Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 98

Managing Crowds of Characters

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I always like studying reader reviews of my recent releases to see what readers are saying about my books.

Okay…correction. :)  I always study my reader reviews, I don’t always like this process.  But reading reviews is vital for me.  I’m writing for my readers and they provide an amazing data center full of compliments and complaints. If enough readers are unhappy about some aspect of a story, I will change my approach moving forward. As I explained in my post last week–this is my day-job and my career. I aim to please.

Occasionally, I’ll read something in a review that’s baffling to me and makes me analyze my manuscript again.  I discovered one of those types of reviews last week.

The reader (a regular of mine, apparently), mentioned that the book in question had ‘too many characters.’

I found this puzzling because the book had exactly the same number of characters as the rest of my books.  All of my books have the same number (and there are plenty).  I have 10 recurring characters (including my sleuth and sidekick) and then 5 suspects and 2 victims.  This particular book didn’t deviate from that pattern–I’m not a writer that enjoys much deviation.

But looking back over how I handled the introduction to the five suspects and two victims, I saw the difference.  The new characters were in a group and I introduced them at once  near the beginning of the book.

My usual pattern (again, I’m fond of a pattern) is to open the story with my recurring characters and reintroduce readers to my story world.  (In fact, I use a mirroring effect where I both open and close the books with the recurring characters in a similar place and situation.)  I then gradually introduce the suspects.

Sometimes I do introduce them all in a group (a book club meeting, a party), but I’m careful to use various ‘reminder’ tags or dialogue clues to help readers keep them straight.

There are tricks I always use to help keep characters distinguishable from the others: quirks, speech differences, physical appearance, and names that are very different from the others (especially important are names that start with different letters).

But my tricks this time didn’t seem to work that well, at least for this particular regular reader.  As well,  I didn’t use as many of my reminder tags/dialogue clues.

Going forward, I’m thinking I’ll either start with a group of characters or introduce them near the beginning of the book.  I won’t do both again.  And I’ll make sure to increase the tags if I use either approach.

For further reading, there’s a nice Black Gate post by author M. Harold Page (note his third point on character tagging) and a helpful post from writer Zoe M. McCarthy.

How do you manage a larger cast of characters?

Photo credit: Duda Arraes via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-ND

The post Managing Crowds of Characters appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

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 35,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

On (Not) Closing the Skill Gap:  http://ow.ly/xYdb304Uzxx @Ava_Jae

Be a Gutsy Blogger to Find Your Niche & Voice:  http://ow.ly/vxxa304WTUT @CaballoFrances  @cksyme

Suspects from foreign lands as an element in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/lMYo305bbNF @mkinberg

Using Real-World Places to Inspire Fictional Settings:  http://ow.ly/g7y8304WTvA @SophieMasson1               

5 Rules of Flashback:  http://ow.ly/AV7W304WZI9 @Book_Arch

7 Tips For Researching Your Novel:  http://ow.ly/JL1e304X1f1 @ClaireABradshaw

7  Tips for Writing a Humor-Filled Novel:  http://ow.ly/8KYp304X18R @FishWielder  @WritersDigest

Straying from the Party Line: Anna’s 2 Longstanding Problems in Frozen: http://ow.ly/PZZY304X0sz @CockeyedCaravan

Introducing Horror to Your Little Monsters:  http://ow.ly/WDt5304X0GZ by Thomas Joyce @ThisIsHorror

How to Stay Organized During a Revision:  http://ow.ly/bSoB304WTot @Janice_Hardy  @AngelaAckerman

6 Ways SF/F Characters Avoid Traditional School:  http://ow.ly/CS2E304WZYN @cloudy_vision  @use_theforce_em  @mollytempleton  @nataliezutter

How to Generate an Idea: Tweak Right and Left Simultaneously:  http://ow.ly/cOJs304X0n4 @CockeyedCaravan

10 Things Every Writer Should Know About Amazon Publishing:  http://ow.ly/E62530500tW @CEMcKenzie1  @WritersDigest

The Business of Writing: Pen Names:  http://ow.ly/sLkL30500gv  @KathrynGoldman

‘All in the Curation’: Scaling up Book Club Recommendations: http://ow.ly/3VHz305bcyC @Porter_Anderson with @EllysChoice Nathan Hull

Character Archetypes From A to Z:  http://ow.ly/RbF830501ge @HunterEmkay

Tips for Making Yourself More Promote-able:  http://ow.ly/rr4V30500iC @laurakayeauthor

When Writers Do It Wrong: The Top 10 Ways To Annoy Your Twitter Followers:  http://ow.ly/CFSI30500wR @AnnieNeugebauer

Speaking in Code: Ebook HTML basics:  http://ow.ly/WZiJ30500mj @dkudler

Becoming Stronger Writers: Resources:  http://ow.ly/GZGF30500r8 @AngelaAckerman

Publishing: Germany’s Jens Klingelhöfer: ‘A Great Battle for Customers’ http://ow.ly/pn5T305b9m4 @Porter_Anderson

7 Essential Ways for Authors to Be Newsworthy:  http://ow.ly/D73G304UA32 @BuildYourBrandA

Hurricanes in crime fiction:  http://ow.ly/wkql305bbBv @mkinberg

Author Earnings Cites ‘Sudden’ Downturn in Indie Ebook Share:  http://ow.ly/y3Mh305b9uM @Porter_Anderson @authorearnings

Publishing-related podcasts:  http://ow.ly/7fai305b99V @MarkPiesing  @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Celebrating African American History and Culture:  http://ow.ly/1CDH305aSLK @SILibraries @Eclemrush

Tips for making a living as a writer:  http://ow.ly/9Ju4305bnEB

The World Map of Nobel Prize in Literature:  http://ow.ly/gJiV305bgjl @My_poetic_side

Pace and story structure: a blueprint for keeping the reader gripped:  http://ow.ly/D73c305aSvG @Roz_Morris

Passing Time Is The Secret To Improving Your Story:  http://ow.ly/Ob44304UzlC @standoutbooks

How to Rock an Author Festival with a Self-Published Book: http://ow.ly/HX6h304UzZz  @worderella

12 Questions To Help You Create Memorable Characters:  http://ow.ly/TzXl304Uztx by Jack London @WritetoDone

What To Do With Characters Who Don’t Yet Have A Story:  http://ow.ly/g9VK304UzPs by Katymarie Frost @GoTeenWriters

5 essentials for exercising an imagination:  http://ow.ly/KXZH304Uzzl @reallucyflint

How 1 Writer Edited 1200 Pages in 12 Weeks:  http://ow.ly/r7gC304UzDp by Fae Rowen

Participating in NaNoWriMo? Start Planning Now:  http://ow.ly/C3mR304Uzgj @besscozby  @DIYMFA

6 Writing Tips from Jonathan Franzen:  http://ow.ly/fumq304UznX @monicamclark

One Author’s KDP Select Report:  http://ow.ly/3fvK304Uzj6 @johnhartness

5 Reasons Your Revision Isn’t Working:  http://ow.ly/TS2n304UzL1 @Janice_Hardy

Simple Steps for Building an Email List:  http://ow.ly/ULPg304UA5i @booklybooks

How to get in the mood to write daily: 9 tips: http://ow.ly/Q1h6304UzWE @nownovel

Hidden Choices: Time Management For Writers:  http://ow.ly/lz6O304SPQT @TheBookDirector

Creating a Site Map for Your Website:  http://ow.ly/ugsS304SIDO @JMNeyGrimm

5 Types of Awkward Wording to Avoid:  http://ow.ly/pIzm304SHyC @writing_tips

Copyright Infringement: Those Cute Kitten Pix May Cost You:  http://ow.ly/lsOR304SIgg @HelenSedwick  @BookWorksNYC

Revising for Pace:  http://ow.ly/YTQJ304SH6b @Lindasclare

Mastering the Art of the Scene:  http://ow.ly/Cqsu304SGvm @jennienash

Build A Visual Strategy for Your Author Brand:  http://ow.ly/Fqyb304SI8i @KimberleyGrabas

How to Become a Novelist in 10 Easy Steps:  http://ow.ly/56bD304SHmH by Nell Zink @lithub

A Guide to Choosing the Right Price for Your Book : http://ow.ly/go3j304SI2e from Fix My Story

Beware of Self-Publishing Predators:  http://ow.ly/IgcP304SHVg @mybookshepherd

Use Mini-Goals to Achieve Big Writing Goals:  http://ow.ly/OSae304SHc2 @SukhiJutla

Nailing That 10-Scene Foundation for Your Novel:  http://ow.ly/Xvpv304SGXd @CSLakin

How Publishers Can Cure “Ugly Sample Syndrome”:  http://ow.ly/YLeT304PYoT @robeagar

Is This Character Introduction Scene Working?  http://ow.ly/abUI304PYOE @Janice_Hardy

‘How My Grandfather Went From the Pulitzer Prize to Complete Obscurity’:  http://ow.ly/APqu304PXOF @tomshroder  @lithub

What Authors Need To Know About the Publishing Industry Today:  http://ow.ly/WPUq304PYEI @jamesscottbell

Getting Ready to Launch a Book? Start with These 5 Questions:  http://ow.ly/1CWZ304PYAG @Andrea_Dunlop  @JaneFriedman

On Writing Racist Characters:  http://ow.ly/BeeP304PZ1n from Writing With Color

Perks and Pitfalls of Twitter Pitches:  http://ow.ly/mEGR304PYkM @jeribaird11

The 5 Pillars Of Rapid Email List Growth:  http://ow.ly/x3uR304PYdW @adamjayc

How to Leverage the Power of Someone Else’s Platform:  http://ow.ly/32PA304PYa4 @kikimojo

Query FAQs: http://ow.ly/8TZc304PYJN @DGLM

6 Ways To Publish A Book:  http://ow.ly/OHPT304PYW8 @JaneFriedman  @Writers_Write

To Leave Your Mother Tongue is to Love It More:  http://ow.ly/JzTw304PY61 by Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough @lithub

Finish That Novel by Fixing Fatal Flaws:  http://ow.ly/aykd3053YK9 @Janice_Hardy @annerallen

Until You Know How To Market Your Books, Don’t Pay For Book Marketing:  http://ow.ly/iFnC3053WOB @OrnaRoss @IndieAuthorALLI

The Ideal Novelist’s Degree:  http://ow.ly/Tw2g3051mfg @p2p_editor

The UK book industry today: 3 important points:  http://ow.ly/Z1iA3053Wso @pubperspectives @Porter_Anderson @rebecsmart

10 Short Stories for the International Day of the Girl:  http://ow.ly/QIZD3053Wce @KaitGetsLit @lithub

Create Your Writing Career Business Plan:  http://ow.ly/4EyY304LxJ0 @JanalynVoigt

It’s All in the Verbs:  http://ow.ly/MNOF304LyjA @JodieRennerEd

Stuck on Plot? Start at the End:  http://ow.ly/1373304Lxwf @Janice_Hardy   @JamiGold

The Introvert’s Guide to Writers’ Conferences:  http://ow.ly/SKkt304Ly9P @laurabenedict

Series Beginnings:  http://ow.ly/QiqM304Lyfv @Kid_Lit

Use Internal Conflict to Create Plot:  http://ow.ly/o0j5304Lxyn @Janice_Hardy

How to Write an Irresistible Love Triangle:  http://ow.ly/9o1S304LxV4 by Whitney Carter

“I Wrote a 150,000-Word Pulp Novel in a Month to Win a Bet”: http://ow.ly/FXtu304LxX2  @StanleyDonwood

Learn to write better with 4 free completed writing craft series: http://ow.ly/LzLa304LxMK @JanalynVoigt

How to Write a Story Without an Outline:  http://ow.ly/MB8s304LxTC  @vrcraftauthor

First Drafts: Plotter? Pantser? Somewhere In Between? http://ow.ly/20yR304LyhD @RuthHarrisBooks

Manuscript Editing: How to Cut Words:  http://ow.ly/Kve3304Lxu6 @Janice_Hardy  @nownovel

Are you a Dabbler? Why it’s Not a Dirty Word:  http://ow.ly/rBLh304G4pr @CreativeKatrina

7 Ways To Tell If You Have Too Much Plot In Your Story:  http://ow.ly/dFbB304G5a6 @Writers_Write

Loyalty as an element in crime fiction:  http://ow.ly/imGz3051mmE @mkinberg

Picture Books and Translation: Do Consumers Balk at ‘Foreign’ Books?  http://ow.ly/pCzr3051hUf  @DennisAbrams2 @pubperspectives

Free publishing courses, delivered to your inbox each morning:  http://ow.ly/Qvt23051HId @ReedsyHQ

Publishing is All Business…or is It?  @NinaAmir With the Creative Aspects of the Writing Business: http://ow.ly/3esL3051bLB

The 7 habits of highly effective writers:  http://ow.ly/uLeM304G8jl @pubcoach

Goal-Setting Strategies for Writers: http://ow.ly/eNRa304G4t2  @annkroeker

5 Key Questions with Award Winning Author @KMWeiland :  http://ow.ly/Kw183051hJc @TheIWSG

Tips for Author Events:  http://ow.ly/VIox3051iq3 @authorterryo

8 Tips for Editing Other Writers’ Work (While Remaining Friends):  http://ow.ly/a3Ig304G55v @KMWeiland @aliventures

6 Podcast Episodes That Will Make You a Better Writer:  http://ow.ly/vwIV304G4aA @GiveMeYourTeeth

Writing Tips: Carry a Notebook:  http://ow.ly/FD9O304G8m1 @WritingForward

Why Your Standing Desk Isn’t Doing You Any Good:  http://ow.ly/mBEr304G4Fx @colleen_m_story

Writing To Find The Hero In Ourselves:  http://ow.ly/u7de304G4QU  @cpbhaven

How to Start a Novel in Third Person: 7 Tips:  http://ow.ly/a26Z304G4cx @nownovel

Free email courses for writers from industry experts and @ReedsyHQ : http://ow.ly/68QF304Orzc

5 Types of Parallel-Structure Errors:  http://ow.ly/LfJ7304G4z8 @writing_tips

Getting started again with your book:  http://ow.ly/6O2j304G5eS by Marcia Peterson @womenonwriting

Mood Writing Worksheet:  http://ow.ly/N2Or304DLIP @EvaDeverell

25 Online Destinations to Spark Your Writing Inspiration:  http://ow.ly/B8mD304DLku @IndieReader

7 Common Mistakes To Avoid In Your First Chapter: http://ow.ly/eP9Z304DKKu @ClaireABradshaw

10 Ways to Fry Your System:  http://ow.ly/7ff7304DKbI @wendypmiller

Why You Should Give an Indie Press a Chance:  http://ow.ly/DThK304DM30 @MissConstance21  @DIYMFA

Evaluating An Offer: 12 Questions to Ask an Agent:  http://ow.ly/9kY2304DK2O @standoutbooks

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
Click To Tweet

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

Making a Living Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I used to feel like the sole, income-focused writer in any group I was in.  I was  the one on any panel hesitantly bringing up ways that writers could make money with their writing.

I’ve noticed now that there are more writers like me out there and I’m more relaxed about being a commercial fiction writer.

I’ve been asked by parents, college students, and high school students about what degree is needed for becoming a writer.

But that’s one of the wonderful things about being a writer. You don’t have to have a degree in anything.  I was an English major, but that’s as far as I went with it.  When asked for my advice, I ask what type of writing they’re wanting to do and what their end-goal/their child’s end-goal is.  If the goal is “a career in writing,” then I’ll go as far as to suggest that they don’t go the MFA (Master in Fine Arts) route. They should instead read as much and as widely as they can and start writing.

One common complaint about MFA programs is that writers aren’t trained in the business of writing or on writing for a market (as explained by writer Yi Shun Lai in “We Need to Talk About Money: Practicality’s Place in a Writing Education“.)

Writers at the start of their careers should ask themselves: am I writing to please myself or am I writing to appeal to a broader market?My kids are older and if I didn’t make a living at this, I’d be getting a day-job.  Writing  is my full-time job.  I’m not making a ton, but I’m making more than if I taught school and more than I’d make at any other job; I’ve been out of the traditional workforce since my first child was born in 1997.

I do have 22 books on the market.  This obviously helps.

Tips for making a (modest)  living writing

It’s better, in the current environment, to self-pub instead of trad-pub (most of the time).  I experienced first-hand  cutbacks that publishers are employing to save costs.  When I started out, 3-book deals were the norm at Penguin.  That unfortunately changed.  The merger between Penguin and Random House meant a layoff for my editor. Now there are many stories about how difficult it is getting to break into the industry and the market. It’s obviously still possible to do so…but at what cost?  I made and make a good deal more from my self-published books than my traditionally published books.

Write for the market–modified. I got lucky in this sense because cozy mysteries became popular with the public around the time that I became interested in writing them.  I love cozy mysteries and I love the books that I write.  What’s selling well in a genre that you enjoy reading?  I can’t recommend that you write in a genre you’re not very familiar with or that you wouldn’t enjoy writing. There are standards/norms/tropes in genres that readers expect and are looking for.  They provide a blueprint for your book and for a better chance at success.  Writers should read as much as possible in their chosen genre and absorb as much as they can to learn about pacing, character development, action, dialogue,  and story arc.

Write series.  Series are currently more popular with readers.  I’m wondering if it’s because readers, once they’ve spent the time investing in the story world and characters, want to read more in that same story world.  Lucky for us–because series are easier and quicker to write for the same reasons: the story world is established, as well as the story’s recurring characters (descriptions, traits).  Most of the work is already done.

Write more than one book a year, if possible. Work smarter, not harder when it comes to the writing process.  If you’re not an outliner, see if you can at least come up with one sentence at the end of your writing day to give you a plan for the next morning.  What, basically, do you want to accomplish in the next session?  One sentence can give you much-needed focus the following day and help you write faster.

Again, work smarter, not harder when it comes to marketing.  Instead of knocking yourself out with marketing, focus instead on increasing visibility through tweaks of keywords and other metadata. Include links to your other books in your back matter.  Have a newsletter signup link in your email tagline, your website sidebar, and in the backs of your books (MailChimp is free for up to 2,000 subscribers). Whenever you have a new release, send out a newsletter to inform your readers.

Make sure your books are available to people in a variety of formats including online retailers,  audio, and print (CreateSpace and Ingram (for international audiences and bookstores).

Consider other ways to generate income from your writing.  Create a Patreon page for tips from readers (read this excellent article from author John G. Hartness).  Consider public speaking and publish a page on your website indicating that you do speak to groups (for a fee).  Author Joanna Penn outlines other ideas for multiple income streams in her post “Write Books You Love. Think Global. Consider Multiple Streams of Income.”

This approach isn’t for every writer and shouldn’t be for every writer.  Some writers write purely for the love of writing and write to please themselves and those closest to them. Some write only for the love of producing art.  Sometimes those writers still have an amazing career that supports them financially.

What other tips would you include here for writers interested in writing for a living?

Tips for making a living as a writer:
Click To Tweet

 

The post Making a Living Writing appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Publishing is All Business…or is It?

by Nina Amir, @NinaAmir

Publishing is all business. You have to deal with business plans or proposals, contracts, negotiations, promotion, platform, a publishing company—someone else’s or your own, marketability, taxes, and, of course, sales and royalties.

But it’s not all business.

Take, for instance, the act of writing, which is creative by nature. Writing involves ideation, character or content development, plot, structure, and imagination. It also requires problem solving abilities, which rely on creativity.

Publishing requires a unique blend of business and creativity.

Business Takeover

For many years, I’ve stressed the cold, hard business side of becoming an author. After all, tackling these tasks are necessary if you want to produce books that sell.

However, it’s easy to end up felling as if the business side of publishing has taken over your writing life. Believe me, I understand! You end up not writing. Instead, you spend your days on social networks, sending emails, fussing with your website, blogging, and finding ways to promote and build platform.

It’s frustrating, right?

As I wrote and spoke about the business side of a writer’s life, I never forgot the warm, soft (even fuzzy) side or becoming an author. After all, like you, that’s what I want to do—write. And the creative side drives the business side of publishing. Without book ideas and manuscripts, publishers—traditional or indie—have nothing to publish.

We writers are creatives, but sometimes we struggle to put words on paper. Or we just can’t come up with a new idea or the right idea. Can you relate?

Access and Enhance Your Creativity

Since writing provides the foundation for authorship and publishing, let’s take a closer look at creativity. If you can’t access your creativity at will, it’s hard to write. When you sit down to write—and have the time to write, it’s imperative to get the ideas and words out of your head and onto paper.

Many writers find themselves just staring at the cursor on the blank screen, though. They wait for the light bulb to turn on.

If that’s you, the following seven exercises have been proven to help access creativity.

Write at Less-than-Prime Time: If you are a morning person, write at night. If you are a night person, write in the morning.
Write Sleepy: Try writing when you are drowsy or tired. If that exercise only produces gibberish, then use your sleepy time to brainstorm or solve problems. Your mind accesses creativity differently when you are tired, which is why ideas pop into your mind when you put your head on the pillow at night
Write Horizontal: Instead of sitting at your desk to write, take your laptop and recline or lie down. Then try writing. (Don’t do this when tired…)
Write Vertical: Standing up is good for you, plus, it can bring energy and creativity to your writing.
Get Out of the Box: People who sit outside a box rather than inside access their creativity more effectively. If you don’t usually sit in a box (brown or cubicle), sit somewhere different. Go to a coffee shop, on your porch, or to another room. Sit on the floor with your back against the door to your office.
Find Your Song: Music helps stir the creative juices—if it is the right music. Some people like upbeat music, other like something softer. However, Mozart has been proven to tap into your creative abilities as well as your ability to focus. Find a melody that helps you write.
Lose Your Mind: Do something mindless. When you aren’t focused on your problem or task, new ideas bubble forth. That’s why you get ideas in the shower.

Develop Clarity and Focus

Many aspiring and published authors struggle to write because they lack clarity and focus. First, they aren’t clear about their goals, where their story is going or even what successful authorship would look like—or entail. Sound like you?

Second, they struggle to focus. They have the Shiny-Object Syndrome (SOS) or unsupportive habits that allow their attention to wander. Know what I mean?

To help you develop clarity and focus, try these strategies:

Create a vision—of success, your book or your career. The vision provides clarity on what you want to create. Write or draw your vision. Or create a vision board, a collage of pictures that provide a visual representation of your book, career, or writing routine. Read your vision or look at your vision board daily.
Develop goals—for yourself, your book, and your career. Goals are intentions backed up with deadlines, the means to measure progress, and action items. They keep you accountable. If you don’t have clearly written out goals, develop them now!
Manage your attention—during writing periods. In our distraction overloaded world, you must manage your attention in the time you have to write. If you are easily distracted, you won’t be productive even if you have great ideas.
Make writing your religion—approach the task ritually. If you are religious about writing, you do it without fail. Create rituals to that you perform consistently before writing. This creates a vortex of creativity you can access at each writing session. Performing the ritual will help you tap into your creative flow.

Business is Creative, Too

Keep this in mind: Business is creative. Let me explain.

Many indie authors and traditionally published wannabes balk at the idea of business planning. A business plan for a book, called a proposal if you go the traditional publishing route, helps you develop an idea that possesses a higher likelihood of selling. It’s a marketable idea.

Go through the business-planning process prior to writing a fiction or nonfiction book.

What? Plan first and write later?

Yes.

If you, like many writers—especially novelists, prefer to start writing immediately upon getting an idea…don’t. (Okay. Jot down some notes or a paragraph or two so you don’t forget the idea, but then stop!) You may think you have a good idea, but it might not be one that sells once published.

Do the work entailed to produce a business plan—in particular, conduct a market and competitive analysis. This ensures your idea is marketable and you don’t waste time and energy on a manuscript that won’t sell—to readers or a publisher.

As you do this, put your creativity to use.

If you know your market—your ideal reader— and you know what other similar books have been published, you can hone your idea. Ideate. Problem solve. Revise your idea until the light bulb becomes a beacon—to readers and publishers. Develop a better idea—the best idea possible, one that targets the need and interests of your readers and is unique and necessary in the bookstore category where it will be sold.

Developing a book promotion plan, another business-related task, takes creativity, too. It may seem like drudgery, as can platform building, but you can find new, interesting and creative ways to let people know about your work.

For instance, you can create:

Visual images
Quote cards
Videos
Photos
Contests
Courses

These creative outlets solve the problem of “How do I promote myself or my book?” And they utilize your creativity, which makes them more fun.

Creativity: The Foundation of Business

Whether you spend your day on writing-related or business-related tasks, creativity helps you get the work done. Creativity is inherent in the writing process as well as in the business aspects of publishing.

When it’s all said and done, creativity is the foundation of business. Specifically, the publishing business is based on the creativity of writers like you. A book starts with a unique idea and then is turned into a book.

Do you find the both parts of the publishing process—writing and business—creative?

About the Author

Nina Amir is an Amazon bestselling author of such books as How to Blog a Book, The Author Training Manual and the recently released Creative Visualization for Writers (October 2016). She is known as the Inspiration to Creation Coach because she helps writers, bloggers and other creative people combine their passion and purpose so they move from idea to inspired action and Achieve More Inspired Results. This helps them positively and meaningfully impact the world—with their words or other creations.

Nina is a hybrid author who has self-published 17 books and had as many as nine books on Amazon Top 100 lists and six on the same bestseller list (Authorship) at the same time.

As an Author Coach, Nina supports writers on the journey to successful authorship. Some of her clients have sold 300,000+ copies of their books, landed deals with major publishing houses and created thriving businesses around their books. She is the creator of a proprietary Author Training curriculum for writers and other coaches.

She is an international speaker and award-winning journalist and blogger as well as the founder of National Nonfiction Writing Month www.writenonfictioninnovember.com and the Nonfiction Writers’ University www.nonfictionwritersuniversity.com.

Nina also is one of 300 elite Certified High Performance Coaches working around the world.

For more information, visit www.ninaamir.com or check out her books at www.booksbyninaamir.com.

www.ninaamir.com

www.writenonfictionnow.com

www.howtoblogabook.com

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

Author @NinaAmir With the Creative Aspects of the Writing Business:
Click To Tweet

The post Publishing is All Business…or is It? appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

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 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

5 years, 6 books, 7 lessons:  http://ow.ly/bYp1304BXN8 @lisajanicecohen  @WriterUnboxed

10 Tips for Writing Through Family Stress:  http://ow.ly/929h304BZIw @bclaypolewhite

Limited vs. Omniscient Third Person POV:  http://ow.ly/zTsg304BZwy @p2p_editor

Deconstruct Your Favorite Book: http://ow.ly/fb4h304CczC @JohnnyBTruant

Adapt to Change and Become More Productive:  http://ow.ly/y9aX304DKEA @jmunroemartin               

5 Writing Apps to Help You Revise Your Manuscript: http://ow.ly/6qAj304DM6U @WhynottEdit  @DIYMFA

Mary Shelley’s Shadow: 12 Macabre Quotes From Female Authors:  http://ow.ly/5AnV304DLtY @TomBlunt  @SignatureReads

Discovering Your Novel’s Hook:  http://ow.ly/RNqa304DKAQ @Janice_Hardy

How Long Should Your Series Be? http://ow.ly/tzAp304DLLf @Rachel_Aaron

How to Write Your Fastest Story Ever: http://ow.ly/77nF304DLBZ @EvaDeverell

United Arab Emirates: Toward a ‘National Culture of Reading’:   http://ow.ly/yJ3M304UPSG @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives”

Helpful services and platforms for the indie writer:  http://ow.ly/pWVH304CcMz @KristineRusch

Facebook and Author Marketing:  http://ow.ly/uQhr304CcIm @timgrahl

The Unacknowledged Obstacle of Literary Sleepiness:  http://ow.ly/bHlZ304BYbl @jrc2666

3 Ways to Write a Cast of Supporting Characters Without Confusing the Reader:  http://ow.ly/wxXb304CemT @mharoldpage

How to Promote Your Latest Work With a Blog:  http://ow.ly/hZNo304BZk7 by Matt Banner @mythicscribes

How Many Hours to Write a Novel? http://ow.ly/DhfV304CdRp @jenniferlellis

The More Books You Write, the Harder it Gets (The Secret to Mastery): http://ow.ly/dNq8304CcE8 @GoinsWriter

Twitter Fishing for Agents:  http://ow.ly/Dc6t304CeyW @RobinRWrites

Writing the Crime Scene: Guns:  http://ow.ly/b03R304CXDQ @repokempt

Editing for the first time? 5 Thoughts To Help You Make Sense Of It:  http://ow.ly/KXkr304CfG8 @StephMorrill @GoTeenWriters

3 Enemies of Productivity for Writers:  http://ow.ly/bDwo304Yvo8 @lornafaith

7 Tactics To Grip A Reader At The End Of A Chapter: http://ow.ly/faow304Cfvu @sacha_black

10 Steps to Nail Your Story: http://ow.ly/EtLR304CfoC @diannmills

40 Types Of Content That Will Make Blogging Easier:  http://ow.ly/AJbs304CeZd @Writers_Write

The Princess Bride: A Frame Narrative Worth Studying:  http://ow.ly/7dzT304CeE7 @RobinRWrites

Against Borrowing Books: http://ow.ly/MWcw304BYyH @jrc2666

Depicting Sexual Predators As Villains In Fiction Is Tricky:  http://ow.ly/xuBa304z0cs @LynnPNeary @NPR

Tips for Surviving a Manuscript Read-Through:  http://ow.ly/JXWH304yGDe @writeabook

Are new writers too ambitious with their stories? Insights from ‘The Bestseller Code’: http://ow.ly/aOlE304Xd93

10 Things Authors Need to Stop Doing on Social Media: http://ow.ly/m8At304Ghty @Dana_Kaye

Publisher Beata StasiÅ„ska on 3 areas of concern for the Polish book market:   http://ow.ly/cuPH304UOJy @Porter_Anderson

On Traditional Publishing If You Don’t Live in the US:  http://ow.ly/7GOw304yKI3 @Ava_Jae

10 Dickensian Character Names Deciphered:  http://ow.ly/v48c304yZ5K by Bryan Kozlowski @lithub

Permission to Begin. Courage to Continue. Forgiveness to Try Again. http://ow.ly/XlhH304yGNC @DanBlank  @WriterUnboxed

Australia’s Jefferis Award Shortlist, Hachette’s Scored Audiobooks from @Booktrack http://ow.ly/jxst304UOkx @Porter_Anderson

3 Reading Tips for Writers:  http://ow.ly/p35X304yGcp @RMFWriters  @LiesaMalik

How to Create a Newsletter:  http://ow.ly/Bfjt304yNYY @ChrysFey

How to Negotiate: The Tip No One Tells Writers:  http://ow.ly/WPPV304yKMJ @jkwak

Creating Mood In A Scene Using Light and Shadow:  http://ow.ly/afxt304yNT9 @AngelaAckerman

Crisp Up Your Writing: Revision Tools for Wordsmithing:  http://ow.ly/KoEj304yGwZ @writeabook

Indie Authors, Libraries and Discoverability:  http://ow.ly/n4Qr304V1Qp @Victoria_Noe @IndieAuthorDay

Indie Author Day is Oct. 8: http://ow.ly/S9aA304V2Yn (Join me at the Statesville Library branch) @IredellLibrary @IndieAuthorDay #AuthorDay16

What 1 Writer Learned on a Debut Book Tour From the Books He Read Along the Way:  http://ow.ly/Gxk4304yKyW @alexlockwood  @The_Millions

Essential Industry Newsletter for Authors: @HotSheetPub  http://ow.ly/UWhR304UQck  30-day free trial: @Porter_Anderson @JaneFriedman

How many indie books were published in 2015 with ISBNs? @Bowker Cites at Least 625,327:  http://ow.ly/5z8Z304UO57 @Porter_Anderson

Editing for Musicality by Olivia Farnsworth:  http://ow.ly/LFuc304yL2m @GoTeenWriters

Creative and simple ways to grow your list:  http://ow.ly/LDmT304yXRA @MailerLite

A perfect storm: Margaret Atwood on rewriting Shakespeare’s Tempest:  http://ow.ly/RCxB304yYHi @MargaretAtwood  @GuardianBooks

Using Dialogue to Build Conflict:  http://ow.ly/uyTC304yGsY @Eileenwriter  @WomenWriters

How to Use Inner Dialogue:  http://ow.ly/lMHm304yLjp @ProWritingAid

7 Sick Literary Hook-ups: http://ow.ly/BIdr304yLrb @jsbreukelaar  @LitReactor

50 Romance Plot Ideas:  http://ow.ly/DqH8304wPVB @BrynDonovan

In Defense of Slow, Thoughtful Writing:  http://ow.ly/oqKt304wQ2b @SRaffelock

What Firefly teaches about series writing:  http://ow.ly/WcHi304Som0 @rxena77

Great Books Result from Characters’ Bad Decisions:  http://ow.ly/lSh2304wPMe @TobiasCarroll

Novel structure: from word to sentence to beat to scene to act: http://ow.ly/HfoF304wQ6K @kseniaanske

How to Write a Short Story with Clarity and Economy:  http://ow.ly/V1ng304wPBy by Patrick Ryan @SignatureReads

Writing with Personality for Introverts:  http://ow.ly/H5Nf304wQ55  @AnitaFreshFaith

5 Reasons Your Plot Stalled:  http://ow.ly/T6Ph304wQ83 @Janice_Hardy

20 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Target Audience:  http://ow.ly/9eAM304uWWv @AuthorAshleeM

Backstory: When Is It Necessary?  http://ow.ly/atKF304uYm6 @JamiGold

Finessing Backstory:  http://ow.ly/B9ys304uYr2 @MargieLawson

Amazon Book Reviews What’s “Allowed” and “Not Allowed”: http://ow.ly/jLnD304uYGO @selfpubreview

How to Write a Science Fiction Novel Series: 6 Tips:  http://ow.ly/kkQF304uWIC @svartjagr

Tackling Amazon’s Top Reviewer List:  http://ow.ly/aF1D304uYMf @WtTrainWOInjury

The Inciting Incident Plunges Your Character Into His Journey:  http://ow.ly/uD97304uY4H @ZoeMMcCarthy

Repetition in writing:  http://ow.ly/ixtz304N3qv @p2p_editor

A Storyteller’s Swiss Army Knife? The Setting: http://ow.ly/uetA304uYhm @AngelaAckerman

16 Things Writers Should Know About Quoting From Letters:  http://ow.ly/sn09304uWdV @RightsofWriters

Marketing a Book: 7 Essential Rules to Build the Buzz Online:  http://ow.ly/TRId304uV8v  @CathyPresland

Does FB Sell Books?  Do Writers Need a Facebook Fan Page?  http://ow.ly/RxFD304uqtu @KristenLambTX

5 Practical Tips for World Building:  http://ow.ly/nYUT304uYa7 @AlexBledsoe

Revealing the Interiority of Characters:  http://ow.ly/Jq4C304uXWu by John Thornton Williams @ElectricLit

Can I Be Liable for Publishing Mistaken Information? http://ow.ly/SOX0304uWAc @RightsofWriters

Strangeness, truth in nonfiction, and the space between real and unreal: http://ow.ly/VDLj304uXEo @JDaugherty1081  @ElectricLit

5 Tips for Writing Scary Stories:  http://ow.ly/TxSL304uYyl @RossAuthor

10 Self-Editing Mistakes and How To Avoid Them:  http://ow.ly/trs6304uUQX @CathyPresland

PEN America on Banning Books in the USA and ‘Soft Censorship’:  http://ow.ly/Xu3E304N3gb @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Building suspense in a mystery when the crime or victim has been established at the start:  http://ow.ly/8WJ6304N30j @mkinberg

Quick Writing Can Still Result in Quality Writing:  http://ow.ly/z2P8304MZWM @rxena77

A 6 Step Guide to Creating a Book Fair:  http://ow.ly/S4HI304N7qA @DemiStevens19 @TheIWSG

BISG at 40: Past and Future:  http://ow.ly/hMPy304N19K @Porter_Anderson @brianoleary

What Not to Write:  http://ow.ly/IpNp304shoo @wendypmiller

5 Common Plotting Mistakes to Avoid: http://ow.ly/TKpH304sh5v @Janice_Hardy

Is your writing a hobby, an art, a business, a vocation, a profession?  http://ow.ly/f2e5304sgw8 @Roz_Morris

What Writers Need to Know About Library Systems:  http://ow.ly/YWy2304sfv3 @WriterLibrarian

The Power of Myth in Fiction:  http://ow.ly/91LU304sfk4 @sarahrcallender

How To Write a Novel (When You Think You’ve Forgotten How):  http://ow.ly/jQFt304sfcD @cathryanhoward

Not Doing All the Things We Want to Do:  http://ow.ly/VKwu304sf1Q @zen_habits

The History and Present of Banning Books in America: http://ow.ly/kkoX304sfO9 @ingredient_x

3 Writing Goals to Set:  http://ow.ly/VJML304seRn @Magic_Violinist

On the House of Mirth and the Literature of Income Inequality:  http://ow.ly/rnfd304sfHD @MsShade  @lithub

Building a Closet Office in 5 Steps:  http://ow.ly/JUzg304seCF  @Wix

Want to Make Revisions Easier? Create an Editorial Map:  http://ow.ly/JmgX304sfoU @Janice_Hardy

A Writer Looks Back at His First Novel:  http://ow.ly/N3cD304nJPN @leverus @lithub

Writing Scenes for Your Story’s Goals:  http://ow.ly/YRpv304nD6s @Lindasclare

Perfecting First Person POV:  http://ow.ly/VMlv304nDDe @AJHumpage

How Reading Screenplays Will Improve Your Writing:  http://ow.ly/naks304oTAn @ScriptReaderPro

5 Common Plotting Mistakes to Avoid:  http://ow.ly/L7iP304oTJp @Janice_Hardy

19 Examples for Describing People:  http://ow.ly/NItD304oSVR @WordDreams

When to let that manuscript go: http://ow.ly/7tnw304oTDL @staceyleeauthor

Find the time to write, overcome your fears and finish your book:  http://ow.ly/ycS1304oT3W @SukhiJutla

10 Effective Ways to Deal With an Inner Critic:  http://ow.ly/8H2E304oT9z @10MinNovelists

20 Key Scenes for Writers of Romance Novels:  http://ow.ly/DxAI304oSSP @CSLakin

How To Write Short Stories That Sell:  http://ow.ly/X3aU304oSOq @AlanBaxter  @thecreativepenn

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
Click To Tweet

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

Creating Bestsellers

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Family and friends will sometimes lightly tell me they’re sure that I’m going to pen a bestseller. I respond, just as lightly, that I don’t write those types of books.  I’m writing genre fiction to appeal specifically  to readers of my subgenre. Any bestseller status is in the confines of that subgenre.

Bestsellers, obviously, appeal to a broader audience. I’m not sure if I’ll ever even try to write something meant to be that  commercially successful.  But that’s not to say I’m not interested in hearing how to get there.

I received a free copy of The Bestseller Code  as a thank you from St. Martin’s publicist for promoting a contest on Twitter.

At the time, the buzz over the book hadn’t yet revved up as it has now.  There have been discussions sparked (and perhaps a bit of controversy) over the algorithms the authors Jodie Archer and Matthew L. Jockers ran to find common threads in today’s blockbusters, regardless of genre.

From the book description:

“The Bestseller Code”  offers a new theory for why Fifty Shades of Grey sold so well. It sheds light on the current craze for dark heroines. It reveals which themes tend to sell best. And all with fascinating supporting data taken from a five-year study of twenty thousand novels.”

Generally, I do enjoy reading publishing-related data if it’s easy to understand.  I liked the way the data was presented to readers as a narrative.

This is not a how-to book. If you’re looking for a formula to follow for commercial success?  The book doesn’t lay that out for you.

That’s not to say that The Bestseller Code doesn’t have interesting insights.  I tend to mark up non-fiction books with a pen. I found that most of my marking-up occurred in chapter two.  One topic covered in those pages was theme.

The authors found that themes were very simple for bestsellers.  Archer and Jockers used John Grisham and Danielle Steel as examples.  Grisham’s theme is the legal system and Steel’s involve ‘domestic life’ or ‘time spent inside the home.’

As a side note, this was a different way for me to view theme. As an English major, I tend to think of themes as something like ‘coming of age,’ or ‘man against nature,’ or ‘lost love.’  I’m usually thinking about a lesson of sorts.  The ‘legal system’ or ‘domestic life’ themes seemed more of what I think of as hooks.  The authors labeled them themes or ‘signature topics.’

According to authors Archer and Jockers, “The authors are known for their signature topic and fans expect them to deliver it.”  Grisham and Steel spend 1/3 of all the paragraphs of all their books on these themes and the other 2/3 to “introduce the tangential topics that make each new book seem a little different.”

This made me wonder if new authors were overthinking it and trying to accomplish too much. The authors tended to agree that they may. They spoke to an agent and a writer and stated:

“Both told us that they had, through a series of painful rejections from publishing houses, come to the theory that new writers start out too ambitious. They said such writers tend to favor telling a complex situation from all angles…writers are observers, and it is natural for them to want to share all that they have observed…”

The authors go on to state that no only does the ‘signature theme’ factor make books popular with readers, it also helps with author branding.

The book definitely gave me food for thought and a closer look at what makes a bestseller tick.

What kind of themes do your books focus on? How simple are your story motifs (and even, the plots themselves)? What do you think about data as a way to tweak our books to make them appeal more widely to readers and publishers?

And a note: if you’re in the Charlotte, NC area, join me from 12–3:30 tomorrow, Oct. 8,  at the Statesville Library in Iredell County for the inaugural Indie Author Day event!  

Are new writers too ambitious with their stories? Insights from 'The Bestseller Code':
Click To Tweet

The post Creating Bestsellers appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Quick Writing Can Still Result in Quality Writing:

by Roland Yeomans, @rxena77

Isn’t Elizabeth brave and gracious to let me borrow her blog for the day?  Give her a hand by commenting at the end of this post, will you?

“I never travel without my diary.  One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” – Oscar Wilde

Let me tell you of some sensational reading that I am asking you NOT to read.  Yes, this is my first stop on my DON’T BUY MY BOOK Blog Tour!

I mean, if you buy it, you’ll just encourage me.

You know how many thousands of Indie Books are published EVERY month?

As Midnight, my kitten, says, “More than the grains of litter in my box, and most smell as bad, too!”

That is the fault of those writers who do not hold themselves to the fire of doing their best with every sentence.

We can write good novels faster than we think we can.  The past has shown it.

“If you’re going to doubt something, doubt your own limits.” -Don Ward

We can do more than we think we can.

James Horner was given TWO WEEKS to compose the soundtrack to ALIENS.

Two freaking weeks.  Yet, he wrote music that is so stirring that it is still used in movie trailers to this day.

Sam Watterson wrote and drew CALVIN & HOBBES daily for 10 years straight, setting the comic strip world on its ear with his originality.

Think of the creativity involved to craft a world that still holds our hearts and minds 21 years later.

In 1943, Steinbeck served as a World War II war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune and worked with the Office of Strategic Services (predecessor of the CIA).

During the war, Steinbeck accompanied the commando raids of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.’s Beach Jumpers program, which launched small-unit diversion operations against German-held islands in the Mediterranean – all the while writing daily dispatches.

At one point, he accompanied Fairbanks on an invasion of an island off the coast of Italy and helped capture Italian and German prisoners, using a Tommy Gun.

His daily dispatches are works of art.  Read ONCE THERE WAS A WAR and discover this for yourself.

THE GRAPES OF WRATH?  He wrote that in FIVE months shortly after the death of his brother-in-law,

and it was a time in his life when he was plagued by doubts about the prospect of war and worries over the sale of his house in California.

So I write two original books a year?  They both can still be quality.  And you can write multiple quality books a year, too.

My Quality Book for Year’s End is a mix of surprising true historical facts inter-mixed with Steampunk intrigue, betrayal, love, revenge, and death-traps straight out of GAMES OF THRONES.

Doubt me?  There is a chapter in it entitled, RED WEDDING, which occurs in the catacombs beneath the infamous Rouen Cathedral,

Involving Sidhe, the werewolves of France, and the deadly Worms of the Earth.

Oh, did I mention that there are dragons at the beginning and, of course, at the end in a dizzying, wild fight above the Eiffel Tower with the Sire of All Germanic Dragons and his coven.

And this is a story of a honeymoon!

But when the new husband is Samuel McCord, undead Texas Ranger, and his bride is the immortal alien Empress, Meilori Shinseen, what else can you expect?

Well, you can expect:

An insane Abraham Lincoln, 11 year old Nicola Tesla, Captain Nemo, Mark Twain at the start of his fabulous career, a vampire Benjamin Franklin, the mysterious Swan Maiden, the cursed Lucanus (the still alive St. Luke), the Sidhe High Queen, Oyggia …

Clashes of Vampire Kingdoms, intrigues of Louis Napoleon, deadly tours of the Louvre with its hidden chambers, and so much more.

What are you waiting for?  Buy my book!

Yes, I know the name to this blog tour is DON’T BUY MY BOOK.  Haven’t you heard of Reverse Psychology?

***

Roland Yeomans was born in Detroit, Michigan.  But his last memories of that city are hub-caps and kneecaps since, at the age of seven, he followed the free food when his parents moved to Lafayette, Louisiana.  The hitch-hiking after their speeding car from state to state was a real adventure.  Once in Louisiana, Roland learned strange new ways of pronouncing David and Richard when they were last names.  And it was not a pleasant sight when he pronounced Comeaux for the first time.

He has a Bachelor’s degree in English Education and a Master’s degree in Psychology.  He has been a teacher, counselor, book store owner, and even a pirate since he once worked at a tax preparation firm.

So far he has written thirty-four books.  You can find Roland at his web page: www.rolandyeomans.blogspot.com  or at his private table in Meilori’s.  The web page is safer to visit.  But if you insist on visiting Meilori’s, bring a friend who runs slower than you.

Quick writing can still result in quality writing (by @rxena77 ):
Click To Tweet

 

 

 

 

The post Quick Writing Can Still Result in Quality Writing: appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

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 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

One question to make your novel sell: does it turn? http://ow.ly/VpPE304kVwd @kseniaanske

Your Online Writing Portfolio: Must-Haves and More:  http://ow.ly/DeYV304kRvj @MerylWilliams

47 Tips Writers Need When Their Creativity Goes AWOL:  http://ow.ly/VyTb304kUN5 @LauraJTong

5 Questions to Test Your Story Concept:  http://ow.ly/DPEl304kVsH @GoIntoTheStory

In Praise of the Micro Landscape:  http://ow.ly/MBOa304kR1B @angpalm  @lithub 

The Most Neglected Resource for Reviews: YouTube:  http://ow.ly/78AA304kR8P @AndyPeloquin

How to Get the Most Out of Your Sequel Scenes:  http://ow.ly/RUt9304kR6h @KMWeiland

Braiding Your Book:  http://ow.ly/ygJS304kUz0 by Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Craft Your First Story With This Creative Writing Reference Chart:  http://ow.ly/CaAT304kVkv @LordRavenscraft

Why the doppelgänger motif is so popular:  http://ow.ly/SMSX304lTJm @alanglynnbooks @lithub

What Do We Mean When We Say Women’s Fiction?  http://ow.ly/tjRy304lTXM  @lithub @lizkay09

The Novelist ( @rabihalameddine   ) Whose Twitter Feed Is a Work of Art:  http://ow.ly/xHfr304JxOB  @JonathanBlitzer  @NewYorker

 

13 Things Learned From Completing Draft Two of a Novel:  http://ow.ly/x7yV304nE7f @sacha_black

Does This Third-Person POV Suspense Opening Work? http://ow.ly/FS1V304nDf7 @Janice_Hardy

3 Problems with Parenthesis:  http://ow.ly/kwfp304nEgq @writing_tips

4 E’s of an Effective Critique Group:  http://ow.ly/4ZIJ304nEcm @lisajlickel

5 Blog Post Mistakes:  http://ow.ly/kknR304nDn1 @allisonmaruska

The Ultimate Blogging Checklist:  http://ow.ly/5XEf304nE3A @Writers_Write

On the Irresistible Pull of Tidal Metaphors:  http://ow.ly/bNbz304nCZ3 by Hugh Aldersey-Williams @lithub

Is “Show Don’t Tell” a Universal Truth or Colonial Relic?  http://ow.ly/AM0j304nCGK @poddar_namrata  @lithub

7 Key Elements To Include In Your First Chapter: http://ow.ly/7fO9304nDSm @ClaireABradshaw  @WritersEdit

Ratchet Up Your Novel’s Tension: http://ow.ly/Bn57304nDIy @KelsieEngen

Perfecting First Person POV:  http://ow.ly/VMlv304nDDe @AJHumpage

Writing Scenes for Your Story’s Goals:  http://ow.ly/YRpv304nD6s @Lindasclare

A Writer Looks Back at His First Novel:  http://ow.ly/N3cD304nJPN @leverus @lithub

Creating Mood In A Scene Using Light and Shadow:  http://ow.ly/GmMT304oTse @angelaackerman

Is too much pre-writing immobilizing you?  http://ow.ly/oa9i304Jh8G

How to Guest Blog Successfully: An Interview with Sara Pence:  http://ow.ly/UBtA304jHoF @LisaTener

Should a writer have children?  http://ow.ly/wpt6304kV4L  @nevalalee

Working With Cover and Interior Designers:  http://ow.ly/qgZp304kRjJ @JFbookman

New Amazon Guidelines Work to Curb Review Fraud:  http://ow.ly/6txa304Ghco @LorcaDamon @Goodereader

12 Book Marketing Tactics:  http://ow.ly/MgX1304jGVn @Rachel_Aaron

Covers Can Make or Break a Book:  http://ow.ly/OKRh304jGOW @DarrenDBeyer

The Only 5 Ingredients You Need for Story Subtext:  http://ow.ly/I5z1304jGtY @KMWeiland

Using Dialogue to Build Conflict:  http://ow.ly/Zvcw304jGr9 @Eileenwriter  @WomenWriters

Query Letters: The Extras:  http://ow.ly/uJGH304jGvU @AnnieNeugebauer  @WriterUnboxed

5 Rules For Success At Crowd Funding:  http://ow.ly/uubk304jGFV  @111publishing

The Power of Pods: Ask Your Friends to Lead a Mini-Brigade on Your Behalf: http://ow.ly/lDSD304jGSt @RobertTWilder

How to Avoid Book Publishing Blunders:  http://ow.ly/DFYA304jGAU @mybookshepherd

Goodreads for Authors:  http://ow.ly/e9zQ304jGNA @CaballoFrances

A Key to Using Twitter That Most Authors Overlook:  http://ow.ly/qONl304jGI2 @losapala

Pitch Your Novel Perfectly: 6 Tips:  http://ow.ly/ldc2304jGxF @SusanSpann

Hunting Down Story Holes Using a Novel Journal: http://ow.ly/GwGi304jGvi @AngelaAckerman

The Lost Art of Custom-Illustrating Your Favorite Books:  http://ow.ly/SxWL304iKL1 @lithub  @Amy_Stewart

Agatha Christie on how her lack of education and boredom led her to write: http://ow.ly/qzZ8304iKJQ @austinkleon

Why Is the Basic Marble Notebook Still So Popular?  http://ow.ly/Jnsy304iKI9 @UpperEastRob

The 3 Biggest Obstacles for INFP Writers:  http://ow.ly/FoO4304jHje @losapala

Does ‘The Bestseller Code’ Divulge its Secrets? http://ow.ly/zDnn304EIT4 @ThadMcIlroy

A Leader in Canadian Writing Takes Stock of Self-Pub:  http://ow.ly/RR04304EJ9l @CarlaJDouglas @pubperspectives @MerilynSimonds

Writing Authentic Settings And Keeping A Series Fresh:  http://ow.ly/1Phq304EIAb @tobywneal  @thecreativepenn

14 Quotes From Censored Authors:  http://ow.ly/20AC304DKj8 @SignatureReads @TomBlunt

Writing Groups 101:  http://ow.ly/KLKc304iL83 by A. Howitt @mythicscribes

3 UK Book Market Challenges (Including: ‘Too Many Titles in a Small Space’):  http://ow.ly/tW82304z3Ua @Porter_Anderson @JasonCoopr

What Is Lost in a Nation That’s Reading Less Literature? http://ow.ly/QBUY304iKVo @derekberes

Writers: Listen To Miss Frizzle:  http://ow.ly/M08c304iL3F @mikemartinez72

The Importance of Storytelling in Turbulent Times:  http://ow.ly/aoNQ304iKTK  @VaughnRoycroft

Ursula K. Le Guin: How I Started Writing:  http://ow.ly/t1So304iKOH @ursulaleguin  @parisreview

How to Chose Your Next Read When You’re Sick:  http://ow.ly/dmRz304iLgU @wutheringreads  @BookRiot

Write What Your Family Knows:  http://ow.ly/vj7y304iL9F @AuthorJuliaDay

This is How Literary Fiction Teaches Us to Be Human http://ow.ly/vzM5304iKQp   @SignatureReads @TomBlunt

Beware of attention residue when you’re writing:  http://ow.ly/7OW9304iL6N @pubcoach

7 Variations on the Epistolary Novel:  http://ow.ly/1ei8304BYTk @jrc2666

From Passive Voice To Active Voice: How To Spot It and How To Change It:  http://ow.ly/qu21304i5jd @MiaJouBotha

Change as an element in crime fiction:  http://ow.ly/hlZ5304z2B8 @mkinberg

Margins Be Damned: 4 Books with Inventive Formats:  http://ow.ly/u8wD304i54v by Molly Livingston @SignatureReads

Making a Series Bible Using Excel: http://ow.ly/u6BM304z1YP @HeidiHormel @TheIWSG

How to Start a Blog in 2016: http://ow.ly/7Qhh304BByG @BlastYourBlog

A Quick Tip for Finding Repeated (and Weak) Words:  http://ow.ly/7XhB304i5c9 @Janice_Hardy

Authors: Here’s All You Need to Grow Your Email List:  http://ow.ly/Pow3304i5ao @EmilyWenstrom

Writing the Crime Scene: Dead Bodies:  http://ow.ly/Dmry304fp0E @repokempt

Latest Ukrainian Ban of Russian Book Imports Under Consideration:  http://ow.ly/hvIF304z3nq by Eugene Gerden @pubperspectives

3 Ways Essential Oils Make It Easier To Be Creative: http://ow.ly/28t1304i5mu @colleen_m_story

Becoming a Writer in Your 40s, 50s, and Beyond: http://ow.ly/IJBF304jHha @losapala

10 suggestions to overcoming writing obstacles:  http://ow.ly/OfWw304i5Ia by Jill Roman Lord

A Pop-Up Strategy: The Autoresponder Series:  http://ow.ly/6BnC304i5E5 @JaneFriedman

The 5 Most Common Mistakes Writers Make When Seeking Book Reviews:  http://ow.ly/KDWu304i5pt @CSLakin

The Balance Between Hooking Readers and Setting up the Story: http://ow.ly/VRXI304i5eM @Janice_Hardy

5 Fictional Vegetarians Who Defy Stereotypes:  http://ow.ly/351s304i5wG @kwistent  @lithub

The Great Gatsby as a Crime Novel: http://ow.ly/57lj304z2ua @mkinberg

20 Book-Title Hacks for Any Genre:  http://ow.ly/VN3g304AMeX @DavidHSafford

5 things 1 writer didn’t expect when she released her first novel:  http://ow.ly/YXhz304ALJw @Roz_Morris

Balancing the main story and character subplots:  http://ow.ly/Vwu2304z39w @mike54martin

5 Ways to Have an Awful Book Cover:  http://ow.ly/jdSQ304cv8J @AuthorKSBrooks

A 6-Step Guide to Creating a Book Fair:  http://ow.ly/STMX304z1JN @DemiStevens19 @TheIWSG

Want to Sell More Books? Give Consumers What They Want: http://ow.ly/jLmw304cu5N @KristenLambTX

A new species of poetry: The making of Lyrical Ballads:  http://ow.ly/25c2304fowJ by Jonathan Kerr @WordsworthTrust

5 Ways to Be a More Mindful Writer:  http://ow.ly/wXB9304foh2 @deborahsosin

How to Write a First Draft:  http://ow.ly/hThX304fp6L @hodgeswriter

The Secret To Overcoming Perfectionism In Your Writing:  http://ow.ly/dWul304fopn @patverducci

What Does Silence Mean in the Age of Digital Noise?  http://ow.ly/xw1g304fo72 by Laurence Scott @lithub

A Quick Lesson in the Writing Process:  http://ow.ly/lBNk304fpd5 @JerryBJenkins

A Writer’s Guide to Hacking the Reader’s Brain (in 5 Steps):  http://ow.ly/viob304fnJO @LisaCron  @SignatureReads

Why Do Creative People Burn Out?  http://ow.ly/idK7304fnXA @MegDowell

Athens Named World Book Capital as 118-Year-Old Bookstore Closes:  http://ow.ly/4OUU304z3vz @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Thoughts on trigger warnings:  http://ow.ly/yigd304fosy by Colleen Hoover @PassiveVoiceBlg

10 Books Featuring Subversive Women:  http://ow.ly/FG6T304fpiM @Ginsburgmelissa

7 Lies We Tell Ourselves About Finding Time To Write:  http://ow.ly/Dw0V3049YYW @colleen_m_story

Boost Book Marketing with These 5 Apps: http://ow.ly/PA2L304cu34 @CaballoFrances

4 Ways to Use Video to Promote Your Blog Posts: http://ow.ly/Sd5M304cuwT  @Soffi_Propp  @SMExaminer

How Secretive Are You About Your Writing Projects? http://ow.ly/3NHV304cuKd @annkroeker

How to Be a Writer: 10 Tips: http://ow.ly/rOZF304cuNL by Rebecca Solnit @lithub

What If You Couldn’t Write? http://ow.ly/dAST304cuiT @KBullockAuthor

7 Different Ways Fantasy Has Used Language as Magic:  http://ow.ly/qsi7304cuU9 by Bailey Miller @tordotcom

Why book covers should reflect our author brand:  http://ow.ly/PVD5304cu8y @authordesigner  @IndieAuthorALLI

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
Click To Tweet

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

Pre-Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

In the past month, I’ve had three writers reach out to me.  They were all writing mysteries for the first time.

They asked me about outlining with arcs and three-act sequences and character development sheets.  Two writers reported feeling extremely overwhelmed and frustrated to the point of being immobilized.

I suggested that they might be overthinking it, at least when writing traditional mysteries. That’s because mysteries provide their own structure–a very familiar structure that avid mystery readers both know by heart and expect to encounter.

In fact, when we deviate from this structure or pattern, readers usually let us know about it.

I explained my own, very simple process:

I start out by writing the back cover copy. There are a couple of reasons for this. One, it gives me a global view of my story and its set-up. For another…I already have a cover for the book a year before I write it (I like working ahead with my cover designer). So there’s a print cover with copy all ready to go.

Then there’s a simple outline.  Nothing fancy.

Here’s the structure for a cozy mystery (if you fill in the blanks with your own characters, victims, suspects, it becomes a very basic outline): 

Introduction of all characters–best to start out with sleuth so that reader knows who to identify with right away.

Either a scene showing interaction of future victim and future suspects or introduction of a body.

Set up for sleuth’s involvement (if an amateur) and then interviewing of suspects. Suspects provide alibis, red herrings, lies, and truths.

Another body at the book’s halfway mark (most of the time).

More interviews to follow up on alibis, clues, and to gather information following any second murder. Give suspects opportunity to refute evidence pointing to them from the previous murder.

Moment of danger for sleuth or moment of increased tension if dealing (hostage situation, etc.) indicating story climax.

Sleuth discusses case and clues that helped him/her solve the mystery.

Are there other components in the story?  Of course.  But this is the basic structure of a mystery, just as other genres have their own skeletons.

Other things I like to know before starting my mystery:

Potential motives, first and second murder weapon, possible subplots (just brainstorming…nothing finite).

The killer’s identity? Not really.  I have an idea who I think may be a good killer, but I frequently change my mind 3/4 of the way through the first draft.  It’s always good to be flexible.

Going back to character sheet question.  A writer asked me how much pre-writing I did with my characters before jumping in.  My answer is…except for the sleuth and sidekick?  Very little.   Here is a copy-paste excerpt from a pre-writing doc for one of my mysteries:

Victim: Celeste: A sickly older woman: sickly of mind and spirit and body. She loves to manipulate people and her favorite people to manipulate are

Her niece: Eugenia She was from a poor family who farmed her out to victim. She is subservient and at victim’s beck and call.  She keeps her tied to her with financial incentives, but she is very pushy and overwhelms his life so that there is no time for anything else (a real life).  A thin, mousy-looking woman of around thirty wearing glasses too large for her face

Her daughter:  Maisy. Same as above. Perhaps she has a shipboard romance that actually seems to be blossoming into something else and the romantic interest lives very close to her. The mother is determined to end it as she likes to stomp out all attempts at happiness.  Plump. Very blonde hair and rather too much makeup.  Eyes are hard.  Enjoys flirting with Guy.

Her son: Terrell Same idea. She forced him into a career that he hated (financed his medical school) because she liked the prestige of it all.

Ghost of a husband?  Randolph. Some kind of male companion? But he thinks he’s going to benefit from her death and he’s wrong.  Miles’s age. Gambles. Drinks too much. Dignified air clashes with his drunkenness. Well-dressed. Hair too long for his age.

Bettina A friend of the victim? But some friend! Perhaps the friend found out that victim Celeste had been the cause of her breakup, or financial issues, or losing her job, etc. Celeste just likes control over all kinds of situations and people and enjoys wielding power.  An attractive old woman who wore a lot of gold jewelry and bright clothing and a lot of mascara.

This is what I work with when I’m starting out.  It’s thin, isn’t it?  Really just a cast of characters.  But it’s all I need to get started. The characters develop a bit as I write (their character tends to come out in their dialogue) and then I layer in more development after the first draft is finished.

Here’s the question.  Is your pre-writing helping you write your story? Or is it overwhelming you and causing you to freeze up and avoid your story?  Some writers absolutely rely on pre-writing to tell their story. It can shorten the amount of time they spend on their manuscript.  If you’re not one of those writers, don’t feel as if you’re doing it all wrong to start your story with a minimum of information. I write all my books that way.

How much pre-writing do you do?

Are you immobilized by too much pre-writing?
Click To Tweet

Photo credit: Mark van Laere via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

The post Pre-Writing appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

The Story Always Comes First

by Mike Martin, @mike54martin 

In some ways it’s easy to write a series. You already have a frame in which to sketch your story. Usually, that means you have a general location or part of the country and you have a cadre of characters that accompany the main character on his or her journey. There’s a familiarity, a comfort in that. It makes both the writer, and hopefully the readers, want to come right in, sit in that nice, comfy chair and slide into the story.

I always have that feeling when I start a new Sgt. Windflower Mystery. Like I’m home. Then I start writing and all the characters come streaming into my head at once. It’s exhilarating and frightening at the same time as my brain tries to process both the story that is starting to unfold, and all of the voices of the characters who are asking for my attention. Sometimes it feels like the old woman in the shoe. So many characters, I really don’t know what to do. And mostly I just feel stressed and crazy.

That’s when I usually go for a walk. I need the exercise, but more importantly it clears my head so that I can see where all the pieces, and not just the dead bodies fit. The most important thing about a mystery, or any fiction writing, is the story, the plot. The walk helps quiet down the chorus in my head so I can at least keep the story straight. Once that is clear, at least to me, I can allow the character development to continue. But I’m still not running the show. The characters ‘speak’ to me and I try and fit them into the story at the appropriate time and place. It doesn’t always work, but that’s rule number one. The story comes first and the characters have to shut up long enough so that I can set the scene for them to work their magic.

The second rule I have set for myself when writing this series is to take notes about the characters and what roles they may have played in previous parts of the series. As someone who runs and writes from the seat of my pants when it comes to putting the story together, there is no way that I can remember who did what to whom without a cheat sheet. If I don’t, and I have to admit that it has happened, and more than once, some friendly, but firm reader will point out that inconsistency. Luckily for me, I have great beta readers who gladly point out my mistakes, almost always, before they get to print.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the characters in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series. They allow me to not just write a crime solving mystery story, but to have depth of emotion and feeling that makes it human, and I hope more interesting. I know that my readers feel the same way because they tell me that they get worried about Shelia and Windflower when I let him stray too far from his kind and open heart. Just to be clear again, I don’t steer Windflower, I just help point him in the right direction. More than a few of them have also threatened me with much verbal abuse if I ever decided to kill any of the main characters off.

I tell them it’s a murder mystery and someone has to die. They just shrug and tell me to find someone else to murder. That’s the final rule when it comes to characters versus plot. Your characters can stumble, fall, make mistakes, fall in and out of love, but they can never die. Or else one of your readers will decide to write a book with you as their first victim.

***

Mike Martin is the author of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series which is set in small communities in Newfoundland on the eastern tip of Canada. The latest book is A Long Ways from Home. It is available now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iTunes . Find him on Facebook.

Balancing the main story and character subplots from @mike54martin :
Click To Tweet

The post The Story Always Comes First appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.