Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 240

Where Are We Going With This?

Conferences are very good for making you think about your long-term plans.

There are writers there that have been published for the past 20 to 30 years…and there are writers who are just starting out, too, and thinking about where they want to go.

And there's nothing like a talk with your agent to help you straighten out your long-term goals. :)

I've said before that one of the best things I've done for my writing career was decide what direction I wanted to take with my writing. What w...

Coincidentally…

I felt a little out of touch with my North Carolina life while I was in DC at Malice Domestic.

My cell phone decided that it wouldn't charge with either of my two chargers. I emailed my husband and told him what was up—and to call me only if there was something important. If he wanted to just shoot the breeze, then email me.

So I was one of the first people at the cell phone store when it opened Monday morning.

A young guy in his early twenties helped me out. "I think," I said, "that i...

Juggling Promotion and Writing—When You Know You Need to Cut Back

Writers' roles in book promotion have changed a lot in the last twenty years. Instead of being expected merely to write and edit, they're looked at as partners in the publicity process.

If you're not promoting your book in some way (signings, interviews, blog tours, website giveaways), then you're really not doing your fair share. This doesn't come as a surprise to any writers who are plugged into the writing community. After all, with Yahoo Groups like Murder Must Advertise (which is a...

Writers' Conferences

I'd actually planned on putting some great photos on this particular blog post—but then realized as I'm here at the Malice Domestic conference in Washington, DC, that apparently I didn't pack the cord that connects my camera to the laptop. But I'll definitely be posting some pictures later from the conference.

Writers' conferences can be great for everyone—aspiring writers looking for industry info, an agent, or a publisher; readers who enjoy hearing favorite authors on panels; and...

Foreshadowing

I'm not the most relaxed traveler in the world. I checked over my lists at least twenty times to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything, rolled my clothes up into my carry-on and finally called myself done. I was ready for the Malice Domestic conference.

I've written all kinds of details down for my husband—where I'm going to be, where the kids will be (they were coming and going over the weekend), etc.

My husband suddenly made a face. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"I don't know. I just...

Twitterific

I think these recap posts get better stats than all my others! :)

I'm doing this a little early this week because I'm flying to the Malice Domestic conference today and won't likely have time to compile these while I'm gone.

I'll also probably not be good this weekend at answering comments on my blog and visiting others' blogs. I'm looking forward to a return to normalcy next week!

2 years, 3 manuscripts, and 50 rejections--anatomy of an agent search: http://dld.bz/bExN

What...

Agents and Social Media

A week ago I was on a social media panel, talking about the benefits of networking and giving some tips.

Afterward, one of the attending agents asked a fellow panelist and me if we think people choose agents based on whether or not they're active on social media. He was also curious whether we thought social media was important for agents to engage in

I thought these were interesting questions. And my gut reaction, of course, was to say that everyone needs social media and to hop on it r...

What Does a Character Want?

During the recession of the early 90s (which looks like nothing compared to the one we're in now) I was fresh out of college and working for very little money at a magazine. Begrudgingly, I took on a bank job as well as writing for the periodical.

I ended up (oddly, considering my lack of leadership skills) in a supervisory role. Basically, if someone sent the bank written correspondence (no one really had email then), I would get it and reply.

So I was the complaint letter girl....

Changing Roles

So we're replacing the downstairs carpeting.

And we have a few really massive pieces of furniture.

The carpet company said it would move one of the biggest ones, but the rest were up to us.

My husband and I moved a few piddly things out of the room and closets, then we approached the (very large) sofa. My husband said, "Can you take one end?"

I did. And I couldn't budge it. Not with my arms, hip, legs—the thing just refused to move.

My husband called out for our 13 year old son....

Planning Tomorrow's Writing

I like having a writing plan.

This doesn't mean that life goes according to plan.

Kids get sick. New carpet gets installed. Cars need to go to the mechanic. Life happens.

I grab my writing time when I can find it—if my plan has been completely scrapped.

But having that basic plan in place—which includes writing—helps me out from the very start of the day.

5 ways to pave the way for writing (the night before):

Check your calendar. Make sure there aren't any nasty surprises to...