This Week in Favs……

Playing on the Zune: “Factory of Faith” by Red Hot Chili Peppers – Yes, I’m still listening to their new album and I can’t get enough of it!! :0)

10) “Don’t Be a Poser: Write What You Love” by Roni Loren. I can’t think of a better way to start off this week’s round-up than with a post of 100% truth – Write what you love! I agree with Roni – it’s easy when you think about it, correct? But for some, it’s not so easy. Some of us get caught up in what’s hot in the market – currently – or we listen to the direction of others who tell us what we should be writing. But the fact is, when you don’t truly love what you’re writing….. it shows!!! BIG time! If you love it, write it and let that writing speak for itself. I love the advice Roni gives: “…try to find the balance between writing a story that you think will sell with writing the story that you are passionate about.”

9) “Why Gatekeeper’s Aren’t Evil” by Ava Jae on Writability. You had me at the word evil, Ava. *grin* In all seriousness though, Ava is absolutely, 100% spot-on with this post: not everything we write is going to pour out of us like gold. We have to gather tools, sharpen them, and be willing to toss the manuscripts aside that aren’t the one – the ones that aren’t meant to help you find an agent or a publisher. It hurts, but we have to remember that saying: “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” I personally believe that timing is everything – and that success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. All those manuscripts are stepping stones – they’re guiding your way to the ultimate story that will make you a STAR.

8) “Research: Getting the Details Right” by Lisa Hall-Wilson on Girls With Pens. Oh, I totally dislike a book that doesn’t have the details right – especially when it comes to foreign languages and locations. It makes me toss the book aside asking, “Has the reader not heard of Google?!?” I love using Google to find all sorts of resources that are required before sitting down to write that first draft. Google Earth is so much fun and I use Google Translator almost everyday and lately, that’s because I’ve discovered a few more phrases for my WIP that need translating. Prior to that, I took a chance and asked an American author who lives in France, Amy Plum, a favor for some translations (for that, I'll always be grateful). The point is, research can be one of the most enjoyable parts – other than the writing itself – of pulling a story together.

7) “Strike Back Against Setbacks” by Jael McHenry on Writer Unboxed. We’ve all faced setbacks in our writing lives – from not being able to find the time to edit because the day job’s too crazy so you get home too late to do anything, to not being able to catch enough sleep to meet that writing goal. I liked Jael’s three simple ways to address any setback (when a positive outlook doesn’t feel like enough): Head-on, Off to to the Side, and Not at All. Yup – this one’s been printed and added to the wall’o’encouragement!

6) “Feed Your Senses” by Lisa Gail Green on Paranormal Point of View. Like some other writers out there, I’ve been feeding my senses while writing without truly knowing it. Thanks to Lisa’s post, I’m now conscious of it and can add a few things here and there to make the experience better – adding a good-smelling candle to my desk, ensuring I have the right song on in the background for the scene (since I tend to forget the music is still set for the scene before because I’m so focused), and possibly writing a few scenes in longhand from the comfort of my bed – which may do wonders so I’m hoping my writing is fast enough to keep up with how fast my thoughts fly when writing. *crosses fingers* And Lisa, I too enjoy a nice glass of wine while writing in the evening. :0)

5) “Top 10 Writing Distractions” by Katy, Storytelling Nomad. Ah….the distractions that keep us from getting down to business. I think Katy pretty much pegged every distraction I’ve ever had in my writing life: housework, food, sleep, DVD’s, reading, Twitter, blogging, exercise and time. Katy lists the reason and gives the argument and reality of each one – and she makes some super-awesome points on a few. This is a new blog for me so I’ll be watching this one closely. So far, I’m loving what I’m reading from Katy. 

4) “Hook Lines and Stinkers: Crafting Lines to Draw the Reader In” by Janice Hardy on The Other Side of the Story. I was hooked into this article this week by Janice simply because of her rule of thumb that she shares: “I have one to three hook lines most pages…If you don’t have at least one hook like per page, that could be a red flag that something is off.” Hmmm…..never thought of it that way for some reason, and now I can’t help but want to read through my MS again to ensure I do, in fact, have at least one hook line per page. *pulls MS out and forgets about this post* <—J/K!

3) “Being Your Own Inspiration” by Martina Boone on Adventures in Children’s Publishing. Here’s our dose of inspiration for the week! I’ll let you go to this site and read the post for yourself instead of spoiling the inspiration for you. It may feel a bit stronger if you read it from Martina – without my input on this one. Don’t forget to leave a comment and enter for the giveaway!

2) “So You’re Looking for a Literary Agent…” by Tina Moss. I failed to congratulate Tina on the blog last week on an incredibly exciting announcement she had last week: She’s got an agent!!!! So, congrats again, Tina! Now, onto her post on lit agents: This is some of the best advice I’ve heard with regards to finding and signing with a literary agent. And I thoroughly enjoyed how Tina presented it – from the ‘do you have what it takes’ questions to the step-by-step guidebook about the journey into gaining representation (The ‘PB & J time’ dancer is awesome also!). Thank you, Tina, for the information and the amazing advice: “BElieve in YOUrself” :0)

1) “How to Avoid the Publishing Kool-Aid” and “Are Writers Entrepreneurs?” by Jami Gold. THESE posts had me wanting to jump around – though I don’t think anyone in the office would’ve appreciated it at the time. *smile* Jami is a rock star thanks to these posts. In her first post this week, she put something out there that most of us have been thinking – self-publishing vs. traditional publishing: neither is better than the other. It truly does depend on the writer. With the second post, she shows us exactly why a writer would choose one over the other – because it truly depends on how we see our business <—which is the business of writing! If we plan to make a living from writing, which is the ultimate dream, then we may see writing as a business that we need to grow from the ground-up. And how we go about that has everything to do with our personal philosophy. Bravo, Jami!! You rock, my dear!!! *high fives*

Here's a funny video that some of you may have seen already since I posted on Twitter earlier this week. Harry Potter fans will definitely get a kick out of it - and those who aren't, you'll still find it rather enjoyable. ;)

Happy Reading & Writing!!!

Melinda