Social Media and Author Websites
“Here’s the Thing About Social Media” by Lynn Price on Behler Blog<—“The wider you cast your net, the more people you know, which makes it far easier for your publisher to promote you to mainstream print and TV media” –Lynn (‘nuff said) A Must-Read!
“7 Crucial Tactics for Writing a Wildly Successful Guest Post” by The Blog Tyrant on Copyblogger <—Awesome tips for when you’re writing the all-too-important guest post!
“The Fine Art of Tooting Your Own Horn, and a Word About Covers” by James Scott Bell on The Kill Zone <—A few words from the fabulous James Scott Bell on self-promotion. A Must-Read!
“8 Quick Tips for Writing Bullet Points People Actually Want to Read” by Robert Bruce on Copyblogger <—In a world of social media these are great tips on how to pack it all in your blog posts – effectively!
“How to Recover From a Social Media Hangover” by Cori Padgett on Copyblogger <—I don’t know about you, but this was soooo needed this week! *smile*
“6 Ways to Beat Blogging Blahs” by Jody Hedlund <—How to make it through those moments where you’d rather stay in bed then create a witty and interesting post.
On the Craft
“Why (not) Tell the Story in Present Tense?” by Juliette Wade on TalkToYoUniverse <—The pro’s and con’s of present tense (with examples).
“How to Return to Writing After a Long Break” by Nathan Bransford <—He’s baaaack! Great tips on how to get back into the swing of things!
“Writer Unblocked” by Danyelle Leafty on QueryTracker.net <—The 3 causes of writer’s block and how to cure those symptoms.
“What’s In a (Baby) Name?” by Jael McHenry <—Naming your characters is nothing like naming your child.
“Descriptions that Pack A PUNCH!” by Laura Drake on Writers in the Storm Blog <—Examples of some of the most awesome descriptions ever written (check out the comments also).
“Revealing Characterization Through Banter” by Stina Lindenblatt <—Using dialogue to show who your character is. A Must-Read!
“Avoiding a Saggy Middle” by Lisa Gail Green on Paranormal Point of View <—Questions to ask as you’re writing Act II of your story.
“Setting Thesaurus Entry: Catacombs” by Becca Puglisi on The Bookshelf Muse <—Another great thesaurus entry – now all I can think about is how I can squeeze this into my plot somewhere! LOL!
“Hero Worship” by Michelle Griep on WordServe Water Cooler <—List of superhuman attributes you can add to any MC.
“Prologues: Please Use Responsibly” by Roz Morris on Nail Your Novel <—Another great post by Ms. Morris – approach a prologue with caution!
“Nine Ways to Motivate Yourself to Write” by Ali Luke on Aliventures <—Get to writing….now!!
“Writing Lessons from THE HUNGER GAMES: Stakes and Characterization” on Adventures in YA & Children’s Publishing <—Awesome writing lessons from the wonderfully written and compelling Hunger Games trilogy! A Must-Read!
“Weather and Earthly Phenomena: Eclipse” by Becca Puglisi on The Bookshelf Muse <—A new entry in the thesaurus!
“Why Your Novel Characters Need Real Flaws” by Rosslyn Elliott on Rachelle Gardner’s blog <—Creating real character flaws.
“The Three Layers or Story Engineering, Architecture, and Art” by Larry Brooks on Storyfix <—Learn how to slice and dice your story.
“5 Muse Abusers: How to Protect Your Creative Flow'” by Roni Loren <—Great tips on keeping your creativity well fed and away from negativity.
“Writing Dialogue with Purpose” by Ava Jae on Writability <—Creating well-written dialogue.
“Mining for Character Emotions” by Sharla Rae on Writers in the Storm blog <—How dig deep into your character’s emotions and transfer them to the page. A Must-Read!
“Fast Drafting: A Word Count Builder” by Lynette Labelle <—Great information on fast drafts!
Writerly Inspiration
“The Business of Writing with James Scott Bell” by Lisa Hall-Wilson on Girls with Pens <—Awesome interview that is not to be missed! A Must-Read!
“25 Reasons that Writers are Bug-**** Nuts” by Chuck Wendig on Terribleminds <—Chuck does it again – you’ll be nodding your head the entire way through. A Must-Read!
“Eating the Elephant” by Cynthia Robertson <—Overcoming the overwhelming, hopeless feeling of writing an entire novel.
“Our Inner Apples and Oranges” by Domey Malasarn on The Literary Lab <—Learning that every story is its own and requires a different set of skills to write.
On Editing, Critiquing, Querying, Publishing and more…
“Write Tip: How Not to Use the 9 Free Ways to Market Your Book” by Bryan Thomas Schmidt <—A follow-up to January’s post: “9 Free Ways to Market Your Book”
“A New Approach to a Traditional Group – The Concept Critique” by Kristen Lamb <—Awesome follow-up to January’s post: “Can Critique Groups Do More Harm than Good?”
“Should You Focus On the Fast Return or the Long Term Investment” by Scott Eagan <—Risk your career for fast (short term) cash?!?
“Do You Have What it Takes to Be a Coauthor?” by Ellery Adams on BookEnds, LLC blog <—Every considered coauthoring a book? Then ask yourself if you have what it takes.
“6 Grammar Mistakes That Will Cost You Readers” by Marcy Kennedy <—Great tips that need to be put to good use during the editing phase!
“How to Get Published: Part 2” by Lynda R. Young <—Follow-up to last week’s post: “How to Get Published: Part 1” A Must-Read!
“Expanding the World of Your Novel” by Matthew Pearl on Nathan Bransford’s blog <—Expanding the external life of your book.
“Tuesday Ten: How to View Your Work with Fresh Eyes” by Cheryl Reif <—Great tips on how to save yourself from a world of aggravation and frustration.
“Breaking Up is Hard To Do (In Which I Talk About the Comma)” by Marisa Hopkins on Living the Creative Life <—If you’re also a comma user-and-abuser, here’s a great resource suggestion for you!
“How to Use the “Save the Cat” Beat Sheet for Revisions” by Jami Gold <—Great resource for getting through those dreaded revisions. A Must-Read!
“Updated Publishing Dictionary” on BookEnds, LLC blog <—Updated publishing dictionary (good for the notebook of industry knowledge!).
“Learn to Love the Pitch” by Sarah Pinneo on Writer Unboxed <—Pitching isn’t *that* dreadful…so learn to love it!
“Not For Us!” by Joe Moore on The Kill Zone <—Awesome post about rejection.
This week on the blog:
Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!
Melinda
