Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 153

Good Points and Downsides to Rapid Series Releasing and Studying Algorithms

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

In my post
on Monday, I took a look at the phenomenon of binge-viewing or marathon consumption in entertainment.  As I mentioned in the post, Netflix is
enjoying some success with its experiment with its original series, House of Cards, in which it released the
entire season of thirteen episodes on the same day for viewers to watch at
their own pace.

I think there are some real possibilities
and perhaps a glimpse at how reader consumption might operate in the
future.  I’ve noticed that readers will
frequently email me or ask me via Facebook when my next traditionally-published
book will release (often asking me why I can’t write faster.) :)  Production for traditionally-published books
takes a year.  They don’t ask me that question for
my Myrtle Clover series, which is now self-published.   



I think there are both pros and cons to rapid book release (and, also, studying data to help us plan books or series...I touched a bit on algorithms in my Monday post). 



Pros:

New life
to old series.  Arrested
Development, which developed a cult following, was canceled by the
Fox network and picked up by Netflix. This delighted fans, who’d missed the
show.  Netflix, again, is providing the
entire new season at once.

For us, this could mean that an old
series, rejected sequels, or our backlist could enjoy new life and attract new readers with its
instant, in-full, availability. 
Naturally, we can also write new books in a discontinued series (even without
this rapid release method)…I’ve done that with my Myrtle Clover series which
Midnight Ink pulled the plug on in 2010.

It's not
as necessary to artificially insert cliffhangers: writers can integrate a more
natural storyline:  

Jace Lacob in his article for The Daily Beast, “House of Cards—Should You Binge Watch Netflix’s
Political Drama?”:

“Not
reliant on cliffhangers at the end of each episode to compel the viewer to
return the following week, these episodes end when the internal logic of the
narrative dictates they do, rather than through traditional patterns of
serialized storytelling that hark back to Charles Dickens. Shocking moments are
scattered throughout individual episodes, rather than being reliant on a
build-up of tension in the final minutes.”

Or…alternatively, in publishing…we can stick in huge cliffhangers at the end of
our books without worry about reader irritation…because the next book is
already available for purchase.  Common
knowledge has previously been that writers run the risk of upsetting readers by
putting cliffhangers at the ends of books, knowing that they’ll have to wait
upwards of a year for the next installment of a continuing-storyline series.

In some
ways, books are better-suited to marathon consumption than television
is…because of the manner in which books are shared with friends.  In a Gwen
Ifill interview
for PBS Newshour, Ifill brings up the fact that television used to be more of a
shared/water cooler-type experience for viewers.  She asks Brian Grazer, chairman of Imagine
Entertainment (which produces Arrested
Development):  “When you're binge-watching, Brian, you don't have a
chance to say, did you see what happened last night? Is isn't that a risk for
the way we communicate as a people at the water cooler the next day?”  His answer: “…I
think excitement, curiosity and the explosive nature of how conversations work
can still be applied, because you can say, I just saw five episodes of
Arrested Development. You might not be doing it
on the water cooler the next day. You're going to be doing it on all your
social media.”

Books, obviously, aren’t shared with our
friends the same way…not as frequently in real time (although, who knows—with
the advent of social media, we could host book clubs inside of digital books in ongoing open forums.)  Yes, we do read books simultaneously with our
friends sometimes—book clubs and some Goodreads boards come to mind.  But I think just as much
excitement/word-of-mouth could be built by telling a friend that you’ve just
finished an entire series in a marathon reading session.

Downsides: 

There are some potential downsides to
both quick production/release and studying data to make creative decisions.

Jace Lacob outlined
in his article:

“By offering all 13 episodes at the same time,
Netflix risks undermining its own strategy. Few will acknowledge the time
necessary to launch the second season of House of Cards, or another go-around
of Arrested Development episodes, and
may instead express the same frustration that plagues weekly serialized dramas,
that plaintive cry of the unfulfilled when faced with the lack of instant
gratification: “Why do I have to wait so long?”

Although:

“… But one of Netflix’s greatest assets are its proprietary algorithms—which suggest, based on precise ratings and viewing
history, what else you might want to watch—and that may be just the thing to
tide over the hungry.”

Retailers like Amazon also offer the avid
reader similar alternatives to our books. 


What if
your quickly-released series is a dud?  Arrested
Development was a good bet for Netflix. 
It was a show that became a cult hit, but it was canceled by a
network.  Your formerly-successful
backlist might be considered a sure thing. 
But what if the original Netflix series, House
of Cards, hadn’t been a hit? 
Think of how much time and energy and money was invested in it.  What if you write four or five books, release
them in rapid fire or even simultaneously, and the books don’t resonate with
readers?  Do you tweak what you can (book
description, cover…even title and story) and see what happens?  Do you move on?  It’s a large investment of time. In
publishing your backlist, there’s less of a time investment to lose (although
you’ll still have the investment in covers, formatting, etc…the books had
previously been well-edited with many books that have been
traditionally-published.)

Quality
control.  If you turn off readers
with one book, they’re unlikely to keep buying the next in the series.  Quality control—attention to detail in
editing…but really in all aspects of the book from cover design to interior
formatting—is always important. But it’s even more so if you’re trying to lure
readers to read the other three or four books in your series.

Stress and
working with tough self-imposed deadlines. The need for real discipline.  Deadlines are tough enough when we get them
from a publisher.  We have to really have
some discipline and focus when we’re meeting our own deadlines and trying to
write a string of books…whether we’re releasing them in rapid succession or
not.

How
calculating and how completely bottom-line-focused can we be and retain a
creative edge (and enjoyment in our process and writing)?  Writers, clearly, have got to think
like small business owners in the digital age. 
But at what point are we sacrificing our own need for creative
originality if we're studying algorithms/data/sales, and writing/producing for
a demanding consumer market?

What are your thoughts on this
marathon-style consumption and what it might mean for books and other forms of
entertainment in the future?  Do you see
it catching on in publishing (traditionally a very slow-paced industry?)

How to Write a Novel in Three Years or More

by Emily Wenstrom, @EmilyWenstrom








It’s often said that
writing a novel is akin to running a marathon, not a sprint. For me, it’s felt
more like the long, painful, drawn-out process of training
for a marathon.




I am two and a half
years into the process of writing my fantasy novel, and even though I write for
about an hour every day, I’m only starting to see the light at the end of the
tunnel. Along the way, I’ve learned a lot of lessons about how I could have made
this easier on myself … and become an expert in the many ways to make this
process take as long as possible.




So allow me to share
my wisdom—you too can write a novel in three years or more!




Make your introduction perfect before moving forward.

Since this was my
first novel, I wasn’t sure what my voice was yet. I didn’t even have much
confidence that I could write anything worthwhile. So instead of ripping
through the first draft and getting my ideas on the page, I obsessed over my
opening. I reworked it over and over and over until it was perfect. THEN I
moved forward. I wasted a few months doing this. Months.




Don’t worry about worldbuilding.

I knew my main
character when I started writing, and the general trajectory the plot would go
in.  And … that’s it.  So as my character moved through each scene,
I had to figure out where he was, what the rules were there, and why. What was
the world’s history? Myths and beliefs? Social structure? This meant a lot of
stopping and thinking during my precious one hour in the morning. Time that
could have been spent writing. This is more intense for a fantasy novel, but
every story has a setting that the writer must know intimately.




Plot threads what?

As stated, when I
started writing I had only a general sense of my main plot line. My first draft
helped me find the path and conclusion for that trajectory. But when my first
draft’s word count hit only 45,000 words, I realized I hadn’t thought a dot about
any other plot threads—I’d been too consumed with coming up with my primary
arc.  My last eight months of writing
have been dedicated to creating and untangling these supporting plot threads.




Update changes as you go.

Because I made such
a mess of my plotting, there’s been many significant changes to my story’s
details as it has developed. At first, I wanted to keep everything nice and
clean, and went back and corrected inconsistencies right away. Then I realized
it didn’t matter how much cleaning I did in the rough draft phase, because soon
as I cleaned up one mess, I was sure to find another. Much better to finish the
draft, then go back and address all the changes together.




Spread yourself thin and overcommit.

I like to tell
myself that my novel is my top priority. But if I’m really honest, I’ve spread
myself too thin. My family is a priority, and my full-time career has to be a
priority too. On top of that, I run my own blog, with posts three times a week.
And just because I’m a special brand of crazy, I also launched a short story
zine last January. I have my reasons for holding on to these other pet
projects. But let’s get real—they’re getting in the way of finishing my novel.




How much does it
really matter how quickly you finish your manuscript? Well, that depends on you
and your goals. We all write at our own pace. Taking your time is not
necessarily a bad thing—after all, it took J.K. Rowling six years to write the
first Harry Potter book, and literary history is littered with other greats who
take their time with their works. I’ve learned invaluable lessons from my
sluggish process.




But if you dream of
supporting yourself from your writing, you can’t afford to take three years for
each book—even J.K. Rowling picked up her pace, releasing all seven books in
the Harry Potter series in 10 years. It’s a fast-paced world, and the more you
can organize your process for efficiency (without losing your creativity or
quality of writing, of course), the greater your career potential. More
finished works means more opportunities for success. 









Emily Wenstrom is the editor of wordhaus, a weekly short story ezine. She also blogs about
creativity for writers, artists and professionals at Creative
Juicer. Follow her on Twitter @emilywenstrom.

"House of Cards," Binge Viewing, Algorithms...and Writing

  by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig



I don't usually watch a lot of television.
One of the reasons is that I’m so short on time and jealously guard the free
time I do have.  I don’t want to waste it
on bad TV.

Then, by the time it finally trickles
down into my consciousness that something is a good
show, it’s probably two or three seasons in…I’m just that out of the loop. By
that point, it seems useless to even try to catch up. 

But at some point, networks started
realizing that if they aired old episodes online, they could snag new
viewers.  My sister-in-law assured me
that I’d enjoy Lost which was airing
on ABC. At the time, the show's last season was about to air.  I started watching episode one on my laptop
during my lunch one day.  I continued
watching an episode or even more each day after that until I was finished
catching up by the time the final season aired. 
What’s more, I felt like I’d really following the fairly convoluted plot
because of the way I’d chosen to consume the show.  It had been a self-paced marathon.



 I’ve been fascinated by the way Netflix
is approaching television with their February 1 release of House
of Cards. They left the pacing up to the viewers by releasing all thirteen episodes of the season at once.  I’ve watched the series and it’s a strangely
addicting process to view a show knowing you can just keep going once the
credits start rolling. You want to keep watching and see what happens next.  What’s more—the show is available for you
when you’re available for it.   If
you’ve got a block of free time, you can watch more than the usual weekly new
episode that’s allotted to viewers by the networks.

I’ve also noted, with interest, the
success some self-published authors have had
with putting up large numbers of books at once, or releasing books in
rapid succession.  I believe this has
been a contributing factor in some authors’ success…resulting in increased
visibility at online retailers (specifically Amazon.) Romance writer, Barbara Freethy, released a
substantial backlist very quickly.  Amanda Hocking wrote quite a
few books before releasing any (she was trying to break into traditional
publishing and wrote other books as she submitted, as she outlined in her post:
“An
Epic Tale of How it all Started.”  
Hugh Howey began seeing success with his first installment of Wool and was encouraged to outline the rest of
the story and accelerate his output…forgoing NaNoWriMo
to focus on working on Wool, as he
explains in his post “The Story of
My Middling Success.”   It’s also,
obviously, very important to have some quality control for what you’re
releasing…these books weren’t written and published in haste, but over a period
of time.

Back to the television, Netflix
is also being innovative by using data as part
of their creative process. Greg
Satall writes in “What
Netflix’s House of Cards Means for the Future of TV” for Forbes: “Finally,
it’s the first time that programming has been developed with the aid of big data algorithms.”  Jessica Leber
for the MIT Technology Review stated in
her article, “House of Cards and Our Future of Algorithmic
Programming”: "(Netflix) bought House of Cards based on what it knows about
the viewing habits of its 33 million users—it knew which and how many users
watch movies starring Kevin Spacey and the director David Fincher, and, through
its tagging and recommendation system, how many sat through other similar
political dramas. It has shown different trailers to people depending on their
particular viewing habits, too."



As authors, we don’t have as much data
available to us as media providers like Netflix and retailers like Amazon…but
we do have some, and we can make educated guesses as to other data.  We can measure reader response to titles, covers,
and stories by tracking sales. We can review the highlighted sections on the
bottom of our book’s sale page to see what resonates with readers.  We can study our reviews on retail sites like
Amazon, and book sharing sites like Goodreads (now owned by Amazon), even if
that’s painful for us (and it’s sure a lot easier if we can adopt an analytical
approach to the reviews.)

As I mentioned, I’m fascinated by these
developments.  I see exciting
possibilities for writers…but I also see some potential pitfalls.  I’m going to post part two of this post
(since this first is becoming a bit longwinded) on Friday…and I’d love to hear
your thoughts, too.

What excites or concerns you about the a
possible change in viewing/reading/consumer habits for entertainment?  Do you see a place for algorithms in
publishing?  In the creative process,
itself?

Twitterific

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig







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7 Tips for Choosing Your Book Cover Art: http://bit.ly/10iAE15 @charmaineclancy

Literary Agents Are Watching Blogs &
Amazon Bestseller Lists: http://bit.ly/10iChMl
@galleycat

20 things 1 author has learned about
writing: http://bit.ly/11jg1np @wickerkat

Unified Theory Of Writing: http://bit.ly/12C6chb @mooderino

The Demise of Private Writing? http://bit.ly/12C77OB @BTMargins
@NicholeBernier

Focus on the creative process and write
what excites you: http://bit.ly/12C7jgG
@MartinaABoone

Are We Badgering Readers? http://bit.ly/10EnkBj @BTMargins
@randysusanmeyer

What 1 writer loves about notebooks: http://bit.ly/15vTkiP @Jennifer_Castle

What Works in Real Life Works Just as
Well in Writing: http://bit.ly/17MIbYj
@EdieMelson

Scriptwriters: Are You Planning Your
Script? http://bit.ly/10r00KO @jacobkrueger

De-constructing Criticism is a Required
Skill for Writers: http://bit.ly/14Ma6Gx
@authortward

The Author Website – Keep it Simple and
to the Point: http://bit.ly/10r0eBy
@karencv

Why 1 writer stops reading a novel: http://bit.ly/14MasNp @jodyhedlund

6 tips for reading critically: http://bit.ly/10r0jp2 @woodwardkaren

Writing Fantasy Heroes: http://bit.ly/14MaHIn @SarahAveryBooks

Mind Maps for Writers: Get Inspired and
Get Organized: http://bit.ly/14MaQLK
@DPLyleMD

Common self-pub mistakes: http://bit.ly/10r0xwu @miralsattar
@bibliocrunch

When Platform-Building Bites Back

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig




MorgueFile--Crass


I read a post recently  (yes, I’m about a
month behind in my Feedly reader) that I thought was a very interesting
read…and I found myself wincing in sympathy for the writer.  The post is “Floundering”
by Stevie Libra, guesting on Robert Lee Brewer’s  My
Name is Not Bob blog.

Stevie seems to be relatively new to
writing and to platform-building.  She
stated that she’d participated in Robert’s 
30-day
Platform Challenge in 2012, which resulted in setting up a presence on
different sites.  As she put it, getting
established on these sites created “a monster that required daily feedings of
intensifying proportions.”



It’s an interesting post because Stevie
analyzes some of the problems she was experiencing while trying to keep up with
her platform building.  These included
email collection for newsletters, fighting spam on her blog, what to blog
about, and finding the time to do any of these things when she was struggling
with her writing.

Stevie reports that she solved some of
her problems by cutting back and simplifying what she’s doing online. 

I was glad to see that she was cutting
back.  As Jane Friedman put it in a post
entitled “Industry
Trends Requiring Every Writer’s Attention” on the Writer
Unboxed blog, she stated:

If you’re a totally new, unpublished writer who is
focused on fiction, memoir, poetry, or any type of narrative-driven work,
forget you ever heard the word platform. I think it’s causing more damage than
good. It’s causing writers to do things that they dislike (even hate), and that
are unnatural for them at an early stage of their careers. They’re confused,
for good reason, and platform building grows into a raging distraction from the
work at hand—the writing.

Therefore, build your platform by writing and
publishing in outlets that are a good fit for you, lead to professional growth,
and build your network. The other pieces will start to fall into place.

I think that’s fantastic advice.  I will say that I think it’s important to set
up a few basics, even for new writers:

A professional email address (your name,
perhaps) with gmail, outlook, or another free provider.

A home base of some sort, as a
writer.  For me, it’s the blog.  My blog is the one place online where I
consistently interact with other writers. 
That’s been a critical source of support and encouragement for me as a
writer.  For you it might be some other
site you enjoy: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.

For the harried, published writer:

If we regularly update our website/home
base (blog, etc.), and we need to cut back…I can’t see the harm in it.  I used to blog every day until my schedule
got so crazy that I cut back to four days a week.  I know several successful “slow bloggers” who
post once a week, but are very consistent and have large followings.  Again, I think it’s important to stick with
what we enjoy…if we enjoy Facebook more than blogging, then that’s what we
should focus on.  The important thing is
having a way for readers to connect with us, if they want to.

Eventually, I’m imagining (and it’s
already technically possible, but I haven’t seen it employed in any ebooks that
I’ve read) that eventually we’ll get to the point where our platform is located
inside our digital books.  Honestly, it
seems to me where this makes the most sense to connect with our readers…through
the books themselves.  I’ve seen live
links to authors’ Facebook and Twitter accounts, but it seems like we could have
more of an interactive book club type thing…forums, discussion boards, etc. in
the books.

How do you juggle social media and
writing?  Have you cut back your time
online?

Writing to the Rule of Three

by Linda S. Clare, @Lindasclare



MorgueFile: silverhairster



Writing isn’t an exact science. Maybe
that’s what Somerset Maugham meant when he said, “There are three rules for
writing a novel. Unfortunately nobody knows what they are.” Make that steep
learning curve a bit more manageable by using the Rule of Three.

The Rule of Three in Fiction. Since
nobody knows what the rules are, the “rule” is really a guideline. Don’t be a
slave! Use the Rule of Three as a guideline—to help you write better back story
(flashbacks) clauses and dialogue. Here’s how:

Back
Story:

Limit (especially in opening chapters)
back story/flashbacks to the Rule of Three. Use three or fewer sentences of
back story before at least touching back on the real time scene. If you allow
your reader to become immersed in the back story without revisiting the real
time scene, that reader is likely to forget about the real time scene. 

Clauses:

Use the Rule of Three in description. A
list of three (this, this and that) feels satisfying to the reader. Pay special
attention to threes when you want to establish a pattern for the reader to
remember. If you tend to draft exhaustive lists of description in setting or
character, edit out all but the best three to give your reader a quick and
complete picture of that person, place or thing.

Dialogue:

Write no more than three sentences spoken continuously by the same
speaker. After three, the dialogue becomes a speech. Break up with action,
narration or counter dialogue. Write no more than three exchanges between two
characters. Add a “beat” of action or narration to break up and keep reader
engaged.Try introducing a third character into a two-person scene to shift the
focus (camera) and make the dialogue/tension more complex.



Linda S. Clare is the author of women’s
fiction, including The Fence My Father Built
(Abingdon 2009) and upcoming A Sky without
Stars (Abingdon 2014). She teaches writing at a community college and
for George Fox University and lives in the Northwest with her family and three
wayward cats. Visit her at www.Lindasclare.com
or connect at www.facebook.com/Lindaclarebooks
or @Lindasclare on Twitter.

Finding Your Unique Author Voice… Like Everyone Else?

Guest Post by J.J. Hensley




Just Google it.  Seriously. 
Just type “Unique Author Voice” into a search engine and see what pops
up.  Everyone seems to know how you need
to go about finding your unique author voice. 
There are steps, exercises, and even templates available.  We are told publishers want to find authors
who have a unique voice, but do we
really know what that means?  I found
mine – but, it’s not mine.

My voice is the sum of
38 years of reading, working, talking, listening, watching television, and
observing.  Is that what people mean by
finding that voice?  I have no idea.  But when I decided to write a novel, I knew
that if I researched how to go about it – how to outline, structure, work on
plot pacing, etc., then whatever I ended up with would not truly be mine.  So, I carefully and methodically winged
it.  The result was the publication of
the very first written work I had attempted. 
Would this work for everyone?  How
the hell would I know?  I’m just a guy
who got a book published.  John Grisham
is not concerned that I’m going to knock him down any best-seller lists.  I’m still blindly feeling my way through the
world of being an author and it’s not uncommon for me to slam my head into a
wall.  I can only pass along what I
learned during my writing anti-process.




#1.      I admitted my unique voice would not be
mine.

My author voice is the
sum of nearly four decades  of living,
reading, working, watching television, laughing, crying, fighting, and
loving.  The voice is that of Vince
Flynn, Mark Twain, my elementary school teachers, my family, my friends, my
coworkers, and my dogs (not in a Son of Sam way).  The collection of all of these influences is
specific to me and only me.  How could it not be unique?

#2.      Outlining and note-taking are overrated.

Prior to writing my
first novel, I refused to research anything about how other authors construct
their books.  After it was picked up by a
publisher, curiosity got the better of me and I looked at how some famous authors
construct stories.  One article I read
stated that Stephen King outlines 50 pages before every writing a single word
of the actual book.  Yuk.  That sounds awful.  And who is this Stephen King guy anyway?  What does that guy know?  Right? 


Obviously, Stephen
King knows more about writing than I ever will. 
But, I do know that if I tried to sit down and outline 50 pages before
writing a book, I’d never write a book. 
For me, writing is fun and needs to stay that way.  Besides, when I’m writing a book I honestly
have very little idea where the story is going until I write the very next
paragraph.  I know that drives some
people crazy, but that’s my anti-process. 
If people ask me what my current project is about, I have a lot of
difficulty telling them because sometimes I have no freak’n idea until I start
typing the next chapter.  I’m not being
coy.  I’m not keeping things close to the
vest.  I really don’t know.  That’s the fun part!  That’s part of my author voice.

#3.    I didn’t start with a story, as much as I
did with my own voice.

What do I mean by
that?  Well, I only had a general idea
what the plot for my novel RESOLVE would entail.  I knew the backdrop would be a marathon and
that I would have 26.2 “Miles” in the form of chapters.  That’s pretty much it.  Then, I thought of a strong word that would
be a good title.  Next, I came up with a
name for the protagonist.  I thought up
some strong words or phrases that I liked and wanted to integrate into the
book.  The result was that my author
voice was the nucleus of the novel and the plot developed around it.  I didn’t think much about it at the time, and
I probably would not have proceeded this way if I had bought some “How to Write
a Novel for Dummies” book prior to starting. 
Anyway, from what I understand, this method is backward compared to the
way many others write.  So be it.  Maybe my unique voice is also the result of a
jacked-up, backwards process that would not work for most others.  Cool.




So, the best advice I
can give anyone who is looking to find their unique author voice is to stop
looking.  You probably already have it in
you.  You got it that time you got your
heart broken, won that trophy, got beat up on the playground, or celebrated
your wedding.  The voice may sound a lot
like a combination of David Baldacci, John Verdon, your mother, and the loud
guy working at the coffee shop.  Perhaps
you can go with your gut and not your notes or some generic template.  Or… simply ignore everything I just wrote and
do what you feel is natural.  That would
be a pretty cool too.

 

J.J. Hensley is the author of the
critically-acclaimed novel Resolve. 
Resolve is available on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and many
independent bookstores.  Visit the author
at:

www.hensley-books.com

www.facebook.com/hensleybooks

Memorial Day Break

Hope my blog readers in the States will
have a nice Memorial Day.   

I’m taking a
break today from blogging, but will return Wednesday.

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 19,000
free articles on writing related topics. It's the search engine for writers.

Sign up for our free newsletter for monthly
writing tips and interviews with top contributors to the WKB or like us on Facebook.

Mike Fleming worked with author and
writing coach James Scott Bell to offer an online, interactive, writing program
to help make your next novel great. It's called "Knockout Novel" and
you can learn more about it at Knockout
Novel.com.

Big news for BEA--6 top indies have a
booth. Is the BEA ready? http://bit.ly/16em6Vl
@bellaandre @cjlyonswriter @Porter_Anderson @hughhowey

Garroting as a
murder method in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/Z7qbHM
@mkinberg



Can we love our second book as much as
our first? http://bit.ly/Z7z97L @HartJohnson
@JohannaGarth

What do authors owe publishers?Ann
Patchett's remarks in @thebookseller cause furor: http://bit.ly/12JdgKp @MickRooney7777
@Porter_Anderson



 

The need for self-pub work to be
well-produced--and the associated costs: http://bit.ly/13L23dw
@miralsattar @Porter_Anderson

Creating great blurbs from negative
reviews: http://wapo.st/18iREXv
@RonCharles @washingtonpost

How to Write a Book in 3 Days: Lessons
from Michael Moorcock: http://bit.ly/14EMh3g
via @this_distracted

3 Ways to Add Repetition That Pleases
Readers: http://bit.ly/14YQyOJ @KMWeiland

A closer look at Amazon's fan fiction
program, Kindle Worlds: http://bit.ly/11jgGp4
@flourish @scalzi @Porter_Anderson

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

The Search Engine for Writers: http://hiveword.com/wkb/search

11 Ways Stay-at-Home Moms (and Other Busy
Folks) Can Find Time to Write: http://bit.ly/10wUfYe
@KMWeiland @devtflaherty

The Reality of Writing for Content Mills
— 14 Writers' True Stories: http://bit.ly/15vRwWQ
@TiceWrites

Why We (and our characters) Fall in Love:
http://bit.ly/10wUO4v @FaeRowen

5 Writing Lessons 1 Writer Learned from
Being an Editor: http://bit.ly/15vRFJO
@diymfa @emilywenstrom

A reluctant poet: http://bit.ly/10wVarJ

The Rule of Three in Writing: http://bit.ly/15vSd2q @SKRViLL

Getting Comfy with the Discomfort: http://bit.ly/10wX2km @SarahrCallender

What 1 writer loves about notebooks: http://bit.ly/15vTkiP @Jennifer_Castle

Speculative fiction: the superset of all
possible literature: http://bit.ly/10xal4g
@shunn

Washington Post's Outlook avoids these
words and phrases: http://bit.ly/15wNPjO

Why The End Of Professional Magazines May
Be In Sight: http://bit.ly/10xNnKq

Selling Yourself as a Writer: http://bit.ly/15wO12x @robertleebrewer
@ShaunEHorton

Labels of an introverted writer: http://bit.ly/10xNJk9 @hopeclark @danasitar

The Point of the Paperback: http://bit.ly/15wOtOg @nicholebernier
@the_millions

Inventing New From Old: http://bit.ly/15wOxNQ @mooderino

3 Storytelling Methods to Improve Your
Writing or Speaking: http://bit.ly/10xO5qZ
@dennisbrooke @bloggingbistro

3 Ways to Reuse Your Research: http://bit.ly/15wOJNj

"I Love Your Story Anyway!" --
Tales From the Unintended Audience: http://bit.ly/10iAzdQ
@museinks

10 tips for handling public pressure and
online vitriol without losing it: http://bit.ly/10NQ1KG
@ajackwriting

7 Tips for Choosing Your Book Cover Art: http://bit.ly/10iAE15 @charmaineclancy

Maximizing Your Fallow Season: http://bit.ly/10NQf4u @JMHochstetler
@SouthrnWritrMag

How to Write Great Analogies: http://bit.ly/10NQUmx @ava_jae

8 Types of People Who Attend Writing
Conferences: http://bit.ly/10iBhaW
@writersdigest

Converting Posts to Resource Pages: http://bit.ly/10NRCjG @JFBookman

When The Writing Challenges Are All
Mental: http://bit.ly/10NRH7b
@nataliewhipple

Don't Be a Hater: On Lit Mags and Their
Covers: http://bit.ly/10iBsTB @grubwriters
@thereviewreview

Do We Expect Too Much Realism in Our
Stories? http://bit.ly/10NRUXW
@Janice_hardy

Robert Frost's 10 favorite books: http://bit.ly/10iBD1f @csmonitor

11 quick + dirty things about writing: http://bit.ly/10NSAwv @justinemusk

2 tips to help you build your online
presence: http://bit.ly/10iBURN
@BloggingTipsCom

Writers Writing About Writers Writing
About …  http://bit.ly/10NSO6J
@amazingstories0

What It Takes to Be a Real Author CEO: http://bit.ly/10iBYks @kristenlambtx

The Sting of a Negative Review: http://bit.ly/10NT0CY @V_Rossibooks

Busting publishing myths: http://bit.ly/10iCaQJ @rachellegardner

Self Esteem and Avant-Garde Cinema: http://bit.ly/10NTcC8 @scriptmag

Literary Agents Are Watching Blogs &
Amazon Bestseller Lists: http://bit.ly/10iChMl
@galleycat

7 Publishing Tips 1 Writer Learned at the
Writer's Digest Conference: http://bit.ly/10NTjxI

Making a Social Media Marketing Calendar:
http://bit.ly/10iCmPY @vgrefer

How To Get Honest Book Reviews: http://bit.ly/12rcgco @woodwardkaren

What do readers want from front matter
and end matter? http://bit.ly/YOxBQ0

When you don't want a blog--the basic
author website: http://bit.ly/YOyc4j
@Trucking_Lady

25 Tactics to Promote Your Blog via
Facebook and Twitter: http://bit.ly/12reh8B
@heidicohen

The Short Story on Structuring Your Short
Story: http://bit.ly/12remsV @storyfix

The Real Reason Why Science Fiction
Westerns Are Such a Hard Sell: http://bit.ly/YOytEn
@i09

An analysis of 1 book's opening: http://bit.ly/12reKaJ @Janice_hardy

Physical attribute thesaurus--head: http://bit.ly/YOyBUj @angelaackerman

Your Website Images - Be Careful What You
Delete: http://bit.ly/YOyHeH @karencv

Top 20 Greatest Sci-Fi & Fantasy TV
Show Finales: http://bit.ly/12rf75b
@sfxmagazine

Five Year Writing Plans: http://bit.ly/YOyRmc

"Most contemporary literary fiction
is terrible" : http://bit.ly/12695X5
@salon @jrobertlennon

Tips for effective linking in WordPress
blogs: http://bit.ly/10ICCJL
@BloggingTipsCom

Burning the Manuscripts: http://bit.ly/1269EjS @henriettepower

Spice Up Your Writing: http://bit.ly/10ICXMB

Trading favors and our integrity: http://bit.ly/126a5dY @KSElliott_Shark

Advice for trad. published writers now
interested in self-pub: http://bit.ly/10IDqi3
@jamesscottbell

The Numbers Game: What to do after you've
submitted a short story: http://bit.ly/10IDuy6
@amazingstories0

Fantasy Weapons – the Good, the Bad, and
the Ugly: http://bit.ly/10IE8vB @Chilari

How to move your story: http://bit.ly/126xb44 @lindasclare

7 strategies for ebook pricing: http://bit.ly/YFkQ82 @digibookworld

The Five Cornerstones of Dramatic
Characterization: http://bit.ly/126xJqK
@thecreativepenn @DavidCorbett_CA

Utopia and Dystopia – The Many Faces of
The Future: http://bit.ly/YFl27h
@VeronicaSicoe

3 Tips for Hooking Readers: http://bit.ly/126y6Se @MissyTippens

The Thin Line between Character Strengths
and Flaws: http://bit.ly/YFt2VX @jamigold

Are We Badgering Readers? http://bit.ly/10EnkBj @BTMargins
@randysusanmeyer

Creating Your Fantasy Bible: http://bit.ly/YFtfbu @ThereDraftAgain

Leave In Everything: http://bit.ly/10EnpoC @mooderino

Using Zombies To Eliminate Passive Voice:
http://bit.ly/YFtpjm

How to Stop Self-Sabotaging: http://bit.ly/10EnHvt @RealE

How to Increase Tension in your Story: http://bit.ly/YFu5VO @shalvatzis

Break the Rules to Become a Best Seller: http://bit.ly/10EnIzv @livewritethrive

5 Things Fiction Acquisition Editors
Never Say: http://bit.ly/YFubg0 @novelrocket

It's not enough to write the book.  Self-pubbed authors must think about
business: http://bit.ly/10EnNTQ
@nataliegayle1

Links to help with the querying process: http://bit.ly/YFuibD @ingridsundberg

Editors: Freelance v. In-house: http://bit.ly/10EnSa6 @fictorians

Dear author: your name is your brand.
Here's why: http://bit.ly/YFutUc
@JosieBrownCA

4 Words That are Killing Your Prose: http://bit.ly/16b7zJQ @write_practice

The Care and Feeding of Secondary
Characters: http://bit.ly/16b87iO

Algorithms—Are They Killing the
"Kindle Revolution"? http://bit.ly/13igsKD
@annerallen

3 Ways to Improve Your Author Website
Today: http://bit.ly/16b8zNV @janefriedman

Handling conflict in a virtual world
(esp. in online writing communities): http://bit.ly/16b9qOE
@Jan_Ohara

Elements that can make a story fail: http://bit.ly/YTTn4J

Know Your Characters: http://bit.ly/129iL3c

The Three Levels of Commitment: http://bit.ly/YTTxt1 @jeffgoins

5 Ways Publishers Can Be More Like
Start-Ups: http://bit.ly/129iVaO
@pubperspectives

Short story prompts: http://bit.ly/129nQbF @storyadaymay

4 Ways Blogging Will Make You a Better
Writer: http://bit.ly/104TJUm @diymfa
@danblank

Self Publishing Video Tutorials: http://bit.ly/10cxgkl @galleycat

No Matter the Genre, Many Great Books
Start With a One Sentence Idea: http://bit.ly/1422Ups
@bob_mayer

Why 1 writer chooses to write erotic fan
fiction: http://bit.ly/1423tzy @ClarionUCSD

The Writing Conference Trifecta: http://bit.ly/18Kt6I7

Write a killer first line: http://bit.ly/1423SBY @MartinaABoone
@finneyfrock

The art of story Velcro: http://bit.ly/18KtBlt @Rachel_Aaron

What Downton Abbey Can Teach us About
Tension: http://bit.ly/18KudaM
@Janice_Hardy

Agent lessons from a conference panel: http://bit.ly/1426zU6

Comparison is the thief of joy: http://bit.ly/18KuL06 @tawnafenske

Life with a Writer: http://bit.ly/18KvWN6 @GingerJohnson_

Pitching dos and don'ts: http://bit.ly/14288Bi @gordonwarnock

Should Being Creative Feel Good? http://bit.ly/18Ihv9q @brandenbarnett

Agent advice for better manuscripts: http://bit.ly/18Kwvq9

When writers hesitate to send out their
work: http://bit.ly/10ygY5j @evilwriters

What 1 writer does when she gets stuck
while writing: http://bit.ly/10yh90o
@Word_Wrestler

Instant gratification and pacing: http://bit.ly/10yhf8s @KristenJett

How 1 agent prepares for an author
submission: http://bit.ly/17uiHkG

Writers Write – Seeing the Cliché Through
New Eyes: http://bit.ly/10yhznE
@matty_gibbon

A Peek at the Real Life of That Writer
You Envy: http://bit.ly/17uiWw5 @TiceWrites

What would you write if you weren't
afraid? http://bit.ly/YMHwmS
@rachellegardner

Full Shot for Full Effect: http://bit.ly/13pqd9J @livewritethrive

The Agony and the Ecstasy:
Self-Publishing: http://bit.ly/13pqlG9
@PattiHill

The Slow Language of Sculpture, the Fast
Language of Words: http://bit.ly/13pqsBR
@the_millions

What New Skills Do Publishers Need to
Navigate in Publishing? http://bit.ly/YMI4Ju
@pubperspectives

The 3 forces that are shaping 21st
century book publishing: scale, verticalization, and atomization: http://bit.ly/13pr1LS @PassiveVoiceBlg

4 ways to improve your writing through an
online writing workshop: http://bit.ly/YMInEj
@bookbaby

How To Write Episodic/Serialized Fiction:
http://bit.ly/13prjSP and http://bit.ly/13prmhu @woodwardkaren

Storytelling--Know the Three Levels of
Tradecraft: http://bit.ly/YMIEqG
@cockeyedcaravan

The end game: http://bit.ly/14c1ety @JoeMoore_writer

When characters age in a series: http://bit.ly/14c1tVg @rachelnseigel

Writing partner etiquette: http://bit.ly/14c1LM3 @KenLevine

How to Use Stream of Consciousness: http://bit.ly/14c1SXW @kmweiland

5 Easy Ways to Overcome The Fear of
Public Speaking: http://bit.ly/14c22yy
@jesslaw

Why We (and Our Characters) Fall in Love:
http://bit.ly/1098GoW @FaeRowen

Defeat Distraction: Refocusing with
Purpose: http://bit.ly/14c2pJq @LeoBabauta

Script To Screen: "Young
Frankenstein": http://bit.ly/1098Nkt
@gointothestory

Beating Creative Block: 10 Ways to Bring
Back Creativity: http://bit.ly/1098ZjJ
@youthedesigner

How to start a group blog: http://bit.ly/14c3vEU @diymfa

The Pros of Professional Development: http://bit.ly/14c3IrO @bluemaven

How to Create an Author Page on Facebook:
http://bit.ly/1099v1f @juliemusil

5 Rules For Writing A Murder Mystery:
Keeping the Murderer Secret Until The End: http://bit.ly/109anCM
@woodwardkaren

The History of Serialized Fiction Gets a
New Chapter: http://bit.ly/109asGR
@AndrewLiptak

Owen Egerton's 30 Writing Tips: http://bit.ly/10Z28ut @woodwardkaren

Words don't exist in a vacuum: http://bit.ly/12JzVVF @lkblackburne

Why writers should use food in their
stories: http://bit.ly/10Z2n8N
@write_practice

How James Patterson Made 94 Million
Dollars Last Year: http://bit.ly/12LP9e0
@Gretchen_Archer

Three Types of Good Story Repetition

Today I'm over at
K.M. Weiland's Blog, WordPlay (a fantastic writing craft blog, if you haven't visited),

talking about three
types of good repetition for our
stories.  Hope you'll pop over.