This Week in Favs…

Playing on the Zune:  Follow Me by Muse

Social Media and Author Websites

9 Amazing Blogs for Writers on Mythic Scribes

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On the Craft

How to Keep Your Audience Interested by Writing Long-Term Story Arcs on Copyblogger

What Does It Really Take to Be a Die-Hard Writer? by Jody Hedlund

The Writing Toolbox on Thinking Through Our Fingers

5 Things a Writer Can Do to Evolve by Angela Ackerman on W.I.P. It

My Favorite Writing Advice – Write Like a Mother****er by Shelli Johnson

Choosing a Story Idea: 4 Questions Every Romance Writer Should Ask Themselves by Courtney Carpenter

When It’s Time to Let Go: Abandoning a Novel by Jordon McCollum

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Writerly Inspiration

Inspiration and Costs by Scott Tracey

Ten Tips for Taking Time Off by Wendy Lawson

Living on the Edge of Confidence and Self-Doubt by Nathan Bransford

5 Ways to Deal With Failure by Rachelle Gardner

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On Editing, Critiquing, Querying, Publishing and more…

10 Crazy Things People Say to Writers on Fiction Notes

The More You Learn, The More You Realize You Have a Long Way to Go by Scott Eagan

10 New Year’s Resolutions for Writers by Keith Cronin

How Do We Handle Rejection and Keep on Pressing? by Kristen Lamb

Can Writers Reuse Their Own Work? by Jami Gold

What Genre Will be Red Hot in 2013? on Smexy Books Romance Reviews

10 Writing (and Life) Lessons I Learned From My Dog by Jenny Hansen

Perfecting the Query Letter Part 4 by Lynette Labelle

Are Ebooks Changing How We Write? by Kevin McLaughlin

How Do You Find a Literary Agent? by Rachelle Gardner

Gifts for Writers by Nephele Temptest

Five Tips to Determine If Your Manuscript is Ready to Send Out or “But My Mother Loves My Book…” on Where Writers Win

Fan Fiction to Published Book: A Case Study by Jami Gold

Tips for Greater Productivity, Part 2 by Annie Neugebauer

How to Ignore an Editor’s Suggestions and Still Fix Your Novel by Roz Morris

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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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Just For Laughs:

 

Here’s one of the latest Simon’s Cat cartoons

 

Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!

Melinda

This Week in Favs…

Playing on the Zune: Had Enough by Breaking Benjamin

Social Media and Author Websites

The Forest Gump Guide to Attracting Readers and Becoming a Legend by Stanford on Pushing Social

Hashtags to Connect With Readers on Fiction Notes

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On the Craft

Knowledge is Power But Story is King by Mooderino

Creativity Advice from CRACKED.com by Mike Mullin

Could You Write the Next ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’? on Write to Done

Adapting Story Structure for Any Project on The Bookshelf Muse

Writing the Heart of Your Story by Joanna Penn

Actions and Reactions: The End-All-Be-All of Storytelling by Jami Gold

The Secret To a Successful Concept by Larry Brooks

How to Write Smart, Not Fast on Write to Done

NaNo Wrap-up, Part 2: Can Slow Writers Win Too? by Jami Gold

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Writerly Inspiration

NaNoWriMo Next Steps: Bringing Books to Life by Cate Russell-Cole

Healing Creative Injuries by Cate Russell-Cole

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On Editing, Critiquing, Querying, Publishing and more…

Procrastination: Don’t Put Off Dealing With It on The Writer’s Relief

21 Ways to Support Your Favorite Authors, Bloggers and Artists by Janet Boyer

The Fine Art of Conquering Impatience by C.S. Lakin

Why The End Isn’t The End by Tawna Fenske

Change is Not the Enemy on Writer Unboxed

The Victims of the Penguin & Random House Merger: Literary Agents by Ella Delany

From Debut to Multi-Published: What I’ve Learned In My 1st Year as a Published Author by Roni Loren

How to Survive a Critique by Marcy Kennedy

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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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This week on the blog:

 

Disappearing Acts and Amazing News
 

 Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!

Melinda

This Week in Favs…

Playing on the Zune: The Kill (Bury Me) by Thirty Seconds to Mars

Social Media and Author Websites

 

Social Media and the Author by Lynda K. Scott

What Not to Blog About by Rachelle Gardner

What Does Your Online Activity Say About You? by Rachelle Gardner

How do I Balance Marketing and Writing by Chip MacGregor

Blogging – What’s the Point? by Marji Laine

10 Marketing Techniques That Annoy Potential Readers by Nathan Bransford

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On the Craft

 

Writer’s Block – What Is It & How Can You Avoid It by Jim Denney

The Biggest Problem Facing the Beginning Novelist – And 6 Tips for Avoiding It by Anne R. Allen

Stay on Target: When is Subplot Leading You Astray? by Janice Hardy

Want to Be Read 100 Years From Now? Here’s How by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Series vs. Stand-Alone: What Should We Work on Next? by Jami Gold

Five Common First-Chapter Mistakes by Jody Hedlund

Writing Lessons Learned from JUST LISTEN by Julie Musil

Thesaurus Pros and Cons by Carolyn Kaufman

NaNo Check-In: Lessons from the Halfway Point by Jami Gold

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Writerly Inspiration

 

Next Steps: How to ‘Do More’ with Your Writing by Sarah Baughman

9 Daily Habits That Will Make You Happier by Geoffrey James

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On Editing, Critiquing, Querying, Publishing and more…

How to Digitally Format Your Book on Where Writers Win

Love Your Book? Choose a Great Cover by August McLaughlin

ABC’s of Writing – (S)ubmissions Tell Us More than Simply About Your Book by Scott Eagan

Beware the Subtleties by Lynne Price

What to Do When Your Books Aren’t Anything by Jeffe Kennedy

Don’t Shrink from Synopses! by Laura Drake

Write Tip: Advice From the Slushpile – 8 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Submitting Manuscripts by Bryan Thomas Schmidt

Writerly Uses for Microsoft Excel – Part 1 by Jenny Hansen

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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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This week on the blog:

 

 

Writing Resource: Movie Firearms Database

 

 

Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!

Melinda

This Week in Favs….

Playing on the Zune: You Call Me a Bitch Like It’s a Bad Thing by Halestorm

Social Media and Author Websites

 

How to Use Google+ as an Author Platform on Write to Done

3 Social Media Myths that Can Cripple Our Author Platform by Kristen Lamb

Which is the Best Social Media for Connecting With Readers? by Jody Hedlund

Are Writers Too Insulated from Their Readers? guest post by Mike Duran on Rachelle Gardner’s blog

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On the Craft

 

 

“When” Are You Telling? The Trouble with When Statements by Janice Hardy

In Storytelling, Emotion Trumps All by S.P. Sipal

Hiding in the Writing Closet: Good or Bad? by Jody Hedlund

Characters We Love to Write (and Read!) by Martina Boone

Who to Write Compelling Antagonists by K.M. Weiland

Three Commons Dialogue Challenges and How to Beat Them by Marcy Kennedy

Guest Author Paul Anthony Shortt: First Steps on The Other Side of the Story with Janice Hardy

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Writerly Inspiration

 

Why It’s Not the Critic Who Matters by Shelli Johnson

Life Lessons from the “Epic Road Trip” by Jami Gold

Losing Perspective on Your Writing: Does This Sing or Suck? by Roni Loren

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On Editing, Critiquing, Querying, Publishing and more…

 

 

Why I Signed With a Traditional Publisher by Livia Blackburne

Learning to Love the Pitch by Sara Pinneo

Manners Matter: 13 Etiquette Tips by Rachelle Gardner

Writer’s Roadmap – Using Excel to Keep Your Novel Organized by Laura Drake

Most New Authors Sell Fewer than 100 Books – But You Can Sell Much, Much More! on Write to Done

2 Ways Your Brain is Wired to Undermine Your Story – And What To Do About It by Lisa Cron

Write Strong – Is Your Dialogue Doing Double Duty? by Shannon Donnelly

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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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This week on the blog:

 

 

The Key to Surviving NaNoWriMo: Don’t “Should” Yourself, Don’t Stress, Have Fun

 

Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!

Melinda

This Week in Favs…

Playing on the Zune: Love Bites (So Do I) by Halestorm

Social Media and Author Websites

 Branding: Know Thy Audience by Jean Oram

Facebook vs. Twitter: Where the Readers Are by Roni Loren

How to Be a Good Commenter by John Scalzi

How “Personal” Should Writers Get on Social Media? by Kristen Lamb

Blogs vs. Vlogs by Michelle Gagnon on The Kill Zone

7 Ways Twitter Sharpens Your Writing by David Masters on Write to Done

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 On the Craft

Black Swan – The Trick to Inner and Outer Demons by Kristen Lamb

Breaking Story Structure by Mark Landen

Writing a Novel: Focus on Premise from the Writer’s Digest blog

Dialogue Clinic on Moody Writing

Start Me Up: Planning and Writing a First Draft by Janice Hardy

Writing Historical Paranormal – Double Your Worlds, Double Your Fun! by Lisa Kessler on the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranomal Chapter of RWA’s blog

Throwing It Away and Starting Over by C. Hope Clark

Texture: Using Details to Make Your World Unique by Nephele on The Knight Agency blog

Five Key Ways to Make Your Characters Memorable by Jordan Dane on The Kill Zone

7 Tricks to Add Variety to Your Dialogue by Marcy Kennedy

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 Writerly Inspiration

How to Get Your Mojo Back In 10 Easy Steps by Shelli Johnson

Why Does Fear Exist? by Marcy Kennedy

5 Tips to Overcome Fear of Rejection by Lori Freeland on Novel Rocket

I Get Knocked Down But I Get Up Again by PJ Parrish on The Kill Zone

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 On Editing, Critiquing, Querying, Publishing and more…

 How NOT to Pitch by Marji Laine

Critique Partners: They’re Not Optional by Ava Jae on Writability

The High Bar of Finding an Agent or Publisher by Jami Gold

New Adult by Meredith Barnes

The Paid Reviews Scandal and What It Means for the Future by James Scott Bell on The Kill Zone

The Editor Will See You Now: Harper Voyager to Accept Unagented Manuscripts by Kimberly Turner on Lit Reactor

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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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This week on the blog: 

 How to Write 5k In a Day

Photo by Kristin Nador

Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!

Melinda

This Week In Favs….And the Winner of The Emotion Thesaurus PDF Giveaway!

 The winner of The Emotion Thesaurus PDF giveaway is *drumroll*……… *more drumroll*……..

SUSAN!!!!!

Congratulations, Susan! *throws confetti*

Angela will send over your winnings soon! :)

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Now, onto this week’s weekly round-up of writerly blogs!

Playing on the Zune: All In by Lifehouse

**As promised, because I’ve missed the last two weeks of round-ups, we have an extra, extra, extra helping of writing blogs on the round-up this week!!!

ENJOY!

Social Media and Author Websites

 20 Economical Book Marketing Techniques on Self-Publishing Review

13 Simple Tips for a Better Blog by Rachelle Gardner

Thoughtful Blog Reading: Habits and Perks by August McLaughlin

Should You Preschedule Tweets? by Meghan Ward on Writerland

8 Tips for Promoting Your Book Online by Rachelle Gardner

‘Social’ Media: Author Ignorance by Porter Anderson on Writer Unboxed

Top Five Creepy Social Media Marketing Tactics by Kristen Lamb

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 On the Craft  

Great Characters – The Beating Heart of Great Fiction by Kristen Lamb on Warrior Writers

Spotlight on Subtext: When Characters Are Liars, guest post by Angela Ackerman on Jami Gold’s blog

Michael Hauge’s Workshop: Are These Characters the Perfect Match? by Jami Gold

Michael Hauge’s Workshop: Combining Emotional Journeys and External Plots by Jami Gold

The Inner Struggle: Guides for Using Inner Conflict that Make Sense by Janice Hardy

How to Outline a Story by Lynda R. Young on W.I.P. It: An Author’s Journey

5 Reasons Why Your Opening Scene is Like a Blind Date by Marissa on Adventures in YA & Children’s Publishing

25 Things You Should Know About Metaphor by Chuck Wendig

Writing Lessons Learned from WHERE IT BEGAN by Julie Musil

Character Arcs? by C.S. Lakin on Live Write Thrive

8 Ways to Write Without Every Touching the Keyboard by Marissa on Adventures in YA & Children’s Publishing

Folks Talk About a Writer’s Toolbox, but Do You Actually Have One? by Angela Quarles

Too Many “Cooks” In Our Fiction: The Biggest Lesson I Learned from Book One by August McLaughlin

The Uncomfortable Pantser: When Your Method Doesn’t Fit Your Personality by Roni Loren

Obstacles in Stories: 3 Ways to Turn Hills into Mountains by Jody Hedlund

Beware of This Sly Writer’s Enemy by Jody Hedlund

What is Keeping Your Heroine and Hero Apart? Is it Enough? by Scott Eagan

Finding Your Novel’s Theme and Your Universal Theme by Roni Loren

2 + 5 = 5 – Adding Up by Lynn Price on the Behler Blog

Make Your Reader Uncomfortable by C. Hope Clark

How Does Your Villain Grow? by Lynette Labelle

12 Lessons Learned from 12 Years of Writing by Demian Farnworth on Copyblogger

How to Create Conflict in a One Character Scene by Lynette Labelle

Ask a Writer: “How Do I Write What the Audience Wants to Read?” by Chuck Wendig

5 Basics About Dialogue You Need to Know by Marcy Kennedy

You’re Reading It Wrong: How to Not Treat Your Readers by Daniel Swensen

The Power of THEME, guest post by Dr. John Yeoman on The Bookshelf Muse

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 Writerly Inspiration

I Believe I Am Really a Writer by James Scott Bell

This Product Prevents Literary Wedgies. Good for Multiple Users by Jan O’Hara on Writer Unboxed

The Care and Feeding of Writers by Lynda R. Young on W.I.P. It: An Author’s Journey

12 Sure-Fire Ways to Find Great Ideas for Your Writing by Ali on Aliventures

The Writer’s Golden Hour: Making the Most of Our Time by August McLaughlin

Start Doing What You Love Right Now! by Jody Hedlund

Michael Hauge’s Workshop: You’re the Hero of Your Life by Jami Gold

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 On Editing, Critiquing, Querying, Publishing and more…

The Publishing Process in GIF Form by Nathan Brandford

Bookstores vs. Backlist: A New Decision by Jami Gold

Book Signings Beyond the Bookstore by Joan Rhine on Left-Brained Business for Write-Brained People

What it Feels Like When Your Writing is Rejected – and How to Bounce Back by Ali on Aliventures

Tips to Indie Success by Tonya Kappes

Staying Balanced in the Confusing Modern Industry by Jody Hedlund

Common Reasons for Rejection by Scott Eagan

How to Use Brainstorming to Edit by Ava Jae on Writability

5 Key Qualities of the High-Value Writer by Jenny Hansen

 Indie Author Advises to “Just Do It”, guest post by Dan Holloway on Live Write Thrive

If You Can’t Say It Succinctly Then Don’t Say It At All by Lydia Sharp

When to Stop Fine Tuning by Lisa Gail Green

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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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This week on the blog: 

 The Emotion Thesaurus: Got Fear? – Guest Post by Angela Ackerman

Photo by Lynn Kelley via WANA Commons

Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!
Melinda

This Week in Favs…

Social Media and Author Websites

Social Media is an Imperfect Sales Tool. Use it Anyway. by Nathan Bransford

Six Sinister Blog Time Wasters by Stanford on Pushing Social

The Bodacious Blogger’s Essential Ingredients by August McLaughlin

7 Tips for Turning Your Blog into a Book by Brian A. Klems on Writer’s Digest blog

How Much Interaction Should Authors Have With Readers? by Jodi Hedlund

5 Habits That Make Me a More Creative Blogger (and Writer) by Judy Dunn on Cat’s Eye Writer

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On the Craft

Writing Fiction With the 1-3-1 Method by Teresa Frohock

Writing Characters Worth Reading by Mooderino on Moody Writing

Writing as MMORPG: Building Your Writing Addiction by Daniel Swensen on Surly Muse

Who’s There? Introducing Characters in a Scene on The Other Side of the Story by Janice Hardy

Writing Dangers: Shiny New Idea Syndrome by Ava Jae on Writability

Finding Time to Write: Making Hard Choices by Amie Kaufman on Pub(lishing) Crawl

How to Write a Best Seller – Advice from an Olympic Medal Winner, guest post by Dr. John Yeoman on Write to Done

The Drama Bomb – Drop it!, guest post by Mario Acevedo on Writers in the Storm blog

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Writerly Inspiration

Monday Motivation: Know You CAN DO IT! by Scott Eagan

Think Like an Author by Danyelle Leaftyl on QueryTracker.net

Icarus and My Fear of the Sun by Marcy Kennedy

Respecting Your Natural Rhythms by Barbara O’Neal on Writer Unboxed

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On Editing, Critiquing, Querying, Publishing and more…

When Editing Is NOT Enough! by Tonya Kappes

Digital Publishing – A Marathon, Not a Sprint by C.S. Lakin on Live Write Thrive

What Will Make an Agent Gong Your Pages by Roni Loren

Don’t Think Too Much, You’ll Create a Problem That Wasn’t Even There, guest post by Julie Musil on Adventures in YA & Children’s Publishing

Rankings or Dollars by Terry ODell

10 Tips for Attending a Writers’ Conference by Annie Neugebauer

Mastering Your Author Headshot with Photographer Ken Dapper by August McLaughlin

The Truth and Nothing but the Truth on Promotion and Publicity for Debut Authors by Joanna Volpe on Pub(lishing) Crawl

All About Advances by Rachelle Gardner

What Does the Editing Process Look Like? by Rachelle Gardner

5 Things Every Author Needs to Understand About Self-Publishing by James Scott Bell on The Kill Zone

Break it Down: Trimming Words From a Too-Long Manuscript on The Other Side of the Story with Janice Hardy

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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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This week on the blog: 

 Structure of a Scene, Part One: Scene & Sequel

Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!

Melinda