Riley Adams's Blog, page 218

Writing Links Archive—an Experiment

There are things that I love about Blogger.

Mostly that it's free. :)

And now I've invested too much time into this blog to change over to anything else. So Blogger and I are stuck with each other.

It does like to crash. And I have a feeling I'm pushing it to its limits.

Clarissa Draper and others suggested that it would be good to have a separate page on the blog to serve as a compilation of writing links. Because Blogger can be a pain to search (sometimes you can only search so far back into the archives), I thought it was a great idea.

This way, you can pull up a page with all the writing links in one place and do a control F to search the topic you're interested in.

Since I knew there were a lot of links, I first saved them to a Word file in case Blogger went down.

The Word file had 269 pages of links on it.

Sure enough, Blogger crashed. :)

So I've divided the links onto two separate pages—Twitterific Archives #1 and Twitterific Archives #2. There are clickable tabs for them under the blog heading. I'm planning to add to the archives each week, after posting Twitterific. Obviously, this will take more pages, eventually. :)

The reason I'm doing this? It's because I've noticed that whenever I try to pull up writing article resources, it's a real hit or miss process.

Trying to find an article on POV, internal conflict, scene structure, dialogue? The highest ranking posts in Google for any given writing search is frequently an assignment that a college professor has posted (an assignment on the topic, not a resource), or a vague article by a content mill site that doesn't address the topic in any kind of depth. It's just not what writers are looking for.

Trying to find industry-related information in a searchable database? Unless you go to individual agent or editor blogs and search on each of their sites, you're going to get very spotty results on a Google search. Some of the biggest results from the search will probably be self-publishers.

There's got to be a better way of doing this, but I can't think of it right now. So the temporary home for the archives will be here on the blog.

If I had the time, I'd love to catalog this information by topic, etc—but I don't think that's going to happen in the foreseeable future. :) At least, though, I'm hoping this compilation will give a starting point for research for writers on writing and industry-related topics…and direct them to posts that have actually been written by writers, agents, and editors.

Because the experts on writing are writers—who are in the trenches, writing.

If y'all could let me know if there are any problems opening the pages, searching the content…or loading my blog? If there is, then I'm going to set up a separate blog for the writing links and just put up links to it that way. I definitely don't want to make the blog crash or make it hard to load for folks who have a slower connection.

Thanks, y'all!

Twitterific

Here are writing links that I've posted to Twitter for the past week.

If you're looking for a particular topic, just plug in your keyword into the search box at the top left-hand corner of the blog (on the black header right above my blog name…next to the Blogger symbol…the small search window is next to the magnifying glass) and the roundup with your subject will come up. To narrow your search down on the page, do a CTRL+F, type your subject, and hit enter.

7 Tips for Finding the Best "Real-People" Sources (for freelancers and novelists needing primary sources for research): http://dld.bz/Am84

6 tips to keep your online writing persona fresh: http://dld.bz/A2Nj @ZiggyKinsella

Prioritizing Your To Do List – Pick the Most Efficient Target: http://dld.bz/Am8h

5 tips in responding to criticism: http://dld.bz/Am7U

Printing Your Book: Should You Go with Print-on-Demand? http://dld.bz/Am7N

Living With Nice Writer Syndrome: http://dld.bz/Am7v

5 Ways to Make Your Blog Stand Out From the Crowd: http://dld.bz/Am7u

Writing enigmatic characters: http://dld.bz/A2Nx

Genre sales report--Women's Lit (from a publishing insider): http://dld.bz/Am7q

How to Begin a Story: http://dld.bz/Am7j

The secret ingredient to a strong author platform: http://dld.bz/Am6K

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Peppermint Bark! The bark that's better when you bite! http://bit.ly/gDEb63 @CleoCoyle

Create a Social Media Optimized Email Signature: http://dld.bz/Ae2N

How to learn from critique partners: http://dld.bz/Ae2d

Writing mantras: http://dld.bz/AezC @bluemaven

Tips on writing for children (video): http://dld.bz/AezK @thecreativepenn

Nurturing the writing life: http://dld.bz/Aez5

26 Tips for Enhancing Your Facebook Page: http://dld.bz/AeyR

Writing authentic dialogue: http://dld.bz/Aey6

6 Questions NOT to ask a Writer: http://dld.bz/AexW

A Writing Lesson about Pettiness from Poe: http://dld.bz/Aex7

Don't be afraid to dream big: http://dld.bz/Aq5x

8 Incredibly Simple Ways to Get More People to Read Your Content: http://dld.bz/Aex4

Things Every Story Needs to do: http://dld.bz/Aexp

Interesting interview with Writer's Digest editor Jane Friedman on writers and social media: http://dld.bz/Aq44

Lazy writing: http://dld.bz/Aexg

Best Articles This Week for Writers 12/10/2010: http://dld.bz/Aq5m @4kidlit

Put Resilience In Your Writers Toolbox: http://dld.bz/AewR

Observations on sci-fi sales from a publishing insider: http://dld.bz/Aew9

The Uses of Repetition in Writing...and in Life: http://dld.bz/Aewx

Nailing Your Teen Voice: http://dld.bz/Aewf

The Ultimate Guide to Novel Queries: http://dld.bz/AevJ

Gift ideas for the ten major species of science fiction fan: http://dld.bz/AevE

9 Practical Ways to Start Attracting an Audience to Your New Social Media Account: http://dld.bz/Aev3

Tips For a Healthy 2011 Reading Diet for the Crime Fiction Lover: http://dld.bz/Am55 @mkinberg

Tips for creating inner conflict for your characters: http://dld.bz/Aevk

Getting Primal & Staying Simple: http://dld.bz/9Vh5

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Mystery Cookies: Getting in on the fun! http://bit.ly/gcCXbx @CleoCoyle

The 6 Degrees of Show vs. Tell, Rated by Quality: http://dld.bz/9Vhz @victoriamixon

For the stressed-out writer: The Minimalist's Guide to Inner Peace: http://dld.bz/9Vcp

Making the most of Amazon: http://dld.bz/97Re

Tips for handling harsh criticism: http://dld.bz/9UT7

On using your Bookscan for good, not evil: http://dld.bz/AgD7

The Case of the Misplaced Modifier: http://dld.bz/9UTb

Amazon Gives Authors Free Access to Nielsen BookScan's Sales Data: http://dld.bz/AgCS

5 Ways to Effectively Manage Your Online Reputation: http://dld.bz/9UST

An agent on common problems he sees in query letters that fail: http://dld.bz/9USF

Squeezing writing into an overcrowded day (10 minutes is better than nothing): http://dld.bz/AfN7

4 Scientific Tips that Help You Get More Blog Comments: http://dld.bz/9USb

Getting Google to notice your ebook: http://dld.bz/9URY

Write what you know—what you know you have to write: http://dld.bz/AeRz

As One Writer Sees It: Top Ten Reasons to Publish with a Small Press: http://dld.bz/9UR3 @KarenGowen

Authors on Twitter: The Danger of Being Too Clique-y: http://dld.bz/9URd

Scholastic Lists Children's Books Trends for 2010: http://dld.bz/9UQG

Blind spots--a writer's fatal flaw: http://dld.bz/9UQs

Lost your inspiration? An exhaustive link roundup to help you get your mojo back: http://dld.bz/9UPQ @4kidlit

Winter storm writing: http://dld.bz/9UPD

The best time of day to publish blog posts (and Facebook updates, etc.): http://dld.bz/97R3

Making the most of Amazon: http://dld.bz/97Re

Seasons in Fantasy: http://dld.bz/97QZ

Monstrous Post on Monsters: http://dld.bz/97Qm

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Avery Aames's Parmesan Gelato http://bit.ly/h2A9RQ @CleoCoyle

Genre sales--Mystery/thriller: http://dld.bz/97Qc

Sequence Outlining: http://dld.bz/97PQ

13 Steps for Establishing a Popular Writing Blog: http://dld.bz/97PF

Writers on Writing: On Writing by Stephen King: http://dld.bz/97P9

2010 Writing Goals: Your Race to the Finish Line: http://dld.bz/97Pr

How to Write a Novel: The Snowflake Method: http://dld.bz/97NW @bubblecow

Showing off the best material in your blog archive: http://dld.bz/97NM

Ten Things Writers Say, and What They Really Mean: http://dld.bz/97Nu

Don't show your writing to your mother or your lover: http://dld.bz/9WdX

In Praise of Long Books: http://dld.bz/97Nq

Playing to your writing strengths: http://dld.bz/9VEh @jammer0501

Amazon Reviews Hijacked by Paid Hacks? http://dld.bz/97MW

Sorry, Your Services are no Longer Required: Eliminating Characters-- http://dld.bz/9UNc

Thriller writing--the dos, don'ts, and don't-even-think-about-its: http://dld.bz/97MC

Ritual, Routine & Habit in Storytelling: http://dld.bz/9qCs

7 Ways to Get Your Book Discovered on Amazon: http://dld.bz/9qCa

Four Professional Editing Techniques that Boost Blog Post Value: http://dld.bz/9qBW

Tips for writing strong characters: http://dld.bz/9qBK

Plot development basics: http://dld.bz/9qBt

7 Ways to Help Writers Survive the Holidays: http://dld.bz/9qAJ

The 15 most-read Poetry Foundation & Poetry magazine articles of 2010: http://dld.bz/9pWB

Reflections On Two Years Of Blogging: Lessons Learned: http://dld.bz/9pW2 @thecreativepenn

Why You Should Write Without Excuses: http://dld.bz/9pVV

What we talk about [to ourselves] when we talk about writing: http://dld.bz/9pWY

10 graphic novels that make great gifts (for people who don't read comics): http://dld.bz/9pWZ

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Tortellini Pasta Salad http://bit.ly/gdFzgh @CleoCoyle

Creating a Book Readers Can't Put Down: http://dld.bz/9pVu

Grabbing your reader in the first 10 minutes: http://dld.bz/9pVk

Tips for crafting strong sentences: http://dld.bz/9pUR

Your Writing Future–Are You Investing or Gambling? http://dld.bz/9pU4

Anatomy of a Successful Press Release for Book Promotion: http://dld.bz/9pTZ

3 Signs Your Story's Characters Are Too Perfect: http://dld.bz/9pTx

6 ways to profit from writing a nonfiction book: http://dld.bz/9pTs

What agents don't like about some writers' blogs: http://dld.bz/9pTf

10 Reasons Roundup Posts Rock: http://dld.bz/9pTc

6 Ways to Persevere: http://dld.bz/9pSZ

Tips on plotting: http://dld.bz/9pSV

A publishing insider's insights on the fantasy genre's sales and outlook: http://dld.bz/9pSx

Get Your Eagle Eye On: 10 Tips for Proofreading Your Own Work: http://dld.bz/9mTe

5 ways to market copywriting services: http://dld.bz/9mSU

The reasons behind literary reviews http://dld.bz/9mS9 and why reviews are worth expressing: http://dld.bz/9mSD

The new cover for my June 2011 release, "Finger Lickin' Dead!" :) : http://dld.bz/9Gaf

Democratization or Disinformation? A warning about print-on-demand publishing services: http://dld.bz/9mSt @victoriastrauss

How To Create A Facebook Fan Page For Your Book Or Author Brand (video): http://dld.bz/9mRZ

Semicolons and commas: http://dld.bz/9mRP

5 great blog posts for writers: http://dld.bz/9mRF

Tips for freelancers on keeping their writing fresh: http://dld.bz/9mRD

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Crime Writers' Cookie Swap and Congrats to Krista Davis! http://bit.ly/ebPk8I @CleoCoyle

The quixotic pull of your future novel: http://dld.bz/8Y7x

Inspiring Readers with Ordinary Characters: http://dld.bz/8Y7f

Query trends: http://dld.bz/8Y6V

What one writer has learned from her manuscript being on submission: http://dld.bz/8Y6B

4 Articles on Self-Publishing: http://dld.bz/8Y6h

Formatting Your Manuscript: http://dld.bz/8Y6e

Publishing for the Uninhibited: Adventures in Kindle Land: http://dld.bz/8Y6d

Keeping track of our story: http://dld.bz/8Y5M

Why it's good to write, even when you're writing poorly: http://dld.bz/998N

5 Tips for Productively Editing Your Writing (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/8Y52

Excel For Authors – Agent and Editor Research: http://dld.bz/8Y5u

5 Things Writers Should Do BEFORE Release Day: http://dld.bz/8Y5q

Putting Feelers Out Before Leaving Your Agent: http://dld.bz/8Y5e

4 Ways to Find a Critique Partner: http://dld.bz/8Y5b

Feeding Your Spirit to feed Your Writing: http://dld.bz/8Y4y

Suffering from Writers Block? 7 Tips to Get You Back on Track: http://dld.bz/8Y3U

A tip for making your characters stronger: http://dld.bz/8Y3D

An industry insider's thoughts on the mash-up genre: http://dld.bz/8NXY

Writing lessons from "The Bachelor": http://dld.bz/8NXx

Bigger Isn't Always Better: Independent Publishing in the Netherlands: http://dld.bz/8NqA

Awesomely Effective Email Communication: http://dld.bz/8Nqv

Getting your manuscript at a discount: http://dld.bz/8NpV

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Chocolate Insanity http://bit.ly/enO8da @CleoCoyle

Types of book and chapter openings: http://dld.bz/8NpF

Providing Emotional Clarity: http://dld.bz/8NpA

Has Project Gutenberg Failed Copyright Law? http://dld.bz/8Np5

The Importance Of Tracking World Rights: http://dld.bz/8Npt

Royalty Rates: http://dld.bz/8Nne

Adding a Facebook "Like" Button to Blog Posts: http://dld.bz/8Nmf

Turning Expectation into Anticipation: http://dld.bz/8Nkq @camillelaguire

Mystery writer's guide to forensic science--Poisons, VIII: http://dld.bz/8NjP @clarissadraper

7 tips for author websites: http://dld.bz/8Fp6

Achieving a state of flow: http://dld.bz/8Fpg

Tips from an Editor (Now an Agent) Who Knows: http://dld.bz/8Fn7

The term 'high concept': http://dld.bz/8D24

Writing without electricity: http://dld.bz/8D2f

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Emily's Cake http://bit.ly/fBMMGB @CleoCoyle

Accentuate the Positive: Hope and the Aspiring Writer: http://dld.bz/8Dvg

Great characters are like peanut butter: http://dld.bz/8Du9

10 Checkpoints for a Scene: http://dld.bz/8Duw

The Most Dramatic Publishing Event of 2010? Easy, the Introduction of Agency Pricing for E-books: http://dld.bz/8Dub

Mistakes to avoid when querying agents: http://dld.bz/8DtR

2 sides of marketing: what makes people buy your books: http://dld.bz/8DtJ

The use of cliffhangers in crime fiction: http://dld.bz/9qvT @mkinberg

Enigmatic Characters

As writers, we spend a lot of time getting to know our characters and developing them. We learn how they'd react in different situations. We know people who remind us of our characters. We want to get to the point where we know instinctively how the character would respond to conflict.

But how much of this information do we actually need to share with our readers?

At the start of every school year, the parents at my children's schools are requested to send a letter to their child's teacher, telling about their child in a way that would help the teacher get some insights into working with him.

My middle school son's letter is in a Word file. I sent almost exactly the same letter to his 8th grade teachers that I sent to his first grade teacher. I tweak it a little bit each year and send it off. He's industrious, cheerful, smart, funny, popular. He tells me everything that's on his mind (I don't know how much longer that could last, since he's now a teen.) Basically, he's an open book.

I also have a letter for my daughter's teacher in Word. Every year I open it up and squint at it—looking for ideas from the previous year. I spend a lot of time on my daughter's letter each year, but most of the time I end up with, "She's a mass of contradictions. She's artistic and complex. I love her, but don't understand what makes her tick. If you get any insights, please let me know!"

I think we need open book characters, such as my son. But then I think that enigmatic characters—inscrutable characters that the reader can't quite figure out—can be entertaining, too. As a reader, I've enjoyed tons of characters who weren't easily figured-out. Many times, they kept their thoughts to themselves.

I think that there still would need to be some consistency there, so the character wouldn't be too frustrating for the reader. When I read inconsistent characters, I just wonder if the author even had a handle on the character.

Clues along the way are important. Clues to what motivates them, what makes particular conflicts difficult for them. I think the readers need to feel like they're making progress in learning what makes them tick. It's nice if there are small insights (rewards) for the reader to discover all along the way.

I think the majority of enigmatic characters that I've read have been secondary, or supporting characters. Writing an enigmatic protagonist would be a special challenge.

In your writing, do you have any characters who are difficult to figure out or understand? As a reader, do you enjoy reading enigmatic characters?

Querying

I've had a couple of writers email me lately, looking for help with crafting a query letter.

I'm always hesitant about offering help, myself, in that area. My agent queries never did get off the ground, although my query for Pretty is as Pretty Dies netted me at least one publisher. :)

To me, it's just sort of a chore—eliminate unnecessary words, fit in the word count and genre, give an interesting summation of your plot, and tell a little about yourself. The idea is really just to tempt the agent or editor into asking for more.

I have, though, come across some really useful information lately that I think would help writers who are looking for some querying help.

There have been blog posts recently, stating that the best time of year to query an agent is January. So what better time to brush up your querying skills?

At the top of my list is a series Writer's Digest editor Jane Friedman is running— "The Ultimate Guide to Novel Queries"": http://tinyurl.com/3ye2u3m

An agent with querying tips: http://dld.bz/8vQN

9 tips for querying: http://dld.bz/8vPW

An agent on what *not* to do during the query process: http://dld.bz/7xUm

Your Query Submission Checklist: http://dld.bz/7xTU

An Agent on Addressing Your Query: http://dld.bz/6tzv

Smart Querying for Unagented Writers: http://dld.bz/6mah

An agent on seeing the words "utterly original" in a query: http://dld.bz/3BK8

This Query Sucks (or how to fail and still succeed): http://dld.bz/zzaj

Elements of a query letter: http://dld.bz/yDEu

Good luck with your querying!

Squeezing Writing In

Twice in the last week, I've read posts by parents who want to write more, but have real obstacles in their way.

These lovable obstacles are their children. :)

As my children have gotten older, my approach has definitely changed.

And I want to say that squeezing writing in isn't for everyone. It's not particularly enjoyable to write that way. But it was something I felt really driven to do (before I was published), and then deadlines made it necessary after I was published.

For what it's worth, here's how I do it…and my children don't seem too warped (yet) by my approach. And, yes, I was at home. Moms who work out of the home will have to scrunch their time in even more. Some ideas: write during your commute (using a voice recorder if you drive or use a pocket notebook if you're on public transportation), write more on weekends, write really early in the morning, write late at night.

We're talking about 10-30 minutes a day. You can write a book in just minutes a day—I promise. I've done it. It helps if you know what you're going to write that day.

(This plan was built when my daughter was a baby—I didn't write regularly when my son was that little.)

When I had an infant: Naptime was writing time. Was this relaxing for me? Probably not. :) Maybe I should have been napping or vacuuming or something, instead. But I was able to write then.

When I had a cruiser/young toddler: I put board books within her reach so that after naptime, she could "read" to herself for an extra 10 minutes. Yes, she ate the books half the time and threw them against the wall the other half—but I had those extra 10 minutes. So then I could do housework/rest and write.

When I had an older toddler: Well…there was Teletubbies or Sesame Street. I know what the American Academy of Pediatrics says about little ones and TV. But I haven't yet noticed any permanent damage from the 20-25 minutes that she watched TV while I wrote.

When I had a preschooler: Some of those preschool hours were spent writing. Sometimes I'd do all my writing on preschool days, keeping the non-preschool days writing-free (and all about her.)

I also made little deals with my preschooler. If she would give me 25 minutes with no interruptions, then I'd play Old Maid with her (or any game of her choice.) I'd set a timer and I'd keep my promise. I told her that she only needed to interrupt me if it was an emergency (and we talked a long time about what constituted an emergency. Spilled yogurt? Not an emergency. Feeling sick? That's an emergency.)

School-age: This is where I am now. :) I plan my writing the day before (not an outline, but some bullet points as far as what I plan on writing.) I have notebooks in my car for dead time in the carpool line.

I'm flexible with my writing—but I'll plan on writing early to make sure I get it in. Because sometimes life gets in the way of writing—I'll get a bunch of phone calls or I need to get promo done, or the plumber needs to make a house call, or one of the children ends up sick. Instead of writing off the writing day, I'll flip my schedule around so that I'm writing at night, instead.

A special note about the after-school hours and summer vacation: Playdates. Lots of playdates. If each child has a friend over, everything goes wonderfully. And I'm happy to take the children and their friends on activities. I've taken kids skating, bowling, swimming, and to free summer movies with my notebook and pencil and laptop in hand. Usually it goes really well and no one gets bored.

One thing that I've tried to do…and haven't always accomplished, but have tried really hard to do…is to be fully present with my children when I'm with them and it's not my writing time. I don't think about my story when they're talking to me. I don't check my emails or look at my Facebook or Twitter if they're telling me about something that happened at school, etc.

And it's always my plan to get everything done while they're at school. It doesn't always work out that way, but it's my goal.

As I mentioned, if you're really missing writing and feel like you really need to write—this plan works well. If it makes you feel stressed out (and I had my days) or if squeezing in writing makes you dislike the writing, then don't do it. Children get older and time frees up!

But if you're frustrated by not being able to write or can't see how to fit it in…give it a go.

Oh, and one more point—please set attainable goals. Maybe start out with 10 minutes of writing/brainstorming time each day. Then move up to a page a day (double-spaced). My personal writing goal was a page a day for a long time—a target I knew I could hit if I wrote a few minutes every morning and a few more minutes each evening.

What are your time management challenges and your tips for how to work around them?

Thoughts on Research

Through the years, we've had a strange sort of holiday tradition where I put up a Christmas wreath on the door and Christmas candles in the windows and call the outdoor part of the decorating done—and the children ask for a Light Show Spectacular.

This has gone on for the last 10 years.  Each year, I've said, "We're really not the outdoor lights sort of people."  And each year the kids have grumbled under their breath.

This year, my 13 year old son called me on it.  "What does that mean?" he asked.  " 'Not the outdoor lights sort of people.' ?"

It means that we're the sort of people whose blood pressure goes up with tangled lights cords.  It means that we're the sort of people who don't have enough extension cords.  It means we're the sort of people who worry about fire hazards.

But…this year I felt pressured into giving it a go.  And it was exactly the sort of disorganized headache I thought it would be:

I went to Walmart (a headache in itself)

I got ten boxes of lights

That wasn't enough lights.

My son and I put net lights on the bushes. They tangled.

When we plugged them in, we' found I'd gotten 2 different colors.

We discovered that we could only light the bushes on one side of the house.  I ran out and bought an extension cord at a hardware store.

I went back to Walmart and they were out of the kind of light we had most of.

I drove 30 minutes to another store. They were also out.

I decided to light only the bushes directly in front of the house.

I discovered that several of my usual decorating standbys, the Christmas candles, were broken.

The store I drove to didn't have any left.

The second store I drove to had a different kind than the one I had.

I called the third store, across town.  They said they had them and I drove there…but the clerk had misunderstood. They didn't have them.

I drove 35 minutes to another store that said they had them. They didn't have enough of them—and they were way too expensive.  I bought them anyway.

They actually weren't the right kind.

You can see why I told my children that we weren't lights people.

For me, research is like lights.  I go to many different places, looking for a very specific, particular thing.  Sometimes I can't find it, sometimes I think I've found the right information, but it's actually not what I need.

And—it's time-consuming.  And frustrating.

This is why, if at all possible, I put off research until after I've written my story.  I'll put notes to myself in my margins in Word's Track Changes that I need procedural information, etc.  Then I'll rewrite those parts in the second draft.

I also have tried to find as many primary sources as possible.  Sort of like one-stop shopping.   If I can call and ask a source directly, then just verify that information, it does save a lot of time.

I've got a new project to work on and it requires a good deal of research.  I think, though, if I research while I'm writing the mystery, then I'm going to get that crazy, stressed-out, time-consumed  feeling that I got from driving all over town looking for Christmas lights. 

I know, though, that a lot of writers have made peace with research and like to research while working on their book—and some genres, like the historical genre, it would be hard to piece together even a basic plot without research.

What's your research technique?  Save it until the first draft is over?  Research as you go?  If you do research as you go, how do you quickly find the information you need—without getting distracted or going off on tangents? 

New Cover—Finger Lickin' Dead—June 7, 2011

Somehow, upcoming releases seem a lot more real when you have a cover to go with them! I love this one. :) Thanks to the art department at Penguin's Berkley Prime Crime. They did a fantastic job of depicting a typical Southern barbeque restaurant—minus the gun, of course!

This is the second book in the Memphis Barbeque series and its release date is set for June 7, 2011. I had a great time writing this book…particularly the final scenes, which take place at Graceland (Memphis, Tennessee). I had to contact the staff at Graceland several times to make sure I had my facts straight and they were always extremely helpful.

Murder once again strikes close to Lulu's barbeque restaurant after a food critic is murdered—and his body is discovered by Lulu's granddaughters. When friends are suspected of the crime, Lulu investigates to clear the names of the people she loves. http://tinyurl.com/2votpjh

Why It's Good to Write—Even When You're Writing Poorly

I can usually tell when I'm about to have a day when my writing is going to be awful. I'll have this moment where I think the blank page looks so much better than the drivel I'm about to fill it with.

And I know that I'm envisioning the plot in my head a lot better than I'm going to write it out that day.

Since I give myself daily permission to screw up my writing, though, I keep on going.

There'll be some days when I just can't get my thoughts on paper in any kind of organized way—much less an entertaining way.

I'll see that lousy day's writing when I'm working on the second draft—it's still there, it's still awful. Time hasn't made it any better.

The interesting thing, though, is that there usually is some redeemable part of the poorly-written scene. There might be a shred of decent character development, or a turn of phrase that's not bad. It might have been the point in the story where I got a great idea for the next scene of the book.

Or it might have been so terrible that I took the whole scene out. :)

But usually, there's something good there. It might just be some tiny thing that I can salvage and just rewrite everything that surrounds it.

I think what I'm trying to say here is that there are going to be plenty of days of writing drivel. There are also going to be days when our internal editor is on hyper-drive, reminding us how terrible our writing is.

Just keep going. Either ignore the internal editor or acknowledge it and just don't let it affect you—tell yourself that you'll fix the wretched writing later because priority #1 is to finish the book.

Even on a bad writing day, you're still:
Keeping up your writing habit
Learning to quiet your self-editor
Moving your story forward
Making time for an activity that's important to you
Exercising that writing muscle
Thinking about your story and characters

I know some of y'all work well with your inner-editor and edit your work as you go. Whatever works is definitely the method to go with. My advice is more for folks who get tripped up by their internal editor—and end up with a stalled-out project.

So my question to you is this—do you coexist well with your internal editor? If you don't, how do you shut yours up? :)

Twitterific

Here are writing links that I've posted to Twitter for the past week.

If you're looking for a particular topic, just plug in your keyword into the search box at the top left-hand corner of the blog (on the black header right above my blog name…next to the Blogger symbol…the small search window is next to the magnifying glass) and the roundup with your subject will come up. To narrow your search down on the page, do a CTRL+F, type your subject, and hit enter.

Breaking Into Video Game Writing: http://dld.bz/9pVE

The use of cliffhangers in crime fiction: http://dld.bz/9qvT @mkinberg

6 Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills: http://dld.bz/8Dtm

Best Articles This Week for Writers 12/3/2010: http://dld.bz/9pTD @4KidLit

A useful trait for a protagonist: http://dld.bz/9pMz

Manuscript submission etiquette: http://dld.bz/8DsX

Maintaining Creative Control for Artists: http://dld.bz/8DsF

Your monsters don't want you to write: http://dld.bz/8Ds9

Do Zombies Eat Ivy? The Undead Reach Academia: http://dld.bz/8Ds7 (NY Times)

How to Create a "Kindle for the Web" Sample of Your Kindle Book on Any Blog or Website: http://dld.bz/8Ds5

Top 5 Tips for a Sustainable Home Office: http://dld.bz/8Dsd

Revisions revisited: http://dld.bz/88zj

10 Most Beautiful Public Libraries in the US: http://dld.bz/88zc @janetrudolph

How to Captivate Your Audience with Story: http://dld.bz/88yT

How to put heart & soul into your story structure: http://dld.bz/88yQ

Investing in your writing: http://dld.bz/88yH

5 Common Blogging Disasters to Avoid: http://dld.bz/88yF

12 things one writer learned from NaNo: http://dld.bz/88xH

How To Keep Blogging From Being a Popularity Contest: http://dld.bz/88xB

Reversion of rights: http://dld.bz/88wX

Author blurbs: http://dld.bz/88xa

What editors do at conferences: http://dld.bz/88hZ

Active vs. Passive Voice in Writing: http://dld.bz/88hF

12 Ways To Scare Away Twitter Followers: http://dld.bz/88h9

4 Ways To Deal With Fictional Parents: http://dld.bz/88gy

Writing a book proposal – you are in the driver's seat: http://dld.bz/88gu

5 Kinds of Blog Posts Proven to Drive Traffic: http://dld.bz/88gn

The writer/editor relationship: http://dld.bz/88f5

Freedom to Write and to Teach Writing: Notes from the Swamp: http://dld.bz/88fp

3 writers on creativity: http://dld.bz/8vXm

The importance of keeping your story interesting: http://dld.bz/8vWV

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Pasta Primavera http://bit.ly/fNOccC @CleoCoyle

Degree options for aspiring writers: http://dld.bz/8vWS

10 of the best fishing trips in literature (Guardian): http://dld.bz/8vWR

Querying publishers directly: http://dld.bz/8vW4

Breaking up (with an agent) is hard to do: http://dld.bz/8vWp

Getting The Call Means Your Work Gets Harder: http://dld.bz/8vWg

Conflict--put it at the front of your story: http://dld.bz/8vVJ

10 Authors Whose Novels Took Over 5 Years to Write and Publish: http://dld.bz/8vVn

Looking for story ideas? Consider the front page news: http://dld.bz/8vUP

Google to move into the ebook market at end of year: http://dld.bz/8Y7G

National Novel Writing Month Writers Produce 2,799,449,947 Words: http://dld.bz/8Y73

A 2011 planner for writers: http://dld.bz/8vUb

The art of the editorial letter: http://dld.bz/8vTV

What a conversation with a seduction guru taught one writer about creativity: http://dld.bz/8vTC

How to write a 1-page synopsis: http://dld.bz/8vT4

When it comes to writing, economize: http://dld.bz/8vTx

Worldview and story approach: http://dld.bz/8vTd

Without libraries, we will lose a mark of our civilization (Guardian): http://dld.bz/8vTc

Friends Don't Let Friends Overwrite: http://dld.bz/8vSX

Putting In the Time to Become a Good Writer: http://dld.bz/8vSR

Front-loading your work as an author: http://dld.bz/8vSM

What one writer learned while writing his latest book: http://dld.bz/8vS5

An example of a query letter that worked: http://dld.bz/8vSu

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Holiday Lights or Lites?? http://bit.ly/fi6UB8 @CleoCoyle

Basic Structure of an Erotic Short Story: http://dld.bz/8vSp

Best Literary Agents on Twitter: http://dld.bz/8vSc

Re-Envisioning a Scene Without Rewriting it: http://dld.bz/8vRW

How to write an author's bio: http://dld.bz/8vRT @clarissadraper

10 signs of an approaching deadline: http://dld.bz/8RWM @elspethwrites

7 Ways to Write When You Don't Have Time: http://dld.bz/8vRM @4kidlit

Overwhelmed by your writing? A hint for overcoming it: http://dld.bz/8vRJ

Romance in a Mystery Series: http://dld.bz/8vR4

Good Writing is Invisible: http://dld.bz/8vRy

9 Ways to Create and Maintain a Successful Blog: http://dld.bz/8vRs

Staying out of the Rejection Pile: http://dld.bz/8vRm

Booksellers (and e-readers) – you have never had it so good (Guardian): http://dld.bz/8vRh

Should you write all-dialogue scenes? Not really: http://dld.bz/8vQV

An agent with querying tips: http://dld.bz/8vQN

10 things for writers to be thankful for: http://dld.bz/8vQM

Holiday gift books for authors – 2010′s best writing books – Pt. 1: http://dld.bz/8vQE

9 tips for querying: http://dld.bz/8vPW

3 rules of dialogue: http://dld.bz/8vPU

The Difference Between Good & Bad Literary Fiction: http://dld.bz/8vPN

What writers have to go through: http://dld.bz/8vPF

Writers pick their favorite translations (Guardian): http://dld.bz/8vPd

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Ham and Hash Brown Casserole http://bit.ly/hlINhJ @CleoCoyle

5 Procrastination Strategies to Become More Productive: http://dld.bz/8vPa

What you say to yourself matters: http://dld.bz/8vNU

3 lessons in publishing: http://dld.bz/8vNF

Is it time to start revising your manuscript? http://dld.bz/8vN7

A Guardian interview with Margaret Atwood: http://dld.bz/8vNw

5 best free Wordpress plugins for your writer website: http://dld.bz/8vNg

The New Yorker's holiday gift guide for book lovers: http://dld.bz/8vMx

Become a fictional character for free speech (LA Times): http://dld.bz/8FmV

10 Realizations that Will Crush Your Little Heart In Your First Year of Blogging: http://dld.bz/8vMp

3 Tips on Writing Love Scenes: http://dld.bz/8vMk

The Best Time of Year to Query Literary Agents: http://dld.bz/8vKW

How Reading And Book Buying Has Changed With The Kindle: http://dld.bz/8vKR @thecreativepenn

How to Write the First Draft – 6 Writing Tips From Writers: http://dld.bz/8vKF

Fan-Fiction: Worth a Writer's Time? http://dld.bz/8Dvn

No sex, please, we're literary! (Salon): http://dld.bz/8CQQ

Can't find an agent? Go to Plan B: http://dld.bz/8CA6

How to speak publisher - A is for Apps: http://dld.bz/8vKt

Getting Better at Bad: Why Practice Doesn't (Always) Make Perfect: http://dld.bz/8vKn

Hit a roadblock in your manuscript? 7 ideas for getting around it: http://dld.bz/8BYm @authorterryo

Making a plan to write: http://dld.bz/8vKb

Description: Friend or Foe? http://dld.bz/8vKa

The Great F-Bomb Debate: http://dld.bz/8vJT

Writing: The Character Dilemma: http://dld.bz/8vJK

How to get a 100% full-request rate (lol): http://dld.bz/8vJC

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Chanukah Latkes and a Chocolate Candle Giveaway from Cleo Coyle http://bit.ly/e21Juv @CleoCoyle

What's Your Novel's Log Line? http://dld.bz/8vJ6

How To Write Honest Fiction. If Not, How To Fake It: http://dld.bz/8vJn

7 Timeless Principles of Achievement: http://dld.bz/8vJa

Top 10 ways to get your word count in during the upcoming holidays: http://dld.bz/8vHW

Fake Writing Jobs: RealWritingJobs.com: http://dld.bz/88w2 @victoriastrauss

Writing Devices: Transitions: http://dld.bz/8vHG

Mystery Writer's Guide to Forensic Science - Poisons VII: http://dld.bz/8vHB @clarissadraper

Turn your computer into a typewriter: http://dld.bz/8vH5

Six Ways to Polish Your Book Proposal Before Sending It Off: http://dld.bz/8vHe

How to Get More Subscribers for Your Email List: http://dld.bz/8vGZ

The Nine Circles of Writing Hell: http://dld.bz/8vGY

Is Boston the hub of steampunk? http://dld.bz/8vGS

Handling Your Word Count: http://dld.bz/8vGM

Revision tips--issues to watch out for: http://dld.bz/85ke

8 Tips for Writing in the Flow: http://dld.bz/8vGG

What a 'short bio' should include (Writer's Digest): http://dld.bz/8vGA

Comprehensive review of the NOOKcolor: http://dld.bz/84zW @authorterryo

Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling's writing style: http://dld.bz/8vGj

How Google Can Save America's Books (NY Review of Books): http://dld.bz/8vGg

Three Simple Ways to Make Your Writing Just Like Everyone Else's: http://dld.bz/8vFQ

How Not to Launch a Career in Publishing: http://dld.bz/8vFK

Distraction-free writing: http://dld.bz/8vFF

A Useful Trait for a Protagonist

One thing that I really don't think I  am, is curious.

I like observing people.  I like imagining reasons that they do the things they do or say the things they say—but I'm not curious to find out the real reasons that motivate them.  I'm no investigator.  I'm nosy enough to watch people and listen in on their conversations—but more interested in coming up with my own conclusions than whatever the truth might be.

But there are curious people out there.

My house was way too distracting for me to write in on Thursday, so I escaped to the coffeehouse to get some work done.  I really just needed a solid 30 minutes of writing and then I was going to call it a day.

I knew exactly what I was going to write, too.  This meant that I wasn't staring around into space a lot.  I ordered my coffee (I was at Starbucks, and I stubbornly asked for "a small coffee," since I don't like all the 'grande' stuff they put up on their menu), sat down and started writing.

I had my Word document open and my outline printed out and on the table so that I could follow it—no, I don't ordinarily outline….but it's a new project with an editor who requires them.

I worked hard for 30 minutes straight.  I drank my coffee, I glanced up briefly when cold air hit me as the door to Starbucks opened and closed, but I got my work done in a very focused, concentrated way.

When I  reached the end of my writing session, I sat up straight and reached up to close my laptop.  And darned if there wasn't some woman there, standing in the very long coffee line, reading my synopsis/outline for the book! Yes, I'd printed it in a slightly larger font than usual because I'm getting to the point of needing reading glasses, but I'm not wanting the bother of them.

She opened her mouth for a second like she thought she might ask me a question, then quickly turned her back to continue waiting in the line.

Curiosity killed the cat, I thought, sourly.  Maybe it did, but I started thinking about what  an important trait it is for a protagonist.

Because a protagonist shouldn't be like me—content not to know the full story behind something.

Main characters need to get to the bottom of a problem.  They need to want to learn the murderer's identity.  They need to want to discover the cure for the mysterious infection that's turning the population into zombies.  They need to want to learn how to win the heart of the person they've fallen in love with.  They need to want to figure out where the next horcrux is so that disaster can be averted. They can't be content to take a backseat while someone else with a curious mind, bravery, and determination runs off to save the world. 

Their curiosity can create  conflict for them, too.  In a murder mystery, it can scare the killer enough for him to try to murder the sleuth.  It can make put the protagonist in an office building after closing hours, rifling through someone's desk for evidence that an important government official is involved in illegal activity. It can put a protagonist on the wrong side of town at the wrong time of day in an attempt to get information.

But it's a crucial trait that helps drive the story.  How curious is your protagonist—and what are they trying to find out?