Riley Adams's Blog, page 73
July 8, 2018
How Many Words Should My Book Be?
by Caleb Kaiser, @ReedsyHQ
Word count is one of those things you don’t think about when you start writing the first page of your novel. It’s only after your book is completed, when you’re shopping around for agents or thinking of self-publishing, that you think, “Is my book the right length for selling?”
At Reedsy, we’ve connected thousands of authors with editors, proofreaders, designers, and marketers, and as a result, have access to a lot of data on books—particularly, book length.
Below we’ve broken down our insights on how long different genres of books should be.
1. Writing For Middle Grade Or YA Audiences? Keep It Brief
The average young adult manuscript clocks in at between 50,000 and 75,000 words, while the average middle grade manuscript is much shorter, at 20,000-55,000 words.
While these numbers can be a bit skewed by the fantasy genre—which across the board tends to run longer—the trend is clear. If you’re writing for a younger audience, keep your novel shorter. Think about how many books you were assigned in school at that age, and how long the average one was.
2. If You’re Writing Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Shoot Longer
Sci-fi and fantasy are two genres were books, on average, go far longer than normal. The average sci-fi and fantasy books run between 100,000 and 115,000 words—which means that most other genres of books have a maximum length of sci-fi/fantasy’s minimum length.
When you think about it, this makes intuitive sense. Sci-fi and fantasy are both genres where intense world-building is more common, and with the exception of romance, there is probably not a genre where fans become more loyal to the authors they love—and therefore, more willing to read longer works.
3. For Anything Else, You’ve Got An Easy Sweet Spot
For all other genres of writing, a manuscript clocking in between 80,000 and 100,000 words should be perfect length-wise. Really, it’s remarkable how many different genres fall into this neatly:
Commercial and literary novels: 80,000 – 100,000 words.
Romance: 80,000 – 100,000 words.
Mystery: 75,000 – 100,000 words.
Thriller: 90,000 – 100,000 words.
Memoir: 80,000 – 90,000 words.
The one big exception to this is westerns, which are traditionally shorter (between 45,000 and 75,000 words) and fall into series.
Exceptions To The Rule
Now of course, if you’re writing a phenomenal manuscript that happens to go over these averages (or fall under them), no one is going to refuse to read your book because of its length. Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix clocked in at 257,045 words, and was still an international bestseller.
However, understand that when you do deviate from these norms, you’re asking agents and readers to take a risk on you. There’s a reason the first Harry Potter novel clocked in at 76,944 words—no one was willing to take a risk yet.
If you have a classic on your hands, don’t fret the word count. In general, however, try to fall between these averages if you want a commercially viable book.
Caleb Kaiser runs outreach at Reedsy, a marketplace connecting authors and publishers with top talent in the publishing world.
What’s the word count of your books? How long are the books you usually choose to read?
How Many Words Should Your Book Be? The Answer by Genre (by Caleb Kaiser @ReedsyHQ ):
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The post How Many Words Should My Book Be? appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
July 7, 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
10 ways a book editor can help besides editing: @LisaPoisso
10 Questions to Ask an Editor Before Hiring One: by Bucket Siler
How to Develop Multiple Income Streams as a Writer: @JeffGoins
Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting
Behind Every Successful Story Is a SMART Goal: @scribesworld
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers
Louise Penny on Surviving Childhood Fears with Charlotte’s Web: @WillSch
How to read poetry like a professor: @jhnevins @GuardianBooks
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing
3 Mindset Shifts To Help You Have A (Realistically) Productive Summer: @StephMorrill
3 Ways to Move Forward Fast With Your Writing – Even if You’re Overwhelmed and Exhausted: @Eclecticwaters @Frank_McKinley
5 Ways Writers Can Procrastinate in a Productive Way: @colleen_m_story
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly
5 Productivity Tips: Avoid Distractions And Write More: @angee
Creativity and Inspiration / Success
The Winning Edge That Moves Any Writer to Center Stage: @Frank_McKinley
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
10 Travel Tips for Better Fiction: @doug_walsh75
Fit to Write: Health and Exercise Tips for Creative Types: @thewriterink
Sophomore Slump? 6 Novels that Disprove an Old Cliché: by Kevin Powers @lithub
What can a writing mentorship teach you? @DeannaCabinian @yainterrobang
How Do I Accept My Illness and My Inability to Write? by Rick Moody @lithub
Advocacy and Authors: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
3 Ways to Rediscover the Joy of Writing: @weems503
5 Benefits Of Volunteering For A Literary Magazine: by Manuela Williams @DIYMFA
How to Grow as a Writer: 5 Logical Steps: @KMWeiland
The Talent Myth: by Rose Andrews @mythicscribes
Thinking on your feet: writing and exercise: @Roz_Morris
Who Will Buy Your Book? Validation isn’t the Point: @t_mcallister @The_Millions
Genres / Humor
Tips for Humorous Writing: @nownovel
Genres / Middle-Grade
The ingredients of a universally appealing early fiction series: @csoundar
Genres / Mystery
Crime Fiction: A Long Tradition of Nurses Saving Lives and Solving Mysteries: by Christine Trent @CrimeReads
Crime Fiction: Using Characters Readers Relate To: @mkinberg
Playing with sentence length in crime fiction. Is it time to trim the fat? @LouiseHarnby
12 Cover Artists Every Vintage Crime Lover Should Know: @RapSheetmag @CrimeReads
Atmospheric Places for Murder Scenes in Crime Fiction: @mkinberg
Genres / Non-Fiction
Graphic nonfiction books are on the rise: by Melissa Hart @TheWriterMag
Genres / Romance
Epilogues in Romance Novels: @AnnaCampbelloz @RomanceUniv
Tips for Writing Historical Romance Novels: by Georgina Roy @writingtipsoasi
Genres / Screenwriting
Have You Wondered Why Your Screenplay Was Rejected? by Mark Sevi @CreativeScreen
Genres / Young Adult
Tips for Writing a Young Adult Novel: @Magic_Violinist
Promo / Blogging
5 Ways an Author Blog Could Kill Your Writing (and What to Do Instead): by P.S. Hoffman @WritersDigest
The 5 Best Ways To Support Your Blog’s Story Arc: @Writers_Write
Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting
Tips for an Author Bio: @LynseyMay @scottishbktrust
Promo / Book Signings and Launch parties
Easy Dos and Don’ts of a Successful Book Signing: @TheKTDaxon
Promo / Connecting with Readers
What Promotional Items Do Authors Really Need? @HankPRyan
Promo / Images
25 Creative Ways Authors Use Images for Social Media Marketing: @DianaUrban @BookBub
Promo / Miscellaneous
Essential Marketing Tactics For Children’s Authors: @AngelaAckerman
The 13 Pre-Order Strategies That Increase Book Sales: @Bookgal
How to Become an Author Expert and Strut Your Stuff: @PublicityHound
Joint Book Promotions: Making Them More Successful: @jjtoner_YA @IndieAuthorALLI
How to Brand Your Series: @damselwriter
Promo / Podcasts
Simple Ways Authors Can Benefit from Podcasting: @suzkelman
How To Monetize A Creative Podcast: @thecreativepenn
Promo / Social Media Tips
How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Event: by Niki Lancaster @SMExaminer
Publishing / Miscellaneous
YA Novels Prompt Police Objections to Summer Reading List in South Carolina: @Porter_Anderson @angiecthomas @KielyBrendan @JasonReynolds83
IngramSpark is Celebrating its 5th Birthday With a Code for Free Title Upload for July: @IngramSpark
“The creator the ‘CSI’ television franchise and his wife plan to publish a new series of teen-told tales as graphic novels”: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Sara Sargent of HarperCollins Children’s Books on Working With @Wattpad to Source Content: @Porter_Anderson @Sara_Sargent
Publishing / News / International Publishing
Bookoli and Australia’s Hinkler Books Open a Brand in England’s West Country: @Porter_Anderson @jstyring
Industry Notes: https://t.co/nxDJdVFNKB Gets $2 Million Mellon Grant; Marrakesh Treaty Passes in Senate: @Porter_Anderson @hypothes_is
Times Literary Supplement Opens New Digital Archive with Exact Editions: @Porter_Anderson
Pictures From Madrid: Spain’s Casa del Lector Intensive Focus on Reading: @Porter_Anderson @4LUISGONZALEZ
France’s Biennial ‘Festival America’ Takes a Canadian Focus to the UK This Year: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Founded in the 19th century Berlin’s Ullstein Buchverlage Publisher: ‘Building Our Literary Reputation’: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Federation of European Publishers ‘Notes With Regret’ Parliament’s Copyright Directive Rejection: @Porter_Anderson @FEP_EU
Golden Man Booker Prize Celebrations Open With Buckingham Palace Reception: @Porter_Anderson
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying
Agent Spotlight Interview with Literary Agent @eerie_o and Query Critique Giveaway: @NatalieIAguirre
More details on @TheIWSG July 19 Twitter Pitch to Agents and Publishers:
Publishing / Process / Book Design
How To Create A Compelling Book Cover: @Tim_Hawken @thecreativepenn
Publishing / Process / Services to Avoid
Authors Beware: New Writing Scams Landing in Your Inbox: @annerallen
Writing Craft / Arc
Arc in Your Writing: @Wordstrumpet
Writing Craft / Beginnings
You Control the Action – Make It Flow Without Distractions – First Page Critique: @JordanDane
When Your Opening Has an Excess of Nested Scenes: @peterselgin @JaneFriedman
How Much Really Needs to Be in Your Novel’s Opening Sentence? @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
A list of character flaws: Bunch of RP Memes
Does Your Story’s Sidekick Serve a Purpose? @kristen_kieffer
How to Add Depth to a Character: @EditingWizard
Make Your Characters More Interesting With Lies: @helpfulsnowman
Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film
Three Movies With the Wrong Main Character: by Mira Singer @mythcreants
Straying from the Party Line: Showing Some Compassion in “Beloved”: @CockeyedCaravan
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
All Is Lost: 3 Keys to the Perfect Act II Ending: @scribesworld
Character Details to Hide from Your Readers: by Kris Noel
Sagging Middles: @davidfarland
26 Ways to Write “Instantly Likable” Characters: https://t.co/YDwIPEOlUQ and by P.S. Hoffman
The Story Grid Translated Into Common Writing Terms: @StoryGrid @lori_puma
Capturing an Unhappy Relationship: A Writer’s Roadmap: @SloanTamar
Writing Your Character’s Inner World: @Lindasclare
Warrior Women, #MeToo, and One Writer’s Evolving Sensibilities: @VaughnRoycroft @WriterUnboxed
The Destructive Power of The Lie Your Character Believes: @AngelaAckerman
Signpost Scenes — The Argument Against Transformation: @A_K_Perry @DIYMFA
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting
Plot and Your Story – Four Formats: @KarenCV
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research
Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make With Mental Health: @Bang2write
Knocking People Out: Easier In Fiction Than In Real Life: @NicolaAlter @FantasyFaction
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
10 Ways to Render Sentences More Concise: @writing_tips
When to Capitalize Articles (Such as “the”) in Publication Names: @GrammarGirl
The 10 Websites to Improve Your Grammar: @ProWritingAid
Writing Craft / Revision
Finding Your Revision Groove – and Staying Sane: @AnneJanzer
How to Edit a Novel Without Feeling Overwhelmed: @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / Series
Five Tips for Writing a Compelling Book Series: @KJWatersAuthor @BadRedheadMedia
Writing Craft / Settings and Description
Writing Descriptions that Wow: @Lindasclare
Writing Tools / Apps
Use the new Scrivener Project History function to track your writing habits: @aprildavila
Easy, Free Tool for Tracking Habits:
Writing Tools / Miscellaneous
Style-sheets for Indie Authors: @DebbieYoungBN
The Best Beta Reader Checklist: @stacitroilo
The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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July 5, 2018
Easy, Free Tool for Tracking Habits
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve always kept a journal…well, since first grade, anyway. I look back on those childhood diaries and wonder who that person was. My adult journaling has been a lot more erratic than my childhood and teen journaling and the days usually fly by without my taking the time to make notes on them.
I’ve used online journals before, but the sites ended up going under (I did retrieve my entries before they did).
I’d heard about the free app Daylio (for Apple and Android) a while back, but because it was mostly billed as a mood tracker, I didn’t really take a closer look at it. My moods are fairly even (and since I’ve been using Daylio, Daylio has backed this up). But I think this could be incredibly useful to anyone who is trying to track moods because you can report all the activities you participated in on the excellent/good/bad day and see patterns. Maybe you have an especially good day when you fit in exercise and writing, or you have an especially bad day when you didn’t get enough sleep, etc.
I didn’t realize that the app is more than just mood tracking. And I didn’t realize that it is practically word-free, using icons for activities and moods. There’s an optional spot to add notes about your day, but nothing suggesting that it’s an important part of the daily tracking.
Like everyone else, I try to maintain some balance in my life, as busy as it is. To keep from burning out, I try and make room for exercise, rest, reading, eating well, and relaxing with family. I’m using the app to do this and click on each activity that I’ve been able to accomplish at the end of each day.
Writing is a habit for me (I still track it on the app, but unless I’ve gotten pretty sick, it’s on there).
For anyone who is trying to build up a writing habit (or any other good habit), this would be an incredibly easy way to do it. You can set the app to remind you when you haven’t made an entry for the day. And it’s very encouraging to see a string of successes.
For those of you who are into data and statistics, you can get some nice charts to see your progress (from the Daylio website):
You can customize your activities on the app to make it more useful.
And I liked the app’s privacy policy.
For further reading and ideas on how others use Daylio, read this post by Michael Stoppa.
Do you journal? Use Daylio? Are you into tracking? What helpful apps do you use?
A Free App for Tracking Habits:
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July 1, 2018
Balancing Writing and Business
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Sometimes dealing with both creative work and the business end can be overwhelming. On any given day, I’m brainstorming plots, researching a new promo approach, and reading articles about the publishing industry. It’s a lot to juggle.
The part that probably takes up the most time and energy for me is learning something new. And I’m always learning something new. I’m branching into hardcover, I’m reading about new translation platforms, I’m trying a new app, I’m using a new aggregator, I’m reading up on Amazon ads. There’s rarely a time that I’m not figuring something out.
I’ve discovered a few things that work for me in regards to both balancing the writing and business sides and making myself feel less-frantic in the process.
Write first. There is so much to learn and apply with the business end of things that it’s easy to get wrapped up in it and lose out on writing time. By hitting your writing goals first, you know you’re staying on track. It has always reminded me a little of housework. If I tackle a large project at home, like clearing out a closet, if I haven’t done my regular housework (loading the dishwasher, making beds, putting away clutter), then despite how much progress I made with the closet, I’m still feeling frustrated and behind. By writing first, you know that anything else we accomplish that day is above and beyond.
Don’t try to multitask it. I love using the Pomodoro method for my writing and at one point was interspersing the writing with research or business in 20-minute sessions. But I found that this wasn’t good for either the creative work or the business work.
Set a time limit. I usually set a timer for myself when I’m working on business-related stuff or learning something new. Otherwise, one link tends to lead to another and soon I’m lost in a rabbit hole of new information. I can eat up hours that way if I’m not careful (and usually I don’t have hours to spend).
Keep notes. I’ve learned that even though I’ve spent hours figuring out how to do something on my website or how to make the best ad, etc, this does not guarantee that I’ll remember how to do it the next time around. There are tons of ways to keep notes on this stuff: use an old-fashioned notebook, create a folder in Word, or use OneNote (OneNote is my current method for organizing my notes and works really well. Plus, it’s free).
How do you handle the balance between the writing life and business? Any tips I’ve missed?
Tips for balancing writing and business:
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June 30, 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
Turn Your Core Values Into The Heart Of Your Author Business: @ThornCoyle @thecreativepenn
Ways to Make More Money with Your Book (podcast): @DaveChesson
Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous
Kamila Shamsie Joins Susan Hill in Judging Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer of the Year Award: @Porter_Anderson @kamilashamsie
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration
Your Novel’s Soundtrack: @writersstation @WriterUnboxed
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers
5 Books About Learning to Communicate with Alien Species: @marthawells1 @tordotcom
The 8 Best Curses In Literature: by Julia Fine @ElectricLit
When Poets Write Novels: 10 of the Best: @CaoilinnHughes @GrantaMag
Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation
5 Reasons to Join a Twitter Writing Sprint: @WGTWrite @DIYMFA
On Motivation: Significance: @PhilAthans
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing
3 Writing Techniques to Quash Procrastination: @LynseyMay @scottishbktrust
You love writing: should you, could you, commit to it? @emma_darwin
Focus on writing: 4 simple exercises to strengthen attention and reduce distractibility: by Rebekah Barnett @amishijha @TEDTalks
How to Use a Timer to be More Productive: @WriteOnOnline
Is Technology Clouding Your Mind? @rxena77
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block
500 Days of Not Writing and How to Start Again: @JoelDCanfield @RosanneBane
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly
How to Train Yourself to Write Faster: by The Literary Architect
Creativity and Inspiration / Success
Pixar Writer-Director’s TED Talk: “Clues to a Great Story”: @andrewstanton @GoIntoTheStory
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
What Does It Mean to Be a Disabled Writer? by Alex Lu @Keah_Maria @esmewang @ElectricLit
What I wish I’d known at school: two instructions for making a creative life: @Roz_Morris
Heinlein’s 5 Simple Rules for Writers: @lornafaith
The Angsty Writer: by Juliet Marillier @WriterUnboxed
3 Ways Writers Can Find Inspiration to Fill Their Creative Well: @lornafaith
Picking a Story and Sticking With It: from Lizard is Writing
“How Pregnancy Taught Me to Say No to Everything and Write Novels Instead”: @wolfwidge @ElectricLit
8 Tips on Avoiding Burnout: @RachVD @IndieReader
Why Writers Need Community and Writing Groups: @kikimojo
Don’t Write Every Day: 9 Ways to Rest and Rejuvenate: @beth_wangler @_HannahHeath
5 Lies Writers Believe That Are Holding Them Back: @KMWeiland
How Your Writing Actually Improves With Age: by Jane Sandwood @Draft2Digital
Genres / Historical
Researching Your Historical Novel: by James Hall @CurtisBrown
Genres / Horror
Why Do Horror Stories Resonate So Deeply Right Now? @TobiasCarroll @lithub
Horror is Not a Dirty Word: @BobPastorella @ThisIsHorror
Genres / Humor
The Basics of Writing for Comedy: @EditingWizard
Genres / Memoir
How to Tell Your Family That You’re Writing a Memoir: by Neal Thompson @lithub
Genres / Mystery
Barbeques and Picnics as Elements in Crime Fiction: @mkinberg
Literature’s Great Con Artists: @TheLincoln @CrimeReads
The Focus on Psychology as a Source of Tension in Crime Fiction: @mkinberg
Genres / Non-Fiction
How to Write a Self Help Book: @DavidHSafford
Genres / Science Fiction
New or Obscure Speculative Fiction Subgenres: @JEPurrazzi
Promo / Blogging
3 Must-Have Posts To Brand Your Blog: @Writers_Write
Why It’s Important To Check Your Blog Stats and How To Do So: @sugarbeatbc @BadRedheadMedia
Important Reasons Authors Need to Think About Blogging: @kikimojo @BadRedheadMedia
Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting
4 steps to writing your Amazon book blurb: @DeborahJay2
Promo / Miscellaneous
6 Reasons to Relaunch Your Book: @Bookgal @JaneFriedman
How to promote your writing without social media: @pubcoach
Book Swag from a Bookseller’s Perspective: by Meghan Dietsche Goel @PublishersWkly
Introverts: You Can Do Book Marketing: @FictionNotes
Promo / Platforms
Branding & The Brain: How Social Media Changes but Humans Never Will: @KristenLambTX
Promo / Social Media Tips
Goodreads Giveaways and Review Widgets for Writers: @TheIWSG
Promo / Speaking
6 tips to help you speak in public with confidence: @simonraybould
Publishing / Miscellaneous
Literary Magazines: How to Find the Right Home for Your Work: @2elizabeths @DIYMFA
Publishing / News / Data
How Reader Analytics Can Support Publishers’ Decisions: @Porter_Anderson @ContecMXOficial
How Much Do Writers Earn in the UK? Report Offers New Input: @Porter_Anderson @ALCS_UK @StephenLotinga
Publishing / News / International Publishing
Publishers Cheer Settlement of Copibec-Laval Lawsuit in Québec: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Finnish Digital Media Fund Backs Development of Book Series for Television: @Porter_Anderson @iprvc
Industry Notes: UK’s ‘Golden Man Booker’ Voting Is Closing; AudioFile’s Whitten on the Audies: @Porter_Anderson
Kids Can Press Will Distribute New Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada: @Porter_Anderson @llyonstweets
China Bestsellers May 2018: Popular Philosophy and Faith in Love: @Porter_Anderson
Commonwealth Prize Announces Short Story Winners From Samoa, Trinidad, UK, India, and Nigeria: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
A Developing Snapshot of a Market: Buchmesse’s Editors’ Trip to Germany: @Porter_Anderson
Independent Publishers in a Shifting German Marketplace: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing
How to Self-Publish a Book: @ReedsyHQ
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing
What It Really Takes to Get Your First Book Published: 5 Critical Factors: @manzanitafire @LitReactor
12 Ways to Increase Chances of Publication in Today’s Industry: @tessaemilyhall
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Pitches
Tips for Better Pitches: by Laurie Schnebly Campbell @RomanceUniv
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying
Writing a Book Proposal: @JillWilliamson
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections
5 Types of Rejection that Drive Every Writer Nuts: @NathanielTower
Publishing / Process / Book Design
Four Innovative Ways to Craft a Better Book Cover: @KJWatersAuthor @BadRedheadMedia
Pros and Cons to Having a Pen Name: @ChrysFey @SpunkOnAStick
Pen Name Generator Inspired by Iconic Pseudonyms : @InvaluableLive
Publishing / Process / Translation
Twitter Traffic: ‘Words Without Borders’ Is 15 and Translators are Tweeting It Up: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Writing Craft / Beginnings
Where to Begin: The Search for the Inciting Incident: @peterselgin @JaneFriedman
8 Types Of Opening Scenes That Could Work For Your Book: @Writers_Write
Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists
Writing Great Villains: @evans_writer @RMFWriters
Save the Cat!® Podcast: Can Your Antagonist Switch Sides? @NaomiBeaty @savethecat
Writing Craft / Characters / Arc
Creating Character Arcs with the DCAST Method: by Bucket Siler
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
The 5 Cornerstones of Characterization: @Michael_Editor
Why and How to Use Character Webs: from Lady Redshield Writes
Creating Compelling Engaging Characters Readers Love or Hate: @ProWritingAid
Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion
Primary and Secondary Emotions Can Unlock Your Characters: by Rebecca Langley @standoutbooks
Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists
Give Your Hero a Hard Time: @jimdempsey
Your Protagonist’s “I Want” Song: @kcraftwriter @WriterUnboxed
Writing a Main Character: Definitions, Tips and Examples: @nownovel
Writing Craft / Devices / Repetition
Literary devices: repetition in books: @Peter_Rey_
Writing Craft / Drafts
5 Reasons Your First Draft Hates You: @florencefornow
Writing Craft / Endings
How to Write Exceptional Endings: @SeptCFawkes
Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film
What Mister Rogers Can Teach Us About Storytelling: @Repino1 @tordotcom
“Hidden Figures” and the Performance Story Model: @StoryGrid
Writing Lessons from Movies: A Quiet Place: @VictoriaGHowell
The Wisdom of the Goosebumps Books: 8 Lessons: by Mattia Ravasi @The_Millions
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
How to Decide Between Plain Prose and Beautiful Prose: @KMWeiland
Chekhov’s Gun and How to Use It: @ReedsyHQ
Write Better Scenes with the Rule of Three: @Lindasclare
The External Story Versus The Internal Story: @LoriWilde
On Writing the Personal Essay (Podcast): @watershipdowd @DIYMFA
The Do’s and Don’ts of Crafting Your Story’s Love Interest: @kristen_kieffer
Platonic Protagonists: Can Heroes and Heroines Just Be Friends? @NicolaAlter
Choosing the Right Details in Our Story: @beccapuglisi
Let Readers Find the Unseen: @p2p_editor
Making Your Characters’ Actions Count: @Julie_Glover
How To Challenge Stigma In Your Writing: @Bang2write
Unlock Your MICE Quotient: @yeahwrite_
Thinking with a Child’s Brain: @KAMcCleary @WriterUnboxed
The Author’s Guide To Melodrama (And What It Can Do For You): @FredBobJohn
Concise writing in fiction: @Peter_Rey_
Why Your Writing Should Invite Readers In: @BJoycePatterson @DIYMFA
13 Solid Pieces Of Writing Advice: @helpfulsnowman @LitReactor
Writing Craft / Plot Holes
A Panster’s Guide to the Dreaded Dead End: @VirginiaHeath_ @RomanceUniv
Writing Craft / POV
How to Choose the Right Point of View for Your Story: by Bucket Siler
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting
Plotting Your Novel Conceptually: @Janice_Hardy
8 Signs You Might Be Over-Plotting Your Novel: @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept
6 Creative Ways to Strengthen Your Story Idea: by Joslyn Chase @write_practice
Writing Craft / Revision
The 7 Types of Editing Your Book Needs: @TheRyanLanz
Writing Craft / Scenes
How to Decide What Goes in Your Scene: @davidfarland
Writing Craft / Series
For the writers writing sequels: @jodimeadows
Writing Craft / Settings and Description
Help Creating a Setting: from Writing Exercises UK
How to Use Sounds to Affect the Character and Intrigue the Reader: @ZoeMMcCarthy
Writing Realistic Forests: @DanKoboldt
Writing Craft / Synopses
Writing a Killer Synopsis: @TheMerryWriter
Writing Craft / Tension
How to Use the 12 Stages of Intimacy to Build Tension in Your Novel: @JennyHansenCA
Writing Tools / Books
10 Books About Writing Fiction: by Bucket Siler
Writing Tools / Resources
Iterative Outlining, Writing Tools and Resources, More: @scribesworld
Story generators: from Writing Exercises UK
The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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June 28, 2018
Filling the Creative Well
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I was stumped a couple of months ago by a question from a very sharp writer in a high school creative writing class. He asked me what I do on those days when I didn’t feel inspired to write. I had to babble out some answer about what I hear that other writers do on days when they don’t feel inspired to write. The truth is that I’m rarely inspired when I write…I just do it and fix anything that sounds ‘off’ later.
But I know what I wished I’d answered. Because I do always make a point of filling my creative well. I may not feel inspired when I write, but I sure as heck don’t want to feel burned out when I write. I’ve written through burnout several times over the past ten years and it didn’t feel good. Forcing the words out isn’t fun and the end product will need work.
For me, the answer is two-fold. It’s surrounding myself with other people’s creativity and giving myself quiet, empty time to think or just be.
Filling the well with others’ creativity:
Reading. I’ve really ramped up my reading this year and have read 25 books so far this year. The main reason I increased my reading was because of a bout of burnout in 2017. I’ve kept a TBR (to be read) list on Goodreads (a private account, since I didn’t want it to be a promo-related thing) and that has helped me to keep my reading eclectic. I’ve read nonfiction, lit fic, YA, biographies, and mysteries.
Television. Except I suppose it’s not really TV. We’re pretty much unplugged here and I’m creating watchlists from Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc. There again, I’ve been careful to curate what I’m watching and have made it as eclectic as possible. In particular, I’ve branched out to watch a lot of foreign shows, which has been fun.
Podcasts. I do listen to industry podcasts, but for filling my well I’m focusing more on fiction/audio drama. I started out with Limetown and then started searching for others. It keeps me engaged while I’m doing rote housework or cooking (sometimes too engaged and I mess things up!) To get you started, here are a few articles with ideas for shows to listen to: 11 Fiction Podcasts Worth a Listen (by Amanda Hess, NY Times), 10 Audio Drama Podcasts to Get You Hooked on Fiction (by Wil Williams), and 10 Fiction Podcasts You Should Totally Get Sucked Into Right Now (by LeeAnn Whittemore.
Music. I’m one of those who can’t listen to music when I write (unless it’s non-lyrical jazz or classical or new age…but sometimes that’s even distracting), but I enjoy listening to it during non-writing times. I listen to various stations on Amazon Prime music (my kids are trying to pull me more in a Spotify direction, but I’m not there yet), and then add songs to playlists when they really appeal to me. The stations are nice because I get to pick a general direction I want to go in with the music but it still allows for some musical serendipity.
Filling the well with quiet time:
This is the hardest for me, but possibly the thing that gives me the most back in terms of later creativity.
Walking. This is the best way for me to be quiet and not be restless. Sometimes I’ll take my corgi, Finn, along and sometimes I’ll go by myself. While I walk, I’ll usually get ideas for my current story and future stories, which I’ll make sure to record on my phone. It’s amazing how restorative a walk can be.
How do you fill your creative well? Have you ever experienced burnout?
Filling Your Creative Well:
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June 25, 2018
Tips for Using Goodreads
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve written a few times recently about using Goodreads to better advantage. If you’ve missed anything (making better use of giveaways and using Goodreads widgets on your website and Facebook page to find new readers), then pop over to The IWSG where I have a guest post today.
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June 23, 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.
I’m planning my editorial calendar for August and September. Is there anything like you’d like to see covered on my blog? Any publishing-related questions (trade or self-pub?) Here’s a one-question anonymous form to give me some ideas.
Simple Tax Preparation Tips For Canadian Authorpreneurs: @lornafaith @LStewartTheBard
Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous
Cundill History Prize 2018 Jurors: Five Historians on History Books: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
The €100,000 International Dublin Prize Highlights Ireland’s Independent Tramp Press: @Porter_Anderson @TrampPress
BookExpo and BookCon Announce Preliminary 2018 Attendance Figures: @Porter_Anderson @BookExpoAmerica
Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels
You CAN Write a Publishable First Novel: 10 Do’s and Don’ts: @annerallen
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers
Radical Noir: 26 Activist Crime Novels: @mollsotov89 @CrimeReads
Five Books About Fandom: @brittashipsit @tordotcom
50 Pulp Cover Treatments of Classic Works of Literature: @knownemily @lithub
Five Mystery Series with Awesome Detectives: @emdevenport @tordotcom
5 Books Set On Extreme Worlds: @mjohnstonauthor
Should You Read While You Write? @theladygreer
Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation
The importance of growth mindset to writers: @SloanTamar
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing
How writing scholars write: productivity tips: @beprolifiko
How to Make Writing a Habit: @SloanTamar
Writing and the Creative Life: Routine or Ritual? @GoIntoTheStory
How to Write a Book While Working Full-Time: @Jffelkins @write_practice
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block
Fear of Writing: @SnowflakeGuy
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
Do you suffer from imposter syndrome? @pubcoach
Think Your Writing Is Brilliant One Day and Horrible the Next? Here’s Why: @ThereseWalsh @WriterUnboxed
Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone : @davidfarland
Three Types of Writers Have Trouble Finishing Things. Which One Are You? @losapala
Why Do You Write? @christinadelay
Combating Release Day Stress:
5 Ways Your Health Can Affect Your Writing: by Jeanette Smith @DIYMFA
Writers Write, But Not At the Expense of Their Own Well-Being: @JoEberhardt
Genres / Fantasy
Fantasy Writing: Certainty: @PhilAthans
Genres / Historical
7 Tips for Time Travel: How to Write a Historical Novel: @EditingWizard
Genres / Literary Fiction
Nine of the Most Violent Works of Literary Fiction: @knownemily @lithub
Genres / Mystery
What Is a Traditional Mystery? @eMysteries @CrimeReads
Attitudes about Police in Crime Fiction: @mkinberg
Genres / Poetry
UK National Poetry Day and BBC Local Radio Commissions 12 New Works on the Topic of Change: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Genres / Romance
3 Reasons 1 Writer has a Passion to Write Romance: @lornafaith
Genres / Screenwriting
Writing TV And Film Adaptations: David Nicholls with @thecreativepenn
Genres / Short Stories
Short Fiction is In! All About Novellas, Novelettes, Short Stories, Flash: @MaraPurl @annerallen
Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting
Fast Track Guide To Fixing Your Book Description: @LPOBryan
Promo / Book Reviews
Better strategies when seeking reviews: @Naked_Determina
Want More Reviews? Treat Book Bloggers with Respect. @annerallen
Promo / Connecting with Readers
Reader avatars: @EAWwrites @BadRedheadMedia
Promo / Metadata
Use Amazon’s Categories for Max Sales: @Bookgal
Promo / Miscellaneous
7 Self-Publishing Marketing Strategies: @Bookgal
5 Crazy Book Stunts You May Or May Not Want To Try: @EmmanuelNataf @ReedsyHQ
Want Publishing Success? Be a Great Writer and Clever Marketer: @EvatopiaLit @BadRedheadMedia
Promo / Platforms
Using marketing research to set up your author platform: @raimeygallant
Why Do Writers Need a Platform? What IS a Platform? @KristenLambTX
Promo / Social Media Tips
Thirteen Myths About Social Media for Writers: @CaballoFrances @BadRedheadMedia
Promo / Video
10 Things You Can Do on Your Author YouTube Channel: @ChrysFey @NatalieIAguirre
How to turn YouTube subtitles into blog posts and transcripts: @LouiseHarnby
Publishing / Miscellaneous
Aldus’ New Translation Grant Finder and The OED announces more than 900 new ‘words, senses, and subentries’: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
How to check book sales and royalties with Draft2Digital: @Draft2Digital
The Perks and Perils of Being a Ghostwriter: @cathyyardley @WriterUnboxed
Going Wide or Amazon Exclusive? A Look at Both: @Ellen__Jacobson
A Look at Trad. Publishing vs. Self-Publishing and Why 1 Author Went Indie: @Ellen__Jacobson
VIDA Count 2017 Appraises Top US Literary Publications for Women’s Representation Amid ‘Abuse and Bigotry’: @Porter_Anderson @VIDA_lit
Data Indicates 32-Percent Rise in US Political Books, Year to Date: @Porter_Anderson @npdgroup
Audio Publishers Association Reports a 22.7-Percent Jump in Revenue for 2017 @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Publishing / News / Data
“New insights into the US market, previously not visible to researchers, are coming to light now”: @Porter_Anderson via Kristen McLean @npdgroup
Publishing / News / International Publishing
“German-language users spend an average 10 million minutes on @wattpad daily. That may soon pay off for both the platform in Toronto and for Munich’s Bavaria Fiction, in a new partnership”: @Porter_Anderson
In Norwich, the National Centre for Writing Formally Opens at Dragon Hall This Week: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Apollo 11 and Woodstock: Australia’s Murray Books Opens Rights Sales at IPR License: @Porter_Anderson
Rights Roundup: Responsibility in Relationships, and Bugs in Your Backyard: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Frankfurter Buchmesse Wildcard Winners: Reisedepeschen and UNSILO: @Porter_Anderson
Publishing / Process / Book Design
Cover Design: Evaluating Options and Tips for Designing Your Own: @Ellen__Jacobson
Writing Craft / Chapter Endings
17 Perfect Ways to End a Chapter: @HankPRyan
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
How to Create a Character Profile That Actually Works (with Template): @ReedsyHQ
Who Are You: Characters That Stand Out To Readers: @AngelaAckerman @WriteNowCoach
5 Exercises to Help You Develop Your Characters: @writingthrulife
Character Agency for Beginners: by Nils Ödlund @mythicscribes
Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists
Is The Age Of The Antihero In Fiction Finally Here? @AnthonyEhlers
How To Make An Unlikable Protagonist Work For Your Story: by Rebecca Langley @standoutbooks
Writing Craft / Drafts
7 Methods for Writing Your First Draft: by Ross Raisin @lithub
Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film
How to Focus on Your Writing: Ray Bradbury’s Tips: @weems503 @write_practice
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
Writing By Design: Using Color Theory: @DIYMFA
Tips for a Writing Style Makeover: @AnneJanzer
The Triangle of Structure for Writers: @SarahSallyHamer @EdieMelson
10 Cliffhangers That Make Readers Turn The Page: @Writers_Write
Spring Cleaning Your Writing: @Wordstrumpet
5 Promises You Make to the Reader: @ShanDitty
How Can Readers Know Information Unless I Tell Them? Information and Explanation Overkill: @ZoeMMcCarthy
Six Underdeveloped Love Interests: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants
Writing Craft / POV
Pros and Cons of Different POVs: @writingandsuch
Most Common Writing Mistakes: POV Problems: @KMWeiland
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research
Realistic Knife Fighting: @DanKoboldt
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Beats
Iron Man Beat Sheet: @CDavidMilles
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
Revive a Verb for Conciseness: @writing_tips
One space between each sentence, they said. Science just proved them wrong. @aviselk @washingtonpost
Writing Craft / Revision
Reading Your Story Out Loud in the Revision Period: @NickPWilford @TheIWSG
Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques
Beta Readers: Asking for Feedback and Processing Evaluations: @Ellen__Jacobson
Writing Craft / Scenes
Write in Scenes: @Lindasclare
A Tip for Getting Through Hard-to-Write Scenes: @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / Series
How to Write a Rewarding Series Arc: @nownovel
Writing Craft / Settings and Description
Making the Most of Your Setting: @MindyObenhaus
Writing Craft / Tension
How to Raise the Stakes: @writingrefinery @DIYMFA
Writing Tools / Apps
A List of eBook Market Analytic Tools: @thDigitalReader
Apps to Make Your Writing Conference Experience Better: @EdieMelson
Writing Tools / Resources
400+ Opinion Adjectives: A Word List for Writers: @KathySteinemann
Writing Tools / Thesauri
Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Clergy: @beccapuglisi
The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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June 21, 2018
Combating Release Day Stress, Part 2
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
As I mentioned Monday in the first part of this post, I hadn’t really considered how stressful a book launch could be until I read a blog post on the subject. It made me start thinking about how I feel on book release days.
There are a few things that I do to help launches go more smoothly. Monday, I explained how doing tasks in advance of release day and keeping a checklist help me to make launches less-stressful.
There are a few other ways I try to make launch day easier for me. Some tips:
Don’t allow social media to run in the background. Appoint times to check in on social media platforms or email. I’ve found that when I have a tab open to Facebook or Instagram, the notifications really give me an underlying anxious or frantic feeling and they pull me away from what I’m doing. Even nice messages and congratulations have that effect. Instead, I’ll make a point of checking in at appointed times during the day and then close those tabs.
Set times to check sales numbers on Amazon. Checking book ranking on Amazon can be stressful. Again, setting times to take a look at sales is better than trying to track them during the day.
Work on the next project. This may seem counterintuitive, and it’s not to say that we don’t deserve a break. But I am always working on the next project on release day and the days to follow. I think it helps not only keep me on track but helps me to have a sense of perspective about the launched book and its importance. Probably not an approach for everyone, but one to consider.
Celebrate your success. This is something I have to practically force myself to do, but I always feel better afterward. This could be any small reward…anything to mark the occasion and acknowledge your hard work.
Most importantly, take care of yourself. Exercise the morning of the release. Be sure to stretch, eat well, and drink plenty of water. I’ve found that it’s surprisingly easy to end up extremely run-down by simply sitting all day.
Further reading on reducing writing-related stress:
Desk Fitness: a Series of 11 Simple Stretches by Melanie Brooks
Social Media is Eating Your Brain by James Scott Bell
Do you have any tips that I’ve left out? How do you feel on launch day?
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June 17, 2018
Combating Release Day Stress Part One
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I read an interesting article lately that really made me think. It was by Sweta Vikram and was titled, “How Mindfulness Can Help You Enjoy Your Book Release Day.” In it, Vikram offered suggestions for better launch days.
I’m horrible at mindfulness, although I’ve definitely given it a go. I’ve set timers and reminders for myself. My mind always swims off to something I should be doing. Clearly, I need to work harder at making it work.
But Vikram gives other tips for making a release day better. I especially liked her reminders to continue building relationships with family and friends, to be grateful (she specifically mentions trad pub here, but it is the same for self-pub…we have a lot of folks to acknowledge on our road to publication), and to pay it forward.
All of these are excellent ideas. The biggest thing that I got from the article was this…release days frequently aren’t fun. This probably sounds odd to anyone who hasn’t yet published, but it’s the truth. I was extremely stressed out on launch days for my books with Penguin RH (there were decided promo expectations there) and am still stressed during my self-pub releases (where I’m the sole person responsible for everything going right…or everything going wrong, as the case may be).
This is a problem for many of us. I have several releases in a year. Some writers have a good deal more.
Keeping the article in mind, I have come up with additional suggestions for combating release day stress. I’ll cover the first couple today and the rest on Friday.
Do as much in advance as possible. This is a tip that I’ve used for nearly every aspect of my life for the last twenty years or so. It works for avoiding vacation stress, for the (enjoyable) disruption of holidays, and for busy mornings herding young children off to school.
In terms of a book release, this means that we should:
Load our books onto each retail/distribution platform prior to the release day. We can either set up the book as a preorder and do all the set-up work before the release, or we can simply have all the metadata and files loaded and wait for the launch to hit publish.
Create our reader newsletter announcing the release before release day and either schedule its release on launch day or hit publish that day.
Schedule a social media announcement (through a program like HootSuite or Buffer).
Set up a giveaway if that’s part of our marketing plan. Or set up a previous book in the series to price for free. If you’re doing a blog tour, make sure the posts are written ahead of time.
Keep a checklist handy.
There’s a lot to remember for release day. I found that I frequently forgot things if I had to rely on my memory. I use this checklist (and I’ve added a couple of things to it…like ordering print copies for myself and updating my list of books in print).
Otherwise, I will forget to make sure the print edition and ebook are connected on my product page. Or that I’ll forget to make sure they are linked to my Author Central page.
These are just a couple of things that I do to make sure everything goes smoothly (and are less stressful) on launch day. I’ll cover the rest on Friday.
Do you find releases stressful? How do you reduce the stress of launches?
Tips for Reducing Release Day Stress:
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