Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 243

On Turning 39—One Time Only

There aren't many jobs where youth is a disadvantage. I believe writing is one of them.

Actually, I don't think someone in their 30s is particularly young. Until recently, the 30s was considered middle-aged. And society in general doesn't consider someone in their 30s young.

But then there's the writing world.

My favorite uncomfortable moment was when I was with a panel of writers 5 years ago. The author next to me rambled on and on with his top piece of writing advice—live first...

Leaving the Nest—Deadline Day

Today is my deadline for the second Memphis Barbeque book. I'm emailing it to my editor this morning.

I'm getting better with deadlines. I've always met them, but I've felt very reticent about the manuscript in the past. I think I've usually turned it in a little apologetically: "Here it is. For what it's worth…"

Then, of course, there were the times I'd send a revised manuscript with an email. "I thought of something else I wanted to include in the book! (Or..I've found something w...

Absent Families

I'm taking a couple of days off from blogging to celebrate the Easter weekend with my family. I hope you'll enjoy this older post, which originally ran last June.

Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Snow White, Harry Potter…and it's not just in children's literature that there are absent mothers/fathers/wives/husbands.

If you think about it, many novels (except, maybe, ones that are specifically focusing on family life) have protagonists with no significant other.

Why is that? I...

Writing Different Personality Types

I'm taking a couple of days off from blogging to celebrate the Easter weekend with my family. I hope you'll enjoy this older post, which originally ran last July. :)

I wasn't cool in….well, ever. I was on the newspaper and literary magazine staff. I hung out with people in high school that are now architects, IT people, CPAs….but definitely not whatever the cheerleaders and football players became. (Politicians? What did those folks become? Inquiring minds want to know…)

I'm a nerd.

In ...

Celebrating Small Successes

Today is the first day of spring break for my children.

This week of spring break is also the time to celebrate four close family birthdays, observe Easter, send off my taxes, and email the second Memphis book to my editor.

Yesterday I was frantic. I drove two school carpools in the morning (it was my day), drove to Wal-Mart to shop for my son's 13th birthday…suddenly realized the dog was in the car (she loves school carpools), drove home, took the corgi into the house, drove back to ...

Beyond Amazon--Tracking Your Novel's Sales—by Amy Dawson Robertson

I'd like to welcome guest blogger Amy Dawson Robertson to Mystery Writing is Murder today. Amy is a native Virginian and graduated from St. John's College in Annapolis. She lives in the Washington DC area and her writing interests include genre fiction, short stories and graphic novels. She creates strong female characters in action-packed stories drawn on current events. Miles to Go is Amy's first novel.

In the old days, before the internet was a twinkle in eye of Leonard Kleinrock...

Writers' Obsessions with Amazon Sales Rank—by Amy Dawson Robertson

I'd like to welcome guest blogger Amy Dawson Robertson to Mystery Writing is Murder today. Amy is a native Virginian and graduated from St. John's College in Annapolis. She lives in the Washington DC area and her writing interests include genre fiction, short stories and graphic novels. She creates strong female characters in action-packed stories drawn on current events. Miles to Go is Amy's first novel.

In the old days, before the internet was a twinkle in eye of Leonard Kleinrock...

Being Creative on the Computer

I'm doing my best to eliminate paper from my writing process.

At this point, the only paper that's still around are the notebooks (and Post It notes) for my car and purse. I need those for writing on the go (because I grab every second I can.)


But at the end of the day, the paper I wrote on is transcribed onto the computer and thrown away.

Why am I doing this? Well, I've discovered that as much as I love paper, it's slowing me down. And I don't have much time to spare.

I used to do a lot of w...

The Long and the Short of It

When it comes to writing, we all tackle things different ways.  We outline or don't outline.  We focus mainly on plot or mainly on character.  We revise as we go or wait till we're done.  We watch our word count closely or worry about it later.

Our process is different, but we all end up with the same result—a finished manuscript.  But how long did we spend on each part of it?  What took us the longest during the process?

So I'm curious—out of the list below, what takes you the longest? Or is t...

Getting Our Point Across

My mother is, right now, my only first reader.  I think only a mom will put up with being asked to drop everything and read a book from start to finish because the writer is right up on top of a deadline.
Mama just finished reading my second Memphis book which I emailed to my agent Friday afternoon. Her technique is to print the manuscript out, read it, and put sticky flags on pages where she has questions or corrections.  Then she calls me on the phone and goes through the corrections page by...