Margo Kelly's Blog, page 46

L is for Lamott

 
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.


L is for Lamott 

Not many authors can boast over 34,000 ratings on Goodreads and an average 4.2 rating (out of 5 stars) ... but Anne Lamott can! Her book about writing is a legend in the industry.


For more details - check it out on Goodreads!

Have you read this book already?

K is for Kidlit.com

 
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.


K is for Kidlit.com 

I am a huge fan of Mary Kole over at http://kidlit.com/. Not just because she runs an awesome blog, but also because she took the time to help me personally (years ago) when she didn't even know me. She didn't have to, but she did. And I'll be forever grateful.

In addition to her blog, she's also written an excellent book on the craft of writing:

J is for Jane Friedman

 
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.


J is for Jane Friedman 

Jane Friedman certainly has her finger on the pulse of the publishing industry, and her insights are very educational. I always learn something new when I check out her blog.

http://janefriedman.com/

I is for International Thriller Writers

 
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.


I is for International Thriller Writers 

According to their website, http://thrillerwriters.org, "The International Thriller Writers is an honorary society of authors, both fiction and nonfiction, who write books broadly classified as “thrillers.” This would include (but isn’t limited to) such subjects as murder mystery, detective, suspense, horror, supernatural, action, espionage, true crime, war, adventure, and myriad similar subject areas. ITW’s mission is “To bestow recognition and promote the thriller genre at an innovative and superior level for and through our Active members; to provide opportunities for mentoring, education and collegiality among thriller authors and industry professionals; and to grant awards for excellence in the thriller genre.” ITW By-laws: Article II, Purposes, Section 2. One of the main purposes of the organization is to provide a way for successful, bestselling authors to help debut and midlist authors advance their careers. To that end, ITW has designed numerous, effective programs and events which promote debut and midlist writers and their work, sometimes in partnership with bestselling authors. In addition, ITW promotes literacy, gives money to worthy organizations, supports libraries, and advances the genre. Finally, it brings together almost a thousand writers, readers, publishers,  editors and agents at its annual conference, ThrillerFest, as well as at CraftFest, a writing workshop program, and AgentFest, where aspiring authors can meet and pitch top literary agents."

Do you belong to a writers' organization?

H is for HOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD THRILLER

 
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.


H is for HOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD THRILLER by James Frey



I'm really excited about the information I learned from Frey's book regarding character development and the idea of the plot behind the plot. I've already utilized many of his suggested exercises for my next manuscript.

The excellent sections in this book included:

* How to create a villain
* Exploiting the dark mission of the villain
* The plot behind the plot
* Creating a hero

For my full review, click here.


Do you enjoy writing or reading thrillers?

G is for Guide to Literary Agents Blog

 
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.


G is for Guide to Literary Agents Blog

Chuck Sambuchino is an editor and published author who runs the Guide to Literary Agents Blog, one of the biggest blogs in publishing. His site has instruction and information on literary agents, literary agencies, query letters, submissions, publishing, author platform, book marketing, and more.

* Guide to Literary Agents Blog * 

Have you ever utilized this awesome resource?

Cutting Secondary Characters

Today's A to Z post is below, but I also wanted to let you know that I've got a great post (if I do say so myself, thank you very much) today over at: darklydeliciousya.blogspot.com ... It's all about cutting unnecessary characters from your manuscript. So check it out!  

F is for Flogging the Quill

 
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.


F is for Flogging the Quill

How important is the first page of your manuscript? How many times have you read the first page of someone else's story and made a gut decision about whether or not to buy the book and keep reading? That first page is ESSENTIAL. But how do you make it great?

Flogging the Quill is an excellent website where Ray Rhamey posts the first page of a writer's manuscript and critiques it, but that's not all, the visitors to the site also critique the writing by voting yes or no about whether or not they'd turn the page and by leaving comments on the post. A writer can learn essential story writing techniques by not only visiting this blog but also by participating in the critiquing of other people's writing.

Do you have the nerve to submit your first page for public flogging?

E is for ELEMENTS OF STYLE

 
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.


E is for ELEMENTS OF STYLE by Strunk and White

When I attended my first writers' conference, one of the most helpful tips was to read this little book. What a timeless gem. I continue to read it multiple times during manuscript revisions to keep it fresh in my memory. 


Is there a book you refer back to often to help you with your writing?

D is for Donald Maass

 
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.


D is for Donald Maass

I have found the books written by Donald Maass to be extremely inspiring and resourceful as a writer. I refer back to his books time and time again. Two of my favorites:



  According to his website (click here for more info) "Donald Maass founded the Donald Maass Literary Agency in New York in 1980. His agency sells more than 150 novels every year to major publishers in the U.S. and overseas.  He is the author of The Career Novelist (1996),Writing the Breakout Novel (2001), Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook(2004), The Fire in Fiction (2009) and The Breakout Novelist (2011).  He is a past president of the Association of Authors’ Representatives, Inc."

What about you? Have you read any of his books? What did you think of them?