Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 53

February 8, 2020

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 50,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

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.

New Stuff

Here’s a documentary a lot of self-publishers will identify with. Free for Amazon Prime members, it’s called “Word Slingers” and follows two authors as they try to navigate self-publishing and “get their work into the hands of readers.” You can see the trailer on YouTube.

Business / Miscellaneous

6 Steps to Get Your Self-Published Book Into Libraries: @IlhamAl50397575 @JaneFriedman
Professionalism in the Age of the Influencer: @johnaugust
In a Glutted Market, How Can Authors Stand Apart? @KristenLambTX
Copy Editing Guide: What is Copy Editing for Authors? @Self_Pub_School
Writing for University Publications: by Erica Naone @hopeclark

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

PEN America Opens ‘Free Speech 2020’: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives @PENamerica
Audio Publishers Association Names 2020 Audie Award Finalists: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
International Prize for Arabic Fiction: The 2020 Shortlist: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Today’s World Read Aloud Day: ‘Competing for Attention’: @Porter_Anderson @fromdorothy @litworldsays @pubperspectives
London Book Fair Announces an ‘Audio HQ’ Area and Conference: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
London Book Fair Announces Insights Seminar Programming at Author HQ: @Porter_Anderson

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

10 Short Stories “Creepshow” Should Adapt For Season Two: @GiveMeYourTeeth @LitReactor
5 Works Involving Weird, Unsettling Isolation: @lizharmer @tordotcom
This Map Charts Out The Wide World of Literature: @AndrewLiptak @tordotcom
The Deceptive Simplicity of ‘Peanuts’: by Ivan Brunetti @parisreview
We Are the Weirdos, Mister: Power, Rage, and Teenage Witches: @kateracculia @tordotcom

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

5 Steps You Must Take to Finish Your Book by @colleen_m_story :

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

Getting Unstuck With Your Writing: @JudithBriles @JFbookman

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

Become a Good Literary Citizen: @juliecardalt @WriterUnboxed
What Your Last 10 Years of Writing Have to Tell You: @colleen_m_story
The Wilderness of the Unfinished Manuscript: @sarahmbroom @parisreview
Get Back to Basics With Your Writing: @ScholarlyFox
Reviews and the Art of Avoiding Them: @DeanWesleySmith
Is it Impossible to Write an Original Story? @ReedsyHQ
Avoiding Things That Sap Your Energy as a Writer: @KristineRusch
Dorothy Allison on the Necessity of Making Readers Uncomfortable: @gardenandgun @lithub
Things to Do While Taking a Break From Writing: @eseckman @TheIWSG
How can you emulate other writers? @pubcoach
T.S. Eliot: Good Writers Borrow, Great Writers Steal: @woodwardkaren
How George Eliot Became a Social Outcast at the Height of Her Fame: @NLebrecht @lithub
How a job in PR led one writer to becoming a novelist: @SusannaBeard25 @WomenWriters
6 Lifestyle Habits for Becoming a Better Writer: by Michael Bjork

Genres / Fantasy

Why Writers Should Know About Monsters Before They Write a Word: @ChrisLukeDean @Writers_Write

Genres / Horror

How to Write Horror For Kids: @dkparsonswriter @SelfPubForm

Genres / Mystery

In Defense of Cozy Mysteries: by Radha Vatsal @KirkusReviews
How to Write About Law Enforcement: with police sergeant Patrick O’Donnell @SelfPubForm

Genres / Romance

How to Craft Alluring Intimate Scenes: @kristen_kieffer

Genres / Science Fiction

The Great Man Theory and Historical Change in SFF: @EH_Kern @tordotcom

Genres / Screenwriting

The Subject Of Divorce And How It Plays On Screen: @JeffYorkWriter @CreativeScreen

Genres / Short Stories

12 Lessons Learned From Writing Short: @johnpwriter

Promo / Connecting with Readers

3 Ways to Turn Your Casual Readers into Diehard Fans: @DaveChesson @IndieReader

Promo / Miscellaneous

Promote Your Book with Local Collaborations: @sandrabeckwith @JFbookman
Annoying book marketing tactics: @pubcoach
A Live Book Marketing Sprint From 11a-1p EST Today (in 20 Minutes): Knock Out All the Promo You Hate to Do: @lisadaily
How to Use Amazon KDP Print for Advance Reading Copies-ARCs: @Wogahn

Promo / Social Media Tips

Survival guide to Facebook for authors: @debemmitt
How to Create a Facebook Author Page (And Tips for Using It Wisely): @DaveChesson

Promo / Websites

What Makes a Great Author Website: @DanBlank

Publishing / Miscellaneous

The Magic of Co-Authorship: @annehawkinson @FloridaWriters1
Sony Makes Wattpad Projects; Business Remembers Alice Mayhew: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Publishing / News / Data

AAP’s StatShot for November: Year-to-Date, a Modest Rise: @Porter_Anderson @AmericanPublish @pubperspectives
Open Road Integrated Media Reports 23.3 Percent Growth in 2019: @Porter_Anderson @OpenRoadMedia @pubperspectives

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Sweden’s Nextory, Like Storytel, Looks for New Markets: @jaroslawadamows @pubperspectives
Sharjah World Book Capital Reveals the ‘House of Wisdom’ Project: @Porter_Anderson
Italian Book Market in 2019: Online Sales Rising, 18App Bonus Declining: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Publishing Scotland: Author International Travel Fund Gains Traction: @Porter_Anderson @PublishScotland @pubperspectives
Italian Booksellers, Publishers Face New Law’s Discount Restrictions: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

Janet Reid, Literary Agent: “The money isn’t the issue.” …oh, yes it is: @Janet_Reid

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections

8 books to help you overcome fear of rejection: @TheLeighShulman

Publishing / Process / Book Design

Five Eye-Catching ’70s SF Covers That Actually Represent the Story: @jamesdnicoll @tordotcom

Publishing / Process / Translation

Working With Babelcube: @CelebratingGran @IndieAuthorALLI

Writing Craft / Beginnings

5 book openings critiqued by a literary agent and writer at Litopia: @Roz_Morris @Litopia
First Page Critique: A Storm Is Coming Or Is It A Spaceship? by P.J. Parrish @killzoneauthors
Whose Story Is it? First Page Critique: @JordanDane @killzoneauthors

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

3 Guidelines for Character Creation: by Katherine Liu @NaNoWriMo
Want Stronger Characters? Try The StrengthsFinder: by Rebecca Langley @standoutbooks
Character Archetypes: The Disruptor and the Underdog: @DIYMFA
How to Make Your Reader Care About Your Characters: @SnowflakeGuy

Writing Craft / Diversity

Handling a White Female Savior in a Story: by Colette @WritingwColor

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

Psycho Invented the Spoiler Alert as We Know It: @jessepasternack @CrimeReads
The Beginning Hook for Killing Eve: by Randall Surles @StoryGrid

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

How to Write a Real Page-Turner: @lwreyes
Why Authors Need To Know About Aphantasia: by Robert Wood @standoutbooks
Story as metaphor: @napolitanoann @Roz_Morris
Building Structure with Changes of Significance: by Jeanne Cavelos @OdysseyWorkshop @womenonwriting
Story Structure: A Refresher: @woodwardkaren
5 Ways to Incorporate Real Historical Figures into Your Fiction: @mcnelliswrites @DIYMFA
How thinking like a psychologist can help your writing: @WriteToSell
How Do You Write A Great Tsundere Character? by Robert Wood @standoutbooks
The Hero’s Journey: How to Write the Climax of Your Story: @DavidHSafford @write_practice

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

The 7 Basic Plotlines: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Beats

Joker Beat Sheet: @DonRoff @savethecat

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

That vs. Which: How to Decide Which to Use: @KathrynPetras @thewritelife

Writing Craft / Revision

Two of the Best Editing Hacks Ever: @wendy_w_spooner @SouthrnWritrMag

Writing Craft / Series

Writing a Series? 7 Dos and Don’ts: @KassandraLamb @JamiGold

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

5 Thoughts on How to Use Place to Move Your Story Forward: @Janebernwriter @WritersDigest
Sense of Touch: Its Importance in Scenes: @ZoeMMcCarthy

Writing Craft / Special Needs

Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Write Disabled Characters: @_HannahHeath

Writing Craft / Tropes

10 Worst Family Tropes in Fiction: @jennamoreci

Writing Craft / World-Building

5 Ways to Improve Worldbuilding in Speculative Fiction: by Angela Brown @davidfarland

Writing Tools / Resources

Listings of SCBWI Webinars for Children’s Writers: @scbwi

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on February 08, 2020 21:02

February 2, 2020

How to Make It Through the Middle of Your Book

by Colleen M. Story, @colleen_m_story

The middle of the book.

For readers, it’s often the most enjoyable part. For writers, it can be hell.

The beginning is full of bliss and promise. The end is often a rushing-forward, emotionally wrangling but satisfying experience.

But the middle? That’s where it gets tough. Unfortunately, it’s also where most writers give up.

If you’re in the middle of your book and you’ve been struggling for a while, you may be thinking about abandoning it. I’d encourage you to think again. Unless you’re a seasoned author with many titles under your belt, leaving a story unfinished is most likely a mistake.

Here’s why.

Why Writers Need to Finish Their Books

I wasted a lot of my early years as a writer on unfinished manuscripts. Each time I got stuck in the middle, I believed it was because the idea was not good enough. A new idea would occur to me and I would start over again.

Of course, it would turn out that the new idea was no better than the old one, as inevitably I would get stuck in the middle. Still, I was convinced that if I landed on the right idea the story would flow easily from beginning to end.

So I would choose another new idea and start over.

As you can imagine, I wasted many years of my writing career stuck in this frustrating loop. It was only when I attended a writing workshop and heard my mentor say, “Finish the darn story!” that I finally realized my mistake.

My manuscripts were unfinished not because they were based on bad ideas, but because I hadn’t trained myself to take a story from beginning to end. There’s a big difference between writing a few scenes or a few chapters and writing a novel.

We writers tend to think that if we have a knack for the written word, we should be able to write a book. What we fail to understand is that this is a unique skill that needs to be developed.

After that workshop, I change my mindset and started finishing my stories no matter what. I learned that for many writers, the middle of a novel is often difficult. It’s a normal thing! And it is our responsibility to push past that difficulty and find our way through the story to the very end.

Thus began my experience of wrestling the middle of the story. Though each one is different, I’ve learned that the process a writer must go through to finish stays the same.

5 Steps You Must Take to Finish Your Book

First, understand how critical it is to your career to finish any project you start.

The authors that stand the biggest chance of succeeding in today’s market are the more prolific ones. The more finished books you have out there, the better your chances of finding a readership.

Don’t waste time chasing after one idea and then the other as I did. And by the way, it’s okay if you’re feeling discouraged. When you’re trying to find your way through the middle, it’s often a slow, arduous journey. For that reason, I call it “the slog.”

The good news is that once you get through the slog, everything is usually downhill from there. So strap on your high boots and let’s get going.

1. Expect that it’s going to be difficult.

Initially, I kept abandoning my stories because I thought there was something wrong with struggling. I had this belief that a good story idea would flow easily, so a struggle meant something was wrong with the idea.

I have since learned that most writers struggle in the middle of a book. “For many writers, there is nothing worse than coming up with the Middle of the story,” writes author and Language Arts teacher David Safford. “If you’re anything like me, the Beginning is easy. It’s fun to come up with a cool premise for a story….The End can seem easy, too….But for some reason, there’s something about a story’s Middle that’s a pain in the neck.”

So when you come up against that brick wall, don’t panic. It’s perfectly normal, and it’s your job to find a way around it.

2. Keep yourself motivated.

The strongest emotion you’re likely to feel while going through the slog is discouragement. This beautiful story you were so excited about has lost its sheen. Suddenly it doesn’t seem to have as many possibilities as it did before.

Here’s where it helps to know how to motivate yourself. How do you keep yourself going? All of us respond to different types of motivations, most of which fall into three different categories:

People
Power
Achievement

Support from other people may be what keeps you from quitting (people). Or maybe it’s the thought of seeing your book published that spurs you on (achievement). Or perhaps you’re hoping your book’s message will reach people and influence them (power).

Think about what motivates you in other areas of your life, and then use that type of motivation to keep yourself writing even when you may not feel like it. Here are some ideas:

If you’re motivated by people, lean on those who want to see you finish your story, or get together with your writing friends to talk each other up.
If you’re motivated by power, think about how your book may influence others, or publish part of it on your blog to get feedback from readers.
If you’re motivated by achievement, track your progress with a visible calendar, or think about getting a frame in which you’ll hang your book cover when it’s done.

3. Start over again and again.

When you’re struggling with the middle of the story, you may try putting it aside for a few days to see if your creative brain comes up with a solution.

You may get discouraged and set the book aside because you simply don’t know what to do with it. Or life may interfere, forcing you to leave the story behind for a little while.

Whatever the case, realize that through the difficult middle of the book, the journey is likely to get bumpy. You’ll work on the story, then you’ll set it aside. Then you’ll need to pick it up and work on it again.

The danger is that you won’t go back. It is always difficult to get started on a project you’ve set aside. You lose momentum and may forget exactly what was happening in the story when you left off.

This is where you must trick yourself into getting started again and again. There are many ways you can do this, but here are a few suggestions:

Tell yourself you’ll work on it for only five minutes. Anybody can work on a project for five minutes! Once you get into it, you’ll likely want to continue.
Tell yourself you’ll put something else off if you work on your story. You won’t have to clean the house, for example. This can make working on the story seem like a more rewarding choice.
Tell yourself you’ll do only 1% of the project. If you need to write the next chapter, 1% of that might be only 100 words. That’s a small enough goal that you’ll be able to get over the hurdle of getting started.

Stop, start, stop, start. That’s often the way it goes in the middle of the book. It’s okay. Just keep returning to the manuscript.

4. Get help!

This seems like an obvious step, but unfortunately, it’s one that writers often neglect to take. I think it’s because many feel insecure about their stories, so they hesitate to reach out for fear of criticism.

Start with websites and books that can help. Here are a few suggestions:

Blueprint Your Bestseller , by Stuart Horwitz
Story Structure Architect: A Writer’s Guide to Building Dramatic Situations & Compelling Characters , by Victoria Lynn Schmidt
45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters , by Victoria Lynn Schmidt
The Art of Character: Creating Memorable Characters for Fiction, Film, and TV , by David Corbett

Another option is to look at how other authors and screenwriters do it. I often find my breakthroughs at the movie theater. If I see a particularly good movie that puts me into a reflective mood, it jolts my creative muse out of hiding so she gives me the answers I’ve been searching for.

If you have a writers group or a writing friend, simply talking out your struggle may be enough to inspire some solutions. And of course, a writing mentor can be of invaluable assistance, and you can find them in many places.

If these ideas don’t work, there are many quality editors of book doctors out there willing to read your work and give you their feedback. Yes, it could cost you some money, but this is your writing. Surely it is worth the investment if it helps you finish your story?

5. Trust yourself.

This one may be the hardest of all, but it’s also the most important. This is your story, and no one but you can figure out how it needs to be told.

When you’re struggling in the middle of the book, you may feel like you’re the last one to come up with a solution. You may feel inadequate, unqualified, and like you don’t know what you’re doing.

All of these feelings are perfectly normal. They’re also difficult, which is why many people never finish their books.

Separate yourself from the pack by accepting these emotions and continuing to work on your story anyway. Trust yourself that you will find the solution eventually if you put your mind and energy to it.

Millions of other writers have been right where you are and have managed to push through to the other side. Why not you?

Finishing Matters No Matter What

One final thing: remember that finishing the story is important no matter what. Even if you never publish it, it never garners a good review, and it never places in a literary contest, if you finish it, you will have given yourself the experience of writing and finishing yet another novel.

Writers must practice their craft. Just like a musician must play a piece hundreds of times to master it, so a writer must complete a book-length story many times to become proficient.

Each novel you finish is another achievement on your resume, and another step to becoming the writer you want it to be. Don’t deprive yourself of these accomplishments because it gets a little tough in the middle.

As William J. Brennan, Jr., said, “We must meet the challenge rather than wish it were not before us.”

You’re a writer. Go forth and meet the challenge…and finish your book!

Note: For more guidance on how to finish the creative projects you start—including the 5 things you must have to complete your book—get Colleen’s FREE mini-course here!

Colleen M. Story inspires writers to overcome modern-day challenges and find creative fulfillment in their work. Her latest release, Writer Get Noticed!, was the gold-medal winner in the Reader’s Favorite Book Awards (Writing/Publishing 2019). Overwhelmed Writer Rescue was named Book by Book Publicity’s Best Writing/Publishing Book in 2018, and her novel, Loreena’s Gift, was a Foreword Reviews’ INDIES Book of the Year Awards winner, among others. Find more at these sites:

Writing and Wellness | Writer CEO | Teachable | Author Website | Twitter

5 Steps You Must Take to Finish Your Book by @colleen_m_story :
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Photo credit: waferboard on VisualHunt.com / CC BY

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Published on February 02, 2020 21:02

February 1, 2020

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous

Top 3 Tips For When You’ve Been Offered a Book Contract: @AdriennGiordano @RomanceUniv
Your Agent Wants a Second Book: @SPressfield
A Cozy Mystery Author’s 2019 Publishing Year in Review: @Ellen__Jacobson
Should You Write to Market? @KyleRbrtShultz
When Royalties are Incorrect: @JohnDoppler @IndieAuthorALLI

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

Frankfurter Buchmesse Will Again Send Publishers and Agents to Cannes: @Porter_Anderson @Book_Fair @pubperspectives
Journalist Jack Fairweather Wins £30,000 Costa Book of the Year: @Porter_Anderson @jackfairweather @pubperspectives
IPA Makes First Speaker Announcement for Lillehammer Congress: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
London Book Fair Names O’Brien, Atiq, Cowell Its 2020 Authors of the Day: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
10 Pro Author Tips for Book Fairs and Festivals: @jessicastrawser @CareerAuthors

Creativity and Inspiration / Careers in Writing and Day Jobs

Teaching Writing to Children: Rituals and Transitions: Reaching Your Writers: @mrodz308

Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting

Renew Refresh Recommit to Your Creativity Goals: @plotwhisperer
Are Your Writing Goals Too Ambitious? @MegDowell

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

Seven of Crime Fiction’s Most Terrifying Marriages: @Gina_LaManna @CrimeReads
How To Find Time To Read More Books In 2020: @inkyelbows
Five Fantasy Action Reads With Lyrical Prose: @HowardAndrewJon @tordotcom
Top 10 golden age detective novels: @nicolaupsonbook @GuardianBooks
You’ll Need Me When They’re Gone: The Poems We Reach For in Grief: by Colin Pope @The_Millions
The Right Novels to Read in Every Life Crisis: by Frances Yackel @ElectricLit
“Five Authors Who Taught Me How to Write Fantasy”: @HowardAndrewJon @TMcaulty @tordotcom

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

Time Management for Authors is Cyclical and Varies By Season: @KarenHWhiting @EdieMelson

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

5 Ways To Overcome Your Fears of Publishing Your Writing: @ADDerWORLD
Does Age Matter for Writers? An Agent Answers: @RachelleGardner
A Notebook System – How To Organize Your Projects + Notes: @LisaLatteBooks
Reliving Difficult Memories to Tell Our Stories: @LisaSteeleMaley @colleen_m_story
The Importance of Believing in Yourself as a Writer: @WritersCoach
Why Writers Should Travel: The 10 Best Cities for Writers to Travel To: @joebunting @write_practice
13 Tips for Writers Who Just Want to Finish Something For Once: @MegDowell
How to Deal With Self Doubt: by Tom Ashford @SelfPubForm
“Why I Don’t Write Every Day”: by Phoebe Quinn @TheRyanLanz
When Writing A Novel Is Like Moving Furniture: @ArtConnectsUs
Delete Naiveté From Your Writing Life: @jamesscottbell
Write Short, Edit Long / Write Long, Edit Short: @JoanHallWrites @StoryEmpire
How to Overcome Fear as a Writer and Embrace Your Profound Courage: @KMWeiland
29-day challenge for February’s Leap Year: @austinkleon
Nurturing the Creative Spark Through Sleep: @ecellenb
A Writer’s Guide to Understanding People: @KMWeiland
Are You a Neurotic Writer? Sometimes You Need to Leave That Stuff At Home: @laurabenedict @killzoneauthors

Genres / Memoir

The Problem Confronting Memoirists: Overabundance of Material: @peterselgin @JaneFriedman

Genres / Mystery

Is the Killer in Your Tale a Plotter or a Pantser? @LeeLofland
Crime Writing Tips: @EveSeymour @WomenWriters

Genres / Non-Fiction

Writing Tips: How To Outline A Non-Fiction Book So Readers Can’t Put It Down: by Joshua Lisec @thecreativepenn

Genres / Science Fiction

Sci-Fi Romance: Writing Characters to Fall in Love With: @GoblinWriter @SelfPubForm

Genres / Short Stories

Tapping the Short Market: @Lindasclare

Promo / Miscellaneous

Putting Chapter One of Another Story at the End of a Book: by Lynne Benton @AwfullyBigBlog
How To Sell More Books With Reader Funnels: @pbackwriter @thecreativepenn
5 Adjectives That Sell a Book: @NicolaAlter

Promo / Newsletters

Why Every Indie Author Needs a Newsletter (And How to Create a Great One): @Bookgal @IndieReader

Promo / Social Media Tips

Twitter For Nonvultures: @EmilyFRussell @TheRyanLanz
Using the Facebook Notes Feature for Book Excerpts:
Your Twitter and Facebook Headers – Are Using This Free Real-Estate In The Best Way Possible? by Lee Wind @scbwi

Promo / Video

9 Video Apps and Tools: @denisewakeman

Publishing / Miscellaneous

What Goes In The Front Matter Of Your Book? @dre_cal @BookBaby
The Seven Processes of Book Publishing: @OrnaRoss @IndieAuthorALLI

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Industry Notes: Canada’s Family Literacy Day and World Read Aloud Day: @Porter_Anderson @FirstBookCanada @Scholastic @pubperspectives
UK Publishers Association Study: Women Hold 55 Percent of Top Roles: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Interview: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature Director Ahlam Bolooki: @Porter_Anderson @AhlamBolooki @EmiratesLitFest @pubperspectives
At France’s Festival d’Angoulême: Barcelona’s Bang Ediciones on Comics: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Introducing Publishing’s People to Readers: Colombia’s Campaign Against Book Piracy: by Adam Critchley @pubperspectives
Brexit Arrives Tonight in the UK: Publishing Observations From the Field: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
During Dubai’s Emirates Airline Program: A Festival of Festivals: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Women Newly Named to Executive Publishing Positions in Germany and the States: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Pitches

Information about the upcoming (Wednesday) IWSG Twitter Pitch: https://t.co/p6XPDLcDLg @TheIWSG

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

Query Writing 101: @topshelfedits
The best strategy for sending query letters: @NathanBransford

Writing Craft / Beginnings

First Page Critique – Rooster Strut: by Debbie Burke @killzoneauthors

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

12 Character Archetypes You Can Use to Create Incredible Heroes: @JerryBJenkins
Expansion Pack: Stock Characters: by C.S. Boyack @StoryEmpire

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

When Characters Don’t Communicate: from Just a Writing Aid

Writing Craft / Dialogue

The Dialogue Checklist: @KMAllan_writer
He said, she said. 15 Keys to Writing Great Dialogue: @RuthHarrisBooks at @annerallen

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

Why Is the Theme of Man and the Natural World Important? @Sara_HeartStory @DIYMFA
How to Add Dimension to Your Story’s Theme: @SeptCFawkes

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Editor Roundtable: Beginning, Middle, and End: by Leslie Watts @StoryGrid
Using Rituals to Make Your Stories More Believable: @richardgthomas3 @LitReactor

Writing Craft / Pacing

How to Build Interest in A Story Through Pacing: @katekrake

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining

Developing a Beat Sheet into an Outline: by Marty C. Lee @JamiGold

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

Story Structure: The Hero’s Journey: @woodwardkaren
How do you Find the Plot of a Story? Using Scenarios: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research

The Perils and Pitfalls of Research: by Tasha Alexander @WriterUnboxed

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept

How to Test Your Story Idea: Is Your Idea Strong Enough to Support a Novel? @JLHarrisCoach

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

Punctuating Dialogue: by A03

Writing Craft / Revision

The (Dreaded?) Revision Letter: by Jan Drexler

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

Write without Fear; Edit without Mercy (Or How 1 Writer Learned to Love Critique Groups: by Marty Ambrose @FloridaWriters1
How Critique Can Help You Become a Better Writer: @writingthrulife

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

How To Write Great Descriptions: @CatGerlach @TheIWSG

Writing Craft / Tropes

5 Important Reasons Your Writing Needs Tropes: by Stella Lincoln @Bang2write

Writing Craft / World-Building

World-Building Secrets for Fantasy Writers: @Astrohaus

Writing Tools / Apps

Revision Mode in Scrivener: @aprildavila

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on February 01, 2020 21:02

January 26, 2020

Using Facebook Notes for Excerpts

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’m trying to be a little more active on Facebook…not because I enjoy the platform, but because so many of my readers are there.

I read a BookBub post a while back that I’d bookmarked. It involved using Facebook for promotion and nothing mentioned seemed extremely time-consuming. One of the ideas mentioned in the article was to use the Facebook notes feature to publish an excerpt from your book. The post said Debbie Macomber was a great example of an author using this approach well.

I decided to give it a go in November about a week before my release day. But it wasn’t as intuitive a process as I’d thought it would be. The notes feature on a personal profile is easy enough to find, but as a page, I was baffled and it took me a ridiculous 30 minutes to figure it out. I thought I’d detail the steps I took below in case anyone else ends up as confused as I was.

First off, I read up on some of the best practices for businesses using the notes feature. The different articles I read recommended that the add the “notes tab” to our page’s list of featured tabs so readers could find our notes easily (you can see this in action with Debbie Macomber’s notes in the link above).

Go to your page’s dashboard.

The first mistake I made was to go into settings from my home page. Nope. This leads to an entirely different settings menu, little did I know. First, go to your dashboard (I did this by clicking on my notifications tab) and then click settings on the far right.

Click Templates and Tabs:

Add the new tab (at the bottom of the page that pops up). Reorder the tabs, if you want (you do that by clicking, holding, and dragging the horizontal lines on the left).

Go back to your page’s home page and click on the new notes tab

Click “add note” in the top-right

Put in a header. I designed this one on Canva in minutes (free account)

Put in a title and use styles, if you like (if you hover over the paragraph symbol, the styles will pop up)

Consider adding some links at the end (I also hyperlinked the title):

You end up with something like this:

This is definitely something I’ll repeat again. For one, the post got good engagement. For another, it was an un-obnoxious way to point out that my release was coming in a week.

Have you shared excerpts online? Do you use Facebook notes? What promo-related things have you been working on?

Using Facebook Notes for Excerpts:
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Published on January 26, 2020 21:01

January 25, 2020

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous

Freelance Writing: How to Create a Writing Portfolio That’ll Wow Potential Clients: @kmackewrites
How to Become a Travel Writer: @erichansontv @joebunting
The Current State and Future of Goodreads: by Steph Coelho @BookRiot
LinkedIn Tied to Book Piracy: @burke_writer @killzoneauthors
Writers – how to find the editor that’s right for you: @Roz_Morris
How to Interview a Writer: @jennamoreci
How to Find the Right Nonfiction Editor in 7 Foolproof Steps: @ReedsyHQ

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

Bologna Publishers’ Prize Has January 31 Deadline; ‘Comics Corner’ New This Year: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
IBPA Announces James Daunt as Keynote Speaker at April Conference: @Porter_Anderson @angelabole @pubperspectives
The British Academy’s 2020 Al-Rodhan Prize Opens; Wright Leads Jury: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Wales in India: Dylan Thomas Prize Longlist Announced at Jaipur Festival: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on January 25, 2020 21:03

January 19, 2020

Cozy Mystery Writing: Funerals

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

You probably wouldn’t think of funerals in cozy mysteries as having an important part in the story. But I know the time I left funerals out of a mystery, a reader wrote me about it. Now it’s on my “list of series tropes to include.”

Funerals provide a few helpful elements for a cozy mystery:

Give the opportunity for the sleuth to interview suspects who might be tricky to speak with. A common problem with cozies is giving the amateur sleuth a natural opportunity to have conversations with suspects, witnesses, and others who might be able to provide information. But a funeral provides the perfect place for the sleuth to catch up with an elusive character.

Can emphasize a story’s setting and regional traditions. One of the important elements in cozies is a sense of place. A funeral or funeral reception offers the chance to showcase regional customs and food. My books are set in the American South, and funeral receptions are all about offering comfort with heavy foods (and plenty of church ladies), so food is always part of my fictional funerals.

Provide the chance for the sleuth to see how suspects interact with each other or with the local police. Not only do funerals offer the opportunity for the sleuth to naturally interact with suspects, they offer the opportunity for the sleuth to see how suspects interact with each other and the police (who are usually in attendance after suspicious deaths). Maybe there’s a terse exchange between two suspects (even more interesting if one of them ends up murdered later). Maybe one of the suspects is nervous around the police or maybe is even looking for the right chance to speak to them about a clue that’s just occurred to them. Maybe two suspects seem a lot closer or more familiar with each other than they’d indicated.

If you’re looking for anything from extra story texture to ways to further the plot of your cozy mystery, a funeral service or reception is one way to do that.

Is there a specific element in your genre that’s helpful for progressing the plot?

Why Funerals are Essential Elements for Cozy Mysteries:
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Published on January 19, 2020 21:02

January 18, 2020

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous

Make 2020 Your Year: Finding Experts Who Can Help: @AngelaAckerman
On Writing Fears, Blue Titles, And Why 6-Figure Advances Are Bad For Your Health: by PJ Parrish @killzoneauthors

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

DSC Prize on ‘Half the Night Is Gone’: ‘Profound in Class and Gender’: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
UK Costa Book Awards: Public Voting Opens Today on Short Stories: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Writing Workshops and Conferences 2020: Requiring Early Registration: @Diana_Hurwitz
The UK’s Parliamentary Book Award Announces Delayed 2019 Shortlists: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Creativity and Inspiration / Careers in Writing and Day Jobs

7 Jobs for English Majors Who Love to Write: @thewritelife

Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels

1 Writer’s Debut Journey: @monashroffwrite @WomenWriters

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on January 18, 2020 21:02

January 12, 2020

Taking Small Steps Toward a Big Goal

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

This is the time of year when many people think about goals for the year.

The main reason I think New Year resolutions are so often discarded several months in…it’s too overwhelming to think about losing twenty pounds or exercising forty-five minutes a day or learning a foreign language, or whatever the goal is. Better to try losing a pound every week or exercising 15 minutes every other day or setting small daily goals for learning a new skill.

I think establishing a writing habit is more important than the actual resulting word count each day. If we can just make set our goal so low that it’s hard not to achieve it, then we can set up the practice of working on our story daily. That could be five or ten minutes a day. Being honest with yourself while goal-setting is so important. Maybe you’d like to think you can work every day for an hour on a project, but is that really doable? It’s also important to know the why behind your goal and its importance to you. Are you setting the goal because you’re determined and really want to see it through? Or are you setting it because it’s been on your list for a while (but you’re really not enthusiastic about following it through…which will make the task harder).

One thing I haven’t done that I’ve always heard is a good thing to do is to celebrate your ‘wins’, or the times you’ve met your goals. I recently read an article on Fast Company, “How to Make Your Big Goals Seem Less Overwhelming.” The post recommends tracking your goals each day and then celebrating a long streak.

They also recommend something else I’m not great at: being compassionate with yourself if you break the chain. As they put it: “…remember that progress isn’t lost.”

For further reading on better goal-setting:

Martha Alderson’s post, “Goal Setting for You and Your Characters”

Faye Kirwin’s post, “How to Set Super-Effective Goals (With a Little Help from Psychology”

Lesley Knowles’ post, “5 Obvious Goal-Setting Mistakes You Must Avoid”

Dean Wesley Smith’s “How to Keep Production Going All Year”

What are your goals for 2020? Have you kept them manageable?

Setting Manageable Goals for 2020:
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Published on January 12, 2020 21:01

January 11, 2020

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous

Writer Beware®: The Blog: Issues at Audible’s ACX: Attempted Rights Fraud, Withdrawn Promotional Codes: @victoriastrauss
What is a fiction line critique? @LouiseHarnby
Author Essentials: Email: @ph_solomon @StoryEmpire
Refresh, Rehab, Repair and Renovate your Backlist: @RuthHarrisBooks
How Do I Use Public Domain Characters Respectfully? by Chris Winkle @mythcreants
How to Collaborate Across Genres: @RPBook @IndieAuthorALLI
After Finishing Your Story and Before Revision: @Roz_Morris
What it’s like to narrate an audiobook: @NathanBransford

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

“How I Survive Conventions”: @SMCarriere
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award in Arabic Literature: The 2020 Literature Longlist: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Words Without Borders January: Travel Writing in Translation: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Germany’s GINT Competition for Emerging Translators Names Three Winners: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Booker Prize for Fiction 2020 Jury Features Lee Child: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Creativity and Inspiration / Careers in Writing and Day Jobs

When Your Day Job ‘Gets In the Way’ Of Your Writing Time: @MegDowell

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on January 11, 2020 21:02

January 5, 2020

Re-evaluating at the New Year

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Happy 2020, everyone! I hope everybody enjoyed their holidays. I went on vacation with my family (actually, I’m returning a little later today, so I’ll be a bit late responding to comments) and enjoyed spending time with them.

Although I’ve never been happy about making resolutions, I’ve always tried to take time at the new year to plan out the year, set goals (better than resolutions, I’ve found), and see what’s working and what’s not.

It was at this point last year that I decided to move forward with my plan to start another series. I managed to publish the first couple of books in that series in 2019. Last year I ended up writing 5 books and I’m planning on matching that this year since it was pretty doable.

The only problem with this approach is that I have less time, obviously. Ordinarily I write about 3 books a year. Adding an extra 2 to the calendar means that I have to be a little more organized with my time and have to evaluate where I might be able to make cuts.

One thing I’m doing sounds minor but really helps me save time: I’m grouping my errands and knocking them all out at one time. Before, I had a little more of a slipshod approach and would run an errand a day.

Something else I’m doing, especially since I’ve got an empty nest now, is reduce the number of days a week that I’m cooking. I’ve discovered that my local grocery stores have a special section for prepared foods that are ready to be popped into the oven. Not only do they have healthy options, the cost isn’t nearly as high as I thought it might be. Plus, the grocery stores seem to be more creative with their recipes than I am. :)

One other thing that will actually impact what I’m doing here: I’m going to cut back on blogging to twice a week. That means I’ll post the Twitterific Sunday post and then blog on Monday (cutting back on Fridays). Although I’ve always felt that blogging has provided me with great writing practice, I’m currently doing so much writing that falling back to twice a week will likely only help me out.

Things I’m not changing: daily exercise, my sleep schedule, and making time to do things with family.

For further reading:

Erin Tolbert’s “4 Simple, Realistic Ways You Can Make Time to Write” (including task delegation…something I need to explore).

Janalyn Voigt’s “Making Time to Write: Quitting to Win” (including retiring a series).

These are just a few of the adjustments I’m making, although I’m definitely looking to find other ways of saving time. How about you? What are your plans for 2020? Are you ramping up your writing? Or needing to shuffle things in your life around to make more time?

Re-evaluating life to make more time:
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Published on January 05, 2020 21:04