Riley Adams's Blog, page 184

Book 'Em! by p.m. terrell

by p.m. terrell, @BookEmNC

I've wondered lately why I've had no time to blog. Then the reason occurred to me: I'm organizing a Writer's Conference and Book Fair.

The Book 'Em conference scheduled for February 25, 2012 is the tenth one and the first to be held in Lumberton, North Carolina. It's shaping up to be our largest, most successful one to date. And that isn't by accident. It's the result of hundreds of hours by dozens of volunteers.

Laying the Groundwork: I began lining up community support several years ago for Book 'Em North Carolina, an event to raise funds for literacy programs in Robeson County. We gathered support from the City of Lumberton (always important to get local leaders involved), the Lumberton Area Visitors Bureau (instrumental for publicity efforts), area businesses (sponsorships), civic groups (volunteers), schools (school-age attendance and volunteers with boundless energy), non-profits (to whom the literacy funds will go), among others. When we were offered Robeson Community College for the location, we were ready to get started.

Lining Up the Authors: We began contacting authors in March 2011. Two librarians, Katie Huneycutt and Lisa Matthews, helped me email authors and post blogs to raise awareness of the Book 'Em event. Thanks to Katie, we lined up two New York Times best-selling authors as headliners: Carla Neggers and Michael Palmer (necessary to attract large crowds). I developed our website, posting every author's picture, bio and links as they registered. Over time, I added dozens of informational pages.

Sponsorships: We solicited businesses for sponsorships, instrumental for promoting and marketing the event. We lined up pillars of the community, including University of North Carolina, Southeastern Regional Medical Center, BB&T and a host of businesses who donated $250 to $2,000 apiece. We secured grants from the Lumberton Area Visitor's Center to cover promotional efforts and Kiwanis Club of Lumberton, who provided money to buy children's books to give away.

Publicity: We began periodic press releases in the spring, which were picked up by mainstream and Internet media. We obtained media sponsors, including Lumberton Magazine and Robeson Living Magazine, and have been working steadily with newspapers, television and radio stations. We secured billboards around the state, which will roll out after the holidays. Our big promotional campaign begins January 2. Brochures are in all the NC Welcome Centers on I-95 and with local businesses; flyers will be distributed with all Lumberton utility bills; and our full Talks Schedule will be published in the January edition of Lumberton Magazine.

Logistics: The conference and book fair features more than 75 authors selling and signing their books, which means we must have tables and adequate space not only for the authors but for traffic flow. We've divided two buildings into fiction, non-fiction, young adult and a special Children's Corner, meticulously measuring hallways and classrooms. We will have five sets of talks going on simultaneously: five publishers have joined us for the Writer's Conference, and there will be panel discussions and solo talks for every genre – plus readings for small children. Each talk requires a moderator; each hallway and conference room requires a Team Captain and host of volunteers. There will be an Author's Lounge and the college cafeteria will be open for attendees, requiring a Food Committee. We'll have greeters, music in the cafeteria, events in the Children's Corner, raffle tickets, and centralized cash registers, each requiring a team of volunteers.

Contests: We kicked off short story contests throughout the Robeson County Public School System and Robeson Community College. Entries will be judged by faculty and finalists will be decided by published authors. Winners will be announced at Book 'Em.

Afterward: When the event is over, our work is not: we'll clean up the space used, reconcile all the funds received, pay authors and publishers their portion of the book sales, award the non-profits funding for literacy efforts, and donate remaining books to literacy groups.

Then we start the whole process over.

Book 'Em North Carolina will be held on the last Saturday of each February in Lumberton, NC. The event is FREE and open to the public; doors open at 9:30 am on February 25, 2012. A portion of every book sale will be donated to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Robeson County, Communities In Schools, and Friends of the Robeson County Public Library for literacy campaigns for all ages. The Book 'Em Foundation was founded by author p.m.terrell, who wrote this blog, and Police Officer Mark Kearney, to raise awareness of the link between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates.

Thanks, p.m.! I'm going to be at the Book 'Em, North Carolina conference, too—along with L. Diane Wolfe and Alex Cavanaugh. If you're in the area, hope you'll drop by. :) ~~Elizabeth

A Tool for Writers

For a while now, I've been interested in voice recognition software.

I recently became more interested, when I started having carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms appear.

My husband, a computer engineer, is also dealing with carpal tunnel issues. He recommended that I avoid using my left hand to decrease the symptoms and keep from aggravating the condition. But there was no way I could really effectively do that because I have two books to write by June and I can't type without using my left hand.

We both figured that voice recognition software might help give my hand a break, even if I used it only part of the day.

Diane Wolfe reviewed Dragon Naturally Speaking software on her Spunk on a Stick's Tips blog on Monday. After her positive review, I decided to check it out.

The CNET review had also been good, and user reviews on the software itself seemed good, although some people had a hard time installing the software (and apparently the tech support isn't so hot for this program.)

I didn't have any major problems with installation and had loaded it in about 10 minutes. I'm running Windows 7 (I some of the other users' problems had been with Vista…no surprises there). I had a couple of hiccups during installation—once when the app thought there wasn't enough memory (there was) to run the program, and once when it said I had a problem with my sound card (this error message disappeared when I tried again.)

I was relieved to find that the program made allowances for accented speech. Among the accents they listed in the set up was southern US. I do speak with a southern accent which is always a problem when I speak with automated customer service bots. So far, there hasn't been a huge problem with Dragon understanding what I'm saying.

To get the most out of the program, you need to train the software to understand you. One of the things I found interesting is that it analyzes your e-mails and documents to get clues to your writing patterns, the names that you use in documents, etc.

Since I'm writing fiction, I was a little concerned about having to verbalize punctuation marks when writing. For dialogue, you have to say open quote then the sentence, then close quote. I thought this might be distracting. It was distracting at first, but after a few minutes of dictating, I got used to it. It didn't seem to pull me into editing mode.

Another nice thing about this software, is that it's not particularly expensive. In fact, Office Max had it on sale for $50. The software comes with a headset.

I spent about 45 min. training the Dragon software to learn my speech patterns and vocabulary and will continue to train it as I go. After the first training session, I spent about 30 min. writing and found I was able to produce about four pages. Yes, there were mistakes on those pages (break instead of brake, etc.), but all-in-all, I was pleased with what was there. It was fast and any errors could be fixed in edits.

If you're someone who likes experimenting with different ways to write, or you frequently write in longhand and need to quickly transcribe those materials…or if you're developing carpal tunnel, Dragon Naturally Speaking can provide a decent break for writers while still allowing them to get their writing done.

Have you used voice recognition software? How has it worked for you?

Spring Cleaning in January

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Sometimes I think I just like to be contrary.

I'm not at all fond of resolutions.

When other people are making resolutions, I tend to spring clean. And it's January…not spring. But when it's spring here, it's so gorgeous that the very last thing I want to do is clean. So I start out the year cleaning, instead.

I like making goals, but I don't really need too many resolutions. I'll write two books by June. I have to write two books by June. No resolution needed.

When I clean up, the aftermath tends to be very refreshing and I feel pleased with myself. When I make resolutions, I tend to feel overwhelmed. Cleaning up is way better.

Since my closet organization methods are probably less than gripping to read about, here are some of my cleaning projects that are slightly more interesting:

Website update: I rarely visit author websites. Because of that, I haven't placed my own website in very high regard. But when I noticed that Penguin had stopped using my website on promotional materials they sent out about my book launches (!), I realized I needed to do something. Clearly, since they thought my website was too awful to mention on promo!

I transferred my hosting to a free Wordpress account and, not having any design skills nor the time to develop any, I quickly set up the website to resemble a blog…which I'm more familiar with. My big thing is that I want to be able to update my website myself…that way I (allegedly) would keep it more up-to-date. :) So I set up these pages: Home, About, Books, Contact, News. I made this website as basic as I possibly could. It's just a tool, not a work of art.

I was absolutely shocked to find that over 1,000 people had visited my website in a month. Shocked! So…clearly people do check out websites. Think about updating yours. :) The most important thing about a website is that people can learn how to reach you and how to buy your books.

Blog cleaning: After the remarkable success of my website update, I took on the blog. I only, again, wanted to do a little updating. I found that my About Me page was truly awful. So I just copy-pasted the copy I'd just written for the website over to the blog. Much better. I'd also written a couple of books since the last time I'd updated my Books page, so I updated that, too. And cleaned up some of my blogroll, which had blogs that had long since closed on it. I also cleaned up my sidebar a little (although it's still cluttered…but hey, I'm a writer. :) Clutter goes with the territory.)

Gmail inbox: Although gmail holds a ton of emails, it really bothered me to see over 6,000 emails in my inbox. Yes. 6,000. Cleaning up was long overdue! I unsubscribed from lists that I rarely read, unsubscribed from several newsletters, and deleted a slew of emails. Some I archived into specific folders. Now it's much more organized and I feel a lot more on top of it all.

I do plan on assessing what I want to do with the rest of my year…in June. :) That's when I'll probably have a little more time to look at where I am. Do you like resolutions? Or do you find other ways to challenge yourself, instead?

Twitterific

Happy New Year! Hope everyone has a wonderful 2012 (with lots of writing in it!)

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week.

The Writer's Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links (now over 12,000) searchable. Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for the web's best links and interviews:http://bit.ly/gx7hg1 .

Precede vs. Proceed: http://bit.ly/vTVDoB @writing_tips

3 Ways to Use YouTube to Drive Traffic to Your Website: http://bit.ly/unAD7X @smexaminer

Writing tip--write a bad book: http://bit.ly/tCdLms

How-to: Gift a Kindle Book: http://bit.ly/rDha8p

How to Host Guest Blogs while Building your Credibility: http://bit.ly/t0rdbL @freshome

How to Squeeze Writing Inspiration from a Stone: http://bit.ly/sDcORJ @JulieBMack

The Persistence of the Author Brand: http://bit.ly/vcqW4R @psexton1 for @writersdigest

The 99 cent debate: http://bit.ly/rIfNeG @selfpubreview

Fear of editors: http://bit.ly/tCnhC6

Fixing backstory infodumps: http://bit.ly/uvdjLu @sarahahoyt

Tips for perfecting your writer's voice: http://bit.ly/scghYa @rebeccaberto

4 Key Criteria to Build Your Dream Blog: http://bit.ly/tAjpmE @problogger

Procrastination: Myth, reality or your best friend in disguise? http://bit.ly/tpw7Zp @annerallen @RuthHarrisBooks

The Great Seductive and Often Fatal Temptation of the New Writer: http://bit.ly/v2fbwx @storyfix

Tips for showing emotion instead of telling it: http://bit.ly/vGtJ89 @Janice_Hardy

Setting goals for our writing--failure is an option, quitting isn't: http://bit.ly/sskkoh @DeanWesleySmith

4 tips for novelists: http://bit.ly/uoDojd @enwritened

Should Writers Create Their Own E-Book Covers? http://bit.ly/v8hVgh @nickdaws

Why writers can't edit themselves: http://bit.ly/uZycmr @JeffGoins

How to flunk social media: http://bit.ly/t1ST1b @justinemusk

25 Synonyms for "Story": http://bit.ly/tQO1DY @writing_tips

The Pros & Cons of KDP Select: http://bit.ly/tqS7u2 @PYOEbooks

How 1 novelist uses music for inspiration: http://bit.ly/shkdva @jenniecoughlin for @ByRozMorris

Preparing For Book Blog Tour As You Write Your Book: http://bit.ly/uY7wGJ @BryanThomasS

The nuts and bolts of indie publishing: http://bit.ly/uLa874 @cjlyonswriter

Put Adverbs in Their Place: http://bit.ly/trsIsm @writing_tips

Art of the Genre: What came first, the writer or the artist? http://bit.ly/uVKLWv @BlackGateDotCom

A writer and tax specialist on epub and taxes (US): http://bit.ly/vp5BBW @alisonpensy

Character Rants and Breakdowns—Let 'em Rip: http://bit.ly/toVMQd @NovelEditor

How to Write a Children's Book Based on Your Personal Struggles: http://bit.ly/vlnC1Y @KarenCV

Deadlines, and PR for Newbies: http://bit.ly/tRkInM @HunterFaith

Industry expert @JaneFriedman 's best writing tips for 2011: http://bit.ly/vCB6lT

Using history to inspire: lessons from festivals: http://bit.ly/vTBtyM @GeneLempp

Avoiding burnout when working toward writing goals: http://bit.ly/rtF6eE @PBRWriter

Start your book in the middle: http://bit.ly/sd8qA3 @sarahahoyt

Tips for non-fic writers who write in a crowded category: http://bit.ly/tCMZ3k @behlerpublish

[ Dear Loved One ]: I Am a Writer: http://bit.ly/vOZQOO @KSElliott_Shark for @krissybrady

Writing illness and medicine into our stories: http://bit.ly/s63q8d @JulietteWade

5 Resources for Crime Fiction Writers: http://bit.ly/rXkDiz @CAMorganti

How to Write Convincing Strong and Silent Types: http://bit.ly/vdghbp @KMWeiland

Setting the Scene for a Productive Day: http://bit.ly/tJGdUB @RealLifeE

The Resume Is Dead, The Bio Is King: the99percent.com/tips/7025/The-Resume-Is-Dead-The-Bio-Is-King @getstoried

Fixing Character Errors: http://bit.ly/t7rakV @HeatherMcCorkle

Tips for email promo of books: http://bit.ly/vdgMXM @selfpubreview

Tips for Scene Beginnings and Endings: http://bit.ly/t7iwI9 @jamesagard

Write Fiction? Why You Should Try a Short Story: http://bit.ly/rFEpGk @JamiGold

The Secret Life of Late Bloomer Sue Monk Kidd: http://bit.ly/vZvT0O @DebraEve

Growing Your Book – A Christmas Metaphor: http://bit.ly/tOw68x @authorguy

Did that Bad Review Come with a Side of Ulterior Motives? http://bit.ly/tbc3XK @selfpubreview

Get Back on the Writing Wagon: Here's How: http://bit.ly/uGk0c0 @SusannahFriis for @KrissyBrady

Using guilt as an element in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/v5j8SV @mkinberg

Series vs. Stand Alone: http://bit.ly/sZrkDZ @authorterryo

What Makes Word-of-Mouth Work? http://bit.ly/uX7LKd @robeagar for @writersdigest

15 Tricks & Tips to Get the Most of Kindle Store: http://bit.ly/uso2ya @ebookfriendly

The Word of the Year 2011: http://bit.ly/vVLRRg @writing_tips

Give Yourself A Break And Write What You Want: http://bit.ly/vCsV2m @MsTamarCohen for @/AmySueNathan

Guns in mysteries: How not to get it wrong. http://bit.ly/rVRS3E @wdchip11 for @junglereds

The Make Or Break Moment in Your Story: http://bit.ly/rFI2Yq @storyfix

Will There Ever Be A Universal, MP3-Like Standard For E-Books? http://bit.ly/vocsIW @copyrightandtec for @paidContent

The Point in Your Novel You Realize You Should Be a Baseball Star: http://bit.ly/sh71zl @C_Herringshaw

Targeted PR, Cross-Promotion, and Knowing Your Audience: http://bit.ly/uSiaSq @kalayna

Ways to handle backstory without dumping it: http://bit.ly/tZnxta @sarahahoyt

How to Choose the Best Method for Publishing Your Book: http://bit.ly/v3cj4k @JFBookman

The anatomy of a good hook: http://bit.ly/vcv5ZB @nataliecparker for @4kidlit

Authors: Don't Get Burned By Branding: http://bit.ly/vAXfC0 @ChuckWendig

13 picture book tips: http://bit.ly/vOg0Ve @Artzicarol

Dead Story Walking: http://bit.ly/vyeL5k @mooderino

Planning a book--reducing a book to a sheet of paper: http://bit.ly/sjO6FJ

Writing novellas: http://bit.ly/tI8vqR @davidwoodauthor for @thecreativepenn

The Ugly Side of SEO: http://bit.ly/tlHy4m @Blogussion

How to Format Reader-Friendly Headlines: http://bit.ly/v5byyM @writing_tips

The Elementary Life of a Sidekick: http://bit.ly/tOl8tv @AlexBledsoe for @tordotcom

Ebook pricing, golden age for writing, Amazon vs. the world: essential news from @Porter_Anderson for @JaneFriedman: http://bit.ly/v36x0V

Writing on the Ether's @Porter_Anderson features @Melissa_Foster @jenniecoughlin @naypinya @danielsm1 @scalzi @LeenaRao http://bit.ly/v36x0V

The 99-Cent Debate: How Do We Value Our Writing? http://bit.ly/ueN44E @Melissa_Foster

"Dear Readers: Publishers Think of You as Customers, I SWEAR": http://bit.ly/sDlOLe @Scalzi

2011 digital publishing timeline: http://bit.ly/slYinF @samatlounge for @thefuturebook

The ugly truth about consumer book reviews: part 1: http://bit.ly/u5HAVS and 2: http://bit.ly/tpeFeU @tglong for @IndieReader

The Dreaded Writer's Break: http://bit.ly/vMidUB

How to Entertain Readers with Your Words: http://bit.ly/shafG8 @Gaylordcat for @writeitsideways

10 Daring Predictions for 2012 from the Indie Author Trenches: http://bit.ly/tEQ6Q3 @bob_mayer

Tropes covering the origins of evil: http://bit.ly/vbccbv @tabeechey

How to Find the Meaning of Life through : http://bit.ly/ukhH8T @VictoriaMixon

Eliminating flabby book middles: http://bit.ly/tbEqYD @sarahahoyt

Publishers vs. Libraries: An E-Book Tug of War: http://bit.ly/uWtJNX @nytimes @PassiveVoiceBlg

5 Common Writing Hazards: http://bit.ly/sUmrgP @kristenlambTX

A story of rejection from @jakonrath: http://bit.ly/rLjvdT

Strong language in our writing: http://bit.ly/ruy98T @ashkrafton

Compound Words: 2 words, 3 choices: http://bit.ly/vyJu6B @HowToWriteShop

It's All About Accuracy: http://bit.ly/uhhFRM @writing_tips

When it comes to writing, "Done" is better than "Good": http://bit.ly/u4LWAS @Jhansenwrites

8 questions for writers: http://bit.ly/v0tMNZ

Top5 signs you're reading too much young adult literature: http://bit.ly/ssdDUg @mittenstrings

12 Google+ Marketing Tips From the Pros: http://bit.ly/uZQYuP @CindyKing

Memes for Writers: http://bit.ly/sYfKZ0 @Amanda_Hannah

Moving From Traditional Publishing To Indie: http://bit.ly/sAVOe4 @ornaross @thecreativepenn

Who Will Be the Next Generation of E-Readers? http://bit.ly/vdrYOP @TalliRoland

Start your New Year off on the right foot, and finish your literary puzzle with a promo plan: http://bit.ly/uNZJgH @behlerpublish

How using denial can improve our stories: http://bit.ly/vnkvJn @NovelEditor

Tension: A Valuable Tool: http://bit.ly/tdY1k4 @Ava_Jae

Essential components of your 1st 100 pages: http://bit.ly/uGhwcd @storyfix

The "Why" of Character Worksheets: http://bit.ly/rBLdvY @TheresaStevens

5 Audacious Goals Every Blogger Should Have for 2012: http://bit.ly/usiPew @AlexisGrant

How to mindmap your story: http://bit.ly/v4bWgk @DeeWhiteAuthor

How to Force a Story to Evolve: 6 Revision Tips: http://bit.ly/tS1XdE @JamiGold

What makes a debut novel different: http://bit.ly/vFUWmM @nicolamorgan for @cathryanhoward

Your Blogging Goals: What Are They? http://bit.ly/tzg0L5 @Blogussion

After the Glitter, Get Inspired: http://bit.ly/rD2OvP @plaingirlwriter

15 Top New Year's Reads For Writers: http://bit.ly/uiFJPN @BryanThomasS

Evoke vs. Invoke: http://bit.ly/tzVEiu @writing_tips

Setting a Yearly Writing Craft Goal: http://bit.ly/rEqWt8 @jamieraintree

Does your story's plot go in circles? A few fixes for loop-de-loop syndrome: http://bit.ly/viPc1o @sarahahoyt

Making Writing Resolutions that Stick: http://bit.ly/utcYdJ @diymfa

Don't fib to publishers about your platform: http://bit.ly/tl40NP @behlerpublish

The Writer's Journey: http://bit.ly/vKeAjl

Mr. Darcy's Guide to Wooing Women: http://bit.ly/utINhU @readingape

'Unstuck,' An App For Setting Writing Goals: http://bit.ly/rAm2jw @ebooknewser

5 Alternatives to Hyphenating Phrasal Adjectives: http://bit.ly/rp7cPq @writing_tips

How memoir writer turned to music to help her recreate her feelings for her book: http://bit.ly/uk1EBp @cathryanhoward for @byRozMorris

Shifting Goals in This New World of Publishing: http://bit.ly/uHo2F7 @deanwesleysmith

The 10 Commandments of a Successful Author: http://bit.ly/u5fMxs @roniloren

Are You Choosing the Right Words for Your Story's Tone? http://bit.ly/uKn03B @KMWeiland

Good and bad foreshadowing: http://bit.ly/uxZCU1 @SarahHoyt

7 ways 1 author got on the Amazon bestsellers lists: http://bit.ly/vhs9gv @beth_barany

Mapmaking for fantasy authors: http://bit.ly/urwlt8 @tabeechey

Moms, Writing, and Guilt: Do You Get In Your Own Way? http://bit.ly/swKGkI @AmySueNathan

Tips for using similes and metaphors: http://bit.ly/uVYV9u @Artzicarol

Why Traditional Marketing Doesn't Sell Books: http://bit.ly/rZXY2h @KristenLambTX

Writing Quickly: A Secret Strategy: http://bit.ly/tNX7L5 @Ava_Jae

How to Incorporate Backstory That Hooks The Reader: http://bit.ly/vCvZut @lkblackburne

Old contracts are being dusted off and language scrutinized: http://bit.ly/s6fXCm @PassiveVoiceBlg

Evoking a sense of wonder in readers: http://bit.ly/uMGGj4 @mlmjr1 for @HP4Writers

Using mirrored scenes in books and series: http://bit.ly/sEuw9A @HP4Writers

Wordsmithing: Go For It: http://bit.ly/t7jzjX @WomenWriters

How to Use Holidays in Our Writing: http://bit.ly/uqwFiV @JamiGold

When do you trunk a story? http://bit.ly/tRFaMf @JulietteWade

1 writer/illustrator's plan for regaining control of the clock: http://bit.ly/u0p4rR @inkyelbows

4 ways your protagonist can learn the truth: http://bit.ly/uQGvp6 @jammer0501

Book Marketing Tips From Amazon's Bestselling Self-Published Ebooks Of 2011: http://bit.ly/uh2Mgw @thecreativepenn

The Excitement of a Small Town Setting

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I've talked to writers before who just don't get why I write small town settings.

"But it really limits what you can do!" and "Does anything really ever happen in small towns?" are the two comments I usually get when the topic comes up.

I've found, though, that it's not limiting because a lot does happen in small towns. I grew up in one and still remember some of the shocking, soap-opera-like stories I'd overhear the grownups whispering over. You've never known drama until you've lived in a small town.

Small towns are full of secrets: When everyone knows everyone else, you feel the need to hide things that you don't want the whole town knowing about. Realizing there's a character with a secret and having a protagonist work to unearth it leads to natural suspense.

Small towns can set the stage for conflict: Feelings run deep in a small community because perceived slights seem personal.

Isolation: Small towns can seem, or actually be, remote. If you're writing a book where the characters need to either feel cut off from the rest of the world, a small town setting can really add that element to your story. Want Wi-Fi? Good luck in many small towns.

Replicating a small town feel in a larger town setting:

I also write stories set in larger locations—no one would call Memphis a small town. But I try to replicate that small-town feel in other ways:

Limited setting: The story's action centers around a central location with limited other scene settings. Just get rid of your wide angle lens and panoramic city shots in your story and pull the shot in.

Presence of family and connectivity: Gathering around food, conversations in rocking chairs on porches, etc.

Recurring series characters who are warm and engaging for readers.

Do you enjoy reading or writing stories based in small town settings? What particular elements of this setting have you found interesting to work with or read?

Planning a Book

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

[image error]I've always been somewhat allergic to the word outline. I don't outline books unless editors ask me to.

But that doesn't mean that I wander through a book with no direction at all. There are a couple of different things I do before and during a first draft to make the process a lot quicker: I come up with a big picture plan for the book (and write back cover copy for it), and make mini outlines for the following day so that I have an idea what I'm wanting to accomplish the next morning.

But to me, this isn't outlining.

My teenage son and I were waiting in line at a salon for him to get his hair cut. He's got this really shaggy hair and he really doesn't like getting it cut because he wants it a very particular way. And he only wants Phil to cut his hair. We'll wait for an hour to see Phil since it's the type of place that doesn't take appointments. Yes, I bring my manuscript with me. :)

When Phil found out I was a writer, he started playfully pretending to ask me to write a book based around his salon. The main character would be Philippe and it would involve various dramas that play out at the salon.

My son thought that zombies and a dystopian feel to the novel would be a good idea. They've been enthusiastically adding storylines and characters to this pretend project for the last few months. My son is reading Romeo and Juliet for school, so he's also pulled in some characters from that play—Benvolio and Tybalt, for instance. He also thought it would be cool to include the wicked Montresor from The Cask of Amontillado.

Last Friday, while we were waiting at the salon, he said, "Mom! Can you write this story?" He was half-serious.

"Under an assumed name," I told him. "I don't think my readers are looking for me to write a cross between Dawn of the Dead and Romeo and Juliet with Poe thrown in for good measure!"

"How would we do it?" he asked me. "If we wanted to?"

"It's easy," I said. I took out my always-handy notebook and wrote cast of characters, setting, internal conflict, external conflict, climax, resolution.

He quickly named the characters and a two or three word explanation of who they were. The protagonist and antagonist got a little more explanation. He came up with a love triangle, an internal conflict when the protagonist had a choice on whether to save his mom or his girlfriend from zombies, and some other details. Phil called out some ideas, too.

"How do you want it to end?" I asked him. He devised a standoff at a mall, and I told him that had been done before. :) He created another ending that was original and pretty thrilling. "Hey," I said, "you have to leave room for a sequel, too." So he modified the ending again.

"How do you want it to start?" I asked. He listed a peaceful day at the salon. "Might work," I said, "but for your readers, they might want to start off with zombies trying to break into the salon and the stylists building a barricade."

It took about ten minutes to come up with this plan, but of course, they'd been talking about this pretend book for months. "Mom," my son said, "I think I almost could write this book."

"Of course you could!"

"But I thought you said you didn't outline."

"This isn't an outline." I'm sure I must have recoiled at the word. "This is brainstorming. And making a list. And a chart. This stuff can all be changed, too—you're not locked into it."

And somehow, when undertaking something as massive as writing a book, it's kind of cool to see it reduced to a sheet of paper.

What sort of planning do you do before starting a new project?

Twitterific

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I enjoyed my Christmas break. :) Although I wasn't blogging last week, I was tweeting…and here are the writing links I tweeted (in a special Monday edition of Twitterific!)

Hope you'll have a chance to relax a little and click over to a few of these blogs…there are some great resources here.

Widen Your Reach - Know Your Audience: http://bit.ly/sijSfn @KarenCV

Why Your Book Pitch Matters (Even If You Don't Want an Agent): http://bit.ly/tXtk49 @JFBookman

A look at holiday parties in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/ubWdiu @mkinberg

85 Synonyms for "House": http://bit.ly/tDh0sg @writing_tips

Dos and Don'ts of taking a much needed break while writing for web: http://bit.ly/sCAZfw @lizstrauss

The Value of Social Media for Writers: Self-Promotion or External-Validation? http://bit.ly/tT09sY @wegrowmedia

10 Remarkable Posts That Pull Inspiration From Your Own Blog: http://bit.ly/rL3aJt @SeanPlatt

Create Creativity Pillars to Boost Your Productivity Level: http://bit.ly/vd4UKt @krissybrady

Two SF/Fantasy Predictions for 2012: http://bit.ly/vudI4Q

Open to Interpretation: http://bit.ly/uEoqAD @soulofaword

Is your novel missing a sense of time and place? http://bit.ly/rPWBQb

Perfecting our elevator pitch: http://bit.ly/ucSeLg @JohnKremer

1 writer's rewriting solution: http://bit.ly/sMbnPe

The appearance of character: http://bit.ly/vcx24k @cncbooks

Shutting the Drawer: What Happens When a Book Doesn't Sell? http://bit.ly/tgBVuw @EdanL

The truth about book publicity: http://bit.ly/viQVFu @ChuckSambuchino for @rachellegardner

Encouragement for writers: http://bit.ly/ubRfGb @byseanferrell

Distractions Can Be Used To Our Advantage: http://bit.ly/sj01Wd @krissybrady

Clothe Characters Well—Choose Words that Fit: http://bit.ly/tkSPHA @NovelEditor

Reasons Not to Self-Publish: A Fallacy is Exposed: http://bit.ly/sJGRiG @gary_author for @Jhansenwrites

Are you playing to your strengths as a writer? http://bit.ly/tgkPxp @jhansenwrites

Kindle-Proof Your Book in 7 Easy Steps: http://bit.ly/rEzoK2 @The_Millions

5 Timeless Books of Insight on Fear and the Creative Process: http://bit.ly/s29nOb @brainpicker

Critiquing: The Naughty and the Nice: http://bit.ly/shxtbA @JenBrinn

Beyond the Basics—Push the Story and Push Yourself: http://bit.ly/sF0LfB @NovelEditor

The E-Reader of Sand: The Kindle and the Inner Conflict Between Consumer and Booklover: http://bit.ly/sL4DTH @mrkocnnll

Sitting and watching: http://bit.ly/vPIaoT

What Happens to Your Manuscript in Hollywood? Coverage: http://bit.ly/vTQw6p @WriteAngleBlog

Baker & Taylor Digital Chief on Reaching Millions of Readers: http://bit.ly/tHPpoo @digibookworld

Character Development and Staying in Character: http://bit.ly/svTFj8 @billsonskinner

How to Pick an ereader This Holiday Season: http://on.mash.to/vXJ2Tk @mashable

Making Room for Readers: http://bit.ly/vmQ529 @SteveHimmer

5 writing truths: http://bit.ly/v0N94e @Ava_Jae

6 Simple Mistakes to Avoid when Creating an Online Video: http://bit.ly/s8QIJ4 @jeffbullas

How To Accomplish More By Doing Less: http://bit.ly/uD57L6 @the99percent

Rewriting: the Genre Pass: http://bit.ly/vzZ3IK @AlexSokoloff

Why Writers Must Make Themselves Easy to Contact: http://bit.ly/vljXIM @ChuckSambuchino

Does Blogging Sell Books? — 3 Marketing Strategies for Writers: http://bit.ly/vTMR1H

Foreign Rights Directors in France: The Advantages of Being Foreign: http://bit.ly/st6DT8 @pubperspectives

Character Reaction—Make Your Characters Respond: http://bit.ly/rCyOtR @NovelEditor

Google Plus: 7 Reasons Why You Should Give It A Try: http://bit.ly/uhrhMx @podjamtv

An agent on publisher rejections: http://bit.ly/uhb5Le @greyhausagency

The State of the Blogosphere 2011: http://bit.ly/w1JvHo @briansolis

Tough love and being a writer: http://bit.ly/rUqYwZ @KristenLambTX

Writing Goals: 2012 — The Herald's Call: http://bit.ly/uuoVn0 @gointothestory

Author Tech Review: The Kindle Fire: http://bit.ly/tgla0V @authortech

When self-publishing goes wrong: http://bit.ly/rTtsdk

Does Alcohol Improve Your Writing? http://slate.me/skrdXM @slatest

14 offbeat gifts for writers: http://lat.ms/s4X7GS @latimesbooks

Why showing, not telling, is so important: http://bit.ly/rNOCvp @clarissadraper

Weighing the costs of promo: http://bit.ly/vJIfBM @BevVincent

Commas and clauses: http://bit.ly/vOQWvi @EPubGuide

Hosting a blog tour successfully: http://bit.ly/txd13M @Margo_L_Dill

Screenwriting: Should you write an ensemble piece? http://bit.ly/vWNpUH @jacobkrueger

Do Intro Prologues Work? http://bit.ly/tvnO4t @Janice_Hardy

The call to action in our story: http://bit.ly/rFV1xV @TheresaStevens

Memoir writing tips: http://bit.ly/rWyC7x @mroachsmith @jeffgoins

Will publishers kill Amazon's golden goose? http://bit.ly/ufh73r @PassiveVoiceBlg

On scene length: http://bit.ly/u5qxnR @theresastevens

How to write a good sidekick: http://bit.ly/v07fVa

The destructive side of the creative community: http://bit.ly/vSQWVC @MarkChangizi for @CreativityPost

Asking why: http://bit.ly/tQoVUj @YAHighway

"Hating Amazon Is Not a Strategy" — The World Reacts As Amazon Opens a New Front in the Pricing Wars: http://bit.ly/tNwn4h @scholarlykitchn

Self-Publishing And Ebook Predictions For 2012: http://bit.ly/unm1CN @Rule17 for @thecreativepenn

Tips for making school appearances: http://bit.ly/tfzYrp @amydominy for @BlurbisaVerb

Rest breaks for writers--feeding the creative artist: http://bit.ly/tyCBcr

1 writer's free ebook experiment: http://bit.ly/vmQTOt @season4romance

The writer's voice and its possible intrusion in a story: http://bit.ly/rOsL2T @annerooney

Celebrations in Story—Marking the Special Days: http://bit.ly/t7KtGD @noveleditor

How to Use Images in Your Blog Posts: http://bit.ly/tohzkJ @themefuse

5 Clever Tactics to Get More eBook Sales Per Reader: http://bit.ly/rymH7c @skellie

How Do You Decide Which Story You Should Write? http://bit.ly/rCEoZJ @KMWeiland

Ebook pricing and traditional publishers: http://bit.ly/w1FA64

An author with an Amazon success story: http://bit.ly/umgzma @RobertBidinotto for @jenniecoughlin

A List of 32 Superhero Cliches: http://bit.ly/tVOI9V

25 Adverbs That Get an "A": http://bit.ly/tTnbmG @writing_tips

Tips for Writing a Killer Thriller, Part 3: http://bit.ly/u8YGfL @JodieRennerEd for @DPLyleMD

Traditional publishing--deciding if it's right for you: http://bit.ly/ryD4g2 @roniloren for @annerallen

Get Out of Your Own Way as a Writer: http://bit.ly/u9TOtB @storyfix

3 Ways to Borrow Kindle Ebooks: http://bit.ly/uMqQOG @PassiveVoiceBlg

Connecting with readers on Facebook, using photography: http://bit.ly/uYz2lm @lilywolf

Getting a novel right is trial and error: http://bit.ly/syVWWl @dirtywhitecandy

An agent with examples of books at the intersection of literary and mainstream: http://bit.ly/trzZDL @rachellegardner

What a blurb needs: http://bit.ly/vj5jCt @bookemdonna

Taking time to enjoy life: http://bit.ly/uGPexC @danyelleleafty

The 3 things one editor is looking for: http://bit.ly/teW4Uk

3 Steps To Cost Effective Homemade Bookplates: http://bit.ly/v0NfDz @BryanThomasS

Tips for getting acquainted with our characters: http://bit.ly/trqEI6 @jemifraser

Tips for successfully navigating self-publishing pitfalls: http://bit.ly/udgdBw @cjlyonswriter

Finding Time to Write: the Power of Small Assignments: http://bit.ly/sidtKb @CherylRWrites

Age of Amazon, author's passion, #ebook pricing--essential news: @Porter_Anderson for @JaneFriedman: http://bit.ly/sPAJPB

Why Amazon Is The Best Strategic Player In Tech: http://onforb.es/uM1PLu @vgr for @Forbes via @Porter_Anderson's http://bit.ly/sPAJPB

Writing Children's Books: Genre Differences: http://bit.ly/tj8MSp @KarenCV

Experimenting With Serials for Fun and Profit: http://bit.ly/uXWHgL @janefriedman for @pubperspectives

Use Your Facebook Profile To Market Your Writing: http://bit.ly/uNbEJV @lisahallwilson

Career Planning for Writers: http://bit.ly/rDptSk

How to Find Community through Writing : http://bit.ly/rKdCeU @VictoriaMixon

Analysis: Amazon's 100 top-selling Kindle books of 2011: http://bit.ly/rzVfuL @bufocalvin

Indie Epub : A Beginner's To Do List: http://bit.ly/stUfHp @EPubGuide

5 Benefits of a Writing Group: http://bit.ly/stiauS @Eliz_Humphrey

Author Blogging 101: Blog Analytics: http://bit.ly/sn8CUW @JFBookman

Useful Amazon links: http://bit.ly/rMiSqM @bufocalvin

Hiveword Novel Writing Software Launched: http://bit.ly/ukwM6f @Hiveword

For literary inspiration follow @AdviceToWriters. Jon Winokur dispenses writerly wisdom of the ages.

Increasing Your Ebooks' Visibility via Ereader-Centric Blogs: http://bit.ly/sKpccW

Does your denouement murder your characters? http://bit.ly/sI595z @p2p_editor

Top books of 2011: http://bit.ly/uHZEsE @JanetBoyer

Building a Portfolio as a Freelance Writer: http://bit.ly/vjIztK @mindywrites for @AlexisGrant

Copy Edits: Curse or Blessing? http://bit.ly/tyoDxd

A 5-Minute Guide to More Persuasive Copywriting: http://bit.ly/tXg0Nd @MenwithPens for @CopyBlogger

The Design of Authorship: http://bit.ly/rTELvr @thebradking for @JaneFriedman

7 Steps to Taming Your NaNoWriMo Manuscript: http://bit.ly/vdb0or @merciaslayer

How NOT to Bore the Reader: http://bit.ly/udvo84 @LisaGailGreen

What 1 writer did to improve his writing: http://bit.ly/voWVM2 @TweetTheBook

How Editing Works for Indie Authors: http://bit.ly/vPlHMq @GoblinWriter

When Telling is Better Than Showing: http://bit.ly/vYxe6N @Janice_Hardy

4 Ways to Beat Moments of Discouragement: http://bit.ly/vjymTW @FriesenPress

Does having a contract offer in hand automatically mean an offer of representation from an agent? http://bit.ly/sJBZ05 @greyhausagency

When close calls change our priorities: http://bit.ly/u8tYwU @jan_ohara

What Make A Cozy Mystery "Cozy?" http://bit.ly/rSRqG9

When you're the only one you know who loves a particular book: http://bit.ly/rO4T5T @bookladysblog

Must every scene must be different? http://bit.ly/uwxT1B @JulietteWade

Tips for creating a story bible: http://bit.ly/vWNDHm @Suzanne_Johnson for @RoniLoren

The Only Way to Become a Real Writer: http://bit.ly/rX5evx @JeffGoins

1 writer with a game plan for depressive writers: http://bit.ly/ur35Z5 @NovelRocket

How To Speed Through Your Novel's Second Draft Like A Concert Pianist: http://bit.ly/sKZAkT @OllinMorales

6 Steps to a Loyal Blog Following: http://bit.ly/ugC6LD @ShariLopatin

4 ways to kill narrative drive: http://bit.ly/utJgtN @jammer0501

A Review of Book Recommendation Websites: http://bit.ly/vjZ7cw @bookriot

How 1 Writer's Idea Morphed into a Published Book: http://bit.ly/w4COIP @kapkaful

Amazon is (Not) the Devil: http://bit.ly/v543Ul @selfpubreview

Screenwriter John August Describes His Writing Universe: http://bit.ly/tNmmDl @ChandlerWrites #screenwriting

Building buzz for your favorite books and authors: http://bit.ly/t0SwYw @KristinHalbrook

5 writing truths: http://bit.ly/vA8HGQ @Ava_Jae

eBook Exclusivity — A Good or Bad Idea? http://bit.ly/vuYkuZ

3 types of boring writing and the cures for them: http://bit.ly/vF7WXj @sarahahoyt

Writer's Digest's 18 most popular posts of 2011: http://bit.ly/tjTioA @BrianKlems for @writersdigest

How to break up long stretches of dialogue: http://bit.ly/vyvlTQ @write_practice

An agent explains what he means by real stories and real char's: http://bit.ly/uCvG3A @greyhausagency

Satire's New Golden Age: http://bit.ly/urz37v

Create a manuscript template: http://bit.ly/uiCVEH @JHansenwrites

How To Drive Yourself Crazy as a Writer: http://bit.ly/skithI @JodyHedlund

Dear Book Biz Santa: http://bit.ly/vgBZmX @MJRose

Can publishers and customers meet on ebook pricing? http://bit.ly/taLdtn @PassiveVoiceBlg

3 Things to Consider When Writing Teen Romance: http://bit.ly/tUo8ya @Kody_Keplinger for @Janice_Hardy

Writing Lessons from a Red-Nosed Reindeer: http://bit.ly/vi182i @DIYMFA

Got a new Kindle? Here's the most important thing to know: http://bit.ly/uCjzKz @bufocalvin

Twitterific

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week.

The Writer's Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links (now over 12,000) searchable. Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for the web's best links and interviews:http://bit.ly/gx7hg1 .

In recent news, my writing and computer programming friend Mike Fleming has launched his Hiveword Novel Writing Software. To check out what it's all about,just click here.

I've also released another backlist Myrtle Clover title to ebook. A Dyeing Shame is available on Kindle and Nook for $2.99.

*******Happy holidays to all! I'm going to have a weeklong blocation to celebrate Christmas with my family. I'll be back with the next Twitterific roundup a day later than usual…Monday, Dec. 26. *******

A useful resource for describing settings, emotions, shapes, textures, and more: http://bit.ly/eIGRMO @AngelaAckerman

A free directory of ebook pros--for covers, editing, formatting, & more: http://tinyurl.com/3mxg5zt

How Much Do We Want To Be Paid Tomorrow? http://bit.ly/w2CbU3 @DavidGaughran

How Not to Blog: Beginning Blogging for Authors: http://bit.ly/snBAQV @AnneRAllen

10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Dialogue: http://bit.ly/sgtq28 @aliventures

A flawed vs. an unlikeable character: http://bit.ly/tOtYwr @JulieMusil for @lisagailgreen

The 12 Most Dangerous Words for Writers: http://bit.ly/tFwCW2 @Kim_Wright_W

9 Steps to a Daily Blogging Schedule: http://bit.ly/rwOUzF @ytravelblog

Inexpensive Ways to Improve Your Writing or Get Published in 2012: http://bit.ly/rFLJSG

The New World of Publishing: The Big Hurry: http://bit.ly/txtJUu @DeanWesleySmith

How to Use an Outline to Write a First Draft: http://bit.ly/rDaWKu @writersdigest

5 Dialogue Mistakes You Can Fix Right Now: http://bit.ly/vvgLwi @ashleymarch34 for @RoniLoren

A Writer's Christmas Carol: The Ghosts that Haunt Us: http://bit.ly/skVUJr @fuelyourwriting

8 Writing Techniques to Win You a Pulitzer: http://bit.ly/sTdN6T @JaneFriedman

5 Places to Find New Article-Writing Ideas: http://bit.ly/vE5Hl8 @KrissyBrady for @writeitsideways

1 writer's tips for self-publishing: http://bit.ly/v1AjfZ @nicolamorgan

Character name use--when introducing characters & during dialogue: http://bit.ly/s9lzEI @KeliGwyn

Is "it's a Wonderful Life" really a YA novel? http://bit.ly/rWD6r4 @LauraPauling

Holiday gifts for writers: http://bit.ly/soMfve & http://bit.ly/v49mT9 @thewritermama @HowToWriteShop

The trap of social media noise: http://bit.ly/tyQynt @thisissethsblog

How to Find Gratitude through Writing: http://bit.ly/tKhc6a @VictoriaMixon

Why we should avoid auto-DMs and pleas to check out our blog: http://bit.ly/t0h7lV @alexisgrant

How a Shift in Your Vocabulary Can Instantly Change Your Attitude: http://bit.ly/vEmEFP @michaelhyatt

Is There Life After Plagiarism? Not For Journalist Stephen Glass: http://bit.ly/uRK9Dk @elanazak for @10000Words

A Key Attribute for Strong Novel Writing That's Often Overlooked: http://bit.ly/sXe7ui @wendypmiller

An example of outlining (using "Ghostbusters"): http://bit.ly/scK7Zo

New Year's Resolutions for Marketing Your Book: Say Yes to New Things: http://bit.ly/vE4b51 @ZimblerMiller

Tips for writing queries: http://bit.ly/sgcOkk @billsonskinner

4 tools for breaking your blogging writer's block: http://bit.ly/s79frp @smexaminer

What makes a SF/F work a classic? http://bit.ly/tj7uzw @BlackGateDotCom

Suspension of disbelief: http://bit.ly/sOhhRI @Scalzi

Worldbuilding With Horses: Ramifications: http://bit.ly/vJF8iT @dancinghorse

How to think creatively: http://bit.ly/rNoiMT @TonySchwartz for @HarvardBiz

Put Adjectives in Their Place: http://bit.ly/vveVi7 @writing_tips

1st person or 3rd? How to decide point of view: http://bit.ly/vWAw2w @dirtywhitecandy

Tips for writing strong heroines: http://bit.ly/vBzSWV @BryanThomasS

Social Bookmarking 101 for Authors: http://bit.ly/sl1TNs @curiosityquills

An agent on the meaning of persistence: http://bit.ly/uY2c4W @rachellegardner

1 Bookseller's Modest Proposal: Amazon Pay Bookstores an Affiliate Fee: http://bit.ly/ubHc3z @Rachelrooo for @pubperspectives

Travel Writing: Shaping Experience Into Stories: http://bit.ly/uBEpHP @BTMargins

Sleeper Hits from Big Houses: http://bit.ly/sPFgOP @DeahlsDeals for @PublishersWkly

10 Ways To Help Boost Your Confidence as a Writer: http://bit.ly/rFW1pQ @OllinMorales

It takes more than a question mark to make a question: http://bit.ly/sSAxjP @TheresaStevens

6 Steps to Building Your Creative Endurance: http://bit.ly/vNBmou @EnduranceLeader

Movies about Writers and Writing: http://bit.ly/vkmPrM

How to Hook a Reader and Never Let Go: http://bit.ly/sRtiOz @KristenLambTX

Archetype vs. Prototype: http://bit.ly/shEEfr @writing_tips

The Indie Bookstore in the Amazon Age: http://bit.ly/w3qU6G

10 Writing Skills Worth Practice: http://bit.ly/v61VLH @CherylRWrites

5 Steps to Transform Meals into Writing Experiences: http://bit.ly/sGztOb @diannej for @writersdigest

7 Lessons In Self-Publishing 1 Writer Learned in 7th Grade: http://bit.ly/vcphLJ @mainakdhar

The Rule of 3 in Writing: http://bit.ly/rv0k90 @authorterryo

4 Ways Inspiration Helps You Beat Writer's Block: http://bit.ly/ruxffJ @writersdigest

Writing male point of view: http://bit.ly/uCVc9g @JulietteWade

5 Steps to Meeting Self-Imposed Deadlines: http://bit.ly/vR2vsP @on_creativity

Hitting the Reset Button When Life Kicks Your Creative Keister: http://bit.ly/syJexp @Jhansenwrites

How To Prolong Your Book's Exposure: http://bit.ly/rqS0gf @JodyHedlund

3 Reasons Why You Should Be a Formulaic Blogger: http://bit.ly/tvcHvD @aliventures

Questions to ask yourself about your plot while you revise: http://bit.ly/sPhq2D @DeeScribe

Paying authors more might be the best economics for publishers in the long run: http://bit.ly/vbO0KE @MikeShatzkin

50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day: http://bit.ly/sTO0GA @BrianKlems for @writersdigest

Quality is the new gatekeeper: how ebooks have changed 1 woman's reading: http://bit.ly/rujZKC

10 Marketing Strategies All Writers Should Consider: http://bit.ly/sg4VjU @ajackwriting

Storyboarding Timelines: http://bit.ly/vljLG5 @RavenRequiem13

Explaining sample chapter submission: http://bit.ly/siD3bk @BrianKlems for @writersdigest

Zombies aren't characters in a story. What zombies are: http://bit.ly/vZc3LT @PatrickFreivald for @hartjohnson

10 reasons 1 writer can't write right now: http://bit.ly/s8icu8 @ElspethWrites

Cheap Kindle Textbooks for Mystery Writers: http://bit.ly/umJs21 @ClarissaDraper #reference

How to take criticism: http://bit.ly/v88M9a @TheCreativePenn

Make time for writing by making lists: http://bit.ly/vEos8v @AmySueNathan for @BTMargins

Exceptions in the Rules of Hyphenation: http://bit.ly/tQzrju @writing_tips

The Inevitable Identity Crisis That Happens After Publication: http://bit.ly/rNL0yd @JodyHedlund

Making Bad Characters Good: http://bit.ly/sCRvst @elixing for @4kidlit

Google : Do Writers Need It? http://bit.ly/rAMcv4 @JFBookman

The Black Art of Debut Novel Promotion: http://bit.ly/uFzhhN @cischafer

Platform for non-fiction writers: http://bit.ly/uXyBUm @RachelleGardner

Freelancers: Softening the Blow of Rejection: http://bit.ly/uCKQxZ @KrissyBrady

Is KDP a good deal for self-publishers? http://bit.ly/t4w5WT @rule17

Setting a Word doc for 25 lines a page: http://bit.ly/v2LcvK @jhansenwrites

How Social Media Can Change Your Life: http://bit.ly/tkLtDd @JaneFriedman

Tips On Responding to Public Criticism (Inspired by Steve Jobs): http://bit.ly/rTJrJr @lkblackburne

The difference between writing a play, screenplay, & novel: http://bit.ly/sNj8vh @authorterryo

Including a romantic subplot in crime fiction series: http://bit.ly/tnz0oW @mkinberg

Using history to inspire: lessons from Attila: http://bit.ly/uFbQ6p @GeneLempp

1 agent's newbie mistakes: http://bit.ly/rORxaG @SaraMegibow

Obstacles to being traditionally published: http://bit.ly/rGLOyJ @nicolamorgan

New Book Discovery Tool Offers Groupon-Style Deals: http://bit.ly/u4G2Cs @Readuxreads for @pubperspectives

3 reasons most aspiring authors will never write books: http://bit.ly/tjwCYN @KarenCV

Easy Ways to Keep Up with Publishing News in 2012: http://bit.ly/vycUtE

How Can Superheroes Maintain a Day Job? http://bit.ly/t8auX0

Follow the market or follow your heart? http://bit.ly/us5Wj3 @RachelleGardner

Moms in Fantasy: Beyond the Stereotypes: http://bit.ly/tf3ttH @AmyJRoseDavis for @FantasyFaction

Customer vs. Client: http://bit.ly/tUoeY9 @writing_tips

Temporary triumphs: http://bit.ly/rZLcXe @Mommy_Authors

Only a small percentage of authors sell through. What's the solution? http://bit.ly/vrJUjj @LauraPauling

The Case of the $0.49 Print Book: http://bit.ly/vhy04r @JFBookman

One Hour of Daily To-Dos: http://bit.ly/uHV3K0 @watched1

Story Threads—Tie the Elements Together: http://bit.ly/uFMSTL @NovelEditor

Hints that you have too much dialogue and helpful fixes: http://bit.ly/vPLCmE @NovelEditor

Weed Out Author Intrusion: http://bit.ly/uZrKBn @NovelEditor

Freelance writing work--the possibilities: http://bit.ly/rXhFdI @KarenCV

Pearson Education Extends Scope of Permissions Licenses: http://bit.ly/sFdj2K @VictoriaStrauss

1 writer's Undercover Soundtrack: http://bit.ly/sgt159 @byRozMorris

The enjoyment of fantasy--how and why readers read it: http://bit.ly/v81bsj @Fell_Gard

Character Motivations versus Plot Motivations: http://bit.ly/w00Ph5 @JulietteWade

3 critical ways to shuck off the negative & boost fortitude as writers: http://bit.ly/uxkFWJ @angelaackerman @Janice_Hardy

Easy Goal Setting for Your New Blog: http://bit.ly/tlTNod @ABasanti

Do your secondary characters have lives of their own? http://bit.ly/voeCSJ @HP4Writers

Tips for successful plotting: http://bit.ly/uTdD7U @lynnettelabelle

Ways to regain or retain our enthusiasm for writing: http://bit.ly/ujB4dy @JulieMusil

How much does a 99c ebook cost on Amazon? http://bit.ly/uKGpl2 @EPubGuide

What To Cut Out Of Your Story: http://bit.ly/uDqvqQ @ollinmorales

Correct use of ellipses: http://bit.ly/tZn2NM @write_practice

An editor reminds us to keep writing through our blocks: http://bit.ly/uxrR2N @behlerpublish

1 writers 5 ways of dealing with reviews: http://bit.ly/tOlRfB @LadyGlamis

1 writer's top tip for querying: http://bit.ly/rKECLn @RoniLoren

Screenwriting --Script To Screen: "Up": http://bit.ly/vfQEvc @GoIntoTheStory

Twitter by Post: http://bit.ly/uxKxG5 @gilest for @themorningnews

Ins and outs and dos and don'ts of Twitter: http://bit.ly/uzQmRk @SeanPlatt

How many times should you query the same agent with different projects? An agent answers: http://bit.ly/un94NO @greyhausagency

Tips for querying bloggers for guest posts: http://bit.ly/txsEht @KSElliott_Shark

When Critique Goes Wrong: Crit Group Calamities: http://bit.ly/vPNAzl @Janice_Hardy for @LauraPepWu

Core Character Values: Finding the Moral Compass: http://bit.ly/v6mB69 @HowToWriteShop

Writing Shouldn't Be a Solitary Activity: http://bit.ly/uVZ1GQ

1 editor's process for determining story order in his anthology: http://bit.ly/taqsCV @martyhalpern for @madhatterreview

Why Steampunk (still) Matters: http://bit.ly/toaBOF

SF for MFAs: http://bit.ly/svH7z8 @sonewpublishing

Why You Should Never Write Like You Talk: http://bit.ly/uK4GpO @menwithpens

Villains: Evil and Otherness: http://bit.ly/rpUFiK @DeborahJRoss

Amazon's Jungle Logic: http://nyti.ms/uKUYS6 Richard Russo for @nytimes

An online tool to help you organize your novel: http://litlift.com/ @litlift

2012 Events for the Screenwriter: http://bit.ly/txIRZd @scriptmag

Why you won't go to hell for putting two spaces after a sentence: http://bit.ly/rMBaeC @shunn

Increase Your Story's Suspense With Breadcrumbs: http://bit.ly/rSL1eQ @KMWeiland

5 Easy Fixes for the Most Common Twitter Faux Pas: http://bit.ly/vsb7gv @hubspot

10 Ways to Conjure Up a Viral Blog Post Title: http://bit.ly/sYNcE0 @catseyewriter

O. Henry, Criminal and Crime Writer: http://bit.ly/vn5EQ8 @crimehq

Tips for writing plot twists and laying clues: http://bit.ly/utWEAL @LisaGailGreen

A tip for making characters real for readers: http://bit.ly/vaUpmc @VeronicaRoth

The 10 Least Thrilling Thriller Clichés: http://bit.ly/vAGw3o @crimehq

Amazon vs. The Shop Around the Corner: http://bit.ly/tMJz7s @harriet_poetry

Has the Price of E-Books Really Increased? http://bit.ly/vcgAcL @JDGsaid

Tips for novel pacing: http://bit.ly/rZDLfp

Tips for novel pacing: http://bit.ly/rZDLfp

Finding balance within our writing: http://bit.ly/vlDss7 @billsonskinner

On pricing ebooks: http://bit.ly/tBbuYv @JamiGold

Tips for Writing a Killer Thriller: http://bit.ly/tF5c5S @JodieRennerEd

Letting Go In Order to Write: http://bit.ly/v3f6Zk @EllenByerrum

Slate Mag w/ a controversial post: Don't Support Your Local Bookseller: http://slate.me/rvWB22 @fmanjoo

Who Am I Today? Managing the Writer's Many Online Personae: http://bit.ly/sSRRlp @GeoffreyCubbage

Top links this week for writers: http://bit.ly/sazH8x @4KidLit

Starting Small Is Better Than Not Starting At All: http://bit.ly/sY9OXS @krissybrady

Introducing magical elements into our story: http://bit.ly/rs62RI @HP4Writers

Free ebook of writing prompts: http://bit.ly/v0QmRP @JoeBunting

Kindle sales top 1 million for third week in a row: fhttp://bit.ly/uTsLeq @PassiveVoiceBlg

Writing Plot Twists and Laying Clues

Hope you'll pop over and join me today at paranormal and fantasy writer Lisa Gail Green's blog, Paranormal Point of View.

I'm talking a little about creating plot twists and laying clues in our story.  And Lisa's blog is a great place to visit—she always has interesting posts for writers. Hope you'll come by!

Easy Ways to Keep Up with Publishing News in 2012

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

[image error]Keeping up with publishing news in, let's say, 2000 wasn't particularly interesting. I know I wasn't paying attention to it. I wonder how many people were.

But today, keeping an eye on publishing is important for every writer considering publication. Actually, I think it's important for readers, too, if they're interested in the health of their local bookstore chain or whether they should invest in an eReader.

Luckily, there are some great sites to help us keep up with it all and to help us disseminate the information we receive. That's a good thing, because it's all changing so quickly.

Publishing news and analysis

eBookNewser

Jane Friedman's blog, in particular Porter Anderson's Thursday segment, Writing on the Ether

TeleRead

Publishing Perspectives

Publishers Lunch

Blogs that weigh in on e-publishing vs. traditional

Joe Konrath's blog (A Newbie's Guide to Publishing)
Dean Wesley Smith
The Business Rusch (Kristine Kathryn Rusch)
David Gaughran—Let's Get Digital
The Shatzkin Files (Mike Shatzkin)

Help sorting out legal ramifications of these changes in publishing:

Passive Voice Blog

These are just a few great sites…there are many more out there. Want to add to my list? Or, what are your thoughts on the rapidly changing publishing world? (I think it's a great time to be a writer.)