Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 67

January 24, 2019

A Few Tools for Focusing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I thought I’d share a few tools that I’ve recently come across that might help writers stay focused and motivated.

First off is a free timer. I’ve mentioned here many times (including here and here) how helpful I find timers for nearly every task that I do. It somehow helps to get through a task when you know that it will be over quickly. It can also help me stay on track because I won’t allow myself to be distracted by anything else until the timer goes off. I’m a particular fan of the Pomodoro Technique (see more about it on the creator’s site here) , so when I found this free timer that aligns with the approach, I was excited to use it. The timer is also customizable.

Next off is a new twist on an old idea. It’s called a to-don’t list. I first found out about it when reading this article from Emily Price on Lifehacker. The idea is to stay focused by no allowing yourself to be distracted by your usual suspects…looking at Facebook or checking emails or Twitter, for example. You could use this in correlation with a timer, knowing that when the timer goes off, you can reward yourself on your break by checking in online.

The third is a tool that I haven’t tried myself (I’m more of a solo writer and not a gamer), but which I found interesting. It’s called 4 the Words and it’s set up like a game for reaching word counts. You win points for meeting writing challenges involving word counts. A caveat that it’s $4 a month, but there is a 30 day free trial where you could see if it’s helpful.

For a free year-long challenge, check out author and illustrator Debbie Ohi’s Daily Words Challenge. You can even collect badges. :) And it’s much more gently-paced than NaNoWriMo because you can set your own goals.

For other lists of tools to help with focusing, writing, or editing your work, see these posts:

67 Top Tools for Writers and Bloggers by Mary Jaksch of Write to Done

Top 10 Online Tools for Writers by Ali Hale of Daily Writing Tips

What helps you stay focused on your writing?

Tools for Keeping Focused as a Writer:
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Published on January 24, 2019 21:02

January 20, 2019

Your “Easy As Pie” Guide to Subplots + Giveaway (Part 3 of 3)

by H.R. D’Costa, @scribesworld

Oh, no.

You just took a look at your outline or draft.

It’s definitely too short.

Or, in a different scenario, it’s long enough.

But, unfortunately, it’s rather bland. It lacks texture and variety.

Who are you gonna call to fix it?

Not the Ghostbusters.

Not a developmental editor. (Save that for a more dire writing emergency.)

Because, you see, you can fix this easily on your own.

All you need to do is to weave a subplot (or two) alongside your main plot.

Your page count will expand, and at the same time, your story will become more textured.

This three-part series on subplots will help you get there. Here’s a quick overview:

In Part 1, we covered 5 uses for subplots. (Definitely read this if you’re struggling to come up with content for your subplot.)
In Part 2, we covered how to structure your subplot—plus the golden rule to follow regarding subplots.
In Part 3, we’ll cover how to weave subplots into your story as well as conduct a subplot “safety check.” (You’re reading Part 3 right now.)

Note: These subplot tips have been adapted from my writing guide Sparkling Story Drafts, which will help you write cleaner rough drafts, reduce your revision time, and get a crazy-good story onto the marketplace—faster. To learn how you could win a paperback copy, see the end of this post.

And now let’s get to today’s tips (served a la mode or not, your choice*)…

3 Approaches to Incorporating Subplots into Your Story

All right. You’ve figured out the content of your subplot.

You’ve also figured out three plot points (or beats) for your subplot. Remember, three is the bare minimum. Your subplot is probably going to require more than that.

Finally, you’ve followed the golden rule regarding subplots: you’ve created an intersection between your subplot and the main plot.

Now that you know how the two connect, what’s left?

Just one more thing: incorporating your subplot into your story. There are different approaches you can take. Here are three that might be helpful for you.

Use color-coded index cards. Basically, you write out all the plot points of your story (main plot + subplots) on index cards (one plot point per card).

But you’ll use different colored cards for your subplot to track its flow. (If you only have white index cards, you can achieve the same effect by marking subplot index cards with sticky notes. Or, you could use a different colored pen to mark the plot points for the subplot.)

I love index cards because they’re tactile and flexible. So this is the method I use. But there are others…

Create a subplot subway map. Here, you map out the beats of your subplot like they’re stops on a subway line. When you do this, the intersection between your subplot and the main plot might look like a major transportation hub!

I learned about this method from Gabriela Pereira of diyMFA.com. For a full explanation that uses The Hunger Games as an example, click here. (A sample subplot map is included.)

Sketch out your subplot on one page. This method comes courtesy of our very own blog host, Elizabeth Spann Craig. Sometimes, she’ll write out a subplot as if it’s “a short story with its own little arcs of plot or character development.”

After that, she’ll splice up the subplot and weave those pieces into her draft. (If you’re a pantser, this approach might work best for you.) For more details, read this.

Pointers on How to Distribute Your Subplot Material

As you’re weaving your subplot into your story (using index cards, etc.), you might wonder how to space out your subplot material.

How long should you focus on the main plot, before taking a break to explore a subplot?

Here are two rules of thumb:

When you’ve lingered so long in your main plot that it’s starting to feel monotonous, that’s a good time to branch out into a subplot.
Cut away to a subplot when doing so increases the tension. (For an example, watch Silence of the Lambs. Study when the film cuts away to the subplot involving the senator’s kidnapped daughter.)

For more tips, read author Elizabeth Sims’s article on this topic. She provides seven options for weaving subplots into the main plot.

Option #1 is the “isolated chunk.” Essentially, you stuff the content of your subplot into a single chunk of your story (perhaps a chapter).

I just wanted to offer a quick word of caution about this option. Now, it can work. Look at the subplot involving Murron that’s compressed into the first act of Braveheart. Also, as Sims observes, the isolated chunk is used to good effect in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

But if you use this option, you incur a major risk. Your story might feel episodic.

Maybe, like Mark Twain, you’re okay with that. If not, slice your isolated chunk into smaller pieces, and use one of the approaches described above to weave these pieces into your story.

Time for a Subplot “Safety Check”

No matter which approach to incorporation you choose, there are a few things to look out for when you’re reviewing your subplot in your outline or rough draft. Think of this as a subplot “safety check.”

For each of your subplots, ask yourself these three questions:

Does my subplot intersect with the main plot?
Has my subplot taken over the main plot? (Remember the subplot is supposed to be subordinate to the main plot!)
Have I resolved this subplot?

Let’s dwell on that last item for a second. Sometimes, you’ll forget to resolve a subplot because you’ve lost track of your plot threads.

But in other cases, forgetting to resolve a subplot can indicate a deeper problem: you have mixed views on the content of your subplot. For example, your subplot may espouse a theme you might not agree with.

Make sure to address this source of ambivalence before you send your story out into the world.

* * *

There you have it. We’ve reached the end of this “easy as pie” guide to subplots. Now you know what purposes (besides as a stall tactic) subplots can be used for, how to structure your subplot, and how to incorporate it into your story.

To get a 1-page subplot worksheet that’ll help you keep tabs of all of these details (including the subplot “safety check” questions), sign up here.

I hope this guide helps you develop your subplots in such a way that readers will not only devour your story but, having finished it, draw one conclusion…

YUM!

* For the record, I’m all for the a la mode :)

Win a Paperback Copy of Sparkling Story Drafts

Three different opportunities to win—here’s opportunity #3!

For every post in this series, you have a chance to win a paperback copy of Sparkling Story Drafts ($24.99), which will help you write cleaner rough drafts, reduce your revision time, and get a crazy-good story onto the marketplace—faster.

For a chance to win today, answer this question in the comments: Besides subplots, what plotting or craft issue is frustrating you the most right now (e.g. getting your story started, making your protagonist likeable, etc.)?

Elizabeth will randomly select a winner from the comments by Wednesday, January 23.

Note: This giveaway is only open to residents of North America, South America, Europe, and the UK.

Good luck and happy writing!

Author Bio

A graduate of Brown University, H. R. D’Costa (a.k.a. HRD) almost became a lawyer. Twice. But then she realized that although she wanted to be a lawyer, she needed to be a writer. So she dedicated herself to studying films, screenplays, and novels in order to understand why some stories were gripping…while others were easy to walk away from.

Ultimately, she shared her discoveries in eight writing guides, including Sizzling Story Outlines: How to Outline Your Screenplay or Novel, Always Know “What Happens Next,” and Finish Your Rough Draft Without Freaking Out and Story Stakes: Your #1 Writing Skills Strategy to Produce a Page-Turner that Transforms Readers into Raving Fans of Your Screenplay or Novel , which one Amazon reviewer described as “a must-have in your top 10 books on writing.”

For practical, actionable writing tips designed to help you keep readers glued to your pages, visit her website scribemeetsworld.com, which is also home to the Ultimate Story Structure Worksheet (downloaded over 37,000 times by writers from around the world). Get it here.

Lattice-style pie by Dilyara Garifullina; Book with sprig by Florencia Viadana

Index cards by Kevin Wen; Subway map by Ray Weitzenberg; both licensed via CC by 2.0

3 Ways to Weave Subplots Into Your Story from @scribesworld + giveaway:
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Published on January 20, 2019 21:02

January 19, 2019

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 48,000 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

Every Commercial Writer is His or Her Own Small Business: by John Gilstrap @killzoneauthors
Industry Notes: Europa Editions’ New Imprint; Chicago Press’ Buys Council Oak: @Porter_Anderson
Freedom And Long Term Business Thinking: @yarostarak @thecreativepenn

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

China’s OpenBook ‘Reading X’ Conference: Reader Engagement and Content Development: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
London Book Fair Names Its 2019 ‘Author of the Day’ Lineup @Porter_Anderson @holly_bourneYA @pubperspectives
Joyce Carol Oates Is Named the 2019 Jerusalem Prize Winner: @Porter_Anderson @JoyceCarolOates

Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting

A Prescription for Writers: 3 Steps to Achieving Your Writing Goals: by Beth Ricanati @WritersDigest

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

Why We (Still) Love Crime and Comic Book Heroes: @megfuzzle @CrimeReads
Read Like a Writer: Second Person Narrative Voice in Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen: An American Lyric”: @charlottedonlon @tspoetry
Four Places to Start with the Work of Ray Bradbury: @Ian_SMC @tordotcom
Tired of Series? Try These 10 Standalone Fantasy Novels: @coolcurrybooks @tordotcom
When Technology Betrays Us: 5 Classic Thrillers: @ezekiel_boone @CrimeReads
14 Literary Podcasts That Aren’t Hosted by Three White Guys: by Frances Yackel @ElectricLit
The Crime Fiction of Galway: by Paul French @CrimeReads
Beyond Crazy Rich Asians: A Look at Humorous Fiction: by Terri Frank @DIYMFA

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

If I Have Time to Brush My Teeth, I Have Time to Write: @GwenHuber

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

Why The More Successful Writers Fail The Most: @Bang2write
The 10-Step Checklist to Writing an Above-Average Novel: @KMWeiland

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

What It’s Like to Be a Writer with Anxiety: @losapala
An Incomplete List of the Non-Book Things You Can Get at the Library: @Kristen_Arnett @lithub
Writing: 5 Places to Write When You’re Fed Up with Working at Home: @helenahalme @IndieAuthorALLI
A Librarian’s Resolutions for the New Year : @Kristen_Arnett @lithub
On Writerly Jealousy: @egabbert @parisreview
Build Your Writing Community After You’ve Published in a Lit Mag: by Rachel Thompson
The Book Lover’s Guide to Volunteering: by Katie Yee @lithub
Transformative Journaling and Why it’s Different from Regular Journaling: @cbramkamp
How to Restore Your Love of Writing: @colleen_m_story
Words You Need To Redefine as a Writer: @TheLeighShulman @WomenWriters
What 1 Writer learned about writing two novels at the same time: by Diane Tibert
Artists Should Think Twice Before ‘Tidying Up’: @austinkleon
“What I Wish I’d Known When I Started Writing”: @jamesscottbell
The Novelist Who Works as a “Seasonal Associate” at Amazon: by Heike Geissler @lithub

Genres / Horror

8 Conventions For Horror Writers in 2019: @GiveMeYourTeeth

Genres / Memoir

Writing through Trauma: Two Published Memoirists Share Their Experiences with Writing and Finishing Their Books: @writeabook

Genres / Mystery

Crime Fiction Writing: Using Lands and Grooves to Solve Murders: @LeeLofland
Crime Fiction: Murders That Take Place at the Office: @mkinberg
Crime Fiction: When Characters Have (Perhaps Unjustified) Faith in the Accused: @mkinberg

Genres / Science Fiction

SF Novels That Get Special Relativity All Wrong: @jamesdnicoll @tordotcom

Genres / Screenwriting

7 Ways Star Wars Resistance Can Up the Ante Going Forward: @use_theforce_em @tordotcom
Screenwriting: Great Scene: “Rocky”: How budget issues helped to create the memorable ice rink scene: @GoIntoTheStory

Promo / Ads

Clever Ways Authors Are Using BookBub Ads: @CarlynAtBookBub @DavidGaughran

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

Employ These Powerful Verbs in Your Leadership or Author Bio: @LisaTener

Promo / Book Reviews

Ultimate List of the Best Book Review Blogs: @DaveChesson
5 Tough Tips for Surviving (and Triumphing Over) Bad Book Reviews: @austencats @WritersDigest

Promo / Connecting with Readers

How to Keep Your Audience Happy: @kikimojo

Promo / Miscellaneous

9 Ways to Share Your Favorite Books With Fans: by Audrey Derobert @BookBub
How To Psychologically Enhance Your Author Bio: @DaveChesson
How to Market Your Book: Beginners’ Self-Publishing Salon: @JyotsnaR @StonehamPress @IndieAuthorALLI
9 Book Marketing Tips Even Introverts Can Use: @Bookgal
5 No Good Reasons Authors Resist Marketing: @SmartAuthors @BadRedheadMedia

Promo / Platforms

How to Use Top Book Blogs to Build Your Author Brand: @DaveChesson @BookWorksNYC

Promo / Speaking

Tips for Public Speaking: @YvonneOrtega1 @EdieMelson

Promo / Video

Before You Shoot Your Next Video: 3 Tips for Speaking on Camera: @gigirosenberg

Promo / Websites

Create Your Author/ Artist Website: @JAZarins @WritersRumpus
Make Your Children’s Writing Website Focused: @KarenCV

Publishing / Miscellaneous

A Publisher Might Approach YOU: Four Stupid Mistakes to Avoid: @KJKabza @sfwa
UK Publishers’ 2018 Diversity Report: ‘More Needs To Be Done’: @Porter_Anderson
How to Get Included in a Short Story Anthology: @TimOMaraAuthor @CareerAuthors
Richard Charkin: ‘Try Another Word’: by Richard Charkin @pubperspectives
New Translated YA Book Shortlist from GLLI; New Translators’ Grants From SCBWI: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Blockchain in Publishing: Modeling the Future at Access Copyright: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Why (and When) Word Count Matters: @victoria_grif7

Publishing / News / Amazon

‘They Own the System’: Amazon Rewrites Book Industry by Marching Into Publishing: @JeffreyT1 @WSJ

Publishing / News / Data

American Publishers’ StatShot Report: Double-Digit Trade Growth in November: @pubperspectives @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / News / International Publishing

“Having attracted Nobel Prize-winner Wole Soyinka to the Pula Book Fair, Zagreb’s Ivan Sršen talks of promise in Croatia’s young editors”: @oliviasnaije @pubperspectives
De Marque Is French Canada’s Largest Library Ebook Lender: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Author Organizations Allege Copyright Infringement by the Internet Archive: @Porter_Anderson @mariraz
RightsTech’s Paul Sweeting on Europe’s Summit for Publishing and ‘Related Sectors’: @Porter_Anderson @themediawonk

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

Resource for Writers: A Self-Publishing Podcast: @ReedsyHQ @TheIWSG

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Pitches

How to Pitch a Picture Book: Breaking Into a Growing, Competitive Market: @lara_perkins @WritersDigest

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

How to query a literary agent: @Catkcho @CBGBooks
Comp Titles in a Query and How to Use Them: @Kid_Lit

Publishing / Process / Book Design

The Joys of Designing a Debut Writer’s Book: @sarahmay_w @lithub

Publishing / Process / Legalities

Copyright Tips for Songs and Recipes: @SusanSpann

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Catastrophe Theory and Characters: @DonMaass @WriterUnboxed
Taking Character Relationships to the Next Level: @AngelaAckerman @mythcreants

Writing Craft / Dialogue

How to Write Dialogue: 8 Tips and Exercises: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Craft / Diversity

Tackling The “Struggle Novel” as an Outsider: from Writing With Color

Writing Craft / Drafts

Famous Rules for Writers – Heinlein’s Rules -How many drafts are too many? @Peter_Rey_

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

7 Crucial Things to Know Before You Start Writing a Book: @LisaTener
Getting the Details Right: @davidfarland
How Online Confessional Columns Are Reinventing the Diary Book: by Luna Adler @ElectricLit
How to Spot Bad Writing Advice: 6 Red Flags: by Bucket Siler
When Is It Appropriate to Dispel the Mystery? by Chris Winkle @mythcreants
Tips for Writing Sibling Relationships: from Just a Writing Aid
Want to Improve Your Writing? Change Your Thinking: @Janice_Hardy

Writing Craft / POV

Create Emotional Connections With Readers Using Deep Point Of View: @LisaHallWilson

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Naming

How to Give Your Characters Unforgettable Names: @EmmanuelNataf @ReedsyHQ @ElectricLit

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

5 Uses for Subplots (and a Giveaway for a Marvelous Resource for Writers): @scribesworld
How to Structure Your Subplot by @ScribesWorld +Giveaway of Writing Resource:
How to Plan a Story in Scenes: 5 Steps: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research

Erroneous Code in Fiction: @KJHarrowick @DanKoboldt

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept

The Secret to Writing a Great Book: Start With a Great Idea: @JeffGoins

Writing Craft / Special Needs

Writing With—And About—Invisible Disabilities: @TeacherPatti @WomenWriters

Writing Craft / Subtext

Subtext for Writers: What Lies Beneath: @SarahSallyHamer @EdieMelson

Writing Craft / Word Crafting

Subtlety in Word Choices: @FaeRowen
What is anaphora and how can you use it in fiction writing? @LouiseHarnby

Writing Tools / Books

6 Must-read Craft Books for Genre Fiction Writers: @DanKoboldt @DonMaass @JaneFriedman

Writing Tools / Resources

100 Best Writing Websites: 2019 Edition: @danasitar @thewritelife
10 Sites with Literary Agent Advice & Resources: @WritersDigest @JessZafarris

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on January 19, 2019 21:01

January 17, 2019

Your “Easy As Pie” Guide to Subplots + Giveaway (Part 2 of 3)

by H.R. D’Costa, @scribesworld

Ah, subplots.

Once you get a handle on them, you’ll solve a huge problem.

You’ll be able to get your novel to the right length—without stretching your main plot too thin.

And while that’s a big benefit, it’s not the only one. Subplots can jazz up your story in multiple ways. We talked about that in Part 1 of this series.

Speaking of…

…here’s a quick overview of each part in this “easy as pie” guide to subplots.

In Part 1, we covered 5 uses for subplots.
In Part 2, we’ll cover how to structure your subplot—plus the golden rule to follow regarding subplots. (You’re reading Part 2 right now.)
In Part 3 (forthcoming), we’ll cover how to weave subplots into your story as well as conduct a subplot “safety check.”

Note: These subplot tips have been adapted from my writing guide Sparkling Story Drafts , which will help you write cleaner rough drafts, reduce your revision time, and get a crazy-good story onto the marketplace—faster. To learn how you could win a paperback copy, see the end of this post.

And now—fresh from the oven; mmmm!—today’s batch of tips…

How to Structure Your Subplot

Good news: the structure of your subplot doesn’t have to be extensive.

After all, it’s a subplot!

Structuring it should be fairly easy. First think about the story structure commonly found in main plots, and adapt it as you see fit. (This will usually entail some kind of “reduction.”)

If structuring the main plot is still a hazy area for you, consult this article on the essential plot points in a script outline. (Rest assured, these plot points work for novels, too!)

If you’re writing a cozy mystery, you might also find Elizabeth’s master outline to be helpful to work from. You can find it here.

While we’re on the topic of outlines…if you’re a “plotter” who outlines your story before you write, you’re probably totally onboard with sketching out the beats of your subplot in advance.

If you’re a “pantser,” who writes by the seat of your pants, without an outline, then sketching out your subplot in advance might make you feel uncomfortable. It might take away from your fun. In that case, use these tips retroactively, to evaluate the subplots in your rough draft.

Okay, with that plotter vs. pantser caveat out of the way, let’s get back to basic guidelines. At the very least, you’ll need three plot points for your subplot:

One to establish the subplot.
One to develop the subplot.
One to resolve the subplot.

To get a subplot worksheet that’ll help you keep track of your subplot plot points (plus more!), sign up here.

When you’re structuring your subplot (especially how you resolve it), there’s something you need to keep at the back of your mind…

The Golden Rule to Follow with Regard to Subplots

Remember how, in Part 1 of this series, I said that subplots provide a break from the main plot?

It’s no surprise, then, that subplots often exist parallel to the main plot, not really connecting to it.

As a result, if you’re not careful, your subplot can dangle from your story like a loose thread in a poorly made sweater.

Which means it’s going to feel extraneous.

It’s going to feel like filler.

To prevent this from happening, follow one golden rule:

Your subplot must intersect with the main plot.

Don’t just take it from me. Take it from literary agent Evan Marshall. As he explains in The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing:

The subplots and story lines that don’t work never really connect to the lead’s main story line. The reader patiently follows these threads, trusting they’ll converge at some point—but they never do…Don’t make this mistake; remember that readers assume from the very existence of a subordinate story line that it will fit somehow into the lead’s…story goal.

One word of caution: thematic intersections aren’t sufficient (even if you’re using your subplot to elucidate theme). Sorry theme aficionados :(

To truly be effective and possess the convergence that Marshall talks about, your subplot should affect the outcome of the main plot.

For example (as mentioned in Part 1 of this series), the subplot involving Kevin and Old Man Marley gives Home Alone its heart.

But this subplot does more than that.

That’s because, by rescuing Kevin from the burglars at the end of the film, Marley directly impacts the main plot.

Note: It’s usually not a good idea for your protagonist to be rescued at the end of your story. Why not? Getting rescued puts your protagonist in a passive position, which is generally undesirable. (See points #4 and #5 in this article by Michael Hauge.)

When this happens at the end of your story, it can undermine your entire climax. However, Home Alone is one of those exceptions that work.

That said, there are two structural spots when it’s usual for your protagonist to be in a passive position. One is at the inciting incident. In fact, passivity is one of its tell-tale signs.

The other is at the trough. This is my term for the setback (or series of setbacks) the protagonist encounters at the end of Act Two. (You may have heard the trough referred to as the “all is lost” or black moment.)

At the trough, your protagonist will often be stuck in a dicey situation. This is where subplots really come in handy.

Your subplot can contain the perfect resource to extricate your protagonist, so he’s free to participate in the climax.

This is a great way to create an intersection between a subplot and the main plot. Plus, because your subplot has been woven into your story from the outset (see Part 3 of this series for tips on how to do that), your protagonist’s extrication won’t seem contrived.

On the other hand, without the subplot, your protagonist’s extrication may come across as a deus ex machina—a plot device that annoys audiences to no end.

With a subplot in place, you avoid all this. (For the record, you can also avoid the dreaded deus ex machina through planting a well-timed setup.)

If creating intersections is a place where you get stuck, check out chapter 30 of Sparkling Story Drafts. I’ll walk you through examples, step by step. Don’t forget, we’re giving away copies of Sparkling Story Drafts. Details below…

Win a Paperback Copy of Sparkling Story Drafts

Three different opportunities to win—here’s opportunity #2!

For a chance to win today, answer this question in the comments: For you personally, what’s your biggest challenge regarding subplots?

Can’t think of anything offhand? No problem. Here are two alternate questions: (1) Has a subplot in a story ever annoyed you—and if so, why? or (2) What’s your favorite example of a subplot intersection?

Elizabeth will randomly select a winner from the comments by Wednesday, January 23.

Note: This giveaway is only open to residents of North America, South America, Europe, and the UK.

Good luck and happy writing!

Author Bio

Ultimately, she shared her discoveries in eight writing guides, including Sizzling Story Outlines: How to Outline Your Screenplay or Novel, Always Know “What Happens Next,” and Finish Your Rough Draft Without Freaking Out and Story Stakes: Your #1 Writing Skills Strategy to Produce a Page-Turner that Transforms Readers into Raving Fans of Your Screenplay or Novel, which one Amazon reviewer described as “a must-have in your top 10 books on writing.”

Lattice-style pie by Dilyara Garifullina; Gold light by Maxime Valcarce

How to Structure Your Subplot by @ScribesWorld +giveaway :
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Published on January 17, 2019 21:02

January 13, 2019

Your “Easy As Pie” Guide to Subplots + Giveaway (Part 1 of 3)

by H.R. D’Costa, @scribesworld

Have you ever tried to make a pie crust from scratch?

In my experience, when you press the dough into the pie pan, there’ll be areas where the dough is thick and knobby, almost like the hills of a tea plantation…

…and there’ll be areas where the dough is thin.

So, so thin.

Working with the main plot of your novel can be like that.

There’s only so much of it to go around.

After a certain point, if you try to extract more out of it, you’ll stretch it too thin. You’ll end up with plot points that are bland and repetitious.

Savvy writers recognize this.

They don’t try to extract more than their main plot can give.

Instead, they take a break from the main plot. Like bakers who take scraps of dough to fill in holes in a pie crust, these writers fill their pages with other material.

This is where subplots—secondary stories that are subordinate to the main plot—come in. (Sometimes, a subplot is referred to as the B-story, while the main plot is referred to as the A-story.)

Subplots are one of the best ways to get your novel to the right length, without stretching your main plot too thin.

Of course, you can’t be obvious about it. Then your subplots will feel like filler—and your readers will get bored and start skipping pages.

Not good.

However, readers will be less likely to deem your subplot a stall tactic (even though that’s exactly what it may be)—if you integrate it skillfully into your story.

That’s what this “easy as pie” guide to subplots is all about. With it, you should pick up some tips so that your subplots enhance—rather than detract from—the main plot.

The guide is divided into three parts. Below is a quick overview:

In Part 1, we’ll cover 5 uses for subplots (you’re reading Part 1 now).
In Part 2 (forthcoming), we’ll cover how to structure your subplots (plus the golden rule to follow regarding subplots).
In Part 3 (forthcoming), we’ll cover how to weave subplots into your story as well as conduct a subplot “safety check.”

Ready? Grab a fork, and let’s dig in!

5 Uses for Subplots

If your subplot has an additional function—if it’s not just a stall tactic—then it’s more likely to feel integral to your story…

…and less likely to feel like filler.

Makes sense, right?

So now it’s time to figure out what kind of contribution you want your subplot to make.

Because subplots are flexible, you have multiple options at your disposal. Below are 5 suggestions to get you started.

Use a subplot to:

Elucidate theme or convey character arc. One of my favorite examples is from What Women Want. I love how the subplot between Nick and his daughter demonstrates how much Nick has changed.

Speaking of change…

…in a post on working with theme, Elizabeth mentions exploring “whether the victim in the book had really changed his stripes before he was murdered (as he swore he had).”

Sounds like great subplot material to me!

Increase emotional involvement by highlighting the stakes. Think of the senator’s kidnapped daughter in Silence of the Lambs.

Increase emotional involvement in a subtler fashion by gracing a story with heart. While the hijinks of Home Alone are fun, the heartwarming relationship between Kevin and Old Man Marley elevates the film into something more.

Update readers about reoccurring characters in a series. Fans of a series don’t just invest in the protagonist of the series. They also invest in the supporting cast.

A subplot can provide a great opportunity for fans to reconnect with the characters they love.

Quick tip: to create this kind of subplot, pick a series trope that involves a reoccurring character and build your subplot from there.

Conceal a clue or create red herrings and plot twists. A subplot built around a romance with a new lover yields plot twists in The Verdict, The Devil Wears Prada, and The Dark Knight Rises.

To get a subplot worksheet that conveniently lists all of these uses (plus more!), sign up here.

By the way, there’s nothing wrong with combining multiple functions under the same subplot. In fact, this approach can give your story greater depth and focus, preventing it from turning into one big sprawl.

Now that you’ve sorted out the content of your subplot, it’s time to reflect on its structure. That’s what we’ll cover in Part 2 of this subplot series. Stay tuned!

Win a Paperback Copy of Sparkling Story Drafts

Three different opportunities to win—here’s opportunity #1!

For a chance to win today, answer this question in the comments: Have you ever used a subplot for one of the purposes listed in this article? If not, what purpose did you use your subplot for?

Elizabeth will randomly select a winner from the comments by Wednesday, January 23.

Note: This giveaway is only open to residents of North America, South America, Europe, and the UK.

Good luck and happy writing!

Author Bio

Ultimately, she shared her discoveries in eight writing guides, including Sizzling Story Outlines: How to Outline Your Screenplay or Novel, Always Know “What Happens Next,” and Finish Your Rough Draft Without Freaking Out and Story Stakes: Your #1 Writing Skills Strategy to Produce a Page-Turner that Transforms Readers into Raving Fans of Your Screenplay or Novel, which one Amazon reviewer described as “a must-have in your top 10 books on writing.”

5 Uses for Subplots from @scribesworld:
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Lattice-style pie by Dilyara Garifullina; Evergreen wreath by Erwan Hesry

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Published on January 13, 2019 21:02

January 12, 2019

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous

Broadening your business: @HollowLandsBook
The role of the book wholesaler in the supply chain from indie authors to bookstores: @ClareFly shares her experience of a visit to @Gardners:
Pushing Ourselves in 2019:
Why Freelance Writers Must Avoid Perfectionism: @TheJohnSoares
Publishing predictions for 2019: @agentsavant @annerallen
Capstone And Earplay Partner on Children’s Titles for Alexa: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

International Prize for Arabic Fiction Names 2019 Longlist: @Porter_Anderson
Details Announced for Germany’s Guest of Honor Program at Taipei International Book Exhibition: @Porter_Anderson
Words Without Borders January: Enter 2019 Laughing @Porter_Anderson @SusanHarrisWWB

Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels

Finished a First Novel? Do’s and Don’ts for What to do Next: @annerallen

Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting

How to smash your 2019 writing resolution: @beprolifiko
How to SetUp Your KanBan Board to Reach Your Writing Goals in the Next 90 Days: @createastorylov
How to Make a Vision Board for 2019: @Margo_L_Dill
7 Ways to Turn Your Writing Resolutions into Realities: @Gabino_Iglesias @LitReactor

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Published on January 12, 2019 21:01

January 10, 2019

Planting the Body in a Cozy Mystery

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

If you’re writing a cozy mystery, there are little things that come up sometimes. Writing is a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure process. You have so many different choices that can take the plot in different directions that it can seem overwhelming.

It doesn’t have to be that overwhelming, though. There are choices, but you can address them as they come along. Here are a few things to consider when planning the discovery of your victim:

The timing: You have a couple of different choices in timing the body’s discovery. You could start out with the discovery of the victim, which can be a fun way to shake things up a little bit. The only problem with that, I’ve found, is that you will need to deal with backstory more than you might otherwise have done. One way of getting around that is to include backstory about the victim and his or her relationships with others in suspect interviews.

My editors at Penguin preferred the victim to be discovered in the first 30-50 pages of the book, for pacing reasons. So if you don’t start off with the body, you might consider having a couple of scenes with the future victim interacting with one or two future suspects to make things easier to write later in the story. The suspects will be easier for the sleuth, who is merely a gifted amateur, to figure out.

The place: The location of the body needs to be somewhere accessible. It should be a place that all of the suspects have access to. It could be the victim’s own house (victim either didn’t lock up well or knew her attacker) or it could be a public place…but not too public because we don’t need the body discovered until the killer gets safely away (for now, anyway).

Who discovers the body? An easy way to get your sleuth involved is for him or her to discover the body and feel a sense of ownership. Of course, if your sleuth is finding all the bodies in your entire series, you might be stuck in the “Murder, She Wrote” Cabot Cove syndrome (Jessica Fletcher found a heck of a lot of bodies in a very small town. Statistically, she should probably have been considered as a possible serial killer. :) )

Alternatively, it could be good for someone close to your sleuth to discover the victim. That way the sleuth still feels looped in (maybe she’s even called before the police are called) but isn’t always falling over bodies.

Other considerations: Your sleuth, if he discovered the body, clearly needs to call the police. But depending on how close his relationship is with the police department, the sleuth may feel the need to find information on his own. Maybe he carefully assesses the scene before the officials arrive.

Another note: the condition of the body doesn’t require much description. The more description you include, the less-cozy the discovery scene. The readers can fill in the details by simply knowing that the victim was strangled, shot in the head, or pushed out a third-story window. Cozies are all about escape and not forensics, so you can go light on detail with these books.

Are you a mystery reader or writer? What else have you observed about victim discovery scenes?

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Published on January 10, 2019 21:02

January 6, 2019

Pushing Ourselves in 2019

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I realized at some point last year that I wanted to write a new series. For one thing, it’s nice to have an additional revenue stream, especially if a series may appeal to a different pool of readers. For another, I wanted to make sure that I was still growing. I wanted to try something different to keep myself sharp.

Writing a new series or a new genre (or both) is one way to creatively stretch. But there are other ways of pushing ourselves. The beginning of the year is a good time to assess where you stand in your writing business. And it is a business, which is sometimes tough for writers to wrap their heads around.

My income has increased in direct relation to the number of books I’ve published. It’s also increased whenever I’ve added new streams of revenue by diversifying into new formats (print, digital, audio), and distributors and retailers (using aggregators like Draft2Digital, PublishDrive, Smashwords, Ingram, and StreetLib to reach retailers all over the world).

As with anything, I think it’s important to break down any of these tasks into many smaller tasks. Don’t let it be overwhelming if it’s something you want to tackle in 2019.

To get you started, here are some questions to ask yourself and then places to start:

Have you not published your book at all yet? Are you new to self-publishing? Try these nice overviews from both industry expert Jane Friedman and from writer James P. Sumner (video) on the ALLi blog.

Is your book in print? To have your book on KDP Print, Amazon’s print publishing, you’ll need to have a full cover (with spine and back cover) as a PDF. Your ebook cover designer should be able to handle that for you without much additional cost. You’ll also need your book file to be available as a PDF. A free service like KDP, Reedsy or Draft2Digital can help you create your own file, or you can hire a formatter. More help to get you started with your Amazon print project is here.

Is your book available as an ebook? Here you’ll need an ebook cover from your designer. You’ll also need your book formatted for epub or kindle. Again, the free services above can help you if you want to format it yourself. From there, you simply upload to KDP and other retailers. (I think it’s important to go wide, especially if you are planning on writing more than one book, so I won’t recommend KDP Select here.)

Is your book available at Nook, Apple, Kobo and smaller worldwide retailers? If you already have an ebook cover and files, this is one of the easiest ways to go wide on this list. You can either elect to directly upload to these retailers (a process very similar to when you uploaded to Amazon), or you can use a distributor or aggregator to do so (they take a small percentage of your royalties). Smashwords, Draft2Digital, PublishDrive, and StreetLib are all good choices. You can even use all of them…just make sure that you’re not duplicating services (don’t have both Draft2Digital and Smashwords distribute to Apple, for example).

Is your ebook available for purchase by libraries? This is another no-brainer if you already have an ebook file and cover. You can’t upload directly to OverDrive, which supplies libraries. But you can go through a distributor (any of the ones listed above) to get your books there.

Is your book available in audio? Audio has become very popular for readers. ACX is the main platform that writers use to get their books produced as audio books. You can pay a narrator upfront, consider a royalty-sharing option with your narrator, or you can even narrate yourself. ACX distributes to Audible and iTunes. More information can be found here. Other options include Findaway Voices (info here) and TekTime.

Is your printed book available for purchase at libraries and bookstores? This means going through IngramSpark. You’ll need your own ISBN (I recommend those anyway, if you intend on going wide and publishing a good number of books) and a PDF of your full print-version cover and PDF of your book’s text. There are set-up fees for print…$49 a title…but I don’t think I’ve ever paid it because they frequently run free set-up promotions (make sure you receive their emails). The current promo (until March 31) is NANO17. IngramSpark isn’t quite as intuitive as KDP Print, but I believe it’s easier than given credit for. Here’s an article by Debbie Young on why it’s a good idea to use both Amazon’s KDP Print and IngramSpark together.

Is your book available for translation? As with audio, you can pay a translator upfront (although the costs may be prohibitive). Or you can post your book as available for translation on a site like Babelcube or Tektime and use a royalty sharing agreement. My thoughts on translation options in my posts here and here.

There are other ways to diversify and create multiple income streams for your writing business. You can be a public speaker, teach an online class, pursue affiliate income, or look for sponsors on Patreon.

What types of creative and business goals do you have for 2019?

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Published on January 06, 2019 21:02

January 5, 2019

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous

Confidence, Connection & Convergence: Self-Publishing Review 2018: @OrnaRoss @IndieAuthorALLI
Editing: How to create compelling editing quotations: @LouiseHarnby
The Fear and Joy of Writing on Proposal: @maryannmarlowe @WomenWriters
Tokyo’s new Bunkitsu Bookstore With an Admission Fee: @Porter_Anderson @bunkitsu_rpng
China Bestsellers for November: The ‘Double Eleven’ Sales Boost: @Porter_Anderson

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

Tips for Oral Storytelling: @helpfulsnowman

Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting

The Five Biggest New Year’s Resolution Mistakes and How to Avoid Them: @WriteNowCoach
Trends For Authors And Creative Goal Setting 2019: @thecreativepenn
Share Your Writing Goals to Increase Chances of Success: @colleen_m_story
About Those New Year’s Goals: @RachelleGardner

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

9 Mysteries Set in The Immediate Aftermath of WWI: @jpwrites1 @CrimeReads
How Book Maps Led to One Author’s Love of Fiction: @VaughnRoycroft @WriterUnboxed
The Good, The Bad, and The Delicious: 20 Unexpected Literary Cookbooks: @knownemily @lithub

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

3 Tips from an Engineer to Help You Write Efficiently: @BMWtheCreative

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

A defense of creative writing in the age of standardized testing: @JustinParmenter
Jonathan Franzen’s 10 Rules for Novelists: @lithub
Why Writing Friends are Important: @jodimeadows
Tsundoku (Books piled everywhere): @austinkleon
How to write if you have a long commute behind the wheel: @GoIntoTheStory
What One Person Can Do to Get People Reading: @mattgrantwriter @lithub
Writing and the Creative Life: Why Creative People May Feel More Anxiety: @GoIntoTheStory
Creating Priority Lists When Everything Seems Important: @TheLeighShulman
Is A Writing Retreat Right For You? by Paige Duke @standoutbooks
Tips to Help Organize 2019 with Calendars and Apps:

Genres / Memoir

Jaime Lowe’s 8 Rules For Writing Memoirs: @kicklikeagirl1 @Writers_Write

Genres / Miscellaneous

What is the “Core” for Your Genre? @davidfarland

Genres / Screenwriting

Script To Screen: “The Last of the Mohicans”: @GoIntoTheStory

Promo / Blogging

Get Your Blog Ready for 2019: @EdieMelson
12 Strategies for Blogging Your Way to Expert Status: @NinaAmir

Promo / Miscellaneous

Your 2019 Book Marketing Plan, Month by Month: @NewShelvesBooks @BookWorksNYC
7 Ways to Use Bookmarks for Marketing Your Book: @KarenHWhiting @EdieMelson
Create your author mood board in five minutes: @helpingauthors1

Promo / Platforms

What Is a Writer Platform and How Do You Build One? @ChadRAllen

Promo / Podcasts

3 Things To Know About Podcasts When You Know Nothing: @Writers_Write by Christopher Dean

Promo / Social Media Tips

Bookstagram for Indie Authors: Strategy: by Laura Hartley @BookWorksNYC

Promo / Speaking

Using Props While Making a Book Presentation: @AuthorCathyLamb

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Books to Film: Josh Malerman’s Debut ‘Bird Box’ Lands on Netflix: @Porter_Anderson @JoshMalerman
Tips for Winning Writing Contests: @FinishedPages @hopeclark
Winter Issues: ‘Beyond the Book’ Looks at 2018 in Review: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives @BeyondTheBook
Be Careful Inputting Your Metadata on Amazon: by Gordon Long @IndiesUnlimited
How to find your perfect co-writer (dead or alive): @LuWrites
Copyrighted Treasures Move Into the Public Domain, on a ‘Snowy Evening’: @Porter_Anderson @DukeCSPD

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

Self-publishing Role Models for 2018: @IndieAuthorALLI

Publishing / Process / Legalities

Public Domain Day Is Coming: On January 1st, 2019, Copyrighted Works Will Enter the Public Domain for the First Time in 21 Years: @jdmagness @openculture

Publishing / Process / Self-Publishing

5 Questions on the Book Production and Marketing Matrix: @JFbookman

Writing Craft / Beginnings

Five Strategies for Getting Started: @davidfarland

Writing Craft / Characters / Arc

Character Arc and Narrative Arc: @VictoriaMixon

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Don’t Make Your Characters Do the Impossible: @ZoeMMcCarthy
4 Steps for Writing Realistic Protagonists Who Are Nothing Like You: by Donna Levin @WritersDigest
Character Building with the Enneagram: @RDCwrites @RMFWriters

Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists

Creating Likeable Protagonists: @davidfarland

Writing Craft / Characters / Supporting Characters

The 17 Best (and Worst) Cartoon Sidekicks of the 1980s: @cloudy_vision @tordotcom

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

Five Common Storytelling Mistakes in the Pursuit of Social Justice: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants

Writing Craft / Dialogue

8 Ways to Make Your Characters Sound Distinctive: @LauraDiSilverio

Writing Craft / Endings

When Should A Story End? by PJ Parrish @killzoneauthors

Writing Craft / Humor

In Defense of Puns: @JamesGeary @parisreview

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

How to Level-Up Our Writing: @craicer @JamiGold
Don’t Overload Your Readers With Your Message: @writing_tips
Tips for More Meaningful Stories: @writingandsuch
10 Non-Writing Things You Can Do To Improve Your Writing: @wendypmiller

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

The Dual Plot Structure That Makes Stories a Success: by Chris Winkle @mythcreants
How to Choose Your Story’s Plot Points: @KMWeiland

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

‘Flier’ or ‘Flyer’? @GrammarGirl
Pronoun Order: @GrammarGirl
Three Simple Rules for Pluralizing Names: @HopeTDougherty

Writing Craft / Revision

Read your way into editing your novel: @MsRachaelBlok @CurtisBrown
See Oscar Wilde’s Handwritten Edits to The Picture of Dorian Gray: @lithub

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

3 Mistakes Writing Groups Make and How to Fix Them: @TCKPublishing

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

How do you Describe a Place? 6 Setting Tips: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Voice

Ask the Editor: Tips for Identifying Your Story’s Narrative Voice: @writingrefinery @DIYMFA

Writing Tools / Apps

Keeping Track of Everything in Scrivener with Metadata: @Gwen_Hernandez

Writing Tools / Resources

10 Podcasts every author needs in their life: @sacha_black
14 of the Best Online Writing Communities for Aspiring Authors: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Tools / Spreadsheets

How to Spreadsheet Your Novel: @StoryGrid

Uncategorized

The links I shared the last couple of weeks, plus my links that got the most engagement on Twitter in 2018:
Show Don’t Tell Explained: Examples of Turning Bad Writing into Great Writing: @TCKPublishing

Remainder of the Top Tweets for 2018…the links I shared that received the most engagement on Twitter:

How to Fix a Plot Hole in Your Novel (From 14 Writing Experts): http://ow.ly/f1cR30mLx0M @writingcookbook #TopTweets2018

Rights Roundup: A Handful of Titles for the Holidays: http://ow.ly/EonV30mOqat @Porter_Anderson @malusken @GuillaumePitron @SiriPettersen #TopTweets2018

A defense of creative writing in the age of standardized testing: http://ow.ly/k2Tw30n8KCf @JustinParmenter #wkb31

3 Tips for Improving Show, Don’t Tell: http://ow.ly/PXZB30mCVNr @KMWeiland #TopTweets2018

Gave up on NaNoWriMo? Try a gentler, year-round writing challenge: http://ow.ly/KCxp30mUUTN @inkyelbows #TopTweets2018

9 Writing Tips for Beginners: http://ow.ly/RJ1r30mTwMZ @writingcookbook #TopTweets2018

Public Domain Day Is Coming: On January 1st, 2019, Copyrighted Works Will Enter the Public Domain for the First Time in 21 Years: http://ow.ly/z0p830n8Gqf @jdmagness @openculture #wkb5c

On The Many Visions of Voyeurism in Crime Fiction: http://ow.ly/1QhE30mM4FR @ClaireFuller2 @CrimeReads #TopTweets2018

What Writing Fanfiction Taught Me as an Editor: http://ow.ly/CsAa30mCozO @writersyndrome @UncannyMagazine #TopTweets2018

How to Use Swag to Support Your Book Marketing: http://ow.ly/CgjB30mTxOs @proflangley @JaneFriedman #TopTweets2018

How To Define Your Character’s Narrative: http://ow.ly/VW4V30mUBKI @Writers_Write #TopTweets2018

6 Iconic Literary Road Trips in the US To Inspire Your Inner Creative: http://ow.ly/Ci3W30mLwSj @WomenWriters #TopTweets2018

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Published on January 05, 2019 21:01

January 3, 2019

Tips to Organize 2019

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Happy New Year! Hope everyone enjoyed their holidays.

One thing I like to do at the beginning of the year is planning. To me, setting up my year on my calendar isn’t really about goals–it’s just a way to help me visualize when I need to reach out to my production team for editing and design help (and to post upcoming releases on my website for readers to see my timeline). A reader once suggested that I have a ‘Coming Soon‘ page on my site to help her keep my releases straight, and I’ve found that works well.

Ways to stay organized:

Production calendar. I use my Google calendar and then I also put it on my wall calendar. First off, I know how long it takes me to write and revise a book from start to finish: three months. With that in mind, I know an approximate date to ask my editor for help with the book and to send ARCs to my ARC team. While my editor makes edits, I work on the outline for the next book in that same series. Then I contact my cover designer and ask her to make a cover for that book (a book that won’t come out for another seven months or so). I also start setting up my book for preorder online at Amazon, Draft2Digital (for Nook, Apple, Kobo, etc.), StreetLib, Ingram, and PublishDrive. I announce the preorder on social media and on my website. This process helps keep me on track and prevents any issues from arising that might result in the delay of a book.

Blog editorial calendar. I use OneNote for this, but lots of other apps would work (there is also a free download on Gabriela Pereira’s blog). In OneNote, I have a blogging notebook and then a blog editorial calendar section. I have one page that lists the date and the post name and then I use other pages in the section to draft ideas. Not only does it help me keep track of what I’m planning on posting, but I can also list ideas for posts in a spot that helps me remember them and eventually write them. I also enjoy looking at the entire past year of blogging at a glance. If you’ve ever wasted valuable time trying to think of blog posts at the last minute, this is the perfect tool for you.

Google Keep for reminders. Google Keep is a free app that will sync across your devices. It has a nice voice recording feature which helps me record book ideas on the fly. I also like that it can remind me of various things…especially since I think of tasks I need to complete when I’m falling asleep.

Google calendar. Because being organized isn’t just about keeping track of my writing. My Google calendar has everything on it from changing the air filters and the smoke detector batteries to dental appointments and cover conferences. (I do also put big stuff on a wall calendar so that I can more easily see conflicts).

Evernote. I use Evernote for everything from my recipe collection (including notes as to what worked and what bombed) to what I gave everyone for Christmas or their birthday each year.

The most important thing is to find out what works best for you in terms of staying organized and then stick with it.

What are your favorite ways to stay on top of things?

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Published on January 03, 2019 21:02