Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 61

The Practice of Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

It’s easy to read a bit of self-righteousness into posts where writers tell other writers to write every day.  Or maybe it’s smugness. Or maybe it’s not really there at all, but I’m just reading it into the post.

That being said, I do write nearly every day.  I’m not going to say that I necessarily write when I’m sick or on Christmas morning or every day when I travel.  But I do write most every day.  Even on the above-mentioned days, I’ll likely still write, but I’ll write less.  I’ll call it a successful writing day if I crank out 100 words.

The reason I push myself that way is simply because I get rusty really quickly.  And, if I write, even a tiny amount, every day, then my writing practice is almost like muscle memory. This makes it sound like autopilot, which it’s not, but it’s pretty similar to it–I just sit down and immediately hop right back into the story.

But it’s different for every writer. There are some writers who, with all of their personal responsibilities,  couldn’t possibly write every day. There are some who just don’t need to…they can write as much once a week as I write every day for a week and without feeling rusty.

For me, writing daily is a time-saver.  It would take me longer to try to recapture my voice, my storyline, my direction, etc. after a few days off than it would to simply push out a few words.

Oddly enough, it works the same for blogging. If I get ahead on my editorial calendar for the blog, that’s fine…but I still need to write posts several days a week or else I have a harder time getting back into it.

There are a lot of different opinions on this, though, and I thought I’d share some of them.  I think it’s good to evaluate what sort of writer you are: is it hard to hop back into your story after breaks? Is it easy to?  Does it mess up your writing routine to step away from your book for a while or does it give you a needed refresher?

These posts may help (it’s also interesting to read other writers’ takes on the subject):

6 Benefits of Writing Every Day by Lynda R. Young

Flip the Script: Write Some Days by Jael McHenry

Why You Need to Write Every Day by Jeff Goins

Maybe You Don’t Need to Write Every Day by Annie L. Scholl

How to Be Inspired to Write Every Day: 10 Ideas by Bridget McNulty at Now Novel

How about you?  Do you write every day? Most days? Or whenever you can?  Do you have a hard time getting back into your story’s world after breaks?

Should You Write Every Day, Most Days, or Only Sometimes?
Click To Tweet

Photo on Visualhunt

The post The Practice of Writing appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Writer Self-Care

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Sometimes it’ll seem like I have a streak of weeks where I really don’t have any free time at all. The days are somehow eaten up with writing, promo, errands, and other responsibilities. This works for a while, but then comes the inevitable burnout that follows.

I’ve learned to (most of the time) create more of a balance in my life. But it’s more than balance: it’s also keeping an eye on my health.  As I found out years ago when I ended up in physical therapy for months, a health setback can impact my writing time more than devoting time to preventing it.

Stretching. This saves me a lot of problems. I’m just doing my PT exercises for my back, but there are many different stretches that are helpful. There’s a great book, The Anatomy of Stretching by  Brad Walker, and I’ve found that the wrist, hand, and arm exercises are also helpful when I’ve been typing a lot.

Sitting. This is where the bulk of writer problems come from, I’m sure. Sitting is what writers who are writing do.  The sitting that I was doing before physical therapy involved my sitting on a sofa with little support with my feet on a coffee table. Not good, as the physical therapists explained.  Now I do a couple of things to prevent a recurring problem: sit in a good chair, with good support, and move around to different locations in my house. I do try to stand and write sometimes too, since I have a tall kitchen counter.

Moving/Exercise.  This is to counteract all the sitting. For years, I’d been going to the Y daily for exercise.  My son explained that, since I only really used the treadmill at the gym, I should really just get a small treadmill for home. I was surprised to see that I could get one from Amazon for right around $300.  What’s more, it’s very small, has wheels, and folds up when it needs to be folded up. It was a good purchase because it paid for itself in just a few months.  And, because it’s so handy, I’ve been able to use it more frequently than I was when I was having to drive to the gym and try to hunt down an available treadmill.

Hydration.  We all hear about the benefits of this one.  I think I must have been operating partially-dehydrated for ages, but I’m doing a lot better about always having a glass of water nearby. And I feel a lot better.

Sleep.  Unfortunately, I can’t do much about the poor quality of my sleep (I’ve had sleep issues since I was a child), but I can turn in early to try and counteract them as well as I can.

Filling the Well. I’ve written a good deal about this one, especially here.  That burnout happens quickly when I’m not enjoying the creative work of other people. You may fill the well in other ways…spending time in nature or with family or going fishing.  For me, it’s reading, watching well-curated films and television and fostering my creativity.

For more information on writer self-care, see Colleen M. Story’s blog, Writing and Wellness, which focuses on writer health in a variety of ways.

Do you get caught up in life and ever neglect self-care?  What kinds of things do you do to stay healthy as a writer?

Tips for Better Writer Self-Care:
Click To Tweet

Photo on Visualhunt.com

The post Writer Self-Care appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

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.

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

The UK’s World Book Day Names a First Chief Executive: @Porter_Anderson @cassiechaddrton @WorldBookDayUK
Booker Prize 2019 Longlist: ‘Without Ever Considering the Passport’: @Porter_Anderson @PeterFlorence @woodgaby
UK’s National Centre for Writing Turns to Eco-Crime for ‘Noirwich’ Fest: @Porter_Anderson
New Sarraounia Prize Opens for Entries in African YA Titles: @oliviasnaije

Creativity and Inspiration / Careers in Writing and Day Jobs

How to Balance Your Job and Writing: by Phoebe Quinn @TheRyanLanz

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

Find Inspiration to Write Your Book With These Tips: @NYBookEditors

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

The Head-to-Head Book Club: @Hiveword
8 Of The Best New Horror Books In 2019 To Freak You Out: by Silvana Reyes Lopez @BookRiot
7 Novels That Take You Inside Truly Messed-Up Minds: @LaurenAcampora @ElectricLit

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

Five Tips For Finding Writing Motivation: by Heather Currie @kristen_kieffer

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

Put a Stop to Procrastination: @ShannaSwendson
How to Declutter Your Brain to Welcome More Ideas: @MegDowell

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

Writing With the Door Closed: @MegDowell
Why One Writer Will Never Stop Writing About Mental Illness: @LisaLisax31
I Might Have Commitment Issues as a Writer If… @EdieMelson
Tips for Growing as a Writer: @rxena77
Are Writers Born or Made? @MaeClair1
Dealing with Anxiety as Writers: @authorkristenm
Writing For Two: Coping With Pregnancy and the Writer’s Life: @katekrake
The Importance of Stepping Away: @NatRusso
Are You A Healthy Writer? 4 Questions You Need To Answer To Improve Your Writing Health: by Brent Wells @thecreativepenn
Is Writing A Book A Real Priority for You? @AllyNathaniel @BookBaby

Genres / Horror

Where is the Jordan Peele of horror literature? @jefrouner @SFC_Datebook

Genres / Memoir

Writing Authentic Dialogue in Memoir: @LiveWriteThrive

Genres / Miscellaneous

Paying Attention to Genre Expectations:

Genres / Mystery

Writing Conflict In Crime Fiction With Detective Adam Richardson: @WritersDetctive @thecreativepenn

Genres / Picture Books

Writing non-fiction for children? Think multiculturally: @moiraworld

Genres / Science Fiction

101 Sci-Fi Tropes For Writers: @Christo96795532 @Writers_Write

Genres / Screenwriting

9 Times the Movie was Better than the Book: @AnnieNeugebauer @LitReactor

Promo / Ads

5 Mistakes To Avoid in Your BookBub Ads Designs: by Melina Hsiao @BookBub

Promo / Blogging

Why Do an Indie Author Blog Tour? @JayJayBus @IndieAuthorALLI
Do You Want More Readers? Write like Yourself on Your Blog: @crsmihai

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

How to write good jacket copy: @NathanBransford

Promo / Book Reviews

How To Score Book Reviews: @cleemckenzie @TheIWSG

Promo / Connecting with Readers

From Strangers to Super Fans (Podcast): @DavidGaughran @cksyme
Reaching Younger Readers: VidCon teens and tweens on video platforms : @petersontee @Digiday

Promo / Miscellaneous

Should You Promote Your First Book in a Series? @kikimojo

Promo / Newsletters

Five Tips for Creating a Phenomenal Newsletter: @ajthenovelist @hopeclark

Promo / Social Media Tips

Why Writers Should Be on LinkedIn: @DebraEckerling
Writing Tips: How to Promote Yourself on Instagram: @brimorganbooks
Instagram Growth Hacking in 3 Easy Steps: by Megan O’Neill @Animoto

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Richard Charkin: In Praise Of a Quiet Publishing Leader: @pubperspectives
Preparing for the Mueller Testimony: An Enhanced Edition of the Report: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
PRH Completes F+W Media Buy, MIT Reports Boost in Journals: @Porter_Anderson
Public Libraries: How Authors Can Increase Both Discoverability and Earnings: @JaneFriedman
When Teen YA Authors Hire Ghostwriters: @jenniferbanash @JaneFriedman
Scotland’s ROAR Program: New Numbers on Women in Publishing: @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / News / Amazon

Dean Koontz’s Jump to Amazon Publishing: Will Other Authors Follow? @Porter_Anderson @AmazonPub
Germany and the UK Now Have Amazon Charts, Fiction and Nonfiction: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Amazon Publishing on Wooing Dean Koontz: @Porter_Anderson @JuliaSommerfeld @graciedoyle

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Russian Ebook and Audiobook Player LitRes Opens Sales in Poland: @jaroslawadamows @pubperspectives
BISG Seats New Board; UK’s Exact Editions Digitizes Turkish Magazine: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

How to follow agent query guidelines for novels: @jasonbougger



Writing Memoir And Marketing Under A New Author Pen Name: @tobywneal @thecreativepenn

Publishing / Process / Services to Avoid

The Seven Most Prolific Vanity Publishers (Plus An Honorable Mention): @victoriastrauss

Writing Craft / Beginnings

How to Write a Strong Opening for your Novel: @_KimChance

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

What Marvel Can Teach Us About Writing Powerful Villains: @Bang2write
Gaslighting and Writing Villains Who Make Your Spine Tingle: @AmyMJones_5 @WritersDigest

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Nurse: @beccapuglisi
6 Requirements for Writing Better Character Goals: @KMWeiland
How to Stay in Touch with Your Character: @SueBEdwards @womenonwriting
Digging Deep: The Psychology of a Layered Story: @SloanTamar

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

7 Common Mistakes New Writers Make: @alexadonne
Trying to Make Your Story “Unique”? Beware of These Common Pitfalls: @JustinAttas @JaneFriedman

Writing Craft / Conflict

The Best Way to Use Conflict and Tension in Your Narrative: @TheWritersAlly

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

4 Elements of Narrative That Anyone Can Learn: by Alan Gelb @JaneFriedman
3 Reasons You Should Use Timestamps in Your Novel: @TraceyDevlyn
Avoid Long Sentences in Colloquial Writing: @Kid_Lit
Showing = Reader’s Experience: @Vie_Herlocker @ZoeMMcCarthy

Writing Craft / POV

The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Writing Multi-Pov Narrative: @SophieMasson1 @WriterUnboxed

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

How To Create An Effective Mind Map For Your Book: by Rebecca Langley @standoutbooks

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept

How to Have an Effective Novel Brainstorming Session: @laina_turner
How to Generate and Critique Story Ideas: Genre-Bending: @GoIntoTheStory

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

How to use semicolons in fiction writing: @LouiseHarnby

Writing Craft / Revision

Declutter that Novel! Is it time to Marie Kondo Your WIP? @annerallen
Eight Things to Cut or Reconsider When Editing Fiction: @kristen_kieffer

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

Your Writing Group and You: How to Get the Most Out of What Can Be a Challenging Experience: @DonnaLevinWrite @WomenWriters
How to Guide a Critique: @fireplusalgebra

Writing Craft / Series / Series Bible

Why Writers Need a Story Bible: @Ellen__Jacobson @TyreanMartinson

Writing Craft / Synopses

How to Write a Synopsis: @brimorganbooks

Writing Craft / Voice

Real Life Diagnostics: What Do You Think About the Voice in This Scene? @Janice_Hardy

Writing Craft / World-Building

Can I Use a Real Language for a Fictional Culture? @mythcreants

Writing Tools / Apps

Protect Your Writing with Scrivener Backups: @Gwen_Hernandez

Writing Tools / Books

Resources for Writing a Compelling Mystery: by Chelsea Thomas

Uncategorized

What Is Book Metadata, And How Can It Improve Your Sales? by Robert Wood @standoutbooks

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
Click To Tweet

The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Resources for Writing a Compelling Mystery

by Chelsea Thomas 

Hello! My name is Chelsea Thomas and I’m the author of the Apple Orchard cozy mystery series. When I started writing this series, I learned a lot about the various elements that go into a cozy, including the mystery, the romance, and the recipes! Still, the foundation for every good book is the writing. I’ve found a lot of helpful resources for creating a compelling mystery, here are a few of my favorites.

Techniques of the Selling Writer

By Dwight Swain

Plotting a mystery is a complicated and challenging process. But even if your premise or mystery is phenomenal, readers will lose interest if the writing is lacking. That’s why starting with a solid foundation for your writing is critical. I recommend Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain to build core writing skills. The book itself has a fun, flippant tone. As I read it, I imagine Dwight Swain with a cigar in his mouth as he reads the pages out loud. Techniques of the Selling Writer helps with writing prose. Some of the most useful tips are about writing clear sentences. By keeping your sentences short and specific, you ensure that your readers don’t get lost in the writing. Keeping your syntax short and specific, you can set a scene and appeal to your readers’ senses. The best way to get readers hooked on your book is create a world so real, they can see, smell, hear and feel it. (And ideally taste it too!)

One trick I use from Swain for mysteries specifically is his React, Dilemma, and Decision structure. RDD is basically a building block for scenes, where your character react to a situation, struggle with what to do, and then reach a conclusion. I found RDD especially helpful after the discovering-the-body scenes in my books. How do our sleuths react to the body? Are they scared? Relieved? Disgusted? Then arises the dilemma: should they investigate or call the cops? What should they do with the clues? The comes the decision. In cozy mysteries, of course, the decision is always to investigate! Our amateur sleuths can’t resist a good mystery.

How to Write a Damn Good Mystery

By James N. Frey

Once you’ve honed your writing skills, the mystery plotting can begin. How to Write a Damn Good Mystery by James N. Frey is everything you could ask for in a How-To for mysteries. At the very start, Frey discusses The Good, the Bad and The Ugly of murder mysteries. The Good Mysteries suddenly strike the writer, making her say “I can create a mystery out of this.” The Bad mess with the mystery formula. The Ugly have a weak main character. Throughout the book, Frey instructs on setting up the murder, the murderer, the sleuth, and then setting up the entire backstory and plot. He gives every author the tools to start building her own mysteries.

Writing the Romantic Comedy

By Billy Mernit

Cozies sometimes have a romantic subplot mixed in. Romance can be a great addition to your story and help flesh out characters and their private lives. A bad love story, however, might be distracting and clunky, taking the reader out of the mystery. The book I reference to help craft a good love story is Writing the Romantic Comedy by Billy Mernit. I first discovered this book as a screenwriting tool, and my husband and I write screenplays when we’re not writing cozies. But Mernit’s advice is helpful in cozies too. Romance is tricky by itself because the plot points aren’t obvious like they are in mysteries. Most of a good romance is internal and character-based. Writing the Romantic Comedy teaches you how to identify character flaws and bring thematic relevance to the story. A good romance is its own story, and Mernit’s book suggests ways to avoid cliches and other romantic pitfalls.

Chelsea Thomas is technically two people… Married writing team Chelsea and Matthew Thomas. Matt and Chelsea write cozy mysteries set on an apple orchard in upstate New York. They also write television and film. As screenwriters, they have worked with several studios, including Nickelodeon, SONY and CBS. Chelsea and Matt are graduates of Duke University and they are members of the Writers Guild of America. Chelsea enjoys spending time with animals and practicing yoga. Matt loves playing music. They both enjoy spending time near the water. Join the Chelsea Thomas Reader Club at www.chelseathomasauthor.com. 

Book 1 – Apple Die

Book 2 – Cooking the Books

Book 3 – Candy Apple Killer

Book 4 – Berried Alive

Book 5 – Granny Smith Is Dead

Helpful Reference Books for Mystery Writers:
Click To Tweet

The post Resources for Writing a Compelling Mystery appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Genre Expectations

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

This is another one of those posts that comes with a proviso…as a writer, you’re in control of your book and no one else makes the rules.  The advice I’m about to give isn’t for everybody and it isn’t for every book.   It’s directed more to writers who are looking for a leg-up in their commercial fiction category and who are primarily writing to a specific audience.

It’s also a post that goes hand-in-hand with others I’ve written on how much easier it is to write in a particular genre (if you have a mind to).  That’s because there are specific reader expectations per genre.

I know a lot of traditionally-published books are rejected by agents and editors because they don’t follow genre expectations.  An agent knows that makes a story tough to pitch to an editor…who knows it’s tough to market to an audience.

I’ve also been asked to read books by some indie authors who asked why their cozy-ish book was having a tough time making it in the market.  Of course, I looked at the usual problem-area suspects first (cover, book description), but what it really boiled down to was the focus of the story.  A cozy is (again, this is broad) typically focused on the mystery.  The other aspects of the story (a romance, supporting character hijinks, the culinary/crafty/pet-related hook itself) come in second place.   When it’s the other way around, it’s typically a really amazing author who is skilled in developing an audience for his or her characters.

I don’t like to rock the boat myself, so I tend to follow the genre guidelines very, very closely. In fact, I go farther with it.  If I’ve gotten feedback from readers on anything that they find objectionable, I make a note and take a tally.  That’s why, in my books published in the last 8 years, you’ll find zero profanity.  No one was writing to compliment me on my profanity in the earlier books, but I was getting some negative feedback on something that wasn’t important to me one way or the other…and so it was eliminated.

I’ve also received emails from readers asking me to give them spoilers when I’ve had missing pets in my books.  And I’ve emailed them back to say that (as per genre guidelines) there will never be an animal killed off in my books.  People?  Most certainly.  :)   Don’t get too attached to the humans in my books.  But I know enough about my readers that I wouldn’t imperil animals or kids in my mysteries.

That’s also where it’s important to know a lot about your specific subgenre.  Mystery is a wide-ranging field.  In thrillers, you’d definitely have imperilled animals or children…in fact, the more the merrier.  In police procedurals or noir, the same.  But cozies are different.

Using cozies as an example of a subgenre with well-defined conventions, reader expectations include an amateur sleuth, little if any profanity, no gore, and a puzzle solution that’s academic and not forensics-based.

Some writers will, understandably, find this limiting…and there are ‘limits’ or parameters in every genre.   For me, though, I find the parameters more of a challenge: how can I deliver something unique with every book that still works within the confines of the genre?

Do you write for a specific genre or subgenre?  What conventions are in your chosen genre?

The Importance of Genre Conventions to Commercial-Fiction Writers:
Click To Tweet

Photo on Visualhunt

The post Genre Expectations appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

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.

Business / Miscellaneous

Choosing a Publicist: Ruling Out and Ruling In: by Barbara Linn Probst @JaneFriedman
How Working With an Author Assistant Helps Writers: @TheRuralVA @BadRedheadMedia
Avoiding Terrible Writing Advice: @davidfarland
This Is Why Credibility Forges a Strong Brand: @Charli_Mills @BadRedheadMedia
Indie Authors and Copyright Debates: @FriendsWFibro @OrnaRoss @IndieAuthorALLI
Audio Books: Working with a Narrator: @MJBowersock @IndiesUnlimited
Improve Your Book Page on Amazon: @sandrabeckwith
The Curious Incident of the Dog & the Missing Royalties: by Dan Rhodes @PassiveVoiceBlg
Agent Rosemary Stimola: Selling Rights to Another Potential Bullseye: @Porter_Anderson @StimolaLiterary @pubperspectives

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

Poland’s ‘Fashionable’ Book Fairs: ‘Building Book Readership’: @jaroslawadamows @pubperspectives
Nielsen Book and Rakuten OverDrive Sign On for the UK’s Libraries Week: @Porter_Anderson @CILIPinfo @OverDriveLibs
How to Prep for Outdoor Book and Author Events: @ChrysFey
Hay Festival in Mexico Led by Michael Ondaatje, Juan Manuel Santos: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Creativity and Inspiration / Careers in Writing and Day Jobs

5 Tips to Turn Your English Major Into a Writing Job: by Savannah Cordova @ReedsyHQ @DIYMFA

Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels

How to Write a Book Step by Step: @MichaelLaRonn

Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting

How Can We Make Sense of Our Goals and Priorities? @JamiGold

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Quotes

10 Favorite Writing Tips from Successful Authors: @WritersDigest

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

The Sad But Inevitable Trend Toward Forgotten SF: @jamesdnicoll @tordotcom
6 Favorite Stories of Being Tossed Into Space: by Stubby the Rocket @tordotcom

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

5 Tips for Writing with Small Children: By Bethany Henry
What can you write in 20 minutes? @pubcoach
Writing with a Full-Time Job: 4 Important Tips: @MichaelLaRonn
How to Motivate Yourself to Write Every Day: @QuotidianWriter

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

How to Get Unstuck as You Write Your Novel: @createastorylov

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

“How I Organize My Writing Days With A Full-Time Job”: @authorkristenm
How to Write a Novel: Four Fiction Writers on Danielle Steel’s Insane Working Day: @A_WritersStudio
A To Be Written List: @BethMooreSchool
How to Teach Yourself to Think Like a Writer: @lornafaith
A To-Do List for the Overwhelmed Writer:
6 Ways Bridge Can Make You A Better Writer: by Alex J. Coyne @Writers_Write

Genres / Historical

Blurred Lines: Writing Historical Fiction From Fact: @MelanieBen @WritersDigest

Genres / Mystery

Crime Writing: Female suspects, writing research and police cars: @WritersDetctive

Genres / Non-Fiction

Getting the Right Cover for Your Book: by Cathi Stevenson @NonfictionAssoc
How to DIY a Nonfiction Index: @letsplaymath @IndieAuthorALLI

Genres / Romance

How to Sell Romance Novels: 5 Essential Strategies: @Bookgal @IngramSpark
How to Keep the Romance in a Romance Novel: @ElaineStock

Promo / Ads

How to Setup a UK Amazon Ads Account: @rachelmcwrites @IndieAuthorALLI

Promo / Blogging

The Concise Guide to Building Relationships with Other Bloggers: @crsmihai

Promo / Connecting with Readers

Do You Really Know Your Audience? @LisaTener

Promo / Images

72 Free Image Sources for Authors: @ShelleySturgeon @JFbookman

Promo / Miscellaneous

How to Get an Author Photo Readers Will Love: @IngeniumBooks @IndieAuthorALLI
How to Make Author Network Connections with Five Easy Elements: @DoctorJAuthor @BadRedheadMedia
Book Marketing: How To Turn Your Book Into A Podcast With AI Narration: by by Makoto Tokudome @thecreativepenn
4 Dirty Little Secrets About Social Media Marketing for Authors: @CaballoFrances

Promo / Newsletters

Changing Newsletter Services: Resources:
How to Improve Your Email Newsletters Right Now: @sugarbeatbc @BadRedheadMedia

Promo / Platforms

“How I Helped This Author Grow Her Platform From Scratch”: @DanBlank

Promo / Podcasts

How to Grow Your Podcast Audience From Zero (Podcast): @cksyme

Promo / Pricing

How Book Pricing is a Powerful Strategy to Sell More Books: @IndieReader

Promo / Websites

How to Set Your Author Website Foundation: @BookWorksNYC @BadRedheadMedia

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Annual Anthology Contest from @TheIWSG :
Scholastic Supports New ‘Dog Man’ Release With International Pilkey Tour: @Porter_Anderson
Can Cryptocurrency Help Evolve Publishing’s IP as an Investment Asset? @Porter_Anderson
HarperCollins and Sony Pictures Entertainment in Gabler Partnership: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Audio Publishers Association Survey: Nearly $1 Billion in 2018 Sales: @Porter_Anderson
The Importance of Keeping Old Work Alive In Different Formats: @KristineRusch
Switzerland’s getAbstract: Nonfiction Summaries, by Permission: @Porter_Anderson @getAbstract
Abrams & Chronicle Books, in Its UK Partnership, Names Inez Munsch: @Porter_Anderson @AbramsChronicle @pubperspectives

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Japan’s Kinokuniya Announces 33rd Overseas Bookstore in Abu Dhabi: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Rights Roundup: Presenters of Books at Cannes Offer Titles To Consider: @Porter_Anderson
Translation Rights: Sheikh Zayed Book Award Signs Three-Language Deal: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

Tips for required bio fields on portal querying: @Janet_Reid

Publishing / Process / Book Design

Bring Your Book Covers to Life with Facebook’s 3D Photos: @JohnDoppler @IndieAuthorALLI

Publishing / Process / Services to Avoid

Writer Beware®: The Blog: Awards Profiteers: How Writers Can Recognize Them and Why They Should Avoid Them: @victoriastrauss

Writing Craft / Characters / Arc

8 Times Good Characters Went Bad: by Andrea Oh @ElectricLit

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Improv Games to Help You Walk in Your Characters’ Shoes: @younginklings @NaNoWriMo
How to Write (or avoid) Flat Characters: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion

How to avoid cliched emotional responses in your writing: @beccapuglisi @annerallen

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

Reader Pet Peeves: The Rushed Ending: @Peter_Rey_

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

5 Lessons Fiction Writers Can Learn From Video Games: @teachrobotslove

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

When to Write It, When to Walk Away: On the Problem of Too Much Metaphor: @JessicaFKane @lithub
What Every Writer Should Know About Theme: @LMacNaughton

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

A Powerful Visual Image in Your Story: @ZoeMMcCarthy
How Fiction Writers Can Improve The Quality of Their Prose: @kristen_kieffer

Writing Craft / Pacing

How Pacing Helps Readers Care about Our Characters: @JamiGold

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Naming

15 Ways to Create a Book Title: via I-Can-Give-You-Prompts

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

The Role of the Archetype in Stories: @SHalvatzis

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research

31 Best Online Research Tools: @TCKPublishing

Writing Craft / Revision

Why Good Editing Is Good Marketing: @Alexandria_SZ @BadRedheadMedia
Author Mindset: How To Love Self-Editing: @HayleyMilliman @thecreativepenn

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

The Place of Place in Our Writings: @Porter_Anderson @WriterUnboxed
6 Tips for Adding Life to Your Locations: by Nils Ödlund @mythicscribes

Writing Craft / Tropes

Genre Tropes: What Are They? by Tom Ashford @pbackwriter

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
Click To Tweet

The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

A To-Do List for the Overwhelmed Writer

by Elizabeth S.. Craig, @elizabethscraig

If you’re like me, sometimes you have so much going on that it’s hard to know where to start. Your to-do lists look like bucket lists. And you work all day long and don’t feel you’ve really gotten anything accomplished.

When this happens to me, I radically change what my to-do lists look like.  The most important thing is to triage the most important tasks. Plus, feel as if I’m making some progress.

There’s a free app called 135 List, which I’ve found helpful before when life gets challenging.  With the app, you’re forced to prioritize what’s on your list.  So one big thing that you need to get accomplished (and this can be part of a big project…it’s easier to break it into manageable bits), three things of medium importance to complete, and then five smaller items.  I always made the smaller items things that I could do without a whole lot of energy or thinking: scheduling a dentist appointment, wiping down the nose prints my dog left on the glass door, etc.

Sometimes, though, even that is daunting.  Sometimes everything seems like an emergency.

When that happens, I pick one thing that will make me feel as if I’ve really accomplished something that day.  It might be something that I’ve procrastinated for a while that really needs to be knocked out.  It might even just be starting on something that seems large and unmanageable.  The ‘one thing’ could even be making a braindump on an empty document so that I can accurately assess all the things that I need to take care of instead of getting that awful feeling in the middle of the night that there’s something about to fall through the cracks.

Whatever that one thing is, when I mark it as done I feel like I have more energy and confidence to attack the rest of the tasks, or at least put them prioritized on lists for the rest of the week.

Otherwise, I spin  my wheels doing things that don’t really help me feel less-stressed. Author assistant Mel Jolly puts it this way (emphasis hers): “…we get overwhelmed and waste all our time doing low-impact things (like answering emails) that don’t make much of a difference in our big picture.”

Another note: I do try to make my to-do list for the following day so that I’m not trying to both figure out priority tasks and knock them out on the same day.

And…if something comes up in the middle of my day (and it frequently does, usually via email), I add that to my list for the next day to keep from losing focus.

Maybe this is a side note that would be better unpacked in a later blog post, but it also really helps to know your own ‘magic hours’–the time of day when you’re most efficient and have the most energy. (More about magic hours in this Time Magazine article).

How do you push through when life is overwhelming?  Any tips?

To-Do Lists for the Overwhelmed Writer:
Click To Tweet

Photo on Visualhunt

The post A To-Do List for the Overwhelmed Writer appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Changing Newsletter Services: Resources

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve used MailChimp for years, but I’m one of the many writers who is now abandoning ship as the platform experiments with new pricing and a different direction (toward customer relationship management).  For many writers, the costs won’t make sense for basic email newsletter marketing.

I have dreaded making a change since I realized I’d need to.  I changed banks in March and it was a heinous task,  taking two 8-hour days to dump a bank I’d used for the last 20 years.  It did end up being worth it, though, as I’m sure this change will be.

One reason it’s a pain is the fact that MailChimp is everywhere in regard to my stuff…on Facebook, integrated through WordPress on my site, as an email signup link for over 30 books, on my Amazon author page…the list goes on and on.  I’m not sure why I didn’t set up a landing page on my own site and then use the service’s form on it…but apparently, that’s exactly what I did.  I even had a splash page, but didn’t use it to host my newsletter signup.  I certainly won’t be taking that approach again, obviously.

If you paid for a MailChimp pay-as-you-go plan, as I did, you may have to delay leaving (not sure how or if they refund that money, so I just decided to send out one last email).  All of my final changes are taking place after my last MailChimp newsletter.  So far, I’ve set up a new account with the new service and have transferred my subscribers (the audience is still also at MailChimp for that last newsletter).

So far, the change has been easy because it’s been automated.

More Information on Why You Should Consider a Change

I’m going to direct you to the most-detailed and easiest-to-understand post, written by David Gaughran.

My Choice for a New Provider

I looked at various options and decided on MailerLite, which has an option to pull over MailChimp subscribers and is relatively inexpensive.  Other popular options that writers use are ConvertKit, Mad Mimi, and ActiveCampaign.

If You Decide on MailerLite

David Gaughran has yet another great post on how to change from MailChimp to MailerLite. 

Another helpful post is from Rachel McCollin with the ALLi group.  She also details how to switch from MailChimp to MailerLite, plus offers ideas for ‘future proofing’ mailing list sign-ups so we won’t be in the same boat if we have to switch newsletter services in the future (heaven forbid!)

I’ll update everyone later as to how the switch went from my end.  :)

What email service do you use?  Are you considering switching?

Changing Newsletter Providers: Resources:
Click To Tweet

Photo credit: Felinest on Visualhunt / CC BY

The post Changing Newsletter Services: Resources appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

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:

C.S. Lakin of Live, Write, Thrive is running a special on her online classes (half-off for July with code JULYHALFOFF ).  The classes can be found here (note that I’m an affiliate).

Business / Miscellaneous

7 Game-Changing Tips for KDP Authors: @JohnDoppler @IndieAuthorALLI
Ten Business Models for Indie Authors: @OrnaRoss @IndieAuthorALLI
How Indie Authors Set Paperback Prices: @IndieAuthorALLI
5 Smart Ways to Stay Afloat During a Freelance Writing Slump: @jamiecattanach @thewritelife
7 Ways You Can Make More Money from Your Book: by Leslie Lam Miller @IndieAuthorALLI
Branding 101: Defining Our Brand: @JamiGold
Publishing Scams #1 Mistake makes Self-Publishers Vulnerable: @annerallen
Are Colleges Friendly to Fantasy Writers? It’s Complicated: @WIRED

Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels

What every writer should know before writing a first novel: @LisaPoisso

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

Finding something new to say: @austinkleon
No input, no output: @austinkleon
5 Ways to Mine Your Own Life for Writing Inspiration: @ADDerWORLD

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Quotes

8 Novel Writing Tips from Accomplished Authors: @nownovel

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

5 Reasons Writers Should Read Outside of Their Genre: @_HannahHeath
8 SFF Characters that Embody the Green Man: by Stubby the Rocket @tordotcom
Emily Dickinson Isn’t Difficult—She’s Just Misunderstood: by Natalie Adler @ElectricLit

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

How Changing Your Morning Routine Could Make You a Stronger Writer: @MegDowell

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

You don’t have to write about the bad stuff: @austinkleon
12 Essentials For Your Next Writing ‘Vacation’ : @MegDowell
The Easiest Way to Start Writing (When You’re Scared To): @WriteNowCoach
Are you a ‘push’ writer or a ‘pull’ writer? @GoIntoTheStory
Tips for Writing on Vacation:
Writing Through Despair: @mrsjaneymac @WomenWriters
Writing tips: Unlearn Everything You Learned about Writing in School: @danasitar @thewritelife
“Somehow I Became Respectable”: by John Waters @parisreview
“The Truth About How I Got Over Imposter Syndrome”: @BrynDonovan
The Connection between Sensitivity and Creativity: @plotwhisperer
An Outer and an Inner Goal – Try it for Yourself: @plotwhisperer
Journaling Intelligently: The Ultimate Guide: @JournalSmarter
What It’s Like to Write a Finale Your Fans Hate: @RonDMoore @Slate
Sacred Trash: How to Dismantle a Library: @saralippmann @The_Millions
Gameify Your Writing Life: @WriteNowCoach
Don’t Forget to Find the Fun in Storytelling: @clairisa23 @NaNoWriMo
The Guilty Pleasures of Procrastination: By Dario Ciriello
How to set up a bliss station anywhere: @austinkleon

Genres / Horror

10 Things Every Horror Writer Should Read: @repokempt @LitReactor

Genres / Mystery

Crime Writing: It Stinks to Serve Time in the County Jail: @LeeLofland
Crime Writing: Character Arc, Detective Sergeant Demotion, and Sex Offenders: @WritersDetctive

Genres / Non-Fiction

Type of Travel Guide #6: Expat Travel Guide: @BirdsOAFpress
How to Use Your Book’s Content to Reach More Readers: @NinaAmir
What’s the Best Way to Edit Non-Fiction? @BryanJCollins

Genres / Picture Books

Things to Keep in Mind While Writing for Young Readers: @PennyDolan1

Genres / Screenwriting

How They Write A Script: Robert Towne: @GoIntoTheStory

Genres / Short Stories

9 Tips for Writing Better Short Stories: @allisonmaruska @TheRyanLanz

Promo / Blogging

10 Things You Wish You Knew Before Launching Your First Blog: @ShahidNida1 @WritetoDone

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

A New Book Blurb Could Revolutionize Your Sales: @adamcroft @IndieAuthorALLI

Promo / Book Reviews

13 Common Mistakes in Book Reviewing and How to Avoid Them: @Writer730 @lithub

Promo / Newsletters

How to Grow Your Email List as a Writer: @createastorylov
Switching from MailChimp to MailerLite for Budget-Conscious Indie Authors: @rachelmcwrites @IndieAuthorALLI

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Audiobooks: The Past, Present, and Future of Another Way to Read: @JamesTateHill @lithub
Are You Self-Publishing Audio Books? Things To Consider: @justpublishing @PassiveVoiceBlg
300+ Writing Contests in 2019 • FREE Competitions with Cash Prizes: @ReedsyHQ
Prescient Innovations Blockchain Lab Gains Canada Council Funding: @Porter_Anderson
Audio Publishers Association Calls for Entries for the 2020 Audie Awards: @Porter_Anderson
AAP’s US StatShot for April Shows a Slight Decline from the Previous Year: @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / News / International Publishing

The 2019 Firecracker Award Winners: CLMP Honors Magazines and Books: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Book Aid International Benefits from Blackwell’s 140th Anniversary Auction: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Frankfurter Buchmesse Announces Extended Sales Days: @Porter_Anderson
‘Women at the Forefront’: Three Interviews From PublisHer at Nairobi: @Porter_Anderson @thabisobonita @MaimounaJallow @BibiBakareyusuf
Penguin Random House India in Promotional Partnership With Wattpad: @Porter_Anderson @devashish751 @wattpad
Frankfurter Buchmesse Names Netflix’s Kelly Luegenbiehl for CEO Talk: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
The Bookseller Names Rising Stars; Laura Ricchetti is the ‘Shooting Star’: @Porter_Anderson
Greek Cypriot Wartime Story in Translation Wins Commonwealth Prize: @Porter_Anderson @linaprotopapa
Jurors Named for the UK’s 2020 Booker International Prize: @Porter_Anderson
BookNet Canada Reports Backlist Persisting as Chart-Toppers in 2019: @Porter_Anderson
‘A Very New Type of Reading’: Interview with Russia’s Dmitry Yakovlev: by Eugene Gerden @pubperspectives
International Distribution Forum at Frankfurt; UK’s Emerald ‘Insight’: @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

At what point do awards become too old to be relevant in a query? @Janet_Reid

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections

Rejection Why it Feels so Awful and 7 Ways to Heal: @RuthHarrisBooks @annerallen

Publishing / Process / Book Design

The Best Free Book Cover Makers (and a Few Paid Ones): @ReedsyHQ

Publishing / Process / Contracts

How can I evaluate a publishing contract? (video): @pubcoach

Publishing / Process / Formatting

Microsoft Word Styles Tutorial: Learn to Streamline Your Formatting: @TCKPublishing

Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion

4 Tips To Get Unstuck Writing Hard Emotions In Fiction: @LisaHallWilson

Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists

The Least You Should Know About Your Protagonist And Antagonist: @Writers_Write
What is an Anti-Villain? (With Definitions and Examples): @ReedsyHQ
Writing Main Characters: 5 Tips Bestsellers DON’T Want You To Know (video): @MichaelLaRonn
What is an Anti-Hero? Definition — Plus 10 Examples: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Craft / Endings

How to Build to the Exciting Climax of a Story: @DavidHSafford @write_practice

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

Storytelling Exercise: Tone and Mood: @WritingForward
Extended Metaphors: Definition, Examples and more: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Writing Your Character’s Big Secrets: @Lindasclare
Exploring Nonlinear Narratives: @themaltesetiger
How to make your writing suspenseful: by Victoria Smith @TED_ED

Writing Craft / Pacing

Does Your Scene’s Pace Match Its Mood? @ZoeMMcCarthy

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Naming

Creating Authentic Details: Character Names: by Pamela Taylor @DIYMFA

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

Women Writers: A Critical and Overlooked Plot: @plotwhisperer
The Lure of the Writing Template: Why Filling in the Blanks Doesn’t Work: @Janice_Hardy @annerallen

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept

What is the Best Mind Mapping App? @mindofkyleam

Writing Craft / Revision

The ‘under-arrest’ test – how to see the holes in your story’s ending: @Roz_Morris
The Two Basic Rules of Editing (and the Rookie Mistake): @allegrahuston @JaneFriedman
What is Line Editing? 4 Ways It Can Transform Your Book: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

4 Things Learned From Beta Readers: by Keith Ndenga Kinambuga @Bang2write

Writing Craft / Scenes

How to Write a Great Scene: @StoryGrid

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

Keeping Track of Setting Descriptions: @stacitroilo @StoryEmpire
How to write descriptively: @Nalo_Hopkinson @TED_ED

Writing Tools / Apps

Writing Tips: 11 Tools To Capture Your Creative Ideas: by Trevor Carss @thecreativepenn

Writing Tools / Resources

20 Inspiring Writing Podcasts to Subscribe to: by Brianna Bell @thewritelife
9 Email Newsletters for Writers (That You’ll Actually Want to Open): @jamiecattanach @thewritelife
How to Be a Library Power-User:

 

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
Click To Tweet

The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Being a Library Power User

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I have always been a huge fan of libraries. Growing up, one of my favorite memories is of going to the library with my father (sometimes riding our bikes there) and hanging out for hours.

I still spend a lot of time there because sometimes when I get bogged down when writing at the house.  Maybe I’m not totally in the zone and anything will distract me: the dishwasher stopping,  the dryer buzzer, a table that needs dusting.  Leaving the house and going to the library is usually the perfect remedy for the problem.  I don’t need total silence to work, providing the background noise has nothing to do with me.

But I use the library for more than just a place to write when I need to escape the distractions at home.  I use it to fill my creative well, exercise my brain (which seems to help my writing), and inspiration.

Below are the ways that I use my library.  I’m in the Charlotte,  NC library system and it is a big system and fairly well-funded. Your mileage may vary with yours, but if you find a service here that sounds interesting, check to see if your library has it.  If not, see if they’ll consider offering it.

Books and Magazines

Obviously, books are what first comes to mind when most people think of the library.  I always have something on loan from the library that I’m reading.   I do still get physical books, but I also use my library’s Overdrive service to borrow ebooks.  Whenever I hear about an interesting book, I first check with my library.  If they don’t have it in their catalog, I use their online request form to request a purchase (I’ve never had them turn down a purchase for anything that I’ve suggested).

I’ve used this less, but my library also offers free magazines online (I do like to scroll through looking for recipes sometimes).  They’re offered through RB Digital and Zinio.

Education

Want to learn how to use Office products better? How to develop your own website? There are tons of opportunities to  learn different skills through Lynda, with over 3,000 free online courses.

I also recently tried to challenge my brain to relearn the French I was taught in school (a looonng time ago).  This is free through Mango. 

Entertainment 

We stream at our house (no more cable) and get our programming through Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube TV, etc.  The library is helping supply me with some really cool films and TV through Kanopy and Hoopla.  I’m a fan of classic movies and independent films, but there are also a lot of box office hits on Kanopy and Hoopla, too.  And Hoopla helps me keep up with my favorite British television shows.

Whenever I’m feeling like my creative well needs a little filling, watching a well-made film or reading a great book is the way to do it.

Are you a library power-user, too? What kinds of services do you use there?  Do you go there to write?

How to Be a Library Power User
Click To Tweet

Photo on VisualHunt

The post Being a Library Power User appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.