Inspired Links – Jan 3, 2012

 

In my Tuesday "Inspired Links" feature, I provide links and brief descriptions of thought-provoking articles.  I hope you enjoy these little treasures

I was considering compiling a "Best of 2011″ Inspired Links feature, but quickly decided I didn't have time to review all of my Inspired Links posts for 2011 and pick the very best. So, instead I present you with a bit of a catch-up post – the best links of December, 2011:

For some key insights about where publishing is heading, check out Joanna Penn's takeaways from the FutureBook Conference.
Feeling a bit discouraged in your writing life?  This post by Sean Ferrell is simply a must read:  "Pathetic email."
What "best of" list would be complete without a contribution from Kristen Lamb?  My recent fave is "How to Hook a Reader and NEVER Let Go."
And likewise for Dan Blank.  This post "Is Your Writing a Hobby or a Career" contains plenty of food for thought.  While you're there, check out his ever-expanding list of video interviews in the right-hand sidebar.
If you're looking for some actionable advice from a book publicist, check out "Subject: Hello from your Publicist" by Gabrielle Gantz.
I really enjoyed this interview of Therese Walsh by Amy Sue Nathan.  You might, too.
"Turn the Beat Around" by Maria Murnane over at SheWrites provides a crisp explanation of an important literary concept: "beats."
We get to pick into the writerly habits of several famous writers in "Writing Rituals:  Spiritual or Simply Habits" by Jennifer Haupt over at Psychology Today.
And luckily, Brian Klems over at Writer's Digest did have time to review lots of articles and he selected this list of "The 18 Most Popular Articles on Writing of 2011."