This Week in Favs...Is Retiring (For Now)

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After a lot of thinking, and thinking, and thinking, I have decided that it's time for me to temporarily retire my Week in Favs posts.

This decision has been in the works for quite a while - since November, actually - and it wasn't until I read Stina Lindenblatt's post announcing that she was retiring her Cool Links Friday posts, that I finally decided to retire my post as well.

Stina's reasonings mirror my own, and so once again, I felt a little relieved at knowing WE ARE NOT ALONE. I also felt a little sad because I enjoy sharing the best posts of the week with my fellow writers.

But the time has come to buckle down and concentrate on my writing. With the additional four to five hours a week that I would normally spend on perusing the blogging world for the best writing posts I can find, I'll be able to concentrate on not only my writing, but also on bringing all of you better quality writing posts. And maybe some more music posts. And maybe some movie posts.

So... today I will not say 'goodbye' to This Week in Favs. Instead, I will say 'goodbye for now' because I'm sure that somewhere down the road I'll end up missing it and will end up incorporating the posts back into my schedule. Not sure when, but it'll always remain an option for me.  :)

Thank you for understanding, and for visiting my blog on Friday's to catch up on the great posts our fellow authors have written throughout the last year and a half. *BIG HUGS*

My blogging schedule will now be Tuesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays I'll continue to reserve for writerly posts, and Fridays I'll now reserve for fun stuff - music, movies, and anything else my heart desires that week. :)

As always, Happy Reading & Writing, Everyone!!!
Melinda

This Week in Favs - 1.25.2013

Playing on the Zune: Night of the Hunter by 30 Seconds to Mars
 
 

Social Media, Blogging, and Author Websites

A Tip for Getting Readers to Your Blog by Lucille Zimmerman on WordServe Water Cooler

Social Media Just for Writers by Stina Lindenblatt

Character Development: Morals & Ideology by Ava Jae

Writer Wednesday: Goodreads vs. Facebook Ads - an Experiment - Part I and Part II by Angela Quarles

The Power of a Reader's Word of Mouth by Jody Hedlund

 

 

On Writing Craft

 
Three Steps for Creating Believable Character Emotions by Marcy Kennedy

Researching Your Novel: Dos and Don'ts by Carolyn Kaufman

13 Writing Lessons from Stephen King's On Writing on Writers Write

Why Cliffhangers Keep Your Readers in Your Raft by J.E. Fishman on Men With Pens

Will Omniscient POV Ever Be Popular Again? by Jami Gold

What I Learned While Writing My First Sequel by Amy Christine Parker

How Can We Avoid Cookie-Cutter Writing? by Jody Hedlund

 

 

 

Inspiration for Writers 

An Author's Confessional: 15 Authors Talk About The Biggest Obstacle in Their Writing Life by Charissa Weaks

Keep Dreaming... Even When They Think You're Nuts by Jeff Goins 

 

On Editing, Critiquing, and Querying

 

 Naked in the Mud Puddle: on the Vulnerability of Critique by Amber Belldene

I Love Writing Synopses! by Gina Conroy 

  

 

The Industry and More...
 

E-Books Destroying Traditional Publishing? The Story's Not That Simple by Zoe Chance on NPR

Deciding Between Traditional and Self-Publishing by Rachelle Gardner

25 Hard Truths About Writing and Publishing by Chuck Wendig

8 Ways to Help Your Favorite Author by Rachelle Gardner

Enemies of Art Part 1 - Approval Addiction and Enemies of Art Part 2 - Psychic Vampires by Kristen Lamb

The Wrong Goodbye of Barnes and Noble on The Passive Voice

A Rejection Doesn't Mean the Industry Is Out to Get You by Scott Eagan

Self-Publishing Success Stories: The Anatomy of a Kindle Bestseller on The Creative Penn

A Few Posts Every Writer Should Read

 

Plagiarism and Terrell Mims - A Chronic Care of EPIC Stupid by Kristen Lamb 

 

Behave.. The Internet Never Forgets by Jami Gold
 

 

Other Weekly Round-Ups

 

 The Author Chronicles’ Top Picks Thursday

Roni Loren’s Fill-Me-In Friday

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

 

 

 

This Week on the Blog...

 

What's Your Biggest Obstacle? 
 

Photo Credit

 

 
 
 
Happy Reading & Writing, Everyone!
-Melinda

What's Your Biggest Obstacle?

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Last week I was approached by the lovely Charissa Weaks to join in on some writing fun - er, yeah, we'll go with *fun* - and talk about the biggest obstacle I've faced as a writer. Of course I was excited to oblige, Charissa's an all-around awesome person (who I can't wait to meet in person one day), and hey, let's face it, I'm a writer, and I've definitely had struggles. :)

When it came down to decided which was my biggest, I actually had to make a list, then score each obstacle to find which I'd consider my biggest. And, well, this should come as no surprise - since I've addressed it here and here and here on the blog before - but my biggest obstacle would be time management.

This is something I believe many of us face throughout our writing careers. Something we each struggle with from time to time, especially in those moments where we're up against a deadline and things just seem to fall apart at home. Something we should have a constant reminder of before it's too late and we end up burning ourselves out from trying be everything to everyone.

While I do have a few other obstacles that I've faced, and continue to face, as an author, but since Charissa asked for my "biggest" obstacle, I definitely had to go with time management. But if she'd asked for a quick list of what I felt my obstacles were, well ... let's just say there'd be quite a few. ;)

Charissa's put together a great post where she's asked many other authors - such as Jami Gold, Angela Ackerman, and Misty D. Waters - to talk about the struggles they've faced in their writing lives.

Please head over to Charissa's blog, have a read, and join the conversation! Tell us what obstacles you've faced and how you've dealt with the hurdle.

See you there! :)