Riley Adams's Blog, page 130

Write What You DON’T Know (Part One)

by Virginia King, @selkiemoonbooks

All new writers are advised to “write what you know” because sticking to your own experience is a recipe for authenticity, for not getting lost in unchartered territory. It goes hand in hand with character profiles and plot maps – nailing your story down so the writing is an exercise in fleshing out the bones. But are great stories pre-formed in the minds of their authors? And is this process fun?

Miles Davis told his musicians, “Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.” He wanted them to lose themselves, to let the music take them beyond the notes on the score, carrying their audience with them. Sounds like the same place we want to take our readers.

The Journey of a Thousand Steps

“There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story,” Beatrix Potter said. “You never quite know where they’ll take you.”

This is how I began my debut novel, The First Lie. I’d written a lot of children’s books so I knew how to write. What I didn’t know was how to create something as complex as a mystery for adults. I also had no idea what the book would be about so I couldn’t plot it. I sat down at a blank screen until one sentence came.

All she had to do was jump.

Follow the Energy

Kate Grenville says about writing the prize-winning Lilian’s Story: “I started work each day by glancing through some ‘interesting things’ … I’d allow the bits to suggest something that might have happened to my bag-lady character … and write without a plan, following thoughts and images into the unknown … The criterion was energy. If I felt energised in writing a fragment or a scene, I’d keep going.”

Kate was writing what she didn’t know, but after my own first sentence I started retelling my personal story thinly disguised by the third-person. Three chapters in, I literally fell face forward onto the keyboard – with boredom. Months later I returned because that first sentence wouldn’t let me go. There was a story here. Could I write it if I didn’t know what it was?

Undiscovered Fossils

Stephen King believes that “stories are found things like fossils in the ground … part of an undiscovered pre-existing world. It’s the writer’s job to … get as much of each one out of the ground intact as possible.”

This is the opposite of fleshing out the bones of a plot map – because with a fossil you don’t know how the bones fit together and you can only uncover them bit by bit. It takes more courage than plotting and it’s more fun. The unfolding story gets an unpredictable edge as you deal with one surprise after another, making connections while you’re asleep and trying to decipher your jottings in the morning.

When I returned to the novel, my first act of courage was to flip to the first person. Suddenly I was travelling with a different view – now I was on the roller-coaster – and it wasn’t long before my hat blew off.

Crossing the Border

Milan Kundera says, “The characters in my novels are my own unrealised possibilities … Each one has crossed a border which I myself have circumvented. Beyond that border begins the secret the novel asks about.”

Unrealised possibilities. Crossed a border. Begins the secret. He’s not talking about a plot map, he’s talking about the unknown. There’s no path to follow, there’s a trail to be blazed.

I was now inside the head of my main character, Selkie Moon. Her name took me to mythical places. The selkies are the Celtic seal people who peel off their skins and dance in the moonlight on human legs. The myth has always spoken to me, but Selkie was a modern woman needing a story. Julia Cameron provided guidance. “I don’t create characters,” she says. “I meet them.” It’s another angle on the fossil. I started excavating.

Until Something Pops

In A Novel in a Year (don’t worry it took her ten years to become a published author) Louise Doughty suggests visiting the places in your novel to reconnect with your settings and invigorate a stalled story. It did the opposite for me – it plunged me back into the unknown.

My novel was set in Sydney, my home town. The writing had lost momentum so I set out to visit all the main locations – the house Selkie had shared with her ex, her lowly flat, her favourite Chinese noodle bar, the cemetery where something bizarre happened. It was a long day on the road because I now live two hours out of town and when I got home I burst into tears. None of these places spoke to me.

The next courageous step took a while. The Sydney novel was dead, so in desperation I dropped Selkie Moon into a whole new place. Hawaii. Now she was on the run, a stranger in town, with quirky friends to make and a new culture to discover. Her predicament required much creative research. A Sydney girl with a Celtic name and a Chinese food fetish turning up on a Pacific island steeped in its own mythology. With that much pressure something had to “pop”. It did. I discovered ho’ohihi – interconnectedness – and a complex psychological puzzle started falling into place.

Not Control, Judgement

If you ditch the plot map for the roller-coaster, you’re choosing curiosity over control. The story will need taming – along with your hair – but that’s when you use your judgement and an editor as brave as you are. (The structural edit is another adventure. Not for the faint-hearted but not to be missed.) The resulting story will be bigger, more unpredictable and more satisfying than anything you could have plotted.

In Part 2, Virginia will detail practical tips for writing a book without a plot map.  Watch out for this post  coming soon. 

Virginia King lives in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.  She’s a former award-winning publisher, the author of over fifty children’s books and the creator of several popular writing workshops.   The First Lie is a psychological mystery, the first of a series introducing reluctant sleuth, Selkie Moon. Several reviewers have praised it as “genre-bending” and she attributes this to “writing what I don’t know”.  The First Lie is available on Amazon: www.amazon.com/First-Lie-Selkie-Moon-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00K1VC20Y/

Virginia blogs weekly about writing and publishing in La Bloguette – short newsy posts guaranteed:  www.selkiemoon.com  You can also follow her here: https://www.facebook.com/selkiemoonmysteries & https://twitter.com/selkiemoonbooks

Her editor is Nicola O’Shea www.ebookedit.com.au

The post Write What You DON’T Know (Part One) appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 23,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Direct Sale Venues For Authors:  http://ow.ly/zZKWz @mollygreene

Hidden Emotions: How To Tell Readers What Characters Don’t Want To Show:  http://ow.ly/zZLxB @angelaackerman

8 Story Fixes http://ow.ly/A1A7n @JaredMGordon               

Microsoft Word versus Apple Pages: —A comparative review:  http://ow.ly/A1B5P @ScottTheWriter

Use Index Cards to Plan Your Story:  http://ow.ly/A1BBp @sarawhitford

The Effectiveness of Free eBooks is Declining: http://ow.ly/A1A1N @galleycat @markcoker

Quick Tips: Scene Breaks:  http://ow.ly/A1BHS  @Savage_Woman

Writing Beware: http://ow.ly/A1Bg6 @MarlanaAntifit

3 Paths to High Concept:  http://ow.ly/A1AhP @JaredMGordon

When multiple POV stories work best: http://ow.ly/A1zCi from Clever Girl Helps

Google Docs Adds Track Changes for Editing: Here’s How to Use It:  http://ow.ly/A1AYs @CordeliaCallsIt

5 Free Apps that Help You Write Your Novel:  http://ow.ly/A1AJ4 @Wiseink

How to Create, Publish, and Market an Anthology (and why you’d want to):  http://ow.ly/A1Fq2 @JMNeyGrimm

How To Justify Spending Lots of Time Writing Before Publication:  http://ow.ly/A1En5 @jodyhedlund

Are your critiques as helpful as they could be?  http://ow.ly/A1CUH  @jenmalonewrites

5 Ways to Get Motivated to Write:  http://ow.ly/A1DwV @YAMuses @tbethhull

Worldbuilding: Don’t Neglect The Landscape:  http://ow.ly/A1CrT @G_R_Matthews

5 Essential Questions to Ask When Writing Your Protagonist:  http://ow.ly/A1DnI @bridgetmcnulty

15 Questions Authors Should Ask Characters:  http://ow.ly/A1BM5 @writers_write

Tips for Collecting People:  http://ow.ly/A1Fjh @LiesaMalik

How to be a Better Writer: Be Empathetic:  http://ow.ly/A1Dhp @ErinMFeldman

We know about beta readers. Why we may also need beta holders: http://ow.ly/A1CLi @michaelnmarcus

6 Reasons You Don’t Want a Free WordPress.com Blog:  http://ow.ly/A1CEq @ninaamir

Think Like a Publisher:  The Early Decisions | http://ow.ly/A1D8P @deanwesleysmith

Tips for Children’s Writing:  http://ow.ly/A1Cxi  @MaryVeeWriter

Script To Screen: “The Princess Bride”:  http://ow.ly/A3I6p @gointothestory

5 Research Steps Before Writing Your Book Proposal http://ow.ly/A3Irj @Janefriedman

5 Reasons To Cast Your Novel: http://ow.ly/A3GbJ @Figures

6 Things Writers Need to Know About Email Marketing:  http://ow.ly/A3G4G @JordynRedwood

The Benefits Of Crowdfunding For Authors :  http://ow.ly/A3Iay @thewritplatform

For Beginners: 5 Things to Know When Writing a Novel:  http://ow.ly/A3FS5 @WritersEdit

6 Things You Shouldn’t Expect From Your Agent:  http://ow.ly/A3Iya @carlywatters

Make a 1-3-5 List for a Faster, Instantly-Prioritized To-Do List:  http://ow.ly/zZKwW @lifehacker

Picking the right word (it’s okay to use a thesaurus/etymological dictionary): http://ow.ly/zZL6B @JulietteWade

Mark Coker’s Tips On Selling More Books:  http://ow.ly/zZLul @woodwardkaren

7 Ways to Tighten Your Prose: http://ow.ly/zZLnV  @DanKoboldt

Making Characters Face Their Demons:  http://ow.ly/zZKZc @mooderino

Issues with the First Person Perspective:  http://ow.ly/zZKBm  @shay_goodman

3 Fun Elements to Add to Your Mystery:  http://ow.ly/A6nkV @MasonCanyon @penguincozies

What if the perfect eBookstore  already exists?  http://ow.ly/A51RI @Porter_Anderson  @arthurattwell

Traits that make a devious but delectable anti-hero:  http://ow.ly/zZIQn @msheatherwebb

ISBNs: The single most important action item for self-publishers:  http://ow.ly/zZIHO @MissAdventuring

How to Find Time to Write and Parent Children Too:  http://ow.ly/zZJ2p @livewritethrive

Are You Showing or Telling Your Internalization? http://ow.ly/zZJLD @Janice_Hardy

5 Classic Authors Who Hated Their Book Covers:  http://ow.ly/zZKeD @litreactor

A Simple Way To Get More Shares On Social Media:  9 Tools To Help You: http://ow.ly/zZJSJ @writetodone

The Authors’ Wish List Goes In: How Will The Guild Council Respond? http://ow.ly/A51jf @Porter_Anderson @thoughtcatalog

5 People You Need on Your Team When You Self-publish a Kids’ Book:  http://ow.ly/zZIuw @JFBookman

Things to Keep Out of Your Author Bio:  http://ow.ly/zZJGG @brrbach

A good story is the secret to writing a commercial hit:  http://ow.ly/zZJkP @sjaejones

Thoughts from the Intern Slush Pile: Is Your Voice Up to Snuff? http://ow.ly/zZJNb @ava_jae

The appeal of writing mysteries set in small towns:  http://ow.ly/A3AoZ @MariesCozy

90 Words for “looks”:  http://ow.ly/zX0y9 @gointothestory

What Should a Strong Authors’ Advocacy Group Be Doing? |Smart Set:  http://ow.ly/A3KYE @Janefriedman

A perfect e-bookstore? http://ow.ly/A3GnK @Porter_Anderson @TheFutureBook

A Metaphor for Publishing:  http://ow.ly/zWZ99 @deanwesleysmith

How to Pace Your Story:  http://ow.ly/zWZ7W @shalvatzis

Tips for Finding Your Writing Groove Again:  http://ow.ly/zWZtB @jawardwrites

115 Words for “walks”:  http://ow.ly/zWZbj @gointothestory

More about the “Strong Female Character”:  http://ow.ly/zWZMV  @AlmaAlexander

Great Character: Axel Foley (“Beverly Hills Cop”):  http://ow.ly/zWZIO @gointothestory

Crime Writing–Resources: RP and Writing http://ow.ly/zX0dl

Drawing Character Inspiration From Game Mechanics:  http://ow.ly/zWZzi @mythcreants

How to Split Up Series:  (The Prequel) http://ow.ly/zWZwt

Should You Hire an Editor Before Querying? Agents Weigh In: http://ow.ly/zX0jS @lisagailgreen

On horror and specialty presses:  http://ow.ly/zX0lX @washingtonpost

5 Ways to Build Stronger Characters:  http://ow.ly/zX0ik @mythicscribes

The Look of Your Amazon Book Page Matters:   http://ow.ly/zX0p6 @gpstberg

How To Tell A Scary Story: 8 Tips:  http://ow.ly/zWZHI @woodwardkaren

3 Tips for Writing While on a Family Vacation:  http://ow.ly/zWZFQ  @DanaLeipold

Hostage Negotiations: Information for Writers:  http://ow.ly/zWZ5e @MatthewSherley

Tools 1 Writer Uses for Writing, Publishing & Blogging: http://ow.ly/zWZCV @Belinda_Pollard

Turning Novels into Screenplays:  http://ow.ly/zX001 @storyfix

The Pomodoro Technique: Time Management for Writers:  http://ow.ly/zWZVB @womenonwriting

Literary Terminology:  http://ow.ly/zWZKI @Writers_Write

Top 10 Great Things about Writing Cozy Mysteries:  http://ow.ly/A0Qry @lorisbookblog @penguincozies

5 Things You Should Never Say to an Indie Author:  http://ow.ly/zU2Rf @SbethCaplin

How to Create Box Sets at Smashwords for Audience Building, Charity and Profit: http://ow.ly/zU4or @markcoker

A Book of Tweets By People Claiming They’re Working on Their Novels http://ow.ly/zU2UX @awalkerinLA @Gizmodo

The Keys to a Great Opening Scene:  http://ow.ly/zU3mC @mythcreants

Indie author wish-lists for the Authors Guild: http://ow.ly/zZFLX @Porter_Anderson @Roz_Morris @RicardoFayet

How Smooth Transitions Keep Your Story Moving:  http://ow.ly/zU3ij @angelaackerman

4-Point Commercial Book Checklist http://ow.ly/zU2Jw @VictoriaLamb1

How to Become a Better Writer in One, Simple Step:  http://ow.ly/zU4fC @joebunting

How To Sell Books And Products Direct To Customers:  http://ow.ly/zU2SA @thecreativepenn

What Dickens, Austen, Faulkner, and the Brontes Can Teach Us About Writing: http://ow.ly/zU31j @kmweiland

Writing Tips by J.K. Rowling:  http://ow.ly/zU2OU @Nicholas_Rossis

When to Cut That Scene:  http://ow.ly/zU3ov @mythcreants

Write What You Want to Read:  http://ow.ly/zU2Zc @ava_jae

The Art of Poetic Space:  http://ow.ly/zU3fZ @theprosecons

Why 1 Writer Made A Huge Mistake Marketing Her Books (And How to Avoid It):  http://ow.ly/zU3K9 @JuliPageMorgan

Beyond Spellcheck: 6 Errors that Kill Your Story:  http://ow.ly/zU4jK @bonniehearnhill

Don’t Look Back on Your Writing Journey With Regrets: —9 Things to Avoid: http://ow.ly/zU3Es @ediemelson

Do authors really want to get along? Why indie authors should consider joining US Authors Guild:  http://ow.ly/zUQxS @Porter_Anderson

Free Books: Marketing Genius or Devaluation of Writers?  http://ow.ly/zNZSI @LorraineDWilke

What could happen if we end up with smart eBooks:  http://ow.ly/zO2Se @gripemaster

Why Sales Numbers and Platform Aren’t as Important as Publishers Think:  http://ow.ly/zO1gd @JanetKGrant

The 4 Different Types of Conflict in Dialogue:  http://ow.ly/zO1u3 @kmweiland

The unreliable narrator:  http://ow.ly/zO1px @nownovel

Making the Leap from Historical Author to Mystery Author:  http://ow.ly/zWAmp @heatherdgilbert

Does Your Series Tell a Bigger Story?  http://ow.ly/zO43g @susanspann

How to Make the First Cut in a Writing Contest:  http://ow.ly/zO01O @TheReviewReview

6 Tips to Champion Your Story:  http://ow.ly/zUPSO @LyndaRYoung

How much detail and description to incorporate into a story?: http://ow.ly/zUPfQ @JacksBlackPen

The Persistent Stigma of Self-Publishing:  http://ow.ly/zO0nW @janice_hardy

A crime fiction writer’s tips for outlining a mystery:  http://ow.ly/zUORP @megwolfewrites

Why we should ignore the superlatives on book jackets:  http://ow.ly/zNYU1 @nathanfiler

Ramp up your writing speed:  http://ow.ly/zO1Ei @nicolapittam

Backstory: Who do you think you are? http://ow.ly/zUOkH @clarissadraper

Martin Scorsese Breaks Down the Difference Between Story & Plot: http://ow.ly/zO2JC @nofilmschool

Don’t Overstuff Your Verbs: Unpack:  http://ow.ly/zO46C @mooderino

Making Time to Write: 4 Tips From a Writing Superstar:  http://ow.ly/zO2rH @MiaJouBotha

8 Ways For Self-Published Authors to Rise Above Their Fear of Metadata:  http://ow.ly/zNZHd @ebooksandkids

Cockeyed Caravan: Storyteller’s’ Rulebook: Your Ending Shouldn’t Make Your “Point” http://ow.ly/zNZLB @cockeyedcaravan

Pacing: —adding intrigue to your writing:  http://ow.ly/zO3SE  @LisaMBasso

10 Tips to End Writer’s Block Procrastination | Psychology Today:  http://ow.ly/zO170

Dive Deeper: Slow & Steady Writing:  http://ow.ly/zLoim @JordanRosenfeld

On ‘Literary Bests’:  http://ow.ly/zLnY3 @ursulaleguin

How To Format A Manuscript To Publishing Industry Standards:  http://ow.ly/zLoo6 @jenmalonewrites

How Soon Do We Need to Show Genre in Our Novels? http://ow.ly/zLnkZ @Janice_Hardy

Hellman’s Rule of Beginnings:  http://ow.ly/zLneo @write_tomorrow

5 People Watching Tips:  http://ow.ly/zLntY @jemifraser @WriteAngleBlog

What Makes a Good Horror Story? Indie Games Have the Answer:  http://ow.ly/zLmNV @indiewire

How to Get Organized to Write Your Nonfiction Book Quickly:  http://ow.ly/zLlOZ @WriteNowCoach

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

Three Fun Elements to Add to Your Mystery

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

One thing that I love about writing mysteries is that they’re so much fun to write.   In my guest post today for Mason Canyon at the Thoughts in Progress blog,  I explore three elements that I think are as fun for mystery readers as they are for mystery writers.  Hope you’ll pop over.

The post Three Fun Elements to Add to Your Mystery appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

10 Great Things about Writing Cozy Mysteries

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’m frequently asked why I chose to write cozy/traditional mysteries.  I’ve always just answered that it was a genre that came naturally to me–I grew up reading these types of mysteries.  It’s the easiest genre for me to write.

But there are other reasons I chose the genre, too, and I explored these reasons further in a guest post for Lori’s Reading Corner today:   “Top 10 Great Things about Writing Cozy Mysteries.”

I would be remiss in not mentioning that I had a release yesterday.  :)  Penguin’s Southern Quilting mystery #4–Shear Trouble, launched August 5th. Living up to its name, it was sheer  trouble to write, but I was happy with the end result.

The post 10 Great Things about Writing Cozy Mysteries appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Making the Leap from Historical Author to Mystery Author

by Heather Day Gilbert, @heatherdgilbert 

Many people wonder why my second book is a contemporary Appalachian mystery (Miranda Warning), when my debut novel was a Viking historical (God’s Daughter). Although both books are starts to a series, (A Murder in the Mountains and Vikings of the New World Saga, respectively), I realize there is quite a disparity between the two genres.

When I decided to publish my mystery before the second Viking novel, it flew in the face of the advice of many successful indie authors. You’re supposed to pick a genre and stick with it long enough to build a following for that series. My Viking historical was doing well and I knew readers were anxious for book two in that series.

However, I knew it would take at least a year to write/produce my next historical, and my mystery was ready to go. It had been line edited and was still out on submission with three publishers. When my agent contract came up for renewal, I realized I didn’t want to sit around waiting anymore. It was time to leave my agent, become a full-time indie author, and get my mystery out. ­­­

When I launched my mystery, I quickly found mystery readers (especially contemporary mystery readers) tend to be a different crew than historical readers. But I also found that if readers like an author’s voice, they will often follow you across genres. At this point, I think my readers are pretty evenly split between those who love my historical best and those who love my mystery best. I’m thankful for this, because it means I can pursue both series without worrying too much about losing readers.

As far as writing techniques for the two genres, mystery-writing is a whole different animal than historical-writing. My historicals take hours of research. I check into Old Norse words and try to utilize the ones they had back then. I also try to weave the storyline in with the sagas’ storylines, making a kind of cohesive whole. All this sometimes makes for slower, stop-and-go writing.

My mysteries are different. Since they are contemporary and set in my home state, West Virginia, I don’t have to spend as much time on research. I can use a wider vocabulary than I do in my historicals.

I loosely plot my mysteries based on chapters, since my chapters tend to be short scenes. I like to know which chapters will require key players to be in dangerous situations, for example. Since my mysteries are like cozies, where small-town family/friends play a key role the drama, I intersperse family action with mystery action. I want readers to feel invested in the characters themselves, a la the Karon Mitford series.

For Miranda Warning, I actually wasn’t sure whodunit until partway through the book. As I got to know the characters more, I realized who was lying and who was deceived. I love it when my characters surprise me. I don’t know if this will be the case with all my mysteries, but it just worked out with this one. Yes, I do weave in clues for my readers, and yet I like my mysteries to be more psychological than clue-based…more like Rebecca by du Maurier, where you start to unlock the key to the mystery by understanding the characters’ motivations.

People often ask me if I prefer historical writing or mystery writing. The answer often depends on my mood. I’m passionate about the Viking era, and it’s one period of history I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of reading about. And yet my contemporary mysteries are just a joy to write. I love injecting humor into my books, and it’s trickier to do with a limited vocabulary in a land where people are often fighting for survival.

The next book in my writer queue is my second (and final) Viking historical, Forest Child. When that is out (hopefully in 2015), I will be free to focus on my mystery series, which will probably continue for many books. The second in that series will be titled Trial by Twelve, and I’m looking forward to writing it.

The wonderful thing about being an indie author is that I can take chances and get my books out to readers when the books are ready, regardless of genre. Whether I’m known as a historical author or a mystery author doesn’t matter one bit to me, and that’s why I haven’t struggled too hard to brand myself. My author name is my brand. Readers will find that my writer voice is the same, no matter what century I’m writing in.

Author Bio:

HEATHER DAY GILBERT enjoys writing stories about authentic, believable marriages. Seventeen years of marriage to her sweet Yankee husband have given her some perspective, as well as eleven years spent homeschooling. Heather regularly posts on Novel Rocket about self-publishing.

You can find Heather at her website, Heather Day Gilbert–Author, and at her Facebook Author Page, as well as Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Goodreads. Her Viking novel, God’s Daughter, is an Amazon bestseller. You can find it on Amazon and Audible.com. Her Appalachian mystery, Miranda Warning, released June 20th and you can find it here.

A randomly selected commenter will receive a free copy of Heather’s new release, Miranda Warning.

The post Making the Leap from Historical Author to Mystery Author appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 23,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Working with Unexpected Character Questions: Finding Your Character’s (or Narrator’s) Inner Story:  http://ow.ly/zDjVV @writeabook

A new, free phrase thesaurus for writers:  http://ow.ly/zOP6e @phrasehq

De-Stress Your Writing Life:  When Life Creates Factors Beyond Your Control:  http://ow.ly/zDjGd  @JessBaverstock

Writing and the Creative Life: The Magic of Ambient Noise: http://ow.ly/zDjcP @gointothestory               

Structuring the Novel: The Miracle Finish:  http://ow.ly/zDjTA @CalebPirtle

7 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Self-Publishing Company:  http://ow.ly/zDjSb @HelenSedwick

10 Reasons Running Makes You a Better Writer http://ow.ly/zDjeE @StacyEnnis

Are authors running out of book titles?  http://ow.ly/zDjXa @guardianbooks

Writing Rules: (Almost) Never Say Never:  http://ow.ly/zDjLE

How Can Authors and Publishers Partner Better on Book Marketing? [Smart Set]:  http://ow.ly/zO3xX @Janefriedman

5 Things Writers Should Ask Potential Agents:  http://ow.ly/zDk6r @writersdigest

How to Write About Death:  http://ow.ly/zDk58 @enderawiggin

The 10 Greatest Literary Parties:  http://ow.ly/zDk9F @Novelicious

Bestselling ghostwriter reveals the secret world of the author for hire: http://ow.ly/zGphj @guardianbooks

29 Words That Mean Something Totally Different When You’re A Writer:  http://ow.ly/zGq4C @BuzzFeed @wordsbydan

How Writing a Synopsis is Like Carving Soap:  http://ow.ly/zGpVw @hollyrob1

Publishers should take advantage of their backlists: http://ow.ly/zGpQc @MikeShatzkin

Pulling the Plug http://ow.ly/zGpoI  @theprosecons

Are You Building Your Writer Platform at Gunpoint?  http://ow.ly/zGpxG @WriterPlatform

Improve Your Dialogue:  http://ow.ly/zGpDX @jamesscottbell @thecreativepenn

Creating Dread in a Short Story Opening:  http://ow.ly/zGpNS @Janice_Hardy

9 Things 1 Writer Did To Become A Full-Time Writer:  http://ow.ly/zGpJO @write_practice

Self-Published Book Awards: Are They Right for You? http://ow.ly/zGq04  @MarcyKennedy

The Science of Storytelling:  http://ow.ly/zGpBM  @Writers_Write

6 Qualities That Make an Agent Say Yes:  http://ow.ly/zGpdz @JanetKGrant

Writer Mantra: Don’t Make Assumptions:  http://ow.ly/zGqdz @kcraftwriter

Useful Links for Writers: Author Voice:  http://ow.ly/zGqwM  @writing_ie

Imagining Beyond One’s Own Experience: http://ow.ly/zGqGu @THahnBurkett @writerunboxed

The Structure of a Short Story:  http://ow.ly/zGp8N @woodwardkaren

Know Your Audience:  http://ow.ly/zJhb1

Mining the Data: Genre and Gender:  http://ow.ly/zJgGJ  @nico1esinger

4 Tips for Writing a Short Story:  http://ow.ly/zJfFa  @Julie_Glover

Irony in Dialogue: Intentional Irony:  http://ow.ly/zJfHp @cockeyedcaravan

Turning Your Novel into a Screenplay:  http://ow.ly/zJfWd @storyfix

How to Run a Successful Book Signing:  http://ow.ly/zJgL0 @MHartnerAuthor

Quality writing is not subjective:  http://ow.ly/zJhjg  @damiengwalter

7 Steps To Get Endorsements for Your Book:  http://ow.ly/zJgUC  @trainingauthors

How to Use Alliteration and Assonance:  http://ow.ly/zJfSs @WritersEdit

The Philosophy of Writing and Reading:  http://ow.ly/zJg4R @Shaina_Jade

How to Give your Characters a Distinctive Attitude:  http://ow.ly/zJfZ0 @shalvatzis

Top 10 Character Flaws That Don’t Work For Me:  http://ow.ly/zJfNA @pyrosama

Costuming Your Characters:  http://ow.ly/zJhqv @mythcreants

Personality Typing Characters http://ow.ly/zJgbU @glencstrathy

4 Revision Tips:  http://ow.ly/zLmmb @MichelleA_Smith

6 Things to Consider When Writing Promotional Copy for Your Book by Karl Bunker for @JFBookman :  http://ow.ly/zLlQs

Noticing Filler:  http://ow.ly/zLnqf @Kid_Lit

YA market opens up a new world for authors:  http://ow.ly/zLnLv @latjasonsong

Michael Crichton’s Method for Plotting Out a Story:  http://ow.ly/zLnAK @angelaackerman

Each character needs swoons and wounds:  http://ow.ly/zLmIS

We’re losing all our Strong Female Characters to Trinity Syndrome:  http://ow.ly/zLo9I @TashaRobinson @thedissolve

Douglas Preston: On Amazon, Hachette, and Indie Authors:  http://ow.ly/zMLpF @Porter_Anderson @TheFutureBook

Being Kind to Our Creative Self:  http://ow.ly/zDjOZ @DouglasEby

Time Management for Writers:  http://ow.ly/zDjIZ @Jeannie_Moon

Identifying bloated writing:  http://ow.ly/zDjZl  @ACFlory

The Ironic Conclusion:  http://ow.ly/zDk1V @cockeyedcaravan

155 Words to Describe an Author’s Tone:  http://ow.ly/zDjHD @writers_write

Great Character: Jackie Brown:  http://ow.ly/zDjbo @gointothestory

A Closer Look at the Upcoming Writer’s Digest Conference In New York Aug. 1-3:  http://ow.ly/zML71 @Porter_Anderson

5 Myths About the New Era of Publishing:  http://ow.ly/zDjED @leftonbomb

Acknowledgments … Who’s in Your Village? http://ow.ly/zDjB2 @mybookshepherd

The 3 things every horror author must understand:  http://ow.ly/zC9pn @standoutbooks

Your characters need their potatoes:  http://ow.ly/zC870 @JaneLebak

Emergency Communications Information for Writers:  http://ow.ly/zC7jQ @FionaQuinnBooks @djswykert

Writer Without Residence: Keeping it Lit on the Road:  http://ow.ly/zC8zE @EAyC

Making Writing Happen:  http://ow.ly/zC9hX @AbstractChicken

Tips for formatting a chapter: http://ow.ly/zC7wJ

The Thing About Theme: http://ow.ly/zC89N @Frank_Zafiro

5 Short Masterpieces by the Women of Horror’s Golden Age: http://ow.ly/zC8IB @sfsignal

How to Efficiently Evoke the Setting of a Novel:  http://ow.ly/zC9sS @JoeBunting

3 Myths That Hold Your Best Writing Back:  http://ow.ly/zC7Gw @adderworld

Is there a role for storytelling in science?  http://ow.ly/zC8oR @JonathanLWai

Law and Fiction: Googling potential jurors:  http://ow.ly/zC9CO

The Hero’s Journey: Part One, the Hero & the Journey:  http://ow.ly/zC9QO @AlienNextDoor

Editing Crimes: A Case Study http://ow.ly/zC7CH @kcraftwriter

How To Write A ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ Story:  http://ow.ly/zC98M @woodwardkaren

3 Reasons You Should Attend a Writers’ Conference:  http://ow.ly/zC87U @losapala

A Better Way to Open Your Novel:  http://ow.ly/zzQRA @storyfix

The 10 Biggest Mistakes New Authors Make: http://ow.ly/zzPVl  @brooke_warner

On Trolls and Fake Bad Reviews:  http://ow.ly/zzQMK @victoriastrauss

The Secret Of How to Make Your Book Un-Put-Down-able:  http://ow.ly/zzQwn @kmweiland

How Authors Can Use Listmania to Promote Their Book:  http://ow.ly/zzQAG @aBookPublicist

Screenwriting: Sketch Anatomy: Andy Cowan Explains the Origins of ‘Seinfeld’s ‘The Opposite’:  http://ow.ly/zzQaw @splitsider

The Art of Microfiction:  http://ow.ly/zzQJs @GayleTowell

How to Write a Book or Blog (The 6 Danger Stages You Need To Overcome):  http://ow.ly/zA3TG @aliventures

The 3 Most Common Medical Mistakes Writers Make:  http://ow.ly/zzQZc @dplylemd

7 ways to overcome fear and uncertainty about writing:  http://ow.ly/zzQDy @SarahAlexis4

Murders designed to look like accidents in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/zA7hN @mkinberg

Tips for Writing a Short Film Screenplay:  http://ow.ly/zzQs1 @tumbhi

What literary fiction means and why it matters:   http://ow.ly/zzQiE @KOMcLaughlin

Are Your Scenes Causing an Effect? http://ow.ly/zzQ5Z @janice_hardy

Brand Yourself for Indie Success:  http://ow.ly/zA6q8  @BookWorksNYC

Emotional Elements of Plot: Stories that Last Evoke Emotion:  http://ow.ly/zA6C6 @plotwhisperer

Got Plot? A Handy Quick-Check – The Rhubarb Writers Group:  http://ow.ly/zA6dq

Structuring a Novel Part 4: The Critical Decision:  http://ow.ly/zwhBq @CalebPirtle

Why your character’s religion, or lack of it, is important:  http://ow.ly/zwhxS

The Author Earnings Report Methodology:  http://ow.ly/zGtlF @HughHowey @AuthorEarnings

Where are the women in African non-fiction?  http://ow.ly/zwfgJ @MsAfropolitan

Edits, Editors, Editing: ”The Secret Weapon of Every Successful Writer:  http://ow.ly/zGqic @RuthHarrisBooks

Javier Marias’ 7 Reasons Not to Write Novels +1 Reason Why:  http://ow.ly/zwfeQ @pubperspectives

Building a Killer Email List:  http://ow.ly/zwf63  @nick_stephenson

Tips For Better Dialogue:  http://ow.ly/zwdP1 @Flashflood14

Why Your Story’s Ending Determines its Beginning through its Middle:  http://ow.ly/zwhwt @shalvatzis

How to make a living as a writer:  http://ow.ly/zwdR4   @standoutbooks

Setting: Context & Picture:  http://ow.ly/zFOzw  by Jack Smith.

Novel Pacing: 3 Crucial Elements:  http://ow.ly/zwg26 @lindasclare

5 Things to Know about Working with Beta Readers:  http://ow.ly/zwf7g @byondpapr

Tackling the Rewrite:  http://ow.ly/zwfZZ @EAyC

Finding the Right Critique Group for You | Word Cafe:   http://ow.ly/zwdIR

33 Things 1 Writer Learned About Writing at 33:  http://ow.ly/zwfsb  @LorenKleinman

Writing a Memoir: The Ultimate Selfie:  http://ow.ly/zwfpe @writers_write

Tips for Finding Your Writing Groove Again:  http://ow.ly/zwg7e @jawardwrites

The mistake of appealing to readers for support (in the Amazon-Hachette-indie author fracas):  http://ow.ly/zDC56 @Porter_Anderson

Common Writer Advice Revised:  http://ow.ly/ztlbf @HeatherJacksonW

15 Tips To Increase Your Productivity:  http://ow.ly/ztkSm @mollygreene

3 TED Talks That Uncover the Secrets of Storytelling:  http://ow.ly/ztktM @JulieNeumark

Free Indirect Style: what it is and how to use it: http://ow.ly/ztmGs @emma_darwin

When Defending Your Writing Becomes Defending Yourself : http://ow.ly/ztloT @salesses

8 Ways to Reignite Your Passion for Writing and Write:  http://ow.ly/ztlTU @WriterJoMalby

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

Writers—Be Careful How You Sit

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Today I have another public service announcement for all the writers out there—sitting can be hazardous to your health.

Yes, I know.  We thought we had the kinds of jobs where injuries might be limited to paper cuts or possibly dropping a laptop on our foot.

Unfortunately, I’m here to state otherwise.  I’ve been in physical therapy for back issues for the last month.  Occasionally I wear a hideously unstylish brace that resembles a corset in both appearance and comfort level.  Anyone seeing me in the brace has asked, “Elizabeth, what happened?”

I think they’re expecting some exciting tale of adventure gone wrong (which is silly of them, if they know me at all).  Snow skiing or waterskiing maybe?  Perhaps some awful car accident?  But I have to admit that I received my back problems from…sitting.

The doctor said it took years to get my back in the condition it’s in now…so PT is twice a week and moving a bit slowly for this impatient writer.

There were things that I shouldn’t have done that I did fairly constantly in the last ten years:

Sat on an overstuffed sofa with my feet on the coffee table and my laptop on my lap.  Don’t do this.

Sat in an armchair with my feet on an ottoman and my laptop on my lap.  Don’t do this, either.

Sat for long stretches, period.  Yet another no-no.

This interesting graphic from Bonnie Berkowitz and Patterson Clark for the Washington Post clearly shows the health hazards of sitting and ideas for combatting the problem, including various stretches (that resemble what I’m doing in PT) and exercise balls.

Sadly, I think the way I sat was very similar to the person in the graphic. Except, of course, that my feet were up and the laptop was in my lap, not on a desk. :)

The best practice seems to be to sit with your feet on the floor and your laptop on a desk or a table of some kind.  Sit with your back straight.  And take frequent breaks.

Porter Anderson also wrote about the dangers of sitting in his recent post, “Don’t Take Author Obesity Sitting Down” for Writer Unboxed.  We all know the myriad problems that obesity causes and sitting certainly tends to put pounds on. Fortunately, obesity isn’t my issue, but I would have done well to take Porter’s advice on standing desks in the post. I have used a standing desk off (well, it’s a standing counter, since I was writing in my kitchen) for the past couple of years but not enough for me to avoid the pickle I got myself in.  In the post, Porter offers ideas for a “trial period” for using a standing desk.

RSI, repetitive strain injury, is another issue writers face.  I’ve also had problems with RSI in the past and have learned to back off from typing and do some stretches when it starts flaring up.  I’ve also had some success with voice recognition software (Dragon Naturally Speaking) when I’ve been on deadline at the same time I’ve had issues.

Author Roz Morris has had problems with RSI and wrote about how she deals with it in her post “RSI and when your books come back to haunt you.”  She mentions posture, weight-lifting, and taking breaks as being helpful, among other things.

There is actually even software designed to force you to take writing/computer breaks (Workrave is one.  Reviewed by CNET’s Dan Russell here).

Lifehack’s Anca Dumitru offers advice in her article, “How to Overcome RSI While Building Your Dream Writing Career.” In it she links to helpful hand and wrist exercises.

I’ve mentioned recently that I’m doing a good job exercising…but I was definitely not doing a good job being careful how I worked, until now.  What’s your work station like for your computer time?

Image: MorgueFile: Jade

The post Writers—Be Careful How You Sit appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Setting: Context & Picture

Guest Post by Jack Smith

When we think of a novel, we think of a story.  We think of characters moving through time, growing due to conflict, coming ultimately to some sort of realization, undergoing some sort of change—maturing in some way.  We think of plot.  We think of theme.

We also think of setting.  One thing that makes some novels memorable is a richly developed sense of setting.

A novel must have some sort of setting, or physical environs, where characters move and have their being.  Two questions come up.  1.) How important is setting in a given novel? 2) How do you go about creating setting?  The second question is related to the first because in some novels, if setting is not a major force, you shouldn’t do very much at all.  But if setting is really important, and if it’s important to create strong visual pictures of place, you have a choice of depicting it with a few brush strokes or really describing it in vivid detail.  

CONTEXT: When you think about setting, think about your character in a given context, with a particular sensibility.  The South is different from the North, the West from the East.  The ambiance at a factory is quite different from that of a college or university.  A home in the suburbs is different from a high-rise apartment in the city.

Secondly, I would like to add, as I did in my Write and Revise for Publication,that setting can include people associated with a particular place.  Your character’s workplace includes not only desks, machines of various kinds, etc., but also the co-workers who contribute to the overall atmosphere.  Imagine them missing: It’s not the same place, is it?

There’s usually more than one context for a given character.  And so ask yourself the following kinds of questions:

1) Which setting has primary influence on my character—home, work, a recreational spot of some kind, a place of refuge?

2) How does my character feel about the places in his or her life?  Happy, annoyed, frustrated, depressed, etc?  How important is place in my character’s life?

3) Does setting contribute significantly to my character’s conflicts in the story?  If so, how?  And how much?

DEPICTING SETTING.  If a particular setting doesn’t have much to do with your character’s struggles, then give it minimal detail—just enough to establish where your character is—enough to establish the place in your reader’s mind.  With places that are pretty important—plot-wise, character-wise—then, of course, you should bring them alive for your reader—in one of two ways, the first minimalist, the second maximalist: 1) by brush strokes of descriptive details interspersed with scenic treatment of characters associated with the setting, 2) by thorough descriptive detail.

–a few brush strokes with scenic treatment: Pick and choose key concrete details which are just enough to give your reader a real sense for the place.  Let your reader fill in the rest.  Scenes with several specific details—not necessarily concrete—can also help your reader visualize a place.  With enough specific details, and a sense of lived experience through strong scenic development, the reader will fill in the rest.

–rich and numerous specific and concrete details:  Furnish a full-blown picture of place.  This can work quite well if it’s important to capture a number of nuances about it.  But you do have to be careful not to overdo it, and you also need to create a dominant impression.

Certain places can be quite important in a novel, others less so.  For places that are important, it’s important to know in what ways, and how to capture these places so that the reader can picture them, feel like they’re there, wherever there happens to be.

Jack Smith is author of the novel Hog to Hog, which won the George Garrett FictionPrize (Texas Review Press. 2008), and is also the author of Write and Revise for Publication: A 6-Month Plan for Crafting an Exceptional Novel and Other Works of Fiction, published earlier this year by Writer’s Digest. His novel ICON will be published in June by Serving House Books.

Over the years, Smith’s short stories have appeared in North American Review, Night Train, Texas Review, and Southern Review, to name a few. He has also written some 20 articles for Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, as well as a dozen or so pieces for The Writer. He has published reviews in numerous literary journals, including Ploughshares, Georgia Review, Missouri Review, Prairie Schooner, American Review, Mid-American Review, and the Iowa Review.

The post Setting: Context & Picture appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 23,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Clean Your Desk for Productivity (but Keep It Messy for Creativity): http://ow.ly/zpSju @99u

Name generators:  http://ow.ly/zpQAb From Clever Girl Helps

Book Marketing with Videos:  http://ow.ly/zpQmO  @trainingauthors  @KatieDavisBurps

Copyright Warnings – Hold Onto Your Rights:  http://ow.ly/zpZHX @susanspann

5 Tips for Writing a Powerful Short Story:  http://ow.ly/zpZMU @FaberAcademy               

Horror Clichés in need of an Exorcism:  http://ow.ly/zpZqt  @DrewChial

An agent’s advice on tapping industry connections to find an agent:  http://ow.ly/zq0eT @Janet_Reid

7 industry experts weigh in on author platforms and branding:  http://ow.ly/zBk17 @Janefriedman @scratch_mag

4 Things Writers Should Know About Beta Readers:  http://ow.ly/zpXHL @NatRusso

Writing an Action Scene? 5 Ways to Add More Punch to Your Novel http://ow.ly/zpXVF  @hughosmith

Author Directory Sites: The Complete List:  http://ow.ly/zpYIV @selfpubreview

8 Techniques To Up The Drama Factor In Your Short Stories:  http://ow.ly/zpZRo @writersrelief

350 Character Traits:  http://ow.ly/zpYe5 @amandaonwriting

Self-aware vs self-absorbed narration in travel writing: http://ow.ly/zpXoA @MatadorNetwork

How Not to Start a Novel: 4 Things to Avoid on Page 1: http://ow.ly/zpYoH @janice_hardy for @annerallen

5 Scene Pacing Tips: http://ow.ly/zq01s @SKouguell

Why Most Authors Should Not Have Social Media Accounts for Their Books:  http://ow.ly/zpYEc @DanielDecker

Should crime authors mix fact and fiction? http://ow.ly/zpY6x  @musiciany

20 Hollywoodian Clichés to Ban From Your Script:  http://ow.ly/zpX6J @Mentorless

How to Write a Negative Character Arc: The Second Act: http://ow.ly/zpXZp @KMWeiland

On Writing Practice Novels:  http://ow.ly/ztkN6 @ava_jae

Staying Motivated During the Tough Times:  http://ow.ly/ztkTN @stdennard

7 Things To Do When You Don’t Feel Like Writing:  http://ow.ly/ztmCe @writing_tips

What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Stephen King:  http://ow.ly/ztke3 @entmagazine

How to Write a Historical Fiction Young Adult Novel:  http://ow.ly/ztm6X @ShanonHitchcock

Character Talent & Skills Thesaurus Entries:  http://ow.ly/ztmA6 @angelaackerman

Writing Residency 101: What They Are and How to Get One: http://ow.ly/ztlvp @WindyLynnHarris

Test Your Story’s Opening Line:  http://ow.ly/ztm5a @SueColetta1

Why Transmedia Storytelling Engages Young People:  http://ow.ly/zpSEL @cherylrwrites

5 Conversation-Starting Questions to Ask Writers:  http://ow.ly/zpSwu @StacyEnnis

4 Characteristics of Author Attitude and Why You Need Them:  http://ow.ly/zpTYj @ninaamir

Structuring a Novel: The Life Changer:  http://ow.ly/zpTTb @CalebPirtle

Talents and Skills Thesaurus Entry: A Way with Animals:  http://ow.ly/zpPff @beccapuglisi

Fearlessness in creativity is a myth:  http://ow.ly/zpSpl @jonwilkening

Sharing content more than once on social media: http://ow.ly/zpPzc @wherewriterswin

Admin Assistants in Crime Fiction: http://ow.ly/zA6LD @mkinberg

Amazon Adds Pricing Suggestions to KDP:  http://ow.ly/zA49z  @thDigitalReader

Making Your Home Page Stand Out:  http://ow.ly/zpSPs @SusanGilbert

Comment Etiquette:  http://ow.ly/zpQFH @writing_tips

5 stellar grammar sites for writers:  http://ow.ly/zpPbF @junglereds

10 Common Types of Writer’s Block:  http://ow.ly/zpRXB @gointothestory

5 Ways to Write Anti-Heroes Your Readers Won’t Want To Kill:  http://ow.ly/zpU4y

7 Steps to Editing Like a Master:  http://ow.ly/zn3SL @beccaquibbles

Describing the protagonist when you’re writing in first person:  http://ow.ly/zn4eB  From Clever Girl Helps

Pros and Cons of Writing in First Person:  http://ow.ly/zn4Ep

How Movie Trailers Can Help You Write Better Query Letters:  http://ow.ly/zn3ON @janice_hardy

On Writing Flashbacks:  http://ow.ly/zn3PX @ava_jae

10 Steps To Provide a Helpful Critique:  http://ow.ly/zn3HA @Shirl_Corder

Writing Strong Transitions:  http://ow.ly/zn3Nw @writeabook

Queries–nudging etiquette:  http://ow.ly/zn3UE @atrueblood5

26 Of The Greatest Book Dedications:  http://ow.ly/zn4yk @JoBarrow

Great Character: Mr. White (“Reservoir Dogs”):  http://ow.ly/zn42c @gointothestory

A Helpful Way to Determine When Not to Use “Whom”:  http://ow.ly/zn3IR @CSLakin

Write What You Love and Stay True To Your Passion: http://ow.ly/zn3Ma @KALongshore

The shape-shifting factor in publishing: subscriptions:  http://ow.ly/zwjjD @Porter_Anderson  @TheFutureBook

Reevaluating, Reorganizing & Recommitting to Your Goals: http://ow.ly/zn3wo @KelliAnnMorgan

What does it take to create a regency romance?  http://ow.ly/zn3so @EmbracingRomanc @authorJessicaJ

5 Ways to Add Conflict to Your Story:  http://ow.ly/zn3Fy @mythcreants

Labor Unrest Among Amazon’s Authors:  http://ow.ly/zwizG @Porter_Anderson @HughHowey @bob_mayer

New Indie Authors: What 1 Experienced Author Would Do if She Were Starting Today:  http://ow.ly/zlT3L @goblinwriter

5 Reasons To Pan Those 5-Star Reviews:  http://ow.ly/zweCr @drothmanwrites @Porter_Anderson

Top 10 Storytelling Cliches Writers Should Stop Using:  http://ow.ly/zlT9T @robwhart

6 Ways eBooks Are Reaching More Readers:  http://ow.ly/zlTly  @AnnaGuastello

Adding Horror Elements to Your Writing:  http://ow.ly/zlSZI

Writing the Sex Scene:  http://ow.ly/zlTk3 @SusanSquires

7 Absurd Kanye West Quotes That Will Actually Help Your Writing:  http://ow.ly/zlTby @rxena77

Creating A Creative Outline:  http://ow.ly/zlSUO @woodwardkaren

Viewpoint is about judgment: http://ow.ly/zlSKB @AnthonyEhlers

Writing a scene: a checklist:  http://ow.ly/zlSXm @johnaugust

Why and How to Schedule Your Personal Writer’s Retreat: http://ow.ly/zlTro  @GretaBoris

Present Participle as Adjective:  http://ow.ly/zlSJF @writing_tips

10 Tips on Writing – and Writing More:  http://ow.ly/zlTfr @GarthSWright

The best literary hashtags on Twitter:  http://ow.ly/zlTdr @readandbreathe @salon

The Aspiring Writer’s Dictionary http://ow.ly/zlTmJ @BillFerris @writerunboxed

Writing Revealing Dialogue: Self-centered People and Unpredictable Outcomes:  http://ow.ly/zlTo4 @kiersi

How Believable Is Your Character’s Storytelling?  http://ow.ly/zlT6h @skyefairwin

Why Amazon Terrifies Publishers: Let’s Look At Royalty Statements:  http://ow.ly/ztkWS @GeorgeAnders @forbes

21 biggest amateur screenwriting mistakes:  http://ow.ly/zkNN2 @scriptshadow

Things to Consider When Considering Self Publishing:  http://ow.ly/zkOaR @srjohannes

The Boundary-Pushing Novelist Who’s Made Twitter His New Medium:  http://ow.ly/ztkEN @tejucole @wired @Thessaly

Reading Through Someone Else’s Eyes :  http://ow.ly/zkOfE @NewYorker

1 Writer Navigates the 1st Summer of Her MFA:  http://ow.ly/zkNTj @themfayears

Why You Should Act As Your Own Author-Publisher (At Least Once):  http://ow.ly/zkP4A @ChuckWendig  {lang}

Concept, Structure and Transformation – How to plan a novel : http://ow.ly/zkOmU @VeronicaSicoe

The 5 Ways Every Story Should Begin:  http://ow.ly/zkNrg  @Jackson_D_Chase

3 anti-social skills to improve your writing:  http://ow.ly/zkNKN @TED_ED

The Importance of Journaling:  http://ow.ly/zkO5l @chrstnejschmdt

How to Understand Self-Publishing Acronyms:  http://ow.ly/zkNG5 @booklife

Writers on Writing: “Writing What I Want”:  http://ow.ly/zkOVz  @LoriLitchman

How To Write A Screenplay You Can Sell :  http://ow.ly/zkOO4 @goodinaroom

4 Rules for Enhanced Creativity and nailing word count:  http://ow.ly/zkOkW @cairnswrites

Writing Thrillers:  50 Lessons Learned From Thrillerfest 2014: http://ow.ly/zkOiZ @thecreativepenn

Why All Writers Should Write Book Reviews:  http://ow.ly/zkNZ2 @brunsdavid

First drafts: what they should and shouldn’t be:  http://ow.ly/zgAzX @nownovel

How To Market Your New Book http://ow.ly/zgvVO @brettarends @forbes

Ray Bradbury on Failure, Why We Hate Work, and the Importance of Love in Creative Endeavors:  http://ow.ly/zgwEK @brainpicker

Don’t Take Author Obesity Sitting Down:  http://ow.ly/zqkkf @Porter_Anderson @writerunboxed

8 Story Fixes:  http://ow.ly/zgA5N @JaredMGordon

Hiring a Book Publicist 101:  http://ow.ly/zgCfq @suegreenbergpr

20 Screenwriting Tricks And Tropes We Never Need To See Again:  http://ow.ly/zgyBt @io9

Why 1 Writer Left Her Agent & New York Publisher:  http://ow.ly/zpYPn @ClaireCookwrite for @JaneFriedman

Writing: One Size Does Not Fit All:  http://ow.ly/zgw8l @writing_tips

Navigating the Book Promotion Jungle: http://ow.ly/zgzGQ @WriterlyTweets

7 Pieces of Life Changing Writing Advice From Dear Sugar: http://ow.ly/zgwLE @RyanHoliday @thoughtcatalog

Digital Revolution Act 2: TheTrue Nature of Amazon Revealed? http://ow.ly/zpiOX @claudenougat

Why write flash fiction?  http://ow.ly/zgzSz @LenKuntz

Patience Is a Writer’s Most Important Virtue:  http://ow.ly/zgw3X @writeitsideways

An agent’s advice on when new writers should start attending conferences: http://ow.ly/zgwTA @Janet_Reid

Integrating Writing Into Life:  http://ow.ly/zoyH5 @LexThomasAuthor

Writing by hand, or typing: when are you most creative? http://ow.ly/zgwgr @chrisrobley

Words to avoid when writing jacket copy: http://ow.ly/zgwxB @markkrotov

Practice, Persistence, Professionalism:  http://ow.ly/zgsHc  @nancyjcohen

Is Your Book Cover Design Stopping You From Being On The Bestseller List?  http://ow.ly/zgvsg @ThomasEMcGee

Malapropisms, Spoonerisms and Oxymorons:  http://ow.ly/zgfg6 @CASpeight

How to Survive Slow Book Sales:  http://ow.ly/zgfnG @shalvatzis

Being the Person Your Writing Needs You to Be:  http://ow.ly/zgfBb @LeonardoTrait

Who Said What? Speech Tags Decoded:  http://ow.ly/zgfxM @HGComan

Why Your Book Deal Is Just the First Step:  http://ow.ly/zgfIa @LizandLisa @writerunboxed

Food Idioms Can Fuel Our Writing Career:  http://ow.ly/zgePM @pubcoach

How much time should writers spend blogging and building websites? http://ow.ly/zgeu1 @roz_morris

Essential Dos and Don’ts for Author-Bloggers:  http://ow.ly/zgfko @annerallen

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

Resources for Writers—Industry News

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ll be the first to admit that reading industry news can be…stressful.  I’m one of those people who avoids confrontation at all costs, so I rarely weigh in, although I follow trends and news very closely.  I form opinions and those opinions evolve as circumstances evolve.

But it’s vital that we keep abreast of developments. News stories help us make smart decisions with our career paths and contracts.  So I thought I’d provide some reputable sources here for news and information.  Some of these sites frequently display bias toward self-published/indie authors and some are most-often biased toward traditional publishers.  I read them all.  I remember studying abroad in London during college and being told I should read The Times, The Independent, and The Guardian to get a balanced view of my own.  So I’m following in that tradition.

First off, journalist Porter Anderson’s site.  If you don’t have time to follow various sites but want to keep up with industry news…he pulls everything together for you in his reports.  He curates news and does a nice job bringing different viewpoints together in each of his posts.  Porter writes for different sites, so it’s probably best to follow his site’s RSS feed so you can keep up with him.  Or, if you’re on Twitter, just follow him there to receive the most current information—and to also pick up his live feeds from the different conferences he covers.

If you’re looking for breaking industry news, reporter Laura Hazard Owen at Gigaom does a nice job keeping writers current.  Her stories can be found here.

Jane Friedman’s weekly feature, “The Smart Set,” is excellent for sharing excerpts of well-written posts on current hot topics and raising questions culled from the content.

Attorney David Vandagriff ‘s Passive Voice Blog serves as an aggregator of industry news and industry discussion.  Reading the comments is a must.

Hugh Howey is doing an amazing job speaking on behalf of self-published writers and appears to be on the verge of sparking what Porter Anderson termed a labor movement.  He always has something interesting and thoughtful to say.

Joe Konrath’s posts can get heated, but his thoughts on problems inherent with traditional publishing frequently fascinate me.

David Gaughran’s blog reports on industry upheaval but also helps writers wade through tough issues and helps provide guidance on areas writers might be debating (should we go on Wattpad? Should we try KDP?  What does the breaking news from Amazon mean for me?).  He’s also done some nice reporting on publishing scams.

Digital Book World reports industry news and holds a yearly conference for publishers and other content providers on adapting to the digital landscape.

Mike Shatzkin’s blog, The Shatzkin Files, offers in-depth analysis of publishing-related issues from an industry perspective. (Mike Shatzkin has spent nearly fifty years in the business in many different roles.)

So…if you want to keep up with industry news, there are plenty of options.  What are some of your favorite sites?  Read any of these?

Image: MorgueFile: Alvimann

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