Riley Adams's Blog, page 29

August 13, 2022

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.

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Published on August 13, 2022 21:01

August 7, 2022

10 Tips for Blogging

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

As hard as it is for me to believe it, tomorrow marks 14 years since I started blogging. It really doesn't seem that long when I think about it. I've definitely tweaked what I'm doing over the years, streamlining it so it's been a more manageable process for me. But it's basically still the same blog I started out with.

I thought I'd share a little today about my thoughts on blogging and a few tips for those who are either interested in starting up a blog or want some ideas for doing things differently. I do think blogging is a great activity. It's a wonderful way to build up a writing community that will support and encourage you. It's a nice way to share information with others. You can use your blogging as a writing warmup. And, from a purely promo standpoint, the updated content and visitors to your site will help with your website's search engine optimization (SEO) and help readers discover your books.

Use your own name as your domain name. It will help build your SEO for your books.

Make it easy for your posts to be shared on at least one platform. There are lots of free plug-ins that can help with that. Your readers have a lot more reach than you do on your own.

Be sure to identify yourself somewhere on your blog. It's amazing how many blogs I visit where I have trouble finding a writer's full name, much less a way to contact them.

Like everything, setting the bar low can help maintain a blog habit. It's great to set out on blogging with ambition. I used to blog daily. The problem with that, though, is that sometimes life throws you curveballs. Or maybe you want to spend your writing time working on your books, instead. Now I aim for an article a week plus my Sunday link roundup. It makes blogging a lot more manageable.

When you take breaks, let everyone know when you plan on returning. We all take blog breaks. I take one in the summer and one at the end of December. I also take off for a few scattered holidays. It helps maintain consistency if you let your blog readers know when you're planning on returning.

It doesn't really matter who you blog for. Everyone tends to worry about whether they should have a reader-oriented blog or a writing-oriented blog. Do what comes naturally. If you have blog visitors, you're reaping a benefit either way.

Keep an editorial calendar. This has become increasingly important to me the longer I blog. My calendar is really just a list I keep of what I'm blogging about each week. I make careful note on the calendar of any guests I'm hosting, too. It helps me not repeat the same topic too often and helps me plan my future posts (giving me a place to list post ideas before I forget them).

Respond to your comments. It's always nice to respond to the folks who drop by. Plus, it's another way of building community and exchanging ideas and resources.

Visit others' blogs. Just like responding to comments, this is a great way to make friends online, support others, network, and share ideas and resources with other writers.

End your post with a question. This a great way to not only increase engagement on your blog, but it's also very helpful to learn how other writers approach the same issues.

What blogging tips do you have? Do you know how long you've been blogging?

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Published on August 07, 2022 21:02

August 6, 2022

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

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Published on August 06, 2022 21:02

July 31, 2022

Getting Through a Tough Spot in a Project: 5 Tips

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

From time to time, everyone hits a speed bump in their manuscript. You might have been sailing through, easy as anything. Then, suddenly, you've come to a screeching halt. For whatever reason, it's messed up your forward motion on the book.

Here are five ideas for working your way through it:

Skip the scene that's creating the problem. Sometimes you might not be in the right mood to tackle a particular scene. Or maybe you're not exactly sure how you want to handle writing it. Instead of waiting, you could just skip that scene and move on to the next one, keeping your forward momentum on a project.

Work backward from a spot you feel good about. Let's say you're really stuck . . . perhaps in the middle of your book (a common sticking point for writers). Maybe you know the ending, but you're not sure how to connect where you are now with where you want to be at the end of the book. Consider working backward from the ending to the point where you got stuck.

Write on paper. I'm not sure what it is, but something about writing longhand really has the ability to help me make sense of troublesome scenes. You could try writing a few paragraphs on paper and see if it makes a difference.

Brainstorm ways of getting through it. I like doing this on paper, too. I basically just make a list of all the different ways the scene could possibly go. Then I choose one of them . . . and then usually will use bullet points (sort of a beat sheet) for the scene to ensure I can zip through it when I'm back on my laptop.

Set a timer when you work on the tough scene. Like any tough task, it can make things easier to know you'll only be working on it for a limited time. It definitely helps me get started when I know there will be a defined endpoint. A timer set for ten minutes (or even five, if you're really stick) can help.

What do you do when you get stuck when working on a book?

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Published on July 31, 2022 21:01

July 30, 2022

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous Benefits to Speaking at Industry Conferences: @c_vandenhende @DIYMFA Why A LinkedIn Profile Is Essential For Serious Freelance Writers: @ashleygainer Are You Invested in Your Book? @johnbriggsbooks @TheRyanLanz How To Get Your Self-Published Book Into Libraries: @eseinc1 @thecreativepenn How to Be an Author: Lessons in Professionalism for a Writing Career: by Sarah Gribble @write_practice Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous The UK's Booker Prize for Fiction Names its 2022 Longlist: @Porter_Anderson @TheBookerPrizes @pubperspectives International Literature Festival Berlin Calls for a Ukrainian Readings: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration Sparking Ideas: by Mindy Obenhaus 10 Ways to Finally Find Your Writing Mojo: @NinaAmir Storytelling Games: Doom, Hope, and Ten Candles: @MorningAmnesia @diymfa Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers Seven Suspenseful Novels In Which Paradise Is Not What It Seems: @Laura_Griff @CrimeReads Broadening the Bookshelves: Getting to know Desi literature: @Undomestic_Mag @TheWriterMag Seven Characters You Love to Hate…Or Hate to Love: @AuthorJLHilton @CrimeReads Five Poetry Collections to Read: @SWytovich @LitReactor Top 10 novels about things that go horribly wrong on islands: @RebeccaRukeyser @GuardianBooks Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation 7 Ways to Find the Motivation to Write : @ElleCardy Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer's Block How To Smash Writer’s Block In Conversion Copywriting: @ashleygainer Getting Unstuck: Walking the Camino as a Creative Reset: @KAMcCleary @WriterUnboxed Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly Writing Quickly: @KristenLambTX Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life Writing for Yourself Versus Writing for an Audience: @briangresko @CatapultStory Setting Boundaries Is the Best Writing Skill You’ll Ever Learn: @BrynDonovan Advice on Finding a Mentor: @BookEndsJessica @bookendslit How to switch from writing to editing: @pubcoach Jacquelyn Mitchard on her Unusual Writing Process: @WomenWriters Off with their prefixes: by Edwin L. Battistella
@OUPAcademic How Writing A Memoir-in-Essays Saved My First Failed Book: @JodyKeisner @WomenWriters How I Organize My Writing Ideas: @SeptCFawkes Writing (And Working) While Pregnant: First Trimester: @AuthorSAT Genres / Fantasy Should I Use a Historical or an Original World? by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants How to Create Fantasy Creatures: @DaveChesson Numinous Fantasy: by Gabriel Murray @sfwa Genres / Horror The Books of Horror Facebook Group: Readers Take Over: @AmongTheZombies @LitReactor Genres / Memoir Afraid to Start Writing Your Memoir? Here’s How to Push Past the Fear: @losapala Genres / Mystery Class Systems as Elements in Crime Fiction: @MargotKinberg Martin Edwards: My Life In Crime: @medwardsbooks @CrimeReads Credibly Involving Amateur Sleuths in Cases: @MargotKinberg How Agatha Christie’s Deep Respect for Science Helped Her Mysteries Stand the Test of Time: @PastMortems @CrimeReads Elly Griffiths on Lockdown, Locked Room Mysteries, and Pandemic Fiction: @ellygriffiths Genres / Non-Fiction 4 Ways Non-Fiction Authors Can Succeed in the Age of “Free”: @Bookgal Genres / Picture Books How to Publish a Children's Book in 6 Simple Steps: @reedsy Of Adjectives and Illustrators: by Robin Currie @A3writers Genres / Science Fiction Preliminary Observations From An Incomplete History of African SFF: @WTalabi @sfwa Genres / Screenwriting Writing War Movies: @flyingwrestler 5 Uncomfortable Facts You Must Face If You Want Your Scripts Made: @Bang2write A Script is Like a Rubik's Cube: @flyingwrestler Promo / Blogging 7 Ways to Fall in Love with Blogging Again: @seejavaciawrite Promo / Book Reviews How to Get Book Reviews: Max Visibility in 9 Steps: @nownovel Promo / Miscellaneous How to Run a Powerful Book Promotion: @dkparsonswriter @SelfPubForm Book Marketing Images & Videos: @Kdibianca How to Market Your Book Without Social Media: @Bookgal Promo / Platforms Tales of a Solopreneur: Building an Online Portfolio: @Richelle_Lyn_ @DIYMFA Promo / Speaking Why NOT to Give Away Your Presentation Slides: @DrMaryAnnDiorio Promo / Websites Book Marketing Strategies to Improve Your Website Performance: @Bookgal @Bowker Publishing / News / International Publishing England's National Centre for Writing: Translation Mentorships: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives Publishing / Options / Hybrid Publishing The Hybrid Publisher Debate: Do You Have the Right Mindset? @DWeissWriter @JaneFriedman Is Hybrid Publishing Ethical? @meggsaladpdx @janefriedman Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing Traditional Publishing: What Happens After Your First Book? @BookEndsJessica @bookendslit The Stages of Publishing a Novel: @lily_lindon @thenovelry Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Pitches 10 Things Not to Say to an Agent When You Pitch Your Project: @PaulaSMunier Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying Things I Watch For In Queries: double-writing: @Janet_Reid Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections What writers and editors want each other to know about rejection: by Elisa Shoenberger @TheWriterMag Writing Craft / Characters / Development Making the Characters We Write React: @SarahSallyHamer @EdieMelson Writing an Un-Put-Downable Character: Interests: @acw_author @EdieMelson Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists The Expanded Ultimate Story Checklist: After the crisis, does the hero finally commit to pursuing a corrected goal, which still seems far away? @CockeyedCaravan Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story The Fundamentals of Flashbacks: @jamesscottbell Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film Page One: “The Matrix Revolutions” (2003): @GoIntoTheStory Great Scene: “A Quiet Place”: @GoIntoTheStory Writing Craft / Literary Devices Using Analogies is like Giving Yourself an Ink Blot Test: @cyallowitz The Lure of Literary Symbolism: @BoomerHighway Writing Craft / Miscellaneous Prologue Dos and Don’ts: @harmony_kent Plot Writing: Three Ways to Test Your Story: @Lindasclare 10 Ways to Get Your Story Un-Stuck: @Janice_Hardy The Expanded Ultimate Story Checklist: Does the hero adopt a corrected philosophy at this point? @CockeyedCaravan How to Create Moral Dilemmas That Are Actually Moral: @mythcreants Who’s in Charge Of Your Story? by
James R. Preston Sculpting the Shapely Sentence: 5 Techniques: @Shutta @FloridaWriters1 A Cheat Sheet on Body Language for Writers: @HowellWave @StoryEmpire Putting Romance into Non-Romances: by Marilynn Byerly Avoid aimless stage direction: @NathanBransford Writing Turning Points: @Lindasclare Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting The Four Act Structure: What It Is + How It Works: @thenovelsmithy 7 Essential Tips to Plan Your Novel Like a Pro: @BethBarany @annerallen Understanding the Adventure World of a Story's Second Act: @KMWeiland 5 Plot Points of a Story: Definition & Examples: by Kara Henderson @TheStoryEditor Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar How to use parentheses (round brackets) to convey simultaneity in fiction: @LouiseHarnby

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Published on July 30, 2022 21:01

July 24, 2022

Writing the Cozy Mystery: Opening and Closing Images

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

After writing about fifty cozy mysteries, I think I've used just about every story opener possible. I've opened with the dead body a few times. Sometimes I've had just a few pages of set-up and then a body. Sometimes I've had the annoying future victim interact with the irritated future suspects and then the victim about 30 pages in. They all seemed to work for the story, in different ways.

Although I never worried about beginnings (often choosing to open with dialogue and just hop right in), the endings of my books were always a bit more of a struggle for me. The moment of danger for the sleuth was over. The police had arrived and taken the bad guy/gal away. Everything else seemed a bit anticlimactic.

Having the ending reflect the beginning works particularly well for a cozy mystery, I think. A nice bonus is that it helps nicely with tying up the troublesome endings of my books. With this method, I'll often open my stories with a brief scene of a perfect version of the story world. My characters are happily ensconced in their safe, cozy world. They're working crosswords and drinking coffee. Or they're eating tomato sandwiches and watching their favorite soap opera.

I've written before about my “quiet beginnings” for cozies and how the mirroring technique can help establish that. But I didn't really mention much about how it plays into the endings and make them both stronger and easier to write.

Mirroring works well for other genres in different ways. It's often touted as a great way to remind readers of character growth. Janice Hardy has an excellent article on this technique.

With cozies, I think it serves a slightly different purpose (of course, you can use it to indicate protagonist growth, too). In the example I gave above, it's all about the comfort of the repeating scene. . . creating a tableau and then pulling it together again at the end. You're bringing back the peace and harmony at the end of the story. It's a very pleasing, tidy process. Return your protagonist back to the safety and security of the opener.

For more thoughts about creating cozies, here are the other posts I've written in the series.

How do you handle story openers and closings in your books?

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Published on July 24, 2022 21:01

July 23, 2022

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

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Published on July 23, 2022 21:01

July 17, 2022

How to Write a Cozy

By Debbie De Louise (author of the Cobble Cove and Buttercup Bend cozy mysteries), @Deblibrarian

Cozy mysteries are popular among those who prefer less graphic books with clean language and quirky characters. They usually take place in a small town and may feature recipes and/or pets. Main characters often have unusual occupations or hobbies and a pension for solving crimes as amateur sleuths.

My first published book wasn’t a cozy, and I didn’t write the second one as a cozy, but A Stone’s Throw became the first of my six-book Cobble Cove cozy mystery series. Since then, I’ve learned a few tips for writing cozies and suggest the following method for penning your own.

Before you start, you need to know the type of cozy you want to write and would enjoy writing. There are several kinds that include but are not limited to culinary, gardening, pets, paranormal, historical, etc. These types can be combined. It also helps to create catchy titles for your books, series, and places, as well as appropriate names for your characters.

Start with the setting. You can use a real or fictional small town or city. I prefer a fictional small town, although I sometimes refer to real places in the area to give readers a sense of location. For instance, my new Buttercup Bend series takes place in the Catskills, but I created the town of Buttercup Bend. I set my Cobble Cove series in upstate New York near New Paltz. I’ve been to these places, but it’s not necessary to have lived or traveled to the towns where you set your series, but it helps to at least research the area.

Setting isn’t just place. It can also be time. For instance, a historical cozy takes place during a different time period.

Populate your setting with quirky and interesting characters. I’m not a big plotter, but one important thing I do is create a character list or chart. As you write books in your series, you will want to add and remove characters. There are some characters who are usually featured in each book. The most important character, of course, is the main character. He or she should be described in detail. They can have a friend or someone who helps them solve the crime. They should also have a backstory that includes their family, marital status, age, education, hobbies, habits, and anything that makes them special or a candidate for being an amateur sleuth.

As a series continues, you also have to remember to age the characters. This is especially important if you include children. Depending on how much real time elapses between the publishing of your books, you need to decide how much fictional time has elapsed in each book.

As a side note, keep in mind that a character can also be an animal. Cat and dog cozy mysteries are popular. In some cozies, the cat or dog is the pet of the main character and helps find clues in a pet-related way, such as a dog sniffing an area where a body is located or a cat yowling at a suspect who may be the killer.

Determine the Crime or Crimes. The crime is usually murder but doesn’t have to be. There can be more than one crime in each book. I have two murders in The Case of the Cat Crazy Lady , the first book of my new Buttercup Bend series. There are also several crimes and a murder in Between a Rock and a Hard Place , the second book of my Cobble Cove series. The main thing about the crimes is that they shouldn’t be gory and can happen off stage. In other words, someone can find a body but doesn’t witness the murder.

Create a suspect List, Motives, Clues, and Red Herrings. Depending on how you prefer to write, you can do this ahead of time or as you go. I’ve changed my killer in some of my books and then gone back and added the clues. A red herring is a clue that points to someone who isn’t the murderer and can allow readers to go in the wrong direction, but you need to give enough real clues so the readers aren’t terribly surprised at the ending.

Add Subplots. Besides the crime, you should have various smaller plots that may involve a romance, another mystery, or a conflict. Romances that occur in cozies are kept clean. Any sex takes place behind closed doors. Subplots add depth and interest to the book and may be resolved at the end of the story or brought into the following book or books of the series. In my Buttercup Bend mysteries, my main character, Cathy Carter begins dating two men in the second book of the series that I’m currently writing. Her involvement with these men began in book 1 and will continue until I decide the one she chooses.

Research and Added Bonuses. Readers enjoy learning things from their reading, so it’s a good idea to include interesting facts. Historical cozies can include details about different time periods and events. Culinary cozies should feature recipes or information about cooking or baking.

Twists and Endings. If you’ve included enough red herrings and subplots, you need to tie them up in a way that surprises but doesn’t shock the reader. With a series, you only need to wrap up the current crime or murder because each book will feature a new one. However, as I stated above, there are subplots that may continue throughout the series and need not be resolved in each book.

Some people also write their cozies ahead of time, so they can include a teaser to the next book. I have never been able to do this, but I still leave something hanging at the end or write a story using the same characters to publish in between the books. This is the method I used in my Cobble Cove series. The five stories I wrote are now available in a new collection, Sneaky’s Supernatural Mystery and Other Cobble Cove Stories. This book is on tour with Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours from July 18 to July 25.

Publish and Promote. For space considerations, I haven’t included information on how to publish your books or how to design their covers. These are both important considerations that you can find elsewhere.

Once you publish your cozy, you need to promote it. If this is your first book, make sure you have a social media following and a blog. If you have a publisher, network with the other authors. I mentioned my book tour with Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. The host for these tours is Lori Caswell. She is a big promoter of cozy mysteries and runs tours for those authors for free. Other ideas for promoting include taking over on many of the cozy mystery Facebook groups. I have a takeover scheduled on the Cozy Mystery Party group on Saturday, July 23, at 11 a.m. I’ve also taken over on the Cozy Mystery Village group and run my own cozy mystery character group called Debbie’s Character Chat Group.

If you want to write a cozy, I hope you’ve found my tips helpful. If you already write a cozy series and have additional tips, please share them.

Debbie De Louise is a reference librarian at a public library. She’s the author of the Cobble Cove cozy mystery series featuring Sneaky, the library cat, and the new Buttercup Bend cozy mysteries featuring the owner of a pet cemetery and rescue center. Debbie’s other books include standalone mysteries, a paranormal romance, a time-travel novel, and a collection of cat poems. She also writes for Catster.com, is a member of the Cat Writers’ Association, and lives on Long Island with her husband, daughter, and two cats. Learn more about her and her books by visiting https://debbiedelouise.com .

Pick up a copy of Sneaky’s Supernatural Mystery and other Cobble Cove Stories here: mybook.to/CCcollection

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Published on July 17, 2022 21:01

July 16, 2022

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

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Published on July 16, 2022 21:01

July 9, 2022

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

***You'll notice this is an especially lengthy edition this week. That's because I've somehow messed things up and some of last week's Twitterific is included in this week's. Oops. Things should be better next week. ***

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Published on July 09, 2022 21:01

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