Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 231

Google Reader

I've gotten a few comments in the last couple of months, asking about Google Reader and how we can make it work for us. I thought I'd do a real quick overview of the way I use the application in case it might help someone else.

I subscribe, admittedly, to an obscene number of blogs (See below. Looks like I'm up to 1380, although I could have sworn I was around 1,000.)

What is Google Reader? It's sort of a newspaper with all the blogs you've chosen as favorites included in the paper. ...

Creating Lifelike Characters

I know that it seems like I spend way too much time at the swimming pool. It's just been such an incredibly hot summer (even for the Deep South), that whenever my children utter the fateful words, "We're bored!" then I just pop them in the car and take them off to the pool.

I was at the pool last week and something started bothering me about the tree in the picture. See the tree I'm talking about? It's huge. It's like a pine tree on steroids.

The other thing that bothered me about t...

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.

Character Relatability:

Small Town Settings

Happy Saturday, everyone!

This morning I'm over at mystery reader Babs Hightower's blog, writing a little about pros and cons to writing small town settings…that are based on real towns.   Hope you'll come by for a visit. :)

Creating a First Draft and Revising

Yes, I'm on the road again!  :)  But looking at my schedule, after tomorrow I think I'm going to be back at my home base for a while.

Today I'm at fellow Midnight Ink writer Lois Winston's blog, Killer Crafts and Crafty Killers, to talk a little about drafting and revising.  Hope you'll pop over and visit!

Hooks

On Tuesday and Wednesday, I was in Atlanta, Georgia, with my daughter and friends at the American Girl doll store.

If you're not familiar with the American Girl line…you must not be an American resident with an almost-9 year old girl. :)

Each doll represents a different time period in American history. The dolls have their own book series, movies, accessories, outfits, and furniture that you can (if you have lots and lots of money) opt to purchase.

My daughter is only slightly...

Marketing Strategies for Writers

It's a whole new world for writers—the world of marketing. It's usually not an area that comes naturally to us, either…we're creative people, not salesmen. Crime writer Martin Edwards asked if I could give an overview of different marketing strategies for writers. Hope you'll pop over to

Conveying a Sense of Place to Our Readers

How can we convey a sense of place to our readers—help them feel like they're actually visiting the region we're writing about--without overdoing it?

Hope you'll join me on Margot Kinberg's blog, Confessions of a Mystery Novelist, where I share some tips for writing your region.

Not Everyone's Cup of Tea

People sometimes think of writers as being sensitive types.

I have to snort when I hear that. Writers can't be sensitive types. Oh, I think that we're naturally pretty emotional people.

But to make it in the publishing world and not completely have a breakdown, we have to develop a really, really tough skin. And lose a lot of the sensitivity.

Criticism starts early in the process: from us. We're sometimes our own worst enemies—comparing our writing negatively to others or telling...

Social Media—What's the Point?

Hi everyone! Hope you'll pop by and join me today at Hey, There's a Dead Guy in the Living Room where I talk a little about social media—how different forms of social media differ from each other and how we can keep track of and limit the amount of time we spend online.

And today at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, my funny mystery writing friend Deb Sharp (who guest posted here a couple of weeks ago) is sharing her recipe for Mama's Nuptial Nectar Punch—and a really interesting picture of...