Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 168
September 30, 2012
Taking Characters on a Voyage of Self-Discovery
I read in the Charlotte Observer recently that there was a new radio station in town…an oldies station. I was glad to hear the news—I remember thinking that there wasn’t really a station that played Motown or the Beatles. The next time I got in the car, I turned on the radio and turned to the station I’d read about.
I frowned. “That’s strange,” I said to my son. “There’s supposed to be an oldies station here. But they’re playing Prince.”
I glanced over and saw my teen son’s face go carefully, cautiously, diplomatically blank. I kept changing the dial ever so slightly, listening for the Supremes or Otis Redding or the Beach Boys.
Then I realized it. The station that was playing Prince was the oldies station. I’d thought an oldies station would play music from when my parents were in high school…but it was playing music from when I was in high school.
Bleh.
Just like my son let me figure out on my own that 41 year olds aren't spring chickens, sometimes it’s helpful for us to let characters figure things out for themselves. When should characters realize they’re not able to save the world? Or be the perfect parent? Or that they have anger management issues? Or a drinking problem? Or that they’re getting old? :)
One way to prompt the character into introspection is by having the character react to a life event. The event (end of a marriage/relationship, loss of a job, fatal car accident the protagonist walks away from) could make the character reflect on his part in the failure and new awareness of his own shortcomings.
In my books (mysteries), sometimes the characters don’t ever have that epiphany. Instead, they end up murdering another character, or become a murder victim, themselves.
Another way to get a protagonist to reach that moment of self-discovery/awareness is to have another character point out the protagonist's flaw. This can be tricky, though, just like it is in real life. It can make for great conflict.
If another character offers insight into some truth about the protagonist, it offers an opportunity for character development. Does the protagonist get defensive? Analytical? Does he agree or disagree? Does he storm off? Is he hurt? How does it affect the relationship between the two characters?
Something else to consider is the reader. When should you time this moment of introspection for the protagonist (if it’s a secondary character, I don’t think it’s quite as big of a question)? When will the reader get tired of the fact that the protagonist just doesn’t get it? When would you, as a reader, get frustrated that the protagonist is stuck in a cycle, for instance?
Those are the ways that I’ve come up with to make characters come to grips with their own shortcomings (reacting to an event or having another character force them into thinking about it.) Have you got any other ideas? What have you used in your books?
Photo: Flickr—Elkit
September 29, 2012
Twitterific
Twitterific is a compilation of all the writing links I shared the previous week.
The links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 18,000 free articles on writing-related topics. Sign up for our free newsletter for monthly writing tips and interviews with top contributors to the WKB or like us on Facebook.
Try “My WKB”--a way for you to list and sort articles, view your read articles, and see your search history. Read more about it here: http://bit.ly/S9thqS . The free My WKB page is here: http://bit.ly/PV8Ueb .
Have a great week!
Bad Habits of Good Writers (Beyond Coffee): http://bit.ly/SErrZ6 @TheresaStevens @Porter_Anderson
Examples of childhood memories as plot elements in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/QyP5qo @mkinberg
Why writing with a book deal is a whole different game: http://bit.ly/T8DhB8 @internspills
3 Tips for Writing When Life is Chaotic and Crazy: http://bit.ly/SEMWcg @jodyhedlund
"Mirror scenes" and how to avoid them: http://bit.ly/T8Dswt @juliettewade
Self-Publishing Basics: Where to Publish: http://bit.ly/SENf6V @susankayequinn
The challenge of discoverabilty in a flooded ebook market (DBW con report): http://bit.ly/QI8nd8 @Porter_Anderson @richfahle @rickjoyce @clintonk
A Writer's Reasons For Falling In Love: http://bit.ly/T8DNz7 @mooderino
What You Need To Know About Writing Video Games: http://bit.ly/T8E30X @booklifenow
When to Hire a Freelance Editor: http://bit.ly/SENM8T @womenwriters
Characterization Skills and Sources: http://bit.ly/SENOO1
Alcohol and the Creative Process: http://bit.ly/T8Ex7n @sianbeilock
6 tips for successful networking: http://bit.ly/SEO8wd @rachellegardner
It's Not Just about the Writing: http://bit.ly/T8EVCW @4YALit
Writing Mistake: Are Your Characters Invincible? http://bit.ly/T8F21a @ava_jae
Ch. 1 Analyses: http://bit.ly/SEOyml @mooderino
Creative Power Tool: Words: http://bit.ly/Qqc4Xz @diymfa
How To Create A Writing Schedule That Works For You: http://bit.ly/Un4laK @authormedia
Full-service publishers are rethinking what they can offer: http://bit.ly/Qqc89E @passivevoiceblg
7 Freelance Writing Scams and How to Fight Them: http://bit.ly/QqcdtR @victoriastrauss @patrickicasas
7 Steps to Get Your Groove Back When You've Lost Your Writing Rhythm: http://bit.ly/Un4GKC @originalimpulse
Watching out for the "wrong" emotion in a secondary world: http://bit.ly/OL7kgi @juliettewade
7 More Ways to Prepare for NaNoWriMo: http://bit.ly/PT8a60 @PYOEbooks
Automated grammar programs: http://bit.ly/OL7HHN @TheresaStevens
The Sensual Writer - Sight: http://bit.ly/PT8GRr
10 Tips for Getting a Staff Writing Job: http://bit.ly/OL83hA @writing_tips
How not to get an agent: http://bit.ly/PT8ZM4
25 Apps to Help You Hack Productivity: http://bit.ly/OL8dpo @lifehackorg
Phases of editing during book production: http://bit.ly/PT9equ @bigblackcat97
Juicing (fraud in book reviewing): http://bit.ly/OL8okv
Sidekicks do NOT need their own stupid sidekicks: http://bit.ly/PT9vts @speechwriterguy
10 Most Epic Love Stories in All of Science Fiction: http://bit.ly/OL8wjT @i09
Make your stress work for you: http://bit.ly/OL8LeU @rachellegardner
A writer vows never to read a 5-star ebook again: http://bit.ly/OL8Uin @BarrBielinski
5 Creepy Social Media Marketing Tactics: http://bit.ly/Qea1D2 @KristenLambTX
Keeping Characters True to Themselves: http://bit.ly/Qe5CzY @stdennard @4YALit
Social Media Will Not Sell Your Book: http://bit.ly/Qlnvzv @hilarydavidson
15 grammatical errors to avoid: http://bit.ly/S4UFzC @bubblecow
What moves you to write? http://bit.ly/QsMDEx
The Influence Of History On Epic Fantasy: http://bit.ly/PNPq9x @fantasybookcrit
How to Overcome Distractions: http://bit.ly/QsMKjE @lifehackorg
Write big or go home: http://bit.ly/PNPEgQ @4YALit @nikkiloftin
Create your own writing retreat: http://bit.ly/QsMNMh
History as Mystery: http://bit.ly/PNPMNn @livewritethrive
How to Become A Literary Agent in 2 Easy Steps: http://bit.ly/QsMUYd @mandyhubbard
Rivet Your Readers with Deep POV: http://bit.ly/PNQavo @JillElizNelson
3 Free Photo Tools for Author Bloggers: http://bit.ly/QsMXDk @jfbookman
Elements of Fantasy: Zombies: http://bit.ly/PNQmLd @fantasyfaction
Using religion to add depth to your fiction: http://bit.ly/QsN3uG
"Setting" the Stage for Storytelling: http://bit.ly/PNQH0h @novelrocket
A writer talks about his experience dealing with depression: http://bit.ly/QsNaq6 @chrisbrogan
Changing senses: http://bit.ly/RawinY @emergentpublish
Working with Startups: 5 Tips for Publishers: http://bit.ly/POI71i @pubperspectives
Using hooks for your scene breaks: http://bit.ly/RawK5m @KMWeiland
Places for finding character names: http://bit.ly/POIw42 @karencv
Why Amazon Must Light a Fire Under the Kindle Fire: http://bit.ly/RawNyg @passivevoiceblg
Subjects you might have avoided in school that could be useful to your writing now: http://bit.ly/POIGbt @BTMargins @gripemaster
How to Write a Short Story No One Else Can Write: http://bit.ly/Rax7go @d_lazarin @joebunting
Character Development: Exploiting Weaknesses: http://bit.ly/POJ2Pm @ava_jae
The 5 Key Personality Traits of Successful Indie Authors: http://bit.ly/POJgWQ @duolit
Ebook Formatting - The Easy Way: http://bit.ly/Raxpny @susankayequinn
Step by Step Guide to Building an Ebook with Calibre: http://bit.ly/RbGJaH @howtowriteshop
How to Keep The Reader Hooked: The Dan Brown Secret: http://bit.ly/QyQf5e @yeomanis
3 Reasons Why Coercing Readers Into Newsletter Subscriptions Is a Bad Idea: http://bit.ly/RbGU5W @roniloren
The Writing Life: The point of the long and winding sentence: http://lat.ms/QyQuNE @LATimes
Animating Songwriting: Making Music That Moves: http://bit.ly/RbH6Ci @usasong
Can Our Social Media Behaviors Destroy Our Social Environment? http://bit.ly/QyQBIY @kristenlambTX
Screenwriting--there's no right way to write: http://bit.ly/RbHikS @gits
Email accounts for your identity as a writer: http://bit.ly/QyQHAs @kit_lit
How caffeine affects your creativity: http://bit.ly/Qz4x5Y @tannerc
Thoughts and Tips for Writing About Sex: http://bit.ly/Qz4Hu3 @wickerkat
Would You Let Readers Watch as You Write Your Book? http://bit.ly/RbVb2u @galleycat
Should you write with a collaborator? http://bit.ly/Qz4YgE @nickdaws
Does Publishing A Novel Change Your Life? http://bit.ly/RbVkD4 @NicholeBernier
Horror--the era of the found footage horror film: http://bit.ly/Qz5nj3
A Writing Taboo: Never Begin Your Story With Weather: http://bit.ly/RbVIl3 @woodwardkaren
Why Creativity Blocks Happen (and How to Overcome Them): http://bit.ly/Qz5w6d @lifehacker
How to speak publisher: E is for editor: http://bit.ly/Qz6Xl3 @annerooney
Pros and cons of pen names: http://bit.ly/Qz74gj @deanwesleysmith
James Bond and the Perils of Product Placement: http://bit.ly/Qz78g6 @davidgaughran
The elements of a successful pitch: http://bit.ly/Qz7iEl @novelrocket
10 non-writing-related ways to become a better writer: http://bit.ly/Qz7p2D @rachellegardner
10 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Fight Settings: http://bit.ly/Qz7KCl @lbgale
What to Do When People Don't Get Your Story: http://bit.ly/NPmHDh @jodyhedlund
How to Show (Not Tell) Paranoia, Hope, and Other Moods: http://bit.ly/PWCo9G @joebunting
Explaining your story's world… and avoiding exposition: http://bit.ly/NPmYG9 @dirtywhitecandy
Use Setting and Background to Meet Reader Expectations: http://bit.ly/PWCQF1 @beth_barany
Ebook Formatting - The Hard Way: http://bit.ly/PWD13f @susankayequinn
6 Essential Tips for Getting Your Guest Posts Accepted: http://bit.ly/NPndB3
Horror in video games: http://bit.ly/PWQhor
Konrath's Self-Pub Sales Report: http://bit.ly/NPsEjn @jakonrath
The Death Of Genre: Drifting Toward A Post-Genre Future: http://bit.ly/PWSeRR @chuckwendig
The business-savvy writer has a good offense: http://bit.ly/NPtyfO @kristinerusch
How Many Spaces After a Period? http://bit.ly/PWSro2 @writersdigest
Using folklore to create a story: http://bit.ly/NPtCMD @genelempp
TMI Sentences: http://bit.ly/PWSHUf @aliciarasley
Writing Tip: Action! http://bit.ly/NPtMU5 @threekingsbooks
Have writer's block? Try something different: http://bit.ly/PWSZud @emergentpublish
Should You Use A Pen Name? http://bit.ly/QUKiQB @woodwardkaren
Ethical Roulette: http://bit.ly/Ri57rj @JAKonrath
6 Necessities for Your Blogged Book: http://bit.ly/Ri59zr @ninaamir
How One Writer's Social Hestitations Led to Something Great: http://bit.ly/Ri5eTB @khaledcallen
Advice on Writing Mentors: http://bit.ly/QUKEXl
How to write comics: agreements and collaboration: http://bit.ly/QUKTBR @79SemiFinalist
@litreactor
Serialising a novel--what to do when the show is over: http://bit.ly/Ri5ZMw @dirtywhitecandy
5 Things to Consider During Revisions: http://bit.ly/QULcwv
Every Writer Needs a Bio: http://bit.ly/Ri6oib @novelrocket
Engaging Readers Using Social Commentary in Ebooks: http://bit.ly/QULt2y @ddscottromcom
Intellectual Property Considerations for Writers: http://bit.ly/Ri6N3Y @thecreativepenn
Are You Making These 7 Book Marketing Mistakes? http://bit.ly/QULBz3 @JFBookman
10 Inspirational Disabled Characters From Sci-Fi And Fantasy: http://bit.ly/QULF1C @sfxmagazine
How to Take on Writer's Block like a Pro: http://bit.ly/OXI9HF @emilywenstrom
How to Choose When to Use Dialogue (and What Kind) in Your Fiction and Nonfiction: http://bit.ly/QImGOD
What's the best way to cover a speech? http://bit.ly/OXIkCM @michellerafter
Are "sock puppets" really that bad for the book business? http://bit.ly/QImTRV @paidcontent
There's no right way to write: http://bit.ly/OXIslA @gits
Less Distractions, More Writing: http://bit.ly/QImZZP
Applying Picture Book Wisdom to Longer Fiction: http://bit.ly/OXIBFG @annastanisz
4 tips for writing your personal story: http://bit.ly/OXIH07 @rachellegardner
Self-Publishing Basics - Publishing to iTunes: http://bit.ly/QInfZ1 @susankayequinn
Why Write Blog Posts Consistently? http://bit.ly/QInnHN @ava_jae
5 Tips To Help Improve Your Story's Pacing: http://bit.ly/OXJ0Ii
Dominate Your Personal Brand On Google With This 14 Point Checklist: http://bit.ly/OXJrCz
10 Best Closing Lines Of Novels: http://bit.ly/PMDG7E @xymarla
Writers Be-Wary: Electronic Distribution and Control of Creative Material: http://bit.ly/V9P940 @victoriastrauss
Writing in a child's voice: http://bit.ly/V9Q04P @SW_Messenger @angelaackerman
A legal blog for writers--publishing law and copyright counsel: http://bit.ly/PMEo4O @SheilaJLevine
When Do Writers Need Multiple Blogs? http://bit.ly/PgD1ZK @kristenlambTX
An editor reviews common manuscript issues she comes across: http://bit.ly/SLOt5N @behlerpublish
YA readers tell authors what they like to read: http://bit.ly/PgDo6o
30 Synonyms for "Meeting": http://bit.ly/SLOG94 @writing_tips
The 11 Biggest Lies Ever Told By Favorite Heroes and Villains: http://bit.ly/PgDwTC @i09
Is Your Work Day Filled With Unwanted Obligation or a Burning Desire to Improve? http://bit.ly/SLP2MJ @danblank
Novelists Seek Help Fighting Internet Addiction: http://bit.ly/PgDY4b @_thefix
What Should Indie Publishers Be Called? http://bit.ly/SLRJhm @deanwesleysmith
A closer look at new commercial models for publishing: http://bit.ly/PgGO9c @MikeShatzkin @Porter_Anderson
10 Excuses for Not Writing - and How to Smash Them: http://bit.ly/PgLcFd @KMWeiland
Fantasy Influences: Ancient Greek Mythology: http://bit.ly/PgLg8a @fantasyfaction
Thoughts on chapter breaks: http://bit.ly/PgLrA7
The Writer's Block Myth: http://bit.ly/SLX8VN @kkuseklewis
Chart a course to your dream: http://bit.ly/SLXgVf @sarahahoyt
Entries in the character trait thesaurus: just-- http://bit.ly/PgLWdD and modest--http://bit.ly/PgLWdE @angelaackerman
Conflict is Key: http://bit.ly/PgM78F @heidiwriter
5 Sentences That Should Save the Best Until Last: http://bit.ly/PgQL6P @writing_tips
September 28, 2012
Organizing a Book and a Time-Saving Technique for Editing
Everybody has a method for organizing a book. It’s important to stick with whatever works for you. For me, the most important thing about organizing a book is that it’s got to be easy. It can’t be time-consuming. Because it would be incredibly tempting to sink your writing time into making the perfect, tabbed notebook with color-coded sections. Believe me, I’d be totally pulled into that kind of time suck.
I haven’t talked about my own method for organizing a book (and it’s pretty basic) for a while, so I thought I’d share it here. It does help me to work through a draft pretty quickly…and the edits, too.
I just finished writing a first draft. So, to help me keep all my documents straight, I have a folder in Word with the working title of the manuscript. Inside that folder, I have a character sheet with character names (full names) and short descriptions. I fill this out as I go so that I don’t have to look back in my document to try to remember character details (I have a lousy memory…)
Sometimes I’m writing on the go, so there will be scraps of paper in places like my car, my purse, etc. Or I’ll wake up with an idea and scrawl an unintelligible note on some paper on my bedside table.
What I’ve learned I have to do, though, is to gather those papers together at the end of the day. If one of the ideas is for later in the story, then I type it into an ideas document in the WiP’s folder on Word. If it’s something related to my current spot in the story, then I add it in.
Keeping tabs on these scraps is important—frequently the ideas that suddenly hit me are better than the ones that I sit down and decide to have. A few times I’ve finished a book, emailed the manuscript to my editor, and found a scrap of paper later that had a really cool twist on it. Oh well!
I've seen other writers use different methods. Some swear by Post-Its on a bulletin board/story board. Some write everything in a spiral notebook, then they type it all onto the computer later. Another way to organize a book is to use an online program designed specifically for writers. My friend, Mike Fleming’s, Hiveword, for example. It sure makes it easier to find all the different components of your book. And helps avoid the sloppiness of Post-Its.
On to editing.
One thing that really helps me speed through a draft is the fact that I don’t edit as I go…although I know plenty of writers who do, and it works well for them.
I, on the other hand, become a disaster when I edit as I go. It messes up my creative flow by making me use a different part of my brain. When my editor hat is on, I feel like my manuscript is a broken mess. It might be, but it’s all fixable. This is something that I don’t need to worry over while I’m drafting.
I do one time-saving thing that helps me organize my to-do list for editing the next draft.
I notice problems as I go. I’ll either jot down a note on a separate document to remind myself to address it later, or make a comment to myself in Track Changes on Word.
If I stop to fix the problem, it just pulls me right out of the story.
I’ll also have a document with extra bits of dialogue and ideas to be worked in later…or discarded.
And I have my list of things to edit after the first draft is done. For mine now, the list is stuff that only I would understand:
Add Corrine’s reward
Short updates from Myrtle in the newspaper
Elaine’s photography
Albums
Freeze the ham.
So…you get the idea. I’m not writing a huge explanation when I jot these notes down. These are just brief reminders to help me remember things I need to add or adjust so that there won’t be continuity errors or plot holes.
That’s really it. Simple stuff, but it helps me move quickly through drafting a manuscript and editing it. How do you organize your writing and editing?
Image: Patricia Fortes, Morgue Files
September 26, 2012
Save the Cat
I’ve been hearing about the book Save the Cat by Blake Snyder for a long time. Probably the last few years, actually.It was one of those things where I kept meaning to buy it, kept hearing about it, but I didn’t have a direct buy-link to the book. (So…if you’re like me, here you are: Save the Cat Kindle , Save the Cat Nook , Save the Cat print .
It’s a helpful book. I can definitely see what all the hoopla is about. It’s written by a screenwriter for screenwriters—but the methods are applicable for novelists.
I think another reason I resisted buying this book is because I have my writing method fairly well-developed for my series. I know how I structure a traditional mystery.
The book does offer help for structuring a novel. But the thing I found the most helpful was a very short section where Blake Snyder actually brought up the “save the cat” approach that the title alludes to.
Snyder said that it was incredibly important for your audience (he, naturally, means filmgoers, but it works for readers) to like or at least pull for your protagonist. He casually mentions the importance of making your protagonist do something likeable in one of the first scenes of your film/novel.
This sounds incredibly simple (and is incredibly simple), but I’d never thought of it in such a concrete or deliberate way before.
One of my series, the Myrtle Clover mysteries, has a…well, let’s call Myrtle difficult. She’s a difficult octogenarian sleuth. I love Myrtle. Many readers love Myrtle and write to me about Myrtle and ask me when the next Myrtle book is coming out.
Some readers think Myrtle should be locked in a retirement home and have the key thrown away. They don’t hesitate to let me know this in the reviews. :)
So…you love her or you hate her. I understand this. There are people I know who are similar to Myrtle.
But you want readers to at least pull for your character. You don’t want them to give up on your book. So, Snyder’s advice is to throw in a scene that displays the protagonist in a good light….early.
So, when readers are trying to decide if they want to invest their hard-earned free time with your character for the next few days or week, we’re giving them a reason to stick with them.
Before reading this book, I’d definitely thrown in a scene or two with a softer Myrtle at some point in the mystery. But usually it wasn’t near the start of the story.
Myrtle will continue being difficult, past her Save-the-Cat scene. But I’ll be interested in seeing if she has more converts with this approach.
How do you soften your difficult characters? Have you read Save the Cat?
September 23, 2012
Discovering What Deights--Reader Feedback
Photo by AcrylicArtist
Sometimes it takes other people to point out something special.
My daughter recently had a friend over, and I was making the girls some snacks. Our kitchen adjoins an eating area with a bay window that overlooks our backyard.
We have six bird feeders that we keep filled. One, a hummingbird feeder, attaches to the bay window and provides endless entertainment for our cats. The hummingbirds are fun to watch--feisty, fast, voracious. The cats forget the screens are in and try to catch them, leaping at the screens with paws outstretched. We see the birds from early April through October before they fly off to Mexico for the winter.
Much as they entertain us, after a while, they do fade to the background...just like the rest of the backyard. Basically, they become just an attractive wallpaper.
They weren't wallpaper for my daughter's friend.
I was shaking popcorn into bowls when the little girl gasped. "Mrs. Craig! Mrs. Craig!" she ran over to me, wide-eyed with excitement. She grabbed my arm. "Look!"
I figured there must be a large snake outside, so I didn't even glance in the direction of the feeder. "No, look!" she said, pointing to the hummingbirds.
Through her eyes, I saw the wonder of the amazing little creatures again.
Of course I told her how glad I was she thought they were special. I explained what they were and gave a little information about hummingbirds. She avidly watched them for a long while.
Sometimes we lose perspective with our stories, too. The plot and the characters become wallpaper to us. We know we need an extra set of eyes to find the problems with our book--the plot holes, the echoes of repeated words, the loose ends we forget to tie up.
But it's just as important to have that extra set of eyes to find what's right with our story--what's special. A turn of phrase, a genuine character, a well-drawn villain. The hours of editing can make us lose perspective on the good parts, too. We need to know what works so that we can provide more of it.
What are the hummingbirds in your story?
September 22, 2012
Twitterific
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Twitterific is a compilation of all the writing links I shared the previous week.
The links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 18,000 free articles on writing-related topics. Sign up for our free newsletter for monthly writing tips and interviews with top contributors to the WKB or like us on Facebook.
Try “My WKB”--a way for you to list and sort articles, view your read articles, and see your search history. Read more about it here: http://bit.ly/S9thqS . The free My WKB page is here: http://bit.ly/PV8Ueb .
Have a great week!
7 Rules of Picking Names for Fictional Characters: http://bit.ly/QhGKKq@writersdigest
Resist Giving Characters A Helping Hand: http://bit.ly/Spqgwu@mooderino
5 Ways You're Preventing Readers From Suspending Disbelief: http://bit.ly/RJosDA@KMWeiland
Pacing for Power--Increasing Tension & Suspense: http://bit.ly/OvTxWF@jodierennered
An Author’s 3rd Option: The Rogue Reader: http://bit.ly/T8dXLD@jasonashlock @Porter_Anderson
Rejection vs. failure: http://bit.ly/UAm949 @AimeeLSalter
The Practice of Writing: http://bit.ly/UAm14K@TrueFactBarFact
Should You Preschedule Tweets? http://bit.ly/OBL1Wa@meghancward
Why wasting time helps you stay sane and productive: http://bit.ly/POfX5j@criticalmargins
5 lessons about the writing community: http://bit.ly/QhJYxq@diymfa
How Having Kids Can Change Your Reading Life: http://bit.ly/SpyzIH@deadwhiteguys
How to Create Conflict in a One Character Scene: http://bit.ly/QhK34g
Writing lessons learned from "Where it Began": http://bit.ly/QhK48h@juliemusil
"Sparkle", From Movie to Book: http://bit.ly/QhKbAO@carleenbrice @MyBrownBaby
Should You Sell Books from Your Author Website? http://bit.ly/SpyXGY@authorems
How To Make Writing A Habit Using Rituals: http://bit.ly/QhKdJ0
Heightening emotional impact: http://bit.ly/Spz0mf@juliettewade
Staying Balanced in the Confusing Modern Publishing Industry: http://bit.ly/QhKhbu@jodyhedlund
4 Lessons Authors Can Learn from Obama's Fake Twitter Followers: http://bit.ly/QdXHTd@authormedia
Top 10 WordPress Security Myths: http://bit.ly/NvNLXU@problogger
One Simple and Incredibly Painful Way to Fix Your Novel Draft: http://bit.ly/QdXWxz@io9
How To Read Amazon Review Graphs: http://bit.ly/NvNXq5@galleycat
7 Questions Every Story Critique Should Answer: http://bit.ly/Qe59Oj@AdriennedeWolfe
How to Use Brainstorming to Edit: http://bit.ly/NvTyN9@ava_jae
Are Amazon reader reviews killing off the critic? http://bit.ly/Qe5f8u@guardianbooks
Why Kindle Direct Publishing Will Transform Indian Self-Publishing: http://bit.ly/NvTFYW@pubperspectives @VinuthaMallya
How to Find Your Character's Voice: http://bit.ly/Qe5pgb@kmweiland
7 Essential Elements of Scene + Scene Structure Exercise: http://bit.ly/Qe5vnV@plotwhisperer
Keeping Characters True to Themselves: http://bit.ly/Qe5CzY@stdennard @4YALit
10 Creative Writing Ideas for Teens: http://bit.ly/Qe5ErB@tweetthebook
Make your bookshelf searchable by taking a picture with Evernote: http://bit.ly/Qe5IaJ@ebookfriendly
What good dialogue should accomplish: http://bit.ly/NvU2mv@kit_lit
5 Things You DON'T Need to Become a Successful Freelance Writer: http://bit.ly/Qe5Ner
Finding Your Novel's Theme and Your Universal Theme: http://bit.ly/NvU4e4@roniloren
A 5-Step Plan to Improve Every Blog Post You Write: http://bit.ly/NvU8dU@copyblogger @aliventures
Whose Story is This Anyway? http://bit.ly/Qe5VKX @querytracker
The Art of Subtlety in Fiction: http://bit.ly/NvUfGc@jeanniecampbell
The DNA of a successful ebook: http://on.mash.to/NvUl0H@mashable
A look at character development arcs: http://bit.ly/Qe680N@livewritethrive
A writer shares what's she's learned so far: http://bit.ly/NvUpNG@Artzicarol @janice_hardy
Five Creepy Social Media Marketing Tactics: http://bit.ly/Qea1D2@KristenLambTX
How to Read Your Writing in Public: http://bit.ly/Qea7ug@rsquaredd
A Refresher Course On Sentence Types: http://bit.ly/OyulmP@writerscramp1
Competing Goals in Our Story: http://bit.ly/Oyukzb@theresastevens
What to Put Above the Fold on Your Blog, And Why: http://bit.ly/QeafKj@blogtyrant
What to include on your freelance writing resume: http://bit.ly/QeakO7
Being a Pro: One Often Overlooked Issue: http://bit.ly/Qeax3I@AnnetteLyon
3 Fiction Tips from Stephanie Vaughn's "Dog Heaven": http://bit.ly/Oyv4Ej@writeitsideways
A closer look at the Amazon review bar graph: http://bit.ly/RVEaLQ@salon
The Good, The Bad, and The Sadly Deluded: Actors Who Write: http://bit.ly/UehO4L@cathinnorway
Fake market or not? How to tell: http://bit.ly/RVEoTn@emergentpublish
12 Writing Prompts/Situations: http://bit.ly/UehUt5
Keeping Up with Your Blog for the Long Haul: http://bit.ly/RVEzxS@JulieBMack
The Editorial Process, Step by Step: http://bit.ly/Uei17X@chavelaque
Identifying your genre: http://bit.ly/RVELNA @museinks
Ebooks For Libraries: http://bit.ly/Uei43O @JAKonrath
A Warning To All Writers Who Need Help Indie Publishing: http://bit.ly/RVEWZl@kristinerusch
What the Romance Genre Can Teach Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers: http://bit.ly/UeibMO @lbgale
Should you always list writing credits in your cover letter? http://bit.ly/RVFaQd@nicolamorgan
5 Dialogue Basics: http://bit.ly/UeihE3 @marcykennedy
How To Enjoy Critical Reviews of Your Own Work: http://bit.ly/RVFi22@JustineLavaworm
How to Prepare For a Book Launch: http://bit.ly/UeiQgY@jodyhedlund
How do authors benefit from agents: http://bit.ly/UeiOWo@rachellegardner
5 Questions Indie Authors Should Always Ask An Agent: http://bit.ly/UeiW8A@ornaross
The 6 Magic Words That Always Get Clicks: http://bit.ly/Uel686@authormedia
Tips for 1st time ebook writers: http://bit.ly/RVKW4j@woodwardkaren
Author Solutions' Misleading PR Strategies: http://bit.ly/UelaVo@victoriastrauss
Classic Female Fantasy Writers: http://bit.ly/RVL2c0@fantasyfaction
From last resort to new career--how 1 writer self-published: http://bit.ly/Uelpjp@dirtywhitecandy
What's so funny? Humor in nonfiction writing: http://bit.ly/RVLmrk@ruthwcrocker
Writing Through a Rough Patch of Life: http://bit.ly/Uelsvk@THahnBurkett
The Myth of Giving Away 15% Ownership in Your Work: http://bit.ly/RVLsze@deanwesleysmith
The Publishing Process in GIF Form: http://bit.ly/OwuFN3@nathanbransford
Writing: Why Your Third Grade Teacher Was Wrong: http://bit.ly/S2WdOU@heidicohen
5 tips for creating self-pub success: http://bit.ly/S2Wmlx@booksparkspr
When Should You Write Full-Time? http://bit.ly/RZ0VZJ@duolit @highervis
How Clichés Can Help You Create Great Characters: http://bit.ly/S31tCe@fantasyfaction
How to build a readership for your blog and books: http://bit.ly/OwCWAB@jodyhedlund
Using Screenplay Techniques in Novel-Writing: http://bit.ly/S31FBq@sarahalderson
Writing secret: all you need is curiosity and surprise: http://bit.ly/OwDhU4@speechwriterguy
Lessons from a Copywriter for Better Fiction: http://bit.ly/S31R3z@emilywenstrom
How (Not) to Be a Brilliant Writer: http://bit.ly/S31VAA@ava_jae
The Tools Needed to Make a Living as a Writer: http://bit.ly/OwDDtQ@bubblecow
How to Edit Your Book in 4 Steps: http://bit.ly/S32cU2@writersdigest
Self-Publishing and The Midlist: http://bit.ly/S32hqW
Narcotics in Science Fiction & Fantasy: http://bit.ly/OwEdaN@tordotcom
Advice from Mark Twain on the Art and Craft of Writing: http://bit.ly/S32p9G@suzannewfisher
Use Character Quirks to Grab Readers' Attention: http://bit.ly/OwEuuy@KMWeiland
How to Focus Your Blog or Blogged Book on a Topic: http://bit.ly/OwPzf5@ninaamir
How to avoid negativity online: http://bit.ly/S39h6Y@nicolamorgan
How To Work On More Than One Book At A Time: http://bit.ly/OwPTdI@thecreativepenn
Ideas to rethink during this digital revolution: http://bit.ly/S39ya8@rachellegardner
Getting lost in historical fiction: http://bit.ly/OwQxYD@history_girls
Where Genres Come From and How to Stitch Them Together: http://bit.ly/OwQR9V@KgElfland2ndCuz
Against Acknowledgments: http://nyr.kr/Po5n6u@pageturner
Maturity–The Difference Between the Amateur and the Professional: http://bit.ly/QlnpYW @kristenlambTX
Social Media Will Not Sell Your Book: http://bit.ly/Qlnvzv@hilarydavidson
The Last Word: 9 Famous Authors' Epitaphs: http://bit.ly/Po5K0W@BookishWallace
Top 10 Reasons People Use To Justify Pirating Digital Content (And Why They're Wrong): http://bit.ly/Po5Ntt @robwhart
The Square-One Story Killer: http://bit.ly/QlnDPG @storyfix
5 Lessons Learned From Writing 3 Novels: http://bit.ly/QlnJXr@ScottTBartlett
Tips for successful book marketing: http://bit.ly/Po6anU@writersdigest
Meet Mr Fifty Shades: EL James's husband speaks out: http://bit.ly/Po7xTy@guardianbooks
How Affordable Color POD Could Change the Comics Industry: http://bit.ly/Po7Q0E
KDP freebies--a look at the numbers: http://bit.ly/T8cd57@Porter_Anderson @dvinjamuri
Indie Authors: Your Copyright Page Needs Work: http://bit.ly/Po8H1q@jimhbs
Why genre fiction is an e-reader's best friend: http://bit.ly/Qlp9RY@annabaddeley
Charge Your Writing Batteries: http://bit.ly/Po98sA @noveleditor
Falling in love with fictional characters--a reader's tribute to "Eloise": http://bit.ly/Po9zDn @junglereds
25 Synonyms for "Delete": http://bit.ly/QlptQr@writing_tips
Genre Blending: http://bit.ly/Po9Nu0 @fantasyfaction
Top 3 Reasons to Give Away Your Book: http://bit.ly/QlpwM4@tobywneal
Tips for creating complex villains: http://bit.ly/QmGWIl@ashkrafton
15 grammatical errors to avoid: http://bit.ly/S4UFzC@bubblecow
Outlining Backwards:http://bit.ly/QmGZ77
How to Slam Dunk Your 90-Second Pitch: http://bit.ly/S4UNPR@debraeve
How To Protect Your Writing Time: http://bit.ly/S4V9G7@KellyMcClymer
3 Writing Commandments: http://bit.ly/QmHjma@jhansenwrites
Tips for combatting paid reviews: http://bit.ly/S4VtVd@annerallen
Amazon in the UK: Worries About Waterstones: http://janefriedman.com/2012/09/20/writing-on-the-ether-56/#6@eoinpurcell @Porter_Anderson
7 tips for keeping your motivation as a writer: http://bit.ly/QmHqhB@dirtywhitecandy
3 ways to end your book...that you should reconsider: http://bit.ly/QmHxtG@JaelMcHenry
Writing the Perfect Pitch: http://bit.ly/S4W1KK
An apostrophe review: http://bit.ly/QmHGwY@livewritethrive
Ways to Become an Insecure Writer: http://bit.ly/QmHHkx@lyndaryoung
5 Smarter Habits of Great Writers: http://bit.ly/QmHHBi
Beat the Bestsellers--the Other Way to the Top: http://bit.ly/SELvdL@NickThacker
Writing in a second language: http://bit.ly/S4WaxX
Re-releasing print books as ebooks: http://bit.ly/S4Y1mr@nicolamorgan
An important quality of a charismatic male character: http://bit.ly/QmINgn@rebeccaberto
A review of commas, dashes, and colons: http://bit.ly/S4YwwI
99 Ways to Tell a Story: http://bit.ly/QmIT7F @sophie_novak
Agency Pricing in Europe? No. http://bit.ly/SEM0on@Porter_Anderson @PublishersLunch
Selling Literary Fiction: http://bit.ly/SEMn1Y@thecreativepenn @tglong
Making the Most of Writers' Conferences: http://bit.ly/T8D0Oz@frugalbookpromo
The perils of paid-for reviews: http://bit.ly/T8D6WG@dearauthor
The elephant in the writing room: http://bit.ly/OL91uj@annerooney
Overcoming Writing Challenges: http://bit.ly/PTrnV7@lefrenchbook
Approaching Top Reviewers on Amazon: http://bit.ly/T8drNG@AlexisGrant @Porter_Anderson
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Twitterific...
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Twitterific is a compilation of all the writing links I shared the previous week.
The links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 18,000 free articles on writing-related topics. Sign up for our free newsletter for monthly writing tips and interviews with top contributors to the WKB or like us on Facebook.
Try “My WKB”--a way for you to list and sort articles, view your read articles, and see your search history. Read more about it here: http://bit.ly/S9thqS . The free My WKB page is here: http://bit.ly/PV8Ueb .
Have a great week!
7 Rules of Picking Names for Fictional Characters: http://bit.ly/QhGKKq@writersdigest
Resist Giving Characters A Helping Hand: http://bit.ly/Spqgwu@mooderino
5 Ways You're Preventing Readers From Suspending Disbelief: http://bit.ly/RJosDA@KMWeiland
Pacing for Power--Increasing Tension & Suspense: http://bit.ly/OvTxWF@jodierennered
An Author’s 3rd Option: The Rogue Reader: http://bit.ly/T8dXLD@jasonashlock @Porter_Anderson
Rejection vs. failure: http://bit.ly/UAm949 @AimeeLSalter
The Practice of Writing: http://bit.ly/UAm14K@TrueFactBarFact
Should You Preschedule Tweets? http://bit.ly/OBL1Wa@meghancward
Why wasting time helps you stay sane and productive: http://bit.ly/POfX5j@criticalmargins
5 lessons about the writing community: http://bit.ly/QhJYxq@diymfa
How Having Kids Can Change Your Reading Life: http://bit.ly/SpyzIH@deadwhiteguys
How to Create Conflict in a One Character Scene: http://bit.ly/QhK34g
Writing lessons learned from "Where it Began": http://bit.ly/QhK48h@juliemusil
"Sparkle", From Movie to Book: http://bit.ly/QhKbAO@carleenbrice @MyBrownBaby
Should You Sell Books from Your Author Website? http://bit.ly/SpyXGY@authorems
How To Make Writing A Habit Using Rituals: http://bit.ly/QhKdJ0
Heightening emotional impact: http://bit.ly/Spz0mf@juliettewade
Staying Balanced in the Confusing Modern Publishing Industry: http://bit.ly/QhKhbu@jodyhedlund
4 Lessons Authors Can Learn from Obama's Fake Twitter Followers: http://bit.ly/QdXHTd@authormedia
Top 10 WordPress Security Myths: http://bit.ly/NvNLXU@problogger
One Simple and Incredibly Painful Way to Fix Your Novel Draft: http://bit.ly/QdXWxz@io9
How To Read Amazon Review Graphs: http://bit.ly/NvNXq5@galleycat
7 Questions Every Story Critique Should Answer: http://bit.ly/Qe59Oj@AdriennedeWolfe
How to Use Brainstorming to Edit: http://bit.ly/NvTyN9@ava_jae
Are Amazon reader reviews killing off the critic? http://bit.ly/Qe5f8u@guardianbooks
Why Kindle Direct Publishing Will Transform Indian Self-Publishing: http://bit.ly/NvTFYW@pubperspectives @VinuthaMallya
How to Find Your Character's Voice: http://bit.ly/Qe5pgb@kmweiland
7 Essential Elements of Scene + Scene Structure Exercise: http://bit.ly/Qe5vnV@plotwhisperer
Keeping Characters True to Themselves: http://bit.ly/Qe5CzY@stdennard @4YALit
10 Creative Writing Ideas for Teens: http://bit.ly/Qe5ErB@tweetthebook
Make your bookshelf searchable by taking a picture with Evernote: http://bit.ly/Qe5IaJ@ebookfriendly
What good dialogue should accomplish: http://bit.ly/NvU2mv@kit_lit
5 Things You DON'T Need to Become a Successful Freelance Writer: http://bit.ly/Qe5Ner
Finding Your Novel's Theme and Your Universal Theme: http://bit.ly/NvU4e4@roniloren
A 5-Step Plan to Improve Every Blog Post You Write: http://bit.ly/NvU8dU@copyblogger @aliventures
Whose Story is This Anyway? http://bit.ly/Qe5VKX @querytracker
The Art of Subtlety in Fiction: http://bit.ly/NvUfGc@jeanniecampbell
The DNA of a successful ebook: http://on.mash.to/NvUl0H@mashable
A look at character development arcs: http://bit.ly/Qe680N@livewritethrive
A writer shares what's she's learned so far: http://bit.ly/NvUpNG@Artzicarol @janice_hardy
Five Creepy Social Media Marketing Tactics: http://bit.ly/Qea1D2@KristenLambTX
How to Read Your Writing in Public: http://bit.ly/Qea7ug@rsquaredd
A Refresher Course On Sentence Types: http://bit.ly/OyulmP@writerscramp1
Competing Goals in Our Story: http://bit.ly/Oyukzb@theresastevens
What to Put Above the Fold on Your Blog, And Why: http://bit.ly/QeafKj@blogtyrant
What to include on your freelance writing resume: http://bit.ly/QeakO7
Being a Pro: One Often Overlooked Issue: http://bit.ly/Qeax3I@AnnetteLyon
3 Fiction Tips from Stephanie Vaughn's "Dog Heaven": http://bit.ly/Oyv4Ej@writeitsideways
A closer look at the Amazon review bar graph: http://bit.ly/RVEaLQ@salon
The Good, The Bad, and The Sadly Deluded: Actors Who Write: http://bit.ly/UehO4L@cathinnorway
Fake market or not? How to tell: http://bit.ly/RVEoTn@emergentpublish
12 Writing Prompts/Situations: http://bit.ly/UehUt5
Keeping Up with Your Blog for the Long Haul: http://bit.ly/RVEzxS@JulieBMack
The Editorial Process, Step by Step: http://bit.ly/Uei17X@chavelaque
Identifying your genre: http://bit.ly/RVELNA @museinks
Ebooks For Libraries: http://bit.ly/Uei43O @JAKonrath
A Warning To All Writers Who Need Help Indie Publishing: http://bit.ly/RVEWZl@kristinerusch
What the Romance Genre Can Teach Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers: http://bit.ly/UeibMO @lbgale
Should you always list writing credits in your cover letter? http://bit.ly/RVFaQd@nicolamorgan
5 Dialogue Basics: http://bit.ly/UeihE3 @marcykennedy
How To Enjoy Critical Reviews of Your Own Work: http://bit.ly/RVFi22@JustineLavaworm
How to Prepare For a Book Launch: http://bit.ly/UeiQgY@jodyhedlund
How do authors benefit from agents: http://bit.ly/UeiOWo@rachellegardner
5 Questions Indie Authors Should Always Ask An Agent: http://bit.ly/UeiW8A@ornaross
The 6 Magic Words That Always Get Clicks: http://bit.ly/Uel686@authormedia
Tips for 1st time ebook writers: http://bit.ly/RVKW4j@woodwardkaren
Author Solutions' Misleading PR Strategies: http://bit.ly/UelaVo@victoriastrauss
Classic Female Fantasy Writers: http://bit.ly/RVL2c0@fantasyfaction
From last resort to new career--how 1 writer self-published: http://bit.ly/Uelpjp@dirtywhitecandy
What's so funny? Humor in nonfiction writing: http://bit.ly/RVLmrk@ruthwcrocker
Writing Through a Rough Patch of Life: http://bit.ly/Uelsvk@THahnBurkett
The Myth of Giving Away 15% Ownership in Your Work: http://bit.ly/RVLsze@deanwesleysmith
The Publishing Process in GIF Form: http://bit.ly/OwuFN3@nathanbransford
Writing: Why Your Third Grade Teacher Was Wrong: http://bit.ly/S2WdOU@heidicohen
5 tips for creating self-pub success: http://bit.ly/S2Wmlx@booksparkspr
When Should You Write Full-Time? http://bit.ly/RZ0VZJ@duolit @highervis
How Clichés Can Help You Create Great Characters: http://bit.ly/S31tCe@fantasyfaction
How to build a readership for your blog and books: http://bit.ly/OwCWAB@jodyhedlund
Using Screenplay Techniques in Novel-Writing: http://bit.ly/S31FBq@sarahalderson
Writing secret: all you need is curiosity and surprise: http://bit.ly/OwDhU4@speechwriterguy
Lessons from a Copywriter for Better Fiction: http://bit.ly/S31R3z@emilywenstrom
How (Not) to Be a Brilliant Writer: http://bit.ly/S31VAA@ava_jae
The Tools Needed to Make a Living as a Writer: http://bit.ly/OwDDtQ@bubblecow
How to Edit Your Book in 4 Steps: http://bit.ly/S32cU2@writersdigest
Self-Publishing and The Midlist: http://bit.ly/S32hqW
Narcotics in Science Fiction & Fantasy: http://bit.ly/OwEdaN@tordotcom
Advice from Mark Twain on the Art and Craft of Writing: http://bit.ly/S32p9G@suzannewfisher
Use Character Quirks to Grab Readers' Attention: http://bit.ly/OwEuuy@KMWeiland
How to Focus Your Blog or Blogged Book on a Topic: http://bit.ly/OwPzf5@ninaamir
How to avoid negativity online: http://bit.ly/S39h6Y@nicolamorgan
How To Work On More Than One Book At A Time: http://bit.ly/OwPTdI@thecreativepenn
Ideas to rethink during this digital revolution: http://bit.ly/S39ya8@rachellegardner
Getting lost in historical fiction: http://bit.ly/OwQxYD@history_girls
Where Genres Come From and How to Stitch Them Together: http://bit.ly/OwQR9V@KgElfland2ndCuz
Against Acknowledgments: http://nyr.kr/Po5n6u@pageturner
Maturity–The Difference Between the Amateur and the Professional: http://bit.ly/QlnpYW @kristenlambTX
Social Media Will Not Sell Your Book: http://bit.ly/Qlnvzv@hilarydavidson
The Last Word: 9 Famous Authors' Epitaphs: http://bit.ly/Po5K0W@BookishWallace
Top 10 Reasons People Use To Justify Pirating Digital Content (And Why They're Wrong): http://bit.ly/Po5Ntt @robwhart
The Square-One Story Killer: http://bit.ly/QlnDPG @storyfix
5 Lessons Learned From Writing 3 Novels: http://bit.ly/QlnJXr@ScottTBartlett
Tips for successful book marketing: http://bit.ly/Po6anU@writersdigest
Meet Mr Fifty Shades: EL James's husband speaks out: http://bit.ly/Po7xTy@guardianbooks
How Affordable Color POD Could Change the Comics Industry: http://bit.ly/Po7Q0E
KDP freebies--a look at the numbers: http://bit.ly/T8cd57@Porter_Anderson @dvinjamuri
Indie Authors: Your Copyright Page Needs Work: http://bit.ly/Po8H1q@jimhbs
Why genre fiction is an e-reader's best friend: http://bit.ly/Qlp9RY@annabaddeley
Charge Your Writing Batteries: http://bit.ly/Po98sA @noveleditor
Falling in love with fictional characters--a reader's tribute to "Eloise": http://bit.ly/Po9zDn @junglereds
25 Synonyms for "Delete": http://bit.ly/QlptQr@writing_tips
Genre Blending: http://bit.ly/Po9Nu0 @fantasyfaction
Top 3 Reasons to Give Away Your Book: http://bit.ly/QlpwM4@tobywneal
Tips for creating complex villains: http://bit.ly/QmGWIl@ashkrafton
15 grammatical errors to avoid: http://bit.ly/S4UFzC@bubblecow
Outlining Backwards:http://bit.ly/QmGZ77
How to Slam Dunk Your 90-Second Pitch: http://bit.ly/S4UNPR@debraeve
How To Protect Your Writing Time: http://bit.ly/S4V9G7@KellyMcClymer
3 Writing Commandments: http://bit.ly/QmHjma@jhansenwrites
Tips for combatting paid reviews: http://bit.ly/S4VtVd@annerallen
Amazon in the UK: Worries About Waterstones: http://janefriedman.com/2012/09/20/writing-on-the-ether-56/#6@eoinpurcell @Porter_Anderson
7 tips for keeping your motivation as a writer: http://bit.ly/QmHqhB@dirtywhitecandy
3 ways to end your book...that you should reconsider: http://bit.ly/QmHxtG@JaelMcHenry
Writing the Perfect Pitch: http://bit.ly/S4W1KK
An apostrophe review: http://bit.ly/QmHGwY@livewritethrive
Ways to Become an Insecure Writer: http://bit.ly/QmHHkx@lyndaryoung
5 Smarter Habits of Great Writers: http://bit.ly/QmHHBi
Beat the Bestsellers--the Other Way to the Top: http://bit.ly/SELvdL@NickThacker
Writing in a second language: http://bit.ly/S4WaxX
Re-releasing print books as ebooks: http://bit.ly/S4Y1mr@nicolamorgan
An important quality of a charismatic male character: http://bit.ly/QmINgn@rebeccaberto
A review of commas, dashes, and colons: http://bit.ly/S4YwwI
99 Ways to Tell a Story: http://bit.ly/QmIT7F @sophie_novak
Agency Pricing in Europe? No. http://bit.ly/SEM0on@Porter_Anderson @PublishersLunch
Selling Literary Fiction: http://bit.ly/SEMn1Y@thecreativepenn @tglong
Making the Most of Writers' Conferences: http://bit.ly/T8D0Oz@frugalbookpromo
The perils of paid-for reviews: http://bit.ly/T8D6WG@dearauthor
The elephant in the writing room: http://bit.ly/OL91uj@annerooney
Overcoming Writing Challenges: http://bit.ly/PTrnV7@lefrenchbook
Approaching Top Reviewers on Amazon: http://bit.ly/T8drNG@AlexisGrant @Porter_Anderson
September 19, 2012
Beat the Bestsellers - The Other Way to the Top—Guest Post by Nick Thacker
If you're like any other author (or person, for that matter), you probably hold a book with the words "New York Times Bestselling Author" on it in much higher esteem than others. Authors, for as long as "The Lists" have been out, have tried to find the "magic bullet" method of getting their book placed side-by-side with the likes of Dan Brown, J.K. Rowling, and Robert Ludlum. Their reasoning, while implausible, is sound: "if my book can get on that list, I'll be set. I won't have to work another day in my life!" 
Ok, well maybe it's not that extreme, but it's not too far off. Heck, I tend to daydream about landing a huge publishing deal that'll send me a half-million-dollar advance, and a spot beside the next in the Bourne saga. But truthfully, my expectations--and yours, if you're a writer--should be a little lower.
It's a well-known fact that the bestseller lists (NYT, Book Review; pick one) are just proprietary algorithms that would make Google proud, that select and churn out "bestsellers" left and right--sometimes before the book even hits the shelves.
It's even been rumored that these lists are contrived forms of propaganda intended to keep the "establishment media" agencies ahead of the game.
Big-name authors like the aforementioned reap some of the benefits of being on these lists, no doubt (as do the publishing companies that push them!). But the bottom line for the rest of us new or even mid-list authors is that we don't have the choice to get to The Lists. We can try--by writing more and better and for longer periods of time--but there's never a guarantee. Success at that level is at best as elusive as it is esteemed.
No, we humble wordsmiths are resigned to the closets of our one-bedroom apartments in the suburbs, wrenching and prying out words that might never be read by anyone other than our devoted spouses and fan (yes, that's singular...). It's easier to complain, blaming the system and politicians and publishing companies and agents and...
There is another way.
Yes, that's right. There's another way to "the top." While it isn't via "traditional" channels like landing on a well-respected list or having a daytime spot on Oprah, but it's a just as--or perhaps more--satisfying way to achieve success in the scary world of books: making a ton of money and attracting a bunch of new readers without the strings, constraints, and conditions of big publishing.
"Self-publishing" may still have a bit of a stigma, but it seems as though more and more, authors are expected to market themselves; either putting up the money for an advertising firm, or by going it alone. There's simply not as much money in the industry as there used to be (or, at least, it's not allocated the same way...).
Sure enough, authors--published or not--are finding new and untested ways to market, promote, and sell their books. Mailing lists, social networking, and special Kindle shenanigans come to mind, and all of these are great ways to market your stuff after it's written.
And that's just it -- the "new" method for long-term success in this world has little to do with "after the fact" marketing.
It's about writing more books.
Specifically, it's about publishing (however you want to define the word) more books.
The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and I can vouch for it. Over the past few months, I've studied just about every marketing tactic, promotional strategy, and book-selling trick known to the self-publishing world. Some worked, some didn't, but I discovered a truth that authors like J.A. Konrath and others have been preaching for awhile:
The more books you have available to be purchased, the more you will sell.
The problem facing any author is the delicate balance between "finishing" a book so that it's polished, edited, and basically perfect (which is probably impossible anyway), and just getting it out to market, flaws and all.
Since no one wants to embarrass themselves with a shoddy product, authors tend to lean toward the "waiting" side of things. But there really is another way:
I'm a big proponent of the "lean startup" method of launching a product, app, or business, and I've applied the approach to my books. Here is my process that's worked to provide me with a modest yet growing monthly income stream:
1. Write a lot of stuff.
I say "stuff" here because you don't have to publish super-long books on Amazon -- I have a line of "Dead-Simple Guides" that I market as "articles," even though they're on the longer side of that definition (around 10,000-20,000 words). I also have a manifesto, a couple full-length nonfiction books, and some guides.
The whole point is that I am constantly writing -- and publishing. It's building a backlist, sure, but it's also building a craft around what I like to write. However, none of this would be possible without the next steps...
2. Have a "pre-reading" plan in place.
I've started blogging and building a mailing list of possible readers that I "tap" whenever I'm about to release something -- I can send them a free copy of the book if they're willing to read through it and let me know what they think. This saves me from hiring a professional editor for everything I write (I still go with an editor for the longer stuff).
These beta readers vet out the typos, continuity errors, and generally anything they don't like -- allowing me to rewrite knowing that it'll be much better afterwards.
3. Shoot for digital first.
Digital is fast, immediately trackable, and adaptable. I don't want to wait around for an editor to find every single thing that's wrong with the book -- I can instead let the beta readers tear it up, rewrite it a few times, publish it, and make more minute changes as we go forward. If a particular book does really well one month, I might think about offering a special print version or something, but not usually from the very beginning.
This process is different, and it's not what a "major" house would probably recommend. But by doing it this way, I'm working to be a bestseller in a handful of sub-sub-sub-sub-categories, not the overall Nonfiction or Fiction categories. I don't expect to sell 10,000 copies of anything in the first week of a launch, and that's not the goal. The goal is to completely own a few of these smaller niche categories over time.
The process works because it's so much faster the "old" way.
Yes, you have to type fast and think fast and publish fast, but it's really not that bad. In fact, I can't imagine waiting a year or more to go from finished manuscript to print -- I usually go from concept to storefront in a little over a month -- and I'm working on numerous projects at once.
You can "beat" the bestsellers by doing it this way, but you have to make the commitment to building trust with some readers over time, and consistently provide them with something to read. I believe most people would prefer to read a full-length novel and a few shorts from a favorite author, putting up with the minor typo or error every now and then (that will eventually get fixed anyway), than wait for a typo-less, full-length novel only every year.
Get it? The point isn't to ignore mistakes and publish for the sake of making money -- it's to publish enough stuff that you're staying in front of people so they can't forget you, offering better and better stuff as the relationship grows.
As small business owners, our benefit is speed. Use it to your advantage, and you'll "win" this publishing game.
Nick Thacker writes about writing, blogging, and publishing, and you can check him out
on his blog
. Be sure to grab his new book,
Welcome Home: The Author’s Guide to Building A Marketing Home Base
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September 18, 2012
Overcoming Writing Challenges: Guest post by Anne Trager
Guest post by Anne Trager, @lefrenchbook, the founder of Le French Book and translator of The Paris Lawyer by Sylvie Granotier
I recently founded Le French Book, an independent publisher dedicated to bringing readers around the English-speaking world, “French books you’ll love in English.” My husband found that tagline. I found our motto: “If we love it, we’ll translate it.”Because I’m the one doing some of the translation. I have many years of translating behind me, but when I took on our first crime fiction novel, The Paris Lawyer by Sylvie Granotier, I encountered some unique challenges that required some creative thinking, a lot of research, and then, well, some real questioning about what we were trying to do. That is where I found the answer.
The Paris Lawyer is a legal procedural set in France. The heroine is a rookie lawyer who takes on a big felony case, pro bono, to boost her career and ends up having to confront her own past. It’s a great book. It’s well written. I love it. So what was the problem?
Well, France and the United States have very different court systems. Lawyers do not do the same thing. Court procedure is different. The very purpose of a trial diverges. Oh dear, oh dear.
My worries began when I was walking around the outside of the Palais de Justice in Paris, getting a feel for the place, since the main character is a lawyer and some scenes take place there. It occurred to me as I did so that there is no way you can translate “Palais de Justice” by “courthouse,” which is not nearly grand enough for this edifice. Justice has been dispensed in this building since medieval times. It still holds the Sainte Chapelle, the chapel of the royal palace that once stood here, not to mention the Conciergerie, the former prison where Marie-Antoinette was held before losing her head (literally). OK, OK, none of these details actually impact the story. I ended up making the decision that the story is more important. I called it the courthouse. That’s what it was for the main character.
But then how would I deal with the defendant standing at a bar in front of three judges, not one, who are the ones firing out questions, while the lawyer stands on the side? That is court procedure in France, so there was no question of changing it. I had to make sure that the differences came across smoothly, without them keeping the reader from enjoying the story. I had to find ways to make sure the characters or context explained things, explained that in France, the court appearance is more a ritual confrontation with the law than it is for presenting evidence and facts. This is because there is a prior inquiry during which several judges have actually made a decision. I had to work with the French author to make sure that these adaptations did not denature the story.
Long-time translator David Bellos, in his book, Is That a Fish in Your Ear? Translation and the Meaning of Everything, writes that translators are matchmakers, because ultimately, they “find matches, not equivalences…in the hope and expectation that their sum will produce a new work that can serve as an overall substitute for the source.” Ultimately this means recreating a reading experience, so it brought me back to the very important question, “What are we trying to do here?” Our goal with Le French Book is to publish entertaining books, my goal as a translator is to make sure the read in English gives the same shivers of expectation, longing to read more and pangs of emotions. I had to make sure nothing took the reader out of the story or undermined suspension of disbelief. Imagine my satisfaction when Edgar Award-winning author Thomas H. Cook read the translation and said it was“beautifully written” and that “it captures the reader from the first page and never lets go.”
Le French Book is so excited about The Paris Lawyer that they are giving away a trip to France and lots of free books, surprises and gifts just to celebrate. This party starts on September 18. Go see for yourself: Great promotion from Le French Book (http://www.theparislawyer.com)
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About Anne Trager: Anne Trager has lived in France for over 26 years, working in translation, publishing and communications. In 2011, she woke up one morning and said, “I just can’t stand it anymore. There are way too many good books being written in France not reaching a broader audience.” That’s when she founded Le French Book to translate some of those books into English. The company’s motto is “If we love it, we translate it,” and Anne loves crime fiction.
About Sylvie Granotier: Author, screenwriter and actress Sylvie Granotier loves to weave plots that send shivers up your spine. She was born in Algeria and grew up in Paris and Morocco. She studied literature and theater in Paris, then set off traveling—the United States, Brazil, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, ending with a tour of Europe. She wound up in Paris again, an actress, with a job and some recognition. But she is a writer at heart, and started her publishing career translating Grace Paley’s short story collection Enormous Changes at the Last Minute into French. Fourteen novels and many short stories later, Sylvie Granotier is a major crime fiction author in France. Sylvie splits her time between Paris and the Creuse.
The Paris Lawyer:
September 16, 2012
Steampunk--Grafting Genres
by Kaitlin Nichols, @TheAtheleSeries
I like genre blending. I'll just come right out and say it. I mean, this isn't anything against purity - a straight horror or a straight sword and sorcery fantasy is cool, but horror with ghosts and sword and sorcery in space just takes cool and then combines it with awesome to get this Awe-ool Co-some thing.
That metaphor didn't quite work out like I intended.
Anyway.
Some genres are more easily blendable than others. It's sort of like how a banana is a much better part of a smoothie than, say, spinach. Don't get me wrong, you can make a killer spinach smoothie with the right ingredients and spicing, but in general it's just not the first choice. Any person can toss a banana and ice in a blender and get something pleasant. It takes a deft hand to correctly execute a smoothie with vegetables.
Now, my name is Kailtin, and I am a Steampunk author. I'm here to tell you why Steampunk is much more akin to a Banana than it is to Spinach. In other words, I'm here to tell you a couple reasons why genre blending with Steampunk is something you should try.
#1 Steampunk is flexible.
Wherever you fancy going, Steampunk is all over it. A story by sea? Ship or submarine? A story by air? Dirigible or other flying machine. A story by land? Buggy, horseless wagon, gigantic manors with trap doors. In a way, Steampunk is a lot like fantasy or sci-fi (it's often considered a sub genre of them, if a very distinct one) in that it is what you make of it. The show Firefly is often named as a Steampunk show, and it takes place in outer space. Steampunk has been found blended with Romance, Adventure, Horror, and Fantasy (Legend of Korra, anyone?).
Now, some might make the argument that Steampunk is merely a sub-genre, and that in many stories if you dropped all steampunk elements, you wouldn't have anything fundamentally different than what you started out with.
#2 Steampunk is new, exciting, and unbearably cool.
A piece of advice which is given over and over to writers is to 'Write what you want to write, not what the market demands'. Now, I will never argue that you should write something you dislike. However, I will argue that just because the market demands it doesn't mean it's bad. I'm one of those people that's slow to try new things. We were on book three of Harry Potter before I got into it. Avatar the Last Airbender was on its third season before I finally watched the pilot episode (and proceeded to watch the first and second season in 2 days). Game of Thrones is coming up on its third season and I just now fell completely in love with it. Sometimes, guys, the market is completely right. And the great thing about being a writer is that every word you put down stretches your creative muscles. Sometimes, in fact, a new genre is just what you need.
So go ahead, try it out. If you need some reference or research material, I'll help you out with
Kaitlin is from Omaha, Nebraska. She enjoys things such as running, dancing, singing, writing, and Patrick Stewart pontificating about the letter 'B'. Her first e-book, Valeria, comes out November 5th, 2012 from Lyrical Press. You can find her (and her husband) at www.kaitlinandmichaelbranch.com on facebook at "The Athele Series" or on twitter, @theatheleseries.
