Riley Adams's Blog, page 24

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 65,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you're there, check out the Writer's Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately? Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox! Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

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Published on February 08, 2023 07:26

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 65,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you're there, check out the Writer's Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately? Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox! Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on February 08, 2023 07:03

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 65,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you're there, check out the Writer's Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately? Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox! Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on February 08, 2023 03:42

Rapid Releasing a Series

by L. Diane Wolfe, @DancingLemurPre

Back in the day, an author came out with a new book every three years or so. Fans were forced to wait years for a full-length novel. EBooks and the ability to self-publish changed that. Now authors could put out books faster, including short stories and novelettes.

Let’s look at some of the benefits of rapid releasing a series.

Maintains reader interest:

Fans no longer have to wait years.

Interest in a series doesn’t fade with releases coming out close together.

Those who like to read an entire series at once can safely jump in knowing they can get to the end in a short period of time.

Keeps the author’s name out there longer:

Authors with books in rapid release are constantly on social media and visible to readers.

Reviews keep appearing for the books, spreading awareness.

It gives all stories time to build:

Readers who discover the second or third book will go back for the first ones.

When one book starts to fade, another is released.

Consistent marketing:

Book marketing is ever-changing, but books released close together can benefit from the same promotions.

A template from the first book’s marketing can be duplicated, making it easy to set up promotions.

Now, let’s look at how to set up a rapid release.

Must be good at multi-tasking:

Author needs to be planning several books at once.

Many tasks will overlap – writing, editing, marketing. Authors need to juggle multiple tasks and for several books.

Authors need to determine if they can keep up the pace.

Plan the entire series first:

Determine genre, length, and theme.

Outline (as best as possible) each book.

Be aware of overlaps and continuing characters.

Write at least three stories before releasing:

Write the first, polish, send to editor, then do final edits. Prepare book cover and promotions.

Write the second book and repeat.

Write the third book. At this point, once the third is polished and sent to the editor, the first book can be released.

Determine the length in between books:

How long will it take the author to write each one?

What is the length of each story? Shorter ones, closer together. Longer ones can have more breathing room.

When will release dates fall? Always aim for the best book-selling months.

Readers today are impatient. They don’t want to wait years. But now authors are in a great position to give readers what they want. A series they enjoy without a lot of waiting!

Rapid Releasing a Series from @DancingLemurPre :
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L. Diane Wolfe

Known as “Spunk On A Stick,” Wolfe is a member of the National Speakers Association. She conducts seminars on book publishing, promoting, leadership, and goal-setting, and she offers book formatting and author consultation. Wolfe is the senior editor at Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. and contributes to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

http://www.dancinglemurpressllc.com/ – Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C

http://www.spunkonastick.net/ – Spunk On A Stick

http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com – Spunk On A Stick’s Tips

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/ – Insecure Writer’s Support Group

In Darkness: The Vampire
By L. Diane Wolfe

Souls shrouded in darkness…

Stuck working as a barmaid for her demanding father, Anna dreams of adventure. When mysterious strangers enter the bar, she overhears they seek Zancrela, an ancient fortress filled with treasure and a magical library. Taking her chance, she offers to guide them. The conditions: deliver Zancrela or die.

As they journey through the wilderness, she discovers their secret: they are vampires. And most view her as food. One takes interest in her and her heart dares to hope, but it might not be enough to change her fate. Will Anna find Zancrela or become a vampire morsel?

Release date – February 7, 2023
Romance / Paranormal / Vampires (FIC027320), Fantasy / Paranormal (FIC009050), Fantasy / Romance (FIC009090)
eBook ISBN 9781939844903
$3.99 eBook available in all formats

Links:
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BC4SRKH2
iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6443336227
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940165920110
Kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844903
Scribed – https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844903&language=0
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62203140-in-darkness

Image by Nino Carè from Pixabay

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Published on February 05, 2023 21:01

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 65,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you're there, check out the Writer's Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately? Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox! Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on February 04, 2023 21:02

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 65,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you're there, check out the Writer's Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately? Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox! Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

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The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on January 28, 2023 21:01

Handling Edits and Critiques

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Every two-three months, I get a series of critiques and feedback from beta readers, ARC readers, and my freelance editors. I always open those emails in a hurry and glance over them immediately to see how much needs to be fixed. Yes, I'm one of those people who, when asked, will say “I want the bad news before the good news.”

The good news is, if you're getting edits and critiques, the finish line is in sight for your novel. The bad news is that you might have some tricky work ahead of you on your project.

Here are 10 tips for handing feedback:

Try to look at it objectively, through a lens. This gets easier with practice. See if you can look at the manuscript objectively, as if you were reading someone else's work. I know this is a tough one, but you'll be amazed how quickly you can make this work (probably after book one).

Read it all the way through, as quickly as you can. It's like pulling off the bandage. Best just to get it over with. Besides, it might not be as bad as you suspect. Once you've read it through, it's not in your inbox anymore and you won't be dreading reading it.

Consider printing the feedback out. Unless the feedback is inline, try printing out the email or document you've received. For some reason, handling it on paper seems easier to me. I can make notes in the margins, brainstorm approaches for fixes on the back, and cross off each item as I complete it.

Remember that the edits or critique comments are intended to make your manuscript better. This is tied into having some distance from your work. Although it can be hard, try not to take any of the suggestions personally. Your book will be the better for it.

Also, remember you're the one with the final say. You don't have to do anything with the feedback at all. You're the one in charge of your project.

Go through the feedback and decide what rings true. This goes hand-in-hand with the tip above. Some of the feedback will ring true to you. It may not be particularly fun to fix, but you know that the book will improve with a bit of work.

If there's a big issue (a protagonist isn't developed enough, there's a big plot hole, etc.), brainstorm various approaches. List all the ways you can think of to fix the problem and then choose the best one. Or, ping your editor or critique partner to see if they have suggestions of their own, or what they think of your ideas for fixing it.

Take a break if you need one. Just acknowledge receipt of the edits/critique, thank them, and jot down on your calendar when you plan on addressing the feedback. Sometimes it's just not a great time to work on feedback. If you've had a rough day/week, consider assigning it to a different day on your calendar for completion.

Decide what will make you feel less-overwhelmed: either knock out all the easy stuff first or get the worst edits out of the way first. I've done both and found both ways very satisfying. Whatever works best for you.

Celebrate when it's over. This is something I'm working harder on. If you've gone through some challenging edits, make sure to acknowledge when you've done a good job knocking them out. This celebration can be as private or public as you want and as inexpensive or pricey as you feel.

How do you handle feedback when it comes in?

10 Tips for Handling Feedback:
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Image by Anne Karakash from Pixabay

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Published on January 22, 2023 21:01

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 65,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you're there, check out the Writer's Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately? Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox! Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

New Stuff:

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer was a fellow speaker for an online conference last year. She has a free ebook guide for writing Native Americans more accurately and sensitively. She also offers a course for those writers looking for a more in-depth resource on the topic (I'm not an affiliate, just sharing the information).

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on January 21, 2023 21:01

When You’re Stuck as a Writer

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Most writers, if they write long enough, will get to a point in their story where they feel stuck. I've heard it call “resistance” before, and I think that's a good term for it. It's that feeling that, for whatever reason, you're just not eager to work on your draft. Or, maybe, you're actively avoiding working on it.

Here are some of the common issues that can cause writer's block:

Perfectionism. This is a big one for many writers. Sometimes the story we imagined is not quite the story we're writing. Having too many high expectations for a first draft can lead to writer's block. The nice thing is that we can always fix everything but a blank page. For ideas on handling perfectionism as a writer, see this post.

Lack of direction with the story. Sometimes when writers get stuck, it's because they're not sure what direction to take their story in next. It's natural to want to stall when you're uncertain, but the better way of handling it is to make a list of all the potential directions you can possibly take your story in and then choose the best one.

Distractions and lack of focus. This is a common problem for most writers. It's harder to focus than ever these days with distracting apps and notifications popping up. One way to handle this is to switch your internet connection off for the length of time you want to write. Another is to write on paper for a while. There are also apps that promote distraction-free writing (Write or Die is one). Or you can write in Google Docs in full-screen maximized mode.

A problem with the story. This is often an undiagnosed issue with the book that you can't quite put your finger on yet. You can either just push forward, knowing you can fix the issue in the second draft, or try and figure out what the problem is and fix it. If you're just not sure where the issue lies, try this Janice Hardy article. It's for querying writers, but has excellent questions to ask yourself about your story and ideas for fixing problems.

Burnout. I've been burned out with writing before and know it's tough to make progress on your story when you are. The best remedy for burnout is to refill your writer's well. There are many different ways to do this, from taking walks, reading books, to sleeping more. You can find more ideas to combat burnout here.

Do you ever feel stuck with your story? What helps you?

Tips for Dealing With Writer's Block:
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Image by Lukas Bieri from Pixabay

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Published on January 15, 2023 21:01

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 65,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you're there, check out the Writer's Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately? Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox! Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.