Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 171

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 17,000 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 .

Have a great week!

Using details for setting - insider details and audience details: http://bit.ly/M6j2A5 @juliettewade

Comparing pitches and queries: http://bit.ly/OLX44O

Help for Burnt Out Bloggers: http://bit.ly/OLX5FS @writeitsideways

Tips for producing podcasts/other interviews with multiple guests: http://bit.ly/RD1HAF @Porter_Anderson @philipdsjones @samatlounge

An agent on publishing uncertainties: http://bit.ly/M6EYLj @rachellegardner

Tips for Dealing With Rejection + Other Success Strategies: http://bit.ly/M6FdGh @janefriedman

What's your motif? http://bit.ly/M6Fd95 @livewritethrive

On writing diversity: http://bit.ly/M6Fj0q @sjaejones

Marketing and writing--the balance between strategy and creativity: http://bit.ly/M6FnNL @thecreativepenn @turndog_million

5 Everyday Life Ways to Spark Article Ideas: http://bit.ly/M6FusO @JulieBMack

Disable Comments for a Better Blog? http://bit.ly/M6Fw3W @problogger

15 word games: http://bit.ly/M6FzN1 @writing_tips

The mechanics behind some ebooks' success: http://bit.ly/M6G2yT @laurahazardowen @Porter_Anderson

Birdhouse-like Mini Libraries: http://bit.ly/PN70Mf @pubperspectives

Why Your Hero Needs a Yappy Sidekick: http://bit.ly/N2VEyz @KMWeiland

Afterward vs. Afterword: http://bit.ly/O9pwi4 @write_practice

Revising with Anticipation: http://bit.ly/Pq7DXA @4YALit @marissaburt

Is Your Character Stagnating? http://bit.ly/Pq7HGx @KMWeiland

3 Book Marketing FAILs and Lessons Learned: http://bit.ly/Pq7P9g @duolit

Should you stop writing? http://bit.ly/Pq83wU @ronvitale

The Courage To Launch: http://bit.ly/Pq8jfk @originalimpulse @ollinmorales

Writing Creative Non-Fiction: http://bit.ly/Pq8nMe @TimHillegonds @janice_hardy

Is Your Writing Any Good? 7 Ways to Tell: http://bit.ly/Pq8uYa

20 Tips for Writing Strong Heroines: http://bit.ly/QyCvfo @adriennedewolfe

Do Books Need A Beta Version? Analytics For Books Pave The Way: http://bit.ly/QyCzvT @fastcompany

Lightning Source Best for Self-Publishers? http://bit.ly/QyCZCt @bengalley

Ways to make money that go beyond ebook sales: http://bit.ly/QyDn3D @goblinwriter

Why Boredom Is Good for Your Creativity: http://bit.ly/QyDqfU @markmcguinness

How Batman Can Teach You To Be a Better Writer: http://bit.ly/QyDtbx @fuelyourwriting

How To Harness Your Creative Temperament and Stay Sane, Married and Sober: http://bit.ly/QyDyMr @kristinnador

A History of Sisters in Fiction: http://bit.ly/QyDxYS @theatlantic

How and Why to Guest Post: http://bit.ly/MkrJlE @karencv

Building an Online Platform: http://bit.ly/Q8E1zc @TheLitCoach

7 Free and Legal Places to Find Photos: http://bit.ly/QBM4dD @marcykennedy

The New World of Publishing: Fear: http://bit.ly/OoKxCl @deanwesleysmith

Pros and cons of POD: http://bit.ly/OkBbsW

Finding writing quotations on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/MFotCQ

Preparing the perfect pitch: http://bit.ly/LRrEWr @writerashley

An agent and author discuss the romance genre: http://bit.ly/NgC2YG @RoniLoren @SaraMegibow @janice_hardy

All about medical writing: http://bit.ly/ONoseS @womenonwriting

How a Traditional Publisher Could Harm a Writer's Career: http://bit.ly/MFp5bH @passivevoiceblg

5 lessons from a book tour newbie: http://bit.ly/RmiEPU @jamigold

Writers--be careful what you pay for: http://bit.ly/OcZdYu @nicolamorgan

5 Ways to Keep Your Writing Submissions Organized: http://bit.ly/NsWpB8 @krissybrady

How to Know When to Go to a Writing Conference: http://bit.ly/OSYMxq @jodyhedlund

How to create and maintain narrative interest: http://bit.ly/PXCaRc @jammer0501

Research Guides For Every Subject: http://bit.ly/OMLseb @litreactor

The 7-Step Write a Book Fast Program: http://zenhabits.net/write/ @zen_habits

Jack London's Advice on Honing Your Creative Craft: http://bit.ly/OzEV7Y @mcd_owell

25 Helpful Websites for Writers: http://bit.ly/OB4Mz5 @JulieBMack

30 Dr. Seuss quotations: http://bit.ly/LLzlNT

When authors apply a signature touch to a crime fiction novel: http://bit.ly/PSKMEA @mkinberg

Tips for perfecting your pitch: http://bit.ly/LU71sy @behlerpublish

Too old to debut? http://bit.ly/QWEl7m @nicolamorgan

The Discard Pile. Or, Learning by Doing: http://bit.ly/QWEAiL

How to Control a Media Interview: http://bit.ly/QWEWpJ @writersdigest

6 tips for increasing ebook sales: http://bit.ly/QWFgEI @woodwardkaren

Structure--why it might be the missing element to make your writing sing: http://bit.ly/QWGMGW

A series on POV: http://bit.ly/RAI3kG , http://bit.ly/RAI6g5 , http://bit.ly/RAI6g7 @noveleditor

The Development and Popularity of "Gritty Fantasy": http://bit.ly/MXkC8C @The_Idlewilder

Handy hyphenation chart: http://bit.ly/MXkFBx @livewritethrive

Take Your Author Website to the Next Level: http://bit.ly/MXkING @writersdigest

When you have too many 'looks' in your manuscript: http://bit.ly/MXkSEM @janice_hardy

How 1 writer (who says she has less talent than her peers) had a successful trad. publishing career: http://bit.ly/ODfbdG @threekingsbooks

The villain's journey: http://bit.ly/NXVK0y @diymfa

Snappy Answers To Awkward Questions About Characters: http://bit.ly/NXVQVW @EeleenLee

Printing up your book for submission purposes? http://bit.ly/NXVXkb @behlerpublish

Writers...Weathering the Transition – Keeping the Faith: http://bit.ly/NXW8Mj @passivevoiceblg

Writing the skeptic: http://bit.ly/NXWbHY @glencstrathy

Why Readers Pirate eBooks: http://bit.ly/NXWhzj @jasonboog

A Blog Series that Look at Great Characters: Marge Gunderson ("Fargo"): http://bit.ly/NXWB13

How Being Lazy Can Fuel Your Writing: http://bit.ly/NXWEtR @krissybrady

10 Recent Science Fiction Books That Are About Big Ideas: http://bit.ly/NXWJxL @io9

In Praise of Ripening: http://bit.ly/NXWPFr

Understanding Screenwriting: Snow White and the Huntsman, Brave, Bernie, and more: http://bit.ly/NXWUZS @House_Next_Door

Lightning Source Best for Self-Publishers? http://bit.ly/QyCZCt @bengalley

An agent on publishing uncertainties: http://bit.ly/M6EYLj @rachellegardner

Help for screenwriters--resources on drama: http://bit.ly/RncJZb

A Small-Budget Advertising Experiment: http://bit.ly/RncQE9 @DeeDeTarsio

7 Prompt Websites to Fill Your Creative Writing Well: http://bit.ly/PDQIAV @KrissyBrady

Tips for writing action scenes: http://bit.ly/Rnd8uD @thomasaknight

Creating Flawed but Enjoyable Characters: http://bit.ly/PDQSZ4 @yahighway

20 Synonyms for "Type": http://bit.ly/RndotQ

5 Reasons to Write Your Scenes in Order (and 3 Not to): http://bit.ly/NcFCGJ @KMWeiland

How Indie Authors Can Work With Trade Publishers: http://bit.ly/NcFIOt @ornaross

The Use of Drugs In Fantasy: http://bit.ly/NcFNSz @BenGalley

The Principle of Fair Use and Image Usage for Bloggers: http://bit.ly/NcFUNO @jane_l

Is "Show, Don't Tell" Overrated? http://bit.ly/NcGj2W @jamesscottbell

The 10 best closing lines of books: http://bit.ly/NcGHhG @guardianbooks

Weird O'Clock: On the Mainstream Success of "Fifty Shades of Grey" : http://bit.ly/NcGRFU @wordforteens

Self-Publishing Audiobooks: Is it Worth it? http://bit.ly/NcHHm7

Plan a Book Launch Party for an Ebook: http://bit.ly/TfNdVS @BookMarketer

Do former journalists make good novelists? http://bit.ly/NcHXBx

What Makes A Mystery Cozy? http://bit.ly/NcI8N9 @NancyMehl

Why You Need to Harness Your Sorrow to Write Well: http://bit.ly/NcIdQS @write_practice

What TV Taught 1 Writer About Writing Epic Fiction: http://bit.ly/OO4qVS @yahighway

How to choose an excerpt to showcase your novel: http://bit.ly/OO4NzN @dirtywhitecandy

A Former Big 6 Editor Gives 5 Tips for Sure-Fire Rejection: http://bit.ly/OO4Uvl @RuthHarrisBooks @annerallen

Professional screenwriters analyze "The Social Network": http://bit.ly/OOzSmU

Which Type of Opening Works Best? http://bit.ly/OOG9iz @Janice_Hardy

Making the most of ideas--dealing with our fear: http://bit.ly/OOGrpE @davidbcoe

5 Tips For Making a Living as a Writer: http://bit.ly/OOGNMU @rachellegardner

How to speak publisher: E is for e-books: http://bit.ly/OOH16M @annerooney

Why Counting Words May Be Hazardous to Your Health: http://bit.ly/OOHfuQ @livewritethrive

Which is Right for You - Lightning Source, CreateSpace, or Both? http://bit.ly/OcfxYw @MorganMandel

5 Scenes Every Romance Novel Needs: http://bit.ly/NFkRiT @howtowriteshop

On the term 'aspiring writer': http://bit.ly/NFl6um @avajae

The importance of sabbaticals for writers: http://bit.ly/NFlCs4 @threekingsbooks

Publishers need to speak their readers' language. Recommendations: http://janefriedman.com/2012/08/09/writing-on-the-ether-50/#3 @Porter_Anderson @DigiBookWorld

3 Misplaced Modifiers: http://bit.ly/NFmahH

Writing to the Market: http://bit.ly/NFmsoX @JustineLavaworm

Writers should create a journey for their readers: http://bit.ly/NFmIEa @TurndogMillionaire

Why Are We Wired for Story? http://bit.ly/NFmU6p @lisacron

5 Simple Steps to Let Your Writing Back In: http://bit.ly/NGDnqV @krissybrady

1 writer's goal--25 words a day: http://bit.ly/NGDymi @Tsuchigari

Are You a Good Writer? http://bit.ly/MtlMIZ @Porter_Anderson @silvermanjacob @JaneFriedman

The perks and pitfalls of signing books: http://bit.ly/NGDG5d @guardianbooks

Reporting Sexual Harassment in SF/F: http://bit.ly/NGDYZZ @jimhines

Common manuscript problems: http://bit.ly/NGEcQx @novelrocket

Differences between rookies and pro writers: http://bit.ly/NGEtD6 @Peter_DeHaan

5 Emotional Stages of a Book Launch: http://bit.ly/NGEFST @roniloren

Publishers need to speak their readers' language. Recommendations: http://bit.ly/MBjYYM @Porter_Anderson @DigiBookWorld

The future of bookstores? http://bit.ly/MBkuGa @Porter_Anderson @peterturner

Dialogue Attribution Tips: http://bit.ly/OO4EMU

Add layers to your plot: http://bit.ly/MBVFK5 @DeeWhiteauthor

Hotels as Escape in Romance Novels: http://bit.ly/MBVU7V @meganf

After The First Draft--Approaching Revision: http://bit.ly/MBWpyX @mooderino

Offsite book events: http://bit.ly/MBWLFH @behlerpublish

Social media isn't the magic bullet for self-epublished authors? http://bit.ly/MBWXVq @passivevoiceblg

Upgrade Your Superlatives: http://bit.ly/MBYLOg @writersdigest

A Writer's Audience: Important or Not? http://bit.ly/MBZqza @susanjmorris

Genre prejudice: http://bit.ly/MBZEGD

Top 10 query mistakes: http://bit.ly/MBZMGc @rachellegardner

Time Management For Writers or How to Herd Cats: http://bit.ly/MC01B8 @SarahAHoyt

Character Mind-Reading: http://bit.ly/MC0HGA

The particular perils of historical fantasy: http://bit.ly/MC0R0D @Gollancz

After the pitch, cover your bases by sending in requested materials: http://bit.ly/RtIP5G

The future of bookstores? http://janefriedman.com/2012/08/09/writing-on-the-ether-50/#2 @Porter_Anderson @peterturner

Crime fiction research--knot analysis and use of luminol by police: http://bit.ly/OLBYkO , http://bit.ly/QeEAaa @clarissadraper

Tips for naming your characters: http://bit.ly/R7UW8o @JodieRennerEd

Why there is no epub bubble, & how to market ebooks responsibly: http://bit.ly/NxhP07 @DavidGaughran

List of 170+ authors who have sold 50,000+ self-published ebooks to date: http://ow.ly/cLGRC via @JaneFriedman

The path to survival for the illustrated book biz? http://bit.ly/OYYsTj @MikeShatzkin

How to put more emotion into your writing: http://bit.ly/QLhLkE @JoannaSlan

Writing for an Audience/ the Marketplace

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I had an interesting email exchange with another writer after Friday’s post ran. She mentioned that she had been at an event recently to talk with new writers and had been surprised by the folks who said they wanted to write but didn’t know what to write about.

I emailed back that I had also been very surprised by hearing this from other new writers. For many writers, the problem is having too many ideas and not being sure which to work on.

But I’ve run into more and more writers who aren’t sure what direction to go in with their writing. They seem almost overwhelmed with the possibilities.

When I’ve run into writers like that, I’ve always tried to figure out what it is that they want. Sometimes they haven’t thought about what they actually want—and they start to.

Some writers will want to write completely for themselves and don’t want to share their work with others. Some will want to write a book that they pour their heart into and hope that it will find readers who love it as much as they do. Some will want to write blockbusters or books with high commercial appeal.

Knowing what you want helps define your direction in this business.

Deciding your publishing direction also ties in with a post from Porter Anderson in an extra edition of his popular Writing on the Ether column for Jane Friedman. The entire column makes for good reading, but the section, in particular, that I found interesting was “Jacob Silverman to Will Self” toward the end of the post.

Here’s a quotation from Porter Anderson’s column, quoting journalist Elizabeth Day’s Guardian article quoting author Will Self (did you follow all that quoting? :) )

“I don’t really write for readers,” Self says …”I think that’s the defining characteristic of being serious as a writer. I mean, I’ve said in the past I write for myself. That’s probably some kind of insane egotism but I actually think that’s the only way to proceed – to write what you think you have to write. I write desperately trying to keep myself amused or engaged in what I’m doing and in the world. And if people like it, great, and if they don’t like it, well, that’s that – what can you do? You can’t go round and hold a gun to their head.”

I think there is a lot of merit in that viewpoint. I wrote for myself for years and found a lot of satisfaction in it. And you’re a writer, even if you never publish a book. I recently read a thought-provoking post by writer Mark Charan Newton for Tor Books on “The Joys of Private Writing.”

But I also think that writing for readers is not only possibly more satisfying than writing for oneself (at least, I’ve found it more so), it can also be a way to develop skills and a readership while you’re waiting to release the book you’ve written for your own benefit (or for art’s sake.) Admittedly-- I’m sometimes pragmatic to a fault…and prone also to look at the dollars and cents side to projects.

I’ve found some reward, in other words, in being paid for writing.

So, from that viewpoint, I’m going to suggest points to mull over as you’re exploring your direction and book ideas. These are, obviously, intended for writers who are interested in pursuing publishing—not those who’d like to write completely for themselves.

What if you know you have an interest in writing, but you’re not sure what to write? Here are some points it might be helpful to consider:

Your own interests, as a reader: What do you naturally lean toward when writing or reading? Which genre? What do you think you’d most enjoy writing? We have to spend a long time with a book—we need to enjoy the process and pour that love of writing into the book. Which story would you enjoy telling the most?

Analytics of the genre: In that genre, what are some of the factors that make it a good read? Humor, action, strong characters, magical powers, three murder victims, etc.? As a reader, what do you enjoy most about the genre?

Market saturation: Is there an area or subgenre that is currently saturated? Or does it seem like the readers are avidly buying the books as fast as they are written, even if it IS saturated? (Vampires and zombies come to mind.)

Book length: What is the length of most of these books? Have you got an idea that you can develop into that length? Is your idea too broad and can’t fit into one book? Book length, of course, is also going through a change with the digital trend—but you still want to shoot for the right ballpark. Editing a trilogy out of a single book can be a bear.

What are publishers of this genre looking for currently? If you’re going traditional, who represents and publishes this genre? Go online and see what kinds of things they might be asking for on their submissions page.

If you have many ideas, which should you work on?

Protagonist: Which protagonist can carry my story better? Which is better-developed? Does one have more opportunity for internal conflict? Does one have ample growth potential?

Characters: Which project has secondary characters that are more appealing? Which create depth for my protagonist by interacting with him/her? Which may be a villain that readers will love to hate?

Plot: Which storyline can I easily picture? Which one has more conflict and more depth?

Time: Is there a story that requires more research than another? How much time do I have for the project? How long would I, ideally, prefer to spend on a single project?

Market: Which story will appeal to a greater number of readers? Which has more of a hook to sell to a publisher? Or…which has the better hook for a direct-to-reader/self pubbed book?

Series potential: This may be genre-book specific---but is there a story that lends itself to more than one novel?

There’s a really fine balance here between being calculating and embracing an idea because we love it and because we want to write it to personally satisfy our own creative need. We can always choose to write the “book of our heart” as I’ve heard it called and have faith that others will love it as much as we do.

The business-oriented side of me thinks that it might be helpful to write something that we think has commercial appeal and that we’re excited about writing (don’t write something in a genre you don’t enjoy, just because you think it will sell—if you hate the book, or hate the genre, that disdain is going to show) and then release the book of our heart later, after we’ve developed readership. In traditional publishing, if the book of your heart tanks, it sure is hard to find another gig. Although having a traditionally published book tank might offer the perfect opportunity to move our next book into the self-pub realm.

Again, y’all, this is all in the for-what-it’s-worth category. And…another important thing to remember is that we shouldn’t have our whole writing career riding on one book. The fear of failure has got to be a huge factor in this writer hesitation when choosing an idea. The important thing about failure is dusting ourselves off, learning what it was that we did poorly, and writing another—better—book. Better because we failed or didn’t meet our own expectations. It’s killed me when a couple of great writers that I know have completely given up writing when their books didn’t do as well as they hoped. We’ve got to keep on going.

Now I’m interested in hearing your ideas. If you publish your work, how do you balance art and commercialism? How much do you focus on audience when you write? How do you decide what to write?

How to Put More Emotion into Your Writing—Guest Post By Joanna Campbell Slan

by Joanna Slan, @JoannaSlan

New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber has said, “If you don’t cry while you’re writing it, the reader won’t cry while she’s reading it.”

Easier said than done.

Putting emotion into your manuscript takes practice. The act of writing typically starts in the left hemisphere, that part of our brain given to sequencing. Otherwise, what we write would be a jumble of words. However, when arranged logically, words become sentences, sentences make up scenes, and scenes build action. At the peak of several scenes, we reach a climax. But that highpoint doesn’t mean much to the reader unless it evokes intense emotion. For that we need the right hemisphere, the section of the brain where emotions are perceived.

Let’s take a real life example, the mass shooting in a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado. The facts by themselves have great impact. With them in hand, we understand logically what happened. But when we learn about the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings of the people involved, our emotions become fully engaged. Only then can we recognize the full impact of the tragedy.

Most of us have a side of the brain that we favor. We resist switching from one side of our brain to the other because switching takes energy. But as writers that’s exactly what we need to do! Because to offer our readers an engaging experience, we must appeal to both of their hemispheres—and we can only do that by using both of ours.

Writing with Both Sides of Your Brain

To overcome your natural resistance, break the process into two steps, a left brain pass and a right brain pass. First lay down the narrative track, the logical sequence of events, using the left side of the brain. This should cover the basics, the who, what, when, where, why, and how. Once your narrative is in place, commit to a second pass, using the right side of your brain.

When working with the right side of your brain, pay particular attention to these areas:

1. Sensory information—What are your characters smelling, seeing, hearing, tasting, and touching? With your mind’s eye, “look” for color, pattern, texture, flavors, scents, and distinct images, because that is how we process sensory input. When readers experience the world the way your character does, they will find your book more enjoyable.

To activate your senses, consider doing on-site research. To get the details right in my new mystery, DEATH OF A SCHOOLGIRL, I visited a carriage museum. There I spent time examining the sorts of conveyances used in 1820. After running my hand over the horsehair seats, touching the wood-rimmed wheels, and sniffing the old leather, I used what I learned to write a scene where my protagonist, Jane Eyre Rochester, travels by coach to London.

2. Specifics—Choose detail over generalities. It’s not a dog. It’s a pit bull. Or an Irish wolfhound. Or a Corgi. See how the image changed in your mind as the words went from general to specific? Whenever possible, exchange any vague reference for its exact counterpart.

3. Strong verbs—Vivid verbs add clarity. Try to eliminate any variation of “to be.” That includes was, is, be, been, and so on. (For a terrific refresher course on reducing your use of the “to be” verb construction, go to http://www.uoflife.com/wc/creative/be.htm)

During your second pass, imagine yourself in the role of your characters. Ask yourself, “What would I be feeling if this was happening to me?” Don’t be afraid to act out the scene, because that will help you get the physical reactions right. Once while writing a woodland scene in a Kiki Lowenstein book, I reached to my mouth to pluck out a stray twig that wasn’t there. Readers often tell me how realistic that scene is

I’m not surprised. If it’s real to me, I know that it’ll be real to my readers.

***

Joanna Campbell Slan has taught writing to corporate executives and at Illinois State University. She’s the author of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series, which includes PAPER, SCISSORS, DEATH, the Agatha-Award finalist for best first novel. Her newest mystery series debuts with DEATH OF A SCHOOLGIRL (Berkley Trade/August 7), the first book in The Jane Eyre Chronicles, featuring Jane Eyre as an amateur sleuth. Visit Joanna at www.JoannaSlan.com

What’s in a Name? Naming Your Characters—Guest Post by Jodie Renner

by Jodie Renner, freelance editor, @ JodieRennerEd

Have you ever read a book where the name of the main character was jarring to you, seemed inappropriate, or just wrong?

Or have you mixed up two characters because their names were similar? Or said “Who’s that?” because suddenly the author started using a character’s nickname or first name, when previously all you knew was their last name? What you choose to name your characters can be the difference between annoying/confusing your readers and having the story flow naturally, with all the little details falling into place to make a seamless, believable story world.

A few years ago, I did a critique of a novel in which the cruel, abusive father was named “Danny” and his eight-year-old abused son was named “John.” I definitely thought “Danny” sounded much more like a nice kid than a nasty adult, and why not give the young boy a more kid-like name, like “Johnny”? Switching the two names would have worked fine, too.

Here are some tips for naming your characters:

- Avoid too-common and too-forgettable names like “Jim,” “John,” “Bill Smith,” or “Bob Jones.”

- Avoid really weird, unusual names that draw attention to themselves — unless it’s for a really weird character!

- Choose a name that fits the character’s personality and role. Don’t name your he-man hero “Harold” or “Wilfred,” or your despicable villain “David” or “Josh” or “Jordan” or “Richard” or “Jason” or “Matt” or any other very popular name. People don’t want a nasty bad guy to have the same name as their brother, boyfriend, husband or son.

- Avoid old-fashioned names for contemporary characters, like “Ebenezer” or “Cuthbert” or “Gertrude” or “Henrietta” or “Josephine.”

- Also, to reflect the actual makeup of North American society, be sure to use some characters and names from other ethnic backgrounds besides Anglo-Saxon.

- If you’re writing historical fiction, research common names for that era and location. Don’t make the mistake of calling your 18th-century heroine, for example, “Taylor” (used only for males in that era).

- Even for contemporary fiction, don’t name your 50- or 60-something male Jordan or Brandon or Justin or Tyler or Kyle, as those names weren’t popular for babies 50 or 60 years ago. There are several websites where you can find the most popular baby names for any given year. Here’s a good one:

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 17,000 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 .

Have a great week!

5 Tips on Writing Actions Scenes: Lessons from Chopsocky: http://bit.ly/QJl3Cn @JCMartin_author @AlexJCavanaugh

For literary inspiration follow @AdviceToWriters. Jon Winokur dispenses writerly wisdom of the ages.

A useful resource for describing settings, emotions, shapes, textures, and more: http://bit.ly/eIGRMO @AngelaAckerman

Writing—It Doesn’t Have To Be Solo (Or Done In Quiet Places): http://bit.ly/R4rvRM @JoanRylen

A free directory of #ebook pros--for covers, editing, formatting, & more: http://tinyurl.com/3mxg5zt

Re-Versioning, not Retelling: http://bit.ly/N2Ztno @SophieMasson1

Agents and self-publishing: http://bit.ly/PBd5r1 @Porter_Anderson @thecreativepenn @ornaross

Family connections that impact plot in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/MkzacA @mkinberg

A flowchart which will help you decode dystopia: http://bit.ly/N2ZFCZ @ebookfriendly @erin_bowman

Top 10 homes in literature: http://bit.ly/PnIm3X @guardianbooks

Using Visualization to Write Killer Hooks: http://bit.ly/PnLnRI @electricblogger

3 Key Ways to Create Characters That Grip Readers' Hearts: http://bit.ly/PnOBoi @JodyHedlund

7 Tips for Crafting a Believable Fantasy: http://bit.ly/PnOMjA @4YALIT

Appeal to the Senses—and Emotions: http://bit.ly/PnOPMl @JodieRennerEd @janice_hardy

No Story Is Original, But That's Okay: http://bit.ly/PnP5L3 @fuelyourwriting

5 Writing Lessons 1 Writer Learned From Fighting: http://bit.ly/PnQb9S @ajackwriting

Micro Tension: http://bit.ly/PnY2Ea @V_Rossibooks

5 Ways to Go From Blogger to Published Book Author: http://bit.ly/PnYt1j @NinaAmir

Ugly Covers for Great Books: http://bit.ly/PnYPFp @publisherswkly

Two Sides To Every Story. At Least. http://bit.ly/PnZHtv @mooderino

An editor gives a critique of a story's opening pages: http://bit.ly/O0MAvD @theresastevens

Christopher Paolini Interview: http://bit.ly/O0MJ2o @fantasyfaction

5 Tips to Boost Your Writing Productivity: http://bit.ly/O0MWmd @jeanoram

How to Use a Screenwriting Trick to Fix Your Broken Story: http://bit.ly/O0NacS @write_practice

5 Ways Your Brain Sabotages Your Writing... And What To Do About It: http://bit.ly/O0Nicq @kimber_regator

The importance of book bloggers to a book's success: http://bit.ly/O0NFDG @JonathanGunson

Bust 4 Myths to Gain More Writing Time: http://bit.ly/O0QDbm @LyndaRYoung

5 tips to make your synopsis stronger: http://bit.ly/O0QPaJ @C_Herringshaw

Do self-publishers still need to explain why? http://bit.ly/O0QYLl @dirtywhitecandy

A self-pubbed writer on selling foreign rights: http://bit.ly/O0R6dH @indie_jane

Book Promotion: 4 Ways to Provide Value to Your Readers: http://bit.ly/O0Ro49 @beth_barany

How cozy romance sets itself apart: http://bit.ly/O0RBEw

How to Trust Yourself as a Writer: http://bit.ly/O0T8uu @lyndaryoung

International Writers And The U.S. 30% Withholding Tax: Getting It Back: http://bit.ly/O0TQYt @woodwardkaren

Seducing Readers, Publishers and A Spouse at the Same Time: http://bit.ly/O0U2ab @ninaamir @52Betty

How to Get Your Self-Published Books Noticed: http://bit.ly/Py57mt @howtowriteshop

10 Tips For Creating An Audio Book: http://bit.ly/Nop1kI @thecreativepenn

5 tasks for building a platform: http://bit.ly/O0UCoo @emergentpublish

Words that we should consider eliminating in our stories (if there are too many of them): http://bit.ly/O0UO7f @livewritethrive

A Beginner's Guide To Blogging: http://bit.ly/O0UVQb @ollinmorales

Enough Self-Published Rough Drafts! Why The Self-Publishing Industry Needs Standards: http://bit.ly/O0V71S @duolit @GrubStreetReads

Harlequin Lawsuit Offers Valuable Contract Lessons: http://bit.ly/O0Vc5F @authorems

How Self-Publishing has Helped All Writers: http://bit.ly/O0Whdz @kristenlambTX

Want to help books survive? Promote authors yourself: http://bit.ly/O0WjSS @guardianbooks

Police Procedure: Making It Believable: http://bit.ly/O0WtcY @junglereds

External Conflict vs. Internal Conflict: http://bit.ly/PN5864 @glencstrathy

10 Character Cliches: http://bit.ly/PN5olJ @xymarla

A Social Media Survival Guide: http://bit.ly/u6hyMd @rllafevers

Your greatest asset as a writer: http://bit.ly/PN63U4 @soniasimone @Porter_Anderson

How to Tap Into Your Experiences for Writing Inspiration: http://bit.ly/PN6VrY @adoptedreality

Birdhouse-like Mini Libraries: http://bit.ly/PN70Mf @pubperspectives

The importance of a 5-year plan in creating writing goals: http://bit.ly/PN7eTr @bob_brooke

Real Life Can Challenge the Writing Life: http://bit.ly/N2R3fM

No, Kickstarter is Not the #2 Graphic Novel Publisher: http://bit.ly/NtvgU8 @tordotcom

Tips for adapting your book for a screenplay: http://bit.ly/OLOdfN @GrubWriters @jenna_blum

J.R.R. Tolkien's Top 10 Tips for Writers: http://bit.ly/NWucnL @JonathanGunson

Show and tell: Character--http://bit.ly/NLwTKu

Helping Writers De-Stress: Meditation Apps: http://bit.ly/NLwXtG @woodwardkaren

Using a characterization worksheet: http://bit.ly/NLwYxA

Working with freelance editors: http://bit.ly/NLx5cu @SusanSpann

Rejection Letters - How to Keep them from Ending Your Career: http://bit.ly/NLx6gu

Is Your Internalization Working? A Crit of One MS: http://bit.ly/NLx9cf @janice_hardy

Tips on Writing a Superhero Team: http://bit.ly/NLxcoA

Don't Let Secondary Characters Knock Out Your Muses: http://bit.ly/NLxj3r

Creative Writing: 7 Ways to Get Out of Your Own Way: http://bit.ly/NLxhZb @beth_barany

How to Breathe New Life into Your Writing: the Magic of Metaphor: http://bit.ly/NLxmw0 @joebunting

The Bookless Library: http://bit.ly/NLxrzT @tnr

Your writing process doesn't have to look like anyone else's: http://bit.ly/NLxziV @chuckwendig {lang.}

Are dream sequences in novels always taboo? http://bit.ly/N3jJ9f @dirtywhitecandy

How to Get Your Spouse to Support Your Dream: http://bit.ly/N3jOd1 @jeffgoins

1 writer's experience as a virtual intern and tools for working remotely: http://bit.ly/McvLlU @womenwriters @Victoria_Writes

Surviving a writers' conference with your dreams, sanity, and energy in one piece: http://bit.ly/N3k4ZL

A critique of a manuscript's opening hook: http://bit.ly/N3kajW @janice_hardy

An Easy Alternative to Business Cards: Instant Email: http://tcrn.ch/N3kkYK @techcrunch

The online writing community and places there to connect: http://bit.ly/N3kjE8 @catewoods

Strong Sentences; Concrete Nouns and Verbs: http://bit.ly/Mcw3sW

How to use your 15 minutes with an agent: http://bit.ly/Mcw6oS @nicolamorgan

15 Steps to Create Great Blog Videos: http://bit.ly/Mcw7c8 @jfbookman

7 tips for publicizing and promoting your book: http://bit.ly/Mcw8Nq @ChuckSambuchino

Making the Most of Ideas: http://bit.ly/McwCDh @davidbcoe

Different publishing paths to consider: http://bit.ly/McwEe9 @SouthrnWritrMag

How Much Internalization is Too Much? http://bit.ly/McwIdS @Janice_Hardy

5 Ways to Make Google Your "Assistant Publicist": http://bit.ly/McwHqo @livewritethrive

Put Your Reader in Your POV Character's Skin: http://bit.ly/McwJys @margielawson

Evaluating Ideas for Books: http://bit.ly/QSaWg1 @jillkemerer

How To Market Your Book At Cons: http://bit.ly/QSbanr @BryanThomasS @lkblackburne

Can you afford to be fashionably late to the digital party? http://bit.ly/QSbdQg @jentalty

What to Do When Your Writing's Worst Enemy Is You: http://bit.ly/QSbsuE @krissybrady

Great writers are great rewriters: http://bit.ly/QSbyCn @josephputnam

Get Your Story Across The Finish Line: http://bit.ly/QSbCC7 @fuelyourwriting

Why it's important for every aspiring creator to turn pro: http://bit.ly/QSbSB6 @markmcguinness

3 Reasons to Write About Ghosts: http://bit.ly/QSdw5F @joebunting

5 Mistakes Killing Self-Published Authors: http://bit.ly/QSdAT3 @kristenlambTX

Synthesizing Feedback: http://bit.ly/QSdHy4 @kid_lit

An agent answers questions from writers: http://bit.ly/QSdPNT @breeogden

Make your writing time matter: http://bit.ly/QyyW3k @jessicastrawser

After The First Draft: http://bit.ly/Qyz96t @mooderino

Why 1 writer writes airport books: http://bit.ly/QyzAOf @nickthacker

Promo--Test Your Cross Markets for Effectiveness: http://bit.ly/PXtyd2 @rileymagnus

Pressure your characters with the law — criminal charges aren't the only option: http://bit.ly/PXuOgs

3 Blog Post Headline Fails: http://bit.ly/PXveU0 @JudyLeeDunn

Can Critiques Be Useful Before a Draft Is Complete? http://bit.ly/QyCWkr @BrianKlems

3 steps for writers interested in self-pubbing: http://bit.ly/PXyb6Z @woodwardkaren

Does Facebook Advertising Work? (One Author's Experience): http://bit.ly/PXyjU1 @goblinwriter

The Moment That Makes or Breaks Your Story: http://bit.ly/PXyrmA @storyfix

4 Ways to Improve Plot/Climax in Your Writing: http://bit.ly/PXBFGK

How to create and maintain narrative interest: http://bit.ly/PXCaRc @jammer0501

Writing your novel with baby steps: http://bit.ly/PXCm2R

4 tips for discovering your writing voice: http://bit.ly/T0HgMg @ThreeKingsBooks

Why Your Hero Needs a Yappy Sidekick: http://bit.ly/N2VEyz @KMWeiland

Afterward vs. Afterword: http://bit.ly/O9pwi4 @write_practice

20 Evocative French Words: http://bit.ly/NLxvQb @writing_tips

Salvador Dali's Creative Thinking Technique: http://bit.ly/O9poPI @MichaelMichalko

Ebook sales aren't a zero sum game: http://bit.ly/NtqypC @JAKonrath

4 Ways to Improve Plot/Climax in Your Writing: http://bit.ly/PXBFGK

Writing About Death And Crime Scenes: http://bit.ly/N3k3F8 @thecreativepenn

Writing YA--themes: http://bit.ly/McqJQt @AlexSokoloff

Tips for dealing with writer's block: http://bit.ly/McqSU9 @SouthrnWritrMag

Does Social Media Really Help With Book Success? http://bit.ly/McqXXK @jodyhedlund

Is Your Post Publish Ready? Give it a 24 Hour Test: http://bit.ly/Mcr2uu @WritingH

5 Helpful Writing Prompt & Exercise Books: http://bit.ly/Mcr8m6 @janefriedman

Qualities of a Great Critique Group: http://bit.ly/McrhpD

3 Sentences with Dangling Modifiers: http://bit.ly/McrmcW

How does your publisher make money? http://bit.ly/McrtVI @rachellegardner

Dialogue Tag Misconceptions: http://bit.ly/McrxET @lynettelabelle

From Newbie to Published: 12 Tips: http://bit.ly/McrDMK @jamigold @TiffanyAllee

A Book Launch is an Investment in a Long-Term Career: http://bit.ly/Mcs5dT @danblank @originalimpulse

Religion, Like Sex, Sells E-Books: http://bit.ly/Mcs4H7 @passivevoiceblg

The Unbearable Stiffness of Formal Poetry and Writing for the Page: http://bit.ly/Mcsddw @glecharles

Trimming the fat from your manuscript: http://bit.ly/McszRv @yahighway

Lessons on Character from ThrillerFest: http://bit.ly/McsH3m @diymfa

The physical space of words: http://bit.ly/McsIo0

Writing lessons learned from "Sea": http://bit.ly/McsNI7 @juliemusil

The Lazy Way to Make a Story Sell: http://bit.ly/PAB4GI

Agents recommending paid-for services? http://bit.ly/PAGm4X @nicolamorgan

Agatha Christie's lasting appeal and her secret notebooks: http://bit.ly/PAGXUd @junglereds

Common Pitfalls and Cliches for Superhero Teams: http://bit.ly/PAH4PK

9 Keys to Blogging Success from A-List Bloggers: http://bit.ly/PAHk18 @JFBookman

Tips for writing suspenseful scenes: http://bit.ly/PAHQw1 @writersherry

Is self-pub an e-bubble? Does social media promo really sell books? http://bit.ly/M6bI7B @samatlounge @eoinpurcell @Porter_Anderson

Finding the Unfamiliar Phrase: http://bit.ly/O0N05c

In a market crowded with ebooks, discoverability is a problem: http://bit.ly/PBEE3r @hughmcguire @Porter_Anderson @ljndawson

New Writers—Patience

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

My son is a rising sophomore in high school. I’ve heard from several friends with older kids that it might be smart for my son and I to get an early start researching colleges.

I started looking up information on college admissions. I realized that there’s an overwhelming amount of information out there. In fact, there’s so much information that it’s hard to know where to start looking. Not only is there information on various schools, but there are tips for activities to get involved in that look good on admissions forms, college interview tips. essay tips, and a tremendous amount of info on grants and scholarships.

My head started spinning.

I reminded myself that we have plenty of time to figure this stuff out and that’s the whole reason we’re starting early. There’s no magic pill to take to immediately know all there is to know about the college admission process. We’re just gradually going to need to absorb it.

This is remarkably like the process of finding out about publishing. Yes, there’s a lot of information. There might be too much information.

I’ve recently had two different new writers contact me about publishing. They were both local writers and just starting out. They asked me to bring them into the loop when it came to information about pursuing publishing.

I’m always happy to help out new writers. I had helpful writers point me in the right direction when I was the one asking a lot of questions. (And boy, has the publishing landscape changed since I started investigating it in the early 00s.)

It’s very hard to know how to advise new writers. I think it’s necessary to know a lot about where they are right now. Do they have a finished manuscript? Have they been working with a critique group? Have they been reading writing or publishing blogs? What do they know? How long have they been serious about writing? Is it a lifelong dream for them to be on a bookstore shelf or will they consider other options?

When I’ve mentioned self-publishing as an option in the recent past, new writers have almost seemed rebuffed by my suggestion. As if I somehow thought their work wasn’t of good enough quality to submit to New York publishers.

That wasn’t the case at all—it was more that I wanted to encourage them to find out more about a viable option for their books that might even enable them to reach the audience they’re looking for.

What I think is one of the most important traits for writers interested in publishing (either traditional or self-publishing), is patience. We need to have patience with ourselves to fully learn and explore our options and patience with our story—the patience necessary to rework or revise it to make sure it’s ready for readers. And we need patience to learn our options and the current state of the industry. We need patience in order to develop our craft.

It can be nice, however, to at least have a starting point for our research (I’m finding one for the college search.) As a starting point for learning about publishing, I recommend industry expert Jane Friedman’s post—it’s sort of a beginner’s guide to publishing: Wanting to have your book published? A beginner's guide.

How are you approaching gathering information on the industry and the writing craft? Any other traits that could be helpful for new writers?

Image: By English106

My Little List—Guest Post By Joanne Sydney Lessner

@joannelessner

“As someday it may happen that a victim must be found, I’ve got a little list.”

--W.S. Gilbert

I’m planning to kill my neighbor.

Lest you fear that I’ve just made you an accessory before the fact, rest assured that no actual blood will be spilled, although I do have a particularly gory end in mind for this guy. He’s one of those of selfish, antagonistic neighbors—apartment-dwellers will recognize the type—who has no consideration for anyone else, yet complains constantly about the rest of us. And so, he must die. Most likely, in book three.

In the first installment of my Isobel Spice mystery series, The Temporary Detective, Isobel arrives in New York City eager to pursue her acting career. On the first day of her first temp job, she stumbles across an obnoxious, overbearing secretary dead in a bathroom stall, a pair of scissors buried in her ample bosom.

Okay, so who was this secretary really? Why, the woman who got me fired from my first temp job, of course! She thought I spent too much time yakking on the phone to my friends, which, admittedly, I did. I had the idea for my series shortly after that, although I didn’t write the book for almost twenty years. I guess you could say I hold a grudge, because even after all that time, she was still my first victim. I put her on the page—and then I killed her. [Insert maniacal laugh.]

Writers have always populated their fiction with thinly disguised acquaintances. D.H. Lawrence wrote an amusing poem on the subject, called “I am in a novel,” in which the protagonist is shocked to learn, via his fictional alter ego, what his author friend really thinks of him. After years living in New York, temping and working in the theater, I’ve filed away a handful of standout jerks whose demises I have been plotting for a while.

In the second Isobel Spice novel, Bad Publicity (due out early next year), Isobel temps in a public relations firm, where a troublesome consultant drinks poisoned coffee before a meeting. Wanna guess? That’s right: a demanding client who made my colleagues and me miserable, and then fired us. Off he goes into the beyond, dispatched with a not-so-accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

Which brings me back to my belligerent neighbor. Since Isobel’s third adventure is still in the planning stages, I hadn’t quite settled on my victim until the other day, when this guy did something particularly galling. In the unlikely event that he reads my book, chances are slim that he’ll recognize himself, despite being a class-A narcissist. Like most of us, he has little awareness of how others perceive him.

One of the great things about being a writer is having the power to create your own world and populate it with whomever you want. It’s a particular perk of the mystery novelist that you get to regularly de-populate it as well. From now on, every time I find myself trapped in the elevator with my neighbor, I can relish the secret knowledge that—at least on paper—he’s going to get what he deserves.

Joanne Sydney Lessner  is the author of Pandora’s Bottle, a novel inspired by the true story of the world’s most expensive bottle of wine (Flint Mine Press, 2010) and The Temporary Detective (Dulcet Press, 2012). Joanne also enjoys an active performing career, and with her husband, composer/conductor Joshua Rosenblum, she has co-authored several musicals, including the cult hit Fermat’s Last Tango and Einstein’s Dreams, based on the celebrated novel by Alan Lightman.

Writing—It Doesn’t Have To Be Solo (Or Done In Quiet Places)--Guest Post by Johnell Kelley and Robbyn Hill

@JoanRylen

Thanks Elizabeth, for having us today so we could share our crazy, co-author story with your readers.

Hey y’all! We are Johnell Kelley and Robbyn Hill, co-authors of Getaway Girlz, our debut novel, written under pen name Joan Rylen. We grew up together in Pasa “Get Down” dena, Texas, famous for the John Travolta movie, Urban Cowboy and the mechanical bull at Gilley’s. We lived five short streets from each other, and were side-by-side in all the same stuff: Brownies, dance, band, house-wrapping, boy-chasing. We stayed in touch after attending different colleges, both eventually landing in Fort Worth, which we still call home.

All of this togetherness has culminated into a series based (loosely) on the annual girls’ trips we take with two other longtime friends. The first trip was intended to rally around Johnell during her double-whammy life-changing events: her four-kids-under-four divorce in conjunction with the big 3-0. The trip was so fun we’ve kept up the tradition and have had as many of 11 girlz on the trips, but always the ‘core four.’

The novels are roughly-based on our trips because thankfully, we’ve never had a murder or other mysterious situation happen while on vaca. Good grief, no one would travel with us if we did! But we do go on location for “research” and always write some of our experiences into the books. Bucket dancing on a beautiful Playa del Carmen beach, white water rafting through the Royal Gorge in Colorado, slamming giant syringe shots on Bourbon Street and entering a pumpkin-dropping contest the Adirondacks are just a few of the tidbits that find their way into our novels. We’re excited about our fall trip that will help us with the details of book five…Lone Star SOMETHING (we haven’t decided yet!). Check out our website and you’ll no doubt find pictures of us yee-hawing around a dude ranch in Bandera, Texas.

The initial idea for a book popped into Robbyn’s head and wouldn’t leave her alone. The first time we sat down to work, we worked our way through a 12-pack of Dos Equis and the idea for the series was born. We laughed and laughed, recounting our crazy adventures and were hooked, never looking back.

We knew we could do this, and do it right. Granted, there were a lot of things we didn’t know, like what a literary agent was (or that we might need one). We had no idea about writing conferences, critique groups, e-pub files, Publisher’s Marketplace and a whole slew of other things that writers need to know about, but we jumped in laptop first, nonetheless.

We’ve learned a lot during the past three and a half years which improved our writing and lead us to the ginormous decision to self-publish. After attending a conference in NYC and pitching to four editors with the Big Six (three out of four requested partials), we received an offer from an agent for representation of our first three books, but decided that wasn’t for us. We’re pretty strong-willed girlz and the thought of losing control over so much through a major publisher didn’t sit well. Because of the industry standard with newcomers, we’d have to market the heck out of ourselves anyway, so we went for it.

We launched our first book this past June and to date have sold close to 600. We’ve had numerous signings at Barnes and Noble and are working to get the word out!

We’re on a tight deadline for book two, Rocky Mountain Mayhem, being released in December. Then, it’s nose to the grindstone for book three, Big Easy X-capade, to be released in June 2013.

We write in restaurants and bars in downtown Fort Worth. We tried working in quieter spots, like at home, but Johnell falls asleep (mother of four!). We drink buckets of beer, margaritas, wine on occasion, and we’re productive (okay, up to a point), but it’s turned out to be great marketing for us. We get all set up with two laptops and “Old Bessie,” our external keyboard. People inquire as to what we’re working on or who our employer is since they let us work in bars. Often, after chatting and showing them what we’re working on they’ll buy a book. One of our favorite writing spots, Chuy’s, is framing a copy of the book and hanging it right by the front door. Woo hoo, love Chuy’s!

Our approach to writing and publishing may not work for everyone but it was the best decision for us. Y’all watch out, we may be vacationing researching at a destination near you soon, and you never know what we’ll use for inspiration in the next book!
Adios!

Johnell & Robbyn

www.getawaygirlz.com

Tips for Finding your Writing Voice—Guest Post by Josephine Carr

by Josephine Carr, @ThreeKingsBooks

Tips for Finding your Writing Voice

When my writing career began thirty years ago, I got lucky. The young adult genre was just beginning, and the market was hungry for novels with teenage protagonists. This was a boon for any unpublished writer, of course, but the real luck was something else entirely.

By writing a young adult novel, I immediately found my voice.

In reading and mentoring other new writers, I recognize that their voice is often murky, or missing entirely. I’m not the first to say this, and I know you’ve read it all over the place, but here it comes again: voice is vital.

This is no joke. You can make any number of mistakes in plotting, character development, point of view, and theme, but if you haven’t found your voice, you will not be published. (Even if you self-publish, your success will always be limited.)

Voice is intangible, difficult to define, and impossible to teach, but if you have it, everything else you might do wrong will be fixable. So what’s a writer to do?

I have some practical suggestions.

(1) Write in the first person.

This can be instantly helpful to a writer searching for their voice. When I received an offer to publish my young adult novel, No Regrets, so many years ago, it was for one reason only. I sounded distinct and unassuming. This happened despite the fact that my prose style has never been lyrical or beautiful in any way. I am a prosaic writer, with a crisp style, but by writing a story that happened to be mildly autobiographical, and in the first person, I immediately tapped into my natural writing voice.

(2) Read your own writing aloud.

This is such an easy, yet profound, method for hearing what you sound like. As you read your prose aloud, you’ll be able to tell if it sounds like you. When the voice is off, it jars, often because there’s a pretentious quality, or there are simply too many words jostling for attention.

(3) Write from your stomach, not your mind.

By writing from your gut, as opposed to your conscious mind, you will find a voice that is compelling and real. When I begin writing a novel, I can literally feel my stomach speaking. I’m not being figurative or wishy-washy by this description. I mean it. My stomach seems to expand and send out messages. Indeed, it’s possible for me to feel ever so slightly nauseous, or a little squirrelly down there when I’ve begun and then realize it’s rolling along in a way I’d never have predicted. The words tumble out in a flow like water from a faucet. If/when that happens, I know I’ve got it. Let go of your doggone head and write from the stomach.

(4) Write for yourself.

I am a huge fan of story structure and planning out a novel because it will unquestionably enhance the reader’s experience -- I studied screenwriting, and I know it’s been an important factor in my success as a writer. But the architecture of a novel comes after you’ve found your voice. In the beginning of a novel’s composition, just write a sentence or two without thinking about anyone reading what you’ve written. Be loosey-goosey and relaxed.

Your voice doesn’t merely sound like you. Your voice smells, looks, and feels like you. Without it, your writing is like a cake that fails to rise in the oven. Flat, thin, compressed. And what makes a cake rise? Baking soda and beaten eggs, both of which form bubbles in the batter.

Your words are bubbles, and they lift us to create a buoyant world, uniquely you. When you write, be yourself, even if that self is somehow scary, a failure, or imperfect. Aren’t we all?

Josephine Carr is a thirty year veteran of traditional publishing (HarperCollins, NAL/Penguin, Dial Books for Young Readers) who’s thrilled to be relaunching herself under the banner Three Kings Books . She’d welcome your visit to her blog where she posts about how to write well, publish, and survive the trials of a writer’s life. The first mystery in her new series, The Rabbi’s Mother, will be published in September, 2012. Follow her on twitter @threekingsbooks.

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 17,000 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 .

Have a great week!

Make Problems Actionable in Your Story: http://bit.ly/Mk0w6o @kid_lit

Different types/sizes of publishers with examples of each: bit.ly/MZU2q0 @annerallen

How to make a book trailer (video creation websites): http://bit.ly/O9PFKc @beth_barany

Narrative and the Moving Image: What Film Can Teach Us About Fiction Writing: http://bit.ly/O9PGy1

An agent on the new contractural language she's seeing from publishers: http://bit.ly/NDOXVg @rachellegardner @Porter_Anderson

The anatomy of a good website: http://bit.ly/Q44Ny7 @danyelleleafty

There is No Elevator to Success. You Have to Take the Stairs: http://bit.ly/OEFRpL @jodyhedlund

The cons of series writing: http://bit.ly/Ll92m5 @JeffSalyards

How not to be a successful self-pub author: http://bit.ly/N28t1z @ava_jae

Writing Series: The Cliffhanger Dilemma: http://bit.ly/Ml4N53 @erin_bowman

Tips for Dealing with Bad Book Reviews: http://bit.ly/PMKtjw @goblinwriter

A BookStats report of trade sales for 2011 (strong ebook showings): http://bit.ly/NDRq1Q @Porter_Anderson @pkafka

International Thriller Writers--can self-published writers apply? http://bit.ly/NDRuyw @Porter_Anderson @jamesscottbell @RobertBidinotto

What You Can Learn About Writing By Writing Thrillers: http://bit.ly/MgF0RY @nickthacker

The Social Life of a Writing Residency: http://bit.ly/Mf99M0 @PatrickRwrites

9 Simple Ways To Be a Better Writer: http://bit.ly/NDShQc

Great Reasons to Consider Skipping Over a Superhero Origin Story: http://bit.ly/NDSmU1

Worldbuilding--social roles of children: http://bit.ly/NDSMtB @juliettewade

5 helpful writing tips: http://bit.ly/NDT3N8 @mooderino

What's the Future of Publishing? http://onforb.es/NDT9Eu @forbes

Your Publisher Has Folded...Now What? http://bit.ly/NDTpDp @brandontietz

The need to reinvent ourselves as writers (particularly after a book's failure): http://bit.ly/MuOAwU

Laying Easter eggs in our stories: http://bit.ly/MuOBkj @writing_tips

Learning Writing Skills from X-Men: First Class {spoilers}: http://bit.ly/MuOEMV

Different types/sizes of publishers with examples of each: http://bit.ly/MuOEMV @annerallen

8 marketing essentials for writers: http://bit.ly/MuOPYH @writersdigest

What to Do When You Need to Cut a Major Part of Your Novel: http://bit.ly/MuPhpX @janice_hardy

Bringing your settings to life: http://bit.ly/MuPmtL

George Orwell's Four Motives for Creation: http://bit.ly/MuPtFJ @brainpicker

4 Steps to Starting a Thriller: http://bit.ly/MuPwkJ @writersdigest

The Amazing Spider-Man Beat Sheet {spoilers}: http://bit.ly/MyA4Yy

A Brief History of American Bookmobiles…in Pictures: http://bit.ly/MuQ1eK @readingape

Publishers should work on relationships with writers: http://bit.ly/MyAeiK @passivevoiceblg

5 traits of Pulitzer winning books: http://bit.ly/MNn7F5 @joebunting

A critique of a scene that's intended to show desperation: http://bit.ly/MNndwF @janice_hardy

4 Personalitiy Types For Characterization: http://bit.ly/MNni3g

Why writers need editors: http://bit.ly/NDYNrC @woodwardkaren

How to write your first cookbook: http://bit.ly/NonY4c @guardianbooks @alicecooks

5 tips to avoid distractions while writing: http://bit.ly/Noo6k7 @annelyle

Beyond the Most Common Fiction Mistakes: http://bit.ly/Noo8IV @thecreativepenn @victoriamixon

Writers and business: http://bit.ly/NoodMF @kristinerusch

Beta reading and collaborations: http://bit.ly/NDZ0Ls @bookviewcafe

Character building tips: http://bit.ly/NDZcdA @donnanewtonuk

Tips for Writing a Synopsis: http://bit.ly/NooEqc @noveleditor

Social Media vs. a New York Times Book Review Cover: Which Sells More Books? http://bit.ly/NooMpF @annerallen

10 Questions Your Readers Shouldn't Have to Ask: http://bit.ly/NooNKg @KMWeiland

Nail Your Novel – the DH Lawrence way: http://bit.ly/NooWxh @dirtywhitecandy

10 Tips For Creating An Audio Book: http://bit.ly/Nop1kI @thecreativepenn

What 1 writer has learned about marketing: http://bit.ly/NDZwZZ

The madness of marketing: http://bit.ly/Nop53T @AlexSokoloff

Languages In Fantasy: http://bit.ly/Oi3lTK @fantasyfaction

Scandinavia's Crime Lords: Stockholm's Salomonsson Agency: http://bit.ly/Oi3mXO @pubperspectives

Agent touting on Twitter? http://bit.ly/Oi3sP8 @nicolamorgan

Secrets of Blog Posts that Get Tons of Comments: http://bit.ly/Oi3wOM @JFBookman

When Your Passion Kills Your Plot: http://bit.ly/Oi3w1m @storyfix

Tips for rekindling your creative spirit: http://bit.ly/Oi3BCd

10 Reasons to Self-Publish–No More Excuses: http://bit.ly/Oi3A0Y @livewritethrive

How to make a book trailer (video creation websites): http://bit.ly/O9PFKc @beth_barany

Is Ignoring The Importance Of Setting Killing Your Novel? http://bit.ly/NGsaqf @bubblecow

How to Impress the People You Interview (and Be Professional): http://bit.ly/NWmeyQ @thewritermama

Failure Is Good for You: http://bit.ly/Oi3SoB @SF_Novelists

A quick method for creating your own images: http://bit.ly/Oi3Tcf @KarenCV

3 tips for editing your own work: http://bit.ly/Oi3XbN @AnselmAudley

Removing Elements to Fix a Problem Scene: http://bit.ly/Oi3XZr @Janice_Hardy

How to Get Your Self-Published Books Noticed: http://bit.ly/Py57mt @howtowriteshop

Establishing Ramifications: http://bit.ly/OicE5S @kid_lit

A list of 10 helpful books for writers: http://bit.ly/OicJqg

Character Names: How Do You Choose? http://bit.ly/Py5BJk @ava_jae

The gift of feedback: http://bit.ly/OicSu0

How a crisis helped a writer learn about the role of stories: http://bit.ly/Py5ZYa @Jan_Ohara

From Caricature to Character: http://bit.ly/Py66mv @KatieGanshert

12 Essential Social Media Cheat Sheets: http://on.mash.to/NtpC4v @mashable

The author's (minor) role in cover creation at trad. pubs.: http://bit.ly/NtpRMR @PaulTobin

5 Ways to Balance Writing and Life: http://bit.ly/NtpWA8 @writersdigest

How to Turn Rejection into a Positive Experience: http://bit.ly/Ntq2rx

Different types/sizes of publishers with examples of each: http://bit.ly/MuOEMV @annerallen

How to make a book trailer (video creation websites): http://bit.ly/O9PFKc @beth_barany

19 Ways To Grow Your Twitter Following: http://bit.ly/NtqfLj @woodwardkaren

The differences between commercial and literary fiction: http://bit.ly/NtqjuE @AnnieNeugebauer

How Facebook Advertising Works for Authors: http://bit.ly/NtqoOS @goblinwriter

Writing A Bottle Scene: http://bit.ly/Ntqt5m @mooderino

Ebook sales aren't a zero sum game: http://bit.ly/NtqypC @JAKonrath

10 dialogue tips: http://bit.ly/Ntu4QR

Marketing a Screenplay: http://bit.ly/Ntu6bt @writersdigest

Tips to prepare for a TV appearance: http://bit.ly/Ntv5Z6

Learning Writing Skills from Green Lantern {spoilers}: http://bit.ly/NtvcE6

Owning your goals as a writer: http://bit.ly/Ntvefe @4YALit @MeaganSpooner

6 tips for regaining your writer's voice: http://bit.ly/Ntvn2c @deewhiteauthor

8 Types of Parenthetical Phrases: http://bit.ly/Ntvlr1 @writing_tips

Planning for 1099-Misc: http://bit.ly/NWtaYQ @authorems

6 Ways to Drive More Pinterest Engagement: http://bit.ly/NWteaZ @smexaminer

How to talk about your work with acquaintances: http://bit.ly/NWtoiA

Why write fantasy? http://bit.ly/NWtV48 @dan_hanks

J.R.R. Tolkien's Top 10 Tips for Writers: http://bit.ly/NWucnL @JonathanGunson

Author Etiquette 101: How To Support Readers: http://bit.ly/NWuHy4 @jodyhedlund

3 Ways Book Publicity is Like a Zip Line: http://bit.ly/NWuTxw @WriterCrys

23 Ways to Defeat the Sagging Middle: http://bit.ly/NWv7V9 @fictionnotes

Harlequin Fail Part 2: http://bit.ly/NWvy1I @JAKonrath

My self-pub observations so far: http://bit.ly/Q3zHkL

A family vibe shouldn't be your litmus for signing with a publisher: http://bit.ly/O9mMBp @behlerpublish

The importance of good cover copy: http://bit.ly/O9nC15 @deanwesleysmith

Branding for Writers: http://bit.ly/O9nKOd @diymfa

Do you have a fear of success? 3 tips for conquering it: http://bit.ly/O9ocvK @threekingsbooks

8 tips for making time to write: http://bit.ly/O9oF0U @juliettewade

Publishing vs. Authors? http://bit.ly/NGS28t @Porter_Anderson @EmilySuess @PeterTurner @MirabilisDave

A writer on being authentic online: http://bit.ly/O9oMcS @indieauthor

Tips for stronger ebook sales: http://bit.ly/O9p4jX @woodwardkaren @JAKonrath

Salvador Dali's Creative Thinking Technique: http://bit.ly/O9poPI @MichaelMichalko

Afterward vs. Afterword: http://bit.ly/O9pwi4 @write_practice

What should writers do when faced with contradictory reasons for rejection? http://bit.ly/O9reQK @nicolamorgan

A BookStats report of trade sales for 2011 (strong ebook showings): http://janefriedman.com/2012/07/19/writing-on-the-ether-47/#2 @Porter_Anderson @pkafka

Thoughts on chapter length: http://bit.ly/O9uZpj

A look at theme, using "City Slickers" as an example: http://bit.ly/O9v78g @livewritethrive

Some self-publishing sales stats and tips for higher sales: http://bit.ly/O9wvaW

Beginner's Guide To Hiring A Freelance Editor: http://bit.ly/N2QAu2 @CA_Marshall

What Every Writer Can Learn From Regency Romance: http://bit.ly/N2QMJD @novelrocket

21 Top Links to Book Fonts for Self-Publishing: http://bit.ly/N2QOBr @JFBookman

50 Things 1 Writer Learned At Thrillerfest 2012: http://bit.ly/N2QTVJ @thecreativepenn

12 reasons to self-publish: http://bit.ly/N2SRoQ @RachelintheOC

10 steps to fill plot holes: http://bit.ly/N2T63j @howtowriteshop

Tips for starting out with a platform: http://bit.ly/N2TWNG @janefriedman

The Romantic Tension Recipe: http://bit.ly/N2U2F1 @TaliaVance

Try not to overthink your stories: http://bit.ly/N2UoeF @jamietr @janice_hardy

Sen. Schumer's WSJ op-ed piece? 'Maddening': http://bit.ly/PN99r6 @brianoleary @ChuckSchumer @Porter_Anderson

20 Words with More Than One Spelling: http://bit.ly/N2Ut23

International Thriller Writers--can self-published writers apply? http://janefriedman.com/2012/07/19/writing-on-the-ether-47/#1 @Porter_Anderson @jamesscottbell @RobertBidinotto

Book trailers--tips for finding viewers: http://bit.ly/N2UOSf @beth_barany

Why Your Hero Needs a Yappy Sidekick: http://bit.ly/N2VEyz @KMWeiland

The One Thing That Will Make Your Query Letter Stand Out: http://bit.ly/N2VKWX @krissybrady

7 Deadly Sins of Querying: http://bit.ly/N2WoDQ

Removing the YA Label: http://bit.ly/N2YG5U @pubperspectives

Using the realities of the past to unearth the fiction of tomorrow: seeking Lemuria: http://bit.ly/N2YQKp @genelempp

7 Key Things You Need for Your Blog: http://bit.ly/PnGCHK @NickThacker

Hard work is the key to success in both trad. pub and self-pub: http://bit.ly/PnHwUW @behlerpublish

Help for pacing problems: http://bit.ly/PnHNqN @roniloren

Top 10 homes in literature: http://bit.ly/PnIm3X @guardianbooks

Sen. Schumer's WSJ op-ed piece? 'Maddening': http://bit.ly/PN99r6 @brianoleary @ChuckSchumer @Porter_Anderson

The Top 10 Reasons to Avoid Writing Fiction: http://bit.ly/OLMy9P @BTMargins @lgreffenius

Forget the self-pub stigma and go for it: http://bit.ly/PRkwuM @JanetBoyer

Even editors need a book designer: http://bit.ly/OjkJHA @P2P_editor

Prologues--A Cautionary Tale? http://bit.ly/NGWhRo @Kathy_Crowley

Voice: the elusive but critical ingredient of powerful fiction: http://bit.ly/NthTDG @JodieRennerEd

Rounding out characters by adding subplot problems for them to iron out: http://bit.ly/Ntmzt7 @mkinberg

The Top 10 Reasons to Avoid Writing Fiction: http://bit.ly/OLMy9P @BTMargins @lgreffenius

Tips for adapting your book for a screenplay: http://bit.ly/OLOdfN @GrubWriters @jenna_blum