Riley Adams's Blog, page 88

Keeping Organized as a Writer

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Being a writer can involve a lot of clutter.

And I don’t even print things out. I’ve trained myself by this time to work as well on the computer as I used to on paper (that way I don’t have the time-consuming process of transferring notes or manuscript text to the computer later).  But there’s a lot of computer clutter.

I’ve found if I can keep my files organized, it helps me to write a lot faster. That’s because I can quickly access the information I need and keep writing my story without getting distracted by something else on my computer (hello, internet).

Here’s my (current) method, using Word.  I’ve gone through a bunch of different iterations and I’d be interested in hearing how you’ve set your own files up.

First off, the important stuff: the story bibles. For series writers, these are like gold. I may not immediately remember what type of car a character in book two drove…but I guarantee that some reader remembers (probably because they were binge-reading and book two is very fresh in their minds).  In these story bibles, I track eye color, past jobs, the street my character lives on, etc.  I have a folder for each series and individual documents inside those folders for each character. I also have documents for recurring settings (as broad as the town and the town names/proximity of nearby towns and as insular as the living room of the protagonist).

Next, the story itself. I want every scrap of information related to the story in the same folder.  I have a folder for each book.  Inside that folder are documents: the back cover copy, the outline, a list of things to fix/check on in later drafts, and the manuscript.

Finally, I’ve got a folder of information that helps me publish the story.   ISBNs for all the books are in one document. I’ve also got a document for metadata to ensure that I’m listing my book/series information consistently for better search engine optimization. I’ve got my headshot and bio handy and the back matter for my books (list of books, common acknowledgments, where to find me online, a pitch for my newsletter) in the same folder.

Backing up these files is essential. I back up to both a USB that I keep on my keychain and to the cloud.

For a look at how other writers stay organized, see Melissa Donovan’s post “Writing Tips for Getting and Staying Organized” and Elizabeth Covart’s post on keeping writing ideas and research organized by using Evernote. 

How do you organize your writing-related files? What else do you organize to help make your writing and publishing process smoother?

Tips for organizing writing-related files:
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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

Saving Your Work–Ways to Keep Your Writing Safe Today: @writeabook

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

The #1 Tip For Introverts Attending a Writing Conference: @writingrefinery @DIYMFA

Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting

Summer Bucket Lists For Writers: @10MinNovelists

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

Ignite Your Imagination: 12 Books on Creativity: by Jessica Mizzi @SignatureReads

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

Horror in Translation: 8 Chilling Reads From Around the World: @Rcordas @tordotcom
“10 Things About Writing I (Re)Learned From Graphic Novels”: @Gabino_Iglesias
It’s All in the Rigging: 9 of the Best Boats in Fantasy: @fran_wilde @tordotcom

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

The Drive to Survive as a Writer: @christinadelay
Confidence and the Writer: @ByCatherineEgan

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

The Secret Schedules of Great Authors: @AndreaWriterlea
Are Your Writing Habits Beach Ready? Writing in the Summer: @SueBEdwards

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

Writer’s Block and You: On Causes and How to Write On: @HistoireLolita
Regaining confidence as a writer: @_FYWH

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

Tracking Time: Analyzing Your Work Week For Maximum Productivity: @JillWilliamson
2 Ways to Beat Writing Procrastination and Finish Your WIP: @numawokcreative

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

6 Fantasies Standing Between You and Writing Success: @RuthHarrisBooks

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

18 Quotes for the Writing Life: @ErinMFeldman
How Do You Know When Your Writing Career Is Over? @edsikov
“Poultry?” No, Poetry. On Moving From Verse to Memoir: by Chris Forhan @lithub
10 Things Authors Would Like to Say to Their Worst Critics: by Raymond Esposito @WritersAfterDrk
8 unintended consequences of becoming a writer: @tmAlexander
Overcoming Negativity Bias: @e_foster3
4 Ways to Beat Frustration in Your Writing Career: @DanBlank

Genres / Fantasy

Publishing Urban Fantasy For 11 Months – Lessons Learned: @KhaosFoxe

Genres / Horror

Ghost story writing: a reading list: @huntershea1

Genres / Mystery

The M.I.C.E. Quotient and Mystery Stories: @woodwardkaren
Crime Writing: Collusion Illegal? Well, it Depends … : @LeeLofland
Writing a Murder Mystery: The First Victim: @woodwardkaren
Underdogs as an element in crime fiction: @mkinberg

Genres / Poetry

The Ultimate Guide to Writing Poetry for Beginners: @writingtipsoasi
Top 10 Dip Into Poetry Lines: @lwlindquist @tspoetry

Genres / Science Fiction

Horses in Space: Evolving the Equinoid Alien: @dancinghorse @tordotcom

Genres / Screenwriting

Top 5 Screenwriting Mistakes Writers Make: @Bang2write

Genres / Young Adult

Writing teen dialogue: @SH_Marr_Writes

Promo / Platforms

Your Writing Platform: Letting Readers Know the (Sort of) Real You: @barbaraoneal
Creating an author tagline: @mybookshepherd

Promo / Social Media Tips

5 Twitter Chats for 5 Different Writers: @bronniesway @DIYMFA
5 Steps to Kick Your Marketing FOMO to the Curb: @cksyme @JaneFriedman

Promo / Speaking

3 Steps to Crafting Your Public Persona For An Author Speaking Engagement: @Dana_Kaye @DigiBookWorld

Promo / Websites

5 Good reasons to Secure Your Site: @AnneKnol1

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Alternative to ACX for Your Audio-Book: @111publishing
5 Tips for Applying to Writing Fellowships and Residencies: @decorcione
How good is my audio-book narration? And how do I minimize risk? @LouiseHarnby
The Millions : Why Literary Journals Don’t Pay: by M.R. Branwen @The_Millions
How New Writers Can Build an Impressive Writing Resume with Zero Experience: @tessaemilyhall

Publishing / News / International Publishing

A successful YA YouTube vlog is picked up by a Canadian press: @Porter_Anderson @llyonstweets
China’s Copyright Industry Shows Growth, Exports in Creative Products: @Porter_Anderson
Rights Update: Italy’s Piergiorgio Nicolazzini for Righetto, Gungui, Mosca: @Porter_Anderson
International Publishers Association Announces Prix Voltaire Shortlist: @Porter_Anderson
Hers and His Software: The Klopoteks’ Publishing System, Growing: @pubperspectives @Porter_Anderson
Two UK Acquisitions: Curtis Brown and Victor Ltd., Ingram and NBNi @Porter_Anderson
Rights Update: Lina Bengtsdotter’s Debut Book Sells to 10 Territories: @Porter_Anderson @BonnierRights
Sudanese Author Wins 2017 Caine Prize for African Writing: @DennisAbrams2 @CainePrize
From India: A Call for Short Fiction Entries on Delhi: @Porter_Anderson @SEffectBook
At Frankfurt’s ‘The Markets’: Haemin Sunim and the Pace of Publishing: @haeminsunim @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

“Trying” to Self-Publish: @hopeclark

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Pitches

How Pitching a Novel is Like Being in the Secret Service: @JJHensleyauthor
In-Person Pitching: The Thrill of Victory and Agony of Defeat: @jenklepper @WomenWriters

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

Bookscan for the indie writer: @Janet_Reid

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections

Rejection Doesn’t Stop: @Ava_Jae @theverbs

Publishing / Process / Distribution

Aggregation without Aggravation: @pronoun and @publishdrive



How to Choose and Set Up a Pen Name: @HelenSedwick @JaneFriedman

Writing Craft / Beginnings

Fixing the first page: @Ava_Jae

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

5 Ways to Use Myers-Briggs for Characters: @KMWeiland

Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists

How To Give Your Hero Some Personality: by Hannah Collins
Hero Personality Profiles: The Archive @CockeyedCaravan

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

General writing misconceptions: @CockeyedCaravan
Why Head-Hopping Hurts Your Writing And How To Avoid It: by Paige Duke @standoutbooks

Writing Craft / Conflict

Are Your Conflicts Significant? @SeptCFawkes

Writing Craft / Diversity

Writing Black Characters Dealing with the Culture of Poverty: @evans_writer

Writing Craft / Drafts

5 Ways to Get Your Draft Written: @victoria_grif7

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

That Magic Technique: Dark City’s Influence on Modern Sci-Fi: by Leigh Butler @tordotcom

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

How to Use Similes and Metaphors: @AJHumpage
When Imagery in Description Is Useful, and When It’s Overkill: @Kid_Lit

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Writing Cinematically: 10 Movie Techniques to Apply to Your Novel: @AuthorDebRaney @stevelaubeagent
Food and Fiction: @JennyCrusie
Why Writing Rules Don’t Work but Writing Guidelines Do: @RuthHarrisBooks @annerallen

Writing Craft / Plot Holes

How to Fix Any Plot Hole Like a Pro: @ink_and_quills

Writing Craft / POV

Point of View: Third-Person Limited: @HelloTheFuture @theverbs

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

Plot Twists That Defy Genre Expectations: @NicolaAlter
4 Lessons on Plotting: @millie_ho
3 Whimsical Reasons to Daydream Your Story: @RuthanneReid

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research

The Writer’s Guide to Anaphylaxis: @scriptmedic

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

Wrestling Run-On Sentences Into Shape: @KathyEdens1 @ProWritingAid
Faulty Parallelism: Parallelism With a Rebel: @ZoeMMcCarthy

Writing Craft / Revision

How to Make a Manuscript (More) Perfect: @KatieClarkBooks @tessaemilyhall
Trimming Tricks of the Trade: @GoIntoTheStory

Writing Craft / Scenes

4 Ways to Make a Scene Matter: @AndreaWriterlea

Writing Craft / Series

Settings and Series (video): @JAHuss

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

Worksheet to help writers with description: @EvaDeverell

Writing Craft / Word Crafting

Do you use too many sticky words? @pubcoach
Purple Prose: Why It’s So Terribly Fun: by Raymond Esposito @WritersAfterDrk

Writing Craft / World-Building

World Building: How much does it take to bring characters and places alive? @emma_darwin

Writing Tools / Resources

Yale’s Free Online Course on Lit Theory, Covering Structuralism, Deconstruction, More: @openculture @Yale

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Keeping Motivated

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I lurk in a lot of Facebook groups and while there are always writers who are pumped up about writing and promoting (yes, really, there are those writers!) I notice that there are just as many who seem frustrated or discouraged: either with their writing progress or with their lack of sales.

Sometimes they’ll be at least making steady sales and then will get completely undone by a terrible review.

Sometimes they say that they don’t really have family support for writing or feel as though they have to make a ton of sales to justify their writing.

Sometimes their life has turned upside down with medical issues for themselves or for people close to them. Or it’s turned upside down for other reasons.

In these circumstances, it’s really tough to keep going.  There’s a lot to be discouraged about and sometimes it’s hard to be creative or motivated when faced with a lot of discouragement.

For these times, I think it’s good to evaluate what keeps you going. What is driving you to write?  For most of us, it’s definitely not the money.  So what is it?

Some writers might really appreciate a good customer review on Amazon.  Or a question from a reader on Facebook, asking when the next book is coming out.  The feeling when you get a great idea for a book you’re working on.  Or the feeling of ‘having written’ that day.

Some people will say that it’s most important for the motivation to come from within.  That we write to please ourselves and not other people.

It’s probably true.  But I know that my whole life, anytime I’ve ever written anything, I’ve wanted desperately to share it.  I don’t even know that I cared if people liked it–but I wanted to share it.  I was that kid shoving stories into the hands of grown-ups visiting my parent’s house.  I wanted people to read my stuff.  Of course I’d still write if I was going to be the only audience…but I don’t think I’d be as happy.  This is how I know I’ll always publish.

So this is my tip for when you feel like you’re about ready to throw in the towel: make your writing life very, very basic.

Set the bar low in terms of your goals: 5-10 minutes a day.

Cut way back or eliminate your promo activity.  Automate whatever you continue doing (sharing other writers’ blog posts, etc.)

Don’t worry about platforms, blogging multiple times a week or anything else besides opening up that manuscript and working on it a few minutes a day.

Realize that many other writers are in the same boat. Take a look at the IWSG for writers.  It stands for Insecure Writers Support Group, and it hosts encouraging and informative blog posts and newsletters, as well as monthly blog hops where writers share insights into their own roadblocks and encouragement.

If reviews were the problem, consider avoiding reading them (I do find negative reviews helpful, but they don’t bother me as much…if you’re more sensitive to them, there are many, many writers I know who make it a point never to read their reviews). I also recommend keeping a Word doc or Evernote file full of any positive feedback you’ve received: emails, customer reviews, book bloggers, etc. Then you can look through them if you feel discouraged later.

Never try to catch up if you miss a day or two.  Just jump right back in and pick up where you left off.

Take care of yourself by keeping to a regular schedule of sleeping and eating and other forms of self-care.

See if, after these steps, you remember why you wanted to write in the first place.

If all goes well, gradually increase your social media presence again.

Because, when sales or reviews or life gets you down, the best thing to do is go back to basics…and focus on your writing.  Rediscover what made you become a writer to begin with.

For other thoughts on staying motivated, read Susan Dennard’s post “How I Stay Motivated During the Tough Times” and Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen’s post “6 Tips for Staying Motivated to Write from Successful Writers.”

Any other tips that I’ve missed about staying motivated as a writer?  How do you stay motivated?

Tips for Staying Motivated as a Writer:
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Art in the Everyday

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I was looking for a movie to watch and stumbled across “Paterson” on Amazon Prime Video (free to Prime customers).

The description of the movie reads:

Every day, Paterson adheres to a simple routine: he drives his daily route, he writes poetry into a notebook; he stops in a bar and drinks exactly one beer; he goes home to his wife, Laura. By contrast, Laura’s world is ever changing. New dreams come to her almost daily. The film quietly observes the triumphs and defeats of daily life, along with the poetry evident in its smallest details.

It was, I think, the quietest movie I’ve ever watched. Because of its R rating, I kept expecting some sort of horribly violent or upsetting incident to take the film in another direction.  But there was nothing violent or especially upsetting (except, well, maybe for writers. I won’t give any spoilers here).  I discovered later that the R rating was because of language, although I didn’t even remember or notice bad language–a sign that it must have been slipped in very naturally.

Although I’m not a poet (at least not a good one), I loved the way that poetry was woven into the everyday (repetitive, routine, and rather boring lives) of the main characters.  I’m a subscriber to Poet.Org’s Poem-A-Day newsletter, which sends me a poem to read each day (frequently accompanied by the poet’s thoughts on the poem and a bit of bio).  As critic Kate Taylor wrote for The Globe and Mail: “Everyone, it appears, is capable of art.” And: “…The sameness of it all only serves to underline that the creative act belongs to all of us every day.”

As someone who creates (almost) every day, the movie resonated with me in a way that was maybe unintended: as a catalyst to get out of my own head and into the world a little more–a world that can provide unexpected inspiration for artists of all kinds.

One thing that I’ve always loved about the writing life is the way that it allows me to look at life through a lens: that it allows me a certain distance from the world.  And being observant helps feed my writing.

But I could use some help by expanding my observations and finding art in the everyday in settings other than my house.

On my list for finding art in the everyday (which I probably used to do a lot more than I have lately…and now may be a good time to replenish the creative well):

Get out of the house. This is a big one.  As my children have gotten older (my younger child is about to be able to drive on her own now), I’ve had to go out less. Maybe now I should choose to go out more. That could just be a library or a coffeehouse.

Sit where I can observe people.  And, usually, this involves a bit of listening in. People can be fascinating, and so can their dialogue.

Be prepared to list observations, note characters and traits.  I’ve gotten pretty good at surreptitious photography, too, for my character files.

Take a walk.  Sometimes inspiration or the poetry in the everyday doesn’t have to come from other people. It might come from the world around us, especially if we take the time to observe it closely.

Read more to experience more.  Reading is another way of experiencing the world and seeing how others find art in the everyday.  Reading more is something that I’ve challenged myself to do in 2017. So far, it’s worked out well.

Read different kinds of books.  Another challenge.  It gives me much more of a range of ‘experiences.’

Do you find inspiration in the art of the everyday? Get out of the house much?  Have you seen the film “Paterson?”

Seeking Out Art in the Everyday:
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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. 

Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels

A Beginner’s Guide to Writing a Novel: by Georgina Roy @writingtipsoasi
5 Suggestions for People Thinking about Writing a Book: @DaniPettrey

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

Would you pay to turn the first page of this bestseller? @RayRhamey @WriterUnboxed
How to Generate a Story Idea: @CockeyedCaravan
Mine Your Relationships for Writing Material: @FinishedPages
Background Noise: The Netflix Category Every Writer Desperately Needs: @GiveMeYourTeeth

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

6 Space Operas That Explore the Comedic Side of the Cosmos: @TetsuoKaneda
Beyond Everything, Everything: Best Teen Romance Novels: @Keith_Rice1
What Reading Picture Books Can Teach You About Writing Novels: @MEBond_writer
An Incomplete Guide to Literary References in Twin Peaks: @knownemily
‘A Crash Course in YA Taught Me How To Write’: @katherine_heiny @lithub

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

Get in the Habit of Making Time to Write: @CSLakin
Survival Pack or How to Keep Writing No Matter What: @jmunroemartin

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

Writing Exercise #12: Working Backward: @ShanDitty @GoTeenWriters
Filling Up That Uninspired Empty Feeling: @10MinNovelists
5 Ways to Keep Your Writing Moving Forward: @terrywhalin

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

Top 10 Commandments For Successful Writers: @Bang2write

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

The ergonomics of writing: by Dorothy Grant
The Writing Workshop That Runs Itself: @bendolnickbooks@lithub
When Your Hometown is the Last Place to Accept Who You Are: @KaitGetsLit
Everyday chaos. Just another day in the genesis of a book: @Roz_Morris
What’s your writing psychology? @beprolifiko
Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming: @neilhimself
6 Cheap(er) Cities Where It’s Great to be a Freelance Writer: @ElenTurner
If You’re Successful, Lots of People Ask for Your Help. Who Deserves It? @JaneFriedman

Genres / Fantasy

5 Rules for Keeping Fantasy Fiction Realistic: @AuthorCFeehan

Genres / Memoir

How to Write a Memoir: @p2p_editor

Genres / Mystery

Seaside settings in crime fiction: @mkinberg
Outlining a Murder Mystery: @woodwardkaren
Crime Writing: 6 Mind-Blowing Forensic Advancements: @SueColetta1
White collar crime in crime fiction: @mkinberg
Diaries and memoirs in crime fiction: @mkinberg

Genres / Science Fiction

5 Speculative Fiction Novels to Learn From: by Chris Winkle @mythcreants

Genres / Screenwriting

I Love Dick Co-Creator @Sarah_Gubbins : Collaboration,Spontaneity, Overcoming Self-Censor: @deepspacenine
10 Unpredictable Ingredients that Turn Books into Successful Movies: @Bang2write

Promo / Ads

Amazon Ads For Authors: Two Case Studies Showing They Work: @ReedsyHQ

Promo / Blogging

Blogging Leads to Many Career Paths: @annerallen

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

Writing Better Book Titles: @aprildavila

Promo / Book Signings and Launch parties

9 Handy Tips For Planning A Successful Book Launch: @ClaireABradshaw

Promo / Crowdfunding

Setting up Your Book’s Kickstarter Campaign: @NForristal

Promo / Miscellaneous

Sell More Books with Less Marketing: @CaballoFrances
The Secret Promo Power of Obscure Media Outlets: @sharonbially @WriterUnboxed
What’s in it for Your Readers When you Spam Them? Nothing. How to Do Better Now: @BadRedheadMedia
New to Book Publicity? Go Local First: @PublicityHound

Promo / Platforms

Author Platform Worksheets: @EvaDeverell

Promo / Social Media Tips

Expand your audience exponentially with smart Goodreads marketing: by Kate Sullivan @sandrabeckwith
Aerio for Selling And Promoting Your Favorite Books: @WhereWritersWin
Preparing your Goodreads marketing timeline: @cincindypat

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Subsidiary rights: @111publishing
21 Magazines That Pay for Travel Writing: @EricaVerrillo
Open Road Maps Big Newsletter Numbers, New Marketing for Publishers: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
The Art And Business of Bookbinding: @lisa_van_pelt @thecreativepenn

Publishing / News / Amazon

Amazon Has A Fake Book Problem: @DavidGaughran

Publishing / News / International Publishing

New Life for Italy’s Baldini & Castoldi: La Nave di Teseo’s Latest Acquisition: @Porter_Anderson
South Korea’s Ridibooks Raises $20 Million; Quarto Distributes Zest Books: @Porter_Anderson @ZestBooks
A UK Comics Publisher Sees ‘Lots of Opportunities’: @Porter_Anderson
UNESCO Names Sharjah World Book Capital 2019: @Porter_Anderson @IrinaBokova
‘Booksellers are alarmed about geo-blocking and its potential effects on ebook sales’: @Porter_Anderson
Acquisitions: Germany’s MVB Buys Pubnet and PubEasy: @Porter_Anderson @rschild

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

Memorable Author Screw-Ups: @crazyauthorgirl
5 Tips When Self-Publishing Your Book: @LisaKayePresley

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing

The Brutal Truth about Earning Out: @batwood

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

The Perfect Cover Letter: Advice From a Lit Mag Editor: @2elizabeths @JaneFriedman

Publishing / Process / Book Design

Parts of a Book: The Basic Anatomy of Book Design: @JuiceTom
How a Cartoonist-for-Hire Can Get Your Book’s Point Across: @cartoonistfakes @reedsyhq
9 Simple Steps to Create a Book Cover Using Canva: @lornafaith

Publishing / Process / Formatting

A Step-by-Step Guide to Formatting Your Print Book for CreateSpace: by Michelle Campbell-Scott @JuiceTom

Writing Craft / Beginnings

Real Life Diagnostics: Does This Opening Scene Foreshadow Danger? @Janice_Hardy

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

The Villain Doesn’t Think He’s the Villain: @SPressfield

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

42 Character Development Questions: by Johannes Cena
Writing Tips: Creating Believable Characters: @grace_writelife @thecreativepenn
5 Steps to Better Character Development: @JeremyJmenefee
The Craft of Character Development: @aimiekrunyan

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

When Readers Don’t Believe Our Writing: @JamiGold
How to write badly: when fiction turns into friction: @Peter_Rey_

Writing Craft / Diversity

Macmillan Partners With Binc on Bookselling Diversity Scholarships: @Porter_Anderson
How to write better LGBT characters: @daisy_and_me

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

Podcast: @JohnGrisham’s book tour (and his conversations with other authors): https://t.co/tBMkxSQerN ,

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

A Guide to Dramatic, Situational and Verbal Irony: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

The Importance of an Origin Scene: @LisaCron
Writing the Truth: @Lindasclare
Tracking Time in Your Novel: @PBRWriter
5 Reasons To Draw Your Story World Map: @NatePhilbrick
Writing Short for Novel Writers: @Lindasclare
3 Tips For Writing Great Chapters: @theladygreer

Writing Craft / Pacing

Writing Story Dominoes: @Lindasclare

Writing Craft / POV

5 Reasons to Consider Using an Omniscient Narrator: @CSLakin
Choosing the Right Narrative Tense/POV: @MikalebRoehrig

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining

How to Outline When Starting a Story: @SeptCFawkes

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research

One novelist’s research journey: @clairecameron @amyshearn
Google Maps: The Best Writing Tool that No One Knows About: @CamilleDiMaio @WriterUnboxed
3 Common Weapons Mistakes Writers Make – And How to Fix Them: @benjaminsobieck

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

Two Little Words Used Incorrectly: Affect and Effect: @cathychall

Writing Craft / Revision

What Does a Copy Editor Do? And Do I Need An Editor? @BrynDonovan
Clear Step-By-Step Guide to Editing for Self-Publishers: @rachel5bartee @WhereWritersWin
What Is Stylistic and Substantive Editing? @words_cindy
The Rewriting Process: by Liam J. Cross
What It’s Actually Like to Work With a Book Editor: @batwood
5 Ways to Spot the Wrong Proofreader: @ProofreadJulia

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

Make Setting Meaningful: @KayKeppler
How Much Description Is Too Much? @HookedOnNoir
How Much Character Description Does Your Story Need? @hodgeswriter

Writing Craft / Voice

Finding Your Writing Voice by Taking Risks on the Page: @LisaTener

Writing Craft / Word Crafting

Filter words and phrases to avoid: @KathySteinemann @annerallen
Strengthen Your Verbs and Your Writing: @le_sterling

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Back Up Your Work

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Every so often, I run a variation of the same post.  It’s a public service announcement to back up your work.

I have heard so many horror stories from writers about lost work that I truly believe their stories account for the white hairs I have cropping up.

The most harrowing tale is from long ago.  Hemingway lost months of work because his wife, who was bringing the stories (and, sadly, also the carbon copies) to him in Switzerland. She left the overnight bag unattended to get water before the train pulled out. When she returned, the bag, and his work, were gone.  More about this episode here on the Hemingway Project site (including a recorded interview with his wife, Hadley, on the subject).

I back up each day.  I write on a laptop and the laptop takes a lot of abuse.  This summer, especially, I’ve been writing away from home…and I’m a very clumsy person.  The laptop has been dropped several times lately and spilled on once.

How should you back up your work?  I don’t think writers should overthink it.  It needs to be easy enough to make it something that you actually do.  You could even email yourself a copy of the document. You could upload it to Google docs.  Save it to a flash drive that you keep on your keyring.  The point is just to do it.

There are programs that will automatically backup your work, too: CrashPlan and Carbonite are two of them.

If you’re not sure what method works best for you, Sarah Mitroff has a nice overview in her post for CNet (which also mentions the importance of backing up your work to more than one place.)

How often do you back up your work?  What methods do you use?

A PSA: Back Up Your Work:
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Help Handling Requests

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I was reading through my Feedly RSS feeds (I work and curate links about a month behind in the feed reader) and I came across a post by writer Steven Pressfield. It was one of those articles where I scheduled a share, but then saved the post to read more closely again later.  It was called “Clueless Asks” and as soon as I read the title, I knew what it was going to be about. Because I get a lot of these asks, myself. In the post, Steven Pressfield explains that time ‘is the single most valuable commodity you own.’

Funnily enough, I was on another blog and they mentioned a post from industry expert Jane Friedman (and I’m laughing as I write ‘industry expert’ because that’s something she addressed in her post, as well). She wrote in response to “Clueless Asks” a post titled “If You’re Successful, People Ask for Help. But Who Deserves It?” She writes: “Today, even before I open my email, my blood pressure spikes thinking of all the requests, problems, and complaints I’m likely to find.” It’s a great post and mentions how she’s compromised in some instances to respect her time while still responding to requests.

These are different from opportunities.  I’m good at saying no to speaking at far-flung events where I will have to spend money for gasoline or a plane ticket and a hotel without getting compensation.  These other requests are, as Jane Friedman and Steven Pressfield put it, ‘asks.’  And they’re from people I don’t know.

I’m adding on to their excellent posts because I know writers (and several of them are regulars here) who are in the same boat.  They want to help people who ask them for help. They’re overwhelmed with emails and requests. What can they do?

Just a  quick note that this article is not directed at my readers or online friends who reach out.  I never mind emailing and reaching out to either of those groups because they know me…either through my books/characters, my blog, etc.  This is more how I handle asks from people I’ve never heard of who reach out.

 Prioritize the strangers you help. These are examples of the requests I’m most likely to help with: 

 

Writers who really need help, have tried to figure things out, and seem stuck.

Emails from students .

Emails asking about very specific promo-related or writing-related elements.

Writing-related, industry-related help (beta-testing, etc.) that might lead to networking opportunities for me.  This is, honestly, more of a quid pro quo for me.  Maybe it doesn’t belong in the list, but there are a lot of these things that pop up.

Consider politely rejecting some. I’m much more likely to give a polite rejection to: 

Emails that appear to be form letters.

Very vague emails from people I don’t know who don’t appear to have done any research.  (“How do you get published?”)

Content marketers. And I don’t mean the super-professional ones…I mean the ones that want to write you a guest post about vacuum cleaners.  Those types of marketers are like biting flies. If you don’t respond, they’ll keep biting at you and filling your inbox.  I highly recommend using a canned response, if you’re on gmail. It’s sort of like getting a form rejection (which makes me shudder a little…I remember getting those. But hey…persistent content marketers.)  Here’s how to create a canned response in gmail and outlook.

Factors that impact my ability to help:

Mainly just the craziness level of my life at the time.  It literally hurts me to reject a request…I get stomach aches and headaches.  But when I’ve got a book that I’ve got to get to my freelance editor on deadline (and that is a deadline in self-publishing…if your editor is open, you hurry to make sure you’re ready to send it), a child that has a lot going on (that I need to drive to, help with…I’m about to ‘graduate’ from this task when she turns 16),  family emergencies (some of those are going around), then something has got to give.

Many times I want to take part in the group giveaway, test the cool new software for writers, or help someone make sense of self-publishing.  But I also know that I don’t do anything halfway and my helping will eat up a lot of my time.

What I struggle with is that the reason I’m doing well with my writing today is because so many others have helped me along the way when I’ve asked questions or needed help.

Tools to make your helping easier:

Canned responses. I mentioned this above. I have them for advertising requests, requests to ‘update’ old posts with backlinks to fresh content, for general questions on mystery writing, and how to start out with self-publishing.

For instance,  I may send out this response to a content marketer looking to guest blog:

Thank you for your interest in writing for my blog.  Unfortunately, I only take guest posts occasionally and then only from bloggers I know well.
 
Thanks for reaching out and best wishes,


Elizabeth 

Cornerstone content that you’ve created–a blog post you can refer to.  I have written a series on cozy mystery writing, for instance, and several on how to reach an international audience. I can easily direct writers to these posts.

Cornerstone content written by others.  I’ve sent sooo many writers to Jane Friedman’s ‘start here’ series (for example: “How to Get Your Book Published” and “How to Self-Publish.”)

Like so many things in life, it’s best to do things to please yourself instead of others. It pleases me to help, even if my advice or help goes unrecognized.  Besides, it helps me feel I’ve paid back the writers (some of them no longer with us) who helped me get started out by giving me information and advice.  They paid it forward and I’m trying to do the same, as much as I can.

How do you handle requests?  Do you receive lots of emails, too?

Photo credit: Earthworm via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

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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

3 Reasons Authors Shouldn’t Worry About Piracy but How to Protect Yourself Anyway: @thecreativepenn

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

How an Event Hashtag Will Turbo Boost Your Event: @cksyme
How to find the right agent, editor, or writers conference: @StephMorrill @GoTeenWriters

Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting

Writing Resolutions for the ADHD Mind: @TheRyanMcRae

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

She Doesn’t Always Get Away: Goldilocks and the Three Bears: @mari_ness @tordotcom

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

6 Habits of Insanely Productive People: @KarenBanes
The Fundamental Secret to Finding Time to Write: @RuthanneReid

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

Beating Writer’s Block—by Not Writing: @crazywritinfool
What to remember when you’re nervous about writing: @Luna_Manar
3 Questions to Help You Bust Through Creative Blocks: @ChadRAllen

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

10 Ways to Maintain Writing Momentum: @LyndaRYoung @TheIWSG
Using Keyboard Shortcuts to Boost Your Productivity: @MichaelHyatt

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

Write and Market a Kindle Bestselling Book: @DaveChesson @lornafaith

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

Why We Compare Ourselves to Other Writers—and How We Can Stop: @losapala
Your Brain Can Only Take So Much Focus: @srinipillay via @PassiveVoiceBlg
Finding Balance: @iamagemcrystal
6 of the Worst Things About Being a Writer: @jameslrubart
Admitting to Writing:

Genres / Fantasy

5 Anachronisms That Fantasy Needs: by Oren Ashkenazi

Genres / Memoir

Why Your Memoir Won’t Sell: @JaneFriedman

Genres / Mystery

Writing Tips: 7 Strategies for Writing Suspense: @TonyLeeMoral @thecreativepenn
Dropping ‘bombshells’ in crime fiction without too much melodrama: @mkinberg
Crime fiction: when characters lie: @mkinberg

Genres / Poetry

Energize Your Writing by Memorizing Poems: @annkroeker

Genres / Romance

Blending Genres in Romance: We’re Not in 1980 Anymore: @CSLakin
The Endless Subgenres and Varieties of Romance: @LovettRomance

Genres / Science Fiction

From Dark to Dark: Yes, Women Have Always Written Space Opera: by Judith Tarr @tordotcom
Put the Science in Your Science Fiction: by By Lesley L. Smith
Space Opera and the Underrated Importance of Ordinary, Everyday Life: by Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer @tordotcom

Genres / Screenwriting

Top 10 Scary Movie Lines And Why They Work: @Bang2write
Why Dialogue Is Killing Your Screenplay: @Bang2write
How to Create a TV Show: @CockeyedCaravan
Great Scene: “Rocky” : @GoIntoTheStory

Genres / Short Stories

A Shocking (and Fun) Short Story Writing Technique: by Noelle Sterne @WritersDigest

Genres / Western

3 Myths About Westerns and Why We Actually Love Them: @cheryllaughlin

Promo / Ads

9 Reasons a Book Was Rejected for a BookBub Featured Deal by Danielle Perreault @BookBub

Promo / Blogging

How to Launch Your Blog With Your Book in Mind: @kimdinan

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

Why Should I Buy Your Book? or How to Write a Book Blurb: @rxena77
How to write a better Amazon bio: @Bookgal @theverbs

Promo / Book Signings and Launch parties

7 Tips for a Successful Book Launch: @ceciliaedits

Promo / Connecting with Readers

How To Create A Reader Avatar For Your Book: @SukhiJutla

Promo / Metadata

Amazon Keywords That Pull In More Buyers: @Bookgal

Promo / Miscellaneous

The Benefits of Ebook Pre-Orders: @MarcyKennedy
You’re the best person to market your book: @mybookshepherd
How to Avoid Overwhelm This Week: @WritersCoach

Promo / Platforms

Branding for Authors—When Do We Need Marketing and Advertising? @KristenLambTX

Promo / Speaking

How to Prepare for a TED-style Author Talk in Fewer Than 10 days: @DeannaCabinian
Public Speaking Tips for Writers: 7 Keys for a Great Speech: @monicamclark

Publishing / Miscellaneous

12 Ways to Uncover Google Analytics Data: @CaballoFrances

Publishing / News / International Publishing

A Sourcebooks Title Is OverDrive’s New International Big Library Read: @Porter_Anderson @OverDriveLibs
Germany’s 2016 Market Report: ‘Stable Amid Transformation’ @Porter_Anderson
Partnership Notes: Unicorn and Royal Armouries; Reedsy and Blurb: @pubperspectives
Agent Andrew Wylie demands publishing ‘stare down the forces of nationalism’: @Porter_Anderson
Rights Updates from Agencies: Berlin, Istanbul, Cologne, London: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
‘An Experimental Space for Multilingualism’: France at Frankfurt Book Fair: @Porter_Anderson
Bookwire’s ‘Latin American expansion, building on success in Germany and Spain’: @Porter_Anderson @bookwire

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

“Why My Book is Both Traditionally and Self-Published”: @AmitaTrasi

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing

Self-Pub or Trad Pub? Riding the Fence: Indecision at Your Own Peril: @behlerpublish

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

Writing 101: The Dreaded Query Letter: @lauraeweymouth
How to personalize a query: @rachelestout

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections

5 Ways to Survive Rejection as a Writer: @Janice_Hardy

Publishing / Process / Book Design

Book Cover Design: How To Get Feedback to Create an Awesome Design: @SukhiJutla

Publishing / Process / Self-Publishing

Tips for Less-Expensive Self-Publishing:

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

5 Ways to Show Character Growth & Change: @diannmills
Creating Real Characters through Dialogue, Mannerisms, and Actions: @PollyIyer
Wonder Woman: The Essence of a Strong Female Character: @JamiGold

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

5 Consequences of Overpowered Characters: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants
9 Tips to Improve Your Writing: @MCristianoWrite

Writing Craft / Dialogue

Don’t Be Afraid of Mixing Dialogue with Action: by T.L. Bodine

Writing Craft / Drafts

3 Reasons to Try Dictating Your Book: @beckywadewriter @NovelRocket

Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story

Early Hints of Backstory: @kcraftwriter

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

Writing great characters: 5 lessons from modern novels: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

Theme in Commercial Fiction:
How to Choose Good Themes for Stories: 5 Tips: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Narrative Techniques for Storytellers: @WritingForward
How to Write a Heart-Melting Kissing Scene: @RidethePen
Circumlocution – Bore Readers with Overkill, or Not? @ZoeMMcCarthy
What is An Unreliable Narrator? @katekrake
Tracking Throughlines in Your Novel: @Wordstrumpet
5 Simple Steps to Help You Start Writing Your First Book: by Kristen Pope
How To Write About Real-Life Adventures: by Ian Stephen
Metonymy & Synecdoche and How to Use Them: @ZoeMMcCarthy

Writing Craft / POV

How to Do Point of View: Third-Person Omniscient: @HelloTheFuture

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining

What to Outline When Starting a Story: @SeptCFawkes

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

Plot Twists That Defy Genre Expectations: @NicolaAlter
Write A Novel: Include A Bestseller’s Vital Ingredient: @angee

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept

What is a Story Concept? @WritingForward
The importance of story concept: @storyfix

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

‘In’ or ‘Among’? @GrammarGirl
Grammar questions answered: Restrictive and non-restrictive by Edittorrent
3 More Cases of Superfluous Semicolons: @writing_tips
Further vs Farther: What’s the Difference? @EPBure

Writing Craft / Revision

Grading Your Manuscript To Target Revisions: by Elizabeth Harmon @theverbs

Writing Craft / Scenes

Give Your Scenes a Purpose with Scene Goals: @ml_keller
How Do You Know When To Start and End a Scene? by Randy Ingermanson

Writing Craft / Series

“5 Reasons Why I Would Write Series Fiction (And One Reason I Wouldn’t): @10MinNovelists

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

Using Smell, Touch, and Taste in Our Writing: by S. Katherine Anthony

Writing Craft / Voice

How Writers Find Their Voice: @egabbert @ElectricLit

Writing Tools / Books

The Top 10 Craft Books on Storytelling: @ChristophPaul_

Writing Tools / Resources

6 Brilliant Pieces Of Online Media For Writers: @FredBobJohn

Writing Tools / Thesauri

Character Motivation Thesaurus Entry: Caring for An Aging Parent: @beccapuglisi

Uncategorized

UK’s Publishers Assoc. Opens Its #LoveAudio Campaign Today: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
4 Tips for Changing POV and Tense in your WIP: @AmySueNathan

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Admitting to Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

There are times when I’m completely prepared to admit that I’m a writer.  These are usually social situations or parent meetings where small-talk entails being asked what one does for a living.

On these occasions, I make sure I have my business cards in my purse (and that I know where they are in the cavernous depth of the purse). I have a chirpy, cheerful response down pat by now: “I’m a writer.”  If I suspect it’s going to be a very quick conversation, that’s usually all I give. After all, there’s no point in lingering at the refreshments table or when the teacher starts talking at parent night.

For these very brief encounters, they’ll just not their head and not ask anything else,  assuming that I’m a freelance writer or web writer of some kind.

But most frequently, and the reason I usually dread the question, this opens the floodgates to a bunch more questions.  What kind of writer? What kind of writing? What kind of mysteries? Am I published? Under what name? Where do I get my ideas from?

I’m fairly practiced at this, so for situations where I suspect I’m going to be speaking to the person for at least 10-15 minutes, I explain that the type of mysteries I write are similar to the type that Agatha Christie wrote (the similarity ends there), and that I’ve been published. I admit that I write under my own name (I’ve found they’re usually embarrassed that they haven’t heard of me…which is not exactly surprising, considering the huge number of writers and books out there), and  explain that the books are available at the library, bookstore, or online. Then I’ll hand them my card so they’ll remember my name.

The trick is the unexpected situation.  And I live in the South, which means that strangers talk to me regularly–at the grocery store, at the post office, at the drugstore. They’ll strike up an idle conversation to pass the time and to be friendly.

This happened at the library the other day. “What are you working on?” asked an older lady at the table where I was writing.  She wasn’t being nosy, as hard as that is to believe. She was being Southern.

But I wasn’t prepared to talk about my writing just then, since I was taken by surprise. “I’m answering emails,” I said.

And that’s where more savvy writers would make a quick connection. I mean…I was at the library. This woman clearly read books.  But still, I prevaricated. I just didn’t feel like getting into it and hearing the inevitable questions.

There are ways of letting acquaintances know that you’re a writer and that you have a book/books for sale.  Good luck with the random questions from strangers: clearly, I still haven’t mastered that, myself.

Email signature. It’s automatically included on every email I send out, whether it’s to another writer or to my child’s teacher or the gymnastics coach or the neighborhood homeowner association. It’s just a hyperlink to my website and a link for my newsletter signup.

Update your LinkedIn with your books (under ‘publications’).

Make sure your Facebook bio has your books listed or at least states that you’re an author. Share new book covers on your personal Facebook account.

And do carry those business cards.

Do you handle questions about your writing well?  How do you spread the word about your writing to acquaintances?

Photo via VisualHunt.com

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Tips for Less-Expensive Self-Publishing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I read a lot of posts that assume that writers have unlimited funds for book production. But many writers who self-publish books are having to fit the process into a budget.

First off, you’ll usually save money (not time, but money) if you contract out for everything you need instead of going through a self-publishing service.

My main costs in book production are covers and editing.  And I think most writers would agree that those are the two most important things.  Both things can vary dramatically in cost. But both things are vital to the success and sales of our book.

Cover: If you have a very small project (short story, etc.) you could consider going somewhere like fiverr to get your cover. Look at a lot of different profiles and read the reviews to compare designers. There are also sites like Covervault where you can get free designs.

Editing:  Determine what kind of editing you need. The least expensive is line editing (looking for typos). You will pay more if you need an editor to find plot holes, continuity errors, etc. or if you need a story coach to help advise you on character development or plot.  You can save a lot of money by getting your story in as good a shape as possible before sending it to an editor.  One way of doing this is to send your story to several friends or family to read (beta readers).  You could also be part of a critique group (where you read someone else’s story and they read yours. The critique groups I hear the most about are: Critique Circle and Critters Writers. Both have won recognition from Writer’s Digest for best website.

Formatting:  You’ll want your Word document formatted as an ebook (mobi and epub) and for print. You can do this by hiring an inexpensive book formatter, or by running your book through a service like Draft2Digital. With Draft2Digital, the process is free: you log in, load your book information (cover, interior file, author name, etc.) . Then you can convert your file to epub, mobi, and print by clicking on those buttons and downloading the files. You’ll upload the files directly to the various platforms (Kindle, iBookstore, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or use an aggregator like Draft2Digital or Smashwords. Both Draft2Digital and Smashwords will take a portion of your royalties for payment, but there are no upfront costs.

ISBNs: Many indie authors choose the less-expensive option of using CreateSpace‘s or Smashword’s free ISBN for print.  If you use one of their free ISBNs, they’ll be listed as the publisher of record. If that isn’t a problem, that’s certainly more cost-effective. I like being listed as the publisher (and I also like having my sales counted in with the general publishing count). I get mine directly from Bowker.com and the more you get the less expensive they are (although…yeah…they’re not cheap).  More on ISBNs in Giacomo Giammatteo’s post for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Publishing. Again, a very cost-effective way to publish on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and print (CreateSpace, in particular) is to upload files directly to those retailers without going through a middleman (self-publishing services). If you know how to upload files to an email or upload pictures on social media, you have the basic skills required to publish to those retailers.  It’s free to sell your books there–even free through CreateSpace. There is no reason not to have your book available in print and digital versions.

What are your money-saving self-publishing tips? What have I missed? Or, if you’re new to publishing, what questions do you have that I could try to answer?

Tips for less-expensive self-publishing:
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