Riley Adams's Blog, page 72

August 12, 2018

Update on Translations

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Thought I’d provide a somewhat belated update as to the translation platforms I’ve been working with alongside my Spanish translator, Freddy Moyano.

As you may remember (and here’s a link if you don’t remember), I wasn’t exactly pleased by my experience working on the most well-known royalty sharing translation platform, Babelcube. I found the customer service slow and didn’t like the fact that the contract was a bit constricting. Freddy and I wanted to have a translated book in audio format but the terms of the Babelcube contract precluded that. Also, I thought the distribution was a little too limited. I’m still at Babelcube though, because my other translators did not feel they could leave the platform.

Freddy and I started a new project…easy-reader versions of my Myrtle books for English speakers interested in learning Spanish. This time we decided to try something else. Here are my thoughts on BundleRabbit and TekTime (known in Italy as Traduzione Libri):

BundleRabbit Pros:

It’s very easy to get an account set up there.

The terms are good. You’re free to distribute your book elsewhere besides BundleRabbit.

You can set up the royalty split as you like it. (Translators usually make more than the author, having absorbed all of the risk on the project.)

You can have more than one collaborator. (For example, if you have an anthology.)

Excellent response times. The owner of BundleRabbit, Chuck Heintzelman, has written me back within 5 minutes before.

No upfront cost, just revenue sharing. (10%)

BundleRabbit Cons:

I wish there were more distribution channels. From what I’ve seen of this business, I’m sure more are on the way. Again, though, you’re free to distribute outside of BundleRabbit.

TekTime Pros:

Set-up is easy.

Response time is quick. The owner of TekTime, Danilo Clementoni, responds incredibly quickly, despite dealing with a significant time zone difference.

The distribution is wide. They have many more channels than Babelcube or TekTime.

They have audiobook distribution to Audible, as well as other channels.

No upfront cost, just revenue sharing (10%).

TekTime Cons:

The contract you’re signing is in Italian (you can find an English version online, though: narration agreement, translation agreement) and pretty long. A representative said that the fact that it was in Italian was because of Italian laws. The contract process is a bit tedious. You must also submit your photo ID. That being said, it’s a pretty standard contract.

To publish an audiobook through TekTime, you must also publish/distribute your book through them.

With all this trouble, you may wonder why we didn’t simply set this up so that one of us acted as a publisher and then split the royalties with the other through PayPal. The problem with that is that whomever the publisher is must also send out 1099s and handle all the administrative work of opening dashboards, getting the earnings reports, and paying out. Maybe you actually have that kind of time. But what happens when you pass away…leaving your family to manage this for you? It wasn’t something that I felt I could take on.

Are you exploring translation? Which platform are you using?

Translation Alternatives to Babelcube:
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Published on August 12, 2018 21:02

August 11, 2018

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 45,000 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

Strategy And Business Plans For Authors: @johannarothman @thecreativepenn

There is a growing negative sentiment towards e-readers: @Goodereader

Does Your Author Rank Really Matter? (video) by Chris Fox

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

Content From a UK Award for Younger Writers, and a Prize for Authors Over 60: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Sisters in Crime Names Mia Manansala Winner of the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award: @Porter_Anderson @MPMtheWriter

Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels

Getting Started With a Novel: 1 Writer’s Takeaways: @Writeitsideways

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

7 Books About the Interplay of Technology and Humanity: by Katie Williams @ElectricLit

10 Classics From High School English to Read or Read Again @Keith_Rice1

Poems for Any Occasion: @AnnieNeugebauer @LitReactor

Five SFF Books in Which Art Matters: @clpolk @tordotcom

6 Fantasy Novels That Give Orcs and Goblins Their Say: @mattstaggs @unboundworlds

Skipping Ahead: A Necessary Bookish Habit: @ceciliaclyra @BookRiot

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

How to Motivate the Writer Inside of You: @ARKYADEY @LiveWriteThrive

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

How to Write More, Sell More, and Make More Money Writing: @WritersCoach

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

Beating Writer’s Block (Video): @AGBillig @IndieAuthorALLI

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

Balancing Productivity and Art: @davidfarland

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

Successful Writing and Self-Publishing Tips (Podcast): @phillipstrang

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

12 Easy Ways to Support Your Favorite Writers: @_HannahHeath

Writing Together With WEP and ISWG: @TheIWSG @cleemckenzie

“Asking Myself Why I Write… Again”: @VaughnRoycroft @WriterUnboxed

How To Mine Your Life For Art (Without Being Disowned): by Paige Duke @standoutbooks

Novelist as Poet or Philosopher: @SallyWGrotta @sfwa

Hip Surgery + Writing + Character Insight: @Wordstrumpet

Character, Writers, and Portrait Photography: @Jeff_Shear @JaneFriedman

Exercise the Muse: The Merit of the Writer’s Notebook: by Jennifer Baruta @mythicscribes

Is It Time To Hit The Reset Button On Your Writing Life? @SarahRPainter

Genres / Memoir

5 Self Care Tools to Help When Writing Memoir: by Sera Fiana @DIYMFA

Genres / Mystery

Crime Writing:: Meeting Reader Expectations: @DebbieYoungBN

Crime Fiction Writing: Poisons: @LeeLofland

Interrogation scenes as elements in crime fiction: @mkinberg

Crime Writing: A Shot to the Back: Legal, or Not? @LeeLofland

Genres / Non-Fiction

Nonfiction Book Proposals: How to Quadruple Your Chances of Getting Published: @ChadRAllen

Genres / Romance

Romance 101: @stacitroilo @RomanceUniv

How Do You Queer the Romantic Comedy? @CamillePerri @lithub

Promo / Ads

BookBub for Non-fiction Authors: @CelebratingGran @BookBub

Promo / Blogging

Why Tags and Labels are Important to Blogging and How to Use Them Correctly: @EdieMelson

Promo / Connecting with Readers

How Do Readers Find Books They Want to Read? @ZoeMMcCarthy

Promo / Miscellaneous

5 Ways To Spice Up Your Amazon Book Pages: @ChrysFey @thecreativepenn

The Psychology of Author Marketing: @DaveChesson @JaneFriedman

Promo / Social Media Tips

Internet Marketing Simplified for Writers: by Valerie Allen

How to Set Up Your Amazon Author Central Page: @ReedsyHQ

Promo / Video

5 Tips for Using YouTube Marketing to Sell Books: @Bookgal @IndieReader

Promo / Websites

Best Practices for Building Author Squeeze Pages: @TCKPublishing

5 Ways To Improve Your Author Website: @Writers_Write

SEO for Authors: @DaveChesson

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Using Contests as Door Openers: @hopeclark

Morality clauses: are publishers right to police writers? @carmitstead

In a ‘Steady’ First Half, BookNet Canada Sees Audiobook Purchases 4 Percent Up: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Using CafePress for Book Merchandise:

Changes in Your Novel’s 2nd Edition: @iamfunkhauser

Germany’s De Gruyter Partners With Medieval Institute; Cambridge Cites Growth (‘digital close to 40 percent of total sales’: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Beyond the Book: MIT Media Lab and MIT Press on the ‘Frankenbook’ Project: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Publishing / News / International Publishing

After the Bookshop ‘Ambush’ in London, Supporters Rally, Worry: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

China Bestsellers for June: Self-Help and Hopeful Reading for Young Adults: @Porter_Anderson @trajectory

Ingram Publisher Services Announces New International Illustrated Presses: @Porter_Anderson

Frankfurter Buchmesse and Germany’s Börsenverein Lead Human Rights Campaign: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Visa Challenges for Authors and Artists Roil the UK Festival Community: @edintfest @TinyOwl_Books @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / Process / Formatting

10 Ebook Conversion Tools for Docs to EPUB & MOBI: @carlaking @BookWorksNYC

Publishing / Process / Translation

‘Words Without Borders’ August: Focus on Macau with Translator Jeremy Tiang: @Porter_Anderson @JeremyTiang

Writing Craft / Beginnings

Flog a Pro: would you pay to turn the first page of this bestseller? @RayRhamey @WriterUnboxed

Pro Analysis: A 1st Page Rewritten in Close POV: @PBRWriter

When a Crime Novel Starts With the Inciting Incident: @mkinberg

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

How to build a powerful Nemesis? @GoIntoTheStory

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Study Personality Disorders to Create Believable “Troubled” Characters: @annerallen

Occupation Thesaurus: Wedding Planner: @AngelaAckerman

When Your Character Does Something They Regret: @SloanTamar

Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion

Writing Character Emotions: by Josh Langston

Tips for Writing Character Emotions: by Josh Langston

Writing Craft / Conflict

The Secret to Good Fight Scenes: @p2p_editor

Writing Craft / Diversity

The Exclusivity of Inclusion: On Disability and Diversity: by Kenny Fries

Telling LGBTQ Love Stories with Happy Endings Is a Form of Resistance: @CamillePerri @ElectricLit

Writing Craft / Hooks

Questions That Keep a Reader Hooked: @FoxPrintEd

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

Lessons from The Incredibles 2: How to Write Super Characters: @Kerrie_Flanagan @WritersDigest

“5 Ways Classic PC Adventure Games Trained Me to Be a Writer”: @VictoriaGHowell

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Reaching Beyond the Common Narrative: by A. E. Lowan @mythicscribes

31 Ways To Remove Phones From Your Fiction: @helpfulsnowman

After the First Chapter: Motivation: @amandarhill32

Want to Stand Apart from Countless Other Books? Write a Better Story: @KristenLambTX

The Indiana Jones Rule for Writers: @eileendreyer @TheIWSG

Create Drama with Your Character’s Desire: @jimdempsey

Bending the Timeline: Tips: @ml_keller

Write What You Want To Know: @jamesscottbell

Sensitivity Readers and How to Become One: @PWilliamsMarks @WriterUnboxed

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining

Author George Saunders Discusses Outlining (Video): @JessZafarris @WritersDigest

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

How to Write a Novel Using The Three-Act Structure: @ReedsyHQ

An Author’s Guide to Storytelling: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research

Scientists Are Not Evil: Research Ethics for Writers: @DanKoboldt

How to Set Research Trip Costs Against Tax: @annacastl @IndieAuthorALLI

Writing Craft / Revision

Perfecting Your Proofreading: by Jill Svihovec @CareerAuthors

Why You Should Edit Your Novel Backwards: @DeannaCabinian

How Your Emotional State Can Affect Your Editing: @AndreaWriterlea

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

The Importance of Feedback Before Publication: @reynagentin

Writing Craft / Scenes

How to Intertwine Plot, Character, and Theme in Every Scene: @KMWeiland

Nine tips for writing scenes: @simon_wroe @CurtisBrown

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

3 Tips to Improve Description (Video): by Chris Fox

The Importance of Setting in Fiction: @sherrinda

Writing Craft / Synopses

How to Write a Synopsis for your Novel: by Anna Davis @CurtisBrown

Writing Craft / Word Crafting

How to Make Your Sentences More Descriptive: @Writing_Class @LiveWriteThrive

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Published on August 11, 2018 21:02

August 9, 2018

A Community of Writers

by Reyna Marder Gentin, @reynagentin

When I tell people I’m writing a novel, their first questions are often about logistics — when do you write, where do you write, do you write a certain number of words a day. Maybe because my own habits are haphazard, I initially found this fascination with process a little off point. But when I thought more about it, I realized that these questions hint at something very different, something I’ve found critically relevant to writing success.

When someone wants to know about the “hows” of writing, it stems, I think, from an inability to imagine sitting, alone, with just one’s thoughts and a pen or a keyboard, hoping to create something readers will find meaningful or entertaining. The preoccupation with this somewhat unnatural process is understandable. The solitary nature of writing is both its greatest draw, if that’s your bent, or its biggest drawback, if it isn’t. While working alone is definitely part of the deal, it’s the communal aspect of writing that I find intriguing.

A little over three years ago I finished a first draft of the manuscript that will be my debut novel — part legal thriller, part love story — come November. I had written quickly, almost obsessively, the story pouring out of me. Later, after I’d received my first slew of rejections, I understood that sending out a draft that no one else had laid eyes on was incredibly foolish and naive. At a loss, I reached out to a friend who had published two novels. When I floated the idea of joining a writing workshop, he cautioned against it. A writer shouldn’t subject herself to the judgmental eye of other writers who might not have much more experience than she has. The blind leading the blind.

Heeding his advice, I hired a seasoned and perceptive developmental editor. Her help was invaluable, and the manuscript went from a good first effort to something much more solid. But after reading the novel twice, she told me I needed fresh eyes to see the small pitfalls that were holding me back. She suggested I join a writing group.

Workshops can be more or less productive, depending on the day. But there is one constant. The participants are invariably supportive. Joining a writing group allows the writer, novice or professional, to tap into the energy of others who understand both the loneliness of the task and the ultimate goal — to have readers get what you are trying to say. That support cuts both ways. There have been times when I’ve wanted to quit when someone commented simply, “I liked that,” after reading my submission. There have been other times when that moment of positive reinforcement was all it took to get me back to my computer.

For me, the most important role that a writing group plays is assessing tone — how the words I have written are actually being heard. Recently when I finished reading my pages, someone asked, “How do you want us to think about this character?” It was a seemingly basic question. But it revealed to me that, although I had been aiming for “wrapped up in himself but basically a good guy,” I had produced “arrogant and a little smarmy.” Back to the drawing board! Perhaps nowhere is writing group more important than when you are trying for humor — to see if and when the laughs come in a safe environment.

The most fundamental part about being a member of a writing group is that the others expect something from me each and every week. We’re each working alone, sitting wherever we sit at whatever time of day cranking out what we can, but we know that come Tuesday morning, there will be others waiting to understand and appreciate our efforts. It’s what keeps us going.

REYNA MARDER GENTIN grew up in Great Neck, New York. She attended college and law school at Yale. For many years, she practiced as an appellate attorney representing criminal defendants who could not afford private counsel. Reyna studies at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, and her fiction and personal essays have been published in The Westchester Review and online. She lives with her family in Scarsdale, New York. To learn more, please visit reynamardergentin.com.

The Importance of Feedback Before Publication (by @reynagentin ):
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Published on August 09, 2018 21:01

August 5, 2018

Using CafePress for Book Merchandise

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Writers are frequently advised to ‘go wide’ with their books. It’s advice that I’ve followed: my books are in about every known format (paperback, hardcover, translations, digital, audio) and with as many distributors reaching every market that I possibly can.

Another way to make more income with your books is to offer something for your biggest fans (or for the family members of these readers who want to buy gifts for them). CafePress is an easy way to set up a store for book or series merchandise.

First set up your profile on the site, including your bio, picture, your payment details, notification preferences, etc.

The design process is pretty easy. You can either select a product (tee shirt, keychains, bags, etc) and then create a design specifically for that product, or you can upload a design and CafePress will show you the merchandise that your design will work on. I’m no designer (far from it, obviously), but I knew that what I was going for was a simple design that would work well on a tote bag or a coffee mug…that was really all I needed it for. You’ll want to make sure that your cover licenses allow you to use the designs for commercial use.

I used the cover (by designer Karri Klawiter) for an upcoming release and added some text by using the free program Canva. My image ended up looking like this:

Then I uploaded the design to CafePress (by clicking the arrow next to my name and selecting My Designs and then Add Designs).

When you add the design, you name it, give it tags (sort of like keywords), and write a line or two about it. Then the products that work for the size of your design pop up. It will be tee shirts, pillows, dog clothing, lunch bags, and everything in between. You can edit the selections and remove some…some weren’t good matches for my audience. On the design page for each particular design, you click the X in the top right corner of any product you want to remove. I probably removed 10. I did like the tote bag, however.

You’ll also want to design your shop on the site. If you click the arrow next to your name again, you’ll see the option for shops. Click ‘open a new shop,’ then name it and choose an ID that will become your web address. You’ll also want to add keywords and meta-tag descriptions.

You can also customize your shop’s background colors, fonts, etc.

My shop ended up looking like this: https://www.cafepress.com/cozymystery

You can see there isn’t a ton of variety in terms of design in my shop. :) When I have some time, I’ll try to mix it up a little more.

Be sure to list your shop on your website and in your newsletter. I’ve stuck it in my book’s back matter with no problems to date, but I know that it could be flagged at some point as a competitor link and need to be removed.

It’s the kind of thing that I just set up and then promptly forgot about. Sales have been surprisingly steady and it’s the kind of thing that I haven’t had to be involved in at all…it’s between the reader and CafePress. But a couple of times I have been asked if I could sign a tote bag. Now I keep some handy at home (and CafePress does seem to run sales).

For more detailed help and information, see these CafePress pages:

Beginners Image Workshop

Product Templates (use this if there is a very specific product you want and your image doesn’t seem to be the right dimensions. This page lists a standard image size that will work for most of their products.

Do you have any book or series merchandise?

Creating Book Merchandise with CafePress:
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Published on August 05, 2018 21:02

August 4, 2018

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

New Stuff:

A discount for book loving writers at https://literarybookgifts.com . ELIZABETHSPANNCRAIG20 is good for 20% off anything in the store (no minimum and can be used unlimited times).

Business / Miscellaneous

Career Development: 5 Ideas: @WriteOnOnline

When to Put Your Best Writing Forward: @kcraftwriter

Six Reasons to Revise and Re-Release Your Book: @Bookgal

How To Manage The Politics Of Your Writing: by Robert Wood @standoutbooks

Business Musings: Learned Helplessness: @KristineRusch

How to Network Better by Saying Less: @JaneFriedman

Authors Guild: Solitude and Solidarity: @Porter_Anderson @WriterUnboxed

Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels

New Novelist: 4 Tips To Help You Avoid Fiction’s Common Pitfalls: @angee

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

10 Ways to Spark Your Story Ideas: @ChrysFey @LiveWriteThrive

What Silences Your Creative Voice? @DanBlank

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

Outdoors Noir: 9 Thrillers That Tip Into the Mysteries of the Natural World: by James A. McLaughlin @CrimeReads

Creativity and Inspiration / Miscellaneous

Learn How to Unlock Your Creativity with Data: @Allen @SignatureReads

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

3 Tips for Writing When Life is Chaotic and Crazy: @JodyHedlund

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

4 Proven Steps to Make You a More Productive Writer: @NinaAmir

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

How Secure Are You In Your Writing Identity? @sowulwords @DIYMFA

How to Get the Best Creativity-Boosting Results from Your Writing Retreat: @colleen_m_story

Stories Matter: Why Stories are Important to Our Lives and Culture: @TCKPublishing

Stephen King: Master of Almost All the Genres Except “Literary”: by Douglas E. Cowan @lithub @StephenKing

5 Things to Do When You Don’t Want to Write: @melanippee

Genres / Mystery

8 Crime Novels Of Women Starting Over: Crime Fiction as a Safe Space to Imagine Change: @JenniferHillier @CrimeReads

Developing and writing crime series: by Geoff Sanders @CurtisBrown

Crime fiction: happy endings or not? @mkinberg

Will Readings as Elements in Crime Fiction: @mkinberg

Genres / Screenwriting

Screenwriting Lessons: “The Social Network”: Narrative Framework: @GoIntoTheStory

Screenwriting Lessons: “The Social Network”: Theme: @GoIntoTheStory

Genres / Short Stories

Want to Become a Better Writer? Write Short Stories: @JennHarris_ICM

Promo / Blogging

5 Tips to Keep Your Blog Healthy: by Valentine Ferrari @DIYMFA

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

How to Write a Terrific Author Bio: @RachelleGardner

Promo / Connecting with Readers

How to Take Your Readers From Strangers to Superfans (podcast): @cksyme @DavidGaughran

Promo / Miscellaneous

Asking for and Delivering Book Endorsements:

Cozy Book Promotion: A Soft Sell in a Hard Business: @evmysterywriter @killzoneauthors

Promo / Platforms

In a World of Author Branding, What If You Want to Rebrand? @annkroeker

Promo / Social Media Tips

17 Ways to Lose Friends and Un-Influence People on Facebook: @KathySteinemann

How to Use Facebook Groups to Market Your Book: @Margo_L_Dill @womenonwriting

3 Ways to Get More Facebook Comments on Your Facebook Posts: @seosmarty @SMExaminer

Epic Facebook Author Pages: Everything You Need to Know: @shaylaleeraquel

Promo / Video

Adding a Little Flair to DIY Videos: by John Clinton @penguinrandom

How can I make video for my website? @pubcoach

Publishing / Miscellaneous

KDP or CreateSpace: Which Should You Use to Publish Your Paperback? @KristinaAuthor

Industry Expert Richard Charkin Asks Tough Questions About Publishing: @pubperspectives

3 Hacks to Publish Your Book on a Shoestring Budget: @EmmanuelNataf @ReedsyHQ

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

Is Self-Publishing Worth It? @WriteToSell

Pros and Cons to Self-Publishing: @drgradybooks

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

How to get a literary agent: @racheljrowlands @LouiseHarnby

Advice from Literary Agents and Publishers: @LisaTener

Querying Too Soon: How to Avoid the Temptation: @writeabook

Writing Craft / Beginnings

First Page Critique: No Such Thing as Enough: @laurabenedict @killzoneauthors

Writing About Addiction: It Often Takes Two Perspectives: @peterselgin @JaneFriedman

A Common Problem with Story Openings: @davidfarland

Writing Craft / Chapter Endings

How to End Your First Chapter: @HankPRyan

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

How to Craft a Believable Villain: @kristen_kieffer

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

5 Truly Unusual Ways To Round Out Your Characters: @Writers_Write

Five Underused Character Archetypes: by Chris Winkle @mythcreants

Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion

Tips for Character Emotions: by Josh Langston

Determining a Character’s Emotional IQ: @beccapuglisi

Writing Craft / Drafts

Five Reasons To Handwrite Your First Draft: @LennWoolston @the_writing_pal

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

5 Writing Lessons from THE AMERICANS: @PiperBayard

How to Write a Book Like Stephen King: @sarahstypos

47 Meters Down: a Story Deconstruction: by Jennifer Blanchard @storyfix

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Advanced Scene Technique: The Jump Cut: @jamesscottbell

5 Steps to Writing Great Character Chemistry: @KMWeiland

Non-Verbal Communication in Writing: by Jeanne Kisacky @WriterUnboxed

How Prologues Actually Function & 6 Types to Consider: @SeptCFawkes

Writing Craft: Whiff of Death, Meet Moment of Clarity: @DavidCorbett_CA @WriterUnboxed

Writing Craft / POV

Why Fewer Viewpoints is Usually Better: @p2p_editor

Learn Deep Point of View Using Emotional Layers: @LisaHallWilson

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research

How Too Much Research Can Ruin Your Novel: @NickDybek @lithub

Writing Venomous Creatures: @DanKoboldt

The Effects of Space and Other Worlds on the Human Body: @ripplesintime24 @clarkesworld

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

Oxford Comma: Yes or No? A Compilation of Opinions and Recommendations: @writing_tips

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

Losing a Beloved Critique Partner: @sarahrcallender @WriterUnboxed

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

The Tips You Need To Write Amazing Color: @FredBobJohn

Maximize Your Setting: Bringing Locations, Eras and Worlds to Life on the Page: @curt_eriksen @WritersDigest

Writing Craft / Special Needs

5 Tips for Writing a Rounded Disabled Character: by Andrew Pettigrew @scottishbktrust

Writing Craft / Word Crafting

5 Reasons Why Verbs Are More Effective Than Adjectives: @ESLwithEthan

Writing Craft / World-Building

6 Secrets of Science Fiction and Fantasy World Building: @LMacNaughton

Writing Tools / Apps

The Best Writing Software for Writers: 10 Tools Pros Use to Write Faster: @TCKPublishing

Getting the Most out of Microsoft Word and Office 365: by Phil Stamper-Halpin @penguinrandom

Uncategorized

Screenwriting Lessons: “The Social Network” — Part 5: Handling Exposition

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Published on August 04, 2018 21:02

August 2, 2018

3 Hacks to Publish Your Book on a Shoestring Budget

by Emmanuel Nataf, @EmmanuelNataf

81% of Americans want to write a book in their lifetimes. However, a much smaller percentage actually goes on to publish a book. So what’s stopping them? You’ll hear that it usually comes down to two familiar resources:

Time
Cash

Time is the factor that everyone already talks about. But what about that second obstacle: money? The problem is that publishing a book can be expensive. Traditional publishers spend a ton of money to edit, design, market, and promote books. If you’re self-publishing, you’d need to take on those responsibilities yourself — which means that you’d need to take the cash straight out of your own pocket.

Luckily, there is a way to publish a book on a shoestring budget. Here are my three favorite tips for the self-publishers who want to get your book out there and save money at the same time.

Take advantage of book review blogs

When you see a book that’s got a summary that interests you, what do you do next?

Chances are, you’ll scroll down to read the reviews. Then you’ll decide to buy a book based on the number of four- and five-stars you see.

That’s why reviews are so important — and the good news is that you don’t necessarily need to pay for one these days because book review bloggers exist on the Internet.

Who exactly are they? It’s all in the name: they’re bloggers who read and review books — for fun! It’s a win-win for both parties: these bloggers get to read more books, while you get a free book review under your belt. You might need to spend some time researching the right book review blogs for you, but in general it’s a clear (and free) opportunity for you to gain the reviews that your book will badly need.

Best practices:

Do read the guidelines for submission. Every book review blog will tell you what format of book they prefer (.mobi, .epub, or a print book, for instance) and the best way to request a review (whether it’s through email or an online form). Follow these instructions to a T. It shows respect to the blogger and ups your chances to get a review out of them.

Do start planning your book review campaign a couple of months in advance. You’ll want your review to be in place by the time you release your book, so it follows that you need to give bloggers time to read and write up the review for your book. Track and record everything on a spreadsheet.

Don’t pester bloggers and ask repeatedly if they’ve received your request for a review. They’ve got the final say in whether or not they decide to read your book. Again: respect the blogger. They’re doing you a favor for free.

Download and use free apps

Ever wish that publishing a book was as simple as picking a title out of a book title generator?

Traditionally-published books go through a rigorous process before they come out on the market: they need to first go through a cycle of developmental edits, copy edits, and proofreads. Then the book cover needs to be designed and the text must be typeset onto the pages.

Each of the above stages is overseen by a publishing professional. There’s no real replacement for the experience of a professional, of course. That said, technology’s advanced enough that some apps can get close — and the best news is that plenty of them are free for you to use.

Here are a few ways that you can save through free apps:

To save money on a proofreader, use: Grammarly. This nifty app markets itself as a writing assistant, but it’s best as a substitute for a proofreader: it catches tiny spelling and grammar mistakes in your writing, which makes the end product that much more polished.

To save money on a copy editor, use: Hemingway. Like its namesake, Hemingway exists to further clear and concise writing. It’s capable of pointing out chunks of text where your writing gets dense and indecipherable. As a virtual (and free) copy editor, it’s pretty useful.

To save money on a typesetter, use: Reedsy Book Editor. This is a free tool that can typeset your book in a professional manner. It aims to simplify the typesetting (which is a complex art) for all authors.

A word of caution: the one area that can’t easily be replaced by an app is that of the cover design. Like it or not, readers do judge books by their covers — so it’s in your best interest to create a really first-rate book cover. For this, I strongly recommend aspiring to find a professional book designer. You may be able to put some stock images together in Paint or GIMP, but chances are that it won’t come close to a professionally designed cover.

Create the book yourself!

Why do you need to research print-on-demand services when you can make a book yourself?

This tip is for those of you on an extreme shoestring budget. If you make the book yourself, it’ll merely cut you back some printing paper and Elmer’s glue: not too shabby, especially when you consider the beautiful product you’ll end up producing.

So what’s involved? Basically, a book is composed of booklets that are called folios. These folios are made up of eight signatures, which is simply a sheet of paper with text printed on both sides. The most complicated part of this procedure is making sure that you print and assemble each signature in the right order, but this post on making a book in five steps will guide you through any tricky waters.

Follow the steps in the post — and voilà! You’ll emerge with a book that would be a perfect memento or a nice gift for someone special.

Best practices:

Do get your materials ready ahead of time. In a nutshell, you’ll need printing paper, glue, a glue gun, some thin fabric, a stapler, a metal ruler, and cardboard.

Do choose the right kind of paper. This is more important than you might think! Paper that’s too thin or thick will adversely affect a person’s reading experience. Look for paper stock that’s uncoated and 70 or 80 grams per square meter if you’re aiming to re-create a professional book.

Don’t go this route of making your own book if your goal is to do a big print run. Though it’s cheap, the time you’ll need to invest in making thousands of books yourself probably won’t be worth it.

Emmanuel Nataf is the founder and CEO of Reedsy, a marketplace that connects authors and publishers with the world’s best editors, designers and marketers. Emmanuel dedicates most of his time to building Reedsy’s product and is interested in how technology can transform cultural industries. You can find him on Twitter.

3 Hacks to Publish Your Book on a Shoestring Budget:
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Published on August 02, 2018 21:02

July 29, 2018

Asking for and Delivering Endorsements

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

The word ‘blurb,’ which is what publishers used to mean ‘endorsement’ has gradually changed in meaning to ‘book description,’ so I’ll use ‘endorsement’ to be clearer. Regardless what you call it, endorsements have been a source of chagrin for authors for ages. It’s tough asking for them and it can be tough to deliver them. But the general feeling is that they’re good for visibility. Do they help? Who knows? They definitely don’t seem to hurt.

I’ve written endorsements for a long while. I learned not to feel awkward about them when a bestseller in my genre told me in an email that she felt terribly inept blurbing and that she never really knew what to say. That’s when I knew that everyone has that feeling.

For the writer giving the endorsement

Know when it’s due.This is also key to deciding whether to take on the endorsement.

Know your limits. Take an honest look at your calendar. Are you facing deadlines (either self-imposed or publisher-imposed)? Are you already committed to endorsing other books? Do you have a vacation or holiday approaching?

Be honest if it’s not your thing. It likely is someone else’s. I’ve turned down requests before because I knew I wasn’t the best person for the job…why would a SF/F reader think the endorsement of a cozy mystery author is worth anything?

Be pithy. This is not the time to go on and on. Short and sweet usually works best.

Alliteration and assonance can help with punch.

Give variations on the theme. A short and long blurb can help. Usually I’ll give permission to mix and match elements from several options or to cut the endorsement to just a word or two, if needed.

Be sure to designate how you’d like to be attributed. This is probably not the time to be modest. If you’re a bestseller, go ahead and include that…it can only help the writer who needs the blurb.

Pay it forward. Most of us received endorsements as new authors. It’s good to return the favor.

For the writer asking for the endorsement:

Give a due date. Be specific in what you need. Is this a review or an endorsement? Is it going on the cover? On Amazon’s editorial review section? On your website? All of the above?

Give the book’s genre, word count, and offer the text in different formats. Let the endorsing writer know exactly what they’re in for and allow them to read it in Kindle, epub, or PDF formats, if possible.

Provide background on the project, yourself, and why you thought of the writer to endorse. Although not strictly necessary, it’s nice. You don’t have to have read the endorsing writer’s books, but it’s nice to let them know why you thought of them. And I like to know a little about who’s asking for the blurb…are they just starting out? Trying to reinvent themselves? Just went indie?

Make sure you know how the endorsing writer wants it attributed/credited. Maybe they’re wanting to promote their latest book or a particular series.

Bonus tip: For me, I like to know what marketing direction a writer is trying to go in. Are they playing up the romance in the cozy mystery? Billing it as a humorous cozy? Trying for edgy? This can help with the direction my blurb goes in.

Do you ask for endorsements? Give them? What tips have I missed?

Tips for Asking for and Delivering Endorsements:
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Published on July 29, 2018 21:02

July 28, 2018

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Hope you had a good last couple of weeks! Here is an extended Twitterific. :)

Tweets Ending July 20th :

Business / Miscellaneous

Make the Most of Your Local Bookstore Relationship: @AgnewRobin

Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting

5 Ways Writers Can Be Accountable: @WGTWrite @DIYMFA

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

11 Compelling Reasons Every Author Should Read: @JanalynVoigt

How Reading Better Can Help You Write Better: @rsmonterusso @StoryGrid

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

How writers can become better at self-management : @pubcoach

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

5 Sacrifices You Have to Make to be a Successful Writer: @colleen_m_story

10 Harsh Truths About Writing: @Bang2write

Summer Struggles for Parent-Writers: @aimiekrunyan

The World is Full of Rejections: Find the One That’s Right For You: @AjaMaybe @lithub

Try Something New as a Writer: @thewarriormuse @TheIWSG

Tips for a Leading a Writers Workshop: Preparation: @ZoeMMcCarthy

How to Take a One-Day Creative Retreat: @DanBlank

12 Tips for Newly Published Writers: @dihofmeyr

Genres / Historical

What’s the difference between historical fiction and creative nonfiction? by Brandi Reissenweber @TheWriterMag

Genres / Miscellaneous

How To Write About Commonplace Experiences In Creative Nonfiction: @kayladeanwrites @DIYMFA

Genres / Mystery

Perfectionism as an Element in Crime Fiction: @mkinberg

Tips for Writing a Mystery: by Joslyn Chase @write_practice

Four Things Learned While Writing Crime Fiction: @KlikaZack @ReedsyHQ

Crime Writing: 12 Facts About Interrogation: @LeeLofland

Genres / Non-Fiction

Write a Nonfiction Book People Want to Read: @TCKPublishing

Genres / Screenwriting

Screenwriting: Free Online Writer Resources: @GoIntoTheStory

Promo / Blogging

How To Start Blogging: A Guide For Authors: @VeryGoodCopy @BadRedheadMedia

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

10 Literary Techniques to use in Your Copywriting: @KristinaAuthor

About Page 101: Making Them Care: by Michael Pick @postaday

Promo / Miscellaneous

Hate Book Marketing? 4 Tips To Help You Change Your Mindset and Sell More Books: @SmartAuthors @thecreativepenn

Promo / Newsletters

6 Welcome Email Examples (and How to Write Yours): @ashleyhockney @teachable

Promo / Social Media Tips

How to Create a Social Media Schedule That Is Truly Effective: @DeniseWakeman

Social Media for Authors: Quick Tips to Get It Right: @KimberleyGrabas

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Authors Guild Demands Police Organization Cease Pressure on School About Reading List: @mariraz @Porter_Anderson

The Vocabulary of Publishing: By Richard Charkin @pubperspectives

5 Routes into Writing for Games: @gavininglis @scottishbktrust

Rights Roundup: Six Countries, Several Themes, Lots of Sales: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Interview: Two Lions’ Kelsey Skea on Rights, Series, Strategies, and Cadence: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Bespoke Books for Indie Authors: @creativepumpkin @IndieAuthorALLI

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Segovia Programming Opens International Hay Festival Season: ‘Global Crises’: @Porter_Anderson

The International Publishers Association at WIPO’s Standing Committee at Copyright: Drawing a Line: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Publishing / Process / Book Design

The Principles of Design: Font Pairing: by Kjell Reigstad @postaday

Writing Craft / Arc

Writing Tip & Task: Plotting a strong story arc: by Catherine Johnson @cbcreative

Writing Craft / Beginnings

Build Character Empathy in Your First Few Pages: @beccapuglisi

Looking Back: A Retrospective Narrative That Appeals to the Senses: @peterselgin @JaneFriedman

8 Tips for Writing a Solid Opening Line: @_HannahHeath

Real Life Diagnostics: Would You Keep Reading This Opening Scene? By Maria D’Marco

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

The Importance of Character Growth: @PhilAthans

5 Moral Dilemmas That Make Characters and Stories Even Better: from The Writers Society

How To Avoid Writing A Redshirt Character: by Robert Wood @standoutbooks

Writing Craft / Conflict

3 Types of Conflict to Improve Your Story: @TheRyanLanz

Writing Craft / Dialogue

How to Improve Your Dialogue: by Bucket Siler

Writing Craft / Endings

What is a Denouement? And How to Use It: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

What Writers Can Learn From the Roleplaying Concept of “Flavor”: by Chris Winkle @mythcreants

Using Charles Dickens’s Methodology for Book Writing: @JoEberhardt

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Four Ways to Plan Showing Vs. Telling in Your Novel: @AndreaWriterlea

Making a Story Relatable: @marisadlsantos @WriterUnboxed

Five Tips for Creating an Engaging Space Battle: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants

Writers: Your Skills May Need Time to Catch Up to Your Vision: by Bucket Silar

The Wellspring of Emotion and Belief in Readers: @p2p_editor

Writing Craft / Pacing

Tips for Better Pacing: from Ellie Writes Stories

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Naming

Book Title Generator: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

Four Pillars Linking Character to Plot: @realjeffseymour

Plot Your Novel: Favorite Novel Writing Tools: @angee

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

Know Grammar Rules to Break Them Better: @aliciarasley

7 Errors Grammar Checkers Miss: @IndieAuthorALLI @ProWritingAid

Writing Craft / Revision

Getting, Accepting, and Incorporating Feedback on Your Writing: by C.K. Bush @NinaAmir

Writing Craft / Scenes / Conflict

Writing a Character: Conflict Balance: @Lindasclare

Writing Craft / Series

“Why I No Longer Write Trilogies”: by Chris Fox

Writing Craft / Subtext

3 Ways To Ramp Up Setting And Description With Subtext: @LisaHallWilson

Writing Craft / Tension

Creating Tension in Your Fiction: @richardgthomas3 @LitReactor

Writing Craft / Word Crafting

500+ Ways to Describe Fire: A Word List for Writers: @KathySteinemann

Descriptive verb list: 30 words to replace dull actions: @nownovel

Declutter Your Prose: Three Phrases to Avoid in Your Posts: @cherilucas

How to Avoid Clichés (Like the Plague): @weems503

Writing Tools / Apps

How to Open a Quick Reference Window in Scrivener in One Step: @aprildavila

Writing Tools / Thesauri

Occupation Thesaurus: Restaurant Server (Waiter/Waitress): @AngelaAckerman

Tweets ending July 28th:

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Published on July 28, 2018 21:02

July 14, 2018

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’m taking a summer blog break for a couple of weeks. No regular blog posts from me until July 29th, when I’ll return with an especially long Twitterific. Then I’ll be back with posts on writing book endorsements, fixing a short manuscript, and using CafePress for book merchandise. Have a great couple of weeks!

Business / Miscellaneous

A Former Agent Turned Editor on the Types of Editing and Questions to Ask: @Kid_Lit @TheIWSG

4 Networking Strategies for Authors Who Hate Networking: @DeannaCabinian

How Much Do Writers Earn? Authors and ALCS Present Talking Points to Publishers: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

How to Get Your Audience to Tell You What to Write: @ChadRAllen

Compromise or opportunity? How does your editing garden grow? @LouiseHarnby

Determining Your Book Publishing Goals: @JeriWB

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

Michael Ondaatje’s ‘The English Patient’ Named ‘Golden Man Booker’ Prize Winner: @Porter_Anderson @ManBookerPrize @pubperspectives

Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels

Idea To Realisation; How To Write A Novel: @TheMerryWriter

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

6 Unexpected Activities to Inspire Your Writing: @EditingWizard

7 Websites to Fuel Your Creativity: by Karen Krumpak @WritersDigest

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

Five Unforgettable Prisons in Science Fiction and Fantasy: @cjwhite

The Serial Box App’s First ‘Micro Monday’ Tiny Tale Arrives Today (for iOS): @Porter_Anderson @LydiaShamah

How to Find Time to Read During Your Busy Days: @KarenBanes

A Reality Show for Books? Yes, Please! @librarylore @DIYMFA

8 Road Trip Novels for People Who Want to Travel Without Leaving the House: by Brianne Alphonso @ElectricLit

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

“Setting Yourself Up to Succeed: My Plan to Write a Book this Summer”: @JillWilliamson

How to Write Effectively While You Are Traveling: by Cal Bailey @Nicholas_Rossis

6 Steps to Achieving Zen-Like Writer Efficiency: @DaveChesson @annerallen

Finding Time to Write: @Melfka

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / When to write

Why you should resist the writing rituals of famous authors: @pubcoach

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

How to Write a Book When You’ve Got Writer’s Block: @DavidHSafford

What’s Really Happening When You Think You Are Lazy: by Johannah Bogart @LiveWriteThrive

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

Finding Second Life in Cast-Off Words: @juliecardalt @WriterUnboxed

7 Reminders To Cope With Non-Writers Who Just Don’t Get It: @Bang2write

10 Realities of Being an Artist: @VictoriaGHowell

Stress and Writers: @RosanneBane

“Learning to Write Characters Who Make Me Feel Less Alone”: @jeansvaljeans @lithub

Your Writing Sweet Spot: @jamesscottbell @killzoneauthors

8 Ways to Increase your Writing Prowess: @SarahCyWrites

Overcoming Perfectionism:

Genres / Fantasy

Video Series to Help Fantasy Writers with Worldbuilding and Writing Fantasy: @Weifarer @SchmidtJesper

Genres / Mystery

Crime fiction subgenres: Where does your novel fit? @LouiseHarnby

Crime Writing: So, You’ve Committed a Federal Offense: How Much Time Will You Serve? @LeeLofland

Crime Fiction: Treating the Law as Something Flexible: @mkinberg

Genres / Non-Fiction

Writing Non-Fiction: Building Your Author Platform Through Publication: @ericsmithrocks

Genres / Picture Books

The Biggest Mistake You’ll Ever Make as a Children’s Author: by Anthony D. Fredericks @hopeclark

Genres / Poetry

How young writers are leading a poetry comeback: @JenHijaz @NewsHour

Genres / Short Stories

How to Write Successful Flash Fiction: @daciaauthor

Promo / Connecting with Readers

How To Create An Effective Reader Avatar: @SmartAuthors

Promo / Miscellaneous

12 Book Marketing Mistakes Every Author Needs to Ban: @ReedsyHQ

Solving the Book Publicity Mystery: @KillerNashville @marissadecuir

Quick Tips: 3 Rules to Writing an Effective Reader Magnet (Video): by Chris Fox

22 Tips for Breaking Bread with Journalists: @PublicityHound @JFbookman

How Not to Market a Book: @writingcookbook

How To Get Your Book Into Schools And Double Your Income With Volume Sales: by Dave Hendrickson @thecreativepenn

Authors Joining Together For Marketing Help: @Margo_L_Dill

Promo / Newsletters

Grow Your Author Email List with These 7 Tech Essentials: @carlaking @BookWorksNYC

Promo / Platforms

A Tool to Help You Design Your Own Logo: @Nicholas_Rossis

Promo / Social Media Tips

Use GoodReads to Avoid the Mistakes that Other Authors Make: @aprildavila

Don’t make these 3 book launch mistakes on social media: @sandrabeckwith

Five Tips to Polish Your Presence on Pinterest: @IolaGoulton

Promo / Websites

Author Website Security: 4 Key Steps in Less Than 1 Hour: @nocargr @BookWorksNYC

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Easy Ways to Sell Signed Copies of Your Novel Online: @jkcheney

Kindle Countdown Deals Explained: @WrittenWordM

How Many Words Should Your Book Be? The Answer by Genre (by Caleb Kaiser @ReedsyHQ ):

Before You Start Freelancing: ‘5 Things I Wish I’d Known’: @victoria_grif7

Publishers Association Says the Best of Film, TV, and Theater Begins With a Book: @Porter_Anderson @PublishersAssoc

An Indie-Author’s Guide to Organizing a Book for Publication: @WriteandCover

Cengage Unlimited Signs the University of the Southwest to Its New Subscription Model: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Industry Notes: Princeton Press Opens Audio Division; PRH Ireland Supports Fighting Words: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

6 Questions for Jessica Sänger About the Digital Single Market’s Copyright Directive: @JessicaSaenger @Porter_Anderson

Russia’s Oldest Publisher of Scientific Literature May Face Bankruptcy: @Porter_Anderson

IBPA Board Votes Against a Collective Exhibit at BookExpo 2019: ‘The Best Decision for Now’: @Porter_Anderson

Three Points of Digital Impact on the Book Market: @Porter_Anderson @sensocercasi

Sweden’s ‘New Academy’ Librarian-Curated Nominations List Is Open for Votes: @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

5 One Stop Shop Self-Publishing Services for Print & Ebooks: @carlaking @BookWorksNYC

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections

How to Deal With Vague Rejection Letters: @WriteToSell

Publishing / Process / Book Design

Ten Tips for Laying Out Back Cover Text Like a Pro: @WriteandCover

Publishing / Process / Translation

At the National Book Foundation’s Translation Panel: ‘The Most Diverse Reading Experience’: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

How Shame And Vulnerability Make Your Characters Compelling: by Paige Duke @standoutbooks

Character Actions: Should There Be a Reason Why? @AndreaWriterlea

Occupation Thesaurus: Makeup Artist: @beccapuglisi

Create Better Characters in Six Easy Steps: @LMacNaughton @RMFWriters

Is Your Character Really in Love? @SloanTamar

Purpose: The Missing Link Between Characters’ Motives, and Depth: @sharonbially @WriterUnboxed

Tips to Avoid Projecting Yourself Onto Characters: from Just a Writing Aid

Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists

Seven Ways to Motivate a Reluctant Protagonist: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants

Writing Craft / Drafts

Seven Steps to a Solid Second Draft: @writingthrulife

Writing Craft / Hooks

How to Hook Readers and Reel Them into Your Scenes: @LiveWriteThrive

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

6 Ways Salman Rushdie Can Improve Your Writing: by Rebecca Langley @standoutbooks

How Tolkien created Middle-earth: @say_shannon @GuardianBooks

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

What is a Motif in Literature? A Guide for Authors: @ReedsyHQ

How to Develop the Theme of Your Story: @JerryBJenkins

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

The Contract with Your Reader: @SueBEdwards

Writing Rules and When to Break Them: @kikimojo

Don’t Be Afraid of the Static Character: by Just a Writing Aid

How the Truth Your Character Believes Defines Your Theme: @KMWeiland

Writing Craft / POV

Strong First Person Narrative: Engaging Narrators: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining

Outlining Your Future Book in 30 Minutes: @LesleyVos

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

5 Ways to Structure (and Plot) Your Novel: @Janice_Hardy

Writing Craft / Revision

Revising Your Book, and Getting It Right (Podcast): @kimmerym @DIYMFA

3 Phases of Editing for Writers: @WendyLeeDavies1 @jemifraser

The editing and revision process for self-publishers: @LisaPoisso

Spellcheck Cannot Save You! Don’t ‘Ghost’ Your Editor: @GramrgednAngel @BookWorksNYC

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

The Power of Sharing Writing, Even in Draft Form: @LisaTener

Writing Craft / Synopses

Writing a Synopsis an Editor Will Read: @KayKeppler

Writing Craft / Word Crafting

Word by word, a world: @JennRHubbard

Writing Tools / Apps

Best Proofreading Software of 2018: Grammarly vs Hemingway vs ProWritingAid: @kayoung @DaveChesson

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Published on July 14, 2018 21:02

July 12, 2018

Overcoming Perfectionism

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Anyone who regularly reads this blog knows that I’m not a perfectionist. There are too many typos for that to be the case.

There was a time, however, when I was a perfectionist. I wasn’t nearly as productive as I am now, and I was extremely adverse to hearing editorial suggestions from editors or even well-meaning beta readers. The problem was that I wanted to fix my story’s problems myself … and even catch the errors myself.

I’m Type A now, but I’m not a perfectionist. Usually I’ll do a task, any task, and figure it’s good enough. It’s just that I’m very compulsive about doing the tasks. Laundry is done every day (the folding isn’t pretty), writing is done every day (sometimes it’s not pretty, either). But I’m extremely productive because I don’t feel the need to deliver something perfect to my editor.

As I mentioned, I wasn’t always this way. As a student, I was actually more like two different students rolled into one. I was the English student who did very well, but felt pressure to be doing well, too (mostly internal pressure). To me, hearing ‘do your best’ meant that a completed English assignment needed to be pretty extraordinary. That’s what having even a modicum of talent does to you.

In math class, I was a horrendous student. Despite tutors and hours and hours spent studying, I couldn’t grasp or apply concepts that I learned. Hearing ‘do your best’ in that class was actually very comforting. It meant that it was understood that I might do (very) poorly on the test, but at least I had given it my all…which is all anyone can expect.

As a reformed perfectionist, this is my simple message for today: take ‘do the best you can’ the comforting, encouraging way when you’re writing. Take ‘do the best you can’ the pushy, driven way when you’re revising your finished story, (if you take it at all).

For further reading on overcoming perfectionism:

17 Signs Perfectionism is Killing Your Writing Dreams by Mandy Wallace

5 Tricks to Sneak Past Perfectionism by Michelle Russell

Perfectionism is Murdering Your Muse by Veronica Sicoe

Do you struggle with perfectionism? What’s helped you?

Overcoming Perfectionism:
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Published on July 12, 2018 21:02