Riley Adams's Blog, page 201

Twitterific

Below are writing links that I've posted to Twitter in the past week. I'm running the list a day early because tomorrow I'm visiting Anne Allen's blog. :)

Enter this month's WKB giveaway for a chance to win the "Butt-in-Chair" writer productivity eBook by Jennifer Blanchard.
Two copies to give away! Enter the drawing

My Thursday guest, Jeannie Campbell, from The Character Therapist blog, is giving away a copy of "The Writer's Guide for Creating Rich Back Stories"---comment through midnight ET tonight for a chance to win. Click here and scroll to the bottom of the post.

Finger Lickin' Dead Giveaway: I'm giving away an autographed copy of Finger Lickin' Dead—details here. Several days left in my contest. :)

And here are this week's links:

Best Articles This Week for Writers 6/10/11: http://bit.ly/k4j3Q6 @4kidlit

How Do You Choose Blog Topics? http://bit.ly/kSipOq @JamiGold

The 10 Most Powerful Women Authors (Forbes): http://onforb.es/kmcqPc

Write your novel in 30 days--Day 3: Getting your ducks in a row: http://bit.ly/jH2LLf @Mommy_Authors

Trading Excerpts with Other Authors in the Back Matter of Your Ebook: http://bit.ly/jqNnf0

On Story Arcs: http://bit.ly/lsSw8o

Write Your Query FIRST for a Better Book: http://bit.ly/kUfGL4

Edit in an Instant? Ain't Gonna Happen: http://bit.ly/iTZfJA

It's a Start: The First Line: http://bit.ly/jUyKKd

5 ways to screw up your author podcast: http://bit.ly/iInClc

Yoga for Writers: http://bit.ly/msLXdV

5 Articles on Knowing When to Submit: http://bit.ly/jJj4jH

5 Tips to Stay Encouraged During Querying: http://bit.ly/jYaZKg

Publishing Traditionally Without an Agent - Part II: http://bit.ly/kS9LzN

Amateur-Hour Books: Do You Know the Warning Signs? http://bit.ly/lGkJud

Working Within a Critique Group: http://bit.ly/jaMeRJ

Did You Know? Twitter Hashtags & How to Use Them: http://bit.ly/kETg19 @JanetBoyer

My "Finger Lickin' Dead" release and a chance to win it: http://bit.ly/jy9s1J

The Art of Keeping Your Blog Audience Coming Back for More: http://bit.ly/lrWX8C

Why writing a sleuthing have a lot in common: http://bit.ly/keR6wt @mkinberg

All About Glosses, or Brief Definitions: http://bit.ly/kyicNq

Writing time-management for the harried home-writer: http://bit.ly/kN2aL7

Making thrillers out of classics: adapting Shakespeare's Macbeth: http://bit.ly/mNvEcD

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Black and Blue Burgers http://bit.ly/kKnc5t

Things one writer has learned after completing his 1st draft: http://bit.ly/jJWJxX @JustusRStone

Beware These Writing Pests: http://bit.ly/jT9RD3

The elusive rewards of e-book publishing: http://bit.ly/kpewmT

8 Ways to Develop Better Relationships with Book Bloggers: http://bit.ly/lH1Zn2

The Difference Between Traditional Publishing & Self-Publishing: http://bit.ly/l9FZWG

Write a novel in 30 days--day2--drafting scene cards: http://bit.ly/mnzng6 @Mommy_Authors

Ultimate Blogger's Guide to Search Engine Optimization: http://bit.ly/kkF8PB #amwrting

Man Up: Writing Male POV: http://bit.ly/mSGiUG

Rhythm and Time: Give Your Writing a Beat of Its Own: http://bit.ly/kKl1H8

Actions vs Choices: Crafting Better Plots: http://bit.ly/lv49aR

Mystery writers--create red herrings through scapegoating: http://bit.ly/ip9lhM @jeanniecampbell

Writing for Two Publishers: http://bit.ly/kz7an6

6 tips for friends of mystery writers: http://bit.ly/iHX0zW @MasonCanyon

How idioms and metaphors bring your world to life: http://bit.ly/mOd5PS @JulietteWade

A publishing insider with a market update: http://bit.ly/lEy034

Free e-book on building readership: http://bit.ly/ke08hh @JaneFriedman

Before You Hire an Editor: http://bit.ly/lF7vTY @MuseInks

An agent on the all-important beginning: http://bit.ly/kF0LBR

When Bad Things Happen To Productive People: http://bit.ly/kRazAq

3 things 1 writer learned about writing at Disney World: http://bit.ly/iI9ott

Your characters shouldn't be bored: http://bit.ly/lRTyTk

How to Promote Yourself and Your Book: http://bit.ly/iU4Ymr

Direct Messages & The Power of Positive Tweeting: http://bit.ly/mSp5z6

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: To Havarti and to Hold http://bit.ly/mjJM8F

The Rewards of Writing for the Reader: http://bit.ly/ihNi4o @keligwyn

5 Fluctuating Forms of Gender-Specific Language: http://bit.ly/kz2QdD

101 Twitter Tips: http://bit.ly/mn0Wx6

Writers Need a Web Presence. Here's What That Means: http://bit.ly/jUQB3A

Conflict: the fuel of a story: http://bit.ly/kzsu12

Write a novel in 30 days--day 1--get to your novel's core: http://bit.ly/lYZvki @Mommy_Authors

Should you have a pen name? http://bit.ly/lWPM1k @JamiGold

Checklist for Editors: http://bit.ly/lUdBoV

How Much Of Good Writing Is In The Timing? http://bit.ly/lZHS6Z @storiestorm

Exercise Your "What-if" Muscle: http://bit.ly/k8zJbi @jhansenwrites

8 ways to keep your series from going stale: http://bit.ly/jFLMCJ @mkinberg

Slush Pile Triage: http://bit.ly/iScBmW @literaticat

Author-Agent Speed Dating Service: http://bit.ly/kyIcQa

The Persistent and Damaging Myth About Introverts and Marketing: http://bit.ly/k0n0Ao @janefriedman

A crash course on point of view: http://bit.ly/mgxAuc @Paize_Fiddler

How to read a script: http://bit.ly/jYWNZy

Editing For Self-Publishers: http://bit.ly/lWsnwW

10 Signs You Met Your Deadline: http://bit.ly/k8Xb0M @elspethwrites

5 examples of poorly-written sentences made better: http://bit.ly/mkicu7

An explanation of show, don't tell: http://bit.ly/ktZXbA

Quick tips on finding an editor: http://bit.ly/mxbCWx

Ignoring the Light in YA Fiction: http://bit.ly/kO8cam

Good day sunshine for writers: http://bit.ly/mNlQw6

Warning signs of an idiot plot: http://bit.ly/mAZ9Ri

6 Easy Ways to Get Your Guest Post Rejected: http://bit.ly/jUp8IO

How Honest Should We Be With Each Other? http://bit.ly/llqSND

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: An Easy, Finger Lickin' Southern Side—Pimento Cheese http://bit.ly/luVHZ3

Can't vs. Won't: http://bit.ly/l8PQsD

How to Overcome Perfectionist Tendencies as a Writer: http://bit.ly/izDfJE

Get the Best Bang for Your Blog: http://bit.ly/mAtFrx

How to Write a Scary Scene: http://bit.ly/kffTxM

Creating a Cover: Finding Models: http://bit.ly/kIcktb @camillelaguire

A bad book? No, it's a good book you haven't fixed yet: http://bit.ly/jo3ajo @DirtyWhiteCandy

Subplots--Where To Find Them and How To Use Them: http://bit.ly/lD7c3d

What's for supper at the Mystery Lovers' Kitchen? Cleo Coyle's Bourbon-Berry "Coffeehouse"Rib BBQ : http://bit.ly/kjt0bl

Internalization 101: http://bit.ly/iNfovN

Writer's Conferences—Are They Relevant in the Internet Age? http://bit.ly/iN7Hvu @annerallen

An Agent Says: "Please Don't Serial Query." http://bit.ly/lduU4N

What to look for in an agent: http://bit.ly/ifNvAM @JulieMusil

Promoting Your Book: The Dos and Don'ts of Being a Great Interviewee: http://bit.ly/jgRXgJ

Writing. It's Hard. http://bit.ly/lNf9lu @BTMargins

4 Ways to Make the Most of a Critique Group: http://bit.ly/lHBRpv @janefriedman

Make Your Bookshelf Work for You: http://bit.ly/kG3bir @jhansenwrites

Why perfectionism is so totally overrated: http://bit.ly/jzeBgS

My book releases today! Kindle: http://amzn.to/kh7MAp Print: http://amzn.to/lfUE2N A review: http://bit.ly/lazEjf . Thanks y'all.

How to Plot Wrong, in 3 Easy Steps: http://bit.ly/iPOXef @victoriamixon

The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Marketing: http://bit.ly/jsrdBb

Walking in a Character's Shoes: http://bit.ly/mM8yUk @keligwyn

On "Be" Verbs: http://bit.ly/jCxnJR

Thanks for this review of my new release, @HartJohnson! http://bit.ly/m2Qcr2

6 Easy Networking Tips for Introverts/Writers at Conferences or Events: http://bit.ly/mABvTw

How To Make Your Posts Facebook Friendly: http://bit.ly/iRqsb1

Abstracting the Antithesis: http://bit.ly/kOk8mh

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: 2 Contests, 3 Releases, and 1 Drool-Worthy BBQ Party for Riley, Julie, and Wendy! http://bit.ly/kjt0bl

Syntax and Flow (Should we learn linguistics in school?) http://bit.ly/kqtgsN

How Independent Bookstores Can Use Google & Groupon: http://bit.ly/llGXel

Using Twitter to promote your blog: http://bit.ly/juDUMP

How long should you wait to write a sequel? http://bit.ly/lnTjsX

Just because it's true doesn't make it good: http://bit.ly/kpxNoA @authorterryo

Why You Should Keep Hard Copies of Your Writings: http://bit.ly/m7HgT5

A Novel Approach To Marketing = Authenticity: http://bit.ly/ieNTif @joanswan

Openings that annoy: http://bit.ly/ipaoXI

What the heck's historical about it, anyway? http://bit.ly/mqpK3k

7 ways to write more when you're already at maximum: http://bit.ly/l3QJIN

Should You Use RT or the Retweet Button on Twitter? http://bit.ly/luUaRh

What If You Think You Might Be a Mediocre Fiction Writer? http://bit.ly/lv1I5s

Conflict = Tension = Emotion: Part 1-- http://bit.ly/inwstX Part 2-- http://bit.ly/mwUkqe

Archetype vs. Stereotype: http://bit.ly/jQWToO

3 multitasking tips for swamped writers: http://bit.ly/jBl8DJ

Are you setting summer goals? http://bit.ly/iuFTCp

Querying a Collaboration: http://bit.ly/kB0KCt

Tips on Pitching your Manuscript: http://bit.ly/jZNrcz

25 Ways for Writers to Take Action: http://bit.ly/mzCsJW

Finding your voice: http://bit.ly/lamyHJ

5 Pairs of Compound Words, and How They're Compounded: http://bit.ly/my6QG6

Feedback that dramatically changed writers' stories: http://bit.ly/jNQZph

Tools To Promote Your Author Blog: http://bit.ly/m8awW4 @galleycat

Publishing On The Kindle: Top Tips: http://bit.ly/ifzuwR @thecreativepenn

Should you sign an agency agreement?: http://bit.ly/lhS3Ii

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Blueberry Mango Muffins http://bit.ly/iEpECv

Tackling the Synopsis: http://bit.ly/iKvPJn

How to rise above cliche: http://bit.ly/iPHQqc @LauraPauling

The 5 Secrets of Great Storytelling: http://bit.ly/mG2nj0

Should you only send queries to your A-list of agents first? http://bit.ly/kSc3Tz

How 1 writer got her agent: http://bit.ly/j3Cch1

A deconstruction of "The Help," with a focus on plot structure: http://bit.ly/korXPe

Empathy and characterization: http://bit.ly/li4XEi

How writing is like Interior Design: http://bit.ly/iXhtaz

What Writers Mean by "Flow": http://bit.ly/lboLZ9

You Have Your Elevator Pitches, Now What? http://bit.ly/mq1QT0

Sane and solo: 20 tips for people who work at home: http://bit.ly/jVZlLC

The Little Extras That Will Make an Editor Love Your Query: http://bit.ly/iFC6Kn

The end of bookstores? (National Post): http://natpo.st/jRaD4k

The Opening Chapter: http://bit.ly/iDdOwH

What not to do as a writer: run: http://bit.ly/kyFXoq

A Short Course in Line Editing: http://bit.ly/lhbrZ5

How to Make YA Fiction More Diverse (The Atlantic) : http://bit.ly/mvNPV1

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: And then there was the time she put sugar in her salt shaker ... http://bit.ly/jTO0B8

5 Tips for Staying Encouraged During Querying

Being a writer isn't easy.

Publishing is a business that demands a thick skin—but writers are frequently artistic, thoughtful, and sensitive.

How do we stay encouraged during the tough querying process?

Hope you'll visit me at Karen Walker's Following the Whispers blog today for 5 tips for keeping positive.

*********************

It's here! Finger Lickin' Dead released Tuesday in a bookstore near you. Hope you'll consider it if you enjoy mysteries, or know someone who does.

Download it on Kindle: http://amzn.to/kh7MAp

Mass market paperback: http://amzn.to/lfUE2N

Giveaway: I'm giving away an autographed copy of Finger Lickin' Dead—details here.

Red Herrings: Scapegoating Characters By Jeannie Campbell, LMFT

I'd like to welcome Jeannie Campbell, the character therapist, to Mystery Writing is Murder today. Jeannie's take on character motivation and the psychology of characters on her blog, The Character Therapist, is a great way to develop your characters and give them some depth.

And, I'm over at Mason Canyon's blog, Thoughts in Progress, today, with a post titled: A Mystery Writer's View of the World (and 6 Tips for Friends of Mystery Writers). Hope you'll join me!

Good mystery writers know all about red herrings. Red herrings are clues that are designed to mislead readers and make them suspect the wrong characters for whodunit. Of course, the placement of red herrings is deliberate because you want to keep the reader surprised as the story unfolds who the true culprit is.

In the world of counseling and psychology, families do this all the time. It's called scapegoating. A common example is when a child gets pinned as the guilty party when in actuality, the dysfunction in the family stems from the mother or father's relationship.

Families do this to draw attention away from the actual problem and on to someone else. "My absentee parenting and alcohol abuse is not the problem. Little Junior is. See how he constantly throw tantrums?"

Never mind the fact that he throws tantrums as a way to cope when Dad's drunk and abusive. At least when he's having a tantrum, Dad doesn't hit Mom because they both turn their focus on him.

Writers end up scapegoating characters all the time, especially in mystery writing. We want our readers to focus attention elsewhere while we hide the truth from them. In counseling, this deflection is not good and actually interferes with the therapeutic process. In mystery writing, this distraction is a necessary evil {strikethrough} pleasure that makes the mystery harder to solve.

When I'm counseling a family that is exhibiting a scapegoating tendency, it truly gives me a headache. All the anger and stress and frustration is directed at one person, an any attempt on my part to lighten the scapegoat's load is met with denial.

I'd like to propose that mystery writers should be so good at scapegoating that any attempt on the author's part to weave in clues pointing to some other killer or thief would be met with reader denial, as well.

If you've done the work to throw off the reader, make them truly buy into it. Make the case so ironclad that the reader says to himself, "Well, it has to be Colonel Mustard. I mean, he mentioned how attractive and costly that candlestick was earlier in the book. His fingerprints were even found on it next to the victim. He had to have done it."

This is exactly what scapegoating families do. They will drag out one piece of evidence after another to prove their point that Little Junior is the problem (read: culprit). "He won't listen. He doesn't obey. He screams and kicks. He's out of control."

Once you've gotten the reader rattling off a list of evidence that points to Colonel Mustard and you have them summarily dismissing other clues you planted that show his innocence, you've done your scapegoating job well.

I hope that I'll get a chance to connect with many of you over at my new website, The Character Therapist and my blog. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter and receive the Writer's Guide to Character Motivation for free!

Also up for grabs to one lucky commenter of this post is the Writer's Guide to Creating Rich Back Stories. Leave a comment and don't forget to include your email address!

Some Finger Lickin' Reviews, a Guest Post, and a Cover

I've got a guest post this morning at the Book Resort: Nancy, Trixie, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot…and Me.

I want to thank Mason Canyon at Thoughts in Progress and Diane at The Book Resort and Hart Johnson at Confessions of a Watery Tart for their generous reviews of Finger Lickin' Dead.

Later today, I'll be talking about 8 Things You Can Do To Keep Your Series From Going Stale at Confessions of a Mystery Novelist with Margot Kinberg (about 3:00 ET).

Giveaway: A signed copy of Finger Lickin' Dead: http://tinyurl.com/3j7rfcr

And I've got a new cover. :)

Publishing is funny…it's very, very slow. Painfully slow. Then suddenly, everything moves at the speed of light. :) Here's the cover for my November 1 release, Hickory Smoked Homicide:

Thanks so much, everyone, for all your support and encouragement! I really do appreciate it. :) What do you think of the cover?

Release Day—Finger Lickin' Dead

It's here! Finger Lickin' Dead releases today in a bookstore near you. Hope you'll consider it if you enjoy mysteries, or know someone who does.

Download it on Kindle: http://amzn.to/kh7MAp

Mass market paperback: http://amzn.to/lfUE2N

Reviews:

Mason Canyon: http://tinyurl.com/6zco594

Book Resort: http://tinyurl.com/66gahz5

Finger Lickin' Dead: When an anonymous food critic blasts several local restaurants—including Aunt Pat's—Lulu Taylor and her customers are biting mad, especially when they learn that Eppie Currian is the pen name of their friend Evelyn's cheating boyfriend. When "Eppie" gets his own fatal review, the list of suspects is longer than the list of specials at the best BBQ place in Memphis.

Giveaway: I'm giving away an autographed copy of Finger Lickin' Dead—details here.

Blog tour: Dates and stops for the Finger Lickin' Dead tour:
June 8—Confessions of a Mystery Novelist
June 9—Thoughts in Progress
June 10—Following the Whispers
June 12—Anne R. Allen's blog
Wk. of June 12:June 13—K.B. Owen, Mystery Writer
June 14—Confessions of a Watery Tart
June 15--P.M. Terrell's blog
June 16—Spunk on a Stick
June 17--A Million Blogging Monkeys
June 20—Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog
June 21—The Other Side of the Story with Janice Hardy
June 22—The Creative Penn
June 23--Jami Gold's blog

Thanks so much, everybody!

How Long Should You Wait to Write a Sequel?

I got an interesting question from a writing friend last week.

She'd published a novel five years ago and wondered if that was too long ago to consider writing a sequel for the book.

My answer was that if a writer loves the novel's characters and setting, then why not write a follow-up to the first book? It can, actually, be a lot easier to write a sequel than to create something entirely from scratch.

Her concern was mainly centered around the fact that her original readers might not be interested in reading a sequel after such a long break between books.

Although it would be great to get your original readers to read your sequel, it might be better to approach it as an opportunity to find new readers. If you still have your readers' contact information (if they'd asked to be on your newsletter list, etc.), then you could send out a special edition of your newsletter alerting them to the long-awaited sequel.

Otherwise, I'd just look for brand-new readers via blogging and a professional Facebook page (like John Doe, Author).

As far as the writing of the novel goes, I'd probably write it as a standalone novel. If you write the book as if your characters haven't already been introduced to your readers, you won't confuse anyone. Besides, even the readers for your first book might need a refresher course.

If you self-published the first book or if you have your rights to re-release your backlist, you could consider re-launching the first book as an ebook. This could provide the introduction to the next book that you're looking for. It would be especially easy if you have the original Word file of your first book. If you're not sure where to start, Jenny Hansen wrote a great post on her Cowbell blog to get you pointed in the right direction. You really don't need to have a lot of technical know-how.

At any rate, I don't think a writer has anything to lose. You could make a few of your previous readers happy by providing a sequel, and could pick up a lot of new readers by writing a book full of characters you're comfortable with who come alive on the page.

Have you ever considered writing a sequel to a book that came out years before? Come across any series like that?

*************************

Finger Lickin' Dead releases tomorrow! Hope you'll join me for my blog tour, starting later this week. :)

Twitterific

Below are writing links that I've posted to Twitter in the last week.

The Writer's Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming , makes all these links searchable—try it for searches on plotting, characterization, querying, book promo, and more.

Finger Lickin' Dead releases Tuesday! :)

250 Books By Women All Men Should Read: http://bit.ly/llNfsJ

How to Nix the Fear and Pitch that Post: http://bit.ly/jHiv0P

Aisle and Isle: http://bit.ly/mAAP6e

Eating the Elephant (making writing a habit and setting goals): http://bit.ly/jMMWoq

Constructing Your First Chapter: http://bit.ly/kRiJIt

Coming 'Out of the Closet' as a Writer: http://bit.ly/kHRAK4

A character survey that you can save and print: http://bit.ly/llBTvb

How do you find the time to write? http://bit.ly/lTf0I7 @JulietteWade

Children's Books Are Not Just For Kids Anymore: http://bit.ly/liGdky

Resources for Young Writers: http://bit.ly/iT53uH

Publishing Traditionally Without an Agent: http://bit.ly/ikr5lq

On punctuation: http://bit.ly/imes74

8 Things To Consider When You Are Stuck: http://bit.ly/mq89VF

Introversion/Extroversion and Social Media: http://bit.ly/iYM1kK

What to expect during a critique: http://bit.ly/mJR22C @TereKirkland

What conflict isn't: http://bit.ly/jSBkXL

Purple Prose = Empty Description: http://bit.ly/mQxtNI

Write for Your Readers: http://bit.ly/k1t59W

Why Introverts Don't Need a Personality Transplant to Successfully Market: http://bit.ly/mxvhzV

3 Ways to Add Pizzazz to Your Author Bio: http://bit.ly/lbUdLS @keligwyn

An editor posts on dialect: http://bit.ly/mykWoF @TheresaStevens

Facts About Phrasal Verbs: http://bit.ly/iXecSY

Another Dialog Between Authors Barry Eisler and Joe Konrath: http://bit.ly/moDLmY

Books (and sites) On (selling your) Writing: http://bit.ly/lMm7QL

Writing YA Versus Adult Fiction: what's the difference? http://bit.ly/mRehLE

Self-editing checklist--characterization: http://bit.ly/jwx1fe

Cliched Writing: Avoid it Like the Plague: http://bit.ly/iYezbN

5 reasons readers might not finish your book: http://bit.ly/kahf5T

Should You Design Your Own Book? Pro and Con: http://bit.ly/ioWFiu

How to Be a Disciplined Freelance Writer: http://bit.ly/iuvTkx

The pricing of ebooks and perceived value: http://bit.ly/itxoXI

6 Digital Tools That Keep 1 Writer Sane: http://bit.ly/jboQmj

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Veggie Casserole http://bit.ly/kwbq2Z @CleoCoyle

How Can You Screw Up Your Book Cover? Let Me Count The Ways: http://bit.ly/m52nun

Characteristic Ages of Genres: http://bit.ly/jnesrq

6 Reasons Why You Need to Publish Ebooks: http://bit.ly/lFP0PP

10 Signs that You're Doing Networking All Wrong: http://bit.ly/msUq7h

Revisiting the 3-Act Structure: http://bit.ly/lHKrVT

High impact fiction portrays universal human experiences: http://bit.ly/iuBWmv

Emotional State is Trajectory - Why You Might Un-Revise: http://bit.ly/kW9IE2

Are Hashtags the New Global Book Club? http://bit.ly/kIs9lB

Should Your Ebook Have an Afterword? http://bit.ly/iitPas

9 Twitter Tactics: What Works For You? http://bit.ly/mLIxYQ @BloggingMentor

Mystery Writers of America Opens Membership Door To Some eBook & Print-On-Demand Publishers: http://bit.ly/mz1vJB

Why Hard Work Matters More Than Talent: http://bit.ly/klteHV

How A Few Measly Words Can Dramatically Improve Your Article Headlines: http://bit.ly/ld4167

The Shelf Lives of Expressions and Slang: http://bit.ly/lqzu7Q

Agents--surviving the transition: http://bit.ly/l8NUDD

Worldbuilding: exceptions to the rules: http://bit.ly/iByHSw

A Few Words about Conflict: http://bit.ly/kiuc9x

Physical therapy for your writing: http://bit.ly/m60piK @jhansenwrites

7 Things Guns Cannot Actually Do: http://bit.ly/iqqFGo

Worldbuilding: New Discoveries (use your people!): http://bit.ly/iPXDwP

Physical Clichés: http://bit.ly/mgGM3l

Branding 101: Be Google-able: http://bit.ly/j0VR35 @JamiGold

Book Trailers, Batman, and Short-Form Promotion: http://bit.ly/kI5ZM6

An Agent On Engaging Your Audience: http://bit.ly/iRx5Gx

10 ways to write a book review and what to do when the book sucks: http://bit.ly/mjCHHK @emlynchand

9 Tips for a Successful Twitter Party: http://bit.ly/lkhkHo

Thanks to @TheBookResort for a delicious review of "Finger Lickin' Dead!" http://bit.ly/lazEjf My book releases Tuesday!

Should you have multiple blogs? http://bit.ly/jnHy1p

Speaking Engagements - Be Prepared: http://bit.ly/iUb2tW @SpunkOnAStick

How Freewriting Can Help Writers Overcome Procrastination: http://bit.ly/jTsbnO

7 Traffic Stats You Should Know About Your Blog Or Website: http://bit.ly/lXsaAi @tonyeldridge

Writing Contests:Should You Take a Shot? http://bit.ly/jQPPQ1

Agent-author cliques? http://bit.ly/jo3o2m @literaticat

Tips for writing description: http://bit.ly/muM9cv

For publishers, the author is just one more noodle in a big bowl of pasta: http://bit.ly/mR9Fpi

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Barbecue and Blue http://bit.ly/mMlihs @CleoCoyle

6 Tips for Writing 'Clean' For Young Adults: http://bit.ly/jaktv2

Top 10 World-Ending Threats In Comics: http://bit.ly/jnIGHG

Why being female and writing fantasy has its drawbacks: http://bit.ly/mzsGQp

Get the best writing articles from May and an interview with author @janice_hardy at http://bit.ly/kmJuy8 #writetips @hiveword

The Characters Must Come First (in Any Genre): http://bit.ly/lb45CZ

What to do with extra words: http://bit.ly/khDt7c

10 Things about Plot Bunnies: http://bit.ly/jcP5Dy

Contract Red Flag: Net Profit Royalty Clauses: http://bit.ly/lgJy7C

5 Ways to Develop a Unique Voice: http://bit.ly/khP3KS

How to Read a Book Contract – For Avoidance of Doubt: http://bit.ly/mwDU0s

Dialogue: Let's be real. http://bit.ly/jouzCY

3 Reasons Dialog is Important, 3 Reasons It's Not: http://bit.ly/jTkLW1 @victoriamixon

General tips for not freaking out when you miss a deadline: http://bit.ly/lxjqhe

3 Things Screenwriting Taught 1 Writer That She Applied to Fiction: http://bit.ly/lYrJpi

Thematic Significance for Writers: http://bit.ly/mJS4y4

Twitter Follow Button Simplified for Publishers, Authors & Readers: http://bit.ly/k5loSD

3 Signs You're Renovating a Condemned Novel: http://bit.ly/jjKdLM

Putting a Series Out of Its Misery: http://bit.ly/ls4fGd

A look at bookshop mysteries: http://bit.ly/koZZNx @mkinberg

When Is Lying in Memoir Acceptable? 3 Key Issues: http://bit.ly/llOmWp

Are You A Blogger Buddy Or A Blogger Bum? http://bit.ly/jEzIkV

A way to study outer and inner story in your favorite books: http://bit.ly/inHffd

6 Steps to Returning to Writing: http://bit.ly/jPQmL5

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Bruschetta Open-Faced Sandwich http://bit.ly/l1wiKI @CleoCoyle

Writers' Time Management? http://bit.ly/laDRpy

How to Handle Those Pesky Rejection Letters: http://bit.ly/mAwYcl

On Grammar and Punctuation: http://bit.ly/jAgIra

Writing paradoxes: http://bit.ly/mnIVLJ

Branding 101: Online Brand vs. Author Brand: http://bit.ly/kgnZZo @JamiGold

The #FF (Follow Friday) Blitzkrieg: http://bit.ly/k6lbnS

Tags deleted from Kindle ebooks. What did you expect? http://bit.ly/jHrxTw

4 Easy Ways to Boost Your Word Count: http://bit.ly/llIxkP @MuseInks

5 Tools to Carry in a Conspiring Universe: http://bit.ly/jThtWf

Are You Linked In? http://bit.ly/jm8luO @jhansenwrites

10 signs of an approaching deadline: http://bit.ly/kEKCRz @elspethwrites

Visual Image Systems: http://bit.ly/jQm6EC

Scene Antagonists–The Making of a Hero: http://bit.ly/j9wfwe

Developing Your Creative Practice: http://bit.ly/l22neW

25 Words and Their Prepositional Pals: http://bit.ly/lcAh4a

8 Things You Need to Know About Living With a Writer: http://bit.ly/iTp5u4

Craft an Exceptional Elevator Pitch: http://bit.ly/lmKidl

Book proposals for nonfiction: http://bit.ly/mDBv92

In Defense of Keeping the Day Job: http://bit.ly/jXyDw5

Supporting Other Authors - Are they Competition or Support? http://bit.ly/kxzeKU @sarahketley

The Rogue Gallery: http://bit.ly/j7uWO1

Frustrated by Rejections? Change Your Angle: http://bit.ly/ioL1mb

Forget About Being Published: http://bit.ly/mfrpVE

Murder Your Muse: http://bit.ly/islB0t @mjcache

For screenwriters--an app that lets you open Final Draft (.fdx) files on your iPad: http://bit.ly/mr8EW4

An Agent on Response, No Response, Auto-response: http://bit.ly/lW4gk4

15 Figures of Speech to Color Your Characters: http://bit.ly/mp6Nxq

6 Saboteurs of Creativity and How to Thwart Them: http://bit.ly/mgvHCK @TheCreativePenn

Techniques for plotting: http://bit.ly/m5v4WX

Developing Supporting Characters: http://bit.ly/lc6zBG

Why pants and plots are the same thing: http://bit.ly/muaMT9

How authors are misled into thinking they've self-published when they haven't: http://bit.ly/lrVSAI

Exploring moral dilemmas in our writing: http://bit.ly/lPMVNx

Writer's Block and Depression: Why You Shouldn't Bully Your Muse: http://bit.ly/m9PA9T

Do you have a Memory Palace? http://bit.ly/ijLZvA

What Else Does Your Character Want: http://bit.ly/kJmFt3

Magic in Fantasy: An Introduction: http://bit.ly/ja04hw

How to Get Your Ebook Listed for Free at Amazon (maybe): http://bit.ly/iTYTtZ @GoblinWriter

Fear of letting go: http://bit.ly/jT7Ij9

An editor posts about Publish America's entry into the lit. agent biz: http://bit.ly/jvpfAx

The Call of the Wild: Fiction Writing: http://bit.ly/jcEyMR

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave http://bit.ly/kJa5OE @CleoCoyle

Pricing Your Ebook at 99 Cents: Pros and Cons: http://bit.ly/mLRIZJ

Are Happy Endings a Must? http://bit.ly/iX5HVk

Pronoun confusion: http://bit.ly/khVJXF

Memoir 101: http://bit.ly/kCx7ZU

The writing juggling act: http://bit.ly/ktNLpW

Tips from a burgeoning travel writer: http://bit.ly/iNkWA9

What's wrong with Huckleberry Finn? http://bit.ly/jwWlCh @p2p_editor

A look at compelling openings: http://bit.ly/lsomWz

The Outline Dilemma—Plotting vs. Pantsing: http://bit.ly/jZjg6p

13 reasons why it's hard to find the right critique partner: http://bit.ly/k3RAbe

Twitterific--my week in tweets: http://bit.ly/mwtlif

21st Century Evolution Of The Agent's Role: http://bit.ly/ix5flu

How to help your favorite authors: http://bit.ly/lDiNGD @GoblinWriter

Dangers of the open schedule: http://bit.ly/kpigfR

7 Questions That Need To Be Asked On Writing About Writing: http://bit.ly/mNlpld

Top 10 Best Resource Guides for e-Book Authors: http://bit.ly/jk4MEY

How To Avoid the Trap of Creating Unlikable Characters: http://bit.ly/m6W36K

10 mistakes 1 writer has made: http://bit.ly/k3m3EX

The Case Against the Em Dash: http://slate.me/jm2MAC

Writing on the edge of genre: http://bit.ly/iwRrVS

7 Tips for Getting Your Guest Posts Published: http://bit.ly/iLmfb0

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Sweet Revenge http://bit.ly/jc7Dy1 @CleoCoyle

Chaperoning a field trip is like a well-told story: http://bit.ly/jSr4VB @laurapauling

The Art Of The Blurb Request: http://bit.ly/kYwfnn

A Critical Marketing Secret: Don't Go It Alone: http://bit.ly/jzFXjf

The Art of the Two-Book Deal: http://bit.ly/mzSvWX

5 Sentences Saved by Em Dashes: http://bit.ly/it8waV

How to Start a Writers' Group (And Keep It Going): http://bit.ly/jKnoUu

Chatty Main Characters: http://bit.ly/l4gfJx

An editor on hyphenated compound adjectives: http://bit.ly/myrIhp

How to find out if your agent is an idiot: http://bit.ly/lbPpfy

10 questions to consider when hiring a freelance editor: http://bit.ly/kzVyjv

Tips for writing natural dialogue: http://bit.ly/kXpetZ

The Importance of First Impressions: http://bit.ly/lr0aiu @ingridsundberg

Is your idea blog-worthy or book-ready? http://bit.ly/kzixCc

The importance of consciously setting goals for our writing: http://bit.ly/j1t9Q6

9 Tips For Finishing That Novel: http://bit.ly/mChqLr

Diversity in SF/F for Young Readers, part 1: http://bit.ly/kKdeVf, part 2: http://bit.ly/j3RzVH, part 3: http://bit.ly/mqQox3

As a writer, it's normal to struggle: http://bit.ly/m7cyCC

PublishAmerica Will Be Your Literary Agent...For $199: http://bit.ly/kRRGxu @victoriastrauss

8 Ways to Use Blogging as an Interactive Marketing Tool: http://bit.ly/jeatLb

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Wouldn't You Like to Be a Pepper, Too? http://bit.ly/luHwst @CleoCoyle

Find your unique hooks: http://bit.ly/mGIu7S

How to give a good interview: http://bit.ly/iDNBg2

Is there really such a thing as an original story? http://bit.ly/kRX5pk

Revisions Rock the House: http://bit.ly/kzDvzv

Strengthen Your Voice: http://bit.ly/kVgDC4

Do Stories Need a Theme? http://bit.ly/kAzeCx @jamigold

How to Tell a Compelling Story in 3 Steps: http://bit.ly/lvPzVf

Best Articles This Week for Writers 5/27/11: http://bit.ly/kPUHnF @4kidlit

Studying books you love: http://bit.ly/iJXkeH

Creativity Tweets of the Week : http://bit.ly/mjSZRH @on_creativity

An editor on chapter headings: http://bit.ly/iFVjOR

The Joy of Writing (Not More, Just Better) Sex: http://bit.ly/lpYIqD @BTMargins

5 Free E-Books Every Writer Needs: http://bit.ly/jFj6zf @janefriedman

Scenes in swim lanes: http://bit.ly/ipdzPN

5 ways to avoid an info dump: http://bit.ly/kvLUMo

62 ways to improve your press releases: http://bit.ly/jxHC0k

Are Your Blog Comments Good, Bad or Ugly? http://bit.ly/mmGtwY @BloggingMentor

How Many Projects Should You Have Before You Submit? An agent answers: http://bit.ly/lEVnFb

Tips for writing openings: http://bit.ly/lLauqd @authorterryo

10 Short Lessons From The World's Best Copywriters: http://bit.ly/lAwwHp

"Where Do You Get Your Ideas?"

"Where do you get your ideas?" is one of those questions that gets old fast. It's also one of the questions you'll hear most as a writer.

I don't think I've ever gone to a conference or a signing or participated in a panel when I haven't heard that question either before, after, or during the event.

I think my answer is the same as most writers. I smile and say, "You know, the ideas come all the time. I can't shut them off! But they're not epic ideas. They're usually really small ideas that I can develop."

For me, it's only really occasionally that I'll get a Super Big Idea. Even then, it might not be an idea that fits with the book I need to write. I mean, it's great if I get a cool idea for a family saga that spans generations, but what I really need is a cool idea for a traditional mystery.

Instead of the Super Big Idea, I get little snippets of dialogue, character traits, an interesting quirk or personality type. Frequently these ideas show up while I'm at the store or in a conversation. I got them during book club last week and was guiltily texting myself the idea during the club meeting—realizing I probably looked obnoxious, but worried about losing the idea for good.

Sometimes I 'm not even happy with the ideas I've got. Maybe they seemed like good ideas at the time, but once I started playing around with them on paper, they didn't pan out the way I'd wanted them to.

In fact, one day in early 2010, I was working on my manuscript, Finger Lickin' Dead (the book that's releasing on Tuesday). The manuscript was in the early stages and I was exploring some of my ideas—and not liking them much.

I got an email from Hart Johnson. She'd had this really crazy, vivid dream, she said. It involved a murdered restaurant critic. She said that she knew she wasn't going to write a restaurant mystery, and offered me the dream as a starting point.

And you know? It worked so much better than my idea! So I took her starting point, and Finger Lickin' Dead was created. I mentioned Hart in my acknowledgments (thanking her for her 'helpful suggestions') and sent her a copy—which she showed off here.

Which goes to show, I think, that if we're receptive to new ideas and not worried about trying a new direction for our story, we can really end up with a stronger book.

So now I'll ask the never-ending question: where do you get your ideas? What's the most unusual way you've received one?

************************************

Sign up for the free, monthly Writer's Knowledge Base newsletter for writing tips and resources and to be entered in our first giveaway. Details here.

Finger Lickin' Dead launches Tuesday, June 7th!

On Un-Revising

Writing friend Camille LaGuire, wrote an interesting post on her Daring Novelist blog the other day.

Camille noted that she'd recently needed to un-revise (a term I think she's coined!) a large portion of text in the middle of her manuscript. She said that her instincts were good (there was an area that needed work), but her efforts to edit the scenes she thought were causing a lagging pace led to some problems…then more problems. In fact, the revision created a sort of domino effect of additional revisions….and what's more, it changed the plot, and not in a good way. She states:

And one of the things that happened with the misbegotten revision was that (a main character) sobered up to deal with some things in the middle. And that means the emotional trajectory of the sequence changes.

Camille makes the point that a character's emotional state is trajectory… it powers the plot.

She had a character that was out of control, and his lack of control was powering the plot. Camille didn't need to create a situation where this character regained control—she actually needed to increase his downward spiral.

The post resonated with me because I'd faced a similar situation in a manuscript. I had actually done a large revision, changing the murderer and the personalities of several of the characters. I'd put a lot of time into the changes, meticulously working through the manuscript to make sure that I'd switched everything to fit my revision and keep continuity in the new version.

But after reading it through, it just wasn't right. I'd written it with particular character foibles that set off other character foibles and character reactions. Those reactions had triggered a particular series of events. It just didn't make as much sense as the way I'd written the story before.

So I un-revised. And that was one of those times where I patted myself on the back for keeping old versions of my manuscript. I went back to the previous version and thought of a different way to approach my problem. (I ended up adding some additional tension to a couple of scenes, which worked well.)

Have you ever gone through a lengthy revision to find out it just didn't work? Was it easy to un-revise?

****************************

Sign up for the free, monthly Writer's Knowledge Base newsletter for writing tips and resources and to be entered in our first giveaway. Details here.

Finger Lickin' Dead launches June 7th

Preparing For A Release

It's that time again! And I haven't had a release for almost a year, so I really had to remind myself what I did the last time to prepare. I'll have to remember better this time…because Hickory Smoked Homicide launches in November! Ack!

I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago that mentioned some of the things writers can do to promote a release. Some of those things were press releases, book trailers, press kits, launch parties, Amazon and Goodreads pages, etc.

I realized that I'd left out a few of the things that I do, though, so I thought I'd cover them now.

Blog tour: A blog tour is a great way to get publicity for a new release. For one thing, it can really raise the Google ranking for your book title and your name. It's also a nice way to have your book cover showing up on everyone's blog reader—if you're on a lot of different blogs, you're definitely getting your cover out there.

When should you start the book tour? You should probably kick it off with the release of the book, unless you're shooting for good pre-orders. And a tour can last as long as you like—and be as intensive as you like. I've seen some blog tours where authors have every date in a three-week period booked for an online appearance, and I've seen tours which were stretched out for a while, but with appearances every couple of days or so.

You can use different formats with different blog appearances, if you'd like to shake things up a little. I've seen interviews, guest posts, character interviews (where the blog host interviews your protagonist), reviews, and contests.

Stock signings: These are different than book signings…so different that I actually enjoy them. :) You just plan a trip to sign your books in the bookstores that are convenient for you to reach (or that are in a place you're vacationing in, etc.)

Most bookstores have stickers at the customer service desk that say 'autographed copy.' You just sign your book, stick your sticker on the front, and then make sure they're facing out (if possible) so that folks can see it's an autographed copy. This can help your early sales numbers and get stores to reorder your book.

Social media: I've found that social media is especially viral. If you've developed relationships with readers and writers throughout the year, then just a couple of mentions of your release on Twitter or Facebook means that your friends and readers will support you with shares and retweets. It's so much better than beating everyone over the head with your launch.

Have you launched a book? What did you find worked well?

********

And—thanks to everyone who offered to host me for my blog tour! I'm hoping that I've gotten back to all who offered and have sent posts to many of you by now. Here's the blog tour as it stands now (and y'all, let me know if I've made any mistakes to this list.)

June 7 (and a couple of posts following the 7th) –June 8—Confessions of a Mystery Novelist
June 9—Thoughts in Progress
June 10—Following the Whispers
June 12—Anne R. Allen's blog
June 13—K.B. Owen, Mystery Writer
June 14—Confessions of a Watery Tart
June 16—Spunk on a Stick
June 20—Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog
June 21—The Other Side of the Story with Janice Hardy
June 22—The Creative Penn

Looking forward to it! :)