self-Publishers:  http://ow.ly/Nz1L3  @BookWorksBetty

Types of Plot Sheets:  http://ow.ly/Nz1p8  @larin20

What is an Anti-Creative Mindset? http://ow.ly/Nz2hE @ArtistThink

Audio Books for Indie Authors:  http://ow.ly/O0UDB @alexjcavanaugh

Writing a Chapter or Scene in Scrivener’s Text Editor:  http://ow.ly/Nz2ls @shesnovel

Why romance novelists are the rock stars of the literary world:  http://ow.ly/Nz29F @EmmaRoseTeitel @macleansmag @passivevoiceblg

Fantasy Shorts: Types and Where to Locate:  http://ow.ly/Nu75c @VickyThinks

Does Listening to an Audiobook Count As Reading?  http://ow.ly/Nu5Bv @lawz_m

Focusing Your Idea: http://ow.ly/Nu5vb @bob_mayer

Lessons in Failure and Writing a Novel:  http://ow.ly/Nu4TF @mpnye @Missouri_Review

How to Make Time to Write:  http://ow.ly/Nu466 @ninaamir

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How to Plan Your Blogged Book

By Nina Amir, @NinaAmir

I know few writers who feel they have enough time to work on their books. Most tell me they want to be more effective and productive because they need to promote their books as well as write them. That’s why I developed the blog-a-book strategy. It allows you to write, publish and promote a book all at the same time.

As you intentionally publish the first draft of your book post by post on your blog, you effectively build a readership for that work. You develop a group of loyal fans ready and willing to purchase the final edition when you release it in print or digital version.

If you’d like to work smarter, not longer and harder, and write a book on your blog—or as you blog, follow these basic steps to plan out your nonfiction or fiction blogged book.

Your Blog-a-Book Plan

Once you have the topic or storyline for your book, it’s time to determine the contents of your book. In the initial stages of blogging a book, this is not that much different than planning a book you write the “normal” way.

1. Brainstorm your book’s content.

Begin with a brainstorming activity. Allow yourself to consider all the possible content or story lines your book could include. You can do this with a mind map. If you prefer, use an outline. Novelists and memoirists often like a timeline for this exercise.

Think about all the subjects, research, characters, facts, scenes, turning points, life events, etc., you might want to include. Produce a brain dump of ideas.

2. Create a table of contents.

When you are done brainstorming the subjects and stories that you will include in your manuscript, organize that content into a table of contents. Give your book structure by turning the mish-mash of ideas into chapters that flow from one to the next logically.

To do this, you need to create your novel’s story line or determine the best sequence for the information that will comprise your nonfiction book. Find the major life events to include in your memoir.

3. Plan Your Posts

Next, break down the content you have planned for each chapter of your book into post-sized bits. Publish each one of your chapters on your blog in 300-700-word pieces—blog posts. To make this easier, create a blog plan. Turn what normally would be many long chapters (each one several thousand words in length) into numerous short posts.

If you write nonfiction, think of each blog post as a subtopic or a subheading in your chapter. Create 15 to 20 subheadings (or posts) per chapter. To adequately address some of these subtopics, you might need to write more than one post. Note these additional posts in your plan, possibly even with a blog post title.

When you finish, your blog-a-book plan might look like this:

If you write fiction, plan out the scenes in each chapter and break them into post-sized bits. You also might use longer bits of dialogue or description as individual posts. Each one of these small parts of your chapter gets turned into a blog post. (Sometimes your posts will be longer to accommodate a whole scene.)

I’m not a novelist, but to give you an idea of how your blog-a-book plan might look, here’s an example of one chapter with some of the details planned out as posts.

4. Create a blogging schedule.

Once you complete your plan, create a blog schedule. Decide how many days per week you will blog your book and stick to it. The more often you blog, the faster you gain readers. You also get your book written faster.

It’s better to publish shorter posts more often (especially when trying to build platform). Don’t publish 2,000-word posts once every two weeks. (Remember, you are not serializing your book.) Overly long and infrequent blog posting doesn’t attract readers and makes the book writing process feel harder. Plus, it will take longer. Blog your book in too short a period and you won’t attract many readers either.

To figure out how long it will take you to blog your book, determine the length of your book. Then divide this number by your average post length, for example, 500 words.

If you publish three posts per week, each one about 500 words long, and you write a 10,000+ e-book in seven weeks. Or publish 100 posts, each one about 500 words long, and you produce a 50,000-word manuscript. Publish posts three times per week, and you finish that manuscript in 34 weeks.

Publish more posts more often to finish your book faster. Or increase the length of your posts to complete in record time.

Final Tip

Before you plan your blogged book content and schedule, be sure your idea is marketable. I suggest going through the basic steps of evaluating an idea prior to writing. Do this by creating a business plan for your book that includes a market and competitive analysis. Use the information you gain to craft a book idea that targets your market and provides a unique and necessary offering in the appropriate bookstore category.

Complete all these steps and you are ready to write, publish and promote at the same time—to become a more effective and productive writer.

To learn more about blogging book and booking blogs, purchase a copy of How to Blog a Book Revised and Expanded Edition in the Writer’s Digest Shop.

Nina Amir, the Inspiration to Creation Coach, is the bestselling author of How to Blog a Book and The Author Training Manual. A speaker, blogger, and author, book, blog-to-book, and high-performance coach, she helps people combine their passion and purpose so they move from idea to inspired action and positively and meaningfully impact the world as writers, bloggers, authorpreneurs, and blogpreneurs. Some of Nina’s clients have sold 300,000+ copies of their books, landed deals with major publishing houses and created thriving businesses around their books. She is the founder of National Nonfiction Writing Month, National Book Blogging Month, and the Nonfiction Writers’ University. As a hybrid author, she has published 15 books and had as many as four books on an Amazon Top 100 list at the same time.

To find out more about Nina and get a free goal-achievement e-book, visit www.ninaamir.com. Receive a set of free blog-plan templates when you visit www.howtoblogabook.com or a free guide to writing a nonfiction book at www.writenonfictionnow.com.

Follow Nina on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NinaAmir

Facebook: www.facebook.com/InspirationToCreation

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninaamir

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ninaamir

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NinaAmir/posts

5 tips for blogging a book from @NinaAmir:
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The post How to Plan Your Blogged Book appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Audio Books for Indie Authors

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Audio books and podcasts are gaining popularity with the advent of Bluetooth technology in cars (and, probably, with the desire for listeners to be distracted from tedious commutes or exercise routines).  You don’t have to be traditionally published to have your title in an audio book format.  Today I’m on the ISWG site explaining a little about how ACX works.  Hope you’ll pop over.

The post Audio Books for Indie Authors 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.

Review a Book for Potential Legal Issues:  http://ow.ly/NqNpd @WhippleMarc @passivevoiceblg

A closer look at some strong opening lines:  http://ow.ly/NqNFf by Matt at The Book Blogger

Tips for a better author website:  http://ow.ly/NqNjJ @Vijayaschartz

Creative Nonfiction Writing Process:  http://ow.ly/NqMP2 @AnneGreenawalt               

What’s So Great About Young Writers?  http://ow.ly/NqN12 @robin_black @NYTOpinion

There Are Only 6 Basic Plots, According to Computers:  http://ow.ly/NqLOP @a_ben_richmond

Writing Horror And Making A Living:  http://ow.ly/NqMdA @mbcollings @thecreativepenn

Query question: I only want an agent for film/translation:  http://ow.ly/NqNcZ @Janet_Reid

How to Spot a Rights Grab:  http://ow.ly/NqMm9 @HelenSedwick @passivevoiceblg

Using vehicles for cover in shootouts: http://ow.ly/NqMyV @LeeLofland

4 Daily Steps To Long Term Writing Success:  http://ow.ly/NqMUm @ryancaseybooks

Questions about ISBNs and Barcodes Answered:  http://ow.ly/Nu3W0 @JFBookman

Permission to ask for what you’re worth:  http://ow.ly/Nu57T @KristinSLevine

7 Fiction Writing Rules :  http://ow.ly/Nu4qf by Kat Foster @womenwriters

The Fantasy Genre: Where’s the Line?  http://ow.ly/Nu6xQ @mattstaggs @suvudu

What publishing needs now are gutsy people: http://ow.ly/Nu68x @JanetKGrant

8 Steps to Discover Your Perfect Writing Process:  http://ow.ly/Nu43u @sacha_black

10 Best Creative Writing Exercises:  http://ow.ly/Nu5Je @Mary_Jaksch

AmazonCrossing: ‘Around 150 Books Translated’ : http://ow.ly/NUKuH @Porter_Anderson #FengTang

Unraveling The Ribbons of Your Story:  http://ow.ly/NDCIM @MichalskiLiz

Why and how to use interviews to research fiction:  http://ow.ly/NDDP2 @LaurelGarver

5 LinkedIn Groups for Writers:  http://ow.ly/NDDXc  @ShelleySturgeon

In a Rush to Publish?  Better Ways to Shave Off Time:  http://ow.ly/NUMee

4 Indie Books that Began as Blogs:  http://ow.ly/NDCd8 @joesutton

3 Tips for Overcoming Fraud Syndrome:  http://ow.ly/NWgcI @livequiet @MeaganFrancis

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

Commonly Confused: Peak, Peek and Pique:  http://ow.ly/NDCD6  @Savage_Woman

How Reading Short Stories Can Make You A Better Writer:  http://ow.ly/NDDV1 @JacobTomsky @StoryADayMay

3 Ways To Start Writing: Without The Fear:  http://ow.ly/NDCKr  @AnthonyEhlers

Does Your Website Make Your Readers Think?  http://ow.ly/NDEd0  @thejessew

The concept of home in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/NULlC @mkinberg

Worst Types of Plot Fails:  http://ow.ly/NDDM0 @TherinKnite

What Elizabethan book pirates in the 1500s teach about piracy today:  http://ow.ly/NUJ4j @passivevoiceblg @voxdotcom @PhilEdwardsInc

8 Blunders to Edit Out of Your Writing:  http://ow.ly/NUGnP @mrJRPatterson @thePenleak

Using a journal to brainstorm your fiction: http://ow.ly/NDDSz @LaurelGarver

LinkedIn: 5 Mistakes to Stop Making: http://ow.ly/NDCFw @fahrenheitllc

5 Ways to Write a Book:  http://ow.ly/NDCAQ @trainingauthors

Authors making $8,000 per year? Why write free? A #FutureChat recap:  http://ow.ly/NP773 @Porter_Anderson @robotech_master

How To Write A Killer Hook:  http://ow.ly/Nm37w @SueColetta1

Why Are Boys Not Reading More? Is Publishing Addressing The Crisis?  http://ow.ly/NTFrM @Porter_Anderson @pegtyre

How to Write in Deep POV: http://ow.ly/Nm36K @ShesNovel

Building Complex, Interesting, Memorable Characters:  http://ow.ly/Nm3b9 @VickiEssex

4 Compelling Ways to Write Emotion:  http://ow.ly/Nm3qr @Jill_Jepson

9 ways to brainstorm story ideas: http://ow.ly/Nm39a @SusanLeighNoble

How to Accomplish Twice the Writing in Half the Time:  http://ow.ly/Nm331 @MudpieWriting

Pros And Cons Of Being An Indie Author:  http://ow.ly/Nm3cI @thecreativepenn

5 Ways to Stretch Your Word Count:  http://ow.ly/Nm3bX @MCristianoWrite

7 essential MailChimp tips and tricks:  http://ow.ly/NSpcR  @SageCRM

5 bits of wisdom for poets, by poets:  http://ow.ly/Nm34E @nickimporter

5 ways to get publicity for your book:  http://ow.ly/Nm3e4 @chrisrobley

Looking for an editor or designer? A free list:  http://ow.ly/NRyAR  #selfpub #selfpublishing

The Right Way to Price Your Book:  http://ow.ly/Nm3av @thecadencegrp

Write Better Faster. 10 Go-To Resources:  http://ow.ly/Nm38d  @janalynvoigt

Writing Impossible Goals, Impossible Obstacles: http://ow.ly/Nlf40 @Screenwriter12

8 Mistakes That Will Kill Your Sci Fi Screenplay:  http://ow.ly/Nlfai @bang2write

Are youth reading? In what format? http://ow.ly/NP6vt @Porter_Anderson @BKGKristen

Muddled book middles: some suggestions:  http://ow.ly/NlfbM  @drcarolcooper

100+ places to market your SF book:  http://ow.ly/NQqdl @booklaunchdemon

5 apps for writers:  http://ow.ly/NlfgF  @WendyHJones

8 Compelling Themes for Dystopian Settings:  http://ow.ly/Nlfyd by David Mesick @mythcreants

Q&A with literary agent Jenny Bent:  http://ow.ly/NPFn5  @jennybent @ScriptsScribes

How Much Time has Passed in Your Story?  How and Why to Keep Track:  http://ow.ly/NlfEJ @ink_and_quills

Negotiation Tactics of Good Agents:  http://ow.ly/NlfiV agentk @ristinNLA

‘The Tsunami-of-Content’?  #FutureChat recap: http://ow.ly/NP5JK @Porter_Anderson @jamesscottbell

Your Characters Are Too Talkative? Manage Your Dialogue:  http://ow.ly/NlfJp @MillisJess

Upcoming Conferences and Workshops and Publications for Writers:  http://ow.ly/NP2Jh @AlexJCavanaugh

Be Mean to Your Characters: 3 Ways to Create Conflict:  http://ow.ly/Nlf8j @johnkbucher

Creating Better Ethnic Characters:  http://ow.ly/NleYd @MiaHopkinsxoxo

What Writers Can Learn From Game of Thrones:  http://ow.ly/NlfsC @EJemily24

7 Storytelling Sins of Worldbuilders:  http://ow.ly/NlftJ @mythcreants by Chris Winkle

Why Good Characters Have to Die in Fiction:  http://ow.ly/NjQDt @whisperproject @farrtom

Video Games & Storytelling: http://ow.ly/NjQTT @woodwardkaren

How Important is Your Book Title? http://ow.ly/NjR9X @rachellegardner

10 Steps to Editing with Focus:  http://ow.ly/NMzC3 @silas_payton

Organize Your Writing Life: Tracking Characters:  http://ow.ly/NjRaN  @The_Julia_Kelly

How to Make Your Novel Sellable:  http://ow.ly/NjQuh  @DeniseDrespling @WriteAngleBlog

Why Beta Readers are the Key to Effective Rewriting:  http://ow.ly/NjQGQ @whisperproject @farrtom

Dontcha Know and Other Vernacular Issues for Writers http://ow.ly/NjQAQ @catewoods @WriteAngleBlog

How To Conquer The Shame Of Being A Writer :  http://ow.ly/NjQWa @litreactor @chuckpalahniuk

How to Write With Your Back Against the Wall:  http://ow.ly/NKfhV @drewchial

3 Ways to Start Your Novel:  http://ow.ly/NjQFf @RuthanneReid

Craft Dynamic Antagonists Your Readers Will Love:  http://ow.ly/NjQEm @KMWeiland

On Writing Well (5 Big Tips):  http://ow.ly/NjQCi  @challies

Why Screenwriters Are Writing Novels:  http://ow.ly/NjQIa @WriterJimVines

Supercharge Your Story’s Setting with 3 Design Tools:  http://ow.ly/NelbL @MandyCorine

‘Putting Readers First’ At BEA: Gatekeepers, Curators, And ‘Too Many Books’:  http://ow.ly/NKbMe @Porter_Anderson @MichaelBhaskar

10 Items for a Successful Book Event:  http://ow.ly/NKb53 @TraceConger

Making Unlikeable People into Likeable Characters:  http://ow.ly/Nel3p @SeptCFawkes

What a query is and how to write one: http://ow.ly/NelgB  @theQueryFaerie

Is my agent an idiot? Yes, yes he is. http://ow.ly/NekVT @Janet_Reid

Loglines and taglines are different and we need both for our novel:  http://ow.ly/NejEz @RWASDChapter

How To Write a Constructive Critique:  http://ow.ly/Nel9x @MandyCorine

Avoid These 25 Newbie Writer Mistakes:  http://ow.ly/NelM3 @jodyhedlund

The eeriness of the English countryside as a setting: http://ow.ly/NekNJ by Robert Macfarlane @guardianbooks

How To Record Your Own Audiobooks For ACX:  http://ow.ly/Nel6c @thecreativepenn

How to Get Readers to Lust After Your Book: http://ow.ly/Nejwf @jamesscottbell

Critique Partners vs Beta Readers and Where To Find Them:  http://ow.ly/Nejrw @DarlaGDenton

Researching your Novel Guide:  http://ow.ly/NbwON @nownovel

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

In a Rush to Publish? Better Ways to Shave Off Time

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

There has been a good deal written about the need for self-publishing authors not to be in a rush to publish.  And yet, there has been a good deal written about the need for self-publishing authors to        quickly produce for financial success.

These bits of advice aren’t really as contradictory as they seem.  The time to move things along, I believe, is when we’re writing.  The time to be thoughtful and unhurried is during the packaging process…the editing and cover design.  The finishing touches need time.

What can we do to make our writing go faster?  Here are some things that have helped me:

On a daily basis:

Know what you’re going to write that day (at least the plot points).

Think about where you left off and what you’re going to say next before you open the laptop (I mull things over in the mornings as I let the dog out and as I’m making myself coffee.

Eliminate distractions.  For some, this means just closing windows on their computers until the manuscript is the only thing up. For others, it means disconnecting from wifi.

Set timers.  Write for your target amount of time, then check social media/do other things you’ve been dying to do while writing.  Then set a timer again.  Repeat until you can reach your target.

Diagnose problems and roadblocks. This is the single most-important thing I do each week to write faster.  Because, for me, slowing down happens about once a week. I don’t have time to sit around and stare at the screen.  I don’t have time to edit too much bad writing—and I know when I’m producing the written version of “uhhh.”  This is what I ask myself, because frequently I don’t know what the problem is before I think it through. Is there a better time of day to write?  Is home too distracting and the library might be better? Am I procrastinating writing a scene because I know it’s not right for the characters?  That it’s boring?  That it’s unrealistic?

It’s so much better to take a day off from drafting and brainstorm new story directions.  Ultimately, that day of brainstorming and planning saves me the most time of any of my time-saving tricks.

Per project:

When writing multiple series, I’ve found the next book goes much quicker when I outline the following book immediately after finishing a book in that series.

Secure editing and cover design before finishing the project. Same with beta readers.  There have been several times when I’ve assumed my cover designer or editor was available as soon as I finished a project—and then I learned they were booked months out.

I’ve found the best way to hurry a project along is on my end of things, with the writing. If I can streamline my process, eliminate distractions, and dedicate the time I need, then I hit my goals every time.

How do you keep projects on track?

Tips for making a writing project go faster:
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