The Week in Favs…..

10. “10 Secrets to a Perfect Synopsis” by Stacy Green. Let’s start with some fun, shall we? Last week I highlighted Roni Loren’s post on synopsis….this week I’d like to highlight this hilarious post ‘cause I could not stop laughing. I think everyone in the Dr.’s office thought I was crazy when I cracked up in the waiting area. Wait – maybe I am a little crazy. That’s a good thing, right?

9. “Writing Rules are Just Tools” by Rachelle Gardner. Hold the phone! You’re telling me there are rules out there I can actually break?!? Yessss!!!!! J/K everyone! I know the rules of writing aren’t set in stone. I just like to be reminded of that every now and then…..and I’m sure you like to be reminded as well. :0)

8. “New Experiences? Use Them in Your Writing” by Beth Hill on The Editor’s Blog. I enjoyed reading Beth’s fresh take on the old ‘writing while you’re not writing’ advice. She experienced something new and used it in a way to help us imagine ourselves in a new place. Then she asks us to put our character there. How will they act? What are they feeling? What is going to happen in this new setting? Beth even tells us what to look for when we’re in these situations. This was another post for the writing notebook!

7. “Yes, Reading About Edward Cullen Will Make You Sparkle” by Livia Blackburne on A Brain Scientist’s Take on Writing. How can you not read an article with this title? Based on experimental evidence, reading assimilation – a term I hadn’t heard before – is the idea that reading a story causes readers to assimilate into the characters described in a book. Interesting, huh? I highly suggest you get over there and read this article. You’ll feel just a little more intellectual when you’re done! 

6. “What Does Your Author Bio Say about You?” by Jami Gold. My author bio is something that has been on my to-do list for a while, but I’ve always ended up banging my head on my desk whenever I attempt to mark it off. With Jami’s help, my poor desk has been rescued and I have been stewing over my bio for the past few days. *evil grin* Thank you Jami, for breakin’ it down for us, providing informational links and making this a fun experience for everyone! You’ll get to see which crazy idea I choose on Monday.

5. The final So You Think You Can Dance goodie of the year. The moment I saw this Season 8 montage, I knew it was what I wanted to post this week. But…I couldn’t find it anywhere online! So what did the hubs do when he heard my disappointment? Extracted it from the final episode for me to upload on YouTube myself. *smiles*

This montage had me crying! It highlights most of the highs and lows of the season. Hope you all enjoy! :0)

4. “Deadly Sin of Writing #4 – Beware the Bog of Back Story” by Kristen Lamb. This particular article is in addition to another one that was done earlier this month: “The Devil is in the Details – 3 Ways to Make Your Writing Shine”. I have to say that I am absolutely lovin’ these posts by Kristen! The sins thus far are ‘was clusters’, overuse of “ing”, modifier overload, and bog of back story. I know there are more deadly sins that she has yet to cover, but I’m still cringing from the first four she’s listed already. I especially cringe over #4 since this is something I am personally struggling with at the moment. We all love our characters and know their history like our own, so we want to share as much as we can so the reader will love – or hate – the character as much as we do, but we have to be careful with this. Kristen hits the nail on the head on why we must tread carefully. Yet another one for the writing notebook. Gawd….this thing’s getting’ full!

3. “Deep Characters for Plot-First Writers” by Suzanne Johnson – guest post on Roni Loren’s Writing Blog: Fiction Groupie. I enjoyed this article because of the different take Suzanne had on the whole plotter/pantser definition: Plot-first writer or Character-first writer? It doesn’t sound as fun, but it definitely sounds more interesting! I’ve always said that I’m a mix between the two, but I enjoy looking at it from this angle….especially since she used one of my favorite book series’, The Black Dagger Brotherhood, to show how a story can be a great mixture of both plot and character.

2. It’s a two-for-one special! “To Plot or Not To Plot” by Terri Giuliano Long on iwritereadrate and “To Plot or Not to Plot?” by Melissa Donovan on The Bookshelf Muse. How incredible is it to find two articles posted in the same week with the same title? And both of them offer different opinions on whether or not it’s better to plot or let the writing flow organically from your fingertips like a true pantser. I put both of these articles here, along with #3’s choice, because I think it’s good to continue to read and share our opinions on this topic. After all, that is one of the things I love about the writing community!

1. “Kathryn Stockett’s ‘The Help’ Turned Down 60 Times Before Becoming a Best Seller” by MORE Magazine. Are you in need of some inspiration today? Read this article and be inspired! Yes, it was originally posted last week, but I discovered it this week and I can’t stop thinking about it. Kathryn received 60 rejections! 60! Can you imagine what would’ve happened if she’d given up after 5? 10? Or 20? The world would’ve missed out on her story. I can’t imagine not getting my stories out there for the world to read and this article is what’s going to inspire me to keep going when and if the rejection letters start to come in.

**BONUS**

I couldn’t let you miss out on this video from Veronica Roth. This is her fulfillment of a promise she made on her blog back in March. It looks like so much fun that I think I may actually try and convince my bestie to try it this weekend. Haha!

Don’t forget to stop by every day next week and check out the posts from an amazing line-up of writers in The Week of the Writer.

Happy Reading and Writing Everyone!!

Melinda