Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 99
September 24, 2016
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.
10 Incorrect Assumptions About Writers: http://ow.ly/HOuA30467eP @NatePhilbrick
Writing across cultural boundaries in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/ifeH304jG1W @mkinberg
5 Tips to Maximize Your Facebook Posts: http://ow.ly/oN6H304679W @Bookgal
One Fantasy Writer’s Secret Weapon: Archery Lessons: http://ow.ly/LKb730467h4 @SaraL_Writer @benjaminsobieck
How Charles Dickens Influenced Modern Self-Publishing: http://ow.ly/Y3cE30467mE @KelsieEngen
Writing Compelling Chapter Endings: http://ow.ly/5Dbc304679u @ceciliaedits
The Business of Screenwriting: studio execs don’t think like you: http://ow.ly/3uOk3046746 @GoIntoTheStory
Crime Writers: The Advantages of Compact Handguns Versus Full-Sized Models: http://ow.ly/iNCq30467kA @benjaminsobieck
What is Hybrid Publishing? 4 Things Writers Should Know: http://ow.ly/Jb91304679U @brooke_warner
Daniel Fernandez: Protecting the Essence of Publishing: http://ow.ly/yJKc304sNDy @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Instagram Stories:Engage With Readers: http://ow.ly/qzjS3047ozP @MartineEllis
8 Characteristics of Successful Social Media: http://ow.ly/sY493047nPy @cksyme
Messy brain? 7 ways to tidy up your thinking: http://ow.ly/Qc893047owP @jccabel
Writing Romance: Why Perfect Men Make Boring Heroes: http://ow.ly/AhZ03047o7R @katiemccoach
25 Simple Ways To Recycle Your Blog Posts: http://ow.ly/AIKv3047paL @Writers_Write
The Inciting Incident and “the Call”: http://ow.ly/QYMH3047p26 @SPressfield”
10 Giant Translated Novels: ‘a workout for your biceps and your mind’: http://ow.ly/ZOm3304lVes @ScottEsposito @lithub
How to Take Charge of Your Novel’s Symbolism: http://ow.ly/S4wj3047nKR @BetterNovelProj
Write a Fight Scene: Hero Fends Off an Attack to Protect Friend: http://ow.ly/Xzy33047nFi @BetterNovelProj
Understanding Ebook Rights: http://ow.ly/SDlt3047nAm @SusanSpann
How to Prep for a Writer’s Conference: http://ow.ly/Pd0o3047ohw @katiemccoach
6 Ways to Say Yes to Your Writing Career: http://ow.ly/aDVG3047oU0 @jesslaw
How to Layer Scenes in a Romance Novel: http://ow.ly/rYKE3047qsK @CSLakin
How Do We Fix the MFA? http://ow.ly/bmzb3047IXZ @kctrommer @lithub
How To Write An Amazing Synopsis: http://ow.ly/2a3S3049VfO @standoutbooks
5 Steps to Write Characters that Change: http://ow.ly/yUkl3049W5k @jeffelk
How to Write From the Opposite Gender’s Point Of View: http://ow.ly/JA6F3049VIx @ALeeMartinez
Writers: Why You Need to Get Out into the World: http://ow.ly/7MLD3049WcP @emily_tjaden
What Makes Your Protagonist Heroic? http://ow.ly/nWx63049Vjq @Janice_Hardy
17 Films You Didn’t Know Were Adapted From Books: http://ow.ly/peAF3049Z8h by Nicholas Politan @ElectricLit
How to Catch Typos in Your Own Work: http://ow.ly/aJ0Z3049Vx3 @RMNSediting
10 Tips For Writing Well: http://ow.ly/4T1I3049Z3d @MargotStarbuck
5 Story Opening Clichés That Need to Die: http://ow.ly/PJyJ3049YU0 @GiveMeYourTeeth
Editing Novel Drafts like a Pro: 8 Tips: http://ow.ly/RBSK3049W8M @nownovel
Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure: http://ow.ly/Yy9V3049VnO @Janice_Hardy
7 Lies We Tell Ourselves About Finding Time To Write: http://ow.ly/Dw0V3049YYW @colleen_m_story
Twitter Chats for Writers: How to Get Started by @MelissaFlicks: http://ow.ly/gr5v304cueq @BadRedheadMedia
6 Tips to Grow Your Readership and Manage Your Content: http://ow.ly/JEM6304cun5 by Deborah Lyn Stanley
One Writer Worries He Might Be a Fraud: http://ow.ly/hCXP304cvFn @TeddyWayne1999 @lithub
Authors offer their top writing tips: http://ow.ly/a2ax304cvmp @Wintersonworld @PhilipHensher @AmitChaudhuri
Elements in successful horror stories: http://ow.ly/zvgg304s5Sh @parttimescribe
Is your writing a hobby, an art, a business, a vocation, a profession? http://ow.ly/Met2304sgyd @Roz_Morris
Author Newsletter Tips: http://ow.ly/VLcQ30467pv @RMFWriters by Stephanie Connolly-Reisner
What to Put Into Your Story So a Great Pitch Comes Out: http://ow.ly/A8uZ304676j @ZoeMMcCarthy
8 Story Pitch Pet Peeves: http://ow.ly/hKGw304676x @TJMoss11 @WritersDigest
Present tense, future perfect in SF: http://ow.ly/B8Yo30467lt @nevalalee
How to Legally Use Quotations in Your Book: http://ow.ly/6lBk3043Ng9 @HelenSedwick
8 Tips to Combine Research and Family for a Great Working Vacation: http://ow.ly/pmd03043NOS @ErikaElyLewis
Cramming in Characters: Overloads & Overwhelms Readers: http://ow.ly/9QNM3043MyR @ZoeMMcCarthy
In Praise of Slow Writing: http://ow.ly/cqKe3043O68 @stevelaubeagent
The Hot Sheet: industry newsletter for authors (30 day free trial) from @Porter_Anderson & @JaneFriedman: http://ow.ly/HiMN304qJBi
Pros & Cons: Referencing the Real World in Our Story: http://ow.ly/VbhM3043MpP @JamiGold
On the Ethics of Writing About Your Children: http://ow.ly/XuDS3043LXG @HitlessWonder @heatherklanier @AmyMonticello @lithub
Download: Publishing Perspectives’ Free Fall 2016 Magazine for news and market snapshots: http://ow.ly/p7PJ304jG5N @pubperspectives
Using Twitter to Make Powerful Connections: http://ow.ly/ybgY3043Ona @dkparsonswriter
4 Ways to Add Depth to Our Stories: http://ow.ly/g4p43043NZf @KassandraLamb
Why Discoverability Should Be Publishers’ Biggest Priority: http://ow.ly/GYrL3043MQq @ABreinholst
Resources for Finding Critique Partners: http://ow.ly/xPj83043Nxj @MartinaABoone
What X-Men Can Teach About Storytelling: http://ow.ly/e7Ul3043Np8 @willvanstonejr
How Well Are Publishers Connect with Their Readers? http://ow.ly/HV6d3043MUd @jwikert
Why You Can’t Ignore Pinterest: http://ow.ly/BMyi3040MTu @MandyCorine
St. Martin’s Offering a Chance for 1 Writer to Receive a Detailed Manuscript Analysis (Sweepstake): http://ow.ly/MTq0304otyF @StMartinsPress
Critique groups: 6 ways they can hurt your writing: http://ow.ly/W128304jFB4 @annerallen
No Agreement Yet: Germany’s Publishing Copyright Controversy: http://ow.ly/BTbf304jFLR @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Context and story structure: http://ow.ly/WWVj3040Nbc @storyfix
Plotting Film Noir: http://ow.ly/nRFM3040N0g @KieronMoore
Cultivating True Fans Through Patreon: http://ow.ly/2nEx3040MWy @johnhartness
The Power of Instagram: Marketing Tips for Indie Authors: http://ow.ly/Z3ps3040MhN @Bookgal
3 Simple Steps Toward a More Sustainable Writing Life: http://ow.ly/iknp3040Lah @reallucyflint
When Your Book Doesn’t Sell: http://ow.ly/xHXm3040NdO @LovettRomance @DIYMFA
3 Bookish Solutions to Everyday Problems: http://ow.ly/BHfh3040NiC @zoeidadickinson @BookRiot
Traditional Publishing: Short Stories and Poetry: http://ow.ly/h35g3040Mma @SeptCFawkes
5 Ways to Spark Energy and Excitement for Your WiP: http://ow.ly/sUg03040LfW @reallucyflint
Query Agents For 6 + Months Before Promoting Your Self-Pub Book: http://ow.ly/w9qA3040LtX @sharonbially
Publishing contracts: the Force Majeure clause: http://ow.ly/lP7C3040LqI @bookishchick
8 Experiments in Motivation: http://ow.ly/p6BF303Ys7x @zen_habits
Tips From A Brit For Fictional British Characters: http://ow.ly/Slvr303YsFO @selfpubreview
Publisher Releases a Backlist book on Wattpad to Find a New Audience: http://ow.ly/4M8h304l7hr @CarlaJDouglas @pubperspectives
Writing Tips: Carry a Notebook: http://ow.ly/25jS303Yscc @WritingForward
How to Automate Writing and Editing Tasks: http://ow.ly/q28x303Ysrj @CKmacleodwriter
Groupthink as an element in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/wM5V304jFSZ @mkinberg
After publishing an acclaimed novel, writer ‘promptly went broke’: http://ow.ly/Bo7V304lOpX @merritttierce @marieclaire
Using foreshadowing: 3 things to consider: http://ow.ly/5uRo304l6H0 @Janice_Hardy
Blogging Etiquette: http://ow.ly/GUor304l6rb @SpunkOnAStick @DancingLemurPre
Senior Editor Recommends: ‘Make Diversity a Priority’: http://ow.ly/Cx0z304jFF0 @Porter_Anderson @andrewasalways
Paths to publishing for Christian fiction writers: http://ow.ly/jQTC303YsVj @IolaGoulton
Book pricing: the value of our time vs. realities of the book market: http://ow.ly/4pOS304lb9I @BE_Sanderson
Finishing That Endless Manuscript: http://ow.ly/2JM4303VO9T @Philip_Overby
4 Tips and 4 Tools for Tightening Your Prose: http://ow.ly/YEHy303YsBi @CKmacleodwriter
Adapt to Change and Become More Productive: http://ow.ly/1dDM303Ys9f @jmunroemartin
Most Common Writing Mistakes: No Contractions in Dialogue: http://ow.ly/9pRC303Yt4T @KMWeiland
What do I send to my email list? http://ow.ly/RJbE303Yth0 @timgrahl
Avoid This Story Structure mistake: http://ow.ly/r1uc303YsYX @KMWeiland
How to Write a Story Without an Outline: http://ow.ly/8ZNv303Ysfq @vrcraftauthor
How the Cover of Your Self-published Book Influences Your Brand: http://ow.ly/1bva303VNlp @IndieAuthorALLI @authordesigner
Selling Books on Social Media: 4 Steps to Less Wasted Time: http://ow.ly/dqyD304jFzy @cksyme for @annerallen
Agatha Christie as a crime fiction innovator: http://ow.ly/oYKt304jFWV @mkinberg
Is the tone of your prose in tune with your novel? A simple exercise: http://ow.ly/Gh4Q304jFxZ @Roz_Morris
How To Write An E-Book And Publish It On Amazon KDP: http://ow.ly/Gwwy303VMWY @DevinSchedule
Develop the Story Idea for your Novel: http://ow.ly/YHoC304ig1L @lornafaith
The links I shared last week: http://ow.ly/om0G304jE1H . All the links (30K+, free and searchable) I’ve ever shared: writerskb.com
Crime writers: getting away with murder: http://ow.ly/FVU8303VMHx @GarryRodgers1
Not Sure of the Lingo? 57 Social Media Words to Learn: http://ow.ly/cdKV303VN7x @CaballoFrances
5 tips to overcome self-doubt: http://ow.ly/hgrK303VNHD @AGYoung_author
A motto to stay focused on writing: http://ow.ly/oYRE303VMnB @JoEberhardt
4 things learned by being a pantster: http://ow.ly/REA9303VMw8 @lauralzimm
A Self Publishing Timeline for the Holidays: http://ow.ly/nXCH303VN0Z @SpatzSteven @BookBaby
The top writing links of the week are on Twitterific:
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The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
September 22, 2016
Preparing for a Cover Design Meeting
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
There’s a lot to think about and remember for so many different aspects of book production and book release. I recently shared my checklist for releasing a book. Today I thought I’d list the different elements I pull together before meeting with my book designer.
The brainstorming portion:
For a first book in a series or the first time working with a designer, it’s helpful to reference/link to covers that appeal to you or that you feel represent your genre well.
I like to provide general element ideas to help the designer get started. For instance, where is the cover set? Are there any people or animals on the cover? What mood are you trying to set?
Printed books:
Designers will need to know your page dimensions.
If the book isn’t done yet (mine are usually not even started when I get the covers done), make sure to tell your designer you’ll need to check back in with the final page count (including all front matter and back matter) to ensure that the spine is the correct width.
You’ll want your bio and author photo for the back of the printed cover.
What’s your book’s price?
Be prepared with your back cover copy.
Other considerations:
Do you need an audiobook cover?
Do you need promotional extras like Facebook and Twitter cover images or bookmarks?
Payment:
I almost always pay for all book production services through PayPal after the cover is complete. It makes tax preparation easy to go through my PayPal statements at the end of each year.
Finally:
Because good designers book up quickly, I always go ahead set the next appointment with my designer, Karri Klawiter. Having a date on the calendar helps me to come up with a concrete concept for another project before our meeting.
Any other tips for keeping organized before a cover design meeting?
Preparing for a Cover Design Meeting:
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September 18, 2016
Keep Your Readers Hooked by Dropping the Right Clues
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy
Foreshadowing might seem like a technique that applies mostly to mystery writers, but all stories rely on the classic “what might happen next?” question. Even in a romance, there are secrets to be revealed and histories to uncover, and where that information is learned affects a novel’s pacing. It’s the need to know that draws readers in and keeps them reading. Drop the right clues at the right time and readers will be glued to the pages.
Well-crafted foreshadowing puts those readers in the right mindset long before they reach a scene, and makes them anticipate that scene. Secrets unfold in surprising, yet inevitable ways, and readers feel as though the clues were there all along if only they’d seen them—because they were.
Too much too soon and there’s nothing left to learn (and no reason to read). Too little for too long risks frustrating readers, because they never learn anything new.
No matter what type of mystery your novel uses, look at where your clues and foreshadows appear. If you’re unsure how these elements should unfold, consider:
When and where you want readers to start suspecting the truth: Establishing patterns is a useful foreshadowing technique. Tension builds when readers are expecting something and waiting eagerly for it to happen.
Don’t forget the value of the Rule of Three here:
The first time someone sees something, they merely see it.
The second time, they notice it, because it stands out now.
The third time, they’re looking for it because you’ve established a pattern to anticipate.
For example, if you want to foreshadow a misunderstanding that has dire consequences, you might have the protagonist misunderstand something minor in the first few chapters. Later on, she might get something else wrong due to distraction. Now you’ve established a pattern that the protagonist doesn’t always listen and misunderstands what she hears. Readers will be looking closely at all her assumptions from then on to see if she’s missing something important. When the big moment occurs, tensions will be higher because readers won’t know if she’s right this time, or if she’s missed something yet again.
Or you might drop hints about an item to be used later. When the protagonist arrives at a quaint bed and breakfast for a yoga retreat, she is surprised to see a shotgun hanging above the fireplace and makes a comment. The next guest to arrive notices the gun and makes a joke about it. When the third guest arrives, readers expect the gun will come up again. And that will make them wonder when, where, and how that gun will be used in the story.
Or, you can be more subtle about it and tap into a reader’s subconscious. Say you want to foreshadow that blue means bad. You might have the protagonist get into an accident with a blue car early on. Then she has a run in with an office rival who knocks blue ink all over her. You might toss in her snagging her new blue skirt and tearing it right before she goes into an important meeting. After that three-step setup, readers will be looking for blue things and anticipating the problems they might cause.
These types of hints can happen over the course of one scene or the whole novel. It’s the creak in the night, followed by the thump, followed by the guy in the ski mask jumping out at you.
When and where you want the protagonist to start figuring it out: Readers often spot details long before characters do, but if the clues are too obvious, then the characters look dumb if they haven’t figured them out as well. Check to make sure you have a good balance between reader hints and character hints. If your protagonist needs to know something by page 45, make sure you’ve left enough clues so the realization feels plausible.
One mystery-writer’s trick is to hide important clues in the middle of the paragraph. Readers don’t pay as much attention to what’s in the middle of a paragraph, but they do focus on the beginning and end of that same paragraph. So they see it, but it often doesn’t jump out at them.
Beware of foreshadowing too much. If you’re dropping clues every chapter, readers will figure out the secret long before they get to the reveal.
Adding suggestive and evocative details: There have been a slew of movies, TV shows, and Vegas acts that have the protagonist—usually some type of con man—setting up a mark (the victim) to think or respond a certain way. They use subliminal clues to suggest what they want the mark to think or say. Drop enough clues with the numbers three and six in front of someone, then ask them to pick a number between ten and forty, and you’ll get a lot of thirty-sixes.
To put ideas in readers’ heads, plant a few suggestive clues. Don’t explain or draw attention to any of them, but if you want readers to think “blue means bad,” then put in something blue whenever something bad happens. Associate blue with bad in their minds, so by the time your protagonist reaches why blue is bad, readers will already feel apprehensive.
Foreshadowing is a handy way to raise tensions, and a well-planned story puzzle leaves lots of clues that readers can look back on and see that the answers were there the whole time.
Do you plan your foreshadowing or does it happen naturally?
Win a 10-Page Critique From Janice Hardy
Three Books. Three Months. Three Chances to Win.
To celebrate the release of my newest writing books, I’m going on a three-month blog tour–and each month, one lucky winner will receive a 10-page critique from me.
It’s easy to enter. Simply visit leave a comment and enter the drawing via Rafflecopter. At the end of each month, I’ll randomly choose a winner.
Looking for tips on revising your novel? Check out my new book Revising Your Novel:
First Draft to Finished Draft , a series of self-guided workshops that help you revise your manuscript into a finished novel. Still working on your idea? Then try my just-released Planning Your Novel Workbook .
Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of The Healing Wars trilogy and the Foundations of Fiction series, including Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure, a self-guided workshop for planning or revising a novel, the companion Planning Your Novel Workbook, Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft and the upcoming Understanding Show, Don’t Tell (And Really Getting It). She’s also the founder of the writing site, Fiction University. For more advice and helpful writing tips, visit her at www.fiction-university.com or @Janice_Hardy.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Indie Bound
*Excerpted from Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft
3 things to consider when using foreshadowing (from @Janice_Hardy):
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The post Keep Your Readers Hooked by Dropping the Right Clues appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
September 17, 2016
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.
10 Tricks to Get Your Writing Flowing: http://ow.ly/VvGa303Stk0 @MahinWriter
5 Quirks to Rock Your Middle Grade Character: http://ow.ly/XGXq303SxsC @RonEstrada
Ed-Tech, Publishing and Investment: http://ow.ly/ZLPn304doik @MarkPiesing @pubperspectives
5 Books Featuring Adventuring Parties: http://ow.ly/3wsi303TZRy @aptshadow @tordotcom
How to Find and Reach Influencers to Promote Your Book: http://ow.ly/DExW303TZnz @AngelaAckerman
Writing From the Antagonist’s Point of View: http://ow.ly/bc8W303TZIU @Janice_Hardy
5 key elements for every story: http://ow.ly/JCgS303TZgQ @JordanDane
Flash Fiction Endings: Possibilities: http://ow.ly/irr7303U0f2 @teddideppner
How to Persevere in Your Writing: http://ow.ly/zG06303U01H @bethklewis
6 Rules for Creating an Oral History: http://ow.ly/EEA2303U0jN by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain @lithub
4 Audio Apps Help You Engage with Your Audience: http://ow.ly/WBSe303TZLn @DeniseWakeman
Create A Simple Single-Author Boxed Set: http://ow.ly/2iS7303TZkU @mollygreene
Telegraphing, Foreshadowing: http://ow.ly/Kh9Y303TZAj @rachelnseigel
How to Use Layers to Create Rich Character Emotions: http://ow.ly/2K1C303TZEr @MarcyKennedy
Book Production Programs for Indie Publishers: http://ow.ly/zAWF303TZtf @JWManus
Finding Perfect Book Comps: http://ow.ly/zqH4303VNSF @RobinRWrites
Anne Carroll Moore, the NY librarian who changed children’s lit forever: http://ow.ly/9TlS303VMNs @magiciansbook
Develop the Story Idea for your Novel: http://ow.ly/YHoC304ig1L @lornafaith
New Universal Links from Draft2Digital: http://ow.ly/LsTz303VNb6 @kevintumlinson
Real Life Diagnostics: Sounding Like a Middle-Grade Voice: http://ow.ly/61K0303VMAZ @Janice_Hardy
How To Write An E-Book And Publish It On Amazon KDP: http://ow.ly/Gwwy303VMWY @DevinSchedule
How to Pick a Genre for Your Novel: http://ow.ly/TGvq304ifYB @lornafaith
Freelance Writing: Writing About Hardships and Sharing Weaknesses Results in 1 Writer’s Success: http://ow.ly/nHa3303StwS by Laura Yeager
UK intl. wholesaler on reach of English, currency exchange, and global transport: http://ow.ly/W7S8304dnLd @Porter_Anderson @Gardners
Having Trouble Writing? Try Writing Rituals: http://ow.ly/Ojsu303Sxh1 @katekrake
Transitions: http://ow.ly/vDPn303Sv05 @AlyciaMorales
7 tips to Going Pro as an Author Entrepreneur: http://ow.ly/RKUG303Sxl2 @SukhiJutla
How to Manage Your Writing: http://ow.ly/FgCs303Stpc @JanalynVoigt
5 Basic Focus Hacks for Writers: http://ow.ly/wPQI303Sxci @katekrake
5 Tips for Writing Romance: http://ow.ly/BvPI303StkY @ceciliaedits
How Good Copywriting Can Sell More Books: http://ow.ly/8hUA303Stoj @cksyme
2 activities lay the groundwork for becoming an intuitive writer: http://ow.ly/1dcY303StqL @JanalynVoigt
Why You Need a Call To Action on Every Social Media Post: http://ow.ly/RnEz303StnF @cksyme
Translation: Bodour Al Qasimi on a ‘New Impetus for Arab Publishing’ : http://ow.ly/ysjX304dnqX @Bodour @Porter_Anderson
10 Common Habits of Successful Published Authors: http://ow.ly/Bu4o303RsYd by John Cabrera
How to Embrace Imperfection as a Writer: http://ow.ly/ah10303RsV6 @lornafaith
10 Tricks to Get Your Writing Flowing: http://ow.ly/o1ji303RsOA @MahinWriter
Fargo as Inspiration: Learn to Strengthen the Dialogue in Your Fiction: http://ow.ly/s8ur303RsVD @crisfreese
6 Steps to Build the Opening Scenes of Your Romance Novel: http://ow.ly/MlhL303RsUu @lornafaith
8 Ways William Shakespeare Can Make You a Better Writer: http://ow.ly/x3MS303RsWI by Bob Hostetler @WritersDigest
The Word-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Your Writing: http://ow.ly/7pJZ303RsU2 @charityscraig
5 Scenes to Avoid In Your Novel: http://ow.ly/jhhr303Rt0i @Chris_Kokoski
The Reflection Method of 10X Story Magnification: http://ow.ly/6XBN303Rt1m @Chris_Kokoski
How to Use the Twitter Dashboard: http://ow.ly/RTze303RsPf by Kevin Ho @SMExaminer
Discovering Your Novel’s Hook: http://ow.ly/PDw5303RsQy @Janice_Hardy
3 Differences Between a Demographic and Your Market: http://ow.ly/PfoI303RsTn @carlywatters
UK’s Man Booker Prize Shortlist of 6 Books: http://ow.ly/wa43304dnCY @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
3 Lessons Learned about Realism from Mentor Texts: http://ow.ly/HKBq303QTh8 @VZauthor
4 Things to do Once the Conference is Over: http://ow.ly/L1Wu303QTPu @pattywrites
Great Scene: “The Wizard of Oz”: http://ow.ly/U0zD303QT68 @GoIntoTheStory
Learning From the Pro Writers without Stalking Them: http://ow.ly/RjXF303QTY1 @diannmills
10 Ways You May Be Hurting Your Online Platform: http://ow.ly/X9nU303QTII @EdieMelson
How to Find the Right Place for Your Incitinig Event: http://ow.ly/uNVh303QTyP@Janice_Hardy
9 Reasons Kids Need Comics and Graphic Novels: http://ow.ly/7s6Y303QTEb @EricDeanSeaton
The Power of Pinterest in Novel Promotion: http://ow.ly/Sqay303QTkq @diannmills
When a Beta Reader “Doesn’t Get” Your Novel: http://ow.ly/i5OZ303QTa1 @KelsieEngen
The Writer’s Workout: http://ow.ly/kA2Y303QTez by Vincent Mars
What Writing a Story Strip Taught 1 Writer: http://ow.ly/iR5P303QU0S @JerryBJenkins
Inciting Incidents: http://ow.ly/FkMk303QTvR @SPressfield
Practical Plotting: http://ow.ly/oTFL303U2mU @p2p_editor
Book Pricing Strategies to Boost Indie Authors’ Sales: http://ow.ly/bes1303PIi4 @Bookgal
Keeping Track of the Details in Your Story: http://ow.ly/i7gI303PI9v @Ava_Jae
ISBN Q&A: Everything You Need to Know About Barcodes: http://ow.ly/zCXv303PInd @rcutlerSpark
Selling Books in the Multi-Billion Dollar Gift Shop Market: http://ow.ly/6lAU303PJQC @bookmarketing
How Helpful are Free Translation Services to Indie Authors? http://ow.ly/9PM5303PIWX @keithyd6 @IndieAuthorALLI
Involving your family in your writing career: http://ow.ly/IkHp303PJdu @DebbieYoungBN
How Social Media Fits into Your Publicity Strategy: http://ow.ly/88bO303PIEJ @CaballoFrances
The Team Dynamic in Crime Fiction: http://ow.ly/GxGP3047CRC @mkinberg
Cooking Up ‘Entrepreneurial Spirit’ in Publishing: http://ow.ly/QbkN3047sJa @philexposed @pressfuturist @pubperspectives
Book Hangovers: http://ow.ly/U9es303PIcG @AshKrafton
7 Ways to Keep Social Media from Ruining Your Mood: http://ow.ly/vmMR303PIN9 @colleen_m_story
Book Discovery Sites Can Help You Find More Readers: http://ow.ly/4QcM303PItD @dre_cal
Should You Pay for a Publicist? http://ow.ly/dvs2303PIR4 @VoicetoStory @janefriedman
Ads Aren’t a Brand and Promotion Isn’t Platform: http://ow.ly/u61y303PHqy @KristenLambTX
Ron Rash on Writing to Bring Out the Dead: http://ow.ly/zZI83049dwD @lithub
The Rule of Cool and the Audience’s Suspension of Disbelief: http://ow.ly/X3xi303PHcQ @Rachel_Aaron
Jonathan Safran Foer on his writing day and struggles: http://ow.ly/LJiP303OMxZ @jonnyfoer @GuardianBooks
Authors including ‘trigger warnings’ for their book to indicate disturbing content: http://ow.ly/CNSy3047IwN @Porter_Anderson
Beware of attention residue when you’re writing: http://ow.ly/Pgg63047xBL @pubcoach
On Becoming a Translator: 4 Points for Getting Started http://ow.ly/1JbU3047sqS by Lena Prisner @pubperspectives
9 ways to ensure dialogue works in your story: http://ow.ly/Vb1J3047rfp @rachaeldthomas @jemifraser
Finished Your First Novel? What Do You Do Now? http://ow.ly/dfzj303ONqs @annerallen
Ebook Anatomy: Inside the Black Box: http://ow.ly/5b66303ONo5 @dkudler
Make a Series Bible Using Excel: http://ow.ly/HWjS3047D7u @HeidiHormel @TheIWSG
Author Ãlvaro Enrigue Sees a ‘Globalization of Latin American Writers’ http://ow.ly/E6aW3047t26 @AlvaroEnrigue by Adam Critchley
How to Promote Your Latest Work With a Blog: http://ow.ly/eW1m303PHwA by Matt Banner @mythicscribes
How to Be Active on Social Media without Losing Your Mind: http://ow.ly/3OHR303PH9S @kikimojo
Where to Find Ideas for Your Novel: http://ow.ly/4hu4303PH67 @Janice_Hardy
2 Goodreads Features to Try: http://ow.ly/Z3sC303PHYr @K8Tilton @CaballoFrances
Yoast: Your Complete WordPress SEO Toolkit: http://ow.ly/lfOj303ONyy by Jim Stewart
4 tips for subtle exposition from @DavidHSafford: http://ow.ly/Lvyk3047mPT
Conflict of Interest? Agents and Editors With Their Own Books: http://ow.ly/Kpg1303ONrW @Kid_Lit
5 Key Ingredients of Young Adult Novels: http://ow.ly/bVnM3047qKz @katiemccoach
7 Ways to De-clutter Your Writing and Your Life: http://ow.ly/kjW5303OBPJ @ElawReads
7 Rules for Writing Fantastic Dialogue: http://ow.ly/Kq7r303OBLx @nownovel
Emotional Wound Entry for Writers: Being Bullied: http://ow.ly/2A8E303OBJA @AngelaAckerman
Pros and cons of sharing our work in progress: http://ow.ly/Gkys303OC2B @JamiGold
8 Ways to Recognize Helpful Criticism (and How to Ignore the Rest): http://ow.ly/nI3y303OBW8 @ElawReads
8 Steps to Writing a Coherent Novel: http://ow.ly/LJfh303OBEH @mmhoffman14
The top writing links of the week are on Twitterific:
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September 15, 2016
Creative Challenges Within a Single Genre
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Whenever I talk to anyone about my writing, the question usually comes up: would I like to try writing anything other than mystery?
Then I explain that I actually have written something other than mystery. But it was a one-off, a ‘cozy zombie’ book (yes, I did make that genre up). But that was what’s called an ‘attack book.’ The story had been bothering me for years to write it, and finally I did to get the story to shut up.
What people seem most surprised about is that I don’t get bored writing my genre. That I’m not tired of writing the same types of stories.
I’ve always said that I found it a special creative challenge to work within the confines of genre and series.
In lots of ways, it’s much easier to write in a series. For one thing, it’s a good deal faster. You’ve already got your main/recurring characters. The setting will likely be the same. You put these characters into new situations in the same setting and have them respond.
In other ways, it’s that creative challenge I mentioned. Oh, it’s easy enough to come up with something shiny and different for the first few books. But then you usually run into a couple of problems. One, you need to take careful note of story details so you won’t contradict yourself with something you stated in a previous book in the series (just ask me about one character’s cat allergy. Or, rather, please don’t). A story bible is very useful for this.
For another, you’re trying to keep things interesting. Trying to allow the characters to grow but have them still be recognizable. Trying to keep the series fresh and not have it go stale or be too similar to the other books. At the same time, you can’t let things get too different, or readers likely won’t be happy.
And then there’s the genre strictures. For a cozy mystery (the subgenre I write), the stories have a particular pattern to them. I also need to adhere to the genre guidelines (amateur sleuth, no gore, focus on the puzzle not forensics, etc).
I came across a blog post recently by writer Wendy Paine Miller that linked over to an interesting TED talk by artist Phil Hansen. A tremendous setback forced him to change his art forever–but the change (as he calls it, “learning to be creative within the confines of our limitations”) made him successful. In fact, he states that limitations can be “a source of creativity.”
Although Hansen’s limitations were physical, I think we can find that same creative drive within a genre and find just as much satisfaction that way.
Not every writer wants to stick with one genre. Some receive their creative satisfaction by writing many different genres and types of stories. But I think that we don’t have to do that to obtain creative satisfaction. That it’s possible to get it from within the confines of our genre.
Do you see the creative challenges in series writing or in sticking with a particular genre? Have you seen this TED talk (and have you got any others to recommend? I love that stuff).
Sticking with a genre can provide satisfying creative challenges:
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The post Creative Challenges Within a Single Genre appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
September 11, 2016
Become an Exposition Ninja with 4 Sneaky Steps
by David H. Safford, @DavidHSafford
Few elements of our craft vex us more than exposition.
Perhaps this is because the rules aren’t written in stone.
To you, the writer, it feels necessary to share everything that you’ve dreamt up about a character and his/her world.
But to the reader, there may be mass confusion about things you never dreamed would be unclear.
This is why so many conversations with early readers or critique partners can drift toward the defensive. We, the writers, have assumptions about what the reader should understand, or “get.”
Yet our readers often have much different experiences than we expect, and this is horribly frustrating.
To pave a smooth road for our readers – and to become proper Exposition Ninjas – we need to understand the purpose of exposition, otherwise we won’t know why we’re using it. Effective stories always handle exposition purposefully.
The Purpose of Exposition is to enhance three things: The characters’ goals, stakes, and consequences.
That’s it.
Any “backstory” that doesn’t provide depth for these three elements (character goals, stakes, consequences) is fluff that should be cut immediately.
One of the biggest mistakes that authors make is beginning their story or novel by “setting the scene.”
And while setting is important, it’s not essential.
What is essential is conflict. Risk. Stakes.
The stuff that matters.
And if you don’t begin with the things that matter, your reader won’t stick around.
So what do we do?
Here is some Exposition Ninja training that will sharpen your skills as you deal with this terribly tricky aspect of story-telling.
1. Wait For It.
This bears repeating. So many authors fill their first 1—10 pages (or more, God help them) with background information because they think it’s “necessary” for the story to start.
This is completely wrong.
The story starts because characters make choices to pursue their goals. The background can come later.
Try not to let “classic” books be your guide here. Some classics don’t follow this rule and get away with it (Lord of the Rings comes to mind). But we judge these works with a biased scale and they gain new readers on the basis of “classic” status and Hollywood films.
You don’t have that benefit.
Odds are you are trying to climb up the Amazon rankings and you’re going to need a killer beginning to get people to buy your book. You can still be artful while getting to the point. Most great writers learn how.
So can you.
2. Space It Out.
A page-long block of blatant exposition is an excuse for the reader to skip ahead.
My wife admitted to doing this while reading my novel, so I begged her to flag the pages for me so I could break the “mega” paragraphs up.
Exposition needs to be delivered in short, controlled bursts.
That’s what your early drafts are for – to weed out the rambling, devolving fluff and identify the 1-2 key details that are necessary.
Remember that readers are interested in dialogue, action, and relevant information – not a lengthy history lesson.
Of course, many books include history lessons that detail their settings and cultures.
However, most of them wait until these history lessons matter.
And when I say they matter, I mean they matter to the characters – more specifically, to the characters’ goals, the stakes they are putting up for it, and the consequences of their choices.
If it takes a short history lesson to explain why Bob’s choice was so risky, then do it.
But not until Bob is beginning to make the choice or facing consequences of it.
3. Legitimize It
This is a tough pill to swallow, but it is an important pill nonetheless.
If the expositional information doesn’t affect the character’s pursuit of his/her goal, then it doesn’t matter.
Readers love to see characters wrestle with the world of the story. They love choices and consequences. The exposition’s purpose is to enhance the goals, stakes and consequences of a character.
If the background information is only there because “it’s interesting,” then I have news for you: What’s “interesting” for you is not necessarily interesting for everyone else.
Always keep in mind that people who are reading your book will keep reading it because they are interested in your characters and the painful choices they make in order to get their goals.
The rest is just set-dressing. Without the stakes, the rest falls away.
So connect that “interesting” stuff to character pursuits. Otherwise, it’s only fluff.
4. Hide It
Here’s the thing with exposition: No one wants to “see” it.
Think of exposition as the tunnels under Disney World, bad CGI animation, or the inside of a Chinese take-out kitchen.
You don’t want to see it. No one really wants the magic ruined.
So it is with exposition.
It needs to be carefully and precisely hidden throughout the story. The moment it peeks out and gets caught is the moment the reader wakes up from the dream of your story.
The story loses its “magic.”
So hide that exposition in places that communicate the information to the reader, but the reader doesn’t expect it.
Hide It In Dialogue.
Slip the most important bits of exposition into a character’s dialogue. Keep these bits both short and pertinent to the conflict and stakes. It’s also important to distribute information evenly amongst characters, lest certain characters become “exposition machines,” spewing information without mattering to the story.
Hide It In Brief Scene Description.
When characters enter a new setting, you will likely want to paint a picture of that world. Tuck the most important expositional details into the observations of these characters, focusing on ones that connect to character goals, flaws, and insecurities. Let the readers observe with the characters, not through the eyes of a narrator.
Hide It In Choices.
When a character makes a high-stakes choice, this affects the characters and world around him/her. Rather than explaining all the details before-hand, reveal the relevant exposition after a character has made a decision, and leave it to the reader to judge the impact of that choice.
A Ninja Always Attacks
Ninjas are masters of the sneak attack.
And exposition is, in a way, a sneaky offensive initiated by the author.
Think of exposition this way: Since it is literally “back-story,” exposition could be represented by a backwards arrow: ß
But your story doesn’t move backwards, at least in terms of characters pursuing goals.
Your story needs to move forward.
Its characters move forward with choices that affect the future – represented by a forwards arrow: à
While the stuff of exposition, past choices and details, affect the present, they aren’t quite as important as the actions of the present. Expositional details need to be selected with extreme care and placed in the story with great precision.
You want your story moving forward, à, not backward, ß.
Always be moving forward. Just like a ninja.
If you take a step back (reveal some exposition), it must actually be a part of a forward attack (advancing a character’s actions and choices).
Master this, my young apprentices, and Exposition Ninjas shall you be!
What do you think? What skills have helped you become an Exposition Ninja? Respond in the comments below!
4 tips for subtle exposition from @DavidHSafford:
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David H. Safford is the author of The Bean of Life, the story of a man who decides to save 
the world with coffee.
Read a free preview or get an early-access copy here before the September 20th launch. When he’s not drinking a whole pot of coffee, David loves singing Disney songs with his daughter and helping other writers tell their stories.
The post Become an Exposition Ninja with 4 Sneaky Steps 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.
Small Presses and the Fight for Publicity: http://ow.ly/44Ho303NgGp @ilanaslightly @lithub
Becoming a Writer Means Becoming a Cliché : http://ow.ly/e876303NgdF by Odie Lindsey @lithub
How to work alone: http://ow.ly/xDP3303Ng9T @pubcoach
“One More for the River”: On Writing Challenges: http://ow.ly/jajc303NfYq @Literotaur
Increase tension in your novel: http://ow.ly/ohSO3045dMa @KelsieEngen
How to Legally Use Quotations in Your Book: http://ow.ly/qMmN303Igye @HelenSedwick @JFbookman
Tropes and Clichés in Epic Fantasy: Is It Time To Move On? http://ow.ly/WgMf303Ng7v @TOMunro
Who Gets to Decide What Counts as English? http://ow.ly/Jwkw303NgjQ @GabbyBellot @lithub
Publishing Contracts: Red Flags: http://ow.ly/OhC1303N8Gp by Angela Mackintosh
5 Ways to Keep Writing When Life Intervenes: http://ow.ly/HrfZ303N8K4 @jessicastrawser
8 Writing Tips from Authors who Won the Nobel: http://ow.ly/1Y7s303N8sa @nownovel
Want to Write for Magazines? Do This First: http://ow.ly/Fwpx303N8iy @Kristen_E_Pope
How To Make Your Characters Come Alive: http://ow.ly/nnyP303N8q4 @standoutbooks
6 Most Common Personality Traits of Successful Writers: http://ow.ly/waUR303N8Bi @BlossomTips
How to Build Memorable Monsters: http://ow.ly/n0fr303N8v6 @Jffelkins
Free Books and What to Do With Them: http://ow.ly/fCxL303N8o6 @jaelmchenry
Dialogue and Subtext: The Spoken and the Unspoken: http://ow.ly/AmMV303N8Su by Joni Fisher @WomenWriters
Writing a Novel Limited to the 483 Words Spoken by Ophelia: http://ow.ly/OUDQ303IgaE @ScottEsposito @paul_griffiths_ @lithub
Why 1 Author Loves Soap Operas (And How They Made Her a Better Writer): http://ow.ly/kvGz303IfNb @deborahcaryn @lithub
How to Beat Procrastination: http://ow.ly/WcoB303IdTz @Caroline_Webb_ @HarvardBiz
3 Reasons To Love Noir: http://ow.ly/puBv303ItBN @RobinStorey1
Bowker: 727.000 US Self-Published ISBNs Registered in 2015: http://ow.ly/oXaw3043Lvn @BeatBarblan @Porter_Anderson
9 Tips for Entering A Writing Contest: http://ow.ly/sj2S3043gvl @joannaslan
Why Handwriting Is Still Essential in the Keyboard Age: http://ow.ly/ftXe303Ied9 @PerriKlass @nytimeswell
Embracing Technology and Arabic Culture, Lamsa App Gets Kids Reading: http://ow.ly/jhoL303YHL3 @Porter_Anderson @badrward
Twitter Cards for Authors: http://ow.ly/SRAF303It58 @zackheim
Sex and Dating: Now the Thinking Woman’s Subject: http://ow.ly/QK5F303IfYx by Casey Schwartz @nytimesbooks
Instagram for Indie Authors: http://ow.ly/Wpmu303ItiM by Daley James Francis
52 Creative Writing Worksheets: http://ow.ly/X8Oo303IdNM @EvaDeverell
Syncing Scrivener Files Between Computers Using Dropbox: http://ow.ly/QpvG303Ie7v @Figures @FantasyFaction
Do Goodreads Giveaways Work? http://ow.ly/1Dk7303ItvL @JMNeyGrimm
Think your #writing isn’t good enough? Dealing with your fears: http://ow.ly/kg15303IgDG @DeborahJay2
What Do Your Reading Habits Reveal About Your Personality? http://ow.ly/hbOL303YhiH @lithub
A Former Literary Agent on Plotting: http://ow.ly/NnHQ303FO72 @p2p_editor
6 Bad Arguments Against Social Justice in Spec Fiction: http://ow.ly/tTAt303FO3g @mythcreants by Oren Ashkenazi
How to Build Your Readership: http://ow.ly/hcce303FO9s @Lindasclare
Writing sprint? How about a writing walk? http://ow.ly/1mMS303FNZa @GoIntoTheStory
Crime fiction: police detectives who get too close to a case: http://ow.ly/gURc303U1Z3 @mkinberg
Craft Books for Pantsers: http://ow.ly/asWV303FNTm @PBRWriter
Trad Pub’s 2016 Struggles Outlined in The Hot Sheet (30 day free trial): from @Porter_Anderson & @JaneFriedman: http://ow.ly/cePd3040XBK
Southeast Asia’s Rising Publishing World: Interview with @ken_quek http://ow.ly/GpmA303YHs4 @Porter_Anderson
Tips for Beginnings and Endings: http://ow.ly/4atb303FOo3 @JenniferAlLee
Conferences: Advancing Your Writing Career: http://ow.ly/v1Bi303FOkG @RobinCaroll
Lessons from Bad Books: http://ow.ly/T7Gj303FOh5 by Tara Dugan @The_Millions
4 Ways to Create Believable Urban Fantasy: http://ow.ly/jrFo303FNXE @finesarah @WritersDigest
Using humor in environmental writing: http://ow.ly/qLyF303FObZ by Melissa Hart @TheWriterMag
5 Things for Writers to Look for in a Day Job: http://ow.ly/yBwI303FO0Z @zenaldehyde @WritersDigest
Writing About Online Bullying: http://ow.ly/s3gU303FNUU @GalitBreen @WomenWriters
How old was Hamlet? http://ow.ly/IzCf303OQVo @profrhodrilewis @TheTLS
The mysteries of the least-known Bronte sister: http://ow.ly/w6um303OQKh @laura_june @thehairpin
ARCs for Indie Authors: http://ow.ly/YiVm303ECV2 @DebbieYoungBN
The pantsing vs plotting debate: http://ow.ly/sZJN303EDcr @AkileshAyyar @The_Millions
7 Easy Ways to Connect with Readers: http://ow.ly/8o7O303ED0y by David Villalva
Spoiler Alerts: Any Story Worth Telling Doesn’t Need Them: http://ow.ly/LQiW303YgK6 @jrc2666 @lithub
5 Tips for Writing Narrative Nonfiction: http://ow.ly/iZYp303ECSl @ceciliaedits
5 Ways to Restore Tension: http://ow.ly/MSqn303ECT6 by Chris Winkle @mythcreants
Arctic settings in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/jiCd303U1To @mkinberg
The UK Publishers Association Issues a Brexit ‘Manifesto’ of Priorities: http://ow.ly/RVmD303YHjh @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Publishing Opportunity: The 2016 IWSG Anthology Contest: http://ow.ly/jJk0303YFhJ @TheIWSG
How to Write a Horror Story: 6 Tips: http://ow.ly/v49a303ED9f @nownovel
The Unprocrastination Challenge for September: http://ow.ly/wAbu303YrYf @zen_habits
Writing a Military Romance: http://ow.ly/7Ej9303ED84 @HeatherlyBelle
Using Backstory in Chapter 1 Without Adding Backstory: http://ow.ly/1qwN303ED6u @ZoeMMcCarthy
Why Your Story Needs Real Stakes: http://ow.ly/rtfl303ECZp @Je55ieMullin5 @YAtopia_blog
The Complete Guide to Repurposing Online Content: http://ow.ly/VzeL303ED59 @HelloMorganTimm
Blog or Plotting tips, tricks, and templates: http://ow.ly/WavZ303DG3V @kseniaanske
Testing the Waters: What to Do When You Don’t Like Anything: http://ow.ly/28yx303DGwf @MelissaFOlson @tordotcom
Toxic friendships in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/Deqp303U1OE @mkinberg
How to Stay Organized During a Revision: http://ow.ly/tGiW303VOlf @Janice_Hardy @AngelaAckerman
Why Can’t Irish Writers Escape the Sea? http://ow.ly/dk4C303DGkS @Creative_Career
9 Ways to Market a Book After the New Release Buzz Dies Down: http://ow.ly/O1be303DG6P @DianaUrban
Are Your Adjectives Powerful? http://ow.ly/8kBY303DGbA @ProWritingAid
Use a Spreadsheet to Outline Your Novel: http://ow.ly/VlJT303DG0M @TJMoss11 @WritersDigest
Making a Living Writing: http://ow.ly/zJsl303DGrd @hopeclark
The Medium is the Message: How We Read and How It Affects Us: http://ow.ly/LhcG303DGia @_johnbradley
The Monstrous Words Lurking in Your Language: http://ow.ly/7iLN303DGsH by Chi Luu @JSTOR_Daily
How to Write Coincidence the Right Way: http://ow.ly/OPMA303DGnP @AliceMattison1 @lithub
Is Your Story Not Making Any Sense? http://ow.ly/6DIr303DG8K @patverducci
The Contagion of Diagnosis: http://ow.ly/z1dV303DGxj @KristinDombek @nplusonemag
5 Reasons Writers Should Move to Columbus, OH: http://ow.ly/OD1Y303AJPc @AnnieMcGreevy @lithub
How to Write Great Loglines: http://ow.ly/J8ik303AKci @briannehogan
Why Writers Should Be Curious About People: http://ow.ly/umOg303AK8e @annkroeker
6 Tips For Cleaning Up Your Dirty Words (Grammatically, Of Course): http://ow.ly/JXWi303AKff @espressoeditor
The Bloody History of the True Crime Genre: http://ow.ly/toYx303AJDp by Pamela Burger @JSTOR_Daily
4 Ways to Make Space in Your Brain to Create: http://ow.ly/qkU5303AJZJ @molliewest @fosslien @livequiet
Writing Duel Scenes: http://ow.ly/ajSl303AKy1 @RayneHall
Who Am I: Writer or Bookseller? http://ow.ly/I5yB303AJc4 @BenjaminRybeck
How To Perfect Your Writing Style: http://ow.ly/pGud303AKEe @misfitalexa
The Bedrock of Character Development: http://ow.ly/Q2Wz303AKvl @barbaraoneal
How to Set Clear Writing Goals: http://ow.ly/nQLi303AKro @SukhiJutla
There’s No Secret to Writing About People Who Don’t Look Like You: Empathy as Craft: http://ow.ly/gBbo303AIN5 @brandonrambles
5 Twitter Tips for Publishers and Writers: http://ow.ly/ybuP303Rt89 @Porter_Anderson @IngramSpark
The Gothic Secrets Every Steampunk Writer Should Know: http://ow.ly/Yf4s303zm4r @standoutbooks
A Predictive Text Generator for Internet Fanfiction: http://ow.ly/QEbB303zmkv @velocciraptor
6 Tips for Making It Small in Hollywood. Or Anywhere. http://ow.ly/YDjI303PTkQ @birbigs @nytimes
24 Most Controversial Books of All Time: http://ow.ly/Uoei303zmgh by Nicholas Politan @ElectricLit
Speaker Beats That Can Ruin a Manuscript: http://ow.ly/Dj3f303zmnu @AndreaMerrell
Starting a Writing Business: http://ow.ly/KRKR303zm9t @Rachel_Aaron
7 Ways To Stop Your Brain From Crashing When You Need It Most: http://ow.ly/weX1303zmty @colleen_m_story
The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
September 8, 2016
Top Tips for Entering A Writing Contest
By Joanna Campbell Slan, @joannaslan
Over the years I’ve entered and judged a variety of contests. Since we’ve recently opened our call for entries to the 2016 FREDDIE AWARD for WRITING EXCELLENCE (FAWE) competition sponsored by the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, I thought I’d share a little of what I’ve learned.
First impressions matter. Fortunately, the FAWE is electronic files only. But back in the day when I judged the St. Martin’s Minotaur contest, a woman sent me a stack of papers tied together with an old, dirty shoelace. Sure, I overlooked the grunge when I read her work, but I’ll admit it was hard to separate the visual introduction from the words on the page. Think a minute about the impressions you’re leaving as you work your way through the contest process.
Follow the rules. When you’re staring at a stack of entries, the fastest and fairest way to winnow them down is by checking to see if folks followed the rules. Personally, I like to print out the rules and check them off as I submit.
Transparency for communication helps. Do you have multiple addresses? Write under a pen name? Use a variety of email addresses? Are you planning a long vacation in Africa where you’ll be unavailable for months? Don’t make it difficult for the administrators to contact you.
Readability is essential. Of course, this won’t matter if your file is electronic, but I’ll never forget the contest manuscript that arrived in bright green ink. Ever. And there’s a lesson there. If you hand-write an entry form, is it legible? Did you use that favorite purple pen of yours? Don’t.
Pandering is slimy. I’m as insecure and susceptible to compliments as the next author, but to go on and on in the correspondence about how wonderful I am…well…I’m also not stupid. If the judges are not anonymous, curb your enthusiasm. Be respectful but not cray-cray fan person.
Be gracious. Whether you win or lose, respect the fact that people took time and effort from their careers to create, run, and administer a contest. Remember, most of these are put on by volunteers. Life happens. If the experience didn’t meet your expectations, be a good trooper. Sure, you can share your disappointment, but then move on. After all, you are still creating an impression. In this highly subjective business, that matters a lot.
Accept criticism with appreciation. Writers with more experience are giving you the benefit of their years of experience in their critique. Writing is subjective, but if three judges say the same element needs work, then work on that element. If critiques mention different elements, it’s writer’s choice as to what you do with the judges’ opinions.
Be respectful on social media. Don’t rail against the stupid judges who didn’t recognize that you are the Next Great American Writer. You may be, but is it possible that your skill doesn’t quite yet match your expectations at this time? Don’t get a reputation for being difficult to work with before you’ve started your career.
Use a writing contest as an opportunity for feedback from writers who are reading a blind submission. If their critique matches that from those who love you, Congratulations! If it doesn’t, continue honing your craft. Writing a story, no matter its length, is a skill comprised of many parts. You may have mastered some parts more than others.
The FAWE competition is accepting entries until October 15, 2016. Entries consist of the first 20 pages of an unpublished, unagented, and uncontracted mystery or thriller manuscript. For full rules or to enter, go to the contest website: http://mwaflorida.org/contest/
Top Tips for Entering a Writing Contest from @joannaslan
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Joanna Campbell Slan is the national bestselling and award-winning author of more than 30 books. Most recently, she has partnered with her friend Linda Gordon Hengerer and a dozen other authors to create the Happy Homicides series of mystery anthologies. Happy Homicides 4: Fall Into Crime is the most recent offering. Check out Joanna’s work at http://www.JoannaSlan.com or email her at JCSlan@JoannaSlan.com
The post Top Tips for Entering A Writing Contest appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
September 3, 2016
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.
I’ll be back blogging on Friday–taking a day off tomorrow for Labor Day. :)
Finding the Right Critique Partner: 6-Step Checklist: http://ow.ly/vjIh303uOZ2 @KMWeiland
Roxane Gay With Advice For Aspiring Writers: http://ow.ly/M4qW303uPik @rgay @bustle @gayonabudget
The Most Neglected Resource for Reviews: YouTube: http://ow.ly/s3nU303uOn0 @AndyPeloquin
6 Ways to Vet Freelance Editors: http://ow.ly/gqyC303uOBK by Maya Rock @JaneFriedman
Editorial Assessments: Finding Music in the Noise: http://ow.ly/6gJ6303uOUh @RFaithEditorial
Breathe! The Copyeditor Has Your Back http://ow.ly/8QDa303uOGK @Dario_Ciriello
Draft2Digital Test Drive for Indie Authors: http://ow.ly/K98e303PK40 @stapilus
Finishing That Endless Manuscript: http://ow.ly/KYQM303uOWI @Philip_Overby
ARCs for Indie Authors: http://ow.ly/6H7n303PKcU @DebbieYoungBN @IndieAuthorALLI
Why Plot Flaws Happen: It’s About Problem Solving: http://ow.ly/yUjf303uPra @AJHumpage
All You Need to Grow Your Email List http://ow.ly/clP9303uOvH @EmilyWenstrom
Intl. Industry Notes: Frankfurt’s Guest of Honor, PEN America’s Focus on Muslim-Americans: http://ow.ly/cvYV303O4Qa @Porter_Anderson
Dos and Don’ts of Writing About the Disabled: http://ow.ly/dKl8303wecB @nicolaz @lithub
Fixing the First Page: http://ow.ly/VTQu303x9HT @Ava_Jae
How To Find Your Author Voice: http://ow.ly/TUhI303xafU @Roz_Morris @thecreativepenn
All about episodic writing: http://ow.ly/mlBe303xa5C @inkylinks
How to Incorporate Flashbacks into a Story: http://ow.ly/UcIo303xa1m @nownovel
Bring characters to life even if you don’t like them: http://ow.ly/jqsS303x9YZ @patriciaauthor
How To Create Memorable Characters: 8 Little-Known Sleights of Hand: http://ow.ly/nXtG303xabZ @Yeomanis
How to Make Connections and Boost Your Writing Career: http://ow.ly/JSCr303x9MB @RachelleReaCobb
4 Truths and 4 Myths That Every New Novelist Should Know: http://ow.ly/TtFI303xaka @FlorenceOsmund
Plan a DIY Writing Retreat: http://ow.ly/m8WK303x9TF @Kristen_E_Pope
9 Lessons Learned About Writing From Weight Training: http://ow.ly/89JE303x9VI @SukhiJutla
Managing Deadline Stress: http://ow.ly/5T2X303x9Kh @kcraftwriter
Layering a Subplot into Your Novel: http://ow.ly/hykE303xanf @CSLakin
Creativity: How to Keep a Zibaldone, the 14th Century’s Answer to Tumblr: http://ow.ly/Nw09303PT4V @cjgiaimo @atlasobscura
The Case for Podcasting (As a Writer): http://ow.ly/3Naq303zm6v @monicamclark
5 Steps to Surviving Your Copy Edit: http://ow.ly/rEVS303zmr5 @jessicastrawser
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How To Be A Good Beta Reader: http://ow.ly/ovVj303uP5c @fiedawn @BookBaby
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How to get a book trailer made for $30: http://ow.ly/gRAz303uOqF @Creativindie
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German Publishers’ Petition Protests Media Constraints in Turkey http://ow.ly/Nrlx303O4q0 @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
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Help with story transitions: http://ow.ly/F6IU303zp1k @AlyciaMorales
Podcast Interview With Trade-and-Self-Pub Author Elizabeth Craig: http://ow.ly/WoFx303OIvY (Thanks @InkyBites !)
Going Wide: Leaving Amazon Select: http://ow.ly/YlEq303zory @mollygreene
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How Great Amazon Book Descriptions Help Authors Sell More Books: http://ow.ly/98Tg303zon4 @Bookgal
Facebook Ads: The Complete, Always-Updated Guide: http://ow.ly/pZZz303zofM @kevanlee @buffer
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Using Amazon Categories, Themes, and Keywords to Sell More Books: http://ow.ly/TsVq303qB63 @Bookgal @IndieAuthorALLI
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Revision: Kill Your Darlings, and Some Trees: http://ow.ly/y7xp303qAWd @ecmyers
5 Valuable Insights for Self-Publishing Authors: http://ow.ly/Bj9e303qATe @CSLakin
The 5 Most Common Mistakes Writers Make When Seeking Book Reviews: http://ow.ly/BEWQ303qAUZ @CSLakin
9 Simple Steps to Start a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog in Fewer than 15 Minutes: http://ow.ly/gAZ7303qARG @lornafaith
Worldbuilding Tips from the UK Editor of The Martian: http://ow.ly/J3Wg303qALu @mjcr @ReedsyHQ
Memoir writing worksheets: http://ow.ly/uwwS303qAGI @EvaDeverell
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Story Structure Case Study of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”: http://ow.ly/QHq1303oiea @kylieday0
7 Point Story Structure Case Study of The Hunger Games: http://ow.ly/3fWh303oihC @kylieday0
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Finishing That Endless Manuscript: http://ow.ly/l5l2303ojK6 @Philip_Overby
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8 More Ways to Make Money Off Your Novel: Personal Essay Prompts: http://ow.ly/ZqIl303oi9k @StoriesColors
International Industry Notes: World’s Largest Publishers: http://ow.ly/5MmM303FKFf @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Organizing a Second Draft with Notecards: http://ow.ly/LL4x303l5vT @AllieLarkin
How to Plot If You Hate Plotting: http://ow.ly/ciga303l4C2 @brianawrites
How Tiny Goals Changed 1 Writer’s Life: http://ow.ly/C4NN303l5Az @shauntagrimes
Traditional Publishing Takes Less Time? The Myth: http://ow.ly/lFx3303l5Su @DeanWesleySmith
Tips for better query letters: http://ow.ly/myG8303FLys @Michelle4Laughs @TheIWSG
UK’s Publishers Assoc. Reports on China Journals (‘China funding 20 new Eng-lang. journals a year’) http://ow.ly/ekVh303DFQ8 @Porter_Anderson
7 Ways Besides Sales to Make Money Off your Novel: http://ow.ly/weEQ303l4Po @NicolaJaneWrite
6 Key Scenes to Write a Terrifying Villain: http://ow.ly/RcOq303l5Zg @Jffelkins
Requirements needed for a writer to make a living writing only short fiction: http://ow.ly/NFcZ303l5NX @DeanWesleySmith
How to Get Your Characters to Connect: http://ow.ly/7Unz303l4He @Ava_Jae
Storytelling: An Exercise In Empathy: http://ow.ly/y2eq303l4Mn @LizLazzara
Using popups for newsletter signups: http://ow.ly/8K5o303l5Kw @JaneFriedman
14 Vital Questions That Will Improve Your Blog Post: http://ow.ly/zCBV303l610 @standoutbooks
How to Plan Writing Time into Your Week: With Downloadable Spreadsheet: http://ow.ly/QZoL303l5E5 @aliventures
Starting a New Authors’ Group: http://ow.ly/LXXs303jxIu @MairiNorris
Canada’s Shelfie Partners with Germany’s De Gruyter in Ebook Bundling: http://ow.ly/oFAM303DFLk @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
A writer reviews the Passion Planner: http://ow.ly/qSEv303jxU1 @Strachanlinda
Ingénue Tropes in Classic Crime Fiction: http://ow.ly/ji1h303jxn2 @mkinberg
How to Use Facebook to Reach Niche Readers: http://ow.ly/o5uI303jxgK @BarbMorgenroth
How Novelists Can Work Plot Twists into Their Stories: http://ow.ly/zNBe303jy3n @CSLakin
Tips for books that are too long or too short: http://ow.ly/bruB303jxci @RuthHarrisBooks
3 Strategies for Combining Sentences: http://ow.ly/X1sT303jxFA @writing_tips
The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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September 1, 2016
Characters Impact Stories
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Wednesday I drove to Flat Rock, North Carolina, to speak with a book club. It was a great event and the group asked some very interesting questions.
One of the questions I received was: “How do you alter your writing for books authored by Craig versus those authored by Adams?”
I have three different series and the Memphis Barbeque Mysteries is a four book series for Penguin that I wrote as Riley Adams. At first, I was tempted to say that there was no difference between the series, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized this wasn’t true at all. There’s a lot of difference between the Memphis series and the Myrtle and Southern Quilting series.
I realized it came down to one key factor. My answer was: “The main character in the Memphis series is an extrovert.”
That’s a fact that’s startling in itself. I favor quieter characters. Write what you know, maybe? I consider Myrtle, if not strictly an introvert, definitely an ambivert with some antisocial leanings. I consider Beatrice from the quilting mysteries as a major introvert who craves time alone (which is elusive in the series, a fact that can make her cranky).
But the Memphis series was very different. 1) I was asked to write this series by Penguin. 2) My editor asked me to model Lulu after some of the popular Food Network stars at the time. None of those folks seemed introverted to me.
Having Lulu be an extrovert, looking back, influenced the series in many ways. She fed on the time she spent with other people: it energized her. She was more apt to discuss the case with a variety of different people and get different ideas about the murderer’s identity. She sought out events; she attended parties and hung out in her restaurant with her customers and enjoyed evenings in the city. Lulu was actively involved in planning and executing events as she’d cater various parties. She seems more impulsive to me.
In my other series, my characters are sometimes craving solitude. They either seek out the opinion of one person (in the case of Myrtle) or they are hounded by friends when they are trying to find time to be alone (in the case of Beatrice). They both come across as reserved and observant. When Myrtle attends parties, she frequently can’t wait to leave. Beatrice is frequently irritated by the antics of her extroverted friend, Meadow and the fact she’s pulled into social events by Meadow.
In addition, the Myrtle and quilting mysteries seem much, much quieter overall to me. The Memphis books are vivid with the color and sound and smells of the city and the quirky people. The other series…aren’t.
This basic difference between the protagonists in my different series changed nearly everything in the books, even the way that the characters interact with the settings.
I know there are many other ways a protagonist can impact a story or a series: especially through the ways in which they view the world (sometimes you see what you expect to find).
How does your protagonist impact your story?
Ways characters can influence elements in our series:
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