Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 236

Little Mistakes—How Much Do They Matter?

Maybe it's because it's Walmart, but I get annoyed every time I'm at the checkout because the sign says 12 items or less. It should be 12 items or fewer.

This, of course, makes no difference at all. The point is the same—if you have 13 or more items, don't stand in that line. (Although people do. That annoys me too, but that's a whole other issue.)

And when I took my dog to the vet the other day, I drove on a road that claimed it was a boulevard. A boulevard, by definition, is a wide ...

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.

Purposeful Daydreaming:

You've Decided to Try for Publication. Now What?

From time to time, I'm going to run a post on the basics of looking for a publisher or agent. I frequently get emails from folks who are looking for very general, basic information—and sometimes they've just discovered the online writing community.

The biggest moment in my writing career came with the realization that I wanted to be published by a traditional publisher. Oddly, the big moment wasn't when I was accepted by a traditional publisher or when I found an agent to represent...

How Our Backgrounds Influence Our Writing: by Rick Chesler

I'd like to welcome Rick Chesler to Mystery Writing is Murder. Rick holds a Bachelor of Science in marine biology and has had a life-long interest in the ocean and its creatures. When not at work as an environmental project manager, he can be found scuba diving or traveling to research his next thriller idea. He currently lives in Honolulu, Hawaii with his wife, a cat and some fish. His book, Wired Kingdom, was released May 2010.

First of all, thanks to Elizabeth Spann Craig for having me a...

Taking Suggestions

I'm definitely happy to take editorial suggestions from my agent or editor.

But sometimes I really need time to get adjusted to a new idea.

I handed in a partial manuscript to my agent on Monday and heard back from her Wednesday. She liked the sample, but suggested that the police play a bigger role in my story than the generic mentions I'd given them (I'm using an amateur sleuth in the book.)

I saw her point, but it boggled my brain a little bit. It's always a tough balance for me in t...

Getting Rid of the Boring Stuff

I'm writing this post from the pool (again.) Yes, it's either the pool, movies,or the skating rink when it's this hot and my daughter is looking for something to do.

There are plenty of people here, joining me in escaping the heat. The conversations that I've overheard have been repetitive and boring (I really can't help but eavesdrop. Really.) :)

"Jonathan! I said to get out of the pool, young man. It's time for us to go. Where are your goggles? What?! You've lost another pair?"

...

Jarring Elements

I'm starting to think that my children have an evil conspiracy to get me working out.

Yesterday, my eight year old daughter asked me to take her to the Y. They have a kids' workout area with miniature treadmills, etc. It's hot as the blazes here in North Carolina…we've had a heat wave for the past several weeks. Indoor exercise sounded like a decent plan, so I agreed.

"You're not wearing that, are you?" she asked me.

I looked down at my twill shorts and black shirt and flip flops. ...

Interfering Characters

On Saturday, I took my children to see The Karate Kid to escape the relentless heat we've been having in North Carolina.

I was 13 when the original movie came out, but this movie seemed different—and better—than my memory of the original. I think it was also a lot more intense…there were several scenes of Dre being bullied that made me wince.

The mother in the movie was an interesting character. She'd never have allowed her son to be bullied—if she'd known about it. The character...

Twitterific

Here are writing links that I've posted to Twitter for the past week. I'm setting this up as a Sunday installment on Mystery Writing is Murder. 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...

So You Think You Are a Writer—by Angela Neal

If someone tells me that they are a writer, I don't tend to question it. Anyone who loves to write and does so recreationally is indeed a writer. "Being a writer" is about more than just putting words on a page... it's a way of seeing the world. However, there is a big difference between being a writer at heart and being a writer who can put money in the bank and food on the table from their writing.

As an editor of several blogs, I have to deal with a wide pool of writers on a regular ...