Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 217

Multi-tasking Authors and Characters by Lois Winston

Today I'm welcoming fellow Midnight Ink author, Lois Winston, to my blog. Lois' book, Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, has recently released to strong reviews. She talks a little here about multitasking…something many writers are acquainted with! :) As a side note, I'm guesting later today at Burrowers, Books, and Balderdash.

Welcome, Lois!

I recently learned of a study regarding multi-tasking, especially as it concerns today's youth. The radio report made it sound like this was a new phenomenon, something invented by Gen Y kids who are simultaneously plugged into their iPods and surfing the 'Net while they're Twittering, texting, updating their Facebook pages, and doing homework.

I laughed out loud. The scientists running that study had to be all guys. Multi-tasking is nothing new. Women have been multi-tasking since the beginning of time. That's why we have two X chromosomes. We're born as clones of ourselves, able to multi-task from the moment of conception.

Sigmund Freud hypothesized that the reason men became the hunters and women stayed back at the cave, tending the fire, was because males had an uncontrollable urge to pee on the flames. Women may have wanted to pee on the flames, too, but their physiology kept them from doing so. This was back before our ancestors learned how to make fire. All they could do was keep the home fires burning. So it was really important to make sure the cave guys stayed beyond peeing distance of the flames. Hence, the division of labor.

Freud got it all wrong, though. The reason men went off in search of saber-toothed tigers and other gastronomic delicacies while the womenfolk stayed back in the cave was because the women could tend the fires, tan the hides, sew the clothing, look after the little ones, and tidy up the cave all at the same time. Men are incapable of doing more than one thing at a time because they have no double "anything" chromosome.

Most writers don't have the luxury of being able to support themselves on their writing alone. I know New York Times best-selling authors who can't afford to quit their day jobs. So like most other writers, my life is all about multi-tasking. I'm both an award-winning author and a literary agent who has never given up her "day job" as a needlework designer. In addition, I teach online workshops on writing. People (usually of the male persuasion) often ask me how I manage to juggle so many careers. It's easy.

I am WOMAN -- W-O-M-A-N.

So when I set out to write a new mystery series, having my protagonist juggle all sorts of complications in her daily life seemed far from a stretch. After all, she's a W-O-M-A-N.

Anastasia Pollack, the amateur sleuth protagonist of ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY GLUE GUN, is a recently widowed magazine crafts editor who makes me, with my three jobs, look like a slacker. When her recently departed husband permanently cashed in his chips at a roulette table in Las Vegas, her life crapped out. You know that old saying about the wife always being the last to know? Well, Anastasia had no clue her husband was a closet gambler until she discovers he's left her with debt up the wazoo and his loan shark breathing down her neck. Karl owed Ricardo fifty thousand dollars, and as far as Ricardo is concerned, Anastasia has inherited that debt.

She's also inherited her crotchety communist mother-in-law and Mephisto the Demon Dog, her Russian princess mother has popped in for an open-ended stay, and her two teenage sons aren't very happy about the belt-tightening that means giving up cable TV and the Internet. Then there's Ralph the Shakespeare quoting parrot. As if all that weren't enough, Anastasia's life gets even more complicated when she discovers the body of her magazine's fashion editor glued to her desk chair, and she's fingered as the prime suspect in the murder.
And I thought I juggled a lot in a day!

ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY GLUE GUN is the first book in my new Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries series from Midnight Ink. Kirkus Reviews called it "North Jersey's more mature answer to Stephanie Plum." I recently turned in the second book in the series, and I'm now back juggling the writing of Book Three as well as design deadlines and agency responsibilities. But I have to say, my multi-tasking is a breeze compared to Anastasia's. At least I don't have to find a killer to prove I'm not a killer.

* * *

In celebration of the release of Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, Lois is doing a blog tour throughout January. You can find the schedule on her website, http://www.loiswinston.com, and at Anastasia's blog, http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. Everyone who posts a comment to any of the blogs over the course of the month will be entered into a drawing to receive one of 5 copies of Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun. (If your email isn't included in your comment, email Lois privately at lois@loiswinston.com to let her know you've entered.) In addition, Lois will be giving away a collection of crafts books on selected blogs during her tour, so look for those as well.

What Matters to Our Characters

So it's the day after the big snow and my son wants to join all his friends at a house in another neighborhood.

They're playing video games and watching movies and having a blast—and the only thing separating him from the party is his parents and their determination not to drive in the snow.

"But Erik's mom drove him!"
"And she's from New Jersey."
"But Wesley's dad drove him!"
"And he's from Canada."
"But Jacob's dad drove him!"
"He's from upstate New York. And your dad is from Alabama and your mom's from South Carolina. When it snows, we stay inside and don't operate motor vehicles."

I can remember what it was like to be a teenager and have cautious parents who seemed bound and determined to foil my every fun idea. Although my idea of a good time in bad weather isn't driving over to another neighborhood and hanging out with a bunch of teenage boys, he made me feel how badly he wanted it.

It was the winter of his discontent. And he was definitely letting me know it.

As Kurt Vonnegut said in Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction, "Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water."

The reader may not want the same thing. But they need to feel like it's of vital importance that the character gets the thing they want. And understand some of the character's motivation and desire for it.

It's the perfect set up for conflict—establish what the character wants and then put obstacles in the way of his getting it.

Like a snow-covered road and reluctant parents.

What does your character want most? Have you made the reader feel the urgency, too?

Hope you'll visit again tomorrow when I've got author Lois Winston guest posting! And I'll be visiting Burrowers, Books, and Balderdash . :)

Unusual Weather

Hope everybody had a great holiday and New Year celebration. I missed the blogosphere while I was gone!

I also hope y'all got home safely, if you were traveling. There has been bizarre weather over much of the break here in the States. Tornadoes, blizzards, earthquakes, massive amounts of rain…it's been a real mess.

It actually snowed on Christmas Day—the first time this had happened in North Carolina in any measurable amount since 1947.

We do usually get snow in Matthews, but it's in February, which is our coldest month of the year.

Snow in the South is unusual enough that we don't have a lot of snow plowing equipment here. And the snow melts during the day—and freezes at night as ice. It's beautiful here when it snows…but treacherous.

It made me think of all the unusual weather in books that I've read. The weather in the books stands out because it was so striking to the characters in the book or because it made a difference in the plot. As a reader, it stood out to me, too.

The heat in New York while the group is at the Plaza Hotel in The Great Gatsby. The Tempest and the storm that Lear suffers through in King Lear. The Grapes of Wrath. Just about anything in Dickens. The Wizard of Oz. Tennessee Williams' play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Depending on how it's treated, weather can be an important element in the book. It can create stress or discomfort for the characters, or causes them to act out of character. Murder mysteries frequently use weather to cut the characters off from the rest of the world (and law enforcement) and isolate potential victims with a killer.

Weather can be overdone, of course, too. If there's a big storm during a character's moment of personal crisis, I'm probably going to roll my eyes a little bit.

What seems to work best in books is either for weather to either add a little background ambience for a scene or else for the weather to take more of a center stage role—times when the weather is something really unusual. Something that the characters will remember as striking weather, even years later. Something the reader will remember as striking weather.

As a reader, can you remember times the weather really set the mood in a book? Do you use weather in your own writing, and how?

Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday and New Year

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate and a Happy 2011 to all!

Taking the lead from many of the blogs I follow in my Google Reader, I'm taking a week off from blogging and will be back in 2011. Traffic slows to a crawl online this time of year during the holidays. :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

Twitterific

Here are writing links that I've posted to Twitter for the past week.  The list will be a little shorter this week because I'm going on tweetcation (most bloggers seem to be taking a break until New Year and the content is pretty scarce.)

If you're looking for a particular topic, just plug in your keyword into the search box at the top left-hand corner of the blog (on the black header right above my blog name…next to the Blogger symbol…the small search window is next to the magnifying glass) and the roundup with your subject will come up. To narrow your search down on the page, do a CTRL+F, type your subject, and hit enter.

I'm also archiving these posts in what I hope is an easily searchable format—if you look at the Twitterific tabs under the blog's heading, I'm posting the links there, too.

Resist the Urge to Explain: http://dld.bz/Cn8j

Darkly Developing Dexter-A Lesson In The Literary Anti-Hero: http://dld.bz/Cn7F

Amazon.com Kindle Sales Are Said to Exceed Estimates: http://dld.bz/Cn6U

Writers Rally To Support Novelist Charles Bock & His Family: http://dld.bz/Cn8u

Tips for Writing Verse Novels: http://dld.bz/Cn5h

"Traditional" publishing – let's just change the definition, shall we? http://dld.bz/Cn46

Keep it real, only more interesting: http://dld.bz/Cn4s

Get Over Overstating: Trimming Unnecessary Words: http://dld.bz/Cn4q

Key elements of strong fiction: http://dld.bz/Cn4f

10 ways to finish that danged first draft: http://dld.bz/Cucg @elspethwrites

Setting writing goals, step 3--finding time to write and writing: http://dld.bz/Ct6x

A case for villains: http://dld.bz/Cn3W

Using defense mechanisms for characters: http://dld.bz/Cn3K

J.K. Rowling and Plot Planning: http://dld.bz/Cn3C

A writer's impressions of Twitter: http://dld.bz/CtWj and http://dld.bz/CtWk @authorterryo

A little word play fun: http://dld.bz/CtU5 @MermaidHel

Six Pet Hates of An Editor: http://dld.bz/Cn3a

The Simple Software That Could -- but Probably Won't -- Change the Face of Writing (The Atlantic): http://dld.bz/Cn2N

29 literary films to fill your holidays (LA Times): http://dld.bz/Cn2s

Your To-Do List: Knowing Where to Start: http://dld.bz/Cbbx

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: http://bit.ly/h8zhNg @CleoCoyle

E-readers breed fondness for other e-readers (LA Times): http://dld.bz/Cn5t

The Twelve Days of a Writer's Christmas: http://dld.bz/CbcG

WikiLeaks' Julian Assange will write memoir: http://dld.bz/Cn6A

When (or Why) Social Media Fails to Sell Books: http://dld.bz/Cbc6

Writing Ebooks: Top 3 Ways to Make Sales: http://dld.bz/Cba7

Balancing the Scenes that Make Up Your Novel: http://dld.bz/Cbcn

4 Reasons Every Novelist Can Benefit From Writing a Screenplay: http://dld.bz/CbbP

Setting writing goals, step 2--links to conferences, blogs, and resources to help you improve: http://dld.bz/Cjmb

Modeling Protagonists After Real Life Heroes: http://dld.bz/Cbb3

Your To-Do List: Knowing Where to Start: http://dld.bz/Cbbx

Top 75 Apps for Enhancing Your Facebook Page: http://dld.bz/CbaU

Prologues – this side of hell: http://dld.bz/CbaC

Author Turns Going-Out-of-Print into Act of Charity: http://dld.bz/Cba8

Nice list of writers' conferences in North America for 2011: http://dld.bz/CjnY @Jodie_R_Editing

Getting to the Point with Tom Cruise: http://dld.bz/Cbcx

Tailoring Submissions (part 2): http://dld.bz/Cbax

Tips for Reposting an Older Post: http://dld.bz/Cbak

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Shrimp and Rice Casserole http://bit.ly/gRn2dA @CleoCoyle

Words That Sound Like What They Mean, but Aren't Onomatopoeia: http://dld.bz/BVv4

Great Writers Rescue Obama (Daily Beast): http://dld.bz/CaYr

Will all good writers be published? An agent's thoughts: http://dld.bz/CaYf

Google eBooks: a Refresher: http://dld.bz/CaXQ

Writing a prologue: http://dld.bz/CaXP

A Gathering of Literary Christmas Cards: http://dld.bz/CaXJ

Setting writing goals--step one: http://dld.bz/CaXx

10 Rules of Social Engagement That Will Make or Break Your Blog Readership: http://dld.bz/BVwX

Finding Your Unique Blogging Voice: http://dld.bz/BVwJ

Writing with style sheets: http://dld.bz/BVwB

Underlying Motivation – Getting Through the Rough Spots: http://dld.bz/CaVA @joanswan

The Relevance of YA for Adults: The Harry Potter Effect: http://dld.bz/BVw7

This figure of speech isn't dead – it's just resting: http://dld.bz/BVwf

Top 10 Ways To Improve Your ReTweetability: http://dld.bz/BVvD

10 best tweets of 2010 (Jane Friedman): http://dld.bz/BZPa

How to be a great writer: http://dld.bz/BVuX @jammer0501

The Inanity of the Erudite: http://dld.bz/BVuW

An agent on whether you should post your writing online: http://dld.bz/BVuP

Konrath's Resolutions for Writers 2011: http://dld.bz/BVu6

2010's Best Nonfiction For Winning Family Arguments (NPR): http://dld.bz/BVur

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Pfeffernüsse (Gesundheit!) Gingerbread Snowballs for Santa from Cleo Coyle http://bit.ly/go4qmZ @CleoCoyle

Your characters offstage: http://dld.bz/BVbk

The Writing Life: How to Thoroughly Abuse Caffeine: http://dld.bz/BPgA @GeoffreyCubbage

Social media: Literary luvvies come over all aTwitter about tweeting (Guardian): http://dld.bz/BJPH

New Year's Inspirations for Writers: 10 Creative Writing Websites: http://dld.bz/BJPC

5 ways to hone your blogging skills: http://dld.bz/BJPw

Your dialogue can do more: http://dld.bz/BJPs

Reading with Android 101, a reading app guide: http://dld.bz/BJNv

Writing is its own reward: http://dld.bz/BJKb

Are Your Verbs Showing or Telling? http://dld.bz/BJJW

8 Easy Things To Do BEFORE You Start Your Novel: http://dld.bz/BJJP

Villain Stereotypes: http://dld.bz/BJJN

Writers in prison: when having an opinion becomes a crime (Guardian): http://dld.bz/BJHW

How To Write A Home Run Story in 2011: http://dld.bz/BJHJ

Last minute gift ideas for writers: http://dld.bz/BJH8

On 'show, don't tell': http://dld.bz/BGga

The art of pacing: http://dld.bz/BGfN

The art of creative writing goals: http://dld.bz/BPfh @storiestorm

Six things they don't teach you about writing: http://dld.bz/BGfe

Don't tag your emotions: http://dld.bz/BGeV

Simplify your life in 10 steps (and free up time to write): http://dld.bz/BFNW

How to Shop for Your Neurotic Writer: http://dld.bz/BPd3 @GeoffreyCubbage

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: The Diva Roasts A Goose http://bit.ly/f94okw @CleoCoyle

Beyond the Printed Page: Robert Sabuda is the superstar of the modern pop-up book: http://dld.bz/BFXp

From Story Pantser to Story Planner: One Writer's Journey: http://dld.bz/BFWf

The One Thing About Social Media That Most People Don't Think About: http://dld.bz/BFRG

Holiday Gift Ideas For Writers: http://dld.bz/BFRE

8 "Moments" You Absolutely Need to Deliver to Your Readers… And One That You Should Hope For: http://dld.bz/BFQX

7 Creative Principles of Pixar to apply to writing: http://dld.bz/BFQz

Blogger Becomes iPhone and Droid-Friendly: http://dld.bz/BFQu

The 12 Days of Christmas In The Land Of Urban Fantasy: http://dld.bz/BFQp

Creating Consistent Artist Brands: http://dld.bz/B9Fg

Twitterific--the week in tweets: http://dld.bz/BGf8

I got THE CALL! ... Um now what? http://dld.bz/B9EC

On euphemisms (Ntl. Post): http://dld.bz/B9Ej

Best articles this week for writers: http://dld.bz/BGfn

5 Tips For Working from Home: http://dld.bz/B9Ee

10 of the best alps in literature: http://dld.bz/B9Eb

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Welcome guest Janet Rudolph! http://bit.ly/fjmR9F @CleoCoyle

New Year's Inspiration for Writers: Progress, Goals within Reach, and Bad-Ass Ambition: http://dld.bz/B9DD

One children's book illustrator's design process: http://dld.bz/B9D4

Don't Write the Obit For Picture Books Yet: http://dld.bz/B9Dw

Setting Writing Goals—Step 3

The practicing is really the thing that made me grow the fastest as a writer. 

Everything else I was doing (reading books, craft books, blogs, industry news) was definitely helpful, but the one thing that really helped me improve was practice.

Everybody needs to come up with a plan that will work for them.  This is just what worked for me.

Set goals you can meet.  Starting out, I always set a goal of a page a day.  I let myself come up with that one page whenever and wherever I could.

Start fresh every day…don't play catch-up.  Don't get discouraged by feeling you're falling behind.  Each day is a fresh chance to meet your goal—not catch up on the previous day's goal.

If you're facing a challenging day the following day (or even if you're not), then write a short couple of sentences that night to remind yourself what you're planning on writing the following day.  Or where you're picking up with your story.

Be flexible.  Learn to write on the go, out in public, in the morning, during lunch, or at night.  You don't have to set a particular place or time to write.

If it helps—try not to edit what you've already written.  For me, that's a discouraging process because I'm seeing all the faults in the manuscript.  For me, the most important thing is moving the story to its conclusion, not editing as I go.

Remember that first drafts are supposed to be bad. And give yourself permission to have an awful first, second, or tenth draft.  The only one that counts is the one you submit.

Have any writing tips for daily goals or starting out with a manuscript?

Setting Writing Goals—Step Two

Once I decided that I wanted to write for a larger audience than just myself, I made a goal to improve my writing skills.

The nice thing is that now there are so many ways of learning the writing craft.

Writing Blogs

Reading writing blogs are fantastic ways to get tips on handling problem areas like sagging middles, POV issues, and transitioning between scenes. If you look in my blog roll and underneath my daily posts, there are fantastic writers/bloggers who share their challenges and insights. I have way too many favorites to list them all here, but I consider each of these writers my friends. Each blogger has his or her own blog roll—so you can find even more great writers to connect with and learn from.

Some blogs focus on craft nearly every day. Here are some blogs to get you started: The Other Side of the Story, Fiction Groupie, Write it Sideways, Adventures in Children's Publishing (not just for children's lit writers), Magical Words, and Plot to Punctuation.

Critique Groups

If your town has a local writers' group, check and see if they have critique groups. Or, join an online one, like Critique Circle. For tips on starting your own critique group, see this post on Kirby's Lane.

Independent Editors
If you've gone as far with your revisions and edits that you feel you can, consider contacting an independent editor. Not only can they point out things you might not see yourself, but you can learn a lot from them. There are several that visit my blog, including Helen Ginger, Marvin Wilson, and Crystal Clear Proofing.

Classes and Workshops

Here are some links to online organizations and sites that sponsor online classes and their calendar of upcoming workshops. The classes range from $15 to $50. Many of the classes are taught by working writers.

http://www.writeruniv.com/

http://www.writersonlineclasses.com/?page_id=22

http://www.rwanational.org/cs/chapter_conferences_and_events#online

http://www.rwamysterysuspense.org/index.php

http://www.romance-ffp.com/workshops.cfm

Conferences

Conferences can be another way (a bit more expensive, but many conferences are starting to go online) to learn more about the writing craft—and, of course, network.

I found this list of 2011 writing conferences on Jodie Renner's blog.

Books about Writing

Everyone has their favorites. :) There are many that are specific to particular genres, too. As far as general books on writing, I like On Writing by Stephen King, and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

Magazines about Writing

There are also subscriptions that can help you get information on writing. I've subscribed to Writer's Digest, Poets and Writers, and The Writer.

And then there's….writing. Practicing each day, or as often as you can. And I'll cover that in the post tomorrow. :)

Do you have any favorite writing resources for writers trying to learn more about the craft?

Setting Writing Goals—Step One

The beginning of the new year is always the time when I start assessing my writing goals for the year. It's the perfect time to do it, since resolutions are on everyone's brain and it's hard to get away from it. :)

I've found that the more specific I can be with my goals, the better of a chance I have of meeting them.

I can deal with bite-sized goals. Or even finding out what it is that I want.

I've mentioned before that my writing never really took off until I figured out that I really wanted to share it. I wanted to be published—I wasn't satisfied keeping my writing to myself anymore. But it took me a while to even figure out that was what I wanted to do.

I thought, since I've noticed a lot of new readers and new lurkers lately, that I'd do a mini-series on setting writing goals. I know a lot of my longtime blog friends' goals—and I've read some of their books! But a lot of folks might be just trying to figure out what they're wanting to do with their writing.

So if you haven't focused yet on the early part of goal-setting with your writing, it's worth asking, who am I writing for?

Are you writing for yourself? For a small number of people (family or friends?) For a specialized market? For genre readers? For a wider audience?

I think I'd take it a little farther, once I knew the answer to that question. If you're writing only to please yourself (and I did that for a long time, myself, and found a lot of pleasure in it), then are you looking to improve your writing? In other words, how much time do you want to spend learning about writing (reading craft-related blogs, reading books on writing, and practicing writing)? Are you satisfied with where you are, or are you wanting to grow?

If you're looking at writing for a small number of people (some memoirs, family histories, etc.), then I'd set a goal for finishing the project, for knowing when it's finished (is an independent editor needed? How perfect does the copy need to be for these readers?), and for figuring out the format for the book and how I wanted to share it (self-publishing? Kindle through Smashwords? POD?)

If I was interested in writing for a larger number of people—that opens up a whole other set of goal-setting questions, so I'll start on that tomorrow. :)

Have you thought about for whom you're writing? Have you ever changed from writing for yourself to writing for others?

Books as Gifts

I've always thought that books made the best gifts.

I think I can remember every book I've ever gotten as a gift. And I've got a lousy memory. But it always struck me that the person giving the book to me had spent time thinking about me and the kinds of things I like to read. And bought me something they thought I'd like.

I remember even the books I got as gifts as a child. I got great books from my grandmothers, like these:

and my mother and father, like these:

Later on, when I was married, I started to get these kinds of books from my husband and my sister-in-law (they knew I was interested in writing):

This year, I've bought quite a few books as gifts. Some of them I haven't even read myself, but loved the description from different book blogs that I read. Some seemed like the perfect match for family members or good friends.

I even have two family members who live in Africa. It's hard to get physical gifts to them (unreliable postal service there), but they are getting a gift card to an online book retailer so they can download books to their PCs.

Do you have a favorite book that you received as a gift? Do you have a favorite book that you like to give as a gift?

Twitterific

Here are writing links that I've posted to Twitter for the past week.

If you're looking for a particular topic, just plug in your keyword into the search box at the top left-hand corner of the blog (on the black header right above my blog name…next to the Blogger symbol…the small search window is next to the magnifying glass) and the roundup with your subject will come up. To narrow your search down on the page, do a CTRL+F, type your subject, and hit enter.

I'm also archiving these posts in what I hope is an easily searchable format—if you look at the Twitterific tabs under the blog's heading, I'm posting the links there, too.

An Agent With A Year In Statistics--2010: http://dld.bz/B9Dm

Influencers 2010: On Writing, Publishing, Blogging, Marketing and Entrepreneurship: http://dld.bz/B9CF

Help wanted--strong, believable character: http://dld.bz/BAeQ

Revisions vs rewrites: http://dld.bz/B9CC

Why children's books that terrify are the ones kids love the most (Ntl. Post): http://dld.bz/B9C3

Be careful where you click: http://dld.bz/B9Cs

Conferences/workshops for beginning writers: http://dld.bz/B9Cp

10 Blogging Myths You Must Ignore: http://dld.bz/B9Cm

How to establish characters in your book's opening: http://bit.ly/fbYhex @p2p_editor

A tip jar at public readings? (Guardian): http://dld.bz/B3hF

Five things to do if (gasp) the words won't come: http://dld.bz/B3hz

Writing Across Formats: http://dld.bz/B3hg

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: The neighborly thing to do...egg nog quick bread! http://bit.ly/fdoFXw @CleoCoyle

What copywriters actually do: http://dld.bz/B3gX

The 7 Deadly Sins of Paranormal Romance: http://dld.bz/B3gD

Passive vs Active Voice: http://dld.bz/B3gr

Walt Whitman's notebook (NY Times): http://dld.bz/B3gd

Your Art is Not Frivolous–It's Money Begging to Be Made: http://dld.bz/B3fH

10 tricks to help you feel like a writer: http://dld.bz/B3f9

First-page problems and enduring the wait: http://dld.bz/B3fx

How Boring Is Your Blog? http://dld.bz/B3fs

3 traits of characters readers give up on: http://tinyurl.com/37jdbxz @mkinberg

Zen Pen: http://dld.bz/Bg6j

Dr. Strangemuse: Or How I Learned to Quit Worrying and Love Writer's Block: http://dld.bz/Bg4Q

Avoid Clichés Like the Plague (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/Bg4K

Thoughts on book distribution: http://dld.bz/B3fq

"I am a writer, and I will finish the s*** that I started.": http://dld.bz/Bg4f

Enriching your story-world: http://dld.bz/BgxV @jammer0501

How Small Victories Help You Write with Perseverance: http://dld.bz/BgxE

Why TV Ads Don't Sell Books Online (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/Bgxr

What To Do When We Feel Unappreciated As A Writer: http://dld.bz/Bgwq

Too Many Cooks - How Do You Handle Conflicting Critiques? http://dld.bz/Bgvv

An apple pie and an editor go into a bar: http://dld.bz/BguM

Manuscript formatting: http://dld.bz/Bgut

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Fresh Soup Without Leaving the House! http://bit.ly/e0tYIy @CleoCoyle

Uncle Sam Cracks Down on Music and Movie Piracy. But What's with Books? http://dld.bz/Bgt5

How to Use the Info Tab on the New Facebook Profile: http://dld.bz/Bgtb

Breaking writing rules: http://dld.bz/Bgm3

When Should You Quit Writing? http://dld.bz/Bgmr

How Peanut Farmers Can Save Publishing...and You Can Help: http://dld.bz/BuEg via @tonifois

How to Drive Traffic To a New Blog Through a Commenting Tribe: http://dld.bz/BgkD

Do You Think He Likes Me? Conveying Emotions: http://dld.bz/Bgk5

Editing and the YA market: http://dld.bz/Bgky

The iPad And The Kindle Compared: http://dld.bz/BgjX @thecreativepenn

Countdown to December 31 - Your Writing Expenses: http://dld.bz/BgjV

How to write a book next year: http://dld.bz/BgjT

The Writer Version of Ebenezer Scrooge: http://dld.bz/BgjF

On Contests and Agents and Editors: http://dld.bz/Bgjr

Self-Promotion, With Integrity: http://dld.bz/AVXF

For freelancers (but good for novelists)--The Holiday Season Slow-Down: The Importance of "Making a List": http://dld.bz/Bgg8

World-Building Through Character: http://dld.bz/Bggx

Writing series: http://dld.bz/Bggg

Blogging–Part 2 Don't Feed the Trolls: http://dld.bz/Bggc

Writing an agent or editor back after a rejection: resist the temptation: http://dld.bz/BgfD

Arthur C Clarke award calls on SF fans to help reinvent the prize (Guardian): http://dld.bz/BgeT

Why we love bad books (Salon): http://dld.bz/BgdV

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Hooray for soup! http://bit.ly/eCQgo9 @CleoCoyle

The 51 steps to editing: http://dld.bz/Bgdd

A 6-part series on revising characters: http://bit.ly/4wP2Rc @p2p_editor

An agent on who decides titles and covers: http://dld.bz/BgcS

Writing and promoting--yes, we've got to do our dirty work: http://dld.bz/Bgce

Bloggers: If You're Not Struggling, You're Failing: http://dld.bz/AVYm

7 ways to change your mindset: http://dld.bz/AVXT

How to Manage Criticism Effectively: http://dld.bz/AVXK

Lost Roald Dahl manuscript sells on eBay (Guardian): http://dld.bz/BgBq

Nice List of Romance Writing Resources: http://dld.bz/Bghv @bluemaven

How To Slay Toxic Creatures In Your Creative Life: http://dld.bz/Bgyx @EeleenLee

Is an Emotionally Mature Author an Oxymoron? (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/AVX3

Stay motivated with your writing--you're *not* falling behind: http://dld.bz/Bgad

End Of Days For Bookstores? Not If They Can Help It (NPR): http://dld.bz/AVWQ

4 Tips To Stress Free Blogging: http://dld.bz/AVW5

5 More Aspects of Emotion Writers Need to Know – Expectations: http://dld.bz/AVWj

7 Tasks to Bridge Your First and Second Drafts: http://dld.bz/AVVJ

6 tips for surviving bad reviews: http://dld.bz/AVVy

How to know when your book is finished: http://dld.bz/AV3V @dirtywhitecandy

Revision: Sharpening Characters: http://dld.bz/AV34

The Slush Pile Slump Syndrome: http://dld.bz/AV3j

10 signs you're having one of *those* writing days: http://dld.bz/Bcu8 @elspethwrites

Understanding genre: http://dld.bz/AV3e

Deconstructing a movie to demonstrate story structure and act one elements: http://dld.bz/AV2S

How to Add a Like Button to Your Facebook Tabs: http://dld.bz/AVzZ

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Crunch Time Fallbacks—Creamy Chicken http://bit.ly/ho2fpM @CleoCoyle

Ideas (particularly for nonfiction writers) on putting extras for readers on our websites (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/AUMd

The Sophomore Slump for Published Writers: http://dld.bz/AUK4

When marketing can be too much: http://dld.bz/AUKc

On the overuse of dialogue tags: http://dld.bz/AUJW

The role of an editor: http://dld.bz/AUJb

Raising the stakes in your manuscript: http://dld.bz/AUHW

Stieg Larsson was the top European writer in 2010: http://dld.bz/AUHV

3 tips for avoiding info dumps: http://dld.bz/AUHG @juliemusil

Slush pile trends: http://dld.bz/AUHs

The 13 Most Obnoxious Publishing Stories of 2010 (Huff Post--Slideshow): http://dld.bz/AVYt

Un-Rut Yourself: http://dld.bz/AJam

A collection of posts on writers' retreats and colonies: http://tinyurl.com/28ppduk http://tinyurl.com/2c73n2a http://tinyurl.com/22u5abv

Digging Hurts: The Trauma of Writing Fiction Truthfully (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/AJab

Why celebrity memoirs rule publishing (Guardian): http://dld.bz/AHZU

How to backup your data--and keep up with your passwords: http://dld.bz/AUQz

Top 5 mistakes writers make when penning sex scenes--and a writing exercise to avoid making them: http://dld.bz/AU87

Finding your voice: http://dld.bz/AHZA

A List Of Book Genres: http://dld.bz/AHZ4

What Makes A Good Crit Buddy? http://dld.bz/AHYx @RoniLoren

The pie in the face writing method: http://dld.bz/A8SE

All about the excerpt: http://dld.bz/A8SC

NaNo Now What? http://dld.bz/A8S7

Writer reality check: http://dld.bz/A8Sx

Does Charles Dickens Matter? (Wall St. Journal): http://dld.bz/A8Sr

How to triple your Twitter traffic in 7 days: http://dld.bz/A8Se

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: World's Best Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte from Cleo Coyle http://bit.ly/fHZmPr @CleoCoyle

The Father Figure in Literature: http://dld.bz/A849

Novelist Gordon Korman's take on writing for children: http://dld.bz/A85P

Tips for opening lines: http://dld.bz/A85z

The road to remembering--accurate recall for memoirs: http://dld.bz/A85x

What Constitutes Publication and How Do I Know My Query's Been Read? http://dld.bz/A84T

Copy-Editing And Beta Readers: http://dld.bz/A83H @thecreativepenn

Sexy villains (and why you should be scared of them): http://dld.bz/A8zc

Stop making excuses--tips for increasing writing productivity: http://dld.bz/A8wW

I'm archiving all my tweeted links for easier searching and research for writers: http://dld.bz/AFCJ

When will English come to a full stop (and lose its global dominance)? (Guardian): http://dld.bz/A8ws

8 iPad Apps for Brilliant Writing: http://dld.bz/A8wk

Writers 'at greater risk of depression', survey finds (Guardian): http://dld.bz/AHYj

8 Reasons to Let Your Stories Ripen: http://dld.bz/A8wg

How to Avoid Blogging Burnout During the Holidays: http://dld.bz/A8bh

Why the Best Authors Have a Mailing List: http://dld.bz/A7SB

Facebook Tips for Writers: http://dld.bz/A7S8

An author on problems she's experienced writing for small publishers: http://dld.bz/AFCj @authorterryo

5 Ways Engineering is Like Writing: http://dld.bz/A7Sg

What makes a cozy....good? http://dld.bz/A7RH

10 practical tips for better writing: http://dld.bz/A3DP

3 Ways to Get Organized: http://dld.bz/Aqy6

Season's Readings--a look at "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" (Guardian): http://dld.bz/AExE

Year-in-Review Questions: http://dld.bz/Aqyu

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Crinkle Cookies! http://bit.ly/ff6Fli @CleoCoyle

An agent gives tips on querying: http://dld.bz/Aqwj

Brushing up on grammar: http://dld.bz/AqwW @clarissadraper

On the Problem of Steampunk as "Window Dressing": http://dld.bz/AqwK

Does Refreshing Ourselves Keep Our Writing Fresh? http://dld.bz/Aqvw

An agent posts on whether agents remember submissions: http://dld.bz/AquV

7 Powerful Ways to Get Your Blog Post Noticed: http://dld.bz/AquD

A successful query, point by point: http://dld.bz/AqtG

7 Lessons That WikiLeaks Teaches Us: http://dld.bz/Aqtr

Twitterific--the week in tweets: http://dld.bz/A8qP

DIY Gifts for Writers: http://dld.bz/AqsT

E-readers seduce romance-novel fans (NY Times): http://dld.bz/A8tp

Why Amazon is Critical to Book Sales – And What To Do About It: http://dld.bz/Aqrb

The Best of the Best Books 2010 (Daily Beast): http://dld.bz/A7UX

Publishing etiquette: http://dld.bz/AqqT

Why one writer thinks the future of memoirs is bright: http://dld.bz/Aqqw

Canceling a project – reality check: http://dld.bz/Aqqh

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles http://bit.ly/fhZWJI @CleoCoyle

Freelancers--When to Walk Away From a Writing Job Offer: http://dld.bz/Am9x

In a blog vs. website faceoff, blogs win: http://dld.bz/Am8W

Can a first chapter be too exciting? http://dld.bz/Am8S

The levels of revision hell: http://dld.bz/Am8D