Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 23

April 9, 2023

Better Sleep for Writers

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Getting a good night's sleep has always been something of a challenge for me, ever since I was a kid. Some of my earliest memories involve watching the hours creep by on a backlit analog clock. Insomnia as a child was just me being my high-energy self, I think. As an adult, it's meant more of a “busy brain” that hasn't had time to really process upcoming events and tasks during the daytime.

When I haven't gotten enough sleep, I function pretty well . . . for a while. But I think it takes a toll on my writing.

Although my sleep now is far from perfect (in fact, I'm writing this post after having gotten up for the day at 3:15 a.m.), there are a few ways I've tried to make sure I set the stage for a better night.

I check my calendar for the next day. Before I turn in, I make sure to check my planner (and my online calendar in case something there didn't make it onto my planner) to see what's up for the next day. There's nothing like not being prepared for an early appointment of some kind. Better to know the day before.

I do brain dumps. This is one of my favorite ways to keep from waking up at night. I make a list of all the different things I need to get done in all the different areas of my life. This could be everything from scheduling a vet visit, to planning for an upcoming family birthday, to getting in touch with my editor or audiobook narrator. Sometimes I'll arrange the lists by topic before coming up with everything I possibly can think of that might wake me up at night. But often, it's a true “dump.”

I schedule some of the brain dump items on calendars. After you've completed a massive list, how do you keep all the to-dos from keeping you up at night? For me, it means scattering them throughout my calendar. It means I have the beginnings of a plan for addressing them.

I reschedule tasks that didn't get completed to another day. This is important, I've learned. It's okay not to finish everything on my list for the day. But when don't finish a task, I need to reschedule it on my calendar. Otherwise, I'll be thinking about it in the middle of the night.

I read before bed. Not only is reading incredibly important for writers, it helps me to calm my brain down and transport me to another world.

Those are the things that are working best for me now. But I'm curious to hear what works for you. Do you have issues falling and staying asleep? What helps you out?

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Published on April 09, 2023 21:02

April 8, 2023

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 65,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you're there, check out the Writer's Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately? Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox! Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

Happy Easter to all who celebrate!

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Published on April 08, 2023 21:01

April 2, 2023

Writing Longhand

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

One thing that always gets me out of any writing-related issue is temporarily writing longhand. There's something about getting out a notebook and pen or pencil that helps me see my project in a totally different way. I especially like writing longhand when I'm at the start of a book or when I've hit any sort of snag along the way. Plus, it's handy to write on the go that way.

Here are a few areas where I might write longhand and how specifically it helps me out:

Brainstorming: For me, this is the area where longhand writing works best. Maybe it's seeing ideas scratched out and others written down in their place. Maybe it's as simple as the pen or pencil scratching across a piece of paper. Maybe it just harkens me back to the days of being a kid and coming up with stories. Regardless, I've found it's a really useful way to come up with story ideas and characters. I also think I sometimes approach elements of a story more thoughtfully when writing longhand because it's a slower process than typing.

Outlining: I use an outline template for my books, so maybe this works better for me than it might for others. Outlining is definitely not one of my favorite writing-related activities. When I feel like I'm hitting a wall, I print out the outline template and write in it longhand…almost like filling out the blanks. So, for instance, I fill out the victim, how he was murdered, when the body was found and who found it, a description of the victim, etc. It can make the task seem a lot less onerous.

Drafting a Manuscript: I'm not as fond of writing longhand when it comes to my manuscript. That's mostly because it takes me twice the time . . . half to write a scene and half to type it into the final document. If I do write longhand for the manuscript, I try not to get too far ahead that way without typing the longhand text into the document. I will say it can really help if I get stuck while writing. But making simple longhand lists of possible directions to take a scene or a character works just as well without making me feel as if I'm getting behind.

Do you ever write longhand? How does it help you out? What parts of the writing process do you use it for?

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Published on April 02, 2023 21:01

April 1, 2023

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on April 01, 2023 21:01

March 26, 2023

Make Your Cozy Easier to Read

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I have the luxury now of uninterrupted reading time, when I didn't as much when my kids were little. But I still notice that I have the ability to get characters and motives confused when I read mysteries. This is even during books I love and am putting a lot of focus into reading.

When you think about it, it makes sense. Mysteries are complex. There are a number of suspects populating the pages, along with recurring characters to keep track of. Throw in some clues and some red herrings and you might feel as if you need to take notes.

If you're writing cozies, though, there are some things you can do as a writer to help the readers out. After all, many readers are grabbing their reading time in carpool lines or during a few minutes before turning in for the day. I've even noticed that readers see what I'm doing and appreciate it: it's been mentioned during at least one of my Goodreads reviews.

Here are a few tips:

Be careful with character names. It's tough to keep track of new characters, especially if more than one of them has a name starting with the same letter. But also be careful with names that are similar that don't start with the same character: Tim and Jim, for instance.

There's a writer whose books I love, but I feel as if I've had to go through a marathon of concentration when reading her books. She'll often have one character who's sometimes referred to by a nickname. And, because they're police procedurals, the cops will often refer to a character by using a first name sometimes and a last name others. Try to avoid giving a character more than one name.

Use recaps to run through the suspects and their motives. This is probably the most helpful thing you can do for a reader. It's even better when done with a sidekick instead of as internal monologue. Have your sleuth go through the suspects one-by-one, mentioning motive, means, and opportunity as you go. It's not repetitive . . . it can really help. Have your sidekick ask the sleuth questions to further help it stick in readers' minds.

Reintroduce Characters. When a character has been offstage for a while, make a short reintroduction. It's easy to forget a character when you haven't been reading about them for thirty pages or more. Just give a quick, simple introduction to help readers place the character. (Jim, Marjorie's son, walked up to the group.)

Do you have trouble keeping track of characters when you're reading? As a writer, how do you make things easier on your readers?

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Published on March 26, 2023 21:04

March 25, 2023

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on March 25, 2023 21:01

March 11, 2023

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Due to a busy week this week, I won't be posting again until next Sunday's Twitterific. Hope everyone has a great week!

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Published on March 11, 2023 21:05

March 5, 2023

Newsletters: Even Just at Releases

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Sending newsletters is a promo task that many writers either avoid or dread. Some writers don't even have signup links on their sites because they don't want the hassle of newsletter creation to take away from their writing time. Some writers start out strong with newsletters but then find them falling by the wayside as they end up too busy to send them. Others aren't really sure what to put in their newsletters at all.

I was one of those writers who froze at the thought of sending newsletters. Late on the bandwagon, I finally jumped in. I figured better late than never.

There's a lot of advice out there about the “right” way to send reader newsletters. Ultimately, for me, it's like reading articles on the “right” way to clean shower doors or ovens; it's honestly just better if you go ahead and clean the things instead of waiting until you can do it the right way.

With newsletters, it's also better to just jump in than worrying about composing the perfect email with the perfect lead magnet in the perfect way.

And forget worrying about newsletter open stats, especially if you're already concerned about the other aspects of the task. Later on, you can worry about culling your subscriber list.

When I'm asked to offer writers one piece of advice, it's inevitably to “set the bar low.” But it doesn't just apply to writing. It can apply to promo, too. Basically, it's better to do a little writing or a little promo than not doing anything at all.

I've slowly grown my email list, mostly organically. I have an email signup that's visible on my site. I don't have any fancy lead magnets, just a free book. I started late on the newsletter bandwagon, but have over 3700 subscribers and an open rate of 45%.

The biggest bit of advice that I consistently ignore is to send newsletters frequently. I just don't ascribe to that at all. Maybe I'm disappointing some readers who'd like to hear from me more often, but I'm also avoiding chasing off readers who just want to hear about the new release.

And that's when I send newsletters: when I have a new release. But, considering how often I launch books, I suppose that's fairly regularly.

So if you're like many writers who feel overwhelmed when thinking about your newsletter, my advice is not to overthink it. Instead, send it out when you've got a new release. Put that signup link on your website and see what happens.

Do you have a newsletter? How often do you send it out? If you don't have one, what's preventing you from starting one?

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Published on March 05, 2023 21:01

February 26, 2023

Betas, ARC Readers, and Critique Partners

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

The pre-publication process can have a lot going on. For me, it often seems like a whirlwind of edits, pre-orders, and newsletters.

Part of that process is getting my book in the best possible shape it can be for readers upon release. To ensure this, I use a team of people to help me out.

I no longer use critique partners, although they were a big help to me when I was starting out. Whereas beta readers are readers, critique partners are other writers. That's the biggest difference. With a CP, you're also expected to help the other writer out with their own projects. When I had CPs, I was in a group that met locally in the Charlotte area. There were 4 other women and we met weekly and exchanged chapters. I will say one problem that I did notice with CPs is that it's sort of like playing tennis. You don't get a lot out of it if you're the best player or the worst.

I do use beta readers. These betas are some of my most avid readers. They usually ended up on my team because they reached out to tell me that they love my books . . . but that I've gotten something wrong. That's exactly the kind of reader I'm looking for to help me out. I want to hear all about my mistakes, whether they're typos, a character acting out of character, or inconsistencies in one particular book or in the series as a whole. I try to give my betas an edited copy of my manuscript (edited by my freelance editor). If I'm really short on time, I apologize and give them an unedited copy but ask them to focus more on the story and the big picture than any line editing work. I think it's very helpful to hear their thoughts on pacing and whether there were any confusing points during the story. I use 3-4 betas for every book (some have their favorite series, so I have different numbers for different books).

One quick point. While I use betas generally post-editing, newer writers might want to use them pre-editing. If betas find errors for free, that will save you on editing costs.

I also use ARC readers. An ARC is an advanced reader copy. I'm currently using 21 ARC readers. I usually set the book up for pre-order, then load my epub, PDF, and mobi files on Prolific Works (I also have Book Funnel, but I've been using Prolific Works practically since its inception. It's just a matter of old dog, new tricks for me.) I share a link for free copies to the ARC readers in their preferred format. The main job for my ARC readers is to leave an early review for the release. But I also ask them to please let me know of any errors they see. I love stomping those out before the book launches. And, often, they do email me to let me know of typos that somehow made it through the edits.

You can see why it feels a little like a whirlwind! But at the end of the process, I'm always confident I've got a pretty solid book for sale.

Do you use betas, CPs, or ARC readers? How does the process work for you? And thanks to Teresa for prompting this post!

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Published on February 26, 2023 21:01