Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 145

On Translation

 Translator Julie Rose has translated some of France’s
most highly prized writers, both classical and contemporary and is best known
for her critically acclaimed translation of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece,
Les Misérables. Rose has always been an avid
reader of crime fiction. She just translated The Greenland Breach by Bernard Besson, a cli-fi spy novel recently published in English
by Le French Book.









How did you get started in translation?




For me it started
when I moved to France in the 1980s, after graduating from Sydney University
and scoring a doctoral scholarship from the French government. The scholarship
wouldn’t have kept a gal in kirs royaux,
should it have been required to, so I did what everyone else did: I taught
English to French people in firms all over town and interpreted for visiting
delegations of administrators and business people of all stripes.







Interpreting was a
baptism of fire and it sharpened my focus. It led to a lot of related
translation work, as well as a lot of lovely long lunches.




Literary translators
can despise the technical, commercial and legal stuff. I like it. I like having
the illusion that I know about the “real world.” And it’s stood me in good
stead, particularly with Paul Virilio, France’s great critic of the modern moment
who talks a lot about technological innovations and their downsides. And, even
more so, with Victor Hugo.




Yes, tell us about Victor Hugo.

Les Misérables has to be the major highlight
of my translating career so far. Victor Hugo’s interest in the real world was
encyclopedic. He was never content to mention a thing, whether it was man-made,
like lace or jet beads or sewerage systems; or whether it was a natural
phenomenon. He had to know how it was made or formed and explore all its
features in minute detail.




That forensic
interest of Hugo’s, combined with his social awareness and spiritual and
emotional depth, make his great masterpiece as potent as ever. I loved
translating it, but it took three years and was horribly intense. I couldn’t
have done it without my very supportive husband and our energetic dog: she and
I frolicked over hill and dale every day for hours. That gave me the stamina to
keep going - and the love. Les Misérables
is all about love... and what happens when it’s missing or corrupted.




Why translate The Greenland Breach?

This is an
action-packed thriller. It’s as fast-paced and racy as a manga comic. That’s
not a putdown. Besson has an unerringly dramatic sense of structure. He shifts
the action constantly from one part of Greenland to another, and from Greenland
to Paris and Paris to the ship in the Arctic Ocean and back to France – Le
Havre, the Morvan, Normandy. It becomes symphonic, in a military kind of way,
as Besson whips up the action and the various times of the action (Paris time,
Nuuk time, etc.) into a series of crescendos on all fronts. It’s spellbinding,
and exhilarating. But all that swirling movement and the “dirty deeds” that
propel it have a point: they stamp this as melodrama. And the thing about
melodrama, as G.K. Chesterton once said, is that it’s sensational: the
audience’s reward is tears... or, in this case, floods of adrenalin. We are
always in the action. That makes us a vital component of the plot.




Did you face any particular challenges translating The Greenland Breach?




The biggest
challenge as far as terminology goes, for me, in a way, was the boat. One
strand of the action takes place on a ship that has been exploring Greenland’s
icecap. I was born and bred in Sydney, Australia, a uniquely beautiful city
built around water. Boating’s very big. But I’m a landlubber, or maybe a fish.
I like being in the water, not on it. I kept a long list by my keyboard of
perfectly banal, but to me mysterious, words like “bulkhead,” “stem,”
“forecastle”/ “fo’c’sle,” and even “starboard” and “portside” – always have to
think twice before I remember which is which.




The first “adult”
book I ever read as a child was a novel by Hammond Innes, set on a ship. The
sulfurous, claustrophobic, isolated world of that ship has stayed with me as a
locus of foul play and dirty dealing. Besson’s ship is exactly that, and more.
Death is always looming, from within and without.




****




A cli-fi spy
novel by prizewinning novelist and former top-level French intelligence
officer



The Greenland Breach by Bernard Besson
is now available. This eco-thriller has environmental catastrophe, geopolitical
fallout, freelance spies and Bond-like action. The Arctic ice caps are breaking
up. Europe and the East Coast of the United States brace for a tidal wave.
Meanwhile, former French intelligence officer John Spencer Larivière, his
karate-trained, steamy Eurasian partner Victoire, and their bisexual
computer-genius sidekick Luc pick up an ordinary freelance assignment that
quickly leads them into the glacial silence of the great north, where a
merciless war is being waged for control of discoveries that will change the
future of humanity.  Bestselling author Jon Land calls it “a spectacular
thriller.” Translated by award-winning Les
Misérables translator Julie Rose.

Who Says You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover?

  by Rebecca Yount







As a child I had a love affair
with book covers.

Wesley
Dennis's artwork that graced Marguerite Henry's 

stories
drew me in like a magnet attracts metal.




 So,
too, Arthur Rackham's illustrated edition of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in
the Willows.  It was Rackham's cover that initially attracted me to
the book that would become one of the most beloved of my childhood.




 
To this day, I cherish memories of the "olde fashioned" illustrations
from my early edition of Mother Goose.  At times I merely flipped
through the pages to revel in the pictures, rather than read the nonsensical
verses.






 And
I surrendered to shameless vapors over Beatrix Potter's charming illustrations
for Peter Rabbit and her other tales. 




 My
point is this: these evocative covers led me to read those books and their
successors.  In short, a passion for the cover preceded my love for the
story.




A
cover can make or break a book.  If it fails to convey the essence of the
story, the buyer will move on.  This is especially true for a first-time
author: the only thing readers have to go on is your book's cover.  Does
it attract them?  Does it intrigue them?  Does it speak to
them?  Does it compel them to flip through the pages, attempting to divine
your book's contents?




Ideally
a cover should announce to the prospective reader, "This book is going to
rock your world!"

 


I
am a new author, having had my debut crime novel, A Death in C Minor,
published as an e-book in the summer of 2012. The following November, my second
book in the series, The Erlking, was also published as an e-book. I
released the third title, The Ravenhoe Cauldron, on June 30th.




I
have been fortunate to work with Sarah Cotur, who manages to divine my
thoughts.  Being a graphic designer, Sarah is visual while I am
verbal.  While I am garrulous, she is a woman of few words.  However,
what Sarah does say matters.




Somehow
she and I have managed to override our individual quirks while having fun along
the way.  




"Designing
book covers, particularly electronic, is a relatively new design endeavor for
me," Sarah admits.




 "As
a designer," she continues, "I have learned that asking the right
questions and listening well is as important as the design skills
themselves.  From our first conversation, Rebecca immediately had an idea
about how she'd like to visually represent her novel.  I didn't have to
ask too many questions.




 "However,
it can be difficult to extract exactly the image a client (author) has
envisioned....  Even if the design is completely wrong, [designer and
author] will be literally 'on the same page' and can build upon feedback from
that first draft."




 As
Sarah infers, our initial effort was further complicated by the book being
electronic, rather than hard copy.  Does an e-book cover really
matter?  Is rain wet?




 Whatever
early differences Sarah and I may have had regarding concept, we both knew that
both covers had to knock my books out of the park.




 Our
initial conversation about A Death in C Minor went something like this:

    
Me: "The story is about a mysterious man who is murdered with his own
kitchen cleaver."

    
Sarah:  "Hmm."

    
Me:  "So could you work up a cover with a bloody cleaver -- 
perhaps having it chop through the head of a musical note, since the female
protagonist is a concert pianist?"

    
Sarah: "I think you may need an illustrator."

    
Me:  "But I want you."

    
Sarah:  (Pause). "Okay, I'll take a crack at it.  'Talk to you
in a week."

    
A week later Sarah e-mailed her draft cover: a bloody cleaver impaling the head
of an equally bloody musical note.  She had created exactly what I had
asked her to do.

    
And it was all wrong -- which was entirely my fault.

    
So it was back to the drawing board.

    
Our second conversation:

    
Me: "Gee, Sarah, this cover is really gory!"

    
Sarah:  (Silence).

    
Me:  "Then again, it's what I had asked for, isn't it?"

    
Sarah:  "Perhaps some background would help."

    
Me:  "How about a suggestion of the story's English rural village in
the background? And a reference to a musical score?"




 Sarah
e-mailed her concept of the background to me: a village in the moonlight with a
ripped musical score slicing across the graphics.  It was pure genius!




 
And so A Death in C Minor is graced with a cover that has received
effusive praise.  It evokes the story, reaching out to the reader and
announcing, "If you enter this picture and walk with me down that moonlit
village path, you'll be in for the adventure of your life."




 Conceptualizing
the covers for the next two titles was easier.  By that time Sarah and I
were completely comfortable working together.  As a result, she created
two more knock-out designs that have also attracted considerable praise. 




So
don't ever delude yourself into thinking that e-book covers don't matter. 
A brilliant one can take the book to places you never imagined.




Is
there a Pulitzer Prize for book covers?  A National Book Award cover
prize?  Is there something akin to a book cover Academy Award?




If
not, there ought to be.  







 



Rebecca Yount's Mick Chandra series, A Death in C Minor, The Erlking,
and The
Ravenhoe Cauldron are published in e-book format and are available from
all major vendors. Her website is www.rebeccayount.com .

Who Says You Can't Judge a Book By It's Cover?

  by Rebecca Yount







As a child I had a love affair
with book covers.

Wesley
Dennis's artwork that graced Marguerite Henry's 

stories
drew me in like a magnet attracts metal.




 So,
too, Arthur Rackham's illustrated edition of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in
the Willows.  It was Rackham's cover that initially attracted me to
the book that would become one of the most beloved of my childhood.




 
To this day, I cherish memories of the "olde fashioned" illustrations
from my early edition of Mother Goose.  At times I merely flipped
through the pages to revel in the pictures, rather than read the nonsensical
verses.






 And
I surrendered to shameless vapors over Beatrix Potter's charming illustrations
for Peter Rabbit and her other tales. 




 My
point is this: these evocative covers led me to read those books and their
successors.  In short, a passion for the cover preceded my love for the
story.




A
cover can make or break a book.  If it fails to convey the essence of the
story, the buyer will move on.  This is especially true for a first-time
author: the only thing readers have to go on is your book's cover.  Does
it attract them?  Does it intrigue them?  Does it speak to
them?  Does it compel them to flip through the pages, attempting to divine
your book's contents?




Ideally
a cover should announce to the prospective reader, "This book is going to
rock your world!"

 


I
am a new author, having had my debut crime novel, A Death in C Minor,
published as an e-book in the summer of 2012. The following November, my second
book in the series, The Erlking, was also published as an e-book. I
released the third title, The Ravenhoe Cauldron, on June 30th.




I
have been fortunate to work with Sarah Cotur, who manages to divine my
thoughts.  Being a graphic designer, Sarah is visual while I am
verbal.  While I am garrulous, she is a woman of few words.  However,
what Sarah does say matters.




Somehow
she and I have managed to override our individual quirks while having fun along
the way.  




"Designing
book covers, particularly electronic, is a relatively new design endeavor for
me," Sarah admits.




 "As
a designer," she continues, "I have learned that asking the right
questions and listening well is as important as the design skills
themselves.  From our first conversation, Rebecca immediately had an idea
about how she'd like to visually represent her novel.  I didn't have to
ask too many questions.




 "However,
it can be difficult to extract exactly the image a client (author) has
envisioned....  Even if the design is completely wrong, [designer and
author] will be literally 'on the same page' and can build upon feedback from
that first draft."




 As
Sarah infers, our initial effort was further complicated by the book being
electronic, rather than hard copy.  Does an e-book cover really
matter?  Is rain wet?




 Whatever
early differences Sarah and I may have had regarding concept, we both knew that
both covers had to knock my books out of the park.




 Our
initial conversation about A Death in C Minor went something like this:

    
Me: "The story is about a mysterious man who is murdered with his own
kitchen cleaver."

    
Sarah:  "Hmm."

    
Me:  "So could you work up a cover with a bloody cleaver -- 
perhaps having it chop through the head of a musical note, since the female
protagonist is a concert pianist?"

    
Sarah: "I think you may need an illustrator."

    
Me:  "But I want you."

    
Sarah:  (Pause). "Okay, I'll take a crack at it.  'Talk to you
in a week."

    
A week later Sarah e-mailed her draft cover: a bloody cleaver impaling the head
of an equally bloody musical note.  She had created exactly what I had
asked her to do.

    
And it was all wrong -- which was entirely my fault.

    
So it was back to the drawing board.

    
Our second conversation:

    
Me: "Gee, Sarah, this cover is really gory!"

    
Sarah:  (Silence).

    
Me:  "Then again, it's what I had asked for, isn't it?"

    
Sarah:  "Perhaps some background would help."

    
Me:  "How about a suggestion of the story's English rural village in
the background? And a reference to a musical score?"




 Sarah
e-mailed her concept of the background to me: a village in the moonlight with a
ripped musical score slicing across the graphics.  It was pure genius!




 
And so A Death in C Minor is graced with a cover that has received
effusive praise.  It evokes the story, reaching out to the reader and
announcing, "If you enter this picture and walk with me down that moonlit
village path, you'll be in for the adventure of your life."




 Conceptualizing
the covers for the next two titles was easier.  By that time Sarah and I
were completely comfortable working together.  As a result, she created
two more knock-out designs that have also attracted considerable praise. 




So
don't ever delude yourself into thinking that e-book covers don't matter. 
A brilliant one can take the book to places you never imagined.




Is
there a Pulitzer Prize for book covers?  A National Book Award cover
prize?  Is there something akin to a book cover Academy Award?




If
not, there ought to be.  







 



Rebecca Yount's Mick Chandra series, A Death in C Minor, The Erlking,
and The
Ravenhoe Cauldron are published in e-book format and are available from
all major vendors. Her website is www.rebeccayount.com .

Deepening the Mystery

by Paul Anthony Shortt, @PAShortt




While I’m not a
mystery writer, I have enjoyed including mystery elements in Locked Within Silent Oath. Nathan Shepherd started off his journey
investigating mysterious deaths and disappearances. His eidetic memory helps
him piece together clues and figure out what his enemies are planning.
and







Many urban fantasy
series include elements of detective fiction. It’s common for the protagonist
to have a job, or some form of responsibility, that relates to crime
investigation. For Nathan, what started out as a strange death led to the
discovery of the supernatural world he was once a part of. One thing which I
did, which is a little different to many urban fantasies, was use Nathan’s
past-life memories to explore the setting and take that opportunity to make
other characters draw him into this world, rather than push him away. It was
the antagonists, Dorian and Morningway, who held the mystery, not the world
itself.




In Silent Oath, this practice continues. The
state of Nathan’s world is laid bare to the reader. He is working to create a
new conclave that can protect New York from the Council of Chains. However,
there is more mystery to be solved, with the arrival of Athamar, an enemy from
Nathan’s previous incarnations, and Elena, the reincarnation of his lost lover.
Until his memories fully return, can Nathan trust that these people are who he
expects? What is it that drives Athamar to hunt Nathan across lifetimes? Why
has it been so long since he and Elena were reborn? And why is it now, when
Athamar also returns to bring chaos to the city, that Nathan and Elena have
found each other at all?




When creating a
series, mystery or not, every answer must lead to another question. This way,
the reader is hooked and drawn into the characters’ turmoil. They share the
protagonist’s need to find the truth, even when that truth may be difficult to
accept.




An ideal mystery has
multiple layers. There’s the surface mystery, determining what the villain is
up to, why they’re pursuing this goal, and how they plan to achieve it. This is
the mystery that is most often actively investigated, the course of events that
snares the protagonist’s thoughts and drives them on.






Then there’s the
personal mystery. Why does the protagonist have such feelings for another
person? Why does the antagonist hate the hero so much? What could the hero have
possibly done to turn another person so completely against them? This mystery
may only be a mystery to the reader, but in Nathan’s case, because he has not
yet remembered all of his past lives, the reader shares in each of his
revelations and setbacks. Before this ordeal is over, Nathan will learn things
that make him question everything he thought he knew.




****







A
child at heart who turned to writing and roleplaying games when there simply
weren't enough action figures to play out the stories he wanted, Paul Anthony
Shortt has been writing all his life. Growing up surrounded by music, film and
theatre gave him a deep love of all forms of storytelling, each teaching him
something new he could use. When not playing with the people in his head, he
enjoys cooking and regular meet-ups with his gaming group.




Paul lives
in Ireland with his wife Jen and their dogs, Pepper and Jasper. Their first
child, Conor William Henry Shortt, was born on July 11th, 2011. He passed away
three days later, but brought love and joy into their lives and those of their
friends. The following year, Jen gave birth to twins, Amy and Erica, and is now
expecting their fourth child.

Paul's first novel, Locked
Within, was released on November 6th, 2012, by WiDo Publishing. Silent Oath is the second book in this
urban fantasy trilogy.




***









Hope
has returned to New York City. Nathan Shepherd leads a small band of dedicated
fighters against the Council of Chains and the city's supernatural masters. But
it's not enough. Because from the shadows of Nathan's former lives comes an old
enemy, one who knows terrible secrets that Nathan has not yet remembered,
secrets that could undo everything he has fought for.




Nathan's
only chance to uncover the memories of his previous existence, and to conquer
these new forces of evil, lies in Elena DeSantis. A woman he has fought beside
in past lifetimes. A woman he has loved.

Together, Nathan and Elena are the only future the city has.

The Slow Release—Not the End of the World

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig





It used to be, and
still mainly is, in traditional publishing, that you wanted a really strong
book release.  My publishers like to see
good pre-orders and a high sale volume for the first month of a book’s release.  They want books sold off bookstore shelves
and few returns.

That’s mostly because, in the print
tradition, if you didn’t have a strong start and your books hung out on
bookstore shelves too long, the stores would quickly end up shipping those
books back to the publisher to make room for other titles.



But with digital sales, we’re in it for
the long haul.  Amazon will keep those
books for sale—there are no returns. 
Having a strong start is nice…but not vital.  It’s more important that we realize we’ve got
a long time to keep ourselves and our books visible—that the online
relationships and networking that we’re doing is going to continue for a very
long time.

The first time I put a self-published
book up in 2011, it took a while to get sales moving.  Luckily, I’d read enough blogs at the time to
know that this was how it worked in the digital world.  It wasn’t as if I really promoted the
release—I think I mentioned it on the blog. 
I believe I made a Facebook mention (something along the lines of:  If you’ve enjoyed my other series, hope
you’ll check out the new release in my Myrtle Clover series). 

Slowly, though, it started to catch
on.  What really accelerates sales is
when Amazon’s algorithms (whatever they may be…and none of us really knows what
they entail) start working in your favor. 
I keep checking my book’s page to see when the “customers who bought
this also bought_____” shows up. It’s a tremendous relief when it does, because
my part is pretty much done at that point. 
The sales escalate and I can start ignoring the sales and focus on
writing my next book.

Each of my self-published books has had a
slow start.  Some took a week or more to
get going and others a little less than a week. 
I know that Amazon sends emails to readers when I have a Penguin book
release—some folks share the emails they receive with me.  But I don’t think
they’ve ever emailed readers to let them know about a new self-published
release of mine.  At least, no one has
ever mentioned it.  Obviously…that would
help.  But their algorithm works enough
in my favor that I’m not too concerned about the lack of promo emails.  And the free book promo that I run for
another book in the same series also helps with sales for the entire series.

Industry expert Jane Friedman’s new online magazine for
writers, Scratch, had an interesting
article recently in its preview issue:  “The Age of the
Algorithm.”  The article states:

Author Joanna Penn writes, in How to Market a Book, “Launch sales are
generally disappointing compared to what happens once the Amazon algorithms
kick in and you get some traction around reviews and reputation.” Likewise,
novelist Hugh Howey, who signed with a traditional publisher after succeeding
on his own, said during an industry conference in May, “I don’t have a
timeframe for a book to do well. I let readers be the one to discover it and
tell everyone. They can do it with a level of excitement that’s more genuine
than me. It’s a real slow burn.”  See more of the article here.

I’ve gotten to the point where I’m not
restless while I wait for the book to catch on with readers.  But I have friends who have other strategies
for a spike in sales at the start of a launch. 
I’ve seen them:

Mention it on Facebook and Twitter (once
or twice is definitely enough there).

Throw a Goodreads giveaway for print
copies.

Send a newsletter to inform readers that
they’ve had a release.

Some have signed up for services like Wattpad or Story
Cartel to get reviews going.  The
number of reviews a book has seems definitely linked into Amazon’s algorithm,
although no one knows to what extent.

Blog tour. 

Whatever your strategy, it should include
writing that next book. All of the problems I’ve seen with writers who drive
others nuts with over-promoting is tied to the fact that they’re putting all of
their energy into that one book.  So much
better to do some light promo while working on book two.  Because one thing seems clear…the more real
estate you own on an online retailer like Amazon, the better it is for sales.

Thoughts about the longevity of book life
at online retailers?  Have you ever had a
book that was slow to start?  What kinds
of things do you do to spur sales for a launched book?

Image: MorgueFile: helicopterjeff

Twitterific

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig







Twitterific links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming)
which has over 23,000 free articles on writing related topics. It's the search
engine for writers.




November 13-14:  Get
Read – Marketing Strategies for Writers: Dan Blank’s We Grow Media is a  two-day online conference for authors looking
for promotion strategies--and, ultimately, readers.  Speakers include Porter
Anderson, Chuck Wendig, Dan Blank, Jane
Friedman, Therese Walsh, and many
others.  (I'm one of the scheduled
speakers and am also am serving on the advisory board.)  More information about the conference and
registration information can be found here.




If you use the
discount code elizabeth, you receive $20
off the conference price.




Check out the new
resource for writers.  It’s Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure
Writer’s Support Group website.  There you’ll find pages of links to
resources—writing tips, publishers, agents, queries, self-publishing,
marketing, contests, and publications for writers.







The Age of the
Algorithm: Is everything we know about book marketing about to be wrong? http://dld.bz/cSTXR @JaneFriedman @scratch_mag




Characters--Wealth and Power.  Alpha Dogs: http://dld.bz/cSWEw
@camillelaguire

Macmillan and the Library Biz: http://dld.bz/cSP7g @sarahw @laurahazardowen
@Porter_Anderson

Publishing's future in "concept,
creative work & technical production": http://dld.bz/cSP8d
@Porter_Anderson @MirabilisDave @agnieszkasshoes

Contracts 101: The Stand Up for Your
Rights Clause: http://dld.bz/cSRbE
@JaneFriedman @scratch_mag

Books are content, not containers. Moving
into a "webby" future: http://dld.bz/cSWEM
@Porter_Anderson @PeterHaasz @tealtan @katepullinger

Crime fiction--giving into temptation as
a theme: http://dld.bz/cSWFU @Mkinberg

Play a story game to generate ideas: http://dld.bz/cTc9Q @camillelaguire

A free directory of cover designers,
formatters, freelance editors, and more: http://bit.ly/nolbXq

The Art of Tiger Trapping and Truth in
Writing: http://dld.bz/cS6VQ

How not to be a starving freelancer: http://dld.bz/cS6Wh @KristenStrassel

A Conversation About Writing Conferences:
http://dld.bz/cS6Wp @Vol1Brooklyn

Designer Combines Bed & Writing Desk:
http://dld.bz/cS6Wq @galleycat

The Flawed Notion That Novels Can
Transcend Genres: http://dld.bz/cS6Wr
@TheAtlantic

Writing and the Creative Life:
"Creativity-In-Action": http://dld.bz/cS6Wv
@gointothestory

Neil Gaiman explains the worth and value
of libraries: http://dld.bz/cS6Wz @boingboing

Writing Through Depression: http://dld.bz/cS6WA

Writing Pitfall: Stereotypes and Clichés:
http://dld.bz/cS8ED @Savage_Woman

3 Easy Ways to Increase Your Writing
Speed: http://dld.bz/cS8Fs @francescaSN

No-inventory publishing changes
everything for everybody and nobody will escape making adjustments: http://dld.bz/cS8Fw @MikeShatzkin

What to Price Your eBooks: an Ongoing
Experiment: http://dld.bz/cS8F4 @loriculwell

The indie publishing option for short
fiction: http://dld.bz/cSy5V @smithwritr

How To Create Your Screenplay Plot In 5
Steps: http://dld.bz/cS36y @raindance

How to Kill the Inner Critic Inside Your
Mind: http://dld.bz/cS4ad @kippras
@MenwithPens

10 tips to bag a writer: http://dld.bz/cS4a6 @npbooks

11 Famous Authors Who Weren't Published
Until After Age 40: http://dld.bz/cSDrX
@11points

How Stephen King's Wife Saved 'Carrie'
and Launched His Career: http://dld.bz/cSDva
@mental_floss

Turn Traumatic Experiences Into Fuel For
Your Writing: http://dld.bz/cSDMK
@LydiaCrichton

How to Write a Screenplay in 3 Weeks: http://dld.bz/cSDMM @raindance

How to Bring Writing into Your Day Job: http://dld.bz/cSDMP @indieauthoralli

The Busy Person's Guide to Writing a
Nonfiction Book: http://dld.bz/cSDMX
@ChadRAllen

Conquer Your Fear of Screwing Up the Book
You Want to Write: http://dld.bz/cSDNb
@florabrown

Date A Girl Who Writes: http://dld.bz/cSDNs @thoughtcatalog

The Mobile Writer: http://dld.bz/cSDNu

The Opposite of Success: http://dld.bz/cSDNw @rachellegardner

The 5 Keys to Being Unstoppable in Your
Screenwriting Career: http://dld.bz/cSDNz
@scriptmag

Finding your next book, or, the discovery
problem: http://dld.bz/cSFzr @MikeShatzkin

A clever book promo by @HughHowey: http://dld.bz/cSHeq @jonathangunson

Is Genre a Straitjacket? http://dld.bz/cSHes @AnthonyEhlers

The Dark Stories Dark Writers Tell in the
Dark: http://dld.bz/cSHev @leah_beth

Creative writing tips taught in writing
courses and how they are looked at in Dramatica: http://dld.bz/cSHe5
@glencstrathy

22 storytelling rules: http://dld.bz/cSHfF

Why superheroes & supervillains need
each other: http://dld.bz/cSHfS

"No, I Am Not Going To Write Your
Story": http://dld.bz/cSHgc @TeriHeyer

How Do You Write? Answers of Notable
Screenwriters May Help Your Process: http://dld.bz/cSHgf
@nofilmschool

Dear Young Writer: http://dld.bz/cSHgr @susankayequinn

Plot and character are equally important:
http://dld.bz/cSHwg @mythicscribes @KMWeiland

Tips for writing better blog titles: http://dld.bz/cQ6y8 @MarcyKennedy

Thoughts on Other Cultures and Diversity
in SFF: http://dld.bz/cSHwq @aliettedb

Formatting for iTunes: http://dld.bz/cSHwC @susankayequinn

5 Good Habits for Writers: http://dld.bz/cSHwG @ava_jae

How screwed up can your hero be and still
be a hero? http://dld.bz/cSHyx
@stephenwoodfin @ventgalleries

Good rejections: http://dld.bz/cSHyC @WriterNancyJane

Testing Clarity and Wordiness in an
Opening Scene: http://dld.bz/cSK2p
@Janice_Hardy

What 1 writer learned by growing up with
trashy TV: http://dld.bz/cSK2C @dnkboston

15 kinds of tweets that will get your
blog posts shared more: http://dld.bz/cSK2V
@JudyLeeDunn

6 things 1 writer wishes she'd known
before she tried to get published: http://dld.bz/cSK3j
@TA_Martin

A writer's 10 writing confessions: http://dld.bz/cSK3D @roxannecrouse

5 writing mistakes: http://dld.bz/cSM6E @robertbruce76

Long to Write a Novel? Join in the Annual
Race to 50,000 Words: http://dld.bz/cSM6Q
@florabrown

Pros and cons of self-publishing: http://dld.bz/cSM6S @Kerrie_Flanagan

How Beats Helped a Writer Self-Publish an
Amazon Hit: http://dld.bz/cSM6Y @ChrisKohout

Tools and skills for a successful
freelance editor: http://dld.bz/cSM7d
@Indie_Jane

Talking Heads, Hearing Voices and the
Disappearing Narrator: http://dld.bz/cSM74
@CraigClevenger

5 Signs You're Hiding Behind Your
Writing—and 5 Ways to Use It as a Mirror Instead: http://dld.bz/cSM7C
@KMWeiland

Writing a scene that works: http://dld.bz/cSM7R @woodwardkaren

Social Media Quicksand: http://dld.bz/cSNZ4 @susankayequinn

Rules, Discipline, and the Paradox of
Creativity: http://dld.bz/cSNZF @jeffgoins

Are Beat Sheets Intimidating? Cut through
the Clutter: http://dld.bz/cSNZN @jemigold

How to Start Your Novel: http://dld.bz/cSNZV @ChuckSambuchino

3 Tips On Cleaning Up Your Twitter
Account: http://dld.bz/cSPac @JennyHansenCA

The Best Online Photo Editing Tool is
Google+: http://dld.bz/cSPan

15 Questions That Will Define Your Book
Market: http://dld.bz/cSPar @wherewriterswin
@ShariJStauch

Mapping your story world: http://dld.bz/cSPa8 @Alvarez_Justin

Tips for writing for teens: http://dld.bz/cSPaJ

Book-Writing as Parenting: A Way to
Explain Things to Non-Writery Types: http://dld.bz/cSQWC
@YAHighway

Facebook Groups for Indie Authors: http://dld.bz/cSQWF @cateartios

Ebook Pricing: What's The Perfect Number?
http://dld.bz/cSQYc @mollygreene

Choosing the Right Viewpoint and Tense
for Your Fiction: http://dld.bz/cSQYe
@aliventures

5 Reasons to Use a Facebook Profile (Not
a Page) to Build Platform: http://dld.bz/cSQY4
@LisaHallWilson

How to Please Your Editor—Without Losing
Yourself: http://dld.bz/cSTd3 @kbrittonvt

What's an author event worth? http://dld.bz/cSTdM

Critique Technique—Confused Storyline: http://dld.bz/cSTdV @Ross_B_Lampert

Stop Self-Editing While Writing: http://dld.bz/cSTeb @larin20

Creativity Is Really Just Persistence,
And Science Can Prove It: http://dld.bz/cSTeA
@drake_baer @fastcompany

Your Characters Are Lost: 4 Ways to Find
Them: http://dld.bz/cSTeD @aliciarades

Radio Interview Pointers: http://dld.bz/cSTeK @carolewyer

9 Key Elements of a Great Author Media
Kit: http://dld.bz/cSTeU @SusanGilbert

How Searchable are Your Book's Title and
Subtitle? http://dld.bz/cSTgp @KMWeiland

Dos and Don'ts of Pitching Journalists on
Social Media: http://dld.bz/cSTg4 @mashable

5 writing exercises: http://dld.bz/cSTg9

Why 1 writer isn't a fan of tip jars: http://dld.bz/cSTgF @author_sullivan

Promo overkill: http://dld.bz/cSWtv @scarlettparrish

Why 5-Star Book Reviews are Utter
Rubbish: http://dld.bz/cSWt5 @TaraSparling

5 Books Dictated From Beyond the Grave: http://dld.bz/cSWt9 @mental_floss

8 tips for subtitling your book: http://dld.bz/cSWtX @JonAcuff

15 Ways to Survive as a Freelancer: http://dld.bz/cSWtZ @GlennStout

Writing In A Roomful of Elephants: http://dld.bz/cSWuj @JadedIbisPress
@laurelhermanson

How to Overcome Anxiety as a Writer: http://dld.bz/cSWuq @111publishing

3 Simple Tips for Finding Your Story: http://dld.bz/cSWuv

30 Mantras To Keep In Mind To Write
Better: http://dld.bz/cSWuz @ZionAmalRafeeq

Pricing for Launch: Book 1 in a New
Series, Go High or Low? http://dld.bz/cSWu7
@goblinwriter

How to develop a writer's instinct: http://dld.bz/cSWuB @nailyournovel

The Ebook Market No Author Should Ignore:
Think Globally: http://dld.bz/cSWuG
@annerallen

Write short to write long: http://dld.bz/cSWuN @sciwrihandbook

7 easy questions to shape your story (and
synopsis): http://dld.bz/cSWuR @tombarry100

Resources for writers: http://dld.bz/cSWv3 @DeirdreSpark

Tag Lines to Hook a Reader: http://dld.bz/cSWvB @novelrocket

Don't like doing promo? Don't write a
book: http://dld.bz/cSWvD @JonAcuff

How to pre-plot a series: http://dld.bz/cSWvM @plotwhisperer

Cover conferences: http://dld.bz/cSWwa

"Words are still the most powerful
medium for telling stories." http://dld.bz/cSW5f
@MirabilisDave @Porter_Anderson

5 Inspiring Holiday Destinations For
Writers: http://dld.bz/cSW57

Self-Editing- Choose Your Modifiers
Carefully: http://dld.bz/cSW5E @AimeeLSalter

9 Online Gold Mines for Finding Paid
Freelance Writing Jobs: http://dld.bz/cSW5Y
@thewritelife

Finding your character's voice: http://dld.bz/cSW85 @flawritersconf

Are You In the Stare-Into-Space Phase of
the Writing Process? http://dld.bz/cSW9S
@joebunting

13 Rules For Using Commas Without Looking
Like An Idiot: http://dld.bz/cSW9V
@businessinsider

Promoting a Virtual Book Tour: http://dld.bz/cSWGk @jolinsdell

The establishing shot and your novel: http://dld.bz/cS6Qm @ashkrafton

4 Reasons You Need a Business Plan for
Your Book: http://dld.bz/cS6VU @ninaamir

Comics & Film--More Than Storyboards:
Collaboration – The Smartest Person in the Room Isn't You: http://dld.bz/cSy5e @tylerweaver

Using sticks and carrots to keep
motivated: http://dld.bz/cSDN9 @kristinerusch

First Manuscripts: Self-Publish or Keep
Going? http://dld.bz/cSHw4 @KateBrauning

SFF Goes Mainstream: http://dld.bz/cSHy7 @Leo_Cristea

6 things alcohol taught 1 writer about
writing: http://dld.bz/cSHyP @MiaJouBotha

Start Your Author Blog in Five Easy
Steps: http://dld.bz/cSNZ9 @BillFerris

Writing Our Region

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig







I know that my editors specifically
wanted a Southern writer for the two series I’m writing for Penguin. They do
get the South when they hire me on. 

That being said, portraying a specific
region can be tricky.  I think dialect
can be annoying to read, if you’re using it broadly.  Southerners are fond of dropping gs, for
instance.  That would get old after a
while.  In fact, if you phonetically
wrote out Southern dialect, it would be incredibly difficult to read.

So what I aim for is using some Southern
vocabulary/colloquialism, and traditions/customs, climate, and common local
settings to help readers take a vicarious trip to the Southern US. 

In dialogue, it’s also easier to bring it
out in a natural way. Many Southern women (and some men) use endearments in
addressing nearly everyone—even strangers. That’s something that’s easy to drop
into dialogue.

There are some words that are apparently
too obscure and cause readers to slow down or pop out of the story while they
try to decipher it.  That’s not,
obviously, what we want.  I’ve had
editors edit out a number of word choices that I didn’t think anything
about.  But the reason I didn’t think
anything about them is because I’ve always lived in Southern states.  So tote
as a verb went, buggy was quickly
dispatched for shopping cart  (a particularly soulless substitution, I
thought), roll in terms of pranking (it
was fascinating having a discussion with my Manhattan-based editor on toilet
papering someone’s yard…it’s roll down
here, but apparently not up there).  But
the one that particularly stumped me was when my editor asked me what the heck
an eye was (in terms of cooking).  I emailed several friends and family before
responding to her.  What else do you call it?  You put your pot on an eye and bring the
water to a boil.  What on earth could it
possibly be?  No one had any ideas, so I
emailed her back and told her it was the black coil on top of the stove.  She substituted heating
element.  I shook my head over
that one but left it alone.

Traditions or customs are also important
ways to bring a region into your story. Food is hugely important in the South…
it’s not particularly healthy food, either. 
So writing in fried chicken and potato salad and ham biscuits and
barbeque (I’ve got a whole series with
barbeque as a hook), pimento cheese sandwiches, black-eyed peas…it all goes in
to give readers a taste of the South.

Customs surrounding weddings and funerals
are thrown into the books, too. The fact that there is a huge food-centric
process to grieving here plays a part in my books (and provides my sleuth with
opportunities to interact with suspects). 
The close-knit nature of many extended families in the South, the
willingness to talk with strangers (along with what might seem like a
contradictory suspicion of outsiders in small towns), and the slower pace of life.

Writing a region also involves bringing
in settings where people commonly interact—whether it’s a diner  or a ball field, or a church.  And it’s difficult to realistically write about
the South without bringing in church somehow, although I don’t touch religion
itself with a ten-foot pole.  Actually,
now that I think of it, I’ve had two murders take place at church.

Even the old architecture—houses with big
verandas and space for rocking chairs. 
Swimming pools, screen porches, and gobs of air conditioning.

Which brings in another element—the
weather and climate.  The long
summers.  And humidity that can almost
stop you in your tracks when you walk outside.

Do you focus on a particular region in
your writing?  How do you pull a reader
in?

Image: MorgueFile: katmystiry

Cover Conferences

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig





Traditional publishing is a funny
thing.  It’s a hurry up-and-wait type
of business.  Sometimes (quite frequently,
actually), everything moves at glacial speed. 
But sometimes, things happen before you’re ready.  And you never really know what’s going on
behind the scenes exactly to cause
either one.

I heard from my editor on Friday that
she’ll be attending—today, actually— the cover conference for the book that I’m
currently writing.  This is a book that’s
due in January that will publish October 2014. 
For some reason, everything that’s happened with this book has happened
earlier than I was ready for, and it’s made me a bit flustered.  This is the same book where the teaser chapter
was due at the same time as the outline, but then the outline had requested
revisions…you remember.



This is the series where the editor (and
I love this editor—she’s very talented and I live in fear that she will be
promoted and won’t be my editor any longer), really likes me to be involved
with the cover process.  Each time I
assure her that’s not necessary and I don’t know a darn thing about design—but
she’s good to keep at me and encourage me. 
I’m sure, looking back now, that despite the fact I’ve dragged my feet
for every cover—it’s helped me out with the self-pubbed covers that I’m a good
deal involved in.

This is a cozy mystery, so there are
elements that need to be on the cover for branding both the genre and my
series.  It will most definitely have a
corgi on the front of it, and I’m sure I would hear from the readers if it
didn’t.  It will have a very peaceful,
picturesque scene with an element of danger in it—an overturned glass of red
wine, a knife to the side, a broken chair. 
And, because the series hook involves quilting, there will be quilts.

The title was the first thing the editor
asked me about.  She and the copy editors
had ideas for titles and she asked for my feedback on them.  This is another area where I appreciate their
contacting me, but I know they usually have their own ideas for titles and
marketing plays a role. I do come up with ideas for titles…they tend to not use
them. :)  But they’re very polite about
considering them.

Branding the covers in a series also
involves the way the title appears on the cover—font, appearance. It can even
go to the level of whether it’s an outdoor scene or an indoor scene.

My editor was going to attend the
conference with information off my old outline and I hadn’t updated her with a
new outline (oops) that reflected the changes we’d agreed on earlier.  So…I agreed
to the changes she suggested, but didn’t correct the outline and send it to
her—instead, I scribbled the changes on my hard copy of the outline.  That was clearly not helpful.  Now I’m in a time crunch and don’t actually
want to stop to edit the outline and send it her way, especially since I’m
halfway through writing the book.  

So she asked for the unedited copy that
I’ve written so far so that she could skim it for more ideas for setting the
cover using scenes from the book. This is the third time this has happened with
different series and now I hardly even blink an eye.  Earlier, it would freak me completely out to
send what essentially was a disaster over to my editor.  This time I attached the file with the
warning that although the teaser chapter one was in perfect shape but the
second and third chapters would be extensively rewritten…since there were two
more characters to add to them, and the other chapters should be fairly static
in terms of major changes. The text didn’t even have chapter breaks included
and had notes to myself included throughout. 
At this point, though, it’s more of a trust issue—I know that she knows
that I’m not going to turn in something like that in January.  So it’s easier to send it.

 I
also sent along, at her request, pictures of quilts that were similar to ones
that I was writing into the story.

Honestly, I’ve never had a problem with a
cover that either Penguin or Midnight Ink has done—they tend to do beautiful
covers.  I’ve heard horror stories from
other traditionally published writers about covers they’ve had and how they
feel the covers affected the sales of their books.  I’m sure if I’d gone through a horrible
experience,  I would be a lot more
involved in the process, except…well, I don’t know what I’m doing.  I only know what I like and don’t like.

For both my other Penguin series and the
Midnight Ink book, the covers were done and it was more of a fait accompli  
and I was asked afterward if I had any changes or if I approved of
them.  So I didn't have the input on those
covers…and I will say that I think this is a lot more the case with most of the
big publishers…my experience with my editor and this series is more the
exception than the rule.

For my own self-pubbed books, I’ve taken
a page from my publisher’s book and branded the series as well as I could,
especially for using a couple of different cover designers …most recently Scarlett
Rugers. I have the sweet scene and the element of danger.  And no images of people on the cover—there’s
never been a person on any of my covers so I won’t start now.  Well, there’s been a dead person’s hand.  That’s as close to human as has been on a
cover.  I try primarily to make sure that
the color scheme used and the setting tell readers that there’s a new book in
my series…and that it’s the same series.

The difference with the self-pub is that
I think my designers have a sense of relief that I’m not trying to backseat
drive with the covers—I’ll throw in what I’m looking for and pick my
favorite design…maybe ask for  small changes.   But that’s the thing—I’m no
designer and I have no time to try to become one.  I’d rather be writing more books. 

But I do want it to look good in
thumbnails.  I do want the
thumbnail-sized image to clearly belong to the rest of the series.   And I want both my name and my series name
to be obvious on the cover—I need readers to find my books.

This is
how I start the cover process for the self-pubbed books:

I ask if they’re backed up. This is
important—if they are significantly backed-up, I’ll need to use someone else.

I give them the sales copy/back cover
copy that I’ve written for the book.

I give them a paragraph of ideas for
setting the cover.  For the book that
came out in August, I emailed: “The cover scene could be set in a backyard.
 We could consider using a croquet set or croquet mallet as the murder
weapon/dangerous object to indicate it's a mystery. Since the murder occurs
during a party, we could show a cocktail or wine glass spilled over on the
patio furniture, or a broken high heel...something like that.”

I attach pictures of the other books in
the series, if the designer hasn’t worked with me before.

I tell them what precisely I need in
terms of format.  These days, I say: “I'm
interested in an ebook cover (the book will run on Nook, Kindle, iTunes,
Smashwords), a print cover (spine and back cover for CreateSpace), and an
audiobook cover for ACX.”

I give the ISBNs and the price to be
printed on the cover of the CreateSpace project. 

That’s pretty much it.  Then I field any questions from the designer.

(I do maintain a free database of cover
designers and other self-publishing professionals here
if you’re looking for a place to start.) 


If you’re published, how involved were
you in the process?  Does you genre have
a standard “feel” for its covers?  If
you’re not yet published, how interested are you in being part of the cover
design?

What's Important in a Story

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig







I was going through my blog reader
recently and came across an interesting post from writer Jeff Cohen: “Stuff
Not to Do” on the Hey,
There’s a Dead Guy in the Living Room blog. 
The whole article was good, but the part that particularly caught my eye
was this:

“Don't
decide on the crime and then create a character to fit it. Character
comes first. The crime is the bait; it's what Alfred Hitchcock called "the
MacGuffin," something the people in your book are desperate about but the
reader should find secondary. Your characters are first. Write characters the reader
cares about one way or another, and you're halfway home. Killing someone with a
guillotine in the middle of Indiana isn't the key to your book.”

I thought Jeff nailed it.

I don’t know how long it took me to
figure this out, but it was a while.  I
thought, since I was being paid to write mysteries, that my primary focus was
that mystery…for you, it might be the magic in your fantasy or the science in
your science fiction.  It was very
important to me to get my clues, red herrings, motives, murders, and solution
perfectly written.  And I think I did a
good job with that.  But one day, one of
my editors told me, “Elizabeth, your mystery is very sound.  But what your readers particularly care about
is the characters.  What’s going on with them?  I’d like to see more of what they’re up to in
between the time while they’re working on the case.”

When I was starting out my series,  I thought that the interpersonal
relationships of my characters, their problems, what was going on in their
non-mystery-solving lives was interesting to me,
but I wasn’t sure if my editors were going to perceive it as filler that needed
to be edited out.  After all, wasn’t I
deviating from the plot—the mystery? 
Then I realized that the in-between stuff was the way I was connecting
to my readers—the characters were pulling them into my story.  Readers had purchased my book in order to
read about my characters…who just happened to be solving a murder mystery while
my readers caught up with their lives. 
In some ways, the subplots that developed my characters and hooked
readers were just as important as the A Plot—the mystery itself.

I can write a 45,000 word book that’s
solely the mystery.  That’s as long as it
takes to introduce suspects, outline the crime, and focus on an investigation
and a puzzle and a solution.  But that’s only the puzzle—straight mystery.  Adding in the subplots, the personal
interaction between characters, their conflicts, the way the mystery affects
them…this adds in about 30,000 more words. 
It’s not fluff, either—it’s character development.  It’s all about hooking the readers with the
character personalities.

Why would readers read my mystery,
otherwise?  They wouldn’t care about the
victim (who is frequently a nasty personality anyway), they wouldn’t have
enough information to identify with or pull for the sleuth, and the
suspects…well, they’re all suspected of murder. 
To hook readers, you have to make them care about all of the
characters—even the victim.  The reader
has to care enough to want this case to be solved and to solve it alongside the
protagonist.  To help out.

This is true with any genre.  As Jeff Cohen put it, the genre functions as
the MacGuffin. It’s not all about the romance or paranormal aspects of a
story’s creatures, the science fiction or the fantasy.  Those function as just the premise that lures
readers of that genre to our books.  Most
popular books are popular because of the characters populating them.

As a reader and writer, how important are
the characters to you?  How do you enrich
the story by revealing more about them while still keeping up your story’s pace
and keeping to your genre restrictions?

Twitterific

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig









Twitterific links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming)
which has over 23,000 free articles on writing related topics. It's the search
engine for writers.




November 13-14:  Get
Read – Marketing Strategies for Writers: Dan Blank’s We Grow Media is a  two-day online conference for authors looking
for promotion strategies--and, ultimately, readers.  Speakers include Porter
Anderson, Chuck Wendig, Dan Blank, Jane
Friedman, Therese Walsh, and many
others.  (I'm one of the scheduled
speakers and am also am serving on the advisory board.)  More information about the conference and
registration information can be found here.




If you use the
discount code elizabeth, you receive $20
off the conference price.




There's a new
resource for writers—whether you’re writing your first book, trying to query
agents or editors, or whether you’re working on promo.  It’s Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure
Writer’s Support Group website.  There you’ll find pages of links to
resources—writing tips, publishers, agents, queries, self-publishing,
marketing, contests, and publications for writers. Alex is a friend and
frequent commenter here and very active in supporting writers. Thanks to Alex
and his helpers for compiling the information for the site.







Current WKB
newsletter features an interview with @DanBlank: http://bit.ly/169ZsID.
Includes discount code for Nov. online con,#GetRead.




A look at what goes into narrating an
audiobook: http://dld.bz/cSwgh @authorterryo
@CaptPamsVoice @KelleyHazen1

Traditional Publishing: One Reason Not to
Choose It: http://dld.bz/cSwpj

Thoughts on changing genres and using pen
names: http://dld.bz/cS2tZ @tobywneal
@KristineRusch @Porter_Anderson

When readers drift away from series they
used to love: http://dld.bz/cS3EX @mkinberg

After the Critique: Sorting the Good
Advice from the Bad: http://dld.bz/cS3YU
@RMFWriters @Lori_DeBoer

The future of reader engagement and a
warning against hurrying through our writing: http://dld.bz/cS8eD
@Porter_Anderson

Getting Started With Character Structure:
http://dld.bz/cSAmZ @camillelaguire

A free directory of cover designers,
formatters, freelance editors, and more: http://bit.ly/nolbXq

Tips To Run The Optimal Goodreads
Giveaway: http://dld.bz/cShJb @publishingllc

12 myths to forget in order to become a
better writer: http://dld.bz/cShJR @pubcoach

5 Must-Haves For a Successful Writers
Conference Experience: http://dld.bz/cShJZ

How Smart Writers Deal With One-Star
Reviews: http://dld.bz/cShKd @hughosmith

7 Ways to Develop a Stronger Writing
Voice: http://dld.bz/cShKk @ChilaWoychik

Are readers changing and what does that
mean to writers? http://dld.bz/cShKt
@rchazzchute

Elizabeth Gilbert: What All Writers Can
Learn From Her: http://dld.bz/cShKx
@danschawbel @forbes

10 Rules for Writing First Drafts: http://dld.bz/cShK2 @copyblogger

The Self-Publishing Myth: Why Most
Self-Publishers Don't Work and What to Do About It: http://dld.bz/cShK9 @GerarddeMarigny

6 Habits of Highly Successful
(Screen)writers: http://dld.bz/cShKC
@noflimschool

8 Questions To Ask Yourself Before
Choosing A Writing Coach: http://dld.bz/cSpWD
@KimberleyGraham @SouthrnWritrMag

Poets discuss poetry and writing: http://dld.bz/cSpX4  @Nationalpost

How to win NaNoWriMo: Realistic Goals,
determination and a bottomless pot of coffee: http://dld.bz/cSpX9
@EliseVanCise

Learning to Fall: http://dld.bz/cSpXC @ElaineNeilOrr @womenwriters

Do You Have What it Takes to Survive
Indie Publishing? http://dld.bz/cSpXZ
@susankayequinn @beccajcampbell

A Quick Inspiration Tip: http://dld.bz/cSrpJ

When is a Good Time to Tell Instead of
Show? http://dld.bz/cSrpK @ava_jae

Getting Ready For #NaNoWriMo : http://dld.bz/cSrpN @woodwardkaren

Tying theme to each archetypal character:
http://dld.bz/cSrpR @glencstrathy

Writing lessons learned from "The
Maze Runner" : http://dld.bz/cSrpS
@juliemusil

Essential Tools to Organize Your Book
Manuscript: http://dld.bz/cPPqE @writeabook

Should You Pitch (and Sign With) a New
Literary Agent? The Pros and Cons: http://dld.bz/cSrqf
@ChuckSambuchino

5 Cool Places to Find Writing Inspiration
Online: http://dld.bz/cSrqu @JodiLMilner

Memory in Fiction and
Memoir--"Peeling the Onion": http://dld.bz/cSrqw
@KimsCraftBlog

6 reasons a workshop jolts your writing: http://dld.bz/cSrtp @HCasavant @thewritermag

World Building: Underworlds: http://dld.bz/cSrtq @EllenBooraem

Checking your creative path: http://dld.bz/cSrts @tannerc

The Chemistry Between Writer and Reader: http://dld.bz/cSrtv @TrishaNicholson @FCMalby

Dialogue Do's and Don'ts: Crafting Lively
and Believable Back-and-Forth on the Pages of Your Book: http://dld.bz/cSrtw @writeabook

How Self-Published Authors Can Improve
Our Industry: http://dld.bz/cRGHj
@mollygreene

What Makes A Good Short Story: http://dld.bz/cSbv5 @BAShortStories

The top ten lies of copywriters: http://dld.bz/cSsZJ @mstibbe

Self-publishing lends flexibility to
projects that demand it: http://dld.bz/cSsZU
@kristinerusch

Creative Flow: How to Silence Negative
Voices and Write: http://dld.bz/cSsZY
@sarajevojosh

Don't Build Worlds on Your Doorstep: http://dld.bz/cStaa @GeoffreyGudgion
@civilianreader

Answers to Questions About Plurals: http://dld.bz/cStaj @writing_tips

Advice For Writers From Literary Agents: http://dld.bz/cStak @ChuckSambuchino

6 Ways to Write Better Bad Guys: http://dld.bz/cStav @BrianKlems

10 tips on starting and sustaining an
online writer's group: http://dld.bz/cStay
@DeniseCCovey

Writing and the Rule of Three: http://dld.bz/cSta8 @ashkrafton

How Not To Treat Your Editor: http://dld.bz/cPYW4 @edsikov

Agents and Editors on "New
Adult": http://dld.bz/cSwp4
@dpeterfreund

5 Common Networking Mistakes: http://dld.bz/cSwqe @thewritermama

Don't Kill Your Thrills With Premise
Implausibility: http://dld.bz/cSwqk
@jamesscottbell

Ten Things to Help Defeat Writing Slumps:
http://dld.bz/cSwtc

5 Things You Shouldn't Say to Authors: http://dld.bz/cSwuT @brandontietz

How Smashwords Authors Can Manage Books
in a Series: http://dld.bz/cSwuX @galleycat

Writing as Vocation: http://dld.bz/cSwve @shewrites

Character Analysis--Alpha Dogs: http://dld.bz/cSwvj @camillelaguire

Crime fiction--characters who adopt new
personas: http://dld.bz/cSwvv @mkinberg

Writing Toxins: Optimising A Fully
Functioning Mind: http://dld.bz/cSwv6
@cateartios

Villains Who Would Make Great
Protagonists: http://dld.bz/cSwvX @Marie_Lu

The Fundamental Skills Of Creative
Thinking: http://dld.bz/cSwwP

The 'Magic Trick' to Selling a
Screenplay: http://dld.bz/cSwxf @Scriptmag
@jeannevb

Agents aren't required to sell books: http://dld.bz/cQd6M @deanwesleysmith

Physical Attributes Thesaurus Entry:
Voice: http://dld.bz/cSy34 @beccapuglisi

The Reality of Working From Home: http://dld.bz/cSy3Q @FinishedPages

Being trad-published means knowing the
market: http://dld.bz/cSy4r @sally_apokedak

5 Ways To Become A Confident Writer: http://dld.bz/cSy47 @chgriffinauthor

50 Things Under $50 Bucks To Promote Your
Book: http://dld.bz/cSy4F @bookgal

Comics & Film--More Than Storyboards:
Collaboration – The Smartest Person in the Room Isn't You:  http://dld.bz/cSy5e
@tylerweaver

The Value of a Writing / Reading
Community: http://dld.bz/cSy5r @jeanoram

Strong Character Is Strong? http://dld.bz/cSy5u @mooderino

The indie publishing option for short
fiction: http://dld.bz/cSy5V @smithwritr

Are you writing a mystery or a suspense
novel? http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/are-you-writing-a-mystery-or-a-suspense-novel/

3 Writing Rules that Can Derail Your
Story: http://dld.bz/cSzb4 @LisaCron

Writing Fiction for Children – Character
Believability and Conflict: http://dld.bz/cSzbU

5 Things a Writer Always Overlooks: http://dld.bz/cSzbY @victoriamixon

From Traditional to Self-Publishing: One
Editor's Journey: http://dld.bz/cSzc2

Why do creative people suffer from
depression? http://dld.bz/cSzcM
@_RobbieBlair_

Screenwriters: Being Solely Identified by
Your Scripts Leads to Permanent Identity Crisis: http://dld.bz/cSzcV
@NancyNigrosh @akstanwyck

Gothic Intersections: History, Story,
Memory: http://dld.bz/cSze4 @GothImagination

11 Most Evil Characters in Books: http://dld.bz/cSzeM @PublishersWkly

Crowdsourcing for editing: http://dld.bz/cSzfa

Tricking yourself into writing more: http://dld.bz/cSzfw

Real Life Diagnostics: Is This Opening
Working? http://dld.bz/cSzfF @janice_hardy

Why You Should Self-Publish: http://dld.bz/cSzgj @hughhowey

10 Ways to Goose the Muse: http://dld.bz/cSzgt @jamesscottbell

How to Create a Custom Facebook Cover
Image That Gets Noticed (Without Spending a Dime): http://dld.bz/cSzhb
@writerplatform

How To Face Your Fears and Write: http://dld.bz/cSzhe

Tips for pitching your book: http://dld.bz/cSzhz @nailyournovel

Creating Unforgettable Heroes: Three
Lessons from the Bard: http://dld.bz/cSzhH
@scriptmag @JennieEvenson

Author @JAKonrath on quitting: http://dld.bz/cSzkn

A Fine Line Between Love and Death – How
to Write Love Scenes: http://dld.bz/cSzpP
@mythicscribes

10 best practices for writers: http://dld.bz/cS2BG @rchazzchute

Dialogue: Punctuation: http://dld.bz/cS36d @lynnecantwell

Pinterest as book research: http://dld.bz/cS36j @raquelbyrnes

The Upcoming "Get Read" Online
Conference: http://dld.bz/cS36v (discount
code: elizabeth) @DanBlank

How To Create Your Screenplay Plot In 5
Steps: http://dld.bz/cS36y @raindance

25 Steps To Edit The Unmerciful Suck Out
Of Your Story: http://dld.bz/cS364
@chuckwendig {lang.}

When Life Forces You to Take a Break: http://dld.bz/cS36D @YAOTLBlog @NancyOhlin

Paranormal? Why Do You Write That Stuff?
Writing & Being Who You Are: http://dld.bz/cS36V
@DeniseAAgnew

3 Ways to Get Out of a Writing Slump: http://dld.bz/cS37j @writeitsideways

On rejection letters: the day Raymond
Chandler struck back: http://dld.bz/cS37n
@ventgalleries

Philip Hensher stirs debate among authors
after refusing to write for free: http://dld.bz/cS37t
@guardianbooks

Revision's Role in the Writing Process: http://dld.bz/cS3Yt @jenkohan

The Blank Spaces in Our Stories: The
Messages Writers Send Readers Between The Words: http://dld.bz/cS3Y5
@writeinthethick @RMFWriters

Managing Writing Advice: http://dld.bz/cS3Z6 @ulieEshbaugh  @Porter_Anderson

From Crap to Craft: http://dld.bz/cS3ZQ @fictorians @sjamesnelson

How to Kill the Inner Critic Inside Your
Mind: http://dld.bz/cS4ad @kippras
@MenwithPens

7 Writing Tips from Ann Patchett: http://dld.bz/cS4aw @robertbruce76

10 tips to bag a writer: http://dld.bz/cS4a6 @npbooks

Book Tour Planning 101: http://dld.bz/cS4bH @midgeraymond

Writing a Book to Discover Your Book: http://dld.bz/cS4bX @martinaaboone

Make a living as a writer by writing for
those who will pay you: http://dld.bz/cS4cg
@thewritelife @hopeclark

A tip to energize our writing: http://dld.bz/cS4ck @Write_Tomorrow

Why 1 writer chose to write a memoir: http://dld.bz/cS4cr @evelynalauer

Hot Tips For Your First Novel: http://dld.bz/cS4cD @thetoast

Reclaiming Creativity after Infertility: http://dld.bz/cS4dw @LiteraryMama

Scene Soundtracks: http://dld.bz/cS4dK @Fictiffous

10 Rules for Writing First Drafts: http://dld.bz/cShK2 @copyblogger

"The Only Thing I Know About Writing
is That I Don't Know": http://dld.bz/cS4dZ
@NataliaSylv @DebutanteBall

Getting Help With Your Writing: http://dld.bz/cS4eg @leslielehr1

Exploring the world of verbs: http://dld.bz/cS4ey @sinandsyntax

On Being A Professional Writer: The Long
Game: http://dld.bz/cS6JS

Writing Paid Guest Posts for Clients: 1
Writer's Nightmare: http://dld.bz/cS6JU
@ticewrites

How to Punctuate with
"However": http://dld.bz/cS6JX
@writing_tips

Harnessing the Storm in Brainstorming: http://dld.bz/cS6Kc @livewritethrive

The Blessings of a Do-Over: http://dld.bz/cS6Kf @SouthrnWritrMag

25 Things You Need To Know About Writing
Mysteries: http://dld.bz/cS6Kr @SusanSpann

The establishing shot and your novel: http://dld.bz/cS6Qm @ashkrafton

New Adult: No Sex Required: http://dld.bz/cS6Qx @ava_jae

How to Create a Three-Phase Writing
Ritual: http://dld.bz/cS6Q2 @DebraEve

Writers & Their Money: http://dld.bz/cS6QC @ollinmorales

10 Reasons NOT to Become a Novelist: http://dld.bz/cS6Uq

Reframing for Writers: http://dld.bz/cS6UD @Dannie_Morin

The Exaggeration of Story: http://dld.bz/cS6UP @mooderino

Don't respond to negative reviews: http://dld.bz/cS6UT @chuckwendig

Poor word choice can kill a story: http://dld.bz/cS6Vs @NatRusso

Successful books mean hours of practice: http://dld.bz/cS6Vx @kristenlambtx

Focus on one thing when writing
descriptions: http://dld.bz/cS6V7

Dystropia: Why The Sassy Gay Friend Isn't
Progressive: http://dld.bz/cS6V9
@filth_filler

Developing Conflict and Character in an
Opening Scene: http://dld.bz/cS6VA
@Janice_Hardy

The Two Most Powerful Words: What If: http://dld.bz/cS6VD @julie_gray

12 reasons to self-publish: http://dld.bz/cS6VH @RachelintheOC

8 Creativity Lessons from a Pixar
Animator: http://dld.bz/cS6VJ @LeoBabauta