This Week in Favs…

Playing on the Zune: Nada. Sittin’ in silence for this one. A bit scary I admit, but surprisingly, it’s going well.  :0)
  

Social Media and Author Websites 

Blog Post Quality and Quantity – How to Have Your Cake and Eat it Too by Stanford Smithat on Pushing Social
 
5 Signs You’re Having a Blog Identity Crisis & 8 Ways to Fix It by Roni Loren
 
Essential Twitter Hashtags for Authors, Readers and Publishing Industry Professionals by Jordan Dane on The Kill Zone 

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 On the Craft

Details: Bringing Fiction to Life by K.M. Weiland on Wordplay

Three Ingredients for a Strong Scene, guest post by Becca Puglisi on So, You’re a Writer

Not All Characters Deserve to be in the Story by Mooderino on Moody Writing
 
5 Common Writing Blunders that Can Annoy or Bore Our Readers by Kristen Lamb
 
Tools for Writers Part 1 by Annie Neugebauer
 
Flip the Script: Use Adverbs Fearlessly by Jael McHenryat on Writer Unboxed
 
My Favorite Writing Advice – Trust the Story by Shelli Johnson
 
Rules of Storytelling, Part One by Tabitha Olsonat on Writer Musings
 
Going Both Ways: Outlines for Plot, Pantser for Character on The Otherside of the Story with Janice Hardy
 
Book Series – A Whole Other Food Group by Lynn Price

8 Tips for Unlocking the Secrets of Mystery Writing, guest post by Lisa and Laura Roecker on Adventures in YA & Children’s Publishing

Margaret Atwood’s Ten Rules for Writing Fiction on Advice to Writers

How Long Does it Take to Write a Book? by Ryann Kerekes on Novel Addiction

Writing: Where Less Can Be More by Jami Gold 

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 Writerly Inspiration

Tolkien’s 10 Tips for Writers by Roger Colby

How to Use Our Weaknesses to Our Advantage by Marcy Kennedy 

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 On Editing, Critiquing, Querying, Publishing and more…

Is the Stigma of Self-Publishing Finally Gone? by C.S. Lakin on Live Write Thrive

8 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Deciding to Self-Publish by Andrew Galasetti on Duolit

7 Tips for Pitching to an Agent or Editor at a Conference by Sylvia Ney on Writing in Wonderland

Exclusivity and Free by Joe Konrathat on A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing
 
ABCs of the Content Edit on Writer…Interrupted
 
Painless Editing by Tonya Kappes
 
Edit Smartly by Stina Lindenblatt on Seeing Creative
 
How to Polish Your Writing Until it Shines by Stina Lindenblatt on QueryTracker.net
 
Why a Bad Agent is Worse than No Agent by Janet Kobobel Grant
 
4 Ways Agents Work for Clients at a Book Trade Show by Mary Keeley  

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 Other Round-Ups

The Author Chronicles’ Top Picks Thursday

Stina Lindenblatt’s Cool Links Friday

Roni Loren’s Fill-Me-In Friday

Elizabeth S. Craig’s Twitterific (compilation of all the writing links she’s shared this week – updated on Sundays)

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A ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Treat

Season 9’s Top 10 Girls

Season 9’s Top 10 Guys

The Entire Top 20 Dancers

Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!

Melinda

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

This Week In Favs……….

10) “On Distractions” by Nathan Bransford. “You can’t write if you don’t live.” <—This is some of the *best* writing advice I’ve ever heard! As writers, we set schedules for our writing so as to ensure we’re writing everyday to get something on the page – myself included. But Nathan’s post runs right along with the schedule I set forth for myself last week in taking 30 minutes during the work week to write while using the other free-time to spend time with my hubby, sister, work-out, and/or read. My weekends have a bit more time allotted for writing, but I still carve out time to spend with my friends who are always a source of inspiration for me. Okay, so yes, when we’re deep in the writing we want to grab onto it while the Muse is singin’ loud and proud, but what happens after the Muse’s song is over? LIFE!!! That’s what happens. A chance to recharge your battery so you can come back to your Muse when they’re ready, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and recharged to take down the next part of the story.

9) “How to Be a Better Writer: Today” by Angela Kulig at Angela WRITE Now. This is a new series by Angela that focuses on how you can be a better writer TODAY – or as Angela put it: “…how you can be more gooder!” :0) Angela left us with five points on how you can make yourself a better writer and each one holds a nugget of truth on what we as writers should do. My fav? #2 ‘Learn a new word that means the same thing as another word you already use too much.’ I’ve been trying to use different words in my WIP lately. Thesaurus.com has become my best friend. This even made me start thinking about how I use the word ‘awesome’ too much in my daily life and don’t realize until the hubs says something. My new word to replace that one? ‘Stupendous’! <—I can’t take credit for finding it though…he did the legwork for me. :0)

8) “How to Write a Query Letter” by Rachelle Gardner. Ah! The ever important query letter that stands between you and obtaining representation. I have to admit that I haven’t even thought about my query letter yet. I’m still in the editing process, and frankly, it’s a little daunting. If you’ve read the posts on QueryShark, then you may understand why I say that. Countless books have been written about how to write a query letter (I have two sitting on my bookshelf), but I rather enjoyed reading Rachelle’s quick and easy tips for a great query. Somehow, they’re not as intimidating to me anymore, which means that I may just start writing one as soon as this next round of editing is over. **Rachelle has more posts on Query letters and they can all be found right here. 

7) “Why Prologues Don’t Work” by Kristin Nelson. This struck a chord with me because I’ve been thinking about turning the first chapter of my WIP into a prologue. After reading these points from Kristin, I am definitely re-thinking that idea. While I’m still *considering* the idea, I now know what definitely doesn’t work so I can aspire to write a prologue that does. This is a list I believe every writer should have saved somewhere just in case their story calls for one. Ya never know…by having these tips handy, you could be the one to break the mold by writing a fabulous prologue one day!

6) “Conflict vs. Tension” by Becca Puglisi on The Bookshelf Muse. I love reading about other writers’ epiphanies! Becca’s is especially important as it points out the difference between conflict and tension. You may have conflict written all-over your MS, but that doesn’t mean the page-turning tension is there, does it?? Nope, not one bit! Becca’s tips for writing a MS full of tension are spot-on: Conflict in every scene, primal stakes, and clear emotional responses. This is yet another post that made it into my ‘book of knowledge’ (aka: three-ring binder full of printed blog posts with tips and tricks for a writer about the craft).

5) You guessed it! Another So You Think You Can Dance goodie! I bet you’re wondering why I chose to include these dances on my list. Here’s why:
Inspiration can be found in many different ways, people, songs, books, etc. For me, inspiration can be found in both music and dance. The young dancers of So You Think You Can Dance are 100% purely inspirational to me. Their dedication, their ease of movements and their infectious personalities all inspire my writing in some way, shape of form. Most Wednesdays, it’s a new song to add to my writing playlist because of how it was expressed on stage, but other times, it’s the emotion that the dance evoked inside my heart.

Ok, enough of that…bring on the dancing!

After seeing Sasha dance the 2nd routine of the night with All Star Kent – last year’s runner-up – the show was O-V-E-R for me. I was just absolutely….done! This dance was all about two people and the wall their relationship has hit and all the emotions they feel as they’re fighting to get to the other side of that wall. Tyce Diorio, the choreographer, is another one of my favorites and I just…I just love his work to pieces. I really really hope you enjoy this routine:

BUT! Another something-magical happened! The very last dance of the night featured contestants Caitlyn and Marko and WOW! If you remember, the song, “Heavy In Your Arms” was one of the Songs of the Week here on the blog. The interpretation of that song here was AMAZING!! Here’s the premise: Marko is an over-bearing, controlling man and Caitlyn is trying to escape him so she can find her own voice. I’ll let their dance tell you the rest:

4) “Things I Never Considered About Being a Writer” by Lisa Gail Green on Paranormal Point of View. Learning from other writers is one of the many things I LOVE to do and Lisa’s post hits all the other highlights of why I enjoy being a writer (other than the magic of writing). Everyone is so open and willing to share their knowledge: my family and friends are behind me 100%, I welcome constructive criticism and/or rejections and strive to learn from them, and the people I’ve met and connected with are absolutely amazing at what they do.  I’m proud to have been able to interact, learn from, and call them a ‘writer friend’. In regards to learning, there’s a similarity in writing and practicing yoga: you’re always learning, always a student. You may be able to teach others about a few things along the way, but there’s always room for us as writers to grow and learn from one another.  

3) ”The Flaw in JKR’s (Brilliant) Plan” by S.P. Sipal at Harry Potter for Writers. So….I guess there’s hope for me? LOL! Seriously though, when it comes down to it, I agree with Susan here: “…noting these mistakes JKR made gives me hope. It reminds me as a writer that I don’t have to be perfect (though that is no excuse to not strive for excellence). What is absolutely required, however, is to thrill my reader as JK Rowling did that these imperfections just make the work sparkle more brilliantly.” Nobody and no story is going to be perfect….but we sure can try and rest easy at the end of the day if it isn’t. Don’t you agree??

2) “The First Sentence as an Amuse-Bouche” by Therese Walsh on Writer Unboxed. We’ve all experienced and dealt with the pressure of trying to come up with that amazing first sentence. One that’ll hook the reader from the get-go and never let them go. But, unfortunately, sometimes we stare at a blank page and watch the cursor while we try to think of how to start our next WIP. My advice? Scrap thinking about how you’re going to start the next project. Just start it! Once you’ve reached the end, that perfect first sentence will come to you and hint at the fabulous character arc the reader is about to experience. The first sentence of my WIP didn’t come to me until the moment I typed The End: “Today was the day I wish I had the immortal gifts of my characters.” <—Is it making you go ‘hmmmm’?

1) “Meta-Emotion: How We Feel About Feelings, and How it Can Affect Our Writing” by Sarah Fine on The Strangest Situation. This post was a wonderful insight into how we as writers feel about feelings and how it leaps into our writing. This is one of the many reasons why I feel like I have to become my characters when I’m writing them. I’m pulled into their minds and feelings, leaving my own on the door step as I take a walk in their shoes for a day and witness a vastly different set of emotions and thoughts. If I didn’t, there would be a whole lotta author intrusion going on and that’s just not attractive. No one feels the same way or handles situations the same way I do. Not my family, not the reader, and most certainly not my characters. This post reminded me of that.

**Bonus Link!!**

“Writer Brain” by Patti Larsen.

Here’s a little humor to start your weekend off with. It’s a ‘Public Service Announcement’ that gave me a fit of giggles while I was reading it though mostly that was because I was nodding my head as I read through most of Patti’s signals of the condition.

I’m on the road to recovery. :0)

Here are a few updates to go along with this week’s favs:
Off the Blog: Overall, this was actually a great week! On Monday, I went back to work (after a 7 work-day vacation) and I wasn’t nearly as overwhelmed by emails like I thought I would be. I’m still behind on a few things, but they’ll get done sooner rather than later. I even started my new ‘Finding the Balance’ schedule and so far, so good there!
On the Blog: It was an awesome week for writing. I had a hard time picking a ‘Top Ten' – or top nine if you remove a space for a SYTYCD clip. I even had a stroke of inspiration this week and wrote a post on writing with multiple POV’s. I’m crossing my fingers that this will happen again over the weekend so I’ll be all set on posts next week! :0)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Happy Reading & Writing!
Melinda

This Week In Favs……….

10) “Critiquely Interview with The Rejectionist” from Mary Baader Kaley on Mary Baader Kaley (is) Not an Editor. Aahh…. an interview with one of my favorite blogs to follow: The Rejectionist. This is one interview that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It was refreshing, open, honest, and gave me the warm tingles. My hope it that you enjoy this interview as well. And……

Here’s a little treat from The Rejectionist’s website that I found this week - A Harry Potter themed want ad: 




9) “There Is No Such Thing as Writer’s Block” by Joseph Selby, guest blogger on Roni Loren’s writing blog, Fiction Groupie (who was also interviewed by Mary Baader Kaley…check out her interview here). I loved this post! Especially the Neverending Story references he uses (I’ve definitely felt like my WIP was consumed by the Nothing a time or two). Writer’s block is the one excuse that I’ve consistently tried to wipe from my vocabulary. Nowhere can I have the word ‘writer’ followed by ‘block’. For me, 40% of the time outside stressors are what’s blocking my Muse from coming through. The other 60%? Somewhere along the way (a consequence of being 90% pantser) I’ve either missed a secondary plot element, forgotten about a character, or mishandled a delicate scene. All of these are reasons for my subconscious to tell my conscious that I need to go back and fix it immediately!

8) “Should Books Have a Rating System?” by Jami Gold. This is one of those posts that you keep going back to so you can read the thoughts and comments of other readers. Should books have a rating system? In my humble opinion: absolutely. It keeps readers from being blind-sided by sensitive topics (such as rape, abuse, etc.) and offers the parents of MG & YA readers a cushion so they have a better idea of what their children are reading without having to read them first. I don’t have children, and I’m already so busy, I barely have time to eat. Parents with pre-teens and/or teens in the household? Busier!! Besides, a rating system could also prove useful for us as writers. *ahem* “Who’s more likely to give a book a bad review or start a book banning campaign? Those who knew the content going in, or those who were blind-sided?” <—Excellent question, Jami! I encourage everyone to get over there and share your thoughts on the subject.

7) “Turn It Off'” by Barbara O’Neal on Writer Unboxed. *snort* Ooookay…. this has been a long-time comin’ for me! My biggest issue when I’m sitting at the computer trying to edit? The INTERNET! I don’t know if it’s ADD (I’m gonna call it like it is since, ‘our concentration is becoming fragmented by our attachment to electronics’, is putting it a little too nicely for me personally), or if I just subconsciously look to the internet world for inspiration when I’m stuck on a scene. Whatever it is, it is NOT good! It’s waaaaay to easy to get stuck on Twitter, Facebook or blog-surfing. The next thing you know, it’s an hour later, and you’ve wasted a damn good 60 minutes that could’ve been used finishing those chapter edits. I’ve printed Barbara’s suggestions and now have them posted on my wall. I’ll let you know how it’s going in a few days. ;)

6) “Breaking Down Writing – The How and Why?” by Tina Moss. Tina’s on vacay for the next two weeks, recharging her batteries and *hopefully* soaking up some sun. While she’s away, I’m enjoying her list of suggestions on writing methods. I’m 100% with her on #2: Write every day, and #5: If you tell your friends and families that you’re a writer, then you have to act like one.
Tina’s post is quite timely as I’ve been scheming a lil’ something for a week in August on the blog: The Writing Process. My ultimate goal? Guest bloggers for an entire week, sharing *their* writing process and personal writing tips. Maybe it’ll be Q&A, maybe it’ll be free form. I haven’t decided yet, but some of my favorite bloggers – and you know who you are – may be finding requests in their inboxes soon. *fingers crossed*

5) Another So You Think You Can Dance goodie!! :)
Melanie is the one to beat the season! Why, you ask? The dances I’m highlighting from this week both showcase her dance and interpretation of what the choreographers gave her <—That’s a true artist for you!

I could go on about how awesome she is, but I won’t. Instead, I give you the first performance from Wednesday night’s show that took my breath away….and it includes All Star Neil, one of my favs from seasons’ past (keep an eye out for Melanie’s HUGE ‘leap of faith’ into Neil’s arms).

Next up: Grrrl power! Sasha and Melanie teamed for a jazz routine by one of my all-time favorite choreographers, Sonya Tayek. I could write an entire blog post on Sonya alone (and what I wouldn’t give to spend one day with her)!

4) “Don’t Lose the Magic” by Lisa Gail Green on Paranormal Point of View. A-ha! When you’re beating yourself up over the difficulties of writing, gaining representation and publishing, Lisa comes through and reminds you not to forget the magic you discovered when you first picked up a pen – whether you were 7, 9, 14, 23, or 50 years old. There’s a reason why you started writing and it was called MAGIC.

Wanna see my reminder (thanks to Lisa’s wonderful reminder)? 

 Can you tell I got a bit stuck editing today?!?

3) “Twisting and Deepening the Final Battle” by S.P. Sipal on Harry Potter for Writers. I LOVE these analyses from Susan. I couldn’t even begin to dive into the writing of JKR and pull the incredible lessons out of the writing the way she can. I mean….. I…… *sighs* Words seriously fail me right now. Susan: BRAVO on this post! I really really can’t wait for your next series – Mystery Plotting, is it?  :)

2) “What Drives a Story: Plot or Characters?” by Jami Gold. Yessss! Another awesome post that keeps me going back to read the comments. I love it when posts start a great debate between fellow writers. I’ll give you the ‘snapshop’ of the loooong comment I left on Jami’s blog: I tend to teeter in the ‘in between’ with reading, writing and movie-watching. I thoroughly enjoy the books and movies that tend to move a little slow (for other people) but offer the best character arcs of a lifetime. BUT, I also enjoy the flat-characters, blow-things-up, nothing-but-action movies and books that are so in your face, you seriously can’t look away. On the flip side, in my writing, I’ve got my characters and what I believe to be a very good plot developed, but both could use a little more oomph! For me, in a perfect world, every story would have that balance: an unforgettable plot AND unforgettable characters.

1) “Keeping the Faith: Best-Selling Authors Tell What Keeps Them Writing” on Writer Unboxed. To go along with Lisa’s post listed above (go figure I’d come across this within an hour of reading her post…when I should have been editing),  I wanted to share some inspiring words that were posted on Writer Unboxed this week. My favorite is from Dawn Tripp, author of Game of Secrets: “My heart broke for four years as I was writing Game of Secrets. That might seem a strange thing to say. It was a strange thing to feel. But it drove me. Writing is a dream of the body, not strictly of the mind, and even when I couldn’t quite see how the strands of the story would all come together, I somehow knew heartbreak was a feeling I could trust.” <—this quote was pulled from her interview on Psychology Today. One word: WOW! Hope you enjoy reading their inspiring words!

Now I’m off to get some more editing done! Today is my last 'official' vacation day from work – aka: time away from work to write/edit – which means that come Monday, I’m going to be right back in the office, overwhelmed with emails, phone calls and who knows what else! After the end of August, I won't have be able to take anymore time off until January.

**But I wouldn’t change it for the world!**


Happy Reading & Writing!!!

Melinda

This Week In Favs……….

Happy Friday everyone! I’m sitting here at the beach, having a glass of wine and enjoying some chips and salsa while putting together this blog post.

I may be on vacay, but this was too incredible a week in the writing blog-o-verse to not gather and share my top picks of the week <—And I had a hard time picking this week since there were sooo many awesome, informational posts out there!

Enough chit-chat….let’s get started!

10) “Author Intrusion: 12 Pitfalls to Avoid” by Roni Loren. Can I just say how much I love and enjoy reading Roni’s posts?? This particular post is here for a very good reason: I’m a repeat offender guilty of #7: Information Dumping (especially in the first draft), #8: Paying Too Much Attention to the Setting or Not Enough, and #10: Putting the Cart Before the Horse. So needless to say, my Muse was talking to me while reading that post, nodding her head and smugly stating “told ya so”. Roni, my Muse thanks you….this list was printed and is currently taped to the wall next to my monitor.

9) “What I Say When I #amwriting…(my process)” by Johanna Harness <—creator of the #amwriting community on Twitter. Wow! Just….wow! The flow charts in Johanna’s post are amazing. Her rough draft process? I can follow that….no problem! But the revision process? I had to look at it for about an hour just to absorb every bubble and where each one was connected. My #amwriting process is nowhere near this caliber, but I must say that I got several ideas to add to my own after seeing these awesome flow charts. Get over and check them out. 

8) “5 Creative Flaws That Will Expose Your Lack of Storytelling Experience” by Larry Brooks on Storyfix.com. I saw this post as great advice for every writer, not just newbies. I’ve been writing for several years, just as most of us have, and during my first and second drafts, I still use proper names with dialogue and I overwrite time fillers and/or food descriptors (I’m a total foodie, by the way) and I do it a bit too often, especially in the first draft. Would it save me time if I keep this in mind while I’m banging out that first draft? Possibly. Am I willing to give it a try and find out after reading this post? Absolutely.

7) “Crafting a 25-Word Pitch” by Marcy Kennedy over at Girls With Pens.  I was drawn to this particular post because Marcy mentions the Facebook post by Rachelle Gardner in which she asked her followers: “In 20 words of less, tell me about the book you’re writing right now.” Well, I responded to this post with my 20 words, and it sucked! So you can imagine that I was grateful to find this post. Marcy breaks down the points you need/should include in your pitch. I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to take your 80,000-word story and shrink it down to one sentence. I’m a wordy person in case you haven’t already noticed! If you also want further info on pitching, Rachelle Gardner had two great posts this week also: “Pitching Your Novel” and “Your Verbal Pitch”.

6) “What I Told My Family About Publishing” by Jennifer Hillier, guest post on Guide to Literary Agents Editor’s Blog. Yes! Jennifer posted exactly what I’ve been trying to explain to family members and friends. Just because I’ve got an MS that I really really really want to get published doesn’t mean it’s going to happen any time soon, if at all (although it is the first completed MS that I’ve wanted to get published). What family and friends don’t seem to understand most of the time is: If I were to find an agent today, it could still be 1-2 years before the book hits the shelf. A lot of the time, they also don’t understand that this isn’t the ‘get rich quick’ industry. Now, I can print this out and take it to them, along with a few other similar posts, and I can say: “See this? I doubt I’ll be able to quit my job any time soon, much less buy you that new car you’ve been wanting, Sis.” :)

5) Another double dose of So You Think You Can Dance goodies!! We’re down to the Top Ten and now it’s every dancer for themselves vs. the contestants dancing in couples. So, as individuals, they are paired with an All Star Dancer who is both from a previous season of the show, and an expert in their dance style. The Top Ten dancers had a phenomenal week, so of course I had to go with two dances again, right?!?

Here’s Sasha (the contestant) & Twitch (the All Star…one of my favs):

Next, we have Jess (the contestant) & Katherine (the All Star):

4) “Deciding When to Show and When to Tell” by Martina on Adventures in Children’s Publishing. This is a prime example of what I love about the blogging world! I’m an adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy author with no shades of YA, but yet I love to learn from sites like this where the posts are written by YA and children’s authors. Techniques of the craft are the same across the board. Whether you’re writing children’s, MG, YA, or adult. We all share the same techniques and learn from one another. This is yet another post that has been printed and added to my notebook of blog posts/writing tips.

3) “How To Leave ‘Em Wanting More! The Wonderful World of Potter” by Lisa Gail Green. Lisa perfectly lists exactly why every fan of JKR is left wanting more Harry Potter: World building, supporting cast, and an outstanding story and hero that will never leave our hearts and minds. THIS is what every aspiring author strives for. We each want to create a story with characters that will reach the masses and be memorable for generations to come.
Lisa’s post is part of the Harry Potter Blogfest. Seven awesomely wonderful bloggers created #PotterChat on Twitter and a scavenger hunt contest that is currently taking place. You only have until 5pm EST today to gather the clues, answer the questions and email your answers. The prizes? Well, you can pick from a wide variety such as a beta read, a first chapter critique, or a copy of two books (one will be released in September, the other is A Writer’s Guide to Harry Potter by another great blogger, S.P. Sipal). There’s a total of nine prizes to choose from and it’s first come first serve, so find the clues and send it in by 5 so you can be one of the lucky winners!

2) “What’s Your Blogging Style?” by Jami Gold (psst…. Jami’s one of the awesomely wonderful bloggers in the Harry Potter Blogfest).  Yet another great post from Jami, and this one I really enjoyed reading. It really got me thinking: What keeps you reading a blog post? Is it because it’s short, therefore easy to read? Or is it because of the content, therefore leaving you to not really care if it was a long one? And if it’s a long post, does it flow well, or does it leave you flat to where you have to start skimming? What makes you want to leave comments for the author? Thanks, Jami, for a wonderful, thought-provoking post about blogging. I’m still getting on my feet with this blog so I found this incredibly helpful!

1) “Testing the Idea-Is It Strong Enough to Make a Novel?” by Kristen Lamb. I’ve been following Kristen’s blog for quite a while now, and I’ve come to cherish the information I’ve gained and the techniques I’ve learned. This particular post is a fav because of the LOCK system: Lead Objective Conflict Knockout. Never heard of it? I didn’t either until this post. The LOCK system is a great technique and I was incredibly excited to learn about it. I won’t go into too many details here because I’m just learning about it, so I may not be able to explain it as articulately as Kristen.  The system is from Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell – a book I have on the shelf but haven’t dove into yet. Guess I better get on that, huh?. 

Q4U: Are you finding the links on ‘The Week In Favs’ posts helpful in locating the best of the best in writing blogs? Do you have any suggestions for future ‘Favs’ postings? Please, please share with me (please also be nice).

Hope everyone has a wonderful and cool weekend!

Happy Writing Everyone!!!
Melinda

This Week In Favs……….

10) “The Big Post of Querying” by Kat Zhang on The Katacomb.. This particular post was in response to a question posed to Kat in regards to how she went about querying – which is a daunting task that I think all aspiring authors tend to get the heebe-jeebes about (I know I do). I love Kat’s honesty in her postings. It’s incredibly refreshing and it’s encouraging to hear that within two months of querying, she found herself an agent. I think I’ll be looking to follow some of the advice she gives here. I also couldn’t stop laughing at this twitter conversation she posted. Thanks, Kat…hope you survive the reenactments!

9) I’ve discovered a great writing blog: Miss Snark’s First Victim: A Blog for Aspiring Authors. This particular blog caught my eye as I was reading Kat Zhang’s post (see #10 above). The ‘Authoress’ is anonymous, but she holds monthly (except for June & December) “Secret Agent” contests (aka First Page Shooters) where aspiring authors can send in the first 250 words of their MS, and the Authoress will post 50 entries for comments from other writers and the ‘Secret Agent’. This particular blog is a 2009 winner of the Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers, and I’m enjoying perusing through the first pages of other writers and learning from them on what works, and what doesn’t work. This is definitely one contest I may find myself entering once my current WIP is polished.

8) Susan (aka: Harry Potter for Writers) is now offering New Editorial Services! I guess I know who I’m going to seek a critique from when it comes time to start sending out queries. Believe me, I trust Susan to be completely open and honest when it comes to critiques on queries, synopsis, and first chapters. Her posts prove she’s got a knack for breaking down the writing and pointing out, not only the good sections, but the trouble sections as well. If I can make her want to read my MS with my query or synopsis, then I know I’ll get some requests from agents in the query process.

7) In conjunction with #9 in this post: “First Page Tips from the Pros” by Becca Puglisi on The Bookshelf Muse. Now, if you’re not following The Bookshelf Muse, then as a writer, you’re seriously missing out!! I literally spent about 5 hours so far this week perusing through their thesauruses again. I might as well take the time, paper and ink to just print every entry on emotions, character traits, settings and weather. Each one comes in handy during each stage of the writing process – especially editing.    
 
6) “Conquering Writer’s Block – When the Writing Gets Tough, the Writer Gets Tougher” by Lydia Sharp on The Sharp Angle. There are no words…..literally. I just can’t come up with how this perfectly gives a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a novel.

5) Another So You Think You Can Dance goodie!!! As we get closer and closer to deciding who America’s favorite dancer is, the pieces continue to get better and better. This week, I had 4 dances that I really wanted to highlight here, but I will settle with just 2:

Jordan & Tadd: This routine, choreographed by the wonderfully talented Travis Wall – no, I don’t have a crush. He’s just THAT good! I looooved this piece. Intensely beautiful!

Melanie & Marko: These two dancers were previously highlighted for their outstanding ‘statue dance’ a few weeks ago (if you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a link to that post). These two dancers have proved time and time again that they are the ones to beat in this competition, and once again, I had goosebumps!! The song they danced to, “Skin and Bones” by David J. Roch? Wow! That one has now been added to my writing playlist, and I have the perfect scene to run it on a loop to while editing!

4) “The Beauty of Books: Why The Literary vs. Genre Debate Isn’t Necessary” by Roni Loren of Fiction Groupie. Roni’s post on Wednesday, “How Fast Do You Have to Write to Build a Successful Career?”, moved a fellow blogger to comment, which then sparked into this wonderful post, opening the door to a great topic of discussion. Why don’t we let this one speak for itself, shall we? “The value and beauty of books is what they do for the reader. So if someone reads a literary memoir about the Holocaust and it makes them connect with the past and feel the anguish of what those people went through, that’s a powerful thing. However, if a woman is reading a romance in a hospital while she cares for her sick child and is able to escape from the current sadness in her own world, that is just as powerful in my opinion.” Right on, Roni!

3) “When a Character Won’t Cooperate” by Karen Essex, guest post on Writer Unboxed.  Listening to your characters is one of the most important things you can do when you’re writing. Karen learned this the same way I did: wanting my MC to be a strong, no holds-barred, independent female from the get-go. But then Avalyn spoke: “Where could I go from there? Why would anyone be interested in me if I didn’t grow into that?” A-ha! *lightbulb dings over my head**initial opening scene chucked* Listen to your MC, Muse, or whatever you call it! You may not like what they have to say, but somehow, they know what’s right and wrong in their story!

2) “Should We Write To Trends?” by Lisa Gail Green on Paranormal Point of View. This is exactly why I love the writing community. Everyone is open and honest and THEY GET IT!! Especially Lisa. Just because dystopians are hot right now, does not mean I should start writing it. Why? 2 reasons: 1: It may not be hot in two years when the times comes for the book to hit the shelves, 2: It’s not what’s in my heart! What is? Paranormal Romance (PNR) and Urban Fantasy(UF). Those genres are what make me tick. I enjoy reading them (although I will also read other genres also…if they’re THAT good), thus I thoroughly enjoy writing them. It’s a world I’m comfortable in. I can lay it all out on the page when I’m writing in this genre. Thank you, Lisa! YOU ROCK!

1) Here’s a fun video that I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I did. It’s called ‘Plot Device’. Description: “A young filmmaker obtains a mysterious device that unleashed the full force of cinema on his front lawn.” Writers, readers and movie-lovers alike will enjoy this. I found myself cracking up a few times. It’s a little long (at 9 min), but well worth the time!

Happy Reading Everyone!!!


Melinda

This Week In Favs……….

I hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th! I know I did ‘cause I got some major editing done…just in time for the fireworks too!

It’s been such a busy and exciting week in the blogosphere that I had a hard time choosing what was going to make the list, but here it is!

10) “Half Over?” by Katie on KT’s Korner. Kudos to Katie for putting her 2011 goals out there for the world to see! This got me thinking about my goals for 2011. I’m a total list person, due to my OCD, but something different happened on 12/31/10. When I rang in the new year, I didn’t really set too many because, well, normally when I do, I never meet them. If I don’t write them down, then I surpass the ones that were sitting in the back of my head the entire time. So, going with my ‘unspoken’ goals for the year, I’d say that I’m doing pretty good. I’ve made a real effort to work-out more (I’m 6’1” and I weigh 168.2 as of this morning – ha!), I’ve dove back into my writing, and I’ve continued to surround myself with positive people everyday. That’s all I wanted in 2011. Nothing too grand but not too small.

9) “Death by Critique – 6 Tips on How to Avoid It” by Roni Loren. Ahhh…. the elusive over-editing that can shred your novel and its characters into nothing more than empty words on the page. This is one for my book of writing and editing tips: the article minus the super-scary picture (no, not the grim reaper - the other one).

8) “When Your Character Doesn’t Act Like Herself” by Lisa Gail Green of Paranormal Point of View. I don’t behave the same way in every situation or surrounding, and I’m sure that you don’t either. Lisa’s post reminds writers to stay true to their MC(s). They’re people like the rest of us, fictional people, but people nonetheless. My MC, Avalyn, was in the back of my head, screaming “told ya so” on one particular scene when I *almost* kept her calm and reserve. She told me she really needed to just let it all hang out and go off on someone, so that’s what she got, and it worked beautifully. Needless to say, good ol’ lefty is on the lookout for when her actions in certain scenes don’t match up to her character arc.

7) “Voice Tips from the Pros” by Becca Puglisi from The Bookshelf Muse. These ladies have some of the best writing tips out there in the blogosphere! I remembered perusing their thesauruses for hours when I first discovered their blog, and here I am, several months later, super-excited to share one of their awesome posts that hit it home for me this week. Now, I don’t write YA, though I do read it from time to time, so not every pro’s tip was exactly perfect for me, but they each led to something more right for me in my adult paranormal/fantasy world. My MC has a voice and it does leap from the page, but guess what? I want more! So I started interviewing not just my MC, but all of my characters because they each have an individual voice that needs to be heard.

6) Congratulations are in order for Tina Moss! *throws confetti* She and Yelena Casale (her co-writer)’s MS, BLOOD BOND, placed 1st in Central Florida’s RWA Touch of Magic contest (Paranormal category)!! The final round judge, Meredith Giordan, an editor at Berkley, “…thought our main characters were very likeable, that the hook grabbed her attention, and would love to read the full MS.” I’m just as excited as Tina for Ms. Giordan’s use of the word love. This is a huge accomplishment!! Congratulations again, Tina! You rock!!!!

5) Another So You Think You Can Dance goodie! This week, the performances were great, so I had a hard time choosing. Okay, well not really. The Top 7 Guy Dancers were my choice the moment I saw their routine (which was within the first 20 minutes of the show). I love the power in their bodies and how they use it to express the emotion and movements of the music - which is Prague by Damien Rice – another song for my ever growing playlist!

4) “Why It’s Hard to Be A Writer” by Scott Tracey. Now this is a writer after my own heart! Yes, it’s hard to not only write, but finish a novel, revise said novel, to read and accept a bad critique, and it’s hard to find an agent. But we writers, we do it because we love to write. Period! Scott states this beautifully in this post and he’s right: “The best that any of us can hope for is to keep our head up. Because there’s nothing we’d rather do than write. And writing is the easy part.”

3) “The Green Lantern Movie: How *Not* to Plot a Story” & “The Green Lantern Movie: How *Not* to Write Characters” from Jami Gold. Wow! Can I just say that this post saved me some $$ AND offered great writing tips?!?!? I have to commend Jami for these two posts. When I saw Transformers 3 this past Sunday, I never even thought too much on the plot or the characters (Oh God! Sam was hilarious in the beginning of the movie), and that’s just because when it comes to Transformers, for me, it doesn’t matter. Now that I’ve read Jami’s posts, I’ve gone through the movie in my head, over and over again. Now, I want to watch a couple of bad movies I’ve watched recently…just so I can pick apart the ‘why’s’ on how they didn’t work.

2) “Fireworks” by Donald Maass. I’ve always followed, heeded, and taken action with everything that Mr. Maass has written. My copy of “Writing the Breakout Novel” has highlights galore on its pages. Needless to say, my left brain is soooooo loving this post from him and eagerly seeking out those events, characters, sentences, and entrances/exits, and looking for ways to work with my right brain in making them explode and come alive, just like the Macy’s fireworks display in NYC this past Sunday night. (and if you haven’t read about my Right vs. Left peace treaty, check out yesterday’s post)

1) It’s time for a Simon’s Cat treat! I haven’t posted one of these since my first post and a new one was posted two weeks ago: “Hidden Treasure”.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

Happy Reading!

Melinda