Riley Adams's Blog, page 87
August 12, 2017
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 40,000 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.
Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous
4 questions to ask yourself before scheduling an author event: @DeannaCabinian
Sisters in Crime Awards the Eleanor Taylor Bland Prize: @jessica_e_laine @Porter_Anderson
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration
Learn to Love the Work, or Do Something Else: @jeffgoins
The Picasso-Pollock Brain: @katmagendie
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers
101 books recommended by TED speakers: by Rebekah Barnett and Chelsea Catlett
In Praise of Daphne du Maurier: @parul_sehgal @NYTimes
Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation
A writer’s attention span creates writing issues: @jasonbougger
What’s Really Keeping You From Writing? by Anita Evensen
5 Things to Write During a Power Outage: @WriteOnOnline
Creativity and Inspiration / Perfectionism
Ways Writers Can Combat Perfectionism: @cslakin
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing
5 Ways to Find (or Make) Big Chunks of Time to Write: @aprildavila
Creativity and Inspiration / Success
How ‘Harry Potter’ Saved Young Adult Fiction: @ClaireEFallon
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
How to Stop Feeling Guilty about All of Your Unfinished Projects: @enhughesiasm
How to Be a Contemporary Writer: @rgay
Exploring the sonnets, and authorship, of William Shakespeare: @AlanTarica
Why is English so weirdly different from other languages? @aeonmag @JohnHMcWhorter
Writers, Get Those Summer Vibes: @AnnieNeugebauer
Mindfulness and Writing: @wandalu64
Genres / Fantasy
10 Writing Resources: Fantasy: @alyssa__holly
12 ways to make better creatures for fantasy and sf: @Brianna_daSilva
Naming Fantasy Characters—and Making Sure They’re More Than Just Names: @writer_anthony
Genres / Horror
8 Must-Read Reference Books on Horror Movies: @NatBrehmer
Genres / Literary Fiction
Self-Publishing a Debut Literary Novel: The Actions, The Costs, The Results: @hellothefuture @janefriedman
Genres / Memoir
How to Write a Memoir: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide: @JerryBJenkins
10 tips for micro-memoirs: by Beth Ann Fennelly @TheWriterMag
Genres / Mystery
Crime Writing: Edged Weapon Attacks: Stabbings Are Not Fun: @LeeLofland
Stage parents as an element in crime fiction: @mkinberg
A look at 1929’s 10 Commandments for Detective Fiction–With Updates (by @GretchenMdm9524 ):
Genres / Poetry
21 Top Poetry Writing Apps: @writingtipsoasi
A Social Media-Fueled Bestseller List…For Poetry: @DanielleMohlman @My_poetic_side
Genres / Romance
5 Ways to Write a Soul-Stirring Love Story: @cheryljmuir
Genres / Young Adult
Why YA Shouldn’t Require Romance: @p2p_editor
Promo / Blogging
8 Strategies for Writing Successful Blog Posts: @ninaamir
Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting
Craft a Book Bio That Will Boost Sales: @bookgal @BookWorksNYC
How to Write a Book Foreword: A Checklist For Authors: @jckunzjr
How to Write a Book Description that Sells Books: @SukhiJutla
Promo / Metadata
7 Keyword Tools to Help Authors Create Good Book Metadata: @MissAdventuring
Promo / Miscellaneous
Free Promotional Sites for Self-Published Books: @EricaVerrillo
17 Ways to Sell Preorder Books: @dianaurban
Promo by @OpenRoadMedia Means Sales for 1982 Book on Dunkirk: @porter_anderson
An unusual bookmark makes for good promo: @terrywhalin
Promo / Newsletters
Why Your Email List Matters More Than Pageviews: @kikimojo
Never Look to See Who “Unsubscribed”: @gigirosenberg
Promo / Platforms
New app by @instafreebie delivers books instantly to ereaders:
Promo / Social Media Tips
10 Social Media Mistakes We’ve Made (And How to Avoid Them): @alfred_lua
Promo / Websites
140 Tools and Resources for Building Your Author Website and/or Blog: @sabsky
Publishing / Miscellaneous
Netflix buys comics publisher behind Kick-Ass and Kingsman: @dwbronner @CNNMoney
Netflix Buys Millarworld; Barnes & Noble Ed Buys Student Brands: @Porter_Anderson
Publishing / News / Data
Reader Analytics: Crunching the Numbers to Improve Book Marketing and Sales: @janefriedman @arhomberg
Publishing / News / International Publishing
Malaysia’s Book Industry Challenges: @porter_anderson @pubperspectives
Draft2Digital adds international library distribution options: @porter_anderson @draft2digital
Bokova and Al Qasimi Certify Sharjah as UNESCO World Book City 2019: @Porter_Anderson @Bodour
Why Censors Are Targeting Winnie-the-Pooh in China: @BRIGITKATZ @SmithsonianMag
Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing
10 Tips for Self-Published Authors: @DuncanMHamilton @fantasyfaction
8-Stage Ebook Project Workflow Checklist For Self Published Authors: @EbooksAndKids
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying
Writing A Successful Query Letter: @JeremySzal
Publishing / Process / Legalities
Copyright test: ‘children’s books based on great lit are ruled to be infringing’: @porter_anderson
Using Public Domain Works in Literary Mashups: @HelenSedwick
Writing Craft / Beginnings
Strong Openings to Overcome Reader Impatience: @Jenslattery
Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists
5 Tips for Writing Superbad Villains: @sacha_black @thecreativepenn
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
Using Character Biographies: @scriptgods @scriptmag
A tool to help with character creation: @NicoleLockeNews @jemifraser
Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists
The Power of the Unlikeable Protagonist: @joeberhardt
Writing Craft / Common Mistakes
How To Avoid Writing A Mary Sue Protagonist: by Robert Wood @standoutbooks
Writing Craft / Dialogue
Correctly Using Beats in Dialogue: @ml_keller
Writing Craft / Drafts
It’s OK to Follow Your Emotional Dominoes and Write Out of Order: @stdennard
Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film
20 Years of L.G.B.T.Q. Lit: A Timeline: by Concepción de León @nytimes
10 great books set in hotels: @HelenaFairfax
Tolkien’s Map and The Messed Up Mountains of Middle-earth: @katsudonburi
7 Ways William Faulkner Can Help You Improve Your Writing: by Fred Johnson @standoutbooks
Writing Craft / Literary Devices
A Guide to Dramatic, Situational and Verbal Irony: @reedsyhq
How Much Do You Know About Irony? @ReedsyHQ @TheIWSG
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
Writing fight scenes: just how fit are cheerleaders? by How to Fight Write
How Your Emotional State Can Affect Your Editing: @AndreaWriterlea
Writing Craft / POV
6 Questions to Help You Choose the Right POV: @kmweiland
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting
12 Step Novel Breakdown: Pride And Prejudice: @patverducci
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
Temporary and Permanent Phrasal Adjectives: @writing_tips
7 grammar myths you learned in school: @OxfordWords
How to Flatten Adjective Stacks: @writing_tips
Writing Craft / Revision
Editing the “Final” Draft: @AuthorSAT
Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques
Evaluating Writing Feedback Advice: @ml_keller
Beware Of Positive Feedback: @HettiRoss
A New Approach to Critique: by Gary Zenker @diymfa
Writing Craft / Settings and Description
How to Make Your Character Descriptions Perform Double-Duty: @A_K_Perry
Choosing Description Words: 10 Questions: @nownovel
Writing Craft / Tropes
Story Tropes: Lazy or Helpful? @jamigold
Writing Craft / World-Building
Why Worldbuilding is Not Just for Science Fiction: @willvanstonejr
Writing Tools / Resources
Checklists and Tip Sheets for Writers: @AngelaAckerman @beccapuglisi
Uncategorized
@savitanarayan @NatBrehmer I’d start with this Goodreads page: https://t.co/JBHR7rGbog . Some open/accessible reso…
The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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August 10, 2017
The Ten Commandments for Detective Fiction (1929): A Brief History and Update
by Gretchen Mullen, @GretchenMdm9524
“Thou shalt not cheat thy reader”
Ronald Knox (1888-1957) was an English priest who moonlighted as a well-regarded author of detective novels and short stories. His reputation was such that in 1928, during the Golden Era of Detective Fiction, when a group of British mystery authors gathered to exchange ideas and collaborate, Knox was included in this elite group. Officially known as The Detection Club, the group formally organized in 1930. Membership was and still is by invitation only. Original members included such greats as Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and first elected president G.K. Chesterson.
Knox co-edited and penned the “Introduction” to The Best English Detective Stories of 1928. Knox’s essay (originally dated February 28, 1929), was later reprinted as “The Detective Story Decalogue” in 1946.
According to the Ronald Knox Society of North America, the Decalogue became known as “the Ten Commandments for Detective Novelists as a set of by-laws for the [Detection] club.” Often reprinted in short form, the commandments (also referred to as Rules of Fair Play) are meant to remind authors that the reader deserves a fighting chance to solve the mystery without the author’s use of cheap tricks.
While these commandments do not all hold up to today’s standards of political correctness or modern terminology, the essence of these nearly century-old rules remain remarkably salient. With that said, here are Knox’s Ten Commandments, as written in their original long form. Bold print indicates the short form of the Decalogue commonly reprinted, too often without attribution.
I. The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow. The mysterious stranger who turns up from nowhere in particular, from a ship as often as not, whose existence the reader had no means of suspecting from the outset, spoils the play altogether. The second half of the rule is more difficult to state precisely, especially in view of some remarkable performances by Mrs. Christie. It would be more exact to say that the author must not imply an attitude of mystification in the character who turns out to be the criminal.
II. All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course. To solve a detective problem by such means would be like winning a race on the river by the use of a concealed motor – engine. And here I venture to think there is a limitation about Mr. Chesterton’s Father Brown stories. He nearly always tries to put us off the scent by suggesting that the crime must have been done by magic; and we know that he is too good a sportsman to fall back upon such a solution. Consequently, although we seldom guess the answer to his riddles, we usually miss the thrill of having suspected the wrong person.
III. Not more than one secret room or passage is allowable. I would add that a secret passage should not be brought in at all unless the action takes place in the kind of house where such devices might be expected. When I introduced one into a book myself, I was careful to point out beforehand that the house had belonged to Catholics in penal times. Mr. Milne’s secret passage in the Red House Mystery is hardly fair; if a modern house were so equipped – and it would be villainously expensive – all the countryside would be quite certain to know about it.
IV. No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end. There may be undiscovered poisons with quite unexpected reactions on the human system, but they have not been discovered yet, and until they are they must not be utilized in fiction; it is not cricket. Nearly all the cases of Dr. Thorndyke, as recorded by Mr. Austin Freeman, have the minor medical blemish; you have to go through a long science lecture at the end of the story in order to understand how clever the mystery was.
V. No Chinaman must figure in the story. Why this should be so I do not know, unless we can find a reason for it in our western habit of assuming that the Celestial is over-equipped in the matter of brains, and under-equipped in the matter of morals. I only offer it as a fact of observation that, if you are turning over the pages of a book and come across some mention of ‘the slit-like eyes of Chin Loo’, you had best put it down at once; it is bad. The only exception which occurs to my mind – there are probably others – is Lord Ernest Hamilton’s Four Tragedies of Memworth.
VI. No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right. That is perhaps too strongly stated; it is legitimate for the detective to have inspirations which he afterwards verifies, before he acts on them, by genuine investigation. And again, he will naturally have moments of clear vision, in which the bearings of the observations hitherto made will become suddenly evident to him. But he must not be allowed, for example, to look for the lost will in the works of the grandfather clock because an unaccountable instinct tells him that that is the right place to search. He must look there because he realizes that that is where he would have hidden it himself if he had been in the criminal’s place. And in general it should be observed that every detail of his thought – process, not merely the main outline of it, should be conscientiously audited when the explanation comes along at the end.
VII. The detective must not himself commit the crime. This applies only where the author personally vouches for the statement that the detective is a detective; a criminal may legitimately dress up as a detective, as in the Secret of Chimneys, and delude the other actors in the story with forged references.
VIII. The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection of the reader. Any writer can make a mystery by telling us that at this point the great Picklock Holes suddenly bent down and picked up from the ground an object which he refused to let his friend see. He whispers ‘Ha!’ and his face grows grave – all that is illegitimate mystery – making. The skill of the detective author consists in being able to produce his clues and flourish them defiantly in our faces: ‘There!’ he says, ‘what do you make of that?’ and we make nothing.
IX. The stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal any thoughts which pass through his mind; his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader. This is a rule of perfection; it is not of the esse of the detective story to have a Watson at all. But if he does exist, he exists for the purpose of letting the reader have a sparring partner, as it were, against whom he can pit his brains. ‘I may have been a fool,’ he says to himself as he puts the book down, ‘but at least I wasn’t such a doddering fool as poor old Watson.’
X. Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them. The dodge is too easy, and the supposition too improbable. I would add as a rider, that no criminal should be credited with exceptional powers of disguise unless we have had fair warning that he or she was accustomed to making up for the stage. How admirably is this indicated, for example, in Trent’s Last Case!
Detective Fiction in the 21st Century: Have the rules changed?
It would appear that one of the reasons Father Knox’s Ten Commandments are still so well-known today is the fact that modern readers continue to devour the classics—after all, Agatha Christie does maintain her place as the bestselling novelist of all time. However, consider the following suggested rules for today’s detective fiction author.
Thou shall not employ cartoonish or one-dimensional characters.
In 2009, author P.D. James, with a half-century of mystery writing under her belt, released Talking About Detective Fiction. James observed the biggest shift in detective fiction to be readers demanding more depth of character. James boldly criticized Christie for characters lacking psychological depth, preferring instead to emphasize the puzzle. Of Christie, James says, “Above all she is a literary conjuror who places her pasteboard characters face downwards and shuffles them with practiced cunning.” While plot and puzzle-solving remain paramount, these flat, hum-drum characters are no longer enough for today’s modern reader.
Thou shalt strive to create a detective who has flaws.
Contemporary award-winning author Mark Billingham asserts that today’s modern detective should be a bit less heroic and a bit more flawed, citing the enduring character of Sherlock Holmes, who exhibits both virtues and weaknesses. Billingham believes readers care more about a detective who is imperfect, and also appreciate the element of unpredictability this may provoke.
Thou shalt respect science and scientific realism.
Readers are more rational today and although they still love a nice escape from reality, they also demand reason. They want believable murders that make sense scientifically, that don’t occur in a fairytale-like artificial world. Logical deduction and intelligence must prevail.
And above all (a reinforcement of Father Knox’s rules):
Thou shalt not cheat thy reader.
No matter how much time passes, the detective fiction fan continues to expect the mystery writer to play fair—that is, in order to solve the puzzle presented, the same clues the detective has must be shared with the reader. The reader must not be left feeling cheated or tricked. If this commandment is broken, expect the reader to throw the book across the room. If the book is being read digitally, there may be a less violent response, but only because the reader desires to protect the electronic device.
Do you have any other mystery writing commandments to share?
Gretchen Mullen is a published author whose most recent release was coauthored with her mother. The Rushing Noise of Death: A Detective Flagg Mystery, is currently available in ebook format.
A look at 1929's 10 Commandments for Detective Fiction--With Updates (by @GretchenMdm9524 ):
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August 7, 2017
Instafreebie’s New App
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
In the early days of digital reading, we had to carry a device around to read on. I still have two very early model kindles at home.
But now it makes so much more sense to be able to read on our phones. We’re already carrying the devices and we’ll always have something to read if we have an app…no need to try and remember to bring an extra device along. I’ve found that I get so much more reading now that I’ve got my book with me wherever I go (and reading is vital to writing).
The problem my mother had with devices and phones was how to get her book onto the device. I wrote her a detailed set of instructions, but it was still difficult for her. She had librarians show her how to put library books on her kindle account, but it never really sunk in.
During giveaways, I’ve found that there are plenty of my readers who faced similar confusion about transferring the books to their phones or devices. I tried to walk them through it, but it was always tricky. I’ve found that Instafreebie has helped a lot. I’m able to provide readers (giveaway readers, ARC readers, the occasional disgruntled reader) with links to the free books and Instafreebie’s instructions (and support) are usually enough to guide them through the process.
But Instafreebie is now taking it a step further to ensure ease of use. They contacted me to let me know about their new reading app, making it easier to read wherever you want, available today for Androids and soon available for iPhones. Readers tell the app which device they want the book delivered to, and Instafreebie does the rest. According to their press release: “It is also compatible with any ereader app, including Kindle, Kobo, NOOK Reading, iBooks, and Google Play Books.” They’re basically streamlining the process for the reader.
They’re also making it easier for readers to find the books that they’ve claimed by listing them all in one spot instead of making the reader comb through their emails to find books.
With 750,000 readers so far, Instafreebie has become an important platform for writers to use…not just for giveaways and newsletter signups, but for exposure as well, and the ability to connect with new readers (who can browse by genre). I’m planning on using the app as a discoverability tool (which is also why my books are on Wattpad). Instafreebie offers unlimited downloads if we choose that option (and, for discoverability purposes, unlimited can be a good thing).
More about the app here:
Thoughts on using Instafreebie as a discoverability tool? How are you reaching new readers lately?
New app by @instafreebie delivers books to ereaders instantly:
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August 5, 2017
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 40,000 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
Freelance Writing: Don’t “Wonder” About Your Paycheck, Ask For It: @AlanaMassey
7 Book Launch Lessons: @sacha_black
Is a Writers’ Association Right For You? by S.E. White
Why Writers Should Conduct Their Own Performance Reviews: by Jennie Nash
Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous
First Time Writers Conference Jitters: @CindyDevoted @novelrocket
Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels
10 Things Learned About Publishing from a Debut Series: @sona_c
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration
Forget passion: go for self-awareness instead: @janefriedman
The Rise of Women-Only Literary Spaces, UK Edition: @theodorahawlin @lithub
Inspiration: “If you limit your intake, you’ll limit your output.”: @CallieOettinger
Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation
Making writer friends (and why they’re important): @jvlpoet
How to Work with an Editorial Calendar: @tlordauthor
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block
Is Perfectionism Hindering Your Productivity? @cslakin
The Ugly Truth About Self-Doubt as a Writer: @RuthanneReid
Creativity and Inspiration / Success
10 Tips For The Successful Writer: @DaniCollinsBook
From Midlist to Breakout Author (podcast): @KarenDionne @diymfa
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
4 Times Inaction can Help Writers: @kcraftwriter
How to Heal a Writer’s Literal Pain in the Butt: @colleen_m_story
Kids and the Decline of Reading: What We Can Do As Authors: @beccapuglisi
Why Other Authors are Your Biggest Advocates: @RachVD
Genres / Historical
How to Write in an Authentic Historical Voice: @KMWeiland
Genres / Humor
The Ultimate Guide to Writing Literary Comedy for Beginners: @paulpaulkeegan @writingtipsoasi
Genres / Memoir
Writing Memoir: Where’s the Conflict? @writingthrulife
Genres / Mystery
The postal service as an element in crime fiction: @mkinberg
Crime Fiction: Plots Featuring ‘New Kids’ in School: @mkinberg
Genres / Poetry
10 Questions to Test your Poetry Knowledge: by Joanne Jeffries @My_poetic_side
60 books to make you fall in love with poetry again: @DanielleMohlman @my_poetic_side
Genres / Romance
5 Common Romance Mistakes: by Oren Ashkenazi
Genres / Science Fiction
5 Books About Psi Powers: @darylwriterguy
Genres / Screenwriting
Script To Screen: “Inception”: @gointothestory
Screenwriting: How to make the perfect car chase: @gointothestory
Screenwriting Lessons: “True Grit”: Absent Nemesis @gointothestory
10 Mistakes Writers Make Writing for Television: @YVONNEGRACE1
Screenwriting Lessons: “True Grit”: Mentor: @gointothestory
Writing and the Creative Life: What are you afraid of? @gointothestory
Promo / Book Reviews
Best Book Review Blogs 2017: @ReedsyHQ
Promo / Miscellaneous
Marketing tools for any self-published book: @pjrvs
4 tips to help your ebook stand out: @rxena77
Book Promotion: Do This, Not That: @NewShelvesBooks
3 Crucial Marketing Tips for Self-Publishing Authors: @damonza123
Promo / Newsletters
Email Marketing Tips: How to Get Your List to Buy Your Book: @EmilyWenstrom
How 1 Writer Grew Her Email List From 100 to 1,000 Subscribers in Less Than a Year: @NicoleJBianchi
Promo / Social Media Tips
How to Use Canva in Your Writing: @worddreams
Social media tips and platforms for writers: @bailey_belmont
Promo / Websites
Tips from an agent for a writer’s contact page: @janet_reid
How to Make a Reader-Friendly Website: @jamigold
Publishing / Miscellaneous
Write for 7,500 Hours, Then Hit Post: @Rob_Reid
ACX (audiobooks for indie authors) comes to Ireland: @gary_furlong
The Importance of Categories and Keywords for Your Books on KDP: @AuthorMelindaC
Why Aren’t There More Women Executives in Publishing? @arpitayodapress @sophiedeclosets @porter_anderson
Women in Publishing and ‘the Lack of Men’: @sophiedeclosets @porter_anderson @pubperspectives
Publishing / News / Data
US Publishers Association Statistics: Overall 4.9% Rise in First Quarter: @porter_anderson @pubperspectives
Publishing / News / International Publishing
Industry Notes: Ebook Sales Up; UK’s Day With Writer’s Digest: @porter_anderson
Italy’s PubCoder 3 in Beta; HarperCollins Children’s in Deal With Wattpad: @porter_anderson
On Copyright in Canada: A Court Ruling Backs Publishers: @porter_anderson @CdnPublishers
Women in Publishing: ‘Such a Non-Level Playing Field’: @arpitayodapress @porter_anderson
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Pitches
Tips for Writing a Perfect Pitch: @MarcyKennedy
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying
Before You Send Your Query Letter: @MelindaFriesen
5 Ways To Get An Agent: @AUTHORMJMOORES
Publishing / Process / Book Design
What Makes a Great Book Cover: @BelindaLanks
How To Choose the Best Book Cover for Your Book: @SukhiJutla
Writing Craft / Arc
Hero’s Journey Breakdown: ‘Strictly Ballroom’: @patverducci
Writing Craft / Beginnings
Real Life Diagnostics: Does This Early Reader Opening Work? @Janice_Hardy
5 Types of Opening Scenes to Make Your Story Stand Out: by Karen Wiesner @writersdigest
Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists
Every Villain is a Metaphor for Resistance: @SPressfield
Writing Craft / Characters / Arc
Clarify Your Character Arcs: @BrynDonovan
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
Why Characters Get Out of Hand and Understanding Them Better: by Destine Williams
Character Checklist (PDF): @Chris_Kokoski
Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film
Literature’s Great Alternative Families: @victoria_redel
5 Tips from Hemingway that Will Make You a Better Writer: @NicoleJBianchi
The Impact of Character Transformation in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: by Cory Milles @savethecat
Writing Craft / Literary Devices
A Foil in Fiction: Emphasizes the Protagonist’s Qualities: @ZoeMMcCarthy
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
Why Being a Literary Agent Doesn’t Make It Easier to Write a Book: @kate_mckean
5 things learned about book structure: @RebeccaSkloot @brooke_warner
6 Tips for Writing Character Deaths: @ceciliaedits
5 Ways Stories Can Make Your Writing Irresistible: @chadrallen
Writing Craft / Pacing
Fix Your Pacing: @BrynDonovan
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research
3 Ways Authors Can Keep Research Details From Boring Their Readers: @jodihedlund
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
43 Embarrassing and Common Grammar Mistakes: @salubriousdish
Grammar Quiz: Dangling Modifiers: @writing_tips
When Do You Capitalize Directions? @grammargirl
Writing Craft / Revision
How to price editing and proofreading work. Risk versus time: @LouiseHarnby
Here’s How You Can Cut Down Your Manuscript: by Hannah Collins @standoutbooks
Understanding the Different Types of Editing: @JuiceTom
Writing Craft / Scenes
8 Steps to a Perfect Scene: @cslakin
Writing Craft / Scenes / Conflict
Conflict: Avoid the easy route: @CEOEditor1
Writing Craft / Series
5 Things Learned While Writing a Series: @JRVogt
Writing a New Series: A Guide to Creating a World from Scratch: @MegGardiner1
Writing Craft / Settings and Description
Enhancing Your Story Through Setting: @TashaSeegmiller
3 Ways to Make Your Writing More Visual: @kmweiland
Writing Craft / Subtext
How to Harness the Power of Subtext: @weems503
Writing Craft / Word Crafting
Over 150 Ways to Say “Put”: A Word List for Writers: @KathySteinemann
Uncategorized
How to Self-Edit: by Sarah Barbour
The DIY MFA: @diymfa by Jeff Tamarkin @TheWriterMag
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August 3, 2017
Evaluating a Series
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Back at the start of the Memphis Barbeque and the Southern Quilting mysteries, I didn’t worry at all about planning the length of the series. That’s because I knew the fate of the series was in the hands of Penguin. If they decided to end the series, they would.
And I was right…sort of. Penguin did decide to end the Memphis series because my editor had left the publisher and I was ‘orphaned’ (and because due to the nature of our contract, I couldn’t get my character rights back). But I wasn’t exactly right about the Southern Quilting mysteries. Penguin decided not to continue the series in print (asking me to consider a digital-only contract after 5 books)…but I decided to take the fate of the series into my own hands and requested a reversion of rights. Now I’ve published two more books in that series myself, and am working on book 8 now.
The Myrtle Clover series, which I took back from Midnight Ink publishing after the first book, now has 11 books in the series.
My year is spent divided between the two series. The good news is that the series and characters are very different from each other and I don’t have to ‘share ideas’.
But how long should a series continue? Originally, I’d thought I might just write an extra couple of books in the Southern Quilting mysteries after leaving Penguin Random House. But the sales have been strong and the print sales have been especially strong–maybe because these had been books that readers had originally purchased in bookstores and they were used to buying the series that way.
I know my readers have written to me in regards to all three series, asking me to keep writing books. But I know they mean keep writing good books. Nobody has time to read bad books, even in a series one once enjoyed.
There’s also something of a difference in a series that’s fairly static versus one with an series arc. If you’ve finished a continuing story (the universe is now saved, etc.), then it’s more obvious your series is done. But for some of us, the story wraps up at the end of each book and there isn’t a continuing arc over the course of the series.
So here are some points that I think I’ll consider when deciding on a series’ longevity (and no–I don’t have any plans to stop my current series):
Do I still have fresh ideas or am I just recycling content? Does it feel stale?
Are there still natural subplots and interesting things to discover about the characters?
Are there new elements (new characters, new situations, new setting, new setbacks) that can be naturally added to help the characters continue growing and help the readers discover more about them?
These questions all ensure a reader’s continued interest in a series. But here’s a question just for writers: is the series still selling well? Is the income still worth the time and effort I put into the series?
I have my favorite book series and my favorite TV shows, too. But I can tell when the quality of a series or show has gone downhill. It’s almost as if they changed writers. Most likely, though, the writers are just under the gun to produce, were burned out, and recycled the same old stuff. I wouldn’t want that to happen to my series…I think it leaves readers with a bad taste in their mouths.
For more information about series and series planning, visit the category at the Writer’s Knowledge Base.
How do you decide how long your series will continue? Have you run into any TV shows or book series that just went on too long?
Evaluating When to Stop Writing Your Series:
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The post Evaluating a Series appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
July 30, 2017
Confirming Newsletter Subscriptions After Group Giveaways
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I have mixed feelings about group giveaways that are geared to grow newsletter subscribers.
I’ve had success in the past with the (very few) times that I’ve participated in group giveaways. My bounce rates and unsubscribes stayed pretty low. I think this is a testament to the fact that 1) I rarely send email newsletters and 2) the groups I joined had books very similar to mine.
But I still always felt like I was spamming unsuspecting readers–even though they had expressly agreed to sign up for all the authors’ newsletters in exchange for the chance to win a grand prize.
Additionally…and this is me being cheap, as usual…my email list is of such a size now that I have a paid plan on Mailchimp. I don’t particularly want to waste my money sending out release newsletters to a disinterested recipient (a.k.a., someone who didn’t seek to sign up for my newsletter and mine alone). To be clear, I do segment my lists, sending new subscribers a different newsletter than other segments. But this is still pricy (and time consuming, to boot).
I subscribe to author assistant Mel Jolly’s newsletter and read an interesting message from her last week. She recommended that, after getting the emails from the group giveaway, we contact the readers’ email addresses and give them a chance to opt in purposefully instead of being looped in automatically.
I had just participated in a group giveaway in May and hadn’t yet integrated the addresses into Mailchimp. I decided to give Mel’s advice a go.
It was a large list, so I sent an email to 500 at a time (gmail’s limit). I basically said that I appreciated them taking part in the giveaway, but that I didn’t want to bother anyone if they didn’t want to hear from me. I gave them the link to sign up for my newsletter, told them they’d get a free book if they did (which is my standard giveaway for each new subscriber), and mentioned that my newsletters included release info and recipes. Then I waited.
I got responses right away. One woman said that she really appreciated being given a choice; that she was a Luddite that mistakenly thought the giveaway was for print copies–that she didn’t read ebooks.
Another woman said that she so appreciated my email that she would not only sign up for my email but would start reading one of my books right away.
Mailchimp reported 308 people had elected to join my list. While this is a fraction of the 1000 that I contacted the first couple of days, these are 308 people who wanted to hear from me. To me, that’s worth it.
A caution: within several days (and understanding the number of potential subscribers I was reaching out to), most email providers had blocked my email address, assuming I was spam. One way around this problem may include using different email handles. Another way around it may be to go ahead and add them to a group on your newsletter list (maybe ‘potential subscribers or XYZ giveaway subscribers), send a message asking them to confirm their subscription…and then dropping those who don’t open their email or request to be removed. The only downside of that solution–for me, at least–is that I’d have to pay for that newsletter to be sent. I’d like to hear other ideas about workarounds. I have a feeling there’s something quite simple that I’m overlooking.
What are your thoughts on group giveaways? Have you participated in any?
Group Giveaways: Asking New Subscribers to Confirm Their Interest:
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The post Confirming Newsletter Subscriptions After Group Giveaways appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
July 29, 2017
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 40,000 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
Affiliate Income For Authors: @thecreativepenn
Creativity and Inspiration / Careers in Writing and Day Jobs
How To Survive Your Day Job: @SarahRheaWerner
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration
7 Films About Writers to Motivate You: by Amelia Dermott @theindiepubmag
How To Find The Courage To Become An Unstoppable Writer: @LauraJTong
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers
Five Books Celebrating Geek Culture: @mel_thegreat @RachelStuhler
Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation
Improve Your Writing with Improv: @mdilloway
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing
Customize Your Productivity to Fit Your Life: @cksyme
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly
How To Write A Novel In a Month: @SukhiJutla
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
How Writing Can Assist Sufferers of Mental Illness: @cjhawk93
Writer’s Block and Depression: Why Writers Need to “Fill the Well”: @annerallen
Does A Midlist Author Need Privacy? @JeffCohenwriter
9 Murderous Tyrants Who Were Also Failed Writers (and One OK Poet): @WithEdSimon @lithub
Librarians in the 21st Century: We Need to Talk About Library Security: @msmacb
Nurturing the Write Mind: @DavidCorbett_CA
Genres / Fantasy
3 Elements of a Memorable Fantasy Story: @AndreaWriterlea
How Your RPG Campaign Can Inspire Your Novel: @swan_tower @tordotcom
6 Ways Rapid Communication Changes a Fantasy Setting: by Oren Ashkenazi
Genres / Historical
Real Life Diagnostics: Does This Historical Fiction Opening Grab You? @Janice_Hardy
Genres / Horror
7 Keys to Creating Bloodcurdling Monsters: @LMacNaughton
Genres / Mystery
Mystery Cliches: Are They Boring Your Readers? @evmysterywriter
Crime Fiction: 5 Ways Officers Can Avoid the Dreaded Pucker Factor: @LeeLofland
How to Write Cozy Mystery Novels (video): @lornafaith
Crime Fiction’s Use of Spinoff Characters: @mkinberg @kbowenwriter
Genres / Romance
6 Ways to Improve Your Romantic Thriller: @KendraElliot @writersdigest
Genres / Screenwriting
Screenwriting Lessons: “The Social Network” : Narrative Framework: @gointothestory
Learning screenwriting by studying Rushmore: @cockeyedcaravan
5 things Learned From DOC MARTIN Screenwriter Julian Unthank: @bang2write
Script To Screen: “Beetlejuice”: @gointothestory
Learning Screenwriting: Sunset Boulevard: @cockeyedcaravan
Genres / Western
5 Bad-Ass Women Writing the West: @manzanitafire
Genres / Young Adult
Why 1 teen doesn’t like YA novels: by Vivian Parkin DeRosa @huffpost
Promo / Blogging
Repurposing Your Posts Without Running into Duplicate Content Issues: @DeniseWakeman @seosmarty
Promo / Book Reviews
9 Mistakes You’re Making with Book Bloggers: @JuiceTom
The Review That Sparked a Fifteen Year Literary Feud: @lithub
“Don’t Rate My Book Five Stars”: @givemeyourteeth
Promo / Connecting with Readers
How To Create A Reader Avatar For Your Book: @SukhiJutla
Promo / Libraries
Invite Your Readers to Help Get Your Book Into Libraries: @HelloTheFuture
Promo / Miscellaneous
World’s Shortest Book Marketing Plan: @jfbookman
10 Tips for Getting Book Publicity: @SmithPublicity
Promo / Social Media Tips
How to Create Pre-Launch Buzz for Your Book: @BadRedheadMedia
Communicate – Never Preach – on Twitter: @caballofrances
How To Have a Top Book on Goodreads: @bookgal
Promo / Websites
How to Start an Author Website: @wilsonthewriter
Publishing / Miscellaneous
Thoughts on Ghostwriting for a Living: @WriterSean
5 Takeaways From a First Week On Wattpad: @NatePhilbrick
The 2 essential skills for writing: @pubcoach
How to make an audiobook with ACX: @roz_morris
What 15 years at Foyles taught about the future of bookselling: by Siôn Hamilton @thefuturebook
Can a teacher get work as a proofreader, even with no publishing experience? @LouiseHarnby
Publishing industry cults, Amazon reviews and cyberbullying: @annerallen
Publishing / News / Amazon
Scammers Break The Kindle Store: @davidgaughran
Publishing / News / International Publishing
US Author’s Guild: Copyright Infringement Agreement With Hungarian Magazine: @mariraz @porter_anderson
Spain’s Hay Festival Segovia Announces Its September Program: @porter_anderson @pubperspectives
China’s Fiction and Nonfiction Bestseller Lists from OpenBook, June 2017: @Porter_Anderson @trajectory
‘Man Booker Dozen’ Revealed: The Prize Announces Its 2017 Longlist: @porter_anderson
Freedom to Publish: @IntPublishers Monitors ‘Cumhuriyet’ Trial in Istanbul @porter_anderson
A New Zealand Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript: Submissions Open: @porter_anderson
Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing
Does It Matter How You Publish? @hopeclark
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Pitches
How to Pitch Agents at a Writers Conference: @janefriedman
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying
When queries get compliments but no acceptances: @janet_reid
Publishing / Process / Formatting
Format Your Book for Amazon Kindle in 30 minutes, Using Word: @TCKPublishing
Writing Under Multiple Pen Names: @denisebarnesuk
Publishing / Process / Self-Publishing
“Things I Wish I Knew Before Self-Publishing”: @sarazalesky
Publishing / Process / Translation
Self-Publishing In French: @Cgodefroy @thecreativepenn
Writing Craft / Beginnings
Why “Start With the Action” Messes Up So Many Writers: @janice_hardy
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
8 basic lies our characters believe: @AneMulligan
30 Scene Ideas for Character Development: @evadeverell
Getting to the Heart of Your Story: The Character Brainstorming Worksheet: @martinaaboone @ayaplit
Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion
How to Write With Emotion and Make Your Readers Feel: @Magic_Violinist
Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists
5 Heroes With Dark Reflections: by Chris Winkle @mythcreants
Why Your Protagonist Should Have a Past “Wound”: @cslakin
Writing Craft / Common Mistakes
5 Mistakes First-Time Self-Published Authors Make (podcast): @writersafterdrk
Writing Craft / Dialogue
What Playwrights Can Teach Us About Dialogue: @amypoeppel
Writing Craft / Drafts
How to Ignore Your Instincts and Find the Real Story: by Emily Ruskovich @writerunboxed
Completing a First Draft: 3 Things Learned: @JenKellandPerry
Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story
Raise a Question, Earn the Backstory: @kcraftwriter
Writing Craft / Hooks
Writing a gripping hook: @plotlinehotline
Writing Craft / Literary Devices
What is the Theme of a Book? An Author’s Guide: @ReedsyHQ
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
5 Characters You Love That Are Just Terrible: by Chris Winkle @mythcreants
Writing Craft / POV
How to Mix First and Third Person POV: @p2p_editor
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting
To Write A Novel You Need Lots Of Bad Ideas: @angee
12 Easy Steps to Break Down Your Story: @patverducci
Cannibalizing Yourself: 9 Reasons You Should Mine Your Life for Ideas: @gabino_iglesias
The Blueprint for Writing a Novel from the First Five Pages to the End: @martinaaboone
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
What’s the deal with Passive Voice? @ml_keller
Commas with Transition Words: @grammargirl
Writing Craft / Revision
Five Editing Lessons From the Family Roadtrip: @JennyHansenCA
Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques
How to Work with a Freelance Editor: An Indie Author’s Experience: @tlordauthor
How to Handle Conflicting Critiques: @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / Series
12 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Writing A Trilogy or Series: @rogersonsm
Writing Craft / Settings and Description
The Fastest Way To Make All Your Descriptions Better: @Chris_Kokoski
Writing Tools / Thesauri
Character Motivation Thesaurus Entry: Avoiding Financial Ruin: @beccapuglisi
Character Motivation: Escaping a Dangerous Life One Doesn’t Want: @angelaackerman
The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
July 22, 2017
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 40,000 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 still on a blog break (except for my Twitterific roundups. Hope everyone is doing well. I’ll be back with my usual blogging schedule on Monday, July 31. :)
Business / Miscellaneous
Change is Good: The Case for Book-to-Film Adaptations: by Lydia Cornett @SignatureReads
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration
Where to find ideas: @AllieLarkin @WriterUnboxed
Writing Inspiration: Do You Really Need It to Write? @joebunting
‘War of the Roses’ author on coping with rejection (video): @WarrenAdler
The Complex Power of Mapping the World of Your Novel: @barbaraoneal
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers
Toes in the Sand: 6 All-time Classic Beach Reads: by Rita D. Jacobs @SignatureReads
10 Works of Literary Horror to Read: @knownemily
Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation
How to Keep Writing When You Want to Quit: @aliventures
Keep yourself accountable – find a writing buddy: @businessinrhyme
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block
Writer’s Block? Consider a Template: @KarenJordan
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly
Tips for slow writers for writing more quickly: @ChrysFey
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
When All of Your Family Heirlooms are Stories: @ginasorell
Keeping a positive mindset while writing: comic via @inkyelbows
3 Ways to Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Writing: @cslakin
How to Annotate the World: A Proposal for Literary Geo-Tagging: by Adam Bonislawski @lithub
What 1 Writer Has Learned So Far: @rickischultz
5 Things All Writers Should Know When Writing a Second Novel: @jessicastrawser
4 Ways to Make Journal-Writing Part of Your Everyday Life: @paperblanks
Genres / Fantasy
Writing diverse urban fantasy: @Brianna_daSilva
Genres / Humor
Tips for writing humor: @SDonovanAuthor
Genres / Mystery
Crime fiction: murders that appear complex but have simple solutions: @mkinberg
Crime Writing: The Queen of Poisons and The Marsh Test: @DPLyleMD
Genres / Non-Fiction
Changes In The Publishing Industry And Launching Non-Fiction Books: @danblank
Genres / Picture Books
Picture Book Writing Style: @kid_lit
Genres / Science Fiction
The Science in Your Science Fiction: Time Travel: @MelanieMarttila @diymfa
Genres / Young Adult
On Writing Young Characters: @CeciliaGalante5 @AmitaTrasi @lithub
Promo / Ads
Tips for Amazon Ads: @Bookgal
Rejected By BookBub? Look In The Mirror And Change Your Marketing Ways: @EbooksAndKids @DigiBookWorld
Can Facebook Ads Really Boost Your Author Platform? @EmilyWenstrom
Promo / Blogging
Why Blogging is Important for Writers: @ShelleyWidhalm
Promo / Book Reviews
Tips for approaching book bloggers: @Bookgal
The Value of Book Reviews for Indie Authors: @ChantiReviews @IngramSpark
The Myth Of Reviews: @nlowell
Sell Sheets: How to Pitch Your Book to Reviewers: @juicetom
Promo / Connecting with Readers
7 Ways to Turn Readers into Buying Fans: @clarewhitmell
Promo / Libraries
Libraries and Self-Published Authors: @TEdunWrites
Promo / Miscellaneous
7 Top Book Marketing Takeaways from BookExpo 2017: @BookBub @DianaUrban
How Indie Presses and Authors Can Collaborate on Marketing Campaigns: @MeghanRFarrell
How to Use Infographics to Successfully Promote Your Book: @thecreativepenn
Promo / Newsletters
Setting Up and Building an Email List: @sabsky
Building a Mailing List through Reader Magnets: @MarcyKennedy
Bookfunnel vs Instafreebie: @NovelDes_Studio @instafreebie
Promo / Platforms
Define Your Target Audience: Branding/Discoverability: @KristineRusch
10 Things You Should Know About Having A Persona: @gabino_iglesias
Promo / Social Media Tips
Twitter Marketing: How to Boost Engagement and Connect to Influencers: @bookgal @bookworks
Promo / Websites
13 Timesaving WordPress Plugins: @petersonsar @smartbloggerhq
Insider’s Guide: Essential Author Website Component Checklist: @nocargr
Publishing / Miscellaneous
What’s the Best Time To Publish Your Book? @SpatzSteven @BookBaby
Should you write a dedication in your book? @rxena77
Audiobooks: How to get your book recorded as an audiobook: @CSPerryess @annerallen
Reviewing Peer Review: ‘The Integrity of Published Academic Work’: @porter_anderson @martin_eve
The World of a Literary Scout–and International Rights: @parulmac
Publishing / News / International Publishing
Publishing’s ‘brutal pattern’: the int’l industry, blockbusters, price, competition: @porter_anderson
Creative Europe’s New UK Report: In the Shadow of Brexit: @porter_anderson @ChristophJski
Wattpad Opens Partnership With France’s Hachette Romans: @porter_anderson @AshleighGardner
Freedom to Publish: Author @koraycaliskan Under House Arrest in Turkey: @porter_anderson @pubperspectives
Rights Interest Rising: Indonesian Publishers on International Trade: @porter_anderson
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing
When Changing Your Approach Results in Getting the Call: by Rebecca Hunter @HarlequinSYTYCW
Traditional Publishing: How Fiction Writers Nab Book Deals and Get Published: @kristen_kieffer
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying
How to Write a Query Letter to a Magazine: by Georgina Roy
How to Immediately Improve Your Query Letter’s Effectiveness: @janefriedman
Publishing / Process / Book Design
Creating a stand-out book cover: @LouiseHarnby
Publishing / Process / Legalities
How to Use Lyrics in Your Writing Without Risk: @HelenSedwick
The Legal Side of Anthologies: @SusanSpann
Publishing / Process / Translation
Man Booker International 2018 Judges: Prize Honors Translator, Author: @porter_anderson @pubperspectives
Writing Craft / Beginnings
Nail Your Opening Line With Tips From The Great Masters: @valleygrrl
Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists
Villains & Villainesses: Architects of Story: @carablack
5 Characteristics of an Epic Villain: by Antonio del Drago @mythicscribes
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
7 Character Development Keys: @gointothestory
How to Take Advantage of Your 4 Most Important Characters: @kmweiland
Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion
5 Tips For Writing An Emotional Scene: @MichelleGriep
Writing Craft / Common Mistakes
Fixing Flat Plots: @KMWeiland
Is your Narrative Treating Readers like Idiots? @p2p_editor
One Simple Trick to Avoid an Opening Page Infodump: @jamigold
Writing Craft / Dialogue
The Random Dialogue Exercise: @jamesscottbell
Subterfuge in Dialogue: @beccapuglisi
Writing Craft / Drafts
From Idea to Novel: @ClareLangleyH
What Should You Focus On While First Drafting? @ava_jae
The Writing Process…It Ain’t No Unicorn Hug: @KristenLambTX
Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film
Using Groundhog Day as a Tool for Learning Screenwriting: @CockeyedCaravan
Fictional characters – a lesson from Seinfeld: @roz_morris
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
Reader Wonder: How To Get It: @Janice_Hardy
5 Things Learned From Story Expert John Yorke: @LivSFB
Narrative Structure: What It Is and How To Use It: @I_am_Mr_Pants
Writing Craft / Pacing
Writing an Action Story: 8 Tips for Faster Pace: @nownovel
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining
Your 3-Step Plan for Outlining A Novel: @beccapuglisi
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting
How to Write Contemporary Fiction: Don’t Imitate Tolstoy: @annerallen
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research
19 Academic Writing Search Engines: via Fix Your Writing Habits
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
3 Sentences That Lack a Word to Achieve Parallel Structure: @writing_tips
Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques
Writing Groups for Beginners: @jasonbougger
Writing Tools / Resources
Writing Study Guide Worksheet: @EvaDeverell
Uncategorized
5 Ways to Improve Your Verbal Imagery: by Dawn Field @DIYMFA
The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
July 15, 2017
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 40,000 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.
A couple of notes today: First off, thanks to Feedspot for naming my blog one of the Top 50 Mystery Blogs.
Also: I’m taking a summertime blog break for a couple of weeks. No regular blog posts from me until July 31st, but I’ll be back here next week on the 23rd (and again on the 30th) with my Twitterific roundups. Then I’ll be back starting the 31st with blog posts on confirming newsletter subscribers, evaluating a series, reviewing a writing year in progress, and thoughts on teaser chapters. Hope you have a great couple of weeks!
Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels
10 Things 1 Author Did Right As a Debut Novelist: @manzanitafire
How to Write a Book: @woodwardkaren
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration
Music as a companion while writing: @Gwen_Womack @Roz_Morris
6 Websites with Great Writing Prompts: @ToddBrison
What a Week of Pro Tennis Taught About Writing: @barbarajoss
How Taking a New Path in Writing Can Fire Up Your Muse: @LizandLisa
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers
‘Reading My Namesake’: on Titus Groan: @tituschalk @FantasyFaction
These Hand-Drawn Maps Helped Create ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ Books: @slaskow
5 Sci-Fi Stories for Crime Writers: @NikKorpon
Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation
How Would Your Writing Change If You Were Fearless? @Bang2write
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly
Long Break from Writing? Getting Back in Shape Quickly: @NickThacker
Staging a Book Blitz: @barbaraoneal @WriterUnboxed
Ways Writers Can Hack through Distractions: @CSLakin
Creativity and Inspiration / Success
John Grisham’s Do’s and Don’ts for Writing Popular Fiction: @JohnGrisham @nytimesbooks
10 Ways to Make Readers Happy: @kayelleallen
5 Lessons Learned Between Books 7 & 8: @mollygreene
How to make money writing fiction: 11 tips: @JeffCars0n @LouiseHarnby
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
Writing Life Humor: Why You Should Always Proofread your Email One More Time: @inkyelbows
Only Writing Is Writing, Right? Wrong! @RosanneBane
Yes, You Can Learn To Write Better Fiction: @jamesscottbell
Clearing Hurdles with Writing and LIfe: @FinishedPages
Will working in publishing help a career as a novelist? @Janet_Reid
Stealing Time to Write: @SiouxR
Get that Creative Euphoria Without Alcohol or Drugs: @colleen_m_story
Why Don’t Some Writers Take Time Off? (And Why You Should): @Jenn_Mattern
Genres / Horror
Christopher Lee Reads Four Classic Horror Stories by Edgar Allan Poe (1979) @openculture
Genres / Mystery
First dates as elements in crime fiction: @mkinberg
Genres / Non-Fiction
The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Publishing a Nonfiction Book: @writingtipsoasi
Genres / Picture Books
10 Tips For Creating Your First Children’s Picture Book: @Michael_Gallant
Genres / Poetry
Why All Poems Are Political: @KathleenOssip @ElectricLit
On Sound and Rhythm: Teaching Poetry to Youth: by Jack Collum @PoetryFound
Genres / Romance
How to Write Romance Beats: @gwenhayes @lornafaith
Creating a Swoonworthy Beta Hero: by Elizabeth Harmon @RomanceUniv
Genres / Screenwriting
Title vs. Character Names: by Joel Haber @scriptmag
The best time in a script to handle a character’s backstory: @GoIntoTheStory
Great Scene: “Good Will Hunting” : @GoIntoTheStory
Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting
A Few Thoughts on Writing Better Book Titles: @aprildavila
A Book description issue: @snbradywriter
Promo / Book Reviews
Why do readers send authors their bad reviews? @Danoosha @GuardianBooks
Promo / Box Sets
How 2 Authors Created a Box Set to Boost Ebook Sales 350%: @MariCarr @BookBub
Promo / Miscellaneous
Planning Your Book Promotion Before You Publish: @JKSlitpublicity @IngramSpark
Promo / Platforms
Brand Identity (Branding/Discoverability): @KristineRusch
How to Create and Market your Author Platform For Free: @BadRedheadMedia
Promo / Social Media Tips
2 reasons to use your official author name on Twitter: @Roz_Morris
Publishing / Miscellaneous
Self-Publishing Professional: How To Sell Your Services: @angee
CreateSpace vs KDP Print: @SassyZenGirl
Platforms: @Draft2Digital Challenges ACX; Hungary’s PublishDrive at Google: @porter_anderson
Can You Make A Living as a Freelance Writer? @AGHackney
Publishing / News / International Publishing
Russia’s 10 Favorite Children’s Books of 2016: @DennisAbrams2 @pubperspectives
Startups: The Spanish Bookstage Rights Platform Closes This Month: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
IPA Condemns Verona Mayor’s Books Censorship Agenda: @Porter_Anderson @michielams
Canada’s $75,000 Cundill Prize Names Jurors: Record Submissions: @Porter_Anderson
‘An Examination of Convergence of Digital Tech. and the Cultural Context’: @porter_anderson @axflowers
Audience Engagement: New Report on European Book Fairs: @porter_anderson @aldusnet
Unicorn Acquires Chambers Retrospective; IPR License Signs Lang, ICE: @porter_anderson @pubperspectives
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying
An Agent’s Advice: The Big 5 No-nos to Querying a Literary Agent: @Mark_Gottlieb
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections
Writing Contests: Why You Only Got an Honorable Mention: 4 Reasons: @davidfarland
Publishing / Process / Legalities
The Truth Behind Popular Copyright Myths: @SusanSpann
Book Disclaimers Don’t Have to be Boring: @HelenSedwick
Digital Piracy & Illegal Downloads: Author Options: @HelenSedwick @BookWorksNYC
Publishing / Process / Services to Avoid
How to Tell if You’ve Received a Genuine Publishing Offer: @Belinda_Pollard
The Vanity Press Trap: How to Avoid & Recoup the Damage: @carlaking
Publishing / Process / Translation
Daniel Hahn on Translation, Awards, and Dodging Oblivion: @porter_anderson @danielhahn02
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
Creating Your Character – A Checklist: @SKathAnthony @WritersAfterDrk
Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion
10 Ways To Show Your Character’s Emotions: @AngelaAckerman
Characters Are Affected by Events: @NovelEditor
Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists
Developing a series hero: @jamesscottbell
Writing Craft / Dialogue
Writing Wow Dialogue: @Lindasclare
Writing Craft / Diversity
How Do Literary Agents Approach Diversity? @sangeeta_editor @ericsmithrocks @JaneFriedman
Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film
8 Reasons Your Critiques of Marvel Are Wrong: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
How to Calculate Your Book’s Length Before Writing: @KMWeiland
What if the hero was the heroine? Turning Your Story Upside Down: @RachelHauck
Using the Rule of Three in a Major Scene: @PTBradley1 @NovelRocket
Yes, Your Novel Has a Message: @theladygreer
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining
10 outline techniques for writers: by 1000 Story Ideas
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting
12 Easy Steps to Break Down Your Story: @patverducci
The Blueprint for Writing a Novel from the First Five Pages to the End: @MartinaABoone
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
Are sympathy and empathy the same? @pokercubster
Writing Craft / Revision
10 Tips for (Re)Writing a Novel: @Jolina_Joy
Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques
Want To Grow As A Writer? Transform Your Critique Group: @michael_hauge
Writing Craft / Scenes
8 Steps to a Perfect Scene: @CSLakin
Does This Scene Deserve a Place in Your Story? 2 Ways to Find Out: @KMWeiland
Writing Craft / Settings and Description
4 Reasons You Should Outline Your Settings: @KMWeiland
Writing Craft / Special Needs
How to Treat Mentally Ill Characters When Writing a Novel: @SonjaYoerg
Writing Craft / Synopses
Tips for a Better Synopsis: By Suzanne Purvis
Writing Craft / Transitions
Creating Effective Transitions: @woodwardkaren
Writing Craft / World-Building
Where to Begin Worldbuilding: @authorvotey @TheIWSG
Money and Economics for SF/F Writers: @DanKoboldt
Writing Tools / Apps
7 Tools for Creativity: @JFbookman
Writing Tools / Resources
Want to support yourself with your writing? A worksheet to create a plan: @EvaDeverell
Writing Tools / Thesauri
Character Motivation Thesaurus: Escaping Homelessness: @beccapuglisi
The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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July 13, 2017
10 Best Things About Writing Cozy Mysteries
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I like reading many different kinds of books. Everything from biographies to literary fiction and classic literature interests me.
But for writing, I’ve been sticking with cozy mysteries. There are a few reasons for that. For one, I’m pretty well branded as a cozy mystery writer and that’s what readers are looking for and expecting from me. For another, it takes a whole lot more effort and research for me to switch to another genre (although I’ve done that…once.)
The biggest reason, though, is that writing cozy mysteries is so much fun.
Here are the 10 best things about writing cozy mysteries:
The sleuths: Tired of the clichéd alcoholic police detective? No worries. The cozy sleuth is a gifted amateur who shouldn’t be weighed down with addictions.
The sidekicks: Sidekicks in cozies are everything the sleuth isn’t. This affords some great opportunities for insight and even some conflict for the sleuth.
The closed setting: Cozies are frequently set in closed settings–small towns or small sections of bigger towns (a barbeque restaurant in Memphis). The suspects all know each other and the victim and are limited in number.
The reader age range: Because these books are G-rated, I’ve had some readers say that they’ve read them with their grandchildren.
The lack of research: You want to get forensic and ballistic research right. It has to be believable and it takes time to make sure that it works. In a cozy, the mystery is set up like a puzzle. There is very little, if any, research required.
The tidying up: The process of restoring order to the story world is incredibly satisfying.
The humor: The light humor in cozies provides a nice relief to the seriousness of murder. This is usually provided with situational humor.
The subplots: The subplots are fun to write and show a different dimension to the characters. You can have subplots that arc over the course of the series or that wrap up with each book. You can even have subplots that tie into the main murder plot in interesting twists.
The small-town motives: Motives never involve international intrigue or organized crime. Instead, they could focus on something as small (and relatable) as feuds with neighbors. The process of writing the motives is very cathartic.
The readers: Cozy readers love the mysteries. They love the almost interactive process of solving the mystery with the sleuth. And they’re incredibly responsive–they answer email newsletters, they comment on Facebook, and they send emails. They also give great clues as to what they like…and don’t like (which can be even more helpful)…about your series.
Those are my favorite things about writing cozies. How about you? What makes your genre satisfying to write? Want to give cozies a go? ;)
Photo via Visual hunt
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