Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 186

Setting Goals

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

It's getting close to the end of the year again…and I really don't know where the year went.

One thing that I'm usually good at is setting goals and deadlines for myself. It's really how I stay on track with the different projects I've got going on.

My problem tends to be long-term planning. My agent usually will kick me in the rear a little, trying to see what big picture ideas I have. But I've found when I'm really busy, I'm just trying to keep afloat ...not setting big goals.

The September issue of Writer's Digest had an article by Elizabeth Sims entitled "10 Things for Every Writer's Bucket List." She included things like publishing a short story, taking a writing retreat, and freelancing.

I found the idea of a writing bucket list very appealing. It makes my head hurt to try to set definitive deadlines for specific long-term goals. But I sure as heck can make a list of things I'd like to do before I die.

I think the best way to make these kinds of goals is to not factor in any of the stuff we ordinarily would factor in. Don't think about the logistics, the money, the time away from the kids. Just make a list.

What would be on my bucket list? Off the top of my head, I'm thinking that I'd like to try writing different genres and subgenres. I'd write a historical saga, a police procedural, and maybe dabble in lit fic. Oh, and maybe some noir.

I'd like to go on a literary-themed tour.

I'd like to try to narrate an audio book.

I'd like to go on a long writer's retreat…the kind where I can be as antisocial as I need to be.

I'm going ahead and making my list. Because the way time is flying, I have a feeling the next ten years are going to pass by like a second.

What kinds of things would you like to do or try as a writer?

Twitterific

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

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 .

In recent news, my writing and computer programming friend Mike Fleming has launched his Hiveword Novel Writing Software. To check out what it's all about,just click here.

I've also released another backlist Myrtle Clover title to ebook. A Dyeing Shame is available on Kindle for $2.99(still in the process of uploading to other platforms.)

Pricing strategies for ebooks: http://bit.ly/uaLyWb @MarkCoker

How To Make Sure Your Book Is The Best It Can Be: http://bit.ly/teBf0R @TheCreativePenn

Self-Publishing: Carnival of the Indies: http://bit.ly/vlP1d2 @JFBookman

Confessions of a Big Six Editor: The Triumph of the Slush Pile: http://bit.ly/rIfrgi @AnneRAllen

Book Design Basics Part 1: Margins and Leading: http://bit.ly/vHOGMZ @daveBricker via @JFBookman

Another nice roundup of links for historical writers: http://bit.ly/trMLrl @2nerdyhistgirls

Zen and the Art of Withholding Information: http://bit.ly/veOY2v @TheReviewReview

Science fiction, legal reality: http://lat.ms/thlA8k @latimeshiltzik

Moral ambiguity in fantasy: http://bit.ly/rqyUxv @jameslsutter

Publishing more women writers: http://bit.ly/vbOE9x @PoetryDivas

Review--Kindle Touch: http://bit.ly/vPaSpj @DearAuthor

The Twitter Retweeting Policy of @Scalzi: http://bit.ly/vlS5WG

The yearning for secret writing: http://bit.ly/v6Fj5J @lisa_rivero

Action/Reaction - The Pistons Powering Your Story: http://bit.ly/tQnAjv @KMWeiland

Finishing your NaNo draft? Don't open it again until Christmas. http://bit.ly/vmyv1W @Dirtywhitecandy

The best role model might be someone who reinvents his career: http://bit.ly/v3ec2T @LAGilman

How to Read a Book Contract – Non-Competition: http://bit.ly/vJd0qJ @PassiveVoiceBlg

Goal setting for writers: http://bit.ly/u6LiIA @annegreenawalt

If you suspect your agent wants to drop you: http://bit.ly/vMaydZ @literaticat

Appeal is ageless: http://bit.ly/tG1qGW

5 Ways to Never Run Out of Blog Post Ideas: http://bit.ly/sV6LwJ @Non_Toxic_Kids

Leading lines: http://bit.ly/vADDJ2 @RavenRequiem13

Creativity Tweets of the Week — 11/28/11: http://bit.ly/vG7nl6 @on_creativity

How to prep before interviewing: http://bit.ly/tkAWNr @GLeeBurgett

Secondary characters can add dimension and tension: http://bit.ly/u4gERc @JulietteWade

Antagonists–The Alpha and the Omega of the Story: http://bit.ly/veN1Sr @KristenLambTX

Increasing tension in our novel: http://bit.ly/tvDdO9 @luciennediver

Hero's Journey--Thor: http://bit.ly/thSbP7 @PAShortt

Why Our Characters Must Fail: http://bit.ly/sigCyF @jillkemerer

5 Reasons To Sign Up For A Writers' Conference: http://bit.ly/sPiXYf @writeitsideways

23 Inevitable Questions to Ask Yourself at the End of NaNoWriMo: http://bit.ly/vjPGpp @VictoriaMixon

Essential Elements of a Bestselling Thriller: http://bit.ly/u7uLEU @JodieRennerEd

Have passion for your writing: http://bit.ly/w1ZNQ7 @jamieraintree

8 ways to find your writing groove: http://bit.ly/tXAqgL @authorterryo

How and where to begin a story: http://bit.ly/uvimiY @JulietteWade

Give your writing some physical therapy: http://bit.ly/vVgCmz @JHansenWrites

When You Need To Write FAST (And Procrastination Is Not An Option): http://bit.ly/rV4bbl @NovelRocket

Choose your own adventure: http://bit.ly/sux05p @FantasyFaction

Even Though Free is IN, Don't Forget to Buy Books Too: http://bit.ly/vBnbxi @JodyHedlund

Using QR Code to Promote Work: http://bit.ly/tt6aHt @luannschindler

Turn Your WordPress Blog Into a Book: http://bit.ly/sWNiSC @JaneFriedman

Solidifying Your Identity As a Writer: http://bit.ly/thXAlt @krissybrady

Author Blogging 101: Where Are the Readers? http://bit.ly/rz7609 @JFBookman

Why authors disappear: http://bit.ly/u2FQkP @kirstenhubbard

5 ways to generate blog post ideas: http://bit.ly/u66ih4 @problogger

What We Should Learn from the Collapse of Borders: http://bit.ly/v1Qurh @JosephJEsposito for @scholarlykitchn

Arguments against publishers' use of DRM: http://bit.ly/vtU6Fk @antipopeRSS

Reasons Not to Self-Publish in 2011-2012: A List: http://bit.ly/rVxTq9 @EdanL

What if famous authors from the past wrote recipes? http://ind.pn/uOK6FA RT @bittman @LimerickMan1

Explore the Onomatopoeia Dictionary: http://bit.ly/uccO1F @GalleyCat

What Fantasy Does Best: http://bit.ly/viWav8 @tordotcom

5 Tips for Cleaning Up Your Writing Right Now: http://bit.ly/vekg9v

How and Why to Write With Power: http://bit.ly/ruU44z @storyfix

Notes From the Field: One Beginner's Book Tour: http://bit.ly/rXXZyb @SolomonAnna for @BTMargins

How Relying on Numbers Can Get You Into Trouble: http://bit.ly/tODZqv @VictoriaStrauss

Tips for Creating Secondary Characters: http://bit.ly/vDV7Sc @Marie_Lu for @Janice_Hardy

Turning a NaNo draft into a novel: http://bit.ly/rHXzbh @DeeScribe

How To Gift An eBook: http://bit.ly/tLIFsS @Ebooknewser

2 Tips for Punctuating Interrupted Dialogue: http://bit.ly/t0Gw4r @keligwyn

Writing a Realistic Superhero Story: http://bit.ly/uRDTVU

Why publishers should build direct sales channels: http://oreil.ly/uZpKjo @jwikert

Thoughts On The Future Of Book Marketing: http://bit.ly/vDE029 @FacundoV

11 Frequently Asked Questions About Book Royalties, Advances & Money: http://bit.ly/uf1jQ9 @ChuckSambuchino

Worldbuilding with Horses: Infrastructure: http://bit.ly/sXHfrp

Cutting For Pace: http://bit.ly/tosbj5

On Kindlegraph (software that alllows you to autograph ebooks): http://bit.ly/tYWUct @BryanThomasS

The Frustrated Writer's Guide To Generating New Ideas–All The Time: http://bit.ly/vM0oIc @ollinmorales

Does Christian Fiction Require a Warning Label? http://bit.ly/uj91pd @cerebralgrump for @NovelRocket

40 French Expressions "En Tout": http://bit.ly/vmmkPx

Embracing the Scary Project--Why Bravery on Demand Can Help Your : http://bit.ly/w3EVDt

Rediscovering Inspiration: http://bit.ly/upJo2j @Eliz_Humphrey

What Writers Can Learn by Watching Football: http://bit.ly/sNEoRC @BookEmDonna

Crucial Series Elements: http://bit.ly/vXfnEM (Site has a warning, but there's no adult content in post) @JoanSwan

Tips for picking up the pace when your story starts to drag: http://bit.ly/uFegFR

Lessons from NaNoWriMo: http://bit.ly/tAeArz @p2p_editor

Hook--the 1st line: http://bit.ly/w1Eo9n @artzicarol

Tips for Creating Thematic Resonance: http://bit.ly/tk9TOS @KMWeiland

College-Aged YA Protagonists: http://bit.ly/rT6yVT @Kid_Lit

When the case works on the sleuth in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/rGXtlA @mkinberg

1 writer's free ebook experiment & results: http://bit.ly/sciQ0T @authorterryo

Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Try Freelancing: http://bit.ly/uebF3o

Parents and children in fantasy: http://bit.ly/sPaLwh @FantasyFaction

Marketing strategies for traditional vs self publishing – is there a difference? http://bit.ly/rIf8VG @LauraPauling

The agent game: http://bit.ly/terHQR

Freelance Writing 101: Tired of Being Tired: http://bit.ly/sOkhzf @krissybrady

How Hashtags Can Win Friends and Influence Enemies: http://bit.ly/s3QjaD @KristenLambTX

The No. 1 Overlooked Skill for Every Author: http://bit.ly/w35kcH @JaneFriedman

Writer's Block: The 12-Step Cure: http://bit.ly/rJJ9nF @TheCreativePenn

5 Reasons Starving Artists Stay Starving: http://bit.ly/vu4Xqk @GeoffreyCubbage

10 Ways to Make Our Characters Stronger: http://bit.ly/sEv1rZ @KeliGwyn

Libraries & ebooks, Amazon,media overload: @Porter_Anderson with an astute industry news analysis for @JaneFriedman : http://bit.ly/tJwrmS

How Is Consuming Itself? Lack of Team-Building: http://bit.ly/vNf1AC @bob_mayer

The editorial-business divide at scholarly presses: http://bit.ly/vgI8BM @kanderson

10 Mistakes SFF Writers Make With Research: http://bit.ly/sqoEAw @BryanThomasS

Music is a trigger: http://bit.ly/tZEouZ @TeresaFrohock for @byRozMorris

Ports of Call in @GeneLempp 's blog series that connects archaeology with : http://bit.ly/rQpZMF

Remembering Mark Twain's Gifts to @TheAtlantic: http://bit.ly/sf1PCm @b_resnick

Cracking a Cold Case: Scandinavian Crime Fiction's Mainstream Success: http://bit.ly/rUS1Ai

Alive and Kicking: Series That Hold Up: http://bit.ly/toRsxW @crimehq

Make December Your NaNoWriMo Revision Month: http://bit.ly/t8Yp9p @storyfix

From the 1st draft to the last: http://bit.ly/siQ8ew

4 Ways to End Your Writing Year Right: http://bit.ly/vuOGxG @WritersLeague

Making setting active: http://bit.ly/vxDcx0 @junglereds

The Occupational Hazards of Writing Subtext: http://bit.ly/sUMIJD @BTMargins

Why you still need to be able to speak publisher: http://bit.ly/ve2kVJ @annerooney

Some thoughts on more realistic violence for writers: http://bit.ly/t33xQ8

The dark side of creativity: http://bit.ly/sJ68vH @sbkaufman

What is Your Novel Missing? Strong Verbs, Unique Words: http://bit.ly/tVyB9e

10 Things You Need To Know About Writing Conflict: http://bit.ly/tqy27y @ajackwriting

6 Tips To Make the Learning of Fiction Techniques Less Painful: http://bit.ly/voGKAF @JodyHedlund

How to keep writing when it all seems pointless: http://bit.ly/urxLy3 @jammer0501

Cool tools to track platform growth: http://bit.ly/tE6Nko @WritersDigest

Dreamers Vs. Goalers: Writers Need to Be Both: http://bit.ly/s6pR83 @writeitsideways

What Writers Can Learn From Politicians: http://bit.ly/vaT1TI @greyhausagency

A Planner tackles NaNoWriMo: http://bit.ly/s54P8I

Top links this week for writers from @4KidLit: http://bit.ly/vkTuJ6

Check out your competition: http://bit.ly/w1ikZ3

10 blog posts that will command attention: http://bit.ly/uqyx54 @SeanPlatt

Screenwriters--translating Hollywood speak: http://bit.ly/uQyT5F @scriptmag #screenwriting

Audiobooks--a cautionary tale: http://bit.ly/tBJq1d @neilhimself

Writing To Sell: Sucker's Game Or Not? http://bit.ly/sZKrgV @jenna_blum

What to write: http://bit.ly/vq4I6N @bob_mayer

A writer's plea: http://bit.ly/tVMjy9 @kmcriddle

Swimming to find your characters. http://bit.ly/taAH18 @p2p_editor

Body Language: An Artistic Writing Tool: http://bit.ly/saJvet @SharlaWrites

Monday Musing: Are You Building Your World, Or Limiting It? http://bit.ly/vq4V2d #writiing

5 reasons for agent rejections: http://bit.ly/rqyGgl

A picture book illustrator's process: http://bit.ly/sdYljW @WheelerStudio

Real Life Diagnostics: A Question of POV and Voice: http://bit.ly/sD2fOf @Janice_Hardy

An agent's day: http://bit.ly/vDnMlV @RachelleGardner

Rethinking the Familiar Book Tour: http://bit.ly/teifgr @PassiveVoiceBlg

1 writer's top 5 writing tips: http://bit.ly/tfOs3E @kayedacus

What's your writing path: http://bit.ly/tBs3Iy @lisagailgreen

What Authors Need to Know About Virtual Book Tours: http://bit.ly/vVyJrE @BookMarketer for @JFBookman

Why you can't afford to take your eye off your Amazon sales: http://bit.ly/uZ771q @rule17

Stationary vs. Stationery: http://bit.ly/w3zGiI

The Book Signing Monologues: http://bit.ly/tu4rLW @krissybrady

10 Lessons Learned in 10 Months Blogging: http://bit.ly/rSZVbU

On Being the Writer You Are: http://bit.ly/sUKHgV

Why You Should Write 20 Posts Before You Launch Your Blog: http://bit.ly/tJI2TL @Problogger

Pen Names and Pseudonyms : http://bit.ly/vSUPSN

Genre in the Mainstream: How Ray Bradbury Crossed Over: http://bit.ly/v5XNAy @RyancBritt

The Next Phase of NaNoWriMo: Editing: http://bit.ly/t1Exl4

Understanding royalties: http://bit.ly/trBbQv @ChuckSambuchino

3 Tips for Curing "Someday Syndrome" : http://bit.ly/vq1Fg4 @JulieMusil

Slow Writer Reform School: http://bit.ly/sBuX3O @RoniLoren

The Importance of Writing Good Copy

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Jane Friedman had a great post on Writer Unboxed on Wednesday.  She said that copywriting is the number one overlooked skill for authors.

In her post, Jane covers several different ways that copywriting is important to writers.  

I loved her post because I've found exactly the same thing.  There have been tons of times when copywriting skills have come in handy.  Here are some places I've found copywriting useful:

Very short and sweet copy:  Bookmarks, directories/catalogs, tiny bios for places like Twitter, Twitter headlines, etc.  If you write enough Twitter headlines, you've mastered the art of headline writing.  For bookmarks, you've really just got a few words to say something about your book.  Twitter is 140 characters for a bio or tweet.

Long copy:  Writing a long bio is one of the hardest things I've ever had to write.  My life isn't the most fascinating thing on paper.  But it's amazing how many times I'm asked for a long bio. Plus, we always have an "about me" page to fill on our website or blog.  If you self-publish, you would need to come up with a product description for your book, too—not too long, but not too short, either.

Short ad-style copy:  My editor sometimes asks me to read other books from Penguin authors and to blurb them if I like the books.  If I'm writing copy that goes on a cover or inside the book, it's got to be pithy and persuasive.

Titles:  I'm always asked to submit title ideas for my books.  My publishers rarely choose them (they have a whole department of professional copywriters), but I want to submit something to them that is worthy of being chosen.  I did come up with Pretty is as Pretty Dies.

Epub Everything: In this new era of publishing, we'd better be ready to write all kinds of copy.  For Progressive Dinner Deadly, I wrote all the copy for the book…product description, title, and any short ad copy related to the mystery.

Professional emails:  Copywriting skills come in handy even with something that seems basic and mundane, like emails.   But it's good to be able to write an email that gets to the point quickly.

Writing copy is definitely different from writing our novels.  I've found that it can be very satisfying, though (maybe because we're using a different part of our brain?  Or because it's a challenge.)

What kinds of copy have you had to learn to write?  Have you found that it comes easier with practice?

Help for Dragging Plots

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

My husband is a regular viewer and fan of The Walking Dead series on AMC.

It's not the kind of thing I usually watch, but I've caught the show with my husband a few times. I know that a lot of writers watch it too, because I've see their posts in my blog reader.

Lately, the consensus of most of the posts I've read is that the show was dragging a little. That the plot wasn't moving quickly enough, that there was too much dialogue, not enough action, and that the group of survivors seemed to be bogged down.

My husband just wanted more zombies. :)

But then, Sunday night was the mid-season finale (I didn't even know there was such a thing) and the pace picked up.

There still weren't a lot of zombies in the episode, but I didn't hear any complaints from my husband. The writers had kicked the tension up a notch. I'll be vague here so there won't be any spoilers.

How the writers picked up the pace and made things interesting:

They pitted characters against each other in ways that developed the storyline.

They increased the tension by threatening a development that would put the characters at risk.

They added ambiguity to the situation by posing questions that they didn't immediately provide the answers to.

They added a twist.

They put a character in a situation where he had to act against his own moral code. (Great internal conflict resulting from external conflict).

They added depth to supporting characters by showing other sides to them.

The reviews online from writers I follow were very positive---they thought the episode worked well….even without more zombies.

What do you do when your plot starts dragging?

On Signings

by Elizabeth S. Craig @elizabethscraig

It's funny that writing promo usually equals signings in the minds of non-writers.

Frequently, I'll have an acquaintance or friend ask me if I'm planning to have a signing at one of the local bookstores.  Or they'll suggest a bookstore in another town that they're familiar with.

I'll always try to summon up some enthusiasm and a polite response, but usually I'm shrinking away a little.  Signings are my least favorite form of promo.

The problems with signings:

It's randomly targeted marketing instead of directly targeted.  You're basically just hoping that someone who walks into the store that day is interested in having a signed copy of any book.

The signing table that the store provides is usually not in a great spot.

You're having to basically do direct sales.  If you sit there mildly at your little table without saying a word, you likely won't have any sales at all.

Making a tough situation better:

Don't sit at the table.  Stand up or even walk around a little.

Have something to do…handing out bookmarks is a good thing to do (and can be a conversation-starter).

Plan the signing in a good location.  This could mean having it in the town you grew up in (where you still are acquainted with lots of people, but maybe they haven't had the perfect opportunity to buy your book).  This could also mean thinking outside the box and having the signing at a local craft fair or venue other than a bookstore.

Goodies for the bookstore staff are always popular.

Goodies for the shoppers are popular, too.  You can just put a little basket of individually-wrapped candy on your table and many more people will come by.  Some writers are especially clever and will have little tie-ins for their books attached their giveaway.

Before you leave your signing, ask the store if you can sign the leftover stock (and if they have some "autographed copy" stickers.)

Unless you're a big name, signings are usually not the best way to sell a bunch of books (although I've done well at signings in the town I grew up in…because my mother drums up business among her friends!)   Online promo is a free way to reach readers all over the world—who are interested in either you or the genre you write.

How do you feel about signings?  Have any additional tips to share?

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 .

In big news this week, my writing and computer programming friend Mike Fleming has launched his Hiveword Novel Writing Software! To check out what it's all about, just click here. For an interview with Mike on Krissy Brady's blog, just hop over here. Congratulations to Mike!!

Why Writers Must Read: http://bit.ly/tJ585H @Ava_Jae

Making Connections: Buses, Weaving and Poetry: http://bit.ly/vLq1J8 @sueorton

5 Reasons to Use Social Bookmarking to Promote Your Blog: http://bit.ly/uBNPAt @blogherald

How To Focus Amidst Background Static And Ghost Channels: http://bit.ly/umRuh3 @coachcreative

Layering Complexity,Texture &Theme Using Subplots, Secondary Characters,& Villains: http://bit.ly/s33IUT @RobinPerini @MireyahWolfe

Generating Story 4: The Story Setup: http://bit.ly/tNt86X @authorjohnbrown

10 tools to keep your writing fresh: http://bit.ly/uqvxAA @novelpublicity

Writing and age: http://bit.ly/uSIDi8 @HopeClark

How to format your manuscript: http://bit.ly/thUwa0 @LaurenClark_Bks

Thoughts on Convention Panels: http://bit.ly/rrPGLz @jimchines

5 Absolute Essentials for Making It as a Copywriter: http://bit.ly/rEAkIu @TiceWrites

On running gags in our stories: http://bit.ly/v2s2u4 @lydia_sharp

3 Crucial Aspects of Writing Scenes: http://bit.ly/snR5ur @VictoriaMixon

How to be professional as a writer: http://bit.ly/tlwavP @nicolamorgan

Amazon Reader Reviews: 12 Things Everybody and His Grandmother Needs to Know: http://bit.ly/tGKwQw @AnneRAllen

6 Steps to Building a Strong Team for your Writing Career: http://bit.ly/v5NRHY @LyndaRYoung

An agent advises us to make a holiday writing plan: http://bit.ly/tHV4If @RachelleGardner

Author Blogging 101: Blog Design: http://bit.ly/ugTRSc @JFBookman

Volume is important. Pace counts. http://bit.ly/u6Trqm @StoryFix

NaNoWriMo Tip: Fill Out a Character Chart: http://bit.ly/vZNH3g @GalleyCat

The refusal of the hero's call to action: http://bit.ly/tP9het @TheresaStevens

3 perfect gifts for writers: http://bit.ly/spLh5w @BookEmDonna

Spacing books in a series: http://bit.ly/u5SUhx

An Open Letter to Simon and Schuster CEO: http://bit.ly/tg861A via @PassiveVoiceBlg

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Plagiarist: http://bit.ly/v0tXcQ @scholarlykitchn

Too much tech? 7 authors respond: http://bit.ly/sWKIXS @junglereds

Dealing with criticism: http://bit.ly/sGUEjB @BryanThomasS

Too Many Facebook Friends: Blessing or Curse? http://bit.ly/tcvWN6 @JaneFriedman

50 Handy Expressions About Hands: http://bit.ly/rIqcQK

Why 1 writer/editor sought certification: http://bit.ly/uRFE8M @Eliz_Humphrey

4 Reasons to Mimic the Masters—and 3 Reasons Not to: http://bit.ly/rTx9hX @KMWeiland

Breaking in, Breaking out, Dropping out of Publishing: http://bit.ly/tQMkbk @sarahahoyt

Setting up the punchline: http://bit.ly/tvLx6n @TheresaStevens

A Selfpubber's Morning: http://bit.ly/vF5sRI? @gerarddemarigny

5 Scriptwriting Tips that Will Make Any Story Better: http://bit.ly/rXSEX4 @LiaLondon1 for @JeffGoins

5 nontraditional publishing models from around the world: http://bit.ly/voS43H @artsylliu

There Are Suckers Born Every Minute and They Are Writers: http://bit.ly/vuRjNm @DeanWesleySmith

Indie publishing isn't for people who couldn't get published. It's for people who could. http://bit.ly/u8h6dA @DirtyWhiteCandy

Self-Published Authors Invited to the Kindle Owners Lending Library: http://bit.ly/sLmUNE @PassiveVoiceBlg

Hearing Voices? Maybe You're a Writer: http://bit.ly/s5FaCZ @2KoP for @writeitsideways

Ads for ebooks – are they worth it? http://bit.ly/uAtqqZ @HowToWriteShop

Why querying isn't a popularity contest: http://bit.ly/uD51lZ @sierragodfrey

How to Hold a Google+ Hangout and Why You Should: http://bit.ly/rNTjcN @smexaminer

Freelancers: 5 ways to sell more articles by being yourself: http://bit.ly/u21E1V @lformichelli

100 Questions to Help You Write, Publish, and Sell Your Ebook: http://bit.ly/sHtlhS @lifehackorg

Why Daydreamers are More Creative: http://bit.ly/tS43kW @sbkaufman for @creativitypost

Will Neuroscience Kill the Novel? http://bit.ly/szd6aN @bigthink

The going rate for freelancing: http://bit.ly/u4sP1T @TiceWrites

Google Alerts for Authors: http://bit.ly/scyLJc @CuriosityQuills

6 key writing lessons a writer learned from horses: http://bit.ly/uixN49

Defining success in publishing: http://bit.ly/vJYUtC @fingers_murphy

Living the stuff of novels: the ghostwriter's lot: http://bit.ly/rMUgPy @dirtywhitecandy

5 Subplot Blunders to Avoid: http://bit.ly/sd12xT @LynnetteLabelle

Revising Away From The Computer: http://bit.ly/tRcvDV @YAHighway

Do you suffer from one of these maladies? http://bit.ly/up1SDY @NathanBransford

Your book...2nd and 3rd acts: http://bit.ly/vBYfhz @AlexSokoloff

A Social Media Survival Guide: http://bit.ly/u6hyMd @jennreese for @RLLaFevers

For some kids, a book is just an iPad that doesn't work: http://bit.ly/snV91L @ivortossell for @globeandmail

How to Write a Blog Post About Writing: http://bit.ly/szHfBV Dell Smith for @BTMargins

Plotting Through "What's Next?" http://bit.ly/uCun8D @Janice_Hardy

Applied Description: http://bit.ly/u710RN @author_sullivan

How blogging can help an aspiring writer: http://bit.ly/sCylL2 @nickdaws

Write with the door closed, edit with the door closed and open: http://bit.ly/sBrS0X @eMergentPublish

Writing SF&F military: rank and rank systems: http://bit.ly/ulq9qE

A series on Goodreads promo: http://bit.ly/tdWcdR , http://bit.ly/uxbH6Z , http://bit.ly/uYvYtD , http://bit.ly/vNd5h4 @rsullivan9597

When do readers trust you? http://bit.ly/tzJGvH @HopeClark

Prompts for creating conflict in a scene: http://bit.ly/sWCb4C @DeeWhiteAuthor

Why 1 writer is keeping his agent: http://bit.ly/tFDVpx @jimchines

Stephen King, James Frey nominated for Bad Sex awards: http://tgr.ph/usOPtD @TelegraphBooks

The bus route of a writer: http://bit.ly/teBIyZ @sherrinda

5 Important Tips for Building a Strong Brand: http://bit.ly/sB4ZAW @JeffGoins

Back up your work: http://bit.ly/uf0n8N @mistymassey

6 Common Writing Excuses (And How to Overcome Them): http://bit.ly/rDfbaA @aliventures)

Writing a Selling Query or Pitch in 4 Easy Steps: http://bit.ly/sRTVta @elle_strauss for @Janice_Hardy

The Ultimate Gift Guide for Writers: http://bit.ly/viggLT @JamiGold

So, You Want a Book Blogger to Review Your Ebook…: http://bit.ly/vwmxRk @topshelfebooks for @GoblinWriter

4 Reasons for writers to be thankful: http://bit.ly/sufzqG @JulieMusil

Use the Symbolitron: NaNoWriMo Tip: http://bit.ly/tZt3rL @GalleyCat

Are Zombies Truly the Harbinger of Genre Crossover? http://bit.ly/vGvDvD @ryancbritt for @tordotcom

Does Sentence Structure Affect Tone? http://bit.ly/tQjPcQ

Online "Best of 2011" Book Lists: http://bit.ly/thP1BL @largeheartedboy #books

Publicity: Soul Crushing or Life Affirming? http://bit.ly/tjlH1k @thebirdsisters

How to Build a Blog Following From the Ground Up: http://bit.ly/s5gba5 @JodyHedlund

13 ways to begin a novel: http://bit.ly/sVgfDo @gripemaster

Serial Fiction With Author Entrepreneur Sean Platt: http://bit.ly/uQ92rN @SeanPlatt for @TheCreativePenn

A profanity-laden shotgun blast of smart advice from @ChuckWendig: 25 reasons readers stop reading your story: http://bit.ly/rRPy2u

Tension or frustration? http://bit.ly/sYspND @KatieGanshert

Stimulus and Response: The Writer's Path through Story: http://bit.ly/vZCglT @4kidlit

Twitter: "Social Media," not "Pyramid Marketing Scheme for Your eBook": http://bit.ly/tWoURZ @GeoffreyCubbage

Balancing the Scenes that Make Up Your Novel: http://bit.ly/uLnYdV @KristenLambTX

1 writer's screenwriting process: http://bit.ly/tJJyGm

8 Steps to Hosting a Successful Twitter Chat: http://bit.ly/vTkGBa @hubspot

Screenwriting : ratcheting up the tension using parallel stories: http://bit.ly/suW3MW @jacobkrueger

Suspension of disbelief in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/uz0GNG @mkinberg

Writing Like A Lawyer: http://bit.ly/ueCjyw @inarascott for @4KidLit

How to Launch a Writers Group: 6 Pieces of Advice: http://bit.ly/vvvEkH @JeffGoins

Authors are the gatekeepers now, but must do 10 things to succeed: http://bit.ly/t8d2jN @Bob_Mayer

5 tips for compelling back cover copy: http://bit.ly/vn58wm @amywilkins

Affect vs. Effect: http://bit.ly/uSPEXJ

Beware of praise: http://bit.ly/rMEbIn @nicolamorgan

Literary Agents and Conflicts of Interest – A Compendium: http://bit.ly/tQmT8R @PassiveVoiceBlg

Filtered perspectives: http://bit.ly/t9OTtk @RavenRequiem13

Library ebooks, Book Country, dead girls & more--this week's news from @Porter_Anderson for @JaneFriedman: http://bit.ly/uA0I94

3 Easy Steps to Critique a Friend's Poem: http://bit.ly/sNNgtA @write_practice

How to Describe Your Characters—and How Not to: http://bit.ly/tp1Ksl @KMWeiland

How music played into 1 writer's manuscript: http://bit.ly/vVAZFj @erikamarksauthr for @BYROZMORRIS

Sudoku for Writers: http://bit.ly/s3sNdj @BTMargins

Should Christian authors write edgy? http://bit.ly/tf05th @slamballonbooks

3 Things You Can Do Now to Prepare for Published Authorhood: http://bit.ly/tce0qc @RoniLoren

Use a spreadsheet to help organize your writing: http://bit.ly/tuAISX @GalleyCat

1 screenwriter's writing process and software: http://bit.ly/toip01 @johnaugust #screenwriting

A good kind of reader manipulation: http://bit.ly/v7rYPX @jeanniecampbell

Fanfiction can be an eloquent tribute – it deserves more respect: http://bit.ly/s2sajA @mathildia

20 Types and Forms of Humor: http://bit.ly/sT54P8

Writing a Marketable Superhero Novel: http://bit.ly/v4lXpp

Platform and Social Media Must Not Be Your Center: http://bit.ly/rv99wI @thewritermama for @JaneFriedman

5 Online Distraction-Busters for Writers: http://bit.ly/vINxPD @krissybrady for @writeitsideways

Don't sign dumb contracts: http://bit.ly/s2NAi9 @PassiveVoiceBlg

Black Friday: Writing Style: http://bit.ly/siMlSn

How to be a genius (or just look like one): http://bit.ly/vx8S1B @justinemusk

The Critical Aspects of Digital Publishing: http://bit.ly/uhXr20 @barryeisler

4 Steps For Organizing Plot Ideas Into a Novel: http://bit.ly/vfI5sY @JodyHedlund

Disney parents--dead mothers & absent fathers: http://bit.ly/vMQtQi @FantasyFaction

The Dangers of Outsourcing Your Freelance Work: http://bit.ly/vGSmf7 @fuelyourwriting

Top 5 Writing Tips the Grinch Stole: http://bit.ly/vpWK3L

Habits that Lead to Creative Writing Discoveries: http://bit.ly/tsMlEX @Musesland

Understanding Heroes: http://bit.ly/rJucyr @TheresaStevens

10 Modes of Modifiers: http://bit.ly/uAY8Lv

Hiveword Novel Writing Software Launched: http://bit.ly/ukwM6f @Hiveword

Can Search Engine Optimization Help You Sell More Books? http://bit.ly/thYqT9 @TheCreativePenn

How to make your own book trailer: http://bit.ly/vpMx8P @BubbleCow

40 Synonyms for Praise: http://bit.ly/vkwqjM

Remember the agent-writer relationship is a business arrangement: http://bit.ly/w0EelM @PassiveVoiceBlg

1 Author's Writing Path: http://bit.ly/vCaqRl @Storyfix

1 writer's scriptwriting process: http://bit.ly/u2pJvx #screenwriting

The Psychology of Attraction: The Intertwining of Sex and Aggression: http://bit.ly/s24aDt @lkblackburne

Real Life Diagnostics: Does This Prologue Work? http://bit.ly/tKrBFn @Janice_Hardy

An exclusive on slush? 1 agent's response: http://bit.ly/rK56FS @literaticat

The 10 Secrets to Making a Spellbinding Video Trailer for Your Next Blog, Book, or Product Launch: http://bit.ly/sxbhBX @problogger

When do you need an editor? http://bit.ly/sjpo48

Best articles this week for writers: http://bit.ly/uDrxv9 @4kidlit

Write with fire: http://bit.ly/syfsL2 @NovelEditor

Designing our scenes: http://bit.ly/uEE5rs

Try communal world-building: http://bit.ly/vc0E2d @galleycat

When Does a Writer Become a Writer? http://bit.ly/tMQHqZ @TheAtlantic

A Creative Space of Your Own: http://bit.ly/v8BCfi @KateArmsRoberts

Cozy mysteries--what they are, how they fit into crime fiction: http://bit.ly/sccpig @mkinberg

The 50 Greatest Moments in Comics: http://bit.ly/tepP4m

Writers and traditional publishers: http://bit.ly/sqXjfy

Writers and traditional publishers: http://bit.ly/sqXjfy

The Low Cost of Books: http://bit.ly/vMaZTK @randysusanmeyer

Hiveword Is Here! An Interview with Creator Mike Fleming: http://bit.ly/rSCMqG @Hiveword

Striking a Balance in a Cozy Mystery

If you're a traditional/cozy writer or reader, I hope you'll join me over at Margot Kinberg's Confessions of a Mystery Novelist.  I'm posting some ideas on striking a balance between the needs of cozy mysteries and the elements of crime fiction.  Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!  I'm thankful for all of you!

If you're looking for something to read, I'm over at the Writers Read blog, talking about one of the last books I read (and I think you'll enjoy it…as long as you don't mind being scared!)

I'll be at Confessions of a Mystery Novelist on Friday after 3:00 p.m. ET. 

Thanks! 

Local Promo

First of all, I want to thank Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi at The Bookshelf Muse for giving me the opportunity to give away one of their insightful 1000 word critiques (and for honoring me as a writing hero!) The randomly-chosen winner of the critique is Rosalyn! Thanks to everyone who entered. :)

Local promotion is an aspect of marketing that I usually neglect.

I doubt I'm the only one, either. I've talked to plenty of writers who don't enjoy book signings, giving book talks, or doing interviews. And it's true that doing local promo means that you're deliberately drawing attention to yourself among people you know.

I feel the same way. But I've also found that when I do local promo, it leads to a spike in sales.

Recently I spoke to a local service organization. Actually, it wasn't even originally my idea—my North Carolina writer friend Diane Wolfe had needed to cancel and suggested that I fill in.

The talk went really well. It was a great group of people, I had a nice time. I thanked them for letting me come, left, and didn't think anymore about it.

Until a week later. I was at a church class and one of the ladies there made an announcement before the class started. "I know something about Elizabeth."

Of course, I knew what she had to mean---there's nothing else about me that's particularly interesting. But I had no idea how she knew.

Sure enough, her husband had been in attendance at my talk. And the organization had also sent out an email newsletter about my visit, with a bio and my books mentioned.

And you know, everyone in the class seemed really interested. They even jotted down my pen name and some book titles. They, of course, asked why I'd never mentioned it before (I've been in the class a couple of years, at least).

But writing is frequently something that doesn't come up in conversation. Which is a good reason why we should keep doing these kinds of events.

We should also interview or suggest stories to our local paper—and the more local the paper is, the better. Does your town have one of those free, weekly newspapers? Target them, for sure. I've found they've got a great readership. Who knew?

Don't forget your alumni magazine, either. I'm not one to talk, because I did forget it, but a professor at my college somehow made the connection between me and the school and put an article in the magazine. Soon I had old college friends emailing me that they'd bought some of my books. And the college asked me to talk to the English classes there in March.

I'm writing this post as a reminder to me, too—do local promo. Even if it makes me uncomfortable.

Do you do signings, lectures, or interviews locally? How has that worked for you?

Hope my American friends have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow! And just a note that I'll be a Margot Kinberg's blog, Confessions of a Mystery Novelist, on Friday, talking about cozy mysteries.

Spacing Books

I recently found out that I'll be writing a fourth Memphis Barbeque book. Good news! I'm really excited about spending more time with Lulu.

The tricky part was figuring out when I can deliver the manuscript to Penguin.

I've got the second book for the Southern Quilting series due in May (book one, Quilt or Innocence debuts in June 2012).

I also have a project I was working on independently. Let's just say that that's the one that's now been put off until probably late summer of next year.

I've found that I can comfortably write three books a year. That's just without me completely freaking out about deadlines and promo.

I was a little nervous about setting a deadline for the Memphis book that was too close to the Quilting series book. Although in that amount of time, I should be able to write a couple of books, sometimes life (holidays, kids, boring-but-essential stuff) knocks me a little off-track.

My editor for the Memphis series brought up a very good point to my agent—production time. Production time is really what's trouble in publishing. There's marketing and covers and catalogs and it all takes time. Usually, it takes about a year.

So I just had a release November 1, which was the third book in the Memphis Barbeque series. If I turned the book over to Penguin in, let's say, October 2012 (which would be a piece of cake for me to make) …it would be another year for the book to launch. An October 2013 release…and the last book came out November 2011. Nearly two years between books. No. Not a good idea.

Obviously, keeping that in mind, I bumped up the time that I agreed to deliver it by. And I'm hoping that I can hand it in earlier than I'm contracted for because I immediately got what seemed like a really solid idea for the book and several different angles to work the mystery. In fact, I started making some real progress on it and had to stop and switch back to the other book (which is due first.)

On the reader end of things, lag time between books can be frustrating. My son was fussing about one of his favorite authors who is writing two series at once and how long it was between his releases. "Can't he write faster?" he complained.

It made me wince. I explained to him that an author can write really quickly and still have a long period of time between books, especially if he had more than one series. There's such a thing as quality control, too—we can't just spit these things out.

But then my mother pointed out that I just released a Myrtle Clover book, myself…the first one since 2009. That was a two-year gap, too. Sales have been brisk for Progressive Dinner Deadly, but—I believe most of the readers are new to the series. In fact, I've noticed a decided uptick in the sales for the 2009 Pretty is as Pretty Dies as a result.

I think I've come to the conclusion that you might sacrifice some of your old readers if you have too much space between books…although, with the right promotion, you may pick up new readers willing to read the books out of order.

With that in mind, I think it must be very important to write books as stand-alones if you're going to have long spaces between them. The spacing with the next Memphis book won't be that long, but I'm still planning to make sure no one gets completely lost when they read it.

How far apart do you space your books? As a reader, when do you start looking for a new release in a favorite series?

Please remember I'm giving away a 1000-word critique from The Bookshelf Muse. Just send an email to me at elizabethspanncraig (at)gmail (dot) com with "contest" in the subject to enter. Entries accepted through November 21. The randomly-chosen winner will be announced here November 22. Thanks, Angela and Becca!}