Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 96

Taking Series Characters on the Road

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve now written several books in two different series where I took my series characters on the road.

There were a few different reasons I wanted to do this. For one, I feel like it can be a good way to keep a series fresh for both readers and the writer. For one book, I particularly wanted to write a ‘manor house’ style mystery where the setting is confined to one, isolated spot (with a murderer in the group). For another book, I thought it would be an interesting hook to set the story at a place my protagonist despises: Greener Pastures Retirement Home.

My editor for the manor house story was leery about the idea.  She said that readers tend to like their characters to stay in the same setting.  I agree–that’s usually what I like as a reader, too.  But I managed with that story to take many of the story characters with me (making it as believable as I could).

With the retirement home mystery, the setting wasn’t far from the characters’ usual home base.  This allowed regular interaction between the main characters and some of the recurring ones.

But this time for my last Myrtle Clover book, I decided to try something different.   Reader reviews were mixed on the series road trips.  I did a good deal of planning for Crusing for Murder and the reviews have been much better.  Readers have actually particularly mentioned in reviews that they enjoyed the change of scenery and pace (this is also book 10 in the series, so maybe they were ready for a change).

Differences this time: 

I started and ended the book with the characters at home visiting with recurring characters who aren’t going on the road trip.

I had the recurring, non-trip characters ‘check in’ with my sleuth while she was gone.  Myrtle checked her emails and even had some written messages (mysterious ones) left in her luggage by a friend.

I kept as many series tropes as I possibly could.  Myrtle and Miles are insomniacs so I used it on the ship to help them run into various suspects.  Myrtle puts out garden gnomes to irritate her son when he annoys her and I found a way to work that in.

I kept the location moving.  Previously, I’d centered my “road trip stories” on a single location: an isolated house cut off by a storm, and a retirement home.  Putting my characters on a cruise meant that I could keep the setting more entertaining for readers who might be disappointed not to have the story located in the characters’ hometown.

Have you taken your series characters on a road trip?  How did you make that process easier on your readers?  Do you like it when your favorite show or book series takes characters on the road?

Tips for taking your series characters on a road trip:
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Photo credit: EJP Photo via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-SA

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Public Speaking Tips

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

There are some writers I know who were born to be public speakers. They do a great job with audience engagement and can captivate a room.

Then there are the rest of us.  :)

As I’ve said before, I’ve definitely made my peace with public speaking by this time and have grown to enjoy it.  It’s has taken me years to finally embrace it (I’ll give a shout-out to Toastmasters, which provided a lot of help).

Here are some tips that I’ve learned along the way

Know your audience in advance.  I’ve learned that this is essential. Sometimes, for example, I’m speaking to beginner writers. Sometimes I’m speaking to writers who know a good deal about writing and promo.  If I mess up and make my speech too complex or too easy to understand, I’m going to lose audience interest and look unprepared. Usually the event organizer has some idea about who is going to be attending.  And, obviously, it’s also important to know if you’re speaking to writers or to readers.

Get Q&A questions in advance to spur others later.   If you’re speaking to a group, club, or organization, ask the event organizer to get some early questions.  Or you could pass out index cards to the audience before the event.

When preparing the speech, focus on value for the audience.  Once you know who the audience is, you can prepare a talk that will keep their interest with information that they find useful. This, to me, is half the battle of giving a good speech.

Arrive early.  Arriving early helps for a variety of reasons. It helps us in case something has gone wrong (sometimes there are technology issues) and it helps us because we can greet audience members as they come in (which helps allay nervousness).

Ask the audience a question as a warm-up.   When I speak to groups of readers, I’ll poll the audience by asking for a show of hands to a general question (for me, it’s usually ‘How many of you grew up reading mysteries?’). Not only is their answer interesting to me, but it usually functions as a great warm-up and gives me a little information about my audience.

Continue gauging audience interest.  If audience members start looking bored, sleepy, or restless, I’ll change direction and try something else.

Move. Instead of standing behind the podium, it can be helpful to move around to engage the audience better.  Although I think too much movement looks a little too restless.

If using a powerpoint, visuals are key. Reduce text.  Create visuals using free tools like VisualHunt and Canva to make your slides. It’s generally said that slides with too much text are overwhelming.

Pause for laughter. If people are laughing, it’s best to wait instead of trying to talk over them and cutting the moment short.

Consider adding more value by making your notes and links accessible to audience members on a password-protected page on your website. This tip is more useful when speaking to writers’ groups and conferences.

If you’re ready to do more public speaking, create a ‘speaking’ page on your website and include ‘speaker’ in your LinkedIn headline. If no one knows you’re available to speak, you’re likely not going to get many invitations.

Do you do much public speaking? What tips can you add?

Tips for public speaking:
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Photo credit: bionicteaching via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC

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Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 39,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Conferences and Events / NaNoWriMo

#NaNoWriMo, and How It Changed My Life @lidywilks

NaNoWriMo for those who didn’t win @AshKrafton

Creativity and Inspiration / Miscellaneous

Welcome your artist to work today @gigirosenberg

5 Reasons Novelists Should Write Short Stories @Magzdozza

How to Find Collaborators to Work With @SeanPlatt

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

10 of the Best Books on Creativity @TobiasCarroll

How to Help Students Develop a Love of Reading @MediaShiftOrg

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

20 Reasons Why You Should Read Literary Magazines @The_Millions

10 Great Books about Going Home @ElectricLit

11 of the Greatest Fictional Parties Ever @ElectricLit

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

Why You Should Never Start With Your Most Difficult Task @MichaelHyatt

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

We Do Have Enough Time to Write @WritersCoach

How to trick yourself into writing @pubcoach

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

10 Things You’ll Find in Every Bestselling Book @WWonthebrink

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

5 Signs You Need to Shake Up Your Writing Routine @colleen_m_story

When parents are disappointed by their writing children @TheWriterMag

3 Tips to Grow Meaningful Online Relationships As A Writer @lornafaith

3 Ways To Embrace The Writer You Used To Be by Alicyn Newman @GoTeenWriters

Holiday Gifts for Writers @RuthHarrisBooks

Genres / Miscellaneous

Patti Smith on How She Writes a Song @lithub

Genres / Fantasy

The Craft @ChristelleWrite

10 Key Scenes of a Mythological Fantasy Novel @CSLakin

Genres / Historical

Writing a Historical Novel Set in an Era You Knew Nothing About @WritersDigest

7 Resources for History Research @JamiGold

Genres / Horror

The 10 Best Non-Monster Horror Villains @BDisgusting

Genres / Middle-Grade

Making the Shift to Middle Grade @KatZhang

Getting Middle Grade Voice Right @mdilloway

Genres / Mystery

The Structure of a Murder Mystery @woodwardkaren

Speaking to the press as an element in crime fiction @mkinberg

Using foils to reveal character in crime fiction @mkinberg

Genres / Poetry

Poetry Prompt @tspoetry

Genres / Romance

10 Secrets to Writing “Killer” Romantic Suspense @Brenda_Novak

Promo / Miscellaneous

Help Readers Find You with 12 Book Discovery Tools @WhereWritersWin

4 exercises to change your mindset about book promotion @NinaAmir

Should You Get Litsy? @theladygreer

5 Holiday Marketing Trends that Authors Can Use for Book Promotion @ricwol

Author Branding with multiple genres @damselwriter

10 Minute Marketing:

Promo / Connecting with Readers

Tips for reader engagement: by Deborah Lyn Stanley

Promo / Crowdfunding

What Writers Need To Know About Patreon @GalleyCat

Promo / Libraries

Why Self-Published Authors Need Libraries and Vice Versa @MediaShiftOrg

Promo / Pricing

How to Make your Book Free on Amazon KDP @ricwol

Promo / Social Media Tips

Does Twitter Have A Future For Self Published Authors? @justpublishing

Turning Social Media into the Grandest Writing Exercise Of All @maria_ribas

7 Snapchat tips for authors @ProudMumbles

5 Reasons to Reconsider Google+ for Marketing @hailleymari

Publishing / Miscellaneous

How Not to Spin Your Writing Wheels @NovelRocket

Audiobooks @pubperspectives

Traditional publishing & selfpublishing @Roz_Morris

Business Musings @KristineRusch

Publishing / News / Amazon

Amazon Limits Non-Purchase Reviews @Goodereader

Info on KDP Print @stapilus

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Wattpad Studio’s Next Move @UCPisTV  @porter_anderson

Latin American Book Market @pubperspectives @porter_anderson

International Publishing Notes @stevelotinga @porter_anderson

Publishing / Options / Hybrid Publishing

The Hybrid Author @ChloeNKizer

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

6 Famous Authors Who Chose to Self-Publish @IndieReader

How to Research a Name for Your Self-Publishing Imprint @Wogahn

What You Really Want to Know About Self Publishing @Janice_Hardy

The Writer’s Guide to Self-Publishing Costs and Royalties @ink_and_quills

How to Self Publish and How Much it Costs @DiercksDuke

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

In defense of personalized queries (and 5 tips) @NathanBransford

What If the Agent Says Yes? @jennienash

10 Online Tools to Help Writers Find a Literary Agent @sarahannjuckes

5 Ways Unpublished Writers Can Make Themselves More Attractive to Publishers @MelindaFriesen

Publishing / Process / Legalities

10 tips for publishing rights professionals @pubperspectives

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

5 Helpful Lessons for Writing a Novel @WritersDigest

How to Write Excellent Plot Twists @Ava_Jae

Key Scene @woodwardkaren

Advanced Craft Tips @PBRWriter

How to Hook Readers with Nuanced Emotion @mythicscribes

Tips for Writing About Issues @suddenlyjamie

Knowing When To Kill Off A Character @Mad_Hat_Writer

Juxtaposition Boosts Comparisons – Behind the Scene @ZoeMMcCarthy

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

5 Ways to Get Into Character @WritersDigest

Making Your Characters Do Stuff @mileconnors

How To Write Characters Your Readers Will Love @woodwardkaren

The Appeal of Flawed Characters @WomenWriters

Which Character is the Heart of Your Novel? @Janice_Hardy

Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists

What does ‘likeable’ really mean? @LisaCron

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

3 Common Protagonist Problems @Ava_Jae

Writing Craft / Conflict

A Surefire Way to Raise the Stakes in Your Story @KMWeiland

Writing Craft / Hooks

Setting Your Book’s Hook In One Sentence @Mad_Hat_Writer

Writing Craft / POV

Using Multiple Points of View @JaneFriedman

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining

How to Outline Your Story @mythcreants

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

The Story Question in Fiction @NovelEditor

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research

Tips for researching your story (primary sources and internet) @SueColetta1

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

3 Questions About Hyphenation with Adverbs @writing_tips

Writing Craft / Scenes / Conflict

10 Things Every Writer Needs To Know About Conflict @sacha_black

Writing Craft / Special Needs

Mentally Ill Women Belong In Your Stories, Too @tordotcom

Writing Craft / Tension

9 Ways To Build Suspense @SueColetta1

Writing Craft / Voice

Developing a Supernatural Edge @RMNSediting

3 Acting Tips to Strengthen Our Voice @LibbyHeily

Writing Tools / Miscellaneous

4 Tools To Make You A Productive and Creative Writer @SukhiJutla

Writing Tools / Apps

Hiveword 5 Year Retrospective of Services and Software for Writers @Hiveword

5 Reasons to Use Scrivener to Write Your Book @lornafaith

An Evernote Guide for Writers @jkwak

Uncategorized

3 Reasons You Should Write Poetry Today @McgannKellie

Twitterific Writing Links – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig A weekly roundup of the best writing links …

10 Things You’ll Find in Every Bestselling Book – By Sarah Juckes, @sarahannjuckes What makes a bestselling boo…

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10 Minute Marketing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Sometimes there is so much promo-related stuff to do that it can seem overwhelming.

And, once we actually feel as if we get a handle on everything, that’s when something changes. There’ll be a new marketing approach or a new platform to use.

For me, it’s been helpful if I approach promo the same way I approach writing a book. It’s sort of like the saying:  how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

If I can make at least a little progress each day, I feel as if I’ve really accomplished something.

It might be most helpful to make a list of things you want to update or areas you may want to learn more about.

Some of these tasks you may want to break down into several days of projects. Breaking them down makes them even less intimidating to tackle. For example, if you were completely new to Goodreads: read for 10 minutes about the site, set up a login, create your profile, link to your books, sign up for a giveaway, etc.

Promo Tasks for 10 Free Minutes (or to Break Down into 10 Minute Increments)

Brainstorm blog post ideas

Plan out these posts on your editorial calendar

Make sure Amazon Author Central has all your books linked and your updated information

Work on a newsletter template for MailChimp

Write a status update for Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook

Clean up each Amazon book page 

See if your keywords need updating for online retailers

Make sure Goodreads links to all your books

Update your website copy (or at least one page)

Begin collecting information for your media kit

Review book sales and pricing and make any needed adjustments (a sale can be good promo and a good way to get reviews)

Add content to LinkedIn: evergreen blog posts, video URLs, a presentation to SlideShare, books: or update LinkedIn

Spend a few minutes learning something: website SEO, a new platform (BookTrack, ACX).

Backup your website. While you’re at it, backup your book, too.

Add a newsletter signup link to our email signature

Start a list of all your book metadata.

Update your back matter for the next book.

Set up Kindle Preview on your site or on LinkedIn

Start a list of all your ISBNs

Start a list of all your books’ Amazon Affiliate links

Study a promo-related blog post you bookmarked

Create an Amazon Author Central profile on international sites

Create a Gravitar for yourself for blog commenting

Have you got any ideas for short promo work? What have I missed?

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10 Things You’ll Find in Every Bestselling Book

By Sarah Juckes, @WWonthebrink

What makes a bestselling book? And how can you, as a writer, ensure that your book is the very best it can be?

The answer will differ from genre to genre, but at The Writer’s Workshop, we’ve found there are some things that every good fiction book will include.

     1) A killer concept



What? Look at the most notorious books in the last ten years, and you’ll find an irresistible idea at the centre of each of them. Dan Brown’s hunt for the Holy Grail in The Da Vinci Code for example, was the perfect hook for his publishers to sell to the masses, as was McEwan’s Atonement and Smith’s White Teeth.

How? Is your concept going to capture attention? To answer this, you should first know your market inside out. What books are selling and why? Next, try to condense your concept into fifty words or less. Will this spark the interest of readers?

     2) Protagonist motivation



What? Most bestselling books are centred around one character – the protagonist. In every story, the protagonist must want something. This could be something simple like the acceptance of the people around you, as in the case of Wonder by R. J. Palacio, or it could literally be the difference between life and death.

How? Understand what your protagonist wants and make it matter to the reader, too. Ensure that it is clear and consistent throughout the book. If it doesn’t matter to the protagonist, then it won’t matter to the reader.

     3) Jeopardy



What? The stakes are raised and things start to get worse for the protagonist. Their motivation in the beginning matters much, much more now. In the Harry Potter series for example, the jeopardy rises when the people around Harry are put in danger, and Harry’s motivation to kill Lord Voldemort increases.

How? Try mapping the jeopardy in your book. You should find that the stakes for your protagonist increase, before they are resolved.

     4) Unforgettable characters



What? These can be ordinary characters in extraordinary situations, like Bella in Twilight. Or they can be extraordinary characters in themselves, such as James Bond. They will all be memorable, consistent, and real.

How? Strong characters are built on knowledge. Get to know your characters inside out by completing this exercise. They don’t have to be likeable, but they do need to appear real.

     5) Real relationships



What? Most bestsellers will contain a romantic relationship or two. Some of them, like John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, are so well-drawn that they’ve become a cultural phenomenon.

How? Use your secondary characters to increase jeopardy, or progress plot. Do they help or hinder your protagonist’s motivation? Make them real by adding the quirks, flaws and inside jokes that you find in your own relationships.

     6) Dramatization



What? This is the stuff that keeps a reader on the edge of their seat. Action unfolds on the page in real time, and the reader is with the protagonist as it happens.

How? This is down to the age-old mantra of: ‘show, don’t tell’. Don’t simply write, ‘he fell down the stairs’. Instead, describe what it feels like to hit every step.

     7) Good writing



What? It sounds simple, but words can make or break a book. Good writing will carry the plot, describe the characters and progress the story. Bad writing will have your readers putting your book down, no matter how great the concept is.

How? Avoid cliché in your sentences, and by that, I mean be accurate. Does a breeze really whisper through trees, or does it send the leaves clapping? Being economical with sentences, cutting down on the simile and metaphor, and avoiding repetition are also brilliant ways to keep readers reading. Complete this checklist with your work.

     8) Trust in the reader



What? You might mention something the reader has heard of before, and trust them to remember it. Or, you might trust your reader to know that your character’s ‘gritted teeth’ mean he’s trying not to say something.

How? Avoid spelling things out for your reader. Explanation slows the pace and many readers love a bit of detective work. Again, this comes down to ‘show, don’t tell’.

     9) Rhythm



What? Long sentences are brilliant for descriptions, whereas short sentences are perfect for climatic scenes.

How? Just like in music, good writing will use both of these together to create a harmony, rather than a monosyllabic beat. Alternate between the two and make your writing sing.

     10) An excellent editor



What? Most readers will never know the man-hours involved in creating a bestselling book, not only from the author, but from a whole team of editors, designers and promoters. If a book hasn’t seen the eye of a good editor though, it will be noticeable.

How? Most traditional publishing houses will supply an editor as part of your contract, and some authors benefit from speaking to an expert before they start submitting to agents, to make their book the best it can be. If you are self-publishing, editing is an essential part of the book writing process. Don’t skip it!

Of course, there are examples of books that have done well without these elements, but they are exceptions rather than the rule. Take time to understand your market, construct wonderful sentences and create real characters, and you’ll give your book the best chance of reaching the bestseller lists.

Sarah Juckes works with The Writer’s Workshop, one of the largest editorial consultancies in the UK, and Agent Hunter, a comprehensive online database of literary agents. For more information on how honest feedback can improve your writing, see The Writer’s Workshop advice pages.

Sarah Juckes (@WWonthebrink) shares 10 things you'll find in every bestselling book:
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Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 39,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Creativity and Inspiration / Miscellaneous

For a More Creative Brain, Follow These 5 Steps @GoIntoTheStory

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

9 muses for indie authors @publishingtalk

Is Writing a Novel a “Someday” Dream for You? @aliventures

8 Reasons to Write Your Book Now @SukhiJutla

Mentor a Writer @FictionNotes

To Improve Creative Output, Go Inward @CreativeKatrina

5 Tips to Help You Fall in Love with Creating Again @emily_tjaden

How to Harvest Creative Writing Ideas from the News @WritingForward

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

Off the Rails @SignatureReads

7 Books That Explore the Boundaries of Language @SignatureReads

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

30 Minutes, 30 Days @aperfectsturm2

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

4 Qualities of Productive Writers @lornafaith

Want to finish your novel? Try talking to yourself @NathanBransford

10 Ways to Own NaNo (And the Other 11 Months, Too) @KristenLambTX

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

How Do You Sell 100 Million Copies of a Book? @joebunting

The Successful Author Mindset @thecreativepenn

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

Making Time to Blog or Write @kikolani

Author Eugene Mirabelli on the loss of his wife and ‘Renato After Alba’ @lithub

Forgive yourself @DanBlank

What it Takes to Be a Writer @Wordstrumpet

3 Ways to Keep Sugar from Killing Your Creative Mojo @colleen_m_story

8 Tips to Help You Thrive through the Holidays @wendypmiller

Living the Laptop Lifestyle @DeniseWakeman

Genres / Fantasy

Fantasy and Maps – Does Your Story Need One? @lauralzimm

What to research when writing fantasy @Brianna_daSilva

A Look at the 20 Key Scenes of a Fantasy Novel @CSLakin

Vampires: Origins, Evolution, and Role in Fantasy Fiction: by Leo Elijah Cristea

Genres / Horror

Horror and Swords and Sorcery @FletcherWasp

Genres / Memoir

How to Write Your Memoir @111publishing

Genres / Poetry

R Is for Rewriting @tspoetry

6 Steps to Writing the Polished Acrostic @tspoetry

Genres / Screenwriting

Screenwriting @GoIntoTheStory

Screenwriting @GoIntoTheStory

Promo / Miscellaneous

10 Ways to Breathe New Life into an Older Book @Bookgal

Just Say Yes @WriterUnboxed

3 Marketing Strategies Geared to Motivate People to Buy @KarenCV

Help Readers Find You with 12 Book Discovery Tools @WhereWritersWin

The Basics of Book Metadata and Keywords @carlaking

Promo / Ads

7 Ways to Target Readers Using BookBub Ads @DianaUrban

Promo / Blogging

Brainstorming blog posts @NinaAmir

Promo / Book Signings and Launch parties

How to Put on an Author Event @brandigranett

Promo / Newsletters

How to Automate Your Book Marketing @timgrahl

Promo / Social Media Tips

13 Social Media Rules that Every Author Needs to Know @NovelRocket

How to Automatically Reshare Your Social Media Updates Using Free Tools @SMExaminer

4 Easy Ways to Market Your Book @Bookgal

Create a Call to Action that Gets Results @EmilyWenstrom

How to Choose the Right Social Media Channels to Sell Books @cksyme

Is It Time for Authors to Stop Using Google+? @CaballoFrances

Promo / Websites

What does an author’s website need to succeed? @donnatalarico @TheWriterMag

Publishing / News / International Publishing

In Germany @pubperspectives

An agent on selling books written in a language he can’t read @pubperspectives

Intl. Publishers Assoc. Joins in Appeals for Condemned Mauritanian Blogger @Porter_Anderson

Closing the Gap Between Brazilian Literature and the World @pubperspectives

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

What Does It Mean to Be an ‘Indie’? Myths dispelled @WriterUnboxed

4 Things to do before Self Publishing Your Book @pattywrites

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

Publishing Interviews @LandRAgency

Publishing / Process / Legalities

Illustrating a book? Know your rights to protect your work @BetterNovelProj

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

7 Tips to Become a Better Writer @ZoeMMcCarthy

Readers Have Goals Too @ZoeMMcCarthy

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

How to tell if you have too many characters @Brianna_daSilva

Finding Your Character’s Hook @AngelaAckerman

Beyond Good vs. Sucky @CockeyedCaravan

What Are Your Characters Thankful For? @Janice_Hardy

Writing Craft / Endings

How to Write Endings that “Wow” @KristenLambTX

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

Did We Come Across Town For This? Revisiting A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving @cloudy_vision

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

How to Write Similes That Shine @LHowardWrites

Hyperbole in Description @ZoeMMcCarthy

Writing Craft / POV

Backgrounding Your World Through Point of View @JulietteWade

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

How To Plan Your Novel Using The Three-Act Structure @WritersEdit

Crafting a Killer Undercurrent for Your Story @SeptCFawkes

Revelation Turning Points: by Shawn Coyne

Elements of a Good Story @CockeyedCaravan

Building Stories @susan_bischoff

Story Structure for Screenwriters @CockeyedCaravan

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research

Write What You Don’t Know @mythicscribes

Beyond Google @KillerNashville

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept

Stop Killing Your Ideas @lornafaith

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

How to Punctuate Dialogue @MarcyKennedy

How to Punctuate and Format Inner Dialogue @ProWritingAid

3 Cases of Dangling Participles @writing_tips

Writing Craft / Revision

How Long Should Your Book Be? The Complete Guide @standoutbooks

30+ Words To Watch Out For As You Write @LizaWiemer

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

How to Digest a Tough Critique @Ava_Jae

How to Form a Critique Group @ceciliaedits

Writing Craft / Tension

Character Tension @YAtopia_blog

Mastering Stylistic Tension @SeptCFawkes

Writing Tools / Miscellaneous

Product Review @chris_shultz81

Hiveword 5 Year Retrospective of Services and Software for Writers   @Hiveword

Uncategorized

Twitterific Writing Links – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig A weekly roundup of the best writing links …

8 Poets to Discuss Over the Thanksgiving Table @My_poetic_side

Audiobook Options for Indie Authors (and when it’s worth paying for production yourself) @GoblinWriter

 

The top writing links of the week are on Twitterific:
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Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 39,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Hope all of my American readers have a Happy Thanksgiving this week! I’ll be taking the week off from posting in observance of the holiday, and will be back next Sunday. 

Conferences and Events / NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo: When It Goes Wrong: https://t.co/0PBED304BJ @KhaosFoxe #wkb83

Creativity and Inspiration / Miscellaneous

5 Places to Stir Your Creative Senses: https://t.co/kjSobt9xPU @cathysbaker #wkb85

The Fantastic @ursulakleguin : https://t.co/nPyF9PwLTT @jcfphillips @NewYorker #wkb85

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

Five Storytelling Lessons From Hamilton’s America: https://t.co/oacR5PaYeL @ChuckWendig #wkb32

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

On Creating (Flexible) Schedules: https://t.co/ktSUUhay6G @Ava_Jae #wkb34

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

Dealing with a slump: https://t.co/7zSdoayNQ5 @DanBlank #wkb36

How to master the art of deliberate procrastination: https://t.co/AfUVAILWco @word_smiths #wkb36

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

5 NaNoWriMo Hacks To Keep Words Flowing: https://t.co/jVRbjSrBcS @AngelaAckerman #wkb39

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

5 Tips for Making the Most of a Writing Retreat: https://t.co/n3c8Tethdk @besscozby #wkb31

Top 8 Foods and Drinks for Writers: https://t.co/1vEWdjfvg9 @McgannKellie #wkb31

7 Benefits of Journal Writing: https://t.co/EpD427xbt9 @TheIWSG @LyndaRYoung #wkb31

Little Changes Can Make a Huge Difference: https://t.co/Y7VTPZBuOS @zen_habits #wkb31

5 Simple Mental Health Tips For Writers: https://t.co/5I86eXsia0 @Hannahclarke26 #wkb31

Dance lessons for writers from @ZadieSmith : https://t.co/glhuq7hVaM @GuardianBooks #wkb31

What If We Revised Some of the Memories That Hurt? https://t.co/5gKP9p1nZ6 @BrynDonovan #wkb31

Genres / Miscellaneous

What is Your Novel’s Genre? Is it YA, MG, New Adult, or Adult? https://t.co/ISO9tGUyA7 @Roz_Morris for @annerallen #wkb86

Genres / Fantasy

6 Ways Flight Changes a Fantasy Setting: https://t.co/mP6cOwevTL by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants #wkb43

10 Foundational Scenes of a Fantasy Novel: https://t.co/4axyDatmZO @CSLakin #wkb43

Genres / Historical

The Art of Historical Fiction: Making the Past Come Alive https://t.co/PExnPOIzSu @jchiaverini @SignatureReads #wkb52

Genres / Picture Books

5 Tips on Writing & Illustrating Children’s Books: https://t.co/vhERumI94o @inkyelbows #wkb4e

Genres / Romance

How to create romantic couples with chemistry: from 1000 Story Ideas https://t.co/YnJlgDdJPf #wkb45

Genres / Screenwriting

Writing Tricks That Work: Transcribe Screenplays: https://t.co/43OCGlJGqB @GoIntoTheStory #wkb48

A Conversation with the Screenwriter of ‘The Girl on the Train’: https://t.co/9jNDzjmAS4 by Tony Phillips @SignatureReads #wkb48

Promo / Miscellaneous

Six tips for selecting a book excerpt: https://t.co/57Z3BVLSNi @SusanLeighNoble #wkb87

5 Reasons Every Author Needs a Media Kit https://t.co/vcWd2IyRP9 @BuildYourBrandA #wkb87

How A Book Foreword Can Help An Author’s Career: https://t.co/WR6HUgplMl @jckunzjr #wkb87

4 Tips To Writing A Sell Sheet’s Calls-To-Action: https://t.co/lvVbaqKCLA @jckunzjr #wkb87

How Authors Can Network Effectively (Even If You Hate Networking): https://t.co/Hc1ltXnIeh @DeannaCabinian #wkb87

How to Use Reddit to Market Your Books (Carefully): https://t.co/tdTDrV8ieK @RicardoFayet @JaneFriedman #wkb87

Promo / Ads

5 Ways That Authors Can Use Facebook Advertising: https://t.co/46wTMrJseN @thecreativepenn #wkb6b

5 Facebook Advertising Features You Probably Didn’t Know Existed: https://t.co/SWnMfUIuet @dottimedia #wkb6b

Promo / Book Reviews

How to survive a scathing book review: https://t.co/CBIjgGLroD @DeannaCabinian #wkb73

How to Write Respectful Reviews: https://t.co/XSnjcO1BLu @RobinRWrites #wkb73

Promo / Book Signings and Launch parties

Tips for book launch parties: https://t.co/hJmQy2xVRe @mkinberg #wkb77

Promo / Newsletters

What’s Your Newsletter Plan? https://t.co/Cgiwk8odAv @JamiGold #wkb6d

Promo / Social Media Tips

How to Run Short-Term Social Media Campaigns: https://t.co/1ta9suwIjU @cksyme @JaneFriedman #wkb71

Instagram for Authors: Reach New Readers in Ten Minutes a Day: https://t.co/lzwhJRbGUN @StephScottYA #wkb71

7 Ways to Improve Your Search Rank With Social Media: https://t.co/VXMaGx1kiZ @ducttape #wkb71

Sick of Social Media? 10 Steps to Revive Your Enthusiasm: https://t.co/EqUmyoKWiF @CaballoFrances #wkb71

Promo / Websites

Author Website Redesign Case Study: @RachShane https://t.co/phm1B5Cvtc @DianaUrban #wkb6f

Publishing / Miscellaneous

How does a literary agency sell its authors? https://t.co/ocvAUGMgkB @andrewlownie #wkb88

7 Tips for an Irresistible Table of Contents: https://t.co/1nFnEwcUlU @KatyKauffman28 #wkb88

Audiobooks 101: a Beginner’s Look at the Process: https://t.co/Tvb0trev1U @anna_elliott @WriterUnboxed #wkb88

What to do about market saturation? https://t.co/p77mO9oFOx @Janet_Reid #wkb88

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Turkish Censorship; Amazon Awards Spanish-Language Fiction: https://t.co/CMe8CQ808F @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives #wkb64

Can a Computer Judge a Book By Its Cover? https://t.co/p60Q5DlKvH @DennisAbrams2 @pubperspectives #wkb64

Young Readers in China; Young Publishers in the US: https://t.co/74kcsBwhXF @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives #wkb64

The Amer. Libraries Assoc. on Adapting to the Times: https://t.co/whsMeFGL1C @rogertagholm @pubperspectives #wkb64

Denmark’s Bogforum Book Fair: Bringing Readers, Authors and Publishers Together: https://t.co/vRH6mGNPTK @MarieBilde #wkb64

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

5 Benefits of Self-Publishing Your Book: https://t.co/KZKbLc4Gu7 @lornafaith #wkb69

Publishing / Process / Author Assistants

Book Marketing with Virtual Assistants and Media Kits: https://t.co/37m1vssqVW @carlaking #wkb5d

Publishing / Process / Book Design

Tips for Formatting Your Book Cover: https://t.co/04vsF16i7O @WriteandCover #wkb58

Cover design tips: https://t.co/UA876eoqjd @tamrogers #wkb58

Publishing / Process / Legalities

What co-authors should know before tying the knot: https://t.co/5TiZJSmDUT @HelenSedwick #wkb5c

How to Properly Reference Quotes in Your Book: https://t.co/FNuxFTsKkH @shelleyhitz #wkb5c

Rights of Writers: Can I Use a Photograph of Scarlett Johansson on the Cover of My E-Book? https://t.co/dRRA61gTlB @RightsofWriters #wkb5c

Publishing / Process / Self-Publishing

Business Musings: The Curse of Early Adopters: https://t.co/4ltntO1P7l @KristineRusch #wkb5f

Taking The Next Step. Lessons Learned by @thecreativepenn from The Coast Masterclass 2016: https://t.co/AS8RT9OfeT #wkb5f

Own Your Author Business in 7 Steps: https://t.co/PpNAEZvb6B @carlaking #wkb5f

Publishing / Process / Translation

H.M. Naqvi on the Complexities of Translating Urdu: https://t.co/fbOvdwE8HE @DennisAbrams2 @pubperspectives #wkb5b

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

5 Tips for Writing Vivid Descriptions: https://t.co/J2f4Pex7hs by George Clark @mythicscribes #wkb89

7 Steps to Write a Story Description: https://t.co/VvhG7z0RG1 @woodwardkaren #wkb89

Writing Basics: The Act Two Disaster: https://t.co/qf8Rl2XGDM @Janice_Hardy #wkb89

Using Questions to Engage Your Reader: https://t.co/6LamVZ42IF @MartinaABoone #wkb89

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

A Character Building Toolkit: https://t.co/sg115FciU5 @AngelaAckerman @verbaleyze #wkb1

Top 10 Things To Give Your Characters That Will Make Them More Vivid: https://t.co/6TN98D6nkp @10MinNovelists #wkb1

4 Reasons Your Characters Might Resist Being Written: https://t.co/FYiSm9YmkD @wendypmiller #wkb1

Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists

Writing An Unsympathetic Heroine: https://t.co/45BIA8x62u @julietgreenwood @WomenWriters #wkb4

Save That Cat! The Easy Secret To Introducing A Hero: https://t.co/yJj5ZiZaAN @standoutbooks #wkb4

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

What Is “Head-Hopping” In Writing, and Why Shouldn’t You Do It? https://t.co/2aJtfgtVDJ @BrynDonovan #wkb11

Are Filter Words Weakening Your Story? https://t.co/81SR4riu1a #wkb11

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

Writing and the Creative Life: John Cleese on Boundaries of Space, Boundaries of Time: https://t.co/mOeM8YzVpb @GoIntoTheStory #wkb14

3 Lessons ‘Supernatural’ Taught me about Writing Authentic Characters: https://t.co/hh1tHTD2RK @JoEberhardt #wkb14

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

The Search for Home in American Fiction: https://t.co/KICBFdirhr @SarahDomet @lithub #wkb2d

Writing Craft / POV

#EditTip: Picking a Point of View: https://t.co/65CgqlaU1a @JeriWB #wkb10

Taming POV: Think Camera Placement: https://t.co/u3zuEUGaA7 @JohnGilstrap #wkb10

3rd Person Omniscient vs 3rd Person Limited: https://t.co/PM68569495 @ReedsyHQ @KristenStieffel and Rebecca Heyman #wkb10

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

Plot Doctoring: 9 Steps to Build a Strong Plot: https://t.co/wVKcBx4Nak @Creativindie #wkb20

Why Your Stories Need to be Filled with Secrets: https://t.co/XTafe68W8R @SeanPlatt #wkb20

A 10-Step Guide to Plotting a Practice Novel: https://t.co/DF430LB2kP @Janice_Hardy @WriterUnboxed #wkb20

Dehumanization in Fiction: https://t.co/V8uJfbTDNL @ThereseWalsh #wkb20

Building a Believable Chain of Events in Your Novel: https://t.co/2uWMhlJQjD @readstevenjames for @JaneFriedman #wkb20

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept

5 Ways to Brainstorm Story Ideas: https://t.co/6pyOqEatON @tonya_writes #wkb1e

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

Canceled or Cancelled? https://t.co/Tt8DYcSzEQ @GrammarGirl #wkbd

Writing Craft / Revision

On editing published books: https://t.co/MTRI6uguO9 @JamiGold #wkbb

Planning Your Edit Like a Pro: https://t.co/G5WraB82oW @Rachel_Aaron #wkbb

11 Ways To Rescue A Failed Story: https://t.co/57yPOTJXU6 @Yeomanis #wkbb

List of the Best Book Editors and How to Select Them: https://t.co/ZJkfeCEgrr @DaveChesson #wkbb

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

The Challenge of Story Revision Requests: https://t.co/6MlgTLfC3J @jamietr #wkb2b

Writing Craft / Scenes / Conflict

Understanding Goal, Motivation, and Conflict: GOAL: https://t.co/h8mrXUG6yP @MarcyKennedy #wkb7

Writing Craft / Tension

7 Ways to Use Consequences in Stories: https://t.co/VALSqukuFV by David Mesick @mythcreants #wkb18

Readers Thrive on Tension So Make It Worse: https://t.co/iTBW4vGTWh @ZoeMMcCarthy #wkb18

Writing Craft / Voice

4 Ways To Develop Your Non-Fiction Voice: https://t.co/lbROUjtnwy by Keith Rawson @LitReactor #wkbe

The Perils of Author Voice: https://t.co/WjhdoUYjUC @jamesscottbell #wkbe

Writing Tools / Miscellaneous

Mike Fleming of @Hiveword unveils new feature for the WKB search engine for writers: https://t.co/phwXFPqBvI #wkb8a

Writing Tools / Services for Writers

Service Spotlight: Instafreebie as Lead Generator: https://t.co/o61YhcBg80 @AngelaQuarles #wkb82

Uncategorized

Find out the latest in social media and promo strategies with this post by @CaballoFrances : https://t.co/RQuifQcSNK

Twitterific Writing Links – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig A weekly roundup of the best writing links … https://t.co/t4l6HkGlyO

More functionality for my tweets and the https://t.co/tjn3OfwnLH : https://t.co/divd5K0Eeb

From @Hiveword , the creator of the writers’ search engine https://t.co/FvvUyBW1nL https://t.co/yttzLGught

5 Ideas To Keep In Mind Writing A First Draft: https://t.co/gtkZRj3Mlt @Mad_Hat_Writer

Updates – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig Here’s an update on promo approaches, platforms, etc. that … https://t.co/FxTiDJkya5

[bctt tweet=”The top writing links of the week are on Twitterific: ” username=”elizabethscraig”

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

Updates

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Here’s an update on promo approaches,  platforms, etc.  that I’ve been working with.  Not only does this type of post help me assess what’s working, hopefully you might be able to find something here to experiment with, yourself.

ACX:  This remains an important platform for me (audiobook).  I think I’m just lucky to have gotten an excellent narrator there, Judy Blue.  I was at an event in western North Carolina in late-summer and a lady came up to tell me how much she enjoyed Judy’s voice acting. It really helped me realize how widespread audiobook listening is and how readers rely on it as a way to enjoy books.  I know many authors have seen a drop-off in royalties because of royalty restructuring there.  I have too, but I have so many books on the platform that it’s still a nice source of income for me.

MailChimp: Many more subscribers.  Some is due to participating in group contests, some due to the freebie for signup that I offer.  I’ve also done a better job updating my back matter in older books to mention my newsletter.

Speaking of updating books, I recently updated a slew of books for back-matter and for random typos.  I’ve found it’s just easiest to correct a Word doc, upload it to Draft2Digital, check the mobi and epub versions, download the PDF, and then upload it to Amazon and CreateSpace (letting D2D distribute everywhere else).

Distribution: I’m leaning more heavily on Draft2Digital as opposed to Smashwords these days, mostly because I find the process and interface both streamlined and easier at Draft2Digital.  And, if I run into a problem at D2D, I have quicker, better support.

Wattpad:  I’m continuing publishing serially (these are books that have already been published…I’m not writing serially, I’m just publishing serially) on this platform.  I can look at the map of my readers and see that I’m growing an international audience and reaching a more youthful audience. I took a break over the summer and had quite a few readers there ask me when I was going to upload another story. Since I have an unusual series for the site (an octogenarian protagonist where many Wattpad users are under the age of 18), this was another encouraging sign.

Print:  Again, a nice source of income.  I use both CreateSpace (US print sales) and Ingram (international).  For my last reporting period, I actually made a great deal more from Ingram than CreateSpace. This may be related to the fact that now my print books are less expensive to obtain (Ingram has international printers).  I’ll be interested to see if that continues.

ISBNs:  I just bought 100 more. I do need them for Ingram and I’m just too old-fashioned, besides, not to get them.

Booktrack: I’ve got my cozy zombie book on Booktrack–a platform that matches a music track with the story, keeping pace with where the reader is on the page.  Up-tempo for exciting parts, sound effects, etc.  I  haven’t seen a lot of sales here, but I feel like it’s important to make my book available on platforms where someone may discover it. It’s also available in a different audio format: read by narrator Julia Farmer.

Library Self-e (and Indie Author Day): I love having my books available in libraries.  For me, discoverability is incredibly important and having readers discover them in libraries means they may try to buy others.  The connection between Self-e and local libraries is also a good way for authors to be known locally–I enjoyed the Indie Author Day event put on by an area library.

Patreon:  I finally set up a profile with Patreon (a crowd-funding platform), after reading this post by John G. Hartness on his success there.  So far I haven’t gotten any traction there, but there was some sort of glitch with the site (I know, not very encouraging) and my entire profile and even my login disappeared. It popped up again after I opened a ticket with their support.  I have linked to it on Wattpad and in my back matter for books I’ve updated and upcoming books.  As I write this post, I can’t find my profile there by searching for it, although the link now takes me directly to it. Odd.  May need to open up another ticket there.

LinkedIn SlideShare:  I decided to repurpose some of my powerpoint presentations by putting them up on LinkedIn’s SlideShare, which is their presentation channel. This ties in with another thing I’ve set up recently: my speaker page.

Speaker page:  It’s generally recommended that authors who are interested in getting more speaking engagements need to indicate on their website that they are available and interested in speaking.  :)  I was slow to do this, but I’ve gone ahead and set up a special page on my site. Nothing fancy.  I also listed my speaking in my LinkedIn summary, as I’ve read it’s important to do. We’ll see how it goes.

This is all I’ve got right now.  Actually, looking at my list, it sort of makes me feel tired!  Just know that these are things I research and set up a very little bit at a time.

What have you been experimenting with lately?  Any tips for us?

Updates on promo and platform experiments for writers:
Click To Tweet

Photo credit: ai3310X via Visualhunt.com / CC BY

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The Tell-tale Tweet

by Mike Fleming, @Hiveword

Ah, mysteries. Who doesn’t love a good one?

Elizabeth does.

Have you noticed the mysterious codes in her recent tweets? This one, for example:

How to create romantic couples with chemistry: from 1000 Story Ideas https://t.co/YnJlgDdJPf #wkb45

— Elizabeth S Craig (@elizabethscraig) November 13, 2016

Or this one:

Plot Doctoring: 9 Steps to Build a Strong Plot: https://t.co/wVKcBx4Nak @Creativindie #wkb20

— Elizabeth S Craig (@elizabethscraig) November 12, 2016

Whatever could they be?

But first, some backstory. I know, I know. I hear the groans, but I’d like to bring everyone up to speed on the Writer’s Knowledge Base (WKB) because it’s key to the codes. Plus, it builds anticipation!

First of all, I’m Mike Fleming, developer of the Writer’s Knowledge Base which is a search engine for writers. As you know, Elizabeth tweets links to great articles on writing a dozen times or so every day. You probably also know that she blogs a list of all the tweets for that week on Sundays. What you may not know is that those same tweets (and links) feed the WKB so that you can easily find articles on, say, characters or plotting. Think Google for Writers. It’s pretty cool if I do say so myself. You can read about the WKB birth story here.

Now, the WKB will be six in January. I’m not sure where the time goes but for most of those years I’ve wanted the WKB to categorize the articles. I would have done that with machine learning algorithms for automatic classification. It would be fun to develop but it would also be complex and, frankly, even with nearly 40,000 articles in the WKB it might not be enough to train the algorithm properly.

At this point we’ll pause a second because your eyes are starting to glaze over from the technobabble…

OK, now that you’re back I can tell you about the codes. Finally.

Epiphany. What a wonderful word. I had one recently that would solve the categorization problem in a low tech way. Now, so far in this post we have a mystery, some backstory, foreshadowing detail, and a bit of suspense. What are we missing? Dialogue!

“Elizabeth, it would be awesome if we could categorize the articles,” I said. “We’ll just come up with some categories, give them a code, and then use that code as a hashtag in the tweet.”

“Groovy!” Elizabeth exclaimed.

We call this dialogue “poetic license,” folks. ;-)

Elizabeth has been curating articles on writing for many years and came up with a thorough set of categories. You can see that #wkb2f, for example, is the code for “Writing Craft / Plot Holes” but there are a ton of others.

So, from here on out, most of Elizabeth’s tweets will have the category codes. What does this mean for you?

It means you’ll be able to:

See a tweet and find more like it by searching Twitter for the WKB hashtag code
See all of the categorized tweets for the week on Elizabeth’s blog on Sundays
Peruse all categorized articles on the WKB site
Receive daily or weekly emails on articles matching categories you choose

#1 and #2 are fairly straightforward. For #2, Elizabeth mentioned that many folks have asked for categorization so now they’ll get their wish. Also, #1 and #2 are ready now and you’ll see the categorized tweets on Elizabeth’s blog starting this Sunday.

#3 and #4 are not ready yet but will be very cool in my opinion.

For #3, the WKB will now be a combination of search engine and a directory of articles on writing. The categories can also be used to inform the search engine by giving the results a boost based on the category. That’s tech-talk for “the search engine results should get a little better because of the categories.”

#4 delivers categorized articles right to your inbox. Via the WKB site you’ll be able to specify categories of interest and a delivery schedule such as daily or weekly. The email will contain the new articles for those categories. How cool is that?

It’s also possible that the semi-defunct WKB newsletter could be revitalized by delivering all of the categorized articles each week. This, however, would be a duplication of Elizabeth’s Sunday blog post but it shows up in your inbox, instead. The choice is yours.

With the climax and denouement out of the way it’s time for a nice epilogue. Here it is:

You can start enjoying the categorized articles today on Twitter search. Starting Sunday you’ll have weekly blog posts of all the categorized articles. If you are interested in keeping abreast of the improvements to the WKB you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or my blog.

Thanks for reading and thanks to Elizabeth for giving Mike the mic for telling you about categories!

Now it’s your turn: Do you find this capability useful? Can you think of other cool ways to leverage the categorized articles?

About the author:

Mike Fleming runs Hiveword which is a suite of online writing tools. The flagship product, Hiveword, is a free novel organizer. Integrated within Hiveword is the Writer’s Knowledge Base and Knockout Novel which is a paid add-on from acclaimed writing coach James Scott Bell.

 

 

Mike Fleming of @Hiveword unveils new feature for the WKB search engine for writers:
Click To Tweet


Photo credit: marlenedd via Visual Hunt / CC BY

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Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 39,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

How to Write When Life Turns Upside Down: https://t.co/KHkZDDazQW @RuthanneReid

On Making Comic Books For the Blind: https://t.co/EbRqGh9a6L @ingredient_x @lithub

How to Write a Novel in Six Months: https://t.co/Wk2SZ4m2S8 @monicamclark

Tips for tightening up our writing: https://t.co/1aoeOy0AwR @inkylinks

Promoting a Sequel in a Book’s Back Matter: https://t.co/qoPRHywEi4 @DianaUrban @BookBub

Finding your Voice as a Horror Writer: https://t.co/DJTB8SPJfV @parttimescribe

Master Outlining and Tracking Tool for Novels: https://t.co/G6ofc9Hfof by Iulian Ionescu @FantasyScroll

Should Published Stories Be Set in Stone? https://t.co/XQvBIlyKOC @JamiGold

The importance of keeping our website updated for 2017: https://t.co/EqZT5hcjTR @AnneKnol1

An Evernote Guide for Writers: 5 Ways to Use it for All Your Projects: https://t.co/JPD6B5pz2E @jkwak

Creating Single-Author Box Sets: https://t.co/6OEabKeM9N @MarcyKennedy

7 Point Story Structure [Resources]: https://t.co/C6ulTzT6EH @HunterEmkay

10 Easy Jokes for Your Dialogue: https://t.co/morEO99ftT by Chris Winkle @mythcreants

Hadbawnik on Translating Virgil: ‘An Exercise in Failure’ https://t.co/FHnN9Yh60B @vestigiaflammae @DennisAbrams2

10 Questions To Ask Yourself About Your Author Ethics: https://t.co/FyNMasQSlx @10MinNovelists

Problem Solve POV with Color: https://t.co/UuHvsnYC6b @NeelyKneely3628

How to Prepare for Author Appearances: https://t.co/RkoApjHfjs @WhereWritersWin

Why Being (a Little) Selfish Might Be the Best Thing for Your Writing: https://t.co/mQC3KixB3N @aliventures

Storyteller’s Rulebook: Tone Deafness is Consistently Funny: https://t.co/op9jygRYfm @CockeyedCaravan

A Simple Outline for Writing a Killer Book Blurb: https://t.co/1EE2EV2kQ9 @ink_and_quills

Twitterific Writing Links – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig A weekly roundup of the best writing links … https://t.co/4KhqcfHXni

Surviving Writing Slumps: https://t.co/aIbCftZsR1 by Elethwyn

How to Write about Something You Know Nothing About: https://t.co/Xra14l7XBH @marthamconway @WomenWriters

7 Types of Writing Days: https://t.co/HJtsO8QcNS @NatePhilbrick

The Benefits of Free-Writing For Authors: https://t.co/HpjpEtnKgt @SukhiJutla

Now is the Time to Promote Your Amazon Affiliate Links Extra Hard: https://t.co/vNdXb2E4ex @nickdaws

6 Tips to Optimize Your Facebook Page: https://t.co/GcFZ8Rpp42 @Ben_CoSchedule

The Importance of Fiction: https://t.co/A5kAseodHR @KristineRusch

Making a Familiar Premise Fresh: https://t.co/QznGq5fCB0 @Kid_Lit

Tips on balancing pace with reader inclusion in a scene: https://t.co/hyp6calFi2

Sex, Drugs, and Bestsellers: The Legend of the Literary Brat Pack: https://t.co/S0rqcUmofZ @harpersbazaarus @imjasondiamond

50 YA Horror Novels: https://t.co/YDQRi97TUn https://t.co/7dQCloWrci and https://t.co/AZxujM5iEr @jimbomcleod

Writing Advice Examined: Should You Write What You Love To Read? https://t.co/hbgi9iP56z @StephMorrill @GoTeenWriters

3 Tricks to Build Suspense and Engage Your Readers: https://t.co/zznE0aqMQr @jeffelk

Beating writer’s block: https://t.co/6hioHrCIZx @janetlaneauthor @RMFWriters

“Why I Decided to Stop Writing About My Children” : https://t.co/MwbSv8GEq5 @ElizabethBastos @nytimesbooks

10 Things We Can Learn About Writing from ‘You’re the Worst’: https://t.co/pYtxvWOxNw @GiveMeYourTeeth

Thinking in Sequences: https://t.co/8lYOzNwdU2 by Shawn Coyne

Pitch your book to holiday gift guides: https://t.co/prAGsxPue1 @sandrabeckwith

Why you need cover blurbs: https://t.co/DwqrUVmmDX @sandrabeckwith

4 Pinterest Tips to Reach a Local Audience: https://t.co/C1t8iwFUfJ @SMExaminer @ana_gotter

How Marketing Improves Writing: https://t.co/KbtTxh6Mhc @Lindasclare

3 Ways to Hook Readers at the End of a Chapter: https://t.co/p5GPw5jemz by Janine Mendenhall @NovelRocket

Dreaming of a Writing Career: 6 Things New Writers Can do NOW: https://t.co/FEXVBIXYu7 @annerallen

So you want to write a comic book? https://t.co/Y6yfmTAVD2 @rgluckst @ReedsyHQ

A different approach to book promotion: https://t.co/U2zkfslTHs @NinaAmir

5 Cases of Erroneous Usage: https://t.co/Ougvdzynxo @writing_tips

5 Signs You Need to Shake Up Your Writing Routine: https://t.co/JARY4tbNS4 @colleen_m_story

On Balance vs. Burn-Out: https://t.co/wGsduBtvzB By Bonnie Randall

How to Use Data Science To Create And Sell More Books: https://t.co/rRQumpTenH @ScholarlyFox @thecreativepenn #wkb63

Slang, Jargon, Insider Lingo: 11 Ways to Make Dialogue Authentic: https://t.co/mJBQZJWTth @RuthHarrisBooks #wkb29

Finding Your Way Into Your Story: https://t.co/n1uf8I5Ldn @beccapuglisi #wkb8

Visual Marketing and 12 Image Creation Tools: https://t.co/yd4GKZ0sGU @CaballoFrances #wkb74

Writing a Series: How Much Do We Need to Plan Ahead? https://t.co/rVp9ZKirEU @JamiGold #wkb15

Writing Sad Scenes: Why to Avoid Tears: https://t.co/SlPxZzn8Pl @ryancaseybooks #wkb27

7 Tips for Avoiding Book Marketing Trends That No Longer Work: https://t.co/Shl07L5dFB @Bookgal #wkb71

7 Remedies For Writer’s Apathy: https://t.co/JtkMxwnapx @_GinnyCarter @BookBaby #wkb36

3 Tips to Help Increase Writing Output: https://t.co/KTkRaCU5Vt @JodyHedlund #wkb39

3 Pillars of an Author Platform: https://t.co/LVGlQVWZWT @pronoun

How to Write a Book Trailer: https://t.co/oeLyTSvqik and https://t.co/unUmgtD9rf @ineswrites @pronoun

The Importance of Being Scared: on Fairy Tales and the Necessity of Fear: https://t.co/8bHCXuKbha @brainpicker #wkb27

Denmark’s New Palatium: Curating Indie Books for Subscriptions: https://t.co/WOnugSZmlj @Porter_Anderson #wkb64

You’ve Written it, now Own it: Understanding your Author role: https://t.co/EC9IHk4JeB @jayartale @yenooi @IndieAuthorALLI #wkb30

What’s New with Box Sets? https://t.co/CtSInrbIKH @ChrisMarieGreen @pronoun #wkb6e

A genre glossary: https://t.co/gvg5bSrX7G @literaticat

Don’t plot, just play ‘Fortunately-Unfortunately’: https://t.co/BEn9zvhlMM @emma_darwin #wkb20

How to Deal with People’s Expectations when You Write a Book: https://t.co/dBYWJwudoW @lornafaith

Genre Fiction Rules: https://t.co/h8M48D9TBb @WritersRelief

Raising the story stakes to help readers connect with characters: https://t.co/mhx9WcjpP8 @MichaelMammay #wkb18

On Writing: Go for the Long Vision: https://t.co/ddChqZTG0w @patricegopo #wkb3c

Idioms: Literary Shorthand: https://t.co/BinNNXqz5e @yanquiwoman #wkb2d

Working With Feedback On Your Writing: https://t.co/mJXhRW9WQq @andrewwille #wkb2b

Coping strategies as an element in crime fiction: https://t.co/ANQcVEpUFp @mkinberg

Why characters should change in every scene: https://t.co/Vp5KftM9mL @MichaelMammay #wkb2

On internal narrators: https://t.co/H6NDYLCazf @emma_darwin #wkb11

Poland’s Legimi Expands Its Subscription Service to Germany: https://t.co/IzNHl7Fass @jaroslawadamows @pubperspectives @malaczynski #wkb64

How To Use Twitter Cards & Twitter Ads To Boost Your Indie Author Business: https://t.co/MoG4XSaE7m @StonehamPress @IndieAuthorALLI #wkb71

Spotlight on War Poets: https://t.co/u6JF71IWiH @My_poetic_side #wkb47

How to Choose Your Virtual Assistant: https://t.co/jMF0goHaJX @EricaJMonroe @pronoun #wkb5d

Psychic Distance: what it is and how to use it: https://t.co/KD0FucX0Vm @emma_darwin #wkb2d

Tips for updating a Facebook Page: https://t.co/wwBqpJdP00

The Publisher Who Rejected Jane Austen: https://t.co/Bd1D3Mtf8l @ShelleyDeWees @lithub #wkb67

12 Books to Read in Your 20s: https://t.co/7K49MaMK5D @nytimesbooks #wkb3b

The Lost Virtue of Cursive: https://t.co/sgs0srvUFt @markopp1 @NewYorker #wkb31

The Gone Girl With The Dragon Tattoo On The Train: https://t.co/smp7RGktJY by Emily St John Mandel @FiveThirtyEight #wkb3c

4 Ways to Use Experience to Fuel Your Writing: https://t.co/PyjZ8VqOUd @Candacerobin #wkb32

A Punny Calendar Reimagines Authors As Animals for 2017: https://t.co/xYVP5pWjn8 @gayonabudget @bustle #wkb31

Copyright Rules for Settings: https://t.co/DWnrcAbiVH @SusanSpann @RMFWriters #wkb5c

15 Tips to Boost Facebook Engagement for Indie Authors: https://t.co/gugM2NlwzF @CaballoFrances #wkb71

5 Things Learned About a Writing Career While Running A Half-Marathon: https://t.co/IRbK7UOa2S @TeeMonster @ChuckWendig #wkb32

Rwanda’s Huza Press Founder on the Challenges of Her Market: https://t.co/cxYn4jgoTS @SharonW97 @louiseumutoni @DennisAbrams2 #wkb64

Tax Matters for Indie Authors: https://t.co/WIUmhSWnBl @kareninglis @IndieAuthorALLI #wkb88

Tips for a Great Book Description: https://t.co/ivLh8a5OAX @pronoun #wkb87

Can Social Media Really Sell Your Books? https://t.co/VnZsRbSbP4 @CaballoFrances @JFbookman #wkb71

Planning Your Edit Like a Pro: https://t.co/G5WraB82oW @Rachel_Aaron #wkbb

5 Tips for Avoiding Convenience and Coincidence: https://t.co/A8Vp1KppSS @ceciliaedits #wkb11

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