Riley Adams's Blog, page 65
March 9, 2019
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 48,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.
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.
News
Need reviews for your work? Find out more about Reedsy’s Discovery program here.
Business / Miscellaneous
Building Your Publishing Team: Your Editor: @itshelendarling @DIYMFA
How to Start a Ghostwriting Career: @ZaraAltair @ProWritingAid
How to juggle different types of writing: @pubcoach
Tips for Selling Your Essay: by Deborah Lyn Stanley
Making a Living as a Life Story Writer: by Amy Woods Butler @hopeclark
File names that show your manuscript revision status: @lisapoisso
Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous
Book Promotion: How to Pitch to Festival Organizers: by Dan Holloway @IndieAuthorALLI
Frankfurter Buchmesse Stages a Conversation on Artificial Intelligence During SXSW: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Ahead of London Book Fair: IPA’s New Leadership on the State of a World Publishing Industry: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
During London Book Fair: Copyright Clearance Center on ‘Open Scholarly Communications’: @Porter_Anderson
London Book Fair’s Market Focus Indonesia: Creative Industries and a Spice Café: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
International Women’s Day 2019: International Women Writers Observing the Day: @mkinberg
Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting
2019 Goal Planning Tools for Writers: @vkier_tech
1 Writer’s 9 Writing Goals for 2019: @KMWeiland
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers
How to read more: @pubcoach
Introducing Difficult Books, a Descriptive List: @PassiveVoiceBlg @The_Millions
5 Books that Give Voice to Artificial Intelligence: @tansyrr @enoughsnark @tordotcom
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing
Use a List to Make Writing a Habit: by Shelley Widhalm
Vanquish Emotional Overwhelm to Increase Productivity: @KBullockAuthor @WriterUnboxed
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block
Writer’s Block with Depression and Anxiety: @SeptCFawkes
Creativity and Inspiration / Success
Why 1 Writer is Dreaming of Becoming a Midlist Author: @KassandraLamb @IndieAuthorALLI
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
How to Stop Overthinking Your Writing: @writingcookbook
Creativity Studies And Tricks For Women Writers: by Claudia Chibici-Revneanu @WomenWriters
“Is my writing good enough?” @DanBlank
Writing versus Not Writing: @MFournierWatson @WomenWriters
How to find time to write when life feels out of control: @TheLeighShulman
Should You Get a Creative Writing Degree? @Roz_Morris and Garry Craig Powell
The Story that Holds You Back: @kcraftwriter
How to Explore Literary Yorkshire: @laurencocking @lithub
Every Story Is A Survival Story: @maureenmcquerry @WomenWriters
When Even the Greatest of Writers Grapples with Self-Doubt: @GabbyBellot @lithub
Three Ways for Writers to Grow a Thick Skin: @canitbeyolanda
Genres / Fantasy
What is Urban Fantasy? A Guide for Readers and Writers: @ReedsyHQ
Genres / Horror
13 Frightfully Good Young Adult Horror Novels: @FelizaCasano @ReadBrightly
Genres / Miscellaneous
The Business Side of Songwriting: Protecting Your Work: by Matthew Hawk Eldridge @A3writers
Genres / Mystery
The Creative Drive as an Element in Crime Fiction: @mkinberg
10 Books About How to Write Mysteries: @JanetBoyer
Societal Myths and Discouraging Realities as Elements in Crime Fiction: @mkinberg
Mystery Writing: Keeping the Middle of the Book Interesting: @mkinberg
Genres / Poetry
20 Easy Poetry Writing Prompts and Exercises: @BrynDonovan
Genres / Screenwriting
Script to Screen: “No Country For Old Men”: @GoIntoTheStory
Genres / Western
Secrets of the Western Genre: by Rachelle Ramirez @StoryGrid
Promo / Ads
Avoiding the Mistakes of Over- and Under-Investing in a Book: @kikimojo
Why You Probably Shouldn’t Be Advertising (Video) by Chris Fox
Discount ebook deals mailing list BookBub finally adds audiobooks. Launches Chirp in partnership with Findaway: @TNPS10
Promo / Book Reviews
Reedsy Launches New Book Marketing Tool to Gain Reviews and Exposure for New Releases: @ReedsyHQ
Promo / Miscellaneous
8 Marketing Tips for 2019: @AnnMarieNieves @WriterUnboxed
How to Write a Book Endorsement: @EricaVetsch
Promo / Platforms
Establishing Yourself before Your Book Is Published: Submitting, Platform, and More: @writeabook
Publishing / Miscellaneous
Brussels Book Fair’s Gregory Laurent: ‘Forward-Thinking Projects’: @oliviasnaije @pubperspectives
Spanish-Language Audiobook Sales Predicted to Surge in 2019: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Which Amazon KDP ebook royalty rate should I choose? @BirdsOAFpress
Industry Notes: Wales’ Hay Festival Opens 2019 School Program’s Booking Applications: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Kids Can Press’ ‘Most Magnificent Thing’ Animated Short Is Out From Nelvana: @Porter_Anderson
International Women’s Day 2019: Progress Among Publishers in France: @oliviasnaije @v_clayssen
Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing
35+ Self-Publishing Terms Every Aspiring Author Should Know: @savilleneuve
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying
How to Stand Out For Agents and Publishers: @AJHumpage
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections
How to Survive Rejection: 8 Tips: @themaltesetiger
Publishing / Process / Services to Avoid
Publishizer: Do Authors Really Need a Crowdfunding Literary Agency? @victoriastrauss
7 Ways to Defend Yourself from Writing Coach Scams: @EstelleSErasmus @WritersDigest
Publishing / Process / Translation
Nielsen Reports Translated Literature in the UK Grew 5.5 Percent in 2018: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Writing Craft / Beginnings
Beginnings and Backstory: @jamesscottbell
Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists
Making Sympathetic Antagonists (And Why Thanos Wasn’t One): by Mira Singer @mythcreants
How to Create a Villain: @themaltesetiger
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
Five Surprisingly Successful Characters and Why They Work: by Chris Winkle @mythcreants
Why Lack Of Structure Is Killing Your Characters: @Bang2write
Writing Craft / Common Mistakes
How to Avoid The 7 Biggest Storytelling Mistakes: by Richard Krevolin @CareerAuthors
Writing Craft / Conflict
Create Inner Conflict: @ianirvineauthor
Writing Craft / Dialogue
Tips for Better Dialogue: by Keith Cronin @WriterUnboxed
Writing Craft / Diversity
5 Steps to Creating Characters of Color: @ajthenovelist @DIYMFA
Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film
What the Show “Friends” Did Right: @TheRyanLanz
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
Four Kinds of Death in Fiction: @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / POV
4 Questions To Ask To Avoid Info Dumps In Deep Point Of View: @LisaHallWilson
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining
The Myth of Plan First and Write Later: @LouiseTondeur @JaneFriedman
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting
Navigating Families in Fiction: @KAMcCleary @WriterUnboxed
6 Sub-Plots That Add Style To Your Story: @Writers_Write
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Beats
Psycho Beat Sheet: @DonRoff @savethecat
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
A Primer on Active vs. Passive Voice for Writers: @LoriHatcher2 @EdieMelson
Capitalizing Dog Breeds: @GrammarGirl
Writing Craft / Revision
How to Revise your Manuscript: First Draft to Final Draft: @LisaPoisso
Whittling Words for Stronger Stories: by Devyn Fussman @NaNoWriMo
Writing Craft / Settings and Description
Writing Tips: Writing Beyond the 5 Senses: @green_gila @thecreativepenn
Writing the Southeastern US: @VictoriaGHowell
Writing Craft / Tension
Real Life Diagnostics: Can You Feel Any Tension or Conflict in This Scene? By Maria D’Marco
Writing Tools / Miscellaneous
How To Use A Fountain Pen: by Emma Walsh @Writers_Write
The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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March 3, 2019
How to Survive Rejection
by John Kerr, @themaltesetiger
Can we talk about F. Scott Fitzgerald? Author of The Great Gatsby, that American classic we all read in high school. Without a doubt, one of the most acclaimed American writers in history. But, did you know that his follow-up novel, Tender is the Night, was panned by critics?
The book was so ridiculed that Fitzgerald was driven out of the literary world. He fled to Los Angeles looking for success as a screenwriter but found none. Once thought of as a rising star, Fitzgerald was considered a has-been by the end of his career. He died believing he was a failure.
But he was wrong, and today we celebrate him as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Which brings me to my point-
Rejection happens to all of us.
Add it to the column under Death and Taxes. You can’t let it cripple you, though. You must learn from it, and move on. But, how do you move on from something that can feel so personal and cut so deep?
Well, that’s what I’m going to talk about. So, here are a few tips on…
How to Handle Rejection
First off…
Don’t take it personally
Easier said than done, right? After pouring your soul into a story it’s hard not to take rejection personally. But it’s never an editor’s intention to hurt you.
Keep in mind that editors don’t know you from Adam. They’re professionals and they’re not out to get anyone. Their job is to find work that fits their publication. And they get a lot of submissions.
They only have time to read a few sentences. If you don’t hook them, they’re moving on. They aren’t trying to send you a message-
Give up now! You’ll never be a writer!
In short, they don’t care what you do.
Rejection from an editor can only tell you one thing- your story wasn’t right for them. It happens, and it’s not personal. It’s business.
So, move on.
Or better yet…
Learn from it
You can learn a lot from rejection.
Was it a form letter?
You didn’t hook your reader! The editor only read of few sentences before deciding to pass on it. If you receive several form letters that could mean your story needs an overhaul. Stop submitting and revisit the piece. Ask yourself- can this story be fixed or should it be shelved?
Was it a personal rejection?
A personal rejection is great! It means the editor read your story. Well, most of it. It’s a sign that your story works. It’s just not a good fit for the publisher.
Pay attention to personal rejections. Sometimes editors will give you tips on how to sharpen your writing. You’re basically getting a free professional critique! Which brings me to my next point.
Celebrate Small Victories
Let’s say you got a personal rejection from an editor. That’s huge! That’s amazing! You hooked them. They read your story!
Editors have a keen eye. They can spot bad writing from miles away. If you’ve got a personal rejection from an editor it means your story may not be perfect, but it works. It just didn’t work for them.
Or, maybe you got a dozen form letters. That’s great! Now you know something is wrong with your story. You can spend your time fixing it or writing a new story. But you learned something valuable.
Celebrate!
Writing is a journey, sometimes a grind, but never a burden. We get to do this. Take a little joy, a little satisfaction from these “near misses.” You’re on the right track, you just haven’t gone far enough.
Learn when to Let Go
Rejection can be illuminating. It can save you from a lot of wasted nights of editing a fatally flawed work. So, if your story has been rejected forty times take the hint. This story isn’t working. Let it go.
Bad stories aren’t wasted effort. They are necessary for the learning process. Every author has dozens of bad stories they have to dig through before they get to the good stuff. The pay dirt.
So write your bad stories. You won’t recognize them, but rejection will help you spot them. Then you can write another bad story, and another, and another. Until one day, you’ll start writing the good ones.
Process and Move On
Rejection is a good time to take stock of your work and answer a few questions-
What kind of rejection was it?
A personal rejection?
Can you make the changes that the editor suggested and resubmit?
A form letter rejection?
Is this the first one? Keep submitting.
Add it to the pile? Revisit your work.
Find good beta readers. The best proofreaders are strangers because they’ll be honest with you. Look for an online community where you can share your work and get honest feedback.
Be Patient
Success takes time.
We hear a lot of stories about writers finding success overnight. But that’s not the normal experience. Most writers toil in obscurity for years, sometimes decades before they get any recognition.
Your first story went nowhere? So what. Write a new one. Sometimes, you haven’t found success because you haven’t sacrificed enough time. You haven’t written enough, you haven’t read enough, you’re not ready.
But, with time, you will be.
Kill your Ego and Find your Purpose
Ego can be a good thing for a writer. Without it, you might not have the confidence to get your story out into the world. But, too much ego will hold you back.
Ego can trick you into believing that your instincts are always correct. That you’re destined for greatness.
I hate to say it, but the only thing we’re destined for is the grave. Any success that comes before that is the result of a lot of hard work and plenty of failures.
Replace ego with a drive to create. Ask yourself why you want to write. Find a purpose. Something that will sustain your writing. Something meaningful.
I write because I love stories. I love reading them, finding their hidden meaning, discussing their secrets with like-minded companions. If someone wants to publish one of my stories, well that’s just an added bonus!
Once you find a purpose, rejection won’t feel like a personal affront. You’ll see it for what it is. A meaningful step in your journey as a writer.
Rejection is a universal experience and it can be useful. So, take it in stride and whatever you do…
Don’t stop writing!
John Kerr is an amateur author and professional junior high English teacher. His work has been published in Helios Quarterly Magazine, The Wifiles, Listverse, and The Texas Writers Journal. You can find his blog at TheMalteseTiger.com where he talks about story and fiction writing.
8 Tips for Handling Rejection from @TheMalteseTiger:
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March 2, 2019
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 48,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.
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.
Business / Miscellaneous
Planning for Publishing in 2019: Audio: @KristineRusch
Prioritize Multiple Writing Projects to Make Progress, Not Waste Time: @RosanneBane
Getting Your Book Considered for Placement in Barnes and Noble and Other Retailers: @Steph__Chandler @NonfictionAssoc
Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous
PEN America Approaches Its Awards Night With News Media Appearances: @Porter_Anderson @Egangoonsquad @PENamerican
Issues and Authors at London Book Fair 2019: Women’s Voices: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
PEN America Names Its 2019 Literary Award Laureates: $370,000 in Winnings: @Porter_Anderson
The UK’s Booker Prize Announces Its New Anchor Sponsor: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Faber’s Stephen Page Opens London Book Fair’s Quantum: ‘Cultural Responsibility’: @Porter_Anderson @stephenpub
Creativity and Inspiration / Careers in Writing and Day Jobs
How Can I Make a Living as a Writer? by T.W.M. Ashford @pbackwriter
Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting
How to Cut Your Wasted Time to Achieve Your Goals: @kikimojo
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers
Writers Read: You Should Read More. Here’s How: @Jffelkins @write_practice
What to Do After Decades of Teaching ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Wrong? @adlsimmons @The_Millions
The Rise of Mother-Daughter Noir: @RealLiveCritic @CrimeReads
Can You Ever Go Home Again? 9 Stories That Continue After Journey’s End: by Stubby the Rocket @tordotcom
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing
On Writing and Time Management: @Leigh_Medeiros_ @WriterUnboxed
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block
How to Concoct Your Own Antidote to Pre-writing Anxiety: @jan_ohara @WriterUnboxed
Writer’s Block And How To Un-Stick It: @CaraHunterBooks @WomenWriters
Creativity and Inspiration / Success
4 Things Every Novel Should Strive For: @Janice_Hardy @TheIWSG
Writing a Book: 29 Bestselling Authors Answer 3 Critical Questions: @ChatEbooks
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
How Domesticity is at the Heart of the Novel: by Tessa Hadley @lithub
Writing Through Discouragement: @Lindasclare
Making Writing a Family Affair: @JHarder_FN @NaNoWriMo
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Your Novel: @thenovelry
Embracing Your New Identity as a Writer: @LisaTener
5 Reasons You Should Always Write for Yourself: @Frank_McKinley
10 Writer Takeaways From a Trip To Disney World: @GriggsWinnie
How Multitasking Can Make You A More Efficient Writer: @KelsieEngen
Letting a Story Go: A Break Up Story: @BeingTheWriter
Genres / Fantasy
Fantasy Subgenres: @Nicholas_Rossis @NicolaAlter
Genres / Historical
8 Tips for Writing Authentic Historical Mysteries: by Erin Lindsey
Genres / Memoir
Why Writing A Memoir Is All About The ‘How’ : @Writers_Write
Genres / Mystery
The Profoundly Unsettling World of Agatha Christie: @lucyfoleytweets @CrimeReads
Charismatic but Unlikeable Characters in Crime Fiction: @mkinberg
Cozy Mystery Writing: Parceling Out Information:
Genres / Non-Fiction
How To Write a Better How-To Nonfiction Book: @BirdsOAFpress
Genres / Poetry
Gratitude Poetry Prompt: Look For the Constants: @CallieFeyen @tspoetry
Genres / Screenwriting
Screenwriting: Why SCREAM is one of the best films ever made: @BittrScrptReadr
When good writing meets good acting: @melanippee
Genres / Short Stories
How Writing and Submitting Short Stories Improved A Writer’s Novel: @ArsenalOfWords @WriterUnboxed
Promo / Blogging
Why Blogging Has Been Good for One Writer: @Roz_Morris
Why You Need to Start a Blog in 2019: https://t.co/AXEqRz2AHW and @WritetoDone
6 Ways to Get People to Stop Visiting Your Blog: @rxena77
13 Free Blogging Tips For Every New Blogger: @HughRoberts05
Promo / Miscellaneous
Why “Self-Promotion” Is B.S.: @Jamie_Chesbro @The_Millions
Five Tips on Taking a Good Author Photo: by Phil Stamper-Halpin @penguinrandom
Book Promotion: Fighting Discouragement: @NewShelvesBooks @JFbookman
Making Your Inner Writer Stand Out: @sevenjanewrites @KillerNashville
Promo / Newsletters
Mailing Lists: The Necessity of Newsletters (Podcast): @EricaRidley @pbackwriter
Promo / Platforms
Promotion Isn’t Platform and Ads Aren’t a Brand: @KristenLambTX
Building a Platform for Your Work When You’re Unpublished: by James Michael Warner @JaneFriedman
Promo / Social Media Tips
How to Improve Your YouTube Video Exposure: 6 Useful Tools: by Aaron Agius @SMExaminer
8 Tips for Amping Up Your Book Promotion with Instagram: @Bookgal
3 Reasons to Manage Facebook by Notifications: @cksyme
4 Easy Ways To Get More Followers On Instagram: @KarenBanes
Publishing / Miscellaneous
Publishers’ Forum 2019: To Diversify or Double Down on Core Business? @Porter_Anderson
CreateSpace to KDP: The Aftermath: @JamiGold
How To Make Your Audiobook Work For You: @TheSuperStarter @thecreativepenn
Case Study: “How I used PDF Index Generator software for a paperback anthology”: @BirdsOAFpress
Six Questions for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s Allison Al-Masri: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
SAGE Publishing Makes UK’s Index on Censorship Archive Free: @Porter_Anderson
Getting Published in 2019: @ReedsyHQ
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Pitches
All About Twitter PItches: @AlexJCavanaugh @Janice_Hardy
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying
3 Ways to Find a Literary Agent: @WriteToSell
When to pull the plug on a good agent who loves my work that isn’t selling: @Janet_Reid
Resubmitting to an Agent or Publisher: @Kid_Lit @NatalieIAguirre
Tips for Formatting a Manuscript: by Kate Larkindale @OpAwesome6
What is a selling point? @Janet_Reid
Publishing / Process / Distribution
How to remove your paperback from KDP Expanded Distribution to sell your book via IngramSpark: @BirdsOAFpress
Writing Craft / Beginnings
Flog a Pro: would you pay to turn the first page of this bestseller? @RayRhamey @WriterUnboxed
Openings and Edits: by Edittorrent
Real Life Diagnostics: Is This Opening Working? @Janice_Hardy
Starting Your Novel at the Midpoint: @thenovelry @ProWritingAid
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
3 Ways to Define the Essence of Our Character: @JamiGold
Your Character’s Failure Is Just As Compelling As Their Success: @FredBobJohn @standoutbooks
Character Type: Artist: @GoIntoTheStory
Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Radio DJ: @beccapuglisi
Finding Your Character’s Perspective: @SueBEdwards @womenonwriting
5 Myths About Writing Characters: by by C.D. Waller @mythicscribes
Use Psychology to Create Compelling Characters: by Joslyn Chase @write_practice
Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists
Hero Archetypes and Grounding Reality: @valerie_francis @StoryGrid
Character Objective and Writing a Strong Protagonist: @Kid_Lit
Writing Craft / Common Mistakes
How to Avoid Repetitive Sentence Structure: @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / Diversity
Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make With Diverse Characters: @Bang2write
We Deserve More Black Stories with Happy Endings: by Exodus Oktavia Brownlow @ElectricLit
Writing Craft / Endings
8 Tips for a Satisfying Ending: @ZoeMMcCarthy
Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film
Editor Roundtable: Pirates of the Caribbean: @TheWritership @StoryGrid
Why “Bird Box” Starring Sandra Bullock Was Such a Ginormous Hit for Netflix: @JeffYorkWriter @CreativeScreen
Writing Craft / Literary Devices
Writing Craft: Foreshadowing: @RachelleGardner
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
Writing Effective Plot Twists: @JamesNapoli @CreativeScreen
Tips for Writing About Controversial Topics in Fiction: @BryanGruley @WritersDigest
Four Reasons to Include Prompts in Your Writing Regimen: @DIYMFA @beccapuglisi
What to Do While You Wait: Working with Your Book, Instead of On It: by Barbara Linn Probst
Writing Craft / Plot Holes
Unsnagging Your Plot: @jamesscottbell @killzoneauthors
Writing Craft / POV
Story Grid: Revolutionize Your Story’s Point of View With Free Indirect Style: @DavidHSafford @write_practice
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Naming
How to Name Your Antagonist: @DaveChesson
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting
Hero’s Journey Archetypes: @valerie_francis @StoryGrid
How Do I Involve the Main Character in the Plot? @mythcreants
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
‘Relapse’ or ‘Recur’? @GrammarGirl
The Oxford Comma And Why It Matters: @TCKPublishing
Writing Craft / Revision
Nonfiction: Flag Your Way to Successful Revisions: @withpenandpaper @NinaAmir
How to Improve Your Manuscript by Editing Backwards: @margaretskea1 @IndieAuthorALLI
Weasel Words: Get Rid of These Words to Improve Your Writing: @TCKPublishing
Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques
Finding the Ideal Beta Reader to Match Your Target Reader: @SmartAuthors @BookWorksNYC
Writing Craft / Scenes
Make Sure Your Scene Endings Hook Your Readers: @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / Series
The Pros and Cons of Writing an Extensive Series: @KBuxtonBooks @phoenix_fiction
Writing Craft / Settings and Description
Tips On Descriptions: @writingandsuch
Choose the Best Time Setting for your Novel: by Dana Isaacson @CareerAuthors
Writing Craft / Synopses
How to Write a Fiction Synopsis: A New Way: @HankPRyan @CareerAuthors
Writing Craft / Voice
5 Steps to Find Your Voice as a Writer: @thenovelry
Writing Craft / World-Building
Should You Give Non-Human Groups Marginalized Traits? by Chris Winkle @mythcreants
Writing Tools / Apps
5 Tech Basics for Writers: @WordDreams
Writing Tools / Resources
Webinar From @JaneFriedman:Perfecting your Site, Newsletter and Social Network: ($12 if register now):
Uncategorized
The 10th Anniversary Festival Neue Literatur: ‘In Memory We Trust’: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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February 28, 2019
Cozy Mystery Writing: Parceling Out Information
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Here’s a quick tip today for cozy mystery writers.
Is your cozy mystery too short? Do readers (or beta readers) say that they were able to figure out the murderer too soon in the story?
The answer to both of these problems may be something very simple.
How much are your suspects giving away in their interviews with your amateur sleuth?
There’s a temptation (at least, there’s always been for me) in giving away a little too much information in each interview. I want the sleuth to have some material to work with, of course, and I want the story to progress: I don’t want my amateur’s investigation to stall out or for the book to be boring for readers.
And that’s all very important. But it’s equally important to make sure that the suspects aren’t making things too easy for the sleuth, and for the reader. Cozy readers are experts at solving these cases.
Maybe, instead, your sleuth is gaining information from some of these interviews, but it’s the wrong information. Maybe your suspect is trying to redirect your sleuth away from something that might make him or her look guilty. One thing I like to do to ensure a good pace for my mysteries is to have each suspect tell a lie and a truth. That means you do give clues to the reader, but you’re also providing red herrings to send them (and the sleuth) on tangents. Sally says that Jim was fired from his job…and the victim was his supervisor. But she also says that she hasn’t seen the victim for the last few weeks (a lie). Later, another suspect can disprove this information and say that, in fact, Sally and the victim engaged in an argument not long before the victim’s murder.
Maybe your suspect is only hinting at information. Sally says that she heard that Jim was fired at work, but she doesn’t know why (or she prefers not to say). This gives the sleuth a lead to work on and maybe leads her to find another source of information…perhaps someone that Jim worked with. An interview like this can lead the story in a variety of different directions: maybe Jim was fired unjustly and because he knew the victim was engaged in something unlawful. Maybe Jim was fired because he was pilfering from the company and he was desperate to cover that information up.
Cozies don’t need to be overly complex to the point of reader frustration. But if the story is too linear or if the suspects are unloading everything they know on the sleuth, the mystery itself could be in trouble.
For more information on cozy mystery writing, see my full series here.
The same goes for other genres, too. Have you read books where the author has front-loaded the story with too much information and eliminated surprises? As a writer, do you try to make sure you don’t give away too much too early?
Tips on Parceling Out Information in a Cozy Mystery:
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February 24, 2019
End Your Story Well to Sell
by Zoe M. McCarthy, @ZoeMMcCarthy
If you don’t backload a satisfying ending to your story, readers may not buy your next book.
We’ll look at tips for a satisfying ending scene(s). When I say ending scene, I don’t mean an epilogue.
Tips for a Satisfying Ending*
Tip 1: Don’t Rush the Ending
The reader will feel like the author wrapped up everything quickly to meet a deadline.
In a romance, you might be tempted to hurry the heroine to agree to an engagement or say “I do,” at the altar. Perhaps you could slow the ending down by wrapping up a minor subplot. Maybe the heroine has wanted a place to call home since the beginning. Without belaboring the ending, maybe you could bring this idea full circle before or after promises of love.
Tip 2: Don’t End in a Flurry of Conflicts and High Emotions
Cutting off the story when actions and emotions are intense is like characters sprinting to a cliff with bad men in pursuit and the reader turns the page to find “The End.”
Readers need to come down from the emotional frenzy and witness what the characters feel and do when they’re in their more normal state. In a legal thriller, after a highly emotional court drama and verdict play out, a short scene occurring on the next day might follow. Over breakfast in a diner, the defending lawyer shares with the released defendant how at the last moment he obtained the one piece of evidence that saved the defendant’s life.
Tip 3: Resolve Subplots
Unless your book is part of a series, resolve all subplots. Often a series will leave one subplot open to be continued in the next book. Readers of a book series accept an open subplot, but the main plot needs to be resolved.
It’s best if all subplots are not resolved in the last scene.
No subplot should distract readers from the main plot’s resolution. Suppose in the last chapter of an author’s disaster book, he orchestrates a father and son’s fast-paced rescue from an earthquake. The last scene shows them searching for the rest of their family in rescue shelters. Resolution of the father’s and son’s differences over the son attending college would distract from the search and the joy when they locate family members.
And don’t draw out resolutions of subplots. Although the reader has earned a rest period in the ending, she doesn’t desire a fall-asleep period.
Tip 4: Show How Your Protagonist Is a Wiser, More Competent Person
The main character may not achieve the goal he hoped for, but he should be able to do something he couldn’t do in the beginning. If he hasn’t grown in some way, even if it’s to accept that he won’t accomplish his goal, readers will feel the time they’ve spent with him through conflicts and disasters has accomplished nothing. That’s not satisfying.
Tip 5: Make the Ending Unpredictable, Plausible, and Memorable
Although your ending must be plausible and must deliver what readers expect from the genre, give the reader an ending they can’t predict. For example, romance readers expect the hero and heroine to get together in the end. This is predictable. But how they finally get together can be something the reader doesn’t expect.
For example, the reader expects the couple to have it all, but for the hero to choose love, he sacrifices his desire to return to his homeland. For genres other than romance, keep the reader guessing whether the protagonist will succeed or fail at getting what she wants right up to the final moments.
Work on your last page until it leaves the reader with something that’s memorable and resonates.
Tip 6: Be Careful If Your Ending Isn’t a Happy One
If your ending isn’t a happy one, the reader must at least feel satisfied. Perhaps the protagonist chooses to do something courageous that harms him, but it’s best for those he loves. In fact, your ending may be more interesting if it contains a win and a loss.
Tip 7: Create More Than One Ending
Try different endings and see which gives the best emotional satisfaction or introduces a “gotcha.” Make sure a twist is believable, though. Using a clichéd gimmick, such as a character is alive after the reader witnessed his death, might not be satisfying.
Tip 8: Include the Title or Theme
If your story has a strong theme or a title that represents the theme well, including the theme or title may work in your story’s wrap-up. But if either feels plunked in or cheesy, neither is right for your ending.
What element might you include in your ending that would be a welcome surprise to your reader?
*Excerpts and paraphrases from Zoe M. McCarthy’s Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript in 30 Days. More examples of each tip are included in the book.
Zoe M. McCarthy is a full-time speaker, author of Christian contemporary romances, and blogger on writing. She’s a member of ACFW and the treasurer of the Virginia chapter. On suggestions from an agent and a publishing house editor, Zoe developed a detailed resource, Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript in 30 Days. Zoe and her husband live in the Blue Ridge Mountains and enjoy canoeing and spending time at their lake cabin. She teaches a community Bible study, leads writing workshops, and hosts a prayer shawl ministry. She has six grandchildren.
8 Tips for a Satisfying Ending From @ZoeMMcCarthy :
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February 23, 2019
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 48,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.
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:
Industry expert Jane Friedman is hosting a webinar on Friday, March 8 (it will be recorded, so you don’t have to watch it live) on ‘perfecting your author website, email newsletter, and social network. I’ve heard Jane speak before and she’s incredibly knowledgeable (I’m not an affiliate…just a fan of Jane’s). The webinar is only $12 if you sign up before March 1. More information here.
Business / Miscellaneous
How to Cut Down on Your Business Expenses (for Writers and Creatives): @kikimojo
Why Indie Authors Need Literary Executors & How to Appoint One: @maggieauthor @IndieAuthorALLI
7 Top Publisher Tips Authors Need To Be Awesome: @1JULIEANDERSON @BadRedheadMedia
Voice Technologies For Authors: @bmetrock @thecreativepenn
Business / Taxes
Prepping for Tax Time as a Writer:
Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous
Writers’ Conferences for Newbies: How to Attend Your First Conference: by Billie Wade @write_practice
London Book Fair Notes: Charles Clark Lecture; IPA Freedom To Publish @Porter_Anderson @HugoSetzer @jacksthomas
Bologna Children’s Book Fair Names 2019 Ragazzi Award Winners: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
British Book Awards Program Names Nine Bookshop Shortlists: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
National Book Foundation’s Spring ‘NBF Presents’ Season: Expanded Programming: @Porter_Anderson
Sweden’s Dorotea Bromberg Is London Book Fair’s Lifetime Achievement Laureate 2019: @Porter_Anderson @doroteabromberg
Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting
How to Set Wildly Ambitious Writing Goals—and Accomplish All of Them: @PSHoffmanAuthor @WritersDigest
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers
Studying Stories as a Writer: @TyreanMartinson @TheIWSG
Five Books About the Magical Post-Apocalypse: @ShaunBarger @tordotcom
10 Tips for Writing a Good Book Review: @_HannahHeath
7 Novels about Orphans: by Elizabeth Brooks @ElectricLit
Creativity and Inspiration / Miscellaneous
Taking Risks as Part of the Creative Lifestyle: @SeptCFawkes
Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation
Why Your Writing Matters—Even if You’re Not Making Any Money from It: @aliventures @LiveWriteThrive
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing
How to Create an Easy Habit of Daily Writing Without Willpower: @WritetoDone
Why It’s Hard to Find Time to Write and How to Do it Anyway: @WriteNowCoach
How to Boost Writing Productivity with Calendars or To-Do Lists: @colleen_m_story
21 ways to get out of the writing doldrums: @pubcoach
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block
Procrastination is a Self-Perpetuating Cycle: 9 Tips for Getting Unstuck: @KatieDavisBurps @annerallen
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
13 ways to prevent overwork from affecting your writing: @pubcoach
“On the Excavation of My Desk”: @davidulin @lithub
The Mirror World of the Dyslexic Novelist: @RodDuncan @tordotcom
“How a Community Made Me a Better Writer”: @WriterMomLife @pbackwriter
No One Cares But You: @DeanWesleySmith
Writing and the Creative Life: Writing Sprints and Writing Walks: @GoIntoTheStory
Make Time to Be Solitary: @hopeclark
How 1 Author’s Mental Illness Affects Her Writing: @LisaLisax31
When Is a Piece of Writing Finished? @BeingTheWriter @womenonwriting
“How I Found Love One Literary Event at a Time”: @tajjaisen @lithub
How to Say “I’m a Writer” and Mean It: @bethmarcel @lithub
Analog Writing in the Digital World : @pauljessup @sfwa
How Mental Health Can Affect Productivity (And What to do About it): @writingcookbook
Genres / Fantasy
The Emotional Journey of Writing Fantasy: @_rachelhartman @tordotcom
Eight Terrain Features for Fantasy Kingdoms to Fight Over: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants
Genres / Memoir
5 Steps to Overcoming Fears of Writing about the Deeply Personal in Your Memoir : @BrokenWhole_JB @WritersDigest
Genres / Mystery
Crime Fiction: When Old Cases Are Reopened: @mkinberg
Genres / Romance
Guide To Writing Will-They-Won’t-They: @writingandsuch
Genres / Science Fiction
20 Mistakes To Avoid In Science Fiction: @writingandsuch
Genres / Screenwriting
Books Vs. Movies: Taking Out the Heart of “A Wrinkle in Time”: @CockeyedCaravan
Why ‘Friends’ Has An Awesome Pilot (And What It Can Teach Writers): @Bang2write
Promo / Blogging
How to Start a Blog (Simple Guide for Beginners) in 2019: @RobMening
Promo / Miscellaneous
Want Authorly Superpowers? Build a Street Team: @AngelaAckerman
A Simple Question for Better Book Marketing: @Margo_L_Dill @womenonwriting
5 mistakes you’re making in your 60-second elevator speech: @gigirosenberg
What are Loglines? 6 Tips to Write Strong Summaries: @nownovel
Promo / Pricing
Schedule Price Changes and Promos with Draft2Digital: @Draft2Digital
Promo / Social Media Tips
Using Twitter For Your Author Platform: @wvancamp
Promo / Speaking
4 Tips For Authors in Public: How to Overcome Your Fear of Being Seen: @thDigitalReader @thecreativepenn
How a Writer Can Put Power into a Point: @YvonneOrtega1 @EdieMelson
Promo / Websites
9 Tips to Help You Build a Great Author Website: @createastorylov
Publishing / Miscellaneous
Publishing Colleagues and Friends Remember Accessibility Advocate Robin Seaman: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Industry Notes: Podcasts at London Book Fair; Pew Research on Smartphones: @Porter_Anderson @jacksthomas
Interview: Jessica Sänger on Weighing the EU’s Copyright Directive After Trilogue: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
What Is Public Domain? (And Why 2019 Is a Big Year): @bfrazjd @JaneFriedman
Radish Originals: Seung-yoon Lee’s New Venture in Online Serials: @Porter_Anderson @bylineSY
Publishing / News / International Publishing
German Market Watches as Its Largest Wholesaler and Distributor KNV Struggles: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
In Brussels: A Focus on Francophone Independent Publishers: @oliviasnaije @pubperspectives
Russian Book Publishers Say Paper Costs Are Limiting Production: by Eugene Gerden @pubperspectives
Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing
5 Tips for Self-Publishing Beginners: @lsmith335
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying
Can I finish my five book series before querying? @Janet_Reid
5 Questions to Ask Before Submitting to an Agent or Editor: @tessaemilyhall
Publishing / Process / Book Design
3 Things to Consider When Designing Your Novel’s Cover: By Ray Flynt @Janice_Hardy
Publishing / Process / Distribution
Business Musings: Bookstores and Libraries (Planning for 2019): @KristineRusch
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
How To Create Characters Using The Enneagram: by Rebecca Langley @standoutbooks
A Master Class on Character — Interview with David Corbett (podcast): @DIYMFA
Make Characters Unique with Layering: @JamiGold
Character Type: Addict: @GoIntoTheStory
Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion
How to Get Emotion Onto the Page: @LisaCron
Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story
How to Write Flashbacks So They Aren’t Clunky: @BrynDonovan
Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film
A Lesson On Subtext from Mary Poppins: @writerashley
5 Ways Sylvia Plath Can Help You Improve Your Writing: @FredBobJohn @standoutbooks
Writing Craft / Literary Devices
30 Rhetorical Devices — And How to Use Them: @ReedsyHQ
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
How to Turn a Writing Prompt You Hate Into a Story You Love: @sarahstypos @write_practice
Writing What You Don’t Believe: @davidcorbett_ca @WriterUnboxed
Method Writing: @richardgthomas3
Practical Steps to Improve Your Craft: @rsmonterusso @StoryGrid
My Pet Peeves as a Reader – Slang in Writing: @Peter_Rey_
5 Ways to Create Writing Magic: @lilyionamac @DIYMFA
How to Keep Your Book Relevant After Its Release: by Gary McPherson @WritersDigest
Begin from the Middle: How to Start Your Story In Medias Res: by Paul Buchanan @WritersDigest
Breaking The Fourth Wall: @writingandsuch
On the Problems of Changing Style, Novel to Novel: @TJohnstonWriter @lithub
Writing Craft / Pacing
Beat Sheets to Help With Pacing: @writingrefinery @DIYMFA
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
‘Myriad’ vs. ‘A Myriad Of’: @GrammarGirl
What Are Run-On Sentences? @GrammarGirl
Writing Craft / Revision
Kill your darlings. No, but really. @KMcCaughrain
Real Life Diagnostics: Is This Fight Scene Working? @Janice_Hardy
But I Won’t Do That: Sex and Revisions: @bryngreenwood @WriterUnboxed
The Editor’s Clinic: The Limits of Editing: by Dave King @WriterUnboxed
Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques
7 things to consider before you join a writing group: @TheLeighShulman
Online Critique Groups: A Path to Better Writing, All from Your Comfy Couch: @meanwinniejean @RMFWriters
Writing Craft / Scenes
All-Important Considerations When Crafting a Scene: @LiveWriteThrive
Writing Craft / Word Crafting
29 Ways To Write About Happiness: @Writers_Write
The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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February 22, 2019
5 Tips for Self-Publishing Beginners
Hi, everyone! Today I’m guest-blogging over at Laura Smith’s blog with a post for self-publishing beginners. I’m offering 5 self-publishing basics. Hope you’ll hop over. :)
Photo credit: Stuck in Customs on Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-SA
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February 17, 2019
Prepping for Tax Prep
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Clearly, I’m no accountant or tax lawyer. In fact, I encourage anyone with a large-ish writing business to use a CPA, as I do. I had one terrifying moment in 2013 where I realized that my tax return was a disaster. Fortunately, I found a well-recommended CPA to help me out before the tax deadline.
My accountant had me do two things right away: start pre-paying the state and federal estimated taxes, and set up a separate bank account for my book earnings and book-related expenses.
In 2013 I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this was so much of a business. I’d always tried to treat my writing as a business, but on the dollars and cents side I sometimes failed to handle it that way. Now writing income is direct-deposited into my account and whenever I need to buy printer ink (or a laptop), I make sure I take the money out of that writing account.
I’ve also gotten good about keeping track of possible write-offs. Here are the types of expenses that I track and give to my CPA:
Book production: Cover design, ISBN costs, Editing, Formatting, Library of Congress copyright listings
Advertising: Newsletter marketing (MailChimp costs), giveaway costs (Goodreads and others: the cost of participating in the program, the cost of the book, the cost of postage), photography (head shots)
Website: Website support and services, WordPress domain, hosting, domain name registration
Professional subscriptions and memberships: ALLi, Toastmasters, Hootsuite Pro
Courses and professional development: Any promo-related classes, writing-related resources, research material, etc.
Office Supplies: Ink, paper, chargers, batteries, USB microphones/cameras for podcasts, internet usage, software, postage
Conferences, festivals, book signings: Keep gas and food and hotel receipts. Note the cost of the conference.
Do you have a good way to keep track of your writing-related expenses? What have I missed on my to-be-tracked list?
Prepping for Tax Time as a Writer:
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February 16, 2019
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 48,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.
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.
Business / Miscellaneous
The Different Types of Editing Explained: @jimdempsey @WriterUnboxed
Best New Year Strategies for New Novelists: @ZaraAltair @ProWritingAid
Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous
Tips for Author School Visits: @AHuelsenbeck
London Book Fair Designates its Official 2019 Illustrator and Poet: @Porter_Anderson
Bologna Announces 2019 Themes: Women, African-American Culture, Handwriting: @Porter_Anderson
France’s Maghreb-Orient des Livres at 25: Gaining Importance Among Festivals: @oliviasnaije @pubperspectives
London Book Fair Announces Its 2019 International Excellence Award Shortlists: @Porter_Anderson
Conferences and Events / NaNoWriMo
6 Tips for Polishing Your NaNoWriMo Manuscript: @JuneCasagrande @NaNoWriMo
Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting
Goals Should Account for the Realities of Our World: @JoEberhardt @WriterUnboxed
One Writer Shares Her 2019 Writing Goals: @SarahRPainter
On Setting Word Count Goals: @jamesscottbell @killzoneauthors
Give Me Fewer Resolutions and More Hustle: @Gabino_Iglesias @LitReactor
Making Sure Your Writing Goals Are Smart: @SueBEdwards
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration
Fine Tune Observation Skills to Fire Up Creativity: @CreativeKatrina
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers
Is it Possible to Read Too Much as a Writer? @AuthorSAT
What Type of Reader Are You? @LisaLisax31
14 Books to Help You Deal with Millennial Burnout: @erinkbart @ElectricLit
On the Experience of Entering a Bookstore in Your Forties (vs. Your Twenties): @The_Big_Quiet @lithub
Crime Fiction Based in San Francisco: @mkinberg
5 Fully Immersive Novels of Psychological Suspense: @ljsims50 @CrimeReads
8 Books That Fuel Our Fascination with Twins: @EJRous @CrimeReads
8 Books About Immortality: by Frances Yackel @ElectricLit
Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation
Making an Attitude Adjustment in Terms of Your Writing: @pubcoach
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing
Build Productive Writing Habits: How to Write More in the Time You Have: by J. J. Hanna @WritersDigest
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block
5 Tips for Breaking Through the Wall of Your WiP: @KelsieEngen
Five steps to banishing block: by Lisa O’Donnell @CBGBooks
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly
Boost Productivity by Taking Effective Breaks: @LisaEBetz
One Thing that will Speed Up Your Writing and Publishing Progress: @NinaAmir
Writing Slow and Not Loving It: @jillkemerer
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
5 Reasons to Handwrite Your Story: @victoria_grif7
Confidence Through Criticism: Walt Whitman and the Discipline of Creative Self-Esteem: @brainpicker
When a Writer Doesn’t Write: @PeevishPenman
4 Things You Should Know Before You Quit Writing Your Novel: @KMWeiland
Bandersnatching Your Writing Career: @theladygreer @WriterUnboxed
One Writer’s Plan to Cut Back on TV for 2019 to Make More Writing Time: @PhilAthans
12 Signs It’s Time to Say Goodbye to Your Writing Project: @MegDowell
Signs You’re Afraid of Finishing Your Manuscript: @KMAllan_writer
Writing on the Tough Days:
7 Hacks That Will Transform You Into an Unstoppable Writer: @Frank_McKinley
7 Tips to Make You a More Observant Writer: @EdieMelson
Genres / Fantasy
On the Freaky Foods of Fictional Worlds: @thegarlictattoo @lithub
How to Choose Sounds for a Fantasy Language: @AriannaRLemont
Genres / Memoir
7 Reasons To Write A Memoir: @Writers_Write
Genres / Miscellaneous
The 6 Golden Rules Of Writing Legal Fiction: @FredBobJohn @standoutbooks
Respect for graphic novels: “…addressing social and political issues”: @Porter_Anderson @SusanHarrisWWB @wwborders
Genres / Mystery
Crime Writing: What Makes a Good Witness? @FionaQuinnBooks
Being Confronted With One’s Illusions as an Element in Crime Fiction: @mkinberg
Genres / Non-Fiction
Nonfiction Books: 15 Proven Techniques and Methods for 2019: @TheIvanKreimer
Genres / Romance
How Do I Write Non-Sexist Sex Scenes? @mythcreants
Want Readers to Fall in Love With Your Hero? Create The Perfect Hero Lens: @sacha_black
Genres / Screenwriting
Screenwriting: What 22 Industry Pros DO Want From Your Writing: @Bang2write
Promo / Blogging
5 Tips for Better Blogging from @lsmith335 :
Promo / Connecting with Readers
This Is What Happens When You Stop Lying to Readers: @GlennJMiller @CareerAuthors
Promo / Miscellaneous
4 Ways to Boost Your Digital Marketing Strategy: @cleemckenzie @TheIWSG
Promo / Newsletters
How to Keep Your Newsletter from Sucking: Writers @jakazimer @RMFWriters
Promo / Social Media Tips
How to Set Up and Edit Your https://t.co/EHAmyYA10j Author Profile: @thDigitalReader
How Writers can Use the Power of Instagram: @ChrysFey @theindiepubmag
Publishing / Miscellaneous
How to Pitch Articles and Get Published: An Effective 4-Step Strategy: @robertleebrewer
Nine Lessons From a Small Indie Publisher: by Richard Charkin @pubperspectives
Publishing / News / International Publishing
Bulgaria’s ‘BookMonster’ Intends to Make Youngsters Game for Reading: @jaroslawadamows @pubperspectives
‘German Stories’ Launch at Germany’s Guest of Honor Program in Taipei: @Porter_Anderson
Wattpad’s Hong Kong Office Opens Partnership with Huayi Brothers Korea: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Five Questions for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s Paula Santillán Grimm @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Books at Berlinale 2019: “Pitching Literature to Filmmakers”: By Holger Heimann @pubperspectives
Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing
“Why Being Indie Brings Me More Joy in My Writing”: @errinstevens @IndieAuthorALLI
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying
Real Life Diagnostics: Does This Query Blurb Make You Want to Ask for Pages? @Janice_Hardy
How to write the perfect pitch-letter to an agent: by Anna Davis @CBGBooks
How to Write a Query Letter That Grabs a Literary Agent’s Attention: @JerryBJenkins
Where does that personal connection info belong in your query? @Janet_Reid
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections
Finding the Constructive Criticism in Every Rejection: @MegDowell
Publishing / Process / Book Design
How to Design a Book Cover… Backwards? @chloescheffe @lithub
Publishing / Process / Formatting
Converting from MS Word to Mobi Using Kindle Create: @harmony_kent
Publishing / Process / Services to Avoid
Writing Scams: What Authors Need to Watch Out for in 2019: @annerallen
Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists
9 Tips For A Powerful Antagonist That Work For Any Genre: @LisaHallWilson
The Villain Doesn’t Change: @SPressfield
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
7 Tips to Writing Humanoid Monster Protagonists: Even the Undead Can Have Heart: @cyallowitz
Choices characters make: @Janet_Reid
Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion
How Charles M. Schulz Made an Art of Difficult Emotions: @brainpicker
Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists
Writing Tips: 4 Mistakes To Avoid When Creating Your Protagonist: @sacha_black @thecreativepenn
Writing Craft / Common Mistakes
Is Story Structure Strangling Your Writing? @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / Dialogue
How to convey accents in fiction writing: beyond phonetic spelling: @LouiseHarnby
Writing Craft / Drafts
How to Finish Writing a Book: @writingcookbook
Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story
5 Easy Tricks to Smuggle in Background Info (and Even Make it Fun): @RidethePen
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
One writing rule you really need: @Roz_Morris
Psychology and Writing: How to Use Psychology to Write Amazing Stories: by Joslyn Chase @write_practice
How to Write a MacGuffin: @themaltesetiger
A Cheat Sheet To Writing A Novel In Suburbia: @NatashaTynes @WomenWriters
Writing Craft / Pacing
An Easy Tip for Tightening Your Novel’s Plot: @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / POV
Are You a POV Snob? @MaeClair1
Using “You” in Deep POV: by Jax Hunter @RMFWriters
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting
Midpoints: Signpost Scene 7 and The Mirror Moment: @abigailkperry @DIYMFA
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
3 Apostrophe Rules: @VSAnderson1
Writing Craft / Revision
Six Easy Tips for Self-Editing Your Fiction: @KristenLambTX
Writing Craft / Scenes
How to Set a Scene: @Lindasclare
Writing Craft / Settings and Description
Make Plotting Fiction Easier: 3 Ideas For Settings And Moods: @angee
Writing Craft / Tropes
Hero’s Journey Archetypes: @valerie_francis @StoryGrid
Writing Craft / World-Building
How to Create a Wiki to Support Your Fantasy Worldbuilding: @jennlyonsauthor @tordotcom
Writing Tools / Apps
How a Writing Tool Can Help You Write Better: @HayleyMilliman @LiveWriteThrive @ProWritingAid
Tour Scrivener’s Inspector: @ph_solomon @StoryEmpire
Writing Tools / Books
5 Inspiring Books for Writers: @LMacNaughton
The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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February 14, 2019
Writing on the Tough Days
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
A few weeks ago I’d read an interesting post from Cathy C. Hall about the danger of waiting for ‘the perfect time to write.’ She gives examples of likely ‘perfect time’ scenarios, which are basically anytime but now. Waiting until life is less-challenging.
As Cathy puts it:
There is no such thing as the perfect time for writing. There will always be something or someone coming along to give us a perfectly good reason not to write. And before you know it, it’s been weeks, months, years, since you’ve written much at all.
Waiting for the perfect time (or, at least, a better time) to write may seem to have an easy solution: prioritize your writing. But that’s only part of it.
I think that this is another area where writerly perfectionism can rear its ugly head. We think if we’re squeezing in five minutes here or there or if we’re in a rush that we’re not creating perfect work.
As the old saying goes, you can’t fix an empty page. Maybe you’re not creating perfect work, but you’re creating. And days when I’ve been creative are my best days.
How do you fit writing into your schedule instead of waiting for the perfect time? I have a few ideas, having done it for so many years (as I’m on the brink now of an empty nest, I have to do this less-frequently, but I still prepare for it).
Fitting in Writing During Tough Days:
Carry a small notebook and pen or pencil with you.
Alternatively, use an app on your phone to write in small pockets of available time.
Backup your manuscript to an app like Google Drive so that you can remember where you left off with your story and seamlessly continue it on the go.
Be mentally prepared to jump into your story in those small dead moments of the day instead of checking social media or emails. I wrote daily while sitting in the carpool line outside my kids’ schools.
Train yourself to write in a variety of different places (this really helps to combat ‘perfect time’ syndrome). Try libraries, parks, and coffeehouses.
Try writing at different times of the day. It helps when you can write when no one else is up…this could be either at the beginning or the end of the day.
On those really crazy days when you can’t get your head into your story, try making lists of things that can further your book in an easy way.
See just how flexible you can possibly be with your writing. That’s one way to get more done in short spurts in 2019. A nice side effect is that you’ll build confidence in your ability to get your writing done even on the toughest days.
Do you ever fall into the ‘perfect time’ trap? Any tips that I’ve left out?
Tips for Writing on the Tough Days:
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