Welcome to the new, ‘re-vamped’ edition of ‘This Week in Favs,’ where I share my favorite writerly blog posts of the week with you – my fellow writer. *smiles*
Lately I've been coming across a lot more than the standard 10-20 blog posts that I want oh-so-badly to share with you all. So with the New Year comes new ideas/beginnings and this is one of them! Beginning with this week’s post, instead of my usual paragraph describing the awesomeness of each post, I will try to convey in one sentence what my greatest take-away from the post was (what a challenge that can be!).
I do hope you enjoy this new version of ‘This Week in Favs',’ and that you all have a wonderful and restful weekend full of writing!
Melinda
Playin’ on the Zune: “If God Will Send His Angels” by U2 (on the City of Angels soundtrack).
Social Media
“Give Back and Don’t Worry” by Daniel Swensen on SurlyMuse. <—Daniel shares the secret to social media success: give back and don’t worry! So simple yet powerful. On the Craft
“25 Things Writers Should Start Doing (ASAFP)” by Chuck Wendig on TerribleMinds. <—How to reach the happy medium by trying new things, put yourself out there more with your writing, and write what you want to write. A must-read! “How to Make Your Book Play Out Like a Movie” by Jody Hedlund. <—How to bring your story to life so the reader receives the absolute best reading experience from your story.
“4 Writing Routines You Can Live With” by Sarah Baughman on Write it Sideways. <—Great routines for those days/weeks/months where a normal writing routine or schedule just isn’t possible (think squeeze it in whenever you can with these routines).
“Rhythm of the Words: Voice in Dialog” by Janice Hardy. <—Using your favorite novels to help you examine your word choices and cadences within your own writing so your words will flow.
“Put Your Reader in Your POV Character’s Skin” by Margie Lawson on Jenny Hansen’s More Cowbell. <—Strong writing carries psychological power that will grab your reader – great writing advice! A must-read!
“What About Adverbs?” by Beth Hill on The Editor’s Blog. <—Aha! Not all adverbs are bad, you just gotta know when/where to use them!
“A Foolish Inconsistency – Round Out Your Characters with Contradictions” by Roz Morris on Nail Your Novel. <—Making your characters more believable – this is one flaw that we all sometimes have, so why not your characters?
“The Simple Formula to Write a Book” by Joe Bunting on The Write Practice. <—The equation to writing a book because anything of value consists of pain and time.
“Why Use Past Tense?” by Ava Jae on Writability. <—A follow-up to the equally awesome post, “Why Use Present Tense.” Both posts present the pro’s and con’s of writing in either present or past tense – this can come in handy when you’re starting a new project and trying to determine exactly how the story is going to share with the reader.
“Weaving in Symbolism” by Stina Lindenblatt. <—Creating a rich story is as easy as sowing in a bit of symbolism! She also gives two resources on how to learn more on this topic.
“Avoiding a Passive Beginning” by Lisa Gail Green on Paranormal Point of View. <—Great tips from Lisa on how to keep the opening of your book from being too passive such as creating an interesting situation and a multi-dimensional character.
“3 Reasons Kathryn Stockett’s The Help Because a Bestseller” by Marcy Kennedy on Girls with Pens. <—Unforgettable tips on how to make your novel and your characters shine!
Writerly Inspiration
“What Writers Can Learn from Tim Tebow” by James Scott Bell on The Kill Zone. <—Mr. Bell’s done it again! It doesn’t matter what other people say, it’s what’s on the inside of the writer counts – drive, determination, heart and guts! A must-read! “What Every Writer Needs” on Left-Brained Business for Write-Brained People. <—Business can’t grow without diligence – neither can your writing career!
“Writerly Inspiration and Aha Moments” by Martina Boone on Adventures in YA & Children’s Publishing. <—Why taking the time to attend a writing conference will be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.
“Beware the Dream Destroyers” by Julie Musil. <—Nothing should ever bring a writer down – bad situations, doubt and delays: they’re only temporary.
On Critiquing, Querying and Publishing
“Is Your Book Good, Great or HOT?” by Rachelle Gardner. <—Writing a new novel and querying agents? Time-consuming and stressful. Knowing how it works and understanding that when you receive a rejection may simply be because your project isn’t HOT at the moment? Priceless. “One Important Way for Authors to Get Discovered by Readers” by Jody Hedlund. <—Best advice in a long time on how to take charge of your marketing efforts when it’s publishing time.
“It Doesn’t Have to be Hot to Sell” by Rachelle Gardner. <—Even though it’s not hot right now doesn’t mean it won’t be a little ways down the road.
“Can Critique Groups Do More Harm than Good?” by Kristen Lamb. <—An eye-opening post on becoming aware of the trouble spots that critique groups can have. A must-read!
“The Road to Success Part Two – Understanding the Why Behind the Buy” by Kristen Lamb. <—It all comes down to your heart in order to sell books – pushy marketing won’t do it, only your writing and the emotional connection you make with the reader will.
“A Peak Behind the Publishing Curtain” by Veronica Roth. <—Great educational information on what happens after you write that novel and obtain an agent/publisher – and exactly who is involved in making your book happen. I love it when published authors give back to the writing community with information like this! A must-read!
Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!
