Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 184

The Hows and Whys of my Link-Sharing on Twitter

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I've gotten a good number of questions lately via email and Twitter about my platform on Twitter. I came up with a Twitter policy last year (which sounds funny to say, but it became necessary—I'd get well-meaning messages from folks asking me to tweet their book releases), but I haven't posted anything about it for a while. I thought today that I'd dust it off and give it another run:

How did you start tweeting links and why?
I was reading a lot of writing links and it seemed like it would be helpful to pass on ones that I thought were especially good. That snowballed until I had followers that were very interested in a variety of writing-related tweets. These were writers in different stages of their writing career—some just starting out, some veterans. So I started searching for good, solid posts—even if they were on topics that didn't directly apply to what I'm writing.
It's a platform for me, too, and provides a very indirect way of marketing and getting my name out there—and being indirect is really the only way I feel comfortable with promo.

How do you find the links?
I don't get them from my Twitter feed—I actually subscribe directly to the writing blogs' RSS feed and read them in my Google Reader.

How many blogs do you subscribe to and how do you browse them?
According to my Google Reader, I subscribe to 2318 blogs. I add to this number every single day. I have my Google Reader set on "list" view and I scan through them quickly—usually looking for writing craft-related posts or publishing news. I don't tweet promo posts or contests or giveaways. But if you write a wonderful post with interesting content for writers and you happen to have a giveaway or contest at the bottom of the page…that's fine, of course!

How long does it take you to find posts, read them, and tweet them in a day?
It usually takes a little over an hour each day.

Are you on Twitter all day?
Actually, no—I usually just check in with Twitter a few times a day. If I have more free time, I check in more frequently.

How do you schedule tweets?
I use an application called "Social Oomph" to schedule my tweets. The idea is to spread them out through the day so that they're (hopefully) not overwhelming and are reaching people in other time zones.

Why aren't you following me back?
I follow legitimate users back, although sometimes I get a little behind with updating my list. If I'm not following you, then I think you're a spammer or else you've just started following me. If you're not a spammer, just send me an email at elizabethspanncraig(at)gmail(dot)com.

What's the best way to contact you?
I check my DMs on Twitter at least once a day, but you can also email me at elizabethspanncraig(at)gmail(dot)com.

I have a great writing blog—how can I bring my blog to your attention?
I'm always looking for new writing blogs to add to my Google Reader. Just send me a DM or an email with your link and I'll subscribe to the RSS feed.

How do you pick which posts to run?
I'm usually looking for craft-related, industry-related, social media, or posts on how to effectively promote. I love posts that are easily skimmed, have great content, and can be helpful to a lot of writers.

Can you tweet my book review?
I don't tweet reviews, sorry.

(From PR firms, who do like to contact me): What is your marketing strategy behind these tweets? Does it seem to be working?
There wasn't a whole lot of marketing thought that went into this, which is why I'm probably getting so many DMs from PR people! I'm focusing on the tweeting mainly as a service to other writers, but I am gaining a nice platform in the process. It seemed to work out really well with pre-orders for my last book.

Do you read your tweet stream?
Honestly, I find my tweet stream totally overwhelming. If I try to read or follow all those incoming tweets then it makes me feel like I have ADHD. :) I follow over 10,000 and I can blink and find 20 updates.

What if I wrote a great blog post and you didn't notice it—can I bring it to your attention?
Sure—feel free to DM me with it. I can't promise to run it, but I promise to take a look…and I'll make sure I subscribe to your feed.

If I wrote a great post a few days ago and tweeted you about it and it hasn't run, will it ever run?
Sometimes I schedule tweets way out—sometimes a week or more…so it might still run.

Do you @ all of the blog post authors whose links you tweet?
I'm trying. Some of them I do know by heart, if they frequently have good material. Sometimes the post's author isn't on Twitter and sometimes I just can't find their handle, if they are on Twitter. If your "Follow Me on Twitter" is very visible to the top of your blog page, then you're a lot more likely to be @ed.

Do you ever chat on Twitter?
I don't ever @ anyone in conversation…but I do have DM conversations with people. I'm just trying to keep my Twitter profile page completely link-related so make it an easier resource for folks to access.

What types of posts are most likely to be tweeted by you? Which are most popular and most likely to be retweeted by others?
Craft posts and clever humorous posts are the top favorites of my followers. List posts are appreciated, too. Anything that's helpful about social media, or organizing our writing life helps, too.

Is there a way to make my blog posts more likely to be tweeted by you or by others?
Definitely. I'd recommend a post title that is clear as to the post content, an RSS feed button, and avoiding partial RSS feeds (I usually don't have time to click through to find out if the content is worth tweeting). I'd also recommend a non-rambling post, concise content, and something that's easy-t0-scan (bullet points and bold type helps.)

Some days your links seem better than others. How do you do quality control?
Sometimes, despite the large number of blogs I subscribe to, there's a lack of content out there. Holidays play into that, too. And...sometimes I'm busy and I have less time to hunt through my Reader.

Do you do #FF and #WW? Why not?
I used to, but with the number of followers and FFs and WWs I get now, I'm just not able to return the favor without sending out an entire page of spam. I really appreciate the ones I get from followers, though!

Is there a place where I can locate these links or search them?
All of my links are searchable through the Writer's Knowledge Base search engine. Designed by Mike Fleming, the database ensures that great content and resources for writers can be pulled up on an as-needed basis (which means writers don't have to bookmark everything!) The Writer's Knowledge Base is free and has over 13,000 links to search.

And now...a disclaimer (I know--so corporate-sounding...)
Occasionally I'll tweet links that I think show an interesting point of view on, or controversial approach to, writing or the publishing industry. This doesn't necessarily mean that I agree or disagree with the post's author--just that I think the discussion is interesting and believe that others would, too. I want to supply writers with different ideas and different opinions on different topics and letting them disseminate the information for themselves.

Now it's your turn. :) Are you on Twitter or Facebook? What makes you decide to share or retweet a writing post?

Killer First Lines--by Lois Winston

by Lois Winston, @anasleuth

Upstairs, the front door slammed with enough force to register a five on the Richter scale.

That's the first line of Death By Killer Mop Doll, the second book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries. I'm a firm believer in first line hooks. The first sentence of a novel should make the reader want to read the second sentence. The hook doesn't have to be defined in the first sentence, but that first sentence should lead you into the next. And that one to the next. Until you have a paragraph that becomes a hook that grabs and won't let go. That first paragraph should do for the first page what the first sentence did for the first paragraph, and the first page should do for the subsequent pages what the first paragraph did for the first page. Finally, those first pages should create a first scene that refuses to let the reader put the book down.

The opening of a book should be filled with interesting action and/or dialogue that intrigues and makes the reader want to continue reading. One of the worst mistakes I see beginner writers making is filling the openings of their books with paragraph after paragraph of back-story and/or description. The opening of a book should suck the reader into the world the author has created. Back-story can come later, trickling in to tease the reader to continue reading more, not as information dumps that pull the reader from the story. A good opening will include only the barest minimum of back-story that is essential for that moment.

As for description, it should be woven into the narrative and dialogue. Nothing bores more than long paragraphs describing everything from the length of the protagonist's hair to the color of her toenail polish. It pulls the reader from the story. And pulling the reader from the story is a BAD thing. It adversely affects the pacing of the book, and good pacing is something that is important to a well-written novel.

Sometimes the plot and conflict might not be evident in the opening of a book, but there should be enough of a tease within that opening to give the reader an indication of events to come. With the first sentence of Death By Killer Mop Doll, the reader knows something is about to happen.

Dialogue and/or narrative action are usually the best ways for a writer to create this foreshadowing of things to come, but internalization done well will also work as a hook. One technique is to begin your story by throwing the reader right into the middle of a conversation or event.

One of my favorite first sentences of all time is from Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. That book's first sentence is:

Daisy Devreaux had forgotten her bridegroom's name.
How can anyone not keep reading after that sentence?

Do you have a favorite first sentence? Post a comment, and you could win one of 5 signed copies of Death By Killer Mop Doll I'm giving away as part of my blog tour this month. The full tour schedule can be found at my website, http://www.loiswinston.com, and the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog, http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. In addition, I'm giving away 3 copies of Death By Killer Mop Doll on Goodreads, http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/15173-death-by-killer-mop-doll
Also, for anyone attending The American Library Association's Mid-Winter conference January 20-24 in Dallas, Midnight Ink will be raffling off the hand-crafted mop doll shown in the photo during the opening reception Friday evening. Register for the drawing at the Midnight Ink booth #1459.

Lois Winston is the author of the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries published by Midnight Ink. Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in the series, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. The new year brings with it the release of Death By Killer Mop Doll, the second book in the series. Read an excerpt at http://www.loiswinston.com/excerptap2.html. Visit Lois at her website: http://www.loiswinston.com and Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog: http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. You can also follow Lois and Anastasia on Twitter @anasleuth.

One Way Novelists Have it Easy

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I don't watch much television, but I've always been interested in bios and documentaries on writers, musicians, and visual and performance artists.

So I was watching, with interest, a show called Metal Evolution on a music cable station (I know…but I was in high school when metal was big. :) ) Metallica had been a thrash band before coming out with the Black Album which had a more commercial, radio-friendly sound. It made a lot of their fans upset. But it brought them a lot of new fans…and some of those new fans became interested in metal because of it.

Ozzy Osbourne's picture used to scare me to death as a kid in the 70s. The other kids in my elementary school would whisper about various gross things he'd done at concerts. He looked like the kind of monster I'd worry was in my closet at night. Then, in the late-80s, Ozzy had a chart-topping hit, Close My Eyes Forever, a ballad. Did it mean that I checked out more of Ozzy's music after that? Sure it did. Were his fans upset that he'd sold out? Absolutely.

There are many examples of singers and songwriters who have wanted to explore new areas with their art (sometimes for commercial reasons, sometimes just to keep challenged.) Sometimes it works out and the artist has a crossover hit. Sometimes, it just doesn't work at all.

The problem for recording artists is that they can't (well, I guess they could, but it would be harder) record something completely different from their norm and have it be an anonymous effort. Their image is too closely woven into promo. They have to just put it out there and wait and see what their fan reaction turns out to be.

Not so for writers.

A writer who wants to try something completely different and expand a little? It's easy. You just choose another name, create another online identity and promote under it. Maybe you want to write something more commercial. Maybe something more literary. Maybe you've gotten bored with what you're writing and want more of a challenge. If you wanted, you could publish something fairly anonymously.

There are a few different ways for a published writer to approach a change of genre:

Pen name—This is least risky, I think.

For instance, right now I've got six cozy mysteries for sale and one upcoming release in June. They're all the same subgenre of mystery. I've got the same type of style and voice, similar settings, and the same kind of humor in the books. What if I suddenly started writing science fiction under the same name? It would be tempting to write it under the name that's better-known, that has a platform and some reader recognition. But then, unsuspecting readers who wanted more of the same could be disappointed…and might even think twice about buying new books from me again, if they feel they wasted their money or felt duped in some way. That's because I've established a whole platform based around this particular type of book.

Write the new material under the same name: Some writers have decided to write their new genre under the same name, looking at it as an opportunity to bring some readers with them to a new genre. Or possibly to create a crossover book that will work for old readers as well as attract new ones.

Use a pen name, but associate the pen name with the author's real name: Another option is to write the new material under a pen name, but attempt to link the pen name with the author's real name. This wouldn't dupe old readers into reading it, but they would still probably discover that you were writing something different---then they could choose to read it if they wanted to. You could have a Facebook page, for instance, that's set up like this: "John Smith (Joe Roberts)"."

The nice thing is that we have a choice. We don't have to feel boxed into our genre. We can try new things—whether it's under another name or not.

What would you do if you wanted to change genres as a writer? Hope your readers embraced your new genre? Write under a pen name and start off from scratch with your platform building?

Commenting On Reviews: A Different Type of Author Intrusion

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

For the last few weeks, I've been following a thread of posts with interest.

Roni Loren had a post on January 2, referencing a Dear Author post entitled "Is There Room on the Internet for Authorial Interaction?"

The Dear Author post referenced instances where writers had responded to reader criticisms in a post—and these weren't the really defensive reactions that we've seen in the past, either. It was more of the author explaining her position on different characters, the book ending, etc. Although the post mentioned that sometimes this can really illuminate a discussion on a book, it also had the potential for trouble. Authors listed ways that kind of interaction could go wrong—especially that it could make the author look argumentative.

Another part of the post, was also critical of authors who thanked reviewers for reviews. This is where I really paid attention. Meljean Brook was quoted in the post as saying:

In general — unless the reviewer has notified the author directly about the presence of a review and invites a reply — I think that it's best not to comment at all. We all know that many authors are online, seeking reviews of their work and looking in on discussions; there's no need to tap the readers on the shoulder and say, "Hey, I'm here," because it's likely to have a chilling effect…and for good or bad, the best thing for an author is for readers to talk about her book. Why shut that down?

Roni Loren made me smile when she said:

Now, I'm southern. I say thank you for EVERYTHING. It's like a reflex. To think that my thank you may make someone uncomfortable kind of took me aback. When I say thank you, it's simply because I'm appreciative that the person took the time to read my book and to comment on it publicly (which is press--regardless of the content of the review.)

I'm Southern, too, and good manners have been ingrained in me long ago. When reviews of any kind--good or even lukewarm--came up in my Google Reader in the past, I thought about the potential ramifications...then I went ahead and politely made a comment on the blog, thanking the blogger for reading my book (and sometimes for the review...but mostly just for taking the time to read the mystery.) It didn't seem polite not to acknowledge the review. We authors aren't in ivory towers, after all. If the reviewer wasn't wild about the book, I just ignored that fact and still thanked her for reading the mystery.

But then, Roni had a guest post from writer and forum reader Amber Skye which made some excellent points. Excellent enough for me to completely change the way I treat reviews. I recommend that you read the whole post, but here's the gist:

Amber Skye's points:

Reviews are for readers. When authors respond to reviews, it can be disconcerting for readers on a variety of levels. When an author comments on a review that might have negative elements to it, the author's comment might unintentionally come across as passive-aggressive or hurt.

A book is a product and consumers have a right to either praise, complain about, or even disagree on, the worth of the product.

The primary way that authors should interact with readers is through their books. Write more books and provide your readers with more stories if you really want to effectively communicate with readers.

Keeping this in mind, I came up with a new policy for my own interaction with reviewers online:

If I really, really feel the urge to be polite, I'll email the blogger directly.

If the blogger shares the review on my Facebook wall (which sometimes happens), I'll comment on that Facebook post (but not on the blog post).

If the blogger and I have set up a special interview/post/review type promo thing, I'll of course thank the blogger in my interview or post for reading the book (regardless of the review and whether it was positive or negative). That's a different type of set-up…pre-planned promo.

If the blogger invites me to comment on a review, then I probably will…with caution.

If I'm invited to take part in a book chat online or a book club talk, I'll do it but be especially careful to be very neutral during the discussion.

There's part of me that still really wants to say thanks for reviews…but after reading some very valid reasons not to pop in uninvited on review sites, I think I'm just going to keep my distance.

How about you? What are your thoughts on author intrusion in the reader community?

Twitterific

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week.

The Writer's Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links (now over 12,000) searchable.

Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for the web's best links and interviews:http://bit.ly/gx7hg1 .

Creativity and dreaming: http://bit.ly/uvm9iL @FreeTheGenieNow #writing

The rules of a creator's life: http://bit.ly/u2lEjK @tannerc #writing

Moms, Writing, and Guilt: Do You Get In Your Own Way? http://bit.ly/swKGkI @AmySueNathan #writing

Tips for using similes and metaphors: http://bit.ly/uVYV9u @Artzicarol #writetip

Why Traditional Marketing Doesn't Sell Books: http://bit.ly/rZXY2h @KristenLambTX #writing

Indie Authors Turn Focus To Quality: http://bit.ly/udbS3a @jenniecoughlin #writing

Writing Quickly: A Secret Strategy: http://bit.ly/tNX7L5 @Ava_Jae #writetip

How to Incorporate Backstory That Hooks The Reader: http://bit.ly/vCvZut @lkblackburne #writetip

Old contracts are being dusted off and language scrutinized: http://bit.ly/s6fXCm @PassiveVoiceBlg

Evoking a sense of wonder in readers: http://bit.ly/uMGGj4 @mlmjr1 for @HP4Writers #writing

Why the printed word matters more than ever: http://bit.ly/s3JwUy @creativitypost

7 Ways to Fake It at Book Club: http://bit.ly/sZk3Et @readingape

Knowing your sources as a writer: http://bit.ly/vw4oIe @greyhausagency #writing

Simplify Your New Year's Resolution Process: Reflect, Select, Remove: http://bit.ly/vm84s7 @jkglei #writing

Oxford Comma Debates & Freelance Editorial Rates: http://bit.ly/sLNB12 @galleycat #writing

Writers: play both the long and the short game: http://bit.ly/tGUZSa @LAGilman #writing

2012 Digital Perspectives: The Bookseller and Librarian: http://bit.ly/vJF7KU @danielsm1 #writing

An author's take on typical New Year Resolutions: http://bit.ly/rHoVR1 @SarahMAnderson1 #writing

3 Ways to Get Out of a Writing Slump: http://bit.ly/sRHitP @jannhill for @writeitsideways #writetip

Stop playing to the house. Just write what you want to write: http://bit.ly/v20N2B @sarahahoyt #writing

Your Clutter Is Killing Your Creativity (And What to Do About It): http://bit.ly/tZutOf @jeffgoins #writetip

What Bad Movies Teach us About Good #Writing: http://bit.ly/vXC2uP @Jenpens2

Post-Christmas Grind: Getting Back into Your Writing Routine: http://bit.ly/umLZYE @icypop #writing

Defining character archetypes: http://bit.ly/vg6okB @writersdigest #writetip

Turning Those Writing Resolutions into Reality: http://bit.ly/rU65k6 @diymfa #writetip

Have email address, will abuse: http://bit.ly/scoSf5 @behlerpublish #writing

E-Books and Life Without Guilt: http://bit.ly/ssQ8Va @PassiveVoiceBlg

Letter to a young emerging creative who thinks she wants to blog: http://bit.ly/vQlevQ @justinemusk #writing

Tips for #writing with kids in the house: http://bit.ly/tMvoTV @Autumn2May

To Prologue Or Not To Prologue - That Is The Question: http://bit.ly/sZuxi4 @greyhausagency #writing

Improve your odds of sticking to your #writing resolutions: http://bit.ly/veKAZp @CAMorganti

Is Indie the New Black? http://bit.ly/tMKwuR @indiekindle #writing

How Renaissance People Think: http://bit.ly/w0C2b1 @sbkaufman #writing

2012 Publishing Predictions: http://bit.ly/rPbZZy @ThomasUmstattd #writing

Creative writers can be difficult to detect during job interviews: http://bit.ly/tzbCZh @MaryWWalters @PassiveVoiceBlg #writing

How much should an ebook cost? http://bit.ly/w16i7G @ThisIsSethsBlog #epub

Real life diagnosis of a book's beginning: http://bit.ly/v5H1H6 @Janice_Hardy #writing

Creativity and Wasting Time: http://bit.ly/rRHJiB @on_creativity #writing

The great ebook price swindle: http://bit.ly/vRRjq3 @dangillmor for @GuardianBooks #epub

12 Essential Tips for Revitalising Your Blog in 2012: http://bit.ly/spAp8V @GregoryCiotti #promotip

Goals and failures: http://bit.ly/t3kh8U @deanwesleysmith #writing

Why You Shouldn't Bother with Writing Resolutions this New Year: http://bit.ly/vqjAuL @jeffgoins #writing

40 Synonyms for "Lie": http://bit.ly/vnFMzb @writing_tips #writing

1 good #writing resolution--to be disciplined with our grammar & punctuation: http://bit.ly/uGXZ80 @JeanReynolds

Writing: To Carry On: http://bit.ly/uaEE7A @TracyLStrauss for @BTMargins #writing

Tips for book bloggers for interviewing authors: http://bit.ly/ryVVYr @GoblinWriter

Why 1 writer won't call herself an author: http://bit.ly/sOOamI @amberwest #writing

The Stages of Indie Publishing: http://bit.ly/vlrXTG @JoannaWeiss for @BTMargins

Using Game Worlds in #Writing: http://bit.ly/tvg0WH @thomasaknight

The Uncommon Truth About Marketing Your Books: http://bit.ly/sSwNs5 @skellie #writing

Use Plot Motivators to Move Your Fiction: http://bit.ly/uomZel @SteveMettee #writetip

5 Clever Tactics to Get More eBook Sales Per Reader: http://bit.ly/rymH7c @skellie #epub

What to do Before Your Book Debuts (Part 1): http://bit.ly/tfp6mm & 2: http://bit.ly/vD3bVi @randysusanmeyer #promotip

Spring Cleaning in January: http://bit.ly/ui98yt #writing

Time Management for the Organizationally Challenged: http://bit.ly/rw5fVP @Kathy_Crowley #writing

The Importance of Having Your Work Torn Apart By Strangers: http://bit.ly/shYofK @skellie #writing

7 Best Practices for Building an Online Presence: http://bit.ly/tJnkOE @ChuckSambuchino #writing

Getting Your Self-Published Book into the Library, Tips from a Librarian: http://bit.ly/sjd4vw @readingreality @GoblinWriter #writing

4 targets 1 writer is aiming for in 2012: http://bit.ly/sbKndL #writing

Predictions for Amazon and Apple for 2012: http://bit.ly/uCreQg @passivevoiceblg #writing

Christian Publishers Anticipate Global Growth in 2012: http://bit.ly/ubZsYn @EdNawotka #writing

Your Name is Your Brand: http://bit.ly/vZnWUW @JordynRedwood #writing

Thinking Like a Writer: http://bit.ly/spCK2z #writing

Gentle Resolutions for a Writer: http://bit.ly/s6zONA @starla_kaye #writing

How-to: Add Public Domain Books to Kindle: http://bit.ly/unvoT0 #writing

Consider teaching #writing: http://bit.ly/s890YY @wordsbywebb

Mastering theme in storytelling: http://bit.ly/s1Gj0h @storyfix @rebeccaberto #writetip

Authors Interacting With Readers Online - Some Things to Think About: http://bit.ly/uMjU1g @roniloren #writing

Why Setting Writing Goals for 2012 Isn't Enough: http://bit.ly/uJQkzw @writeitsideways #writing

The Three T's – Tools, Techniques & Time: http://bit.ly/uS2zaj #writing

The Most Important Character Archetype: http://bit.ly/uYim4P @write_practice #writetip

6 Small Changes To Help You Reach Your Writing Goals: http://bit.ly/svFKCc @KrissyBrady #writing

7 Ways Meditation Increases Creativity: http://bit.ly/w0sznw @JaneFriedman #writetip

Reevaluating Your #Writing Process: http://bit.ly/w17fyO @janice_hardy

Taxes and Record Keeping for Writers: http://bit.ly/syQm42 @StarlaCriser

New Year's Resolutions for Writers: http://bit.ly/spaXcU @cjredwine #writing

A tool to help you hit a 750 word goal each day: http://750words.com/ #writetip

Conquering Our Inner Demons: http://bit.ly/ummNqE #writing

A review of some voice recognition software for writers: http://bit.ly/swy0iD @spunkonastick #writing

Crime fiction: when lingering questions about a case spur investigations: http://bit.ly/rU0nQY @mkinberg #writing

Pitch Prep: How to Write a Pitch: http://bit.ly/wZyt1Y @jamigold #writetip

Apple to launch new Self-Publishing Program later this month: http://bit.ly/w8XUlc @PassiveVoiceBlg #epub

How to Make a Boring Character Interesting: http://bit.ly/zF8R8O #writetip

Reboot your writing brain after a break: http://bit.ly/zUldM0 @dirtywhitecandy #writing

Unexpected Things Make Good Scene Endings: http://bit.ly/xmcrvx @sierragodfrey #writing

Switching senses: http://bit.ly/x6ueKU @TheresaStevens #writetip

Where To Begin Your Story: http://bit.ly/yk5kAF @ollinmorales #writing

The 25 Tip Guide to Boosting Blog Traffic: http://bit.ly/AskNDw @writertank #promotip

Goal setting--making it specific: http://bit.ly/wpjl18 @bob_mayer #writing

Emotional Development of Characters: http://bit.ly/zzZKnt @becca_leone #writing

How to Format Captions: http://bit.ly/yoZdGy @writing_tips #writing

Writing realistically about pregnancy: http://bit.ly/wllHwe @JulietteWade #writing

A writer's greatest tool: http://bit.ly/AFdIDR #writing

Sparking Ideas for a Short Story: http://bit.ly/wwQe6B @ASiCat #writing

What Will Writers Need in 2012 to Survive & Succeed? http://bit.ly/ADg9kj @jodyhedlund #writing

Internal Dialogue: http://bit.ly/wiimyr @lisagailgreen #writetip

How Do You Know If Your Agent Is Any Good? http://bit.ly/A7RErJ @JaneFriedman #writing

4 tips for being more productive as a writer: http://bit.ly/xubvpb @Shawntelle for @Janice_Hardy #writing

40 Questions to Test Your Manuscript: http://bit.ly/ynA9Fl @4kidlit #writetip

Writing lessons learned from "The Help": http://bit.ly/yy4jGQ @JulieMusil #writetip

Evernote – The Application That Becomes an Obsession: http://bit.ly/z32AU6 @PassiveVoiceBlg #writing

Does Your Writing Lack the Conviction It Deserves? http://bit.ly/wWV8LZ #JeffGoins #writing

What Would Your Characters' Resolutions Be? http://bit.ly/zFvhIi @AmySueNathan #writing

Writing Category Romance Doesn't Mean Skimping on Depth: http://bit.ly/zYSINO @greyhausagency #writing

5 Reasons YOU Need to Link to Other Blogs: http://bit.ly/y4Rt98 @writertank #promotip

The Indie Author's Guide to Sandy Beaches: http://bit.ly/A5dKFG @TweetTheBook #epub

10 unusual things about writers: http://bit.ly/yAE1GQ @jhansenwrites #writing

J.K. Rowling's Writing Process in Her Own Words: http://bit.ly/xG9oVZ @shelleysouza for @HP4Writers #writing

A voice recognition tool for writers: http://bit.ly/z3UZRs #writetip

How to Build a Blog Editorial Calendar Even If You Don't Know Where to Start: http://bit.ly/A3R0BA @pushingsocial #promotip

Editor/Agent Etiquette: http://bit.ly/w2xOYK @bookendsjessica #writing

Your author blog or website: http://bit.ly/zn9q1W @theresa_stevens #writing

Why you should battle the proofreading ogre and how to manage the war: http://bit.ly/w5fhiZ

3 Words You Should Eliminate from Your Writing: http://bit.ly/wFlzkj @MenwithPens #writing

Why You Should Sell Ebooks at Your Own Site: http://bit.ly/z98I9H @PYOEbooks #epub

Indies battle Amazon — by becoming publishers: http://bit.ly/AcjDMu @Salon #publishing

10 Ways to Harness Fear and Fuel Your Writing: http://bit.ly/w5UjIF @sagecohen for @writersdigest #writetip

Editor-writer disagreements during revisions: http://bit.ly/y8b61Y @behlerpublish #writing

Plotting--the peak and the fall: http://bit.ly/xji7Pn @sarahahoyt #writing

The Road to Digital Publication – Part I: Conversion tips & extra pages: http://bit.ly/zY7yRA #epub

What Makes a Great First Page? http://bit.ly/x8pUBh @JamiGold #writetip

Top industry news: B&N, publishers striking back, libraries, piracy, agents, more: http://bit.ly/yZzcd5 @Porter_Anderson for @JaneFriedman

A behind-the-scenes look at what goes into setting up a #writing conference: http://bit.ly/xaypCf @bookemnc @bookemdonna

1 writer's thoughts on follows and follow backs on Twitter: http://bit.ly/xqfuOu @authorterryo

How 1 writer's playlist informed the outward journey & inward arc of his character: http://bit.ly/yz8fsw @MatthewDicks for @byRozMorris

#Writing on the Ether's @Porter_Anderson features @m_delamerced @brianoleary @dbasch @glecharles @jaelmchenry http://bit.ly/yZzcd5 #epub

Tips for getting the most from your #writing: http://bit.ly/wBxrwP @DIYMFA

Make Your Own Book Trailer: http://bit.ly/wdJnQT #promotip

3 Signs Of A Publishing Scam: http://bit.ly/zsNroF @AuthorMedia #writing

What your character doesn't know can hurt him/her (in dialogue and internalization): http://bit.ly/wGBxwl @JulietteWade #writetip

The Writer's Diet--How to Balance With #Writing, Food and Exercise: http://bit.ly/AdaDGB

Drawing the Line Between Skill and Trickery in #Writing: http://bit.ly/AcADRJ @jenniecoughlin

Definition of a poetry chapbook: http://bit.ly/znkNMw @BrianKlems #writing

What To Do When You Don't Have A Clue Where To Go Next: http://bit.ly/wgzajE @OllinMorales #writing

Email List Building the Lazy Way: http://bit.ly/zqEQWS @chrisbrogan #promotip

3 tips for staying abreast of your #writing goals this year: http://bit.ly/yR8HOb @christi_craig

An agent says: It's Your First Book - Don't Expect Miracles: http://bit.ly/zYPEJe @greyhausagency #writing

3 Things Die Hard Can Teach us About Seamless Plotting: http://bit.ly/zjzOUk @Janice_Hardy #writing

7 Advantages Barnes & Noble Has in the Bookseller Wars: http://bit.ly/yoDz4Q @JDGsaid #writing

Critiquers: the builders and the wreckers: http://bit.ly/zIQqb8 @SarahAHoyt #writing

Navigating the Authorial Landmine of Reader Forums: http://bit.ly/woTKip @a_skye for @roniloren #writing

The digital future still is a mystery if you don't publish "immersive reading": http://bit.ly/x1VIFo @MikeShatzkin #writing

The Road to Success Part 1–What Kind of Author are You? http://bit.ly/x0lM8t @KristenLambTX #writing

5 ways Twitter can make you a better writer: http://bit.ly/x5Zbyd @catseyewriter #writing

Engage Readers Through Character Reaction: http://bit.ly/ycsIiI @noveleditor #writetip

Why It's Easier to Love Straightforward Fiction: http://bit.ly/y1uXCZ @LadyGlamis #writing

What Not To Do At A Conference: http://bit.ly/yj26Bp @HeatherMcCorkle #writing

No excuses: http://bit.ly/wm9p1s @tannerc #writing

Addicted to Piracy? http://bit.ly/wrJrE8 @danielsm1 @thefuturebook #epub

The Most Neglected #Writing Tip: http://bit.ly/yoNOej @jeffgoins

Edit in an Instant? Ain't Gonna Happen: http://bit.ly/iTZfJA @NovelEditor

Thoughts On Choosing Point Of View: http://bit.ly/xcOTOS @BryanThomasS #writing

Book 'Em! by p.m. terrell

by p.m. terrell, @BookEmNC

I've wondered lately why I've had no time to blog. Then the reason occurred to me: I'm organizing a Writer's Conference and Book Fair.

The Book 'Em conference scheduled for February 25, 2012 is the tenth one and the first to be held in Lumberton, North Carolina. It's shaping up to be our largest, most successful one to date. And that isn't by accident. It's the result of hundreds of hours by dozens of volunteers.

Laying the Groundwork: I began lining up community support several years ago for Book 'Em North Carolina, an event to raise funds for literacy programs in Robeson County. We gathered support from the City of Lumberton (always important to get local leaders involved), the Lumberton Area Visitors Bureau (instrumental for publicity efforts), area businesses (sponsorships), civic groups (volunteers), schools (school-age attendance and volunteers with boundless energy), non-profits (to whom the literacy funds will go), among others. When we were offered Robeson Community College for the location, we were ready to get started.

Lining Up the Authors: We began contacting authors in March 2011. Two librarians, Katie Huneycutt and Lisa Matthews, helped me email authors and post blogs to raise awareness of the Book 'Em event. Thanks to Katie, we lined up two New York Times best-selling authors as headliners: Carla Neggers and Michael Palmer (necessary to attract large crowds). I developed our website, posting every author's picture, bio and links as they registered. Over time, I added dozens of informational pages.

Sponsorships: We solicited businesses for sponsorships, instrumental for promoting and marketing the event. We lined up pillars of the community, including University of North Carolina, Southeastern Regional Medical Center, BB&T and a host of businesses who donated $250 to $2,000 apiece. We secured grants from the Lumberton Area Visitor's Center to cover promotional efforts and Kiwanis Club of Lumberton, who provided money to buy children's books to give away.

Publicity: We began periodic press releases in the spring, which were picked up by mainstream and Internet media. We obtained media sponsors, including Lumberton Magazine and Robeson Living Magazine, and have been working steadily with newspapers, television and radio stations. We secured billboards around the state, which will roll out after the holidays. Our big promotional campaign begins January 2. Brochures are in all the NC Welcome Centers on I-95 and with local businesses; flyers will be distributed with all Lumberton utility bills; and our full Talks Schedule will be published in the January edition of Lumberton Magazine.

Logistics: The conference and book fair features more than 75 authors selling and signing their books, which means we must have tables and adequate space not only for the authors but for traffic flow. We've divided two buildings into fiction, non-fiction, young adult and a special Children's Corner, meticulously measuring hallways and classrooms. We will have five sets of talks going on simultaneously: five publishers have joined us for the Writer's Conference, and there will be panel discussions and solo talks for every genre – plus readings for small children. Each talk requires a moderator; each hallway and conference room requires a Team Captain and host of volunteers. There will be an Author's Lounge and the college cafeteria will be open for attendees, requiring a Food Committee. We'll have greeters, music in the cafeteria, events in the Children's Corner, raffle tickets, and centralized cash registers, each requiring a team of volunteers.

Contests: We kicked off short story contests throughout the Robeson County Public School System and Robeson Community College. Entries will be judged by faculty and finalists will be decided by published authors. Winners will be announced at Book 'Em.

Afterward: When the event is over, our work is not: we'll clean up the space used, reconcile all the funds received, pay authors and publishers their portion of the book sales, award the non-profits funding for literacy efforts, and donate remaining books to literacy groups.

Then we start the whole process over.

Book 'Em North Carolina will be held on the last Saturday of each February in Lumberton, NC. The event is FREE and open to the public; doors open at 9:30 am on February 25, 2012. A portion of every book sale will be donated to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Robeson County, Communities In Schools, and Friends of the Robeson County Public Library for literacy campaigns for all ages. The Book 'Em Foundation was founded by author p.m.terrell, who wrote this blog, and Police Officer Mark Kearney, to raise awareness of the link between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates.

Thanks, p.m.! I'm going to be at the Book 'Em, North Carolina conference, too—along with L. Diane Wolfe and Alex Cavanaugh. If you're in the area, hope you'll drop by. :) ~~Elizabeth

A Tool for Writers

For a while now, I've been interested in voice recognition software.

I recently became more interested, when I started having carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms appear.

My husband, a computer engineer, is also dealing with carpal tunnel issues. He recommended that I avoid using my left hand to decrease the symptoms and keep from aggravating the condition. But there was no way I could really effectively do that because I have two books to write by June and I can't type without using my left hand.

We both figured that voice recognition software might help give my hand a break, even if I used it only part of the day.

Diane Wolfe reviewed Dragon Naturally Speaking software on her Spunk on a Stick's Tips blog on Monday. After her positive review, I decided to check it out.

The CNET review had also been good, and user reviews on the software itself seemed good, although some people had a hard time installing the software (and apparently the tech support isn't so hot for this program.)

I didn't have any major problems with installation and had loaded it in about 10 minutes. I'm running Windows 7 (I some of the other users' problems had been with Vista…no surprises there). I had a couple of hiccups during installation—once when the app thought there wasn't enough memory (there was) to run the program, and once when it said I had a problem with my sound card (this error message disappeared when I tried again.)

I was relieved to find that the program made allowances for accented speech. Among the accents they listed in the set up was southern US. I do speak with a southern accent which is always a problem when I speak with automated customer service bots. So far, there hasn't been a huge problem with Dragon understanding what I'm saying.

To get the most out of the program, you need to train the software to understand you. One of the things I found interesting is that it analyzes your e-mails and documents to get clues to your writing patterns, the names that you use in documents, etc.

Since I'm writing fiction, I was a little concerned about having to verbalize punctuation marks when writing. For dialogue, you have to say open quote then the sentence, then close quote. I thought this might be distracting. It was distracting at first, but after a few minutes of dictating, I got used to it. It didn't seem to pull me into editing mode.

Another nice thing about this software, is that it's not particularly expensive. In fact, Office Max had it on sale for $50. The software comes with a headset.

I spent about 45 min. training the Dragon software to learn my speech patterns and vocabulary and will continue to train it as I go. After the first training session, I spent about 30 min. writing and found I was able to produce about four pages. Yes, there were mistakes on those pages (break instead of brake, etc.), but all-in-all, I was pleased with what was there. It was fast and any errors could be fixed in edits.

If you're someone who likes experimenting with different ways to write, or you frequently write in longhand and need to quickly transcribe those materials…or if you're developing carpal tunnel, Dragon Naturally Speaking can provide a decent break for writers while still allowing them to get their writing done.

Have you used voice recognition software? How has it worked for you?

Spring Cleaning in January

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Sometimes I think I just like to be contrary.

I'm not at all fond of resolutions.

When other people are making resolutions, I tend to spring clean. And it's January…not spring. But when it's spring here, it's so gorgeous that the very last thing I want to do is clean. So I start out the year cleaning, instead.

I like making goals, but I don't really need too many resolutions. I'll write two books by June. I have to write two books by June. No resolution needed.

When I clean up, the aftermath tends to be very refreshing and I feel pleased with myself. When I make resolutions, I tend to feel overwhelmed. Cleaning up is way better.

Since my closet organization methods are probably less than gripping to read about, here are some of my cleaning projects that are slightly more interesting:

Website update: I rarely visit author websites. Because of that, I haven't placed my own website in very high regard. But when I noticed that Penguin had stopped using my website on promotional materials they sent out about my book launches (!), I realized I needed to do something. Clearly, since they thought my website was too awful to mention on promo!

I transferred my hosting to a free Wordpress account and, not having any design skills nor the time to develop any, I quickly set up the website to resemble a blog…which I'm more familiar with. My big thing is that I want to be able to update my website myself…that way I (allegedly) would keep it more up-to-date. :) So I set up these pages: Home, About, Books, Contact, News. I made this website as basic as I possibly could. It's just a tool, not a work of art.

I was absolutely shocked to find that over 1,000 people had visited my website in a month. Shocked! So…clearly people do check out websites. Think about updating yours. :) The most important thing about a website is that people can learn how to reach you and how to buy your books.

Blog cleaning: After the remarkable success of my website update, I took on the blog. I only, again, wanted to do a little updating. I found that my About Me page was truly awful. So I just copy-pasted the copy I'd just written for the website over to the blog. Much better. I'd also written a couple of books since the last time I'd updated my Books page, so I updated that, too. And cleaned up some of my blogroll, which had blogs that had long since closed on it. I also cleaned up my sidebar a little (although it's still cluttered…but hey, I'm a writer. :) Clutter goes with the territory.)

Gmail inbox: Although gmail holds a ton of emails, it really bothered me to see over 6,000 emails in my inbox. Yes. 6,000. Cleaning up was long overdue! I unsubscribed from lists that I rarely read, unsubscribed from several newsletters, and deleted a slew of emails. Some I archived into specific folders. Now it's much more organized and I feel a lot more on top of it all.

I do plan on assessing what I want to do with the rest of my year…in June. :) That's when I'll probably have a little more time to look at where I am. Do you like resolutions? Or do you find other ways to challenge yourself, instead?

Twitterific

Happy New Year! Hope everyone has a wonderful 2012 (with lots of writing in it!)

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week.

The Writer's Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links (now over 12,000) searchable. Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for the web's best links and interviews:http://bit.ly/gx7hg1 .

Precede vs. Proceed: http://bit.ly/vTVDoB @writing_tips

3 Ways to Use YouTube to Drive Traffic to Your Website: http://bit.ly/unAD7X @smexaminer

Writing tip--write a bad book: http://bit.ly/tCdLms

How-to: Gift a Kindle Book: http://bit.ly/rDha8p

How to Host Guest Blogs while Building your Credibility: http://bit.ly/t0rdbL @freshome

How to Squeeze Writing Inspiration from a Stone: http://bit.ly/sDcORJ @JulieBMack

The Persistence of the Author Brand: http://bit.ly/vcqW4R @psexton1 for @writersdigest

The 99 cent debate: http://bit.ly/rIfNeG @selfpubreview

Fear of editors: http://bit.ly/tCnhC6

Fixing backstory infodumps: http://bit.ly/uvdjLu @sarahahoyt

Tips for perfecting your writer's voice: http://bit.ly/scghYa @rebeccaberto

4 Key Criteria to Build Your Dream Blog: http://bit.ly/tAjpmE @problogger

Procrastination: Myth, reality or your best friend in disguise? http://bit.ly/tpw7Zp @annerallen @RuthHarrisBooks

The Great Seductive and Often Fatal Temptation of the New Writer: http://bit.ly/v2fbwx @storyfix

Tips for showing emotion instead of telling it: http://bit.ly/vGtJ89 @Janice_Hardy

Setting goals for our writing--failure is an option, quitting isn't: http://bit.ly/sskkoh @DeanWesleySmith

4 tips for novelists: http://bit.ly/uoDojd @enwritened

Should Writers Create Their Own E-Book Covers? http://bit.ly/v8hVgh @nickdaws

Why writers can't edit themselves: http://bit.ly/uZycmr @JeffGoins

How to flunk social media: http://bit.ly/t1ST1b @justinemusk

25 Synonyms for "Story": http://bit.ly/tQO1DY @writing_tips

The Pros & Cons of KDP Select: http://bit.ly/tqS7u2 @PYOEbooks

How 1 novelist uses music for inspiration: http://bit.ly/shkdva @jenniecoughlin for @ByRozMorris

Preparing For Book Blog Tour As You Write Your Book: http://bit.ly/uY7wGJ @BryanThomasS

The nuts and bolts of indie publishing: http://bit.ly/uLa874 @cjlyonswriter

Put Adverbs in Their Place: http://bit.ly/trsIsm @writing_tips

Art of the Genre: What came first, the writer or the artist? http://bit.ly/uVKLWv @BlackGateDotCom

A writer and tax specialist on epub and taxes (US): http://bit.ly/vp5BBW @alisonpensy

Character Rants and Breakdowns—Let 'em Rip: http://bit.ly/toVMQd @NovelEditor

How to Write a Children's Book Based on Your Personal Struggles: http://bit.ly/vlnC1Y @KarenCV

Deadlines, and PR for Newbies: http://bit.ly/tRkInM @HunterFaith

Industry expert @JaneFriedman 's best writing tips for 2011: http://bit.ly/vCB6lT

Using history to inspire: lessons from festivals: http://bit.ly/vTBtyM @GeneLempp

Avoiding burnout when working toward writing goals: http://bit.ly/rtF6eE @PBRWriter

Start your book in the middle: http://bit.ly/sd8qA3 @sarahahoyt

Tips for non-fic writers who write in a crowded category: http://bit.ly/tCMZ3k @behlerpublish

[ Dear Loved One ]: I Am a Writer: http://bit.ly/vOZQOO @KSElliott_Shark for @krissybrady

Writing illness and medicine into our stories: http://bit.ly/s63q8d @JulietteWade

5 Resources for Crime Fiction Writers: http://bit.ly/rXkDiz @CAMorganti

How to Write Convincing Strong and Silent Types: http://bit.ly/vdghbp @KMWeiland

Setting the Scene for a Productive Day: http://bit.ly/tJGdUB @RealLifeE

The Resume Is Dead, The Bio Is King: the99percent.com/tips/7025/The-Resume-Is-Dead-The-Bio-Is-King @getstoried

Fixing Character Errors: http://bit.ly/t7rakV @HeatherMcCorkle

Tips for email promo of books: http://bit.ly/vdgMXM @selfpubreview

Tips for Scene Beginnings and Endings: http://bit.ly/t7iwI9 @jamesagard

Write Fiction? Why You Should Try a Short Story: http://bit.ly/rFEpGk @JamiGold

The Secret Life of Late Bloomer Sue Monk Kidd: http://bit.ly/vZvT0O @DebraEve

Growing Your Book – A Christmas Metaphor: http://bit.ly/tOw68x @authorguy

Did that Bad Review Come with a Side of Ulterior Motives? http://bit.ly/tbc3XK @selfpubreview

Get Back on the Writing Wagon: Here's How: http://bit.ly/uGk0c0 @SusannahFriis for @KrissyBrady

Using guilt as an element in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/v5j8SV @mkinberg

Series vs. Stand Alone: http://bit.ly/sZrkDZ @authorterryo

What Makes Word-of-Mouth Work? http://bit.ly/uX7LKd @robeagar for @writersdigest

15 Tricks & Tips to Get the Most of Kindle Store: http://bit.ly/uso2ya @ebookfriendly

The Word of the Year 2011: http://bit.ly/vVLRRg @writing_tips

Give Yourself A Break And Write What You Want: http://bit.ly/vCsV2m @MsTamarCohen for @/AmySueNathan

Guns in mysteries: How not to get it wrong. http://bit.ly/rVRS3E @wdchip11 for @junglereds

The Make Or Break Moment in Your Story: http://bit.ly/rFI2Yq @storyfix

Will There Ever Be A Universal, MP3-Like Standard For E-Books? http://bit.ly/vocsIW @copyrightandtec for @paidContent

The Point in Your Novel You Realize You Should Be a Baseball Star: http://bit.ly/sh71zl @C_Herringshaw

Targeted PR, Cross-Promotion, and Knowing Your Audience: http://bit.ly/uSiaSq @kalayna

Ways to handle backstory without dumping it: http://bit.ly/tZnxta @sarahahoyt

How to Choose the Best Method for Publishing Your Book: http://bit.ly/v3cj4k @JFBookman

The anatomy of a good hook: http://bit.ly/vcv5ZB @nataliecparker for @4kidlit

Authors: Don't Get Burned By Branding: http://bit.ly/vAXfC0 @ChuckWendig

13 picture book tips: http://bit.ly/vOg0Ve @Artzicarol

Dead Story Walking: http://bit.ly/vyeL5k @mooderino

Planning a book--reducing a book to a sheet of paper: http://bit.ly/sjO6FJ

Writing novellas: http://bit.ly/tI8vqR @davidwoodauthor for @thecreativepenn

The Ugly Side of SEO: http://bit.ly/tlHy4m @Blogussion

How to Format Reader-Friendly Headlines: http://bit.ly/v5byyM @writing_tips

The Elementary Life of a Sidekick: http://bit.ly/tOl8tv @AlexBledsoe for @tordotcom

Ebook pricing, golden age for writing, Amazon vs. the world: essential news from @Porter_Anderson for @JaneFriedman: http://bit.ly/v36x0V

Writing on the Ether's @Porter_Anderson features @Melissa_Foster @jenniecoughlin @naypinya @danielsm1 @scalzi @LeenaRao http://bit.ly/v36x0V

The 99-Cent Debate: How Do We Value Our Writing? http://bit.ly/ueN44E @Melissa_Foster

"Dear Readers: Publishers Think of You as Customers, I SWEAR": http://bit.ly/sDlOLe @Scalzi

2011 digital publishing timeline: http://bit.ly/slYinF @samatlounge for @thefuturebook

The ugly truth about consumer book reviews: part 1: http://bit.ly/u5HAVS and 2: http://bit.ly/tpeFeU @tglong for @IndieReader

The Dreaded Writer's Break: http://bit.ly/vMidUB

How to Entertain Readers with Your Words: http://bit.ly/shafG8 @Gaylordcat for @writeitsideways

10 Daring Predictions for 2012 from the Indie Author Trenches: http://bit.ly/tEQ6Q3 @bob_mayer

Tropes covering the origins of evil: http://bit.ly/vbccbv @tabeechey

How to Find the Meaning of Life through : http://bit.ly/ukhH8T @VictoriaMixon

Eliminating flabby book middles: http://bit.ly/tbEqYD @sarahahoyt

Publishers vs. Libraries: An E-Book Tug of War: http://bit.ly/uWtJNX @nytimes @PassiveVoiceBlg

5 Common Writing Hazards: http://bit.ly/sUmrgP @kristenlambTX

A story of rejection from @jakonrath: http://bit.ly/rLjvdT

Strong language in our writing: http://bit.ly/ruy98T @ashkrafton

Compound Words: 2 words, 3 choices: http://bit.ly/vyJu6B @HowToWriteShop

It's All About Accuracy: http://bit.ly/uhhFRM @writing_tips

When it comes to writing, "Done" is better than "Good": http://bit.ly/u4LWAS @Jhansenwrites

8 questions for writers: http://bit.ly/v0tMNZ

Top5 signs you're reading too much young adult literature: http://bit.ly/ssdDUg @mittenstrings

12 Google+ Marketing Tips From the Pros: http://bit.ly/uZQYuP @CindyKing

Memes for Writers: http://bit.ly/sYfKZ0 @Amanda_Hannah

Moving From Traditional Publishing To Indie: http://bit.ly/sAVOe4 @ornaross @thecreativepenn

Who Will Be the Next Generation of E-Readers? http://bit.ly/vdrYOP @TalliRoland

Start your New Year off on the right foot, and finish your literary puzzle with a promo plan: http://bit.ly/uNZJgH @behlerpublish

How using denial can improve our stories: http://bit.ly/vnkvJn @NovelEditor

Tension: A Valuable Tool: http://bit.ly/tdY1k4 @Ava_Jae

Essential components of your 1st 100 pages: http://bit.ly/uGhwcd @storyfix

The "Why" of Character Worksheets: http://bit.ly/rBLdvY @TheresaStevens

5 Audacious Goals Every Blogger Should Have for 2012: http://bit.ly/usiPew @AlexisGrant

How to mindmap your story: http://bit.ly/v4bWgk @DeeWhiteAuthor

How to Force a Story to Evolve: 6 Revision Tips: http://bit.ly/tS1XdE @JamiGold

What makes a debut novel different: http://bit.ly/vFUWmM @nicolamorgan for @cathryanhoward

Your Blogging Goals: What Are They? http://bit.ly/tzg0L5 @Blogussion

After the Glitter, Get Inspired: http://bit.ly/rD2OvP @plaingirlwriter

15 Top New Year's Reads For Writers: http://bit.ly/uiFJPN @BryanThomasS

Evoke vs. Invoke: http://bit.ly/tzVEiu @writing_tips

Setting a Yearly Writing Craft Goal: http://bit.ly/rEqWt8 @jamieraintree

Does your story's plot go in circles? A few fixes for loop-de-loop syndrome: http://bit.ly/viPc1o @sarahahoyt

Making Writing Resolutions that Stick: http://bit.ly/utcYdJ @diymfa

Don't fib to publishers about your platform: http://bit.ly/tl40NP @behlerpublish

The Writer's Journey: http://bit.ly/vKeAjl

Mr. Darcy's Guide to Wooing Women: http://bit.ly/utINhU @readingape

'Unstuck,' An App For Setting Writing Goals: http://bit.ly/rAm2jw @ebooknewser

5 Alternatives to Hyphenating Phrasal Adjectives: http://bit.ly/rp7cPq @writing_tips

How memoir writer turned to music to help her recreate her feelings for her book: http://bit.ly/uk1EBp @cathryanhoward for @byRozMorris

Shifting Goals in This New World of Publishing: http://bit.ly/uHo2F7 @deanwesleysmith

The 10 Commandments of a Successful Author: http://bit.ly/u5fMxs @roniloren

Are You Choosing the Right Words for Your Story's Tone? http://bit.ly/uKn03B @KMWeiland

Good and bad foreshadowing: http://bit.ly/uxZCU1 @SarahHoyt

7 ways 1 author got on the Amazon bestsellers lists: http://bit.ly/vhs9gv @beth_barany

Mapmaking for fantasy authors: http://bit.ly/urwlt8 @tabeechey

Moms, Writing, and Guilt: Do You Get In Your Own Way? http://bit.ly/swKGkI @AmySueNathan

Tips for using similes and metaphors: http://bit.ly/uVYV9u @Artzicarol

Why Traditional Marketing Doesn't Sell Books: http://bit.ly/rZXY2h @KristenLambTX

Writing Quickly: A Secret Strategy: http://bit.ly/tNX7L5 @Ava_Jae

How to Incorporate Backstory That Hooks The Reader: http://bit.ly/vCvZut @lkblackburne

Old contracts are being dusted off and language scrutinized: http://bit.ly/s6fXCm @PassiveVoiceBlg

Evoking a sense of wonder in readers: http://bit.ly/uMGGj4 @mlmjr1 for @HP4Writers

Using mirrored scenes in books and series: http://bit.ly/sEuw9A @HP4Writers

Wordsmithing: Go For It: http://bit.ly/t7jzjX @WomenWriters

How to Use Holidays in Our Writing: http://bit.ly/uqwFiV @JamiGold

When do you trunk a story? http://bit.ly/tRFaMf @JulietteWade

1 writer/illustrator's plan for regaining control of the clock: http://bit.ly/u0p4rR @inkyelbows

4 ways your protagonist can learn the truth: http://bit.ly/uQGvp6 @jammer0501

Book Marketing Tips From Amazon's Bestselling Self-Published Ebooks Of 2011: http://bit.ly/uh2Mgw @thecreativepenn

The Excitement of a Small Town Setting

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I've talked to writers before who just don't get why I write small town settings.

"But it really limits what you can do!" and "Does anything really ever happen in small towns?" are the two comments I usually get when the topic comes up.

I've found, though, that it's not limiting because a lot does happen in small towns. I grew up in one and still remember some of the shocking, soap-opera-like stories I'd overhear the grownups whispering over. You've never known drama until you've lived in a small town.

Small towns are full of secrets: When everyone knows everyone else, you feel the need to hide things that you don't want the whole town knowing about. Realizing there's a character with a secret and having a protagonist work to unearth it leads to natural suspense.

Small towns can set the stage for conflict: Feelings run deep in a small community because perceived slights seem personal.

Isolation: Small towns can seem, or actually be, remote. If you're writing a book where the characters need to either feel cut off from the rest of the world, a small town setting can really add that element to your story. Want Wi-Fi? Good luck in many small towns.

Replicating a small town feel in a larger town setting:

I also write stories set in larger locations—no one would call Memphis a small town. But I try to replicate that small-town feel in other ways:

Limited setting: The story's action centers around a central location with limited other scene settings. Just get rid of your wide angle lens and panoramic city shots in your story and pull the shot in.

Presence of family and connectivity: Gathering around food, conversations in rocking chairs on porches, etc.

Recurring series characters who are warm and engaging for readers.

Do you enjoy reading or writing stories based in small town settings? What particular elements of this setting have you found interesting to work with or read?