Links of Interest to Writers

Information on writing I've found helpful!

• TED Talks:  Success, Failure and the Drive to Keep Creating by Elizabeth Gilbert @GilbertLiz
• Yes, even Elizabeth Gilbert received rejection slips. In this video she shares how she could carry on despite the success of Eat, Pray, Love.

• The BookBaby Blog:  Writing by Hand, or Typing:  When Are You The Most Creative? by Chris Robley @ChrisRobley
• Interesting question. I've found that my writing is different when I write by hand versus writing on the computer. I don't know that's it more creative, but I've found it helpful to switch off, especially when I'm stuck or confused about my writing.

• Write for Kids: Top Editor Emma Dryden on Working with Editors and Acting Professionally  @drydenbks @write4kids
• I heard Emma Dryden speak at an SCBWI Oregon Retreat. This video has great information about working with an independent editor.

• Beyond Paper Editing: 25 Word Lists for Writers by Corina Koch MacLeod @CKmacleodwriter
• Writers love lists! In this blog post, we find links to lists of Needless Words, Craft Words, Genre Words, Words from Other Languages, Misused & Mispelled Words.

• Aine Greaney, Writer:  6 Lame Writer Excuses (and 6 Reality Checks) @AineGreaney
• After reading this, you won't have an excuse not to write today!

Links of Interest to Writers

Do a little reading about writing to get you in the mood!

• The Write Now! Coach:  5 Ways to Use a Journal to Boost Writing Productivity by Rochelle Melander @WriteNowCoach

• The Purple Crayon/Harold Underdown:  Who's Moving Where?  News & Staff Changes at Children's Book Publishers @HUnderdown This frequently updated page on The Purple Crayon website keeps you in the loop on changes at publishing houses!

• Unleaded - Fuel for Writers:  No Outlining Involved:  5 Pre-Story Time Saving Tips for Pantsers by Linda Maye Adams @lindaadamsva 

• The Review Review:  21 Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Started Writing:  Must-Read Advice for Writers at All Levels by Robin Black @Robin_Black

• Writers Helping Writers:  Get the Scoop on Fair Image Usage by Doug Langille  @douglangille @beccapuglisi 

• Bad Language:  16 Go-To Sources for Copyright-Cleared Images by by Katelyn Piontek @KatelynPiontek @mstibbe

Links of Interest to Writers

Writing today? Why not read some inspiration first?

• Charlotte Rains Dixon:  The Creative Trance

• How To Plan, Write, & Develop a Book:  Patterns of Change -- How Do You Create Strong Conflict in Your Fiction or Memoir? by Mary Carroll Moore

• Writer's Digest:  7 Ways To Create a Killer Opening Line for Your Novel by Jacob M. Appel

• Marcy Kennedy:  What To do When Your Loved Ones Want You To Quit Your Dream

• Positive Writer:  How To Motivate Yourself Right Now! by Bryan Hutchinson

• Wordserve Water Cooler:  Ten (Plus) Tips on Humor Writing by Dena Dyer

Links of Interest to Writers

Happy writing!

• Anne R. Allen's Blog:  Is Writing a Hobby or a Profession for You? Why Either Path Can Be a Good Choice

• Fiction Notes:  If You Only Do One Revision, Do This by Darci Pattison

• The Write Now Coach:  Set your Writing Goals for 2014 by Rochelle Melander (That's right - it's not too late!)

• Jane Friedman:  What Do You Want From Your Writing in 2014 -- And Beyond? by Dan Holloway

• QueryTracker:  11 Tips for Making a Book Trailer by Stina Lindenblatt

• Pretentious Title:  FAQ:  To Blog or Not to Blog by Rachel Aaron

Links of Interest to Writers

How are you doing on those resolutions? Stop worrying about it and read!

• G5:  The ONE Thing All Successful People Do by Stephanie Carter

• The Creative Penn:  Writing Fiction:  Creating Friction With Clashing Personalities by Angela Ackerman

• QueryTracker:  Five Query Mistakes That Make You Look Like An Amateur by Ash Krafton

• The Write Practice:  3 Writing Tips You Can Steal From Animators by Joe Bunting

• Romance University:  Taking Control of Your Writing Career with a Business Plan with Amy Denim

• The Seekers:  Creating Characters One Layer at a Time - Layer Three - Is it American Idol? Nope, it's The Voice by Mary Connealy

Links of Interest to Writers

Have you gotten your writing off to a good start in 2014? Here's some reading to motivate you!

• The Write Practice:  Three Life-Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer by Katie Axelson

• Jessica Spotswood:  2013:  A Learning Year:  Managing Expectations (An honest look at publishing a debut novel.)

• Entrepreneur:  8 Steps to Having Wildly Productive Mornings by James Clear

• Writer's Fun Zone:  Draw Your Readers In:  The Game of Contrasts by Wyatt Bessing

• Matthew Schuler:  Why Creative People Sometimes Make No Sense

• Adventures in YA Publishing:  Craft of Writing:  Downsizing Your Novel:  What to Keep & What to Throw Away by Carolyn Meyer

Links of Interest to Writers

It's a new year! Vow to read more about writing. Here's a start.

• Mind Openerz:  21 Habits of Happy People (A happy writer is a productive writer. Why not start off the year being happy?)

• Mythic Scribes:  6 Tips for Writing a Knockout Fight Scene by Codey Amprim

• BuzzFeed:  How to Write a Picture Book by Max Barnett & Taylor Norman

• We Grow Media:  The Small Moments by Dan Blank (When setting your big goals, it's important to also think about the small moments that can mean a lot to your progress.)

• StoryFix:  The Key to Writing an Inherently Episodic Story ... Effectively by Larry Brooks

• Institute of Children's Literature:  Wishing Up Good Goals by Jan Fields

Links of Interest to Writers

Are you writing today?

• Courage 2 Create:  How to Keep Yourself Grounded When Writing Away From Home by Ollin Morales

• Writer's First Aid:  Course Corrections by Kristi Holl

• The Seekers:  Using Poetry in Your Novel by Sandra Leesmith

• Nick Daw's Writing Blog:  How To Be Your Own Agent, Whether You Have One or Not by Joe Mynhardt

• Stavros Halvatzis:  How to Use Coincidence in Stories

• A Writer's Wings:  The Seven Deadly Sins of World Building by Cynthia D. Griffin

Links of Interest to Writers

For those in the United States, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Here are a few articles to read while digesting all that food! (Those living outside the U.S. can just eat a lot of food and enjoy the articles without having to put up with all those family members.)

• The Business of Being an Author:  How Hard Will You Work to Fulfill Your Dream? by Marquita Herald

• The Narrative Breakdown (Podcast):  Storytelling in Front of a Live Audience with Melanie Hamlett

• The Write Conversation : Tips to Adjust Your Writing Schedule and Enjoy the Holidays 

• WUSF:  What Children's Authors Make of Common Core & Education Policy by Sammy Mack
• Book Riot:  Common Core:  What it Means for Fiction in Schools by Josh Corman

• Flavorwire:  The Greatest Monsters in Children's Literature by Alison Nastasi

• The New York Times Sunday Book Review:  100 Notable Books of 2013

Links of Interest to Writers

Spent a great four days at a Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators retreat at Silver Falls State Park near Silverton, Oregon. What fun to be in the company of other writers and talk writing, walk writing, and sleep writing! Inspiring and motivating. A similar feeling happens when I read blog posts with great writing advice like these:

• Lauren Sapala:  The One Thing You're Doing to Block Your Writing Success

• Mystery Writing is Murder:  The Ability to Single-Task by Elizabeth S. Craig

• Writers Helping Writers:  Mystery Writing Basics:  Characters & Plot by Staci Troilo

• An Intense Life:  The Elusive Search for Balance by Christine Fonseca

• Slate:  A Textual Analysis of The Hunger Games:  Suzanne Collins' favorite adjectives, adverbs, & ways of starting a sentence. By Ben Blatt

• The New York Times Sunday Review:  Art Makes You Smart by Brian Kisida, Jay P. Greene, & Daniel H. Bowen

Links of Interest to Writers

Here are some writing articles full of great advice!

• W.I.P It:  8 Benefits of Writing by Lynda R. Young

• Angela Booth's Writing Blog:  Flow:  The Ideal Writing Mind State

• From the Write Angle:  A Case for "Nicer" Villains by R. C. Lewis

• Babbles from Scott Eagan:  What Makes Your Story Stand Out?

• Jamie Gold:  Using Conflict to Understand Our Characters

• Judy Lee Dunn:  Can You Name 99 Things You Love in 10 Minutes?

• Writer's First Aid:  Thinking:  First Backward and Then Forward

Links of Interest to Writers

Learn something new about writing!

• Adventures in YA Publishing:  Inspired Openings:  Write to Discover by Todd Mitchell

• All Write - Fiction Advice:  How to Write Dramatic Dialogue

• Brain Pickings:  How Hans Christian Andersen Revolutionized Storytelling, Plus the Best Illustrations from 150 Years of His Beloved Fairy Tales

• Anne R. Allen's Blog:  Are Your Family & Friends Sabotaging Your Writing Dreams?

• Writer's Circle:  Tech Tools for Writers:  Storyometer by Stephanie Ostroff

• Author Magazine:  An Interview with Andre Dubus III

Links of Interest to Writers

It's NaNoWriMo time! Write like a house on fire!

• Marion Dane Bauer:  Creating Characters

• YALSA - The Hub:  Dealing with Death in YA Lit

• Writer Unboxed:  Newton's Law for Novelists by Donald Maass

• Terrible Minds:  NaNoWriMo Dialogues:  "I Think I Suck and I'm Not a Real Writer" (A great flow chart to help you determine if you're a "real" writer!)

• Positive Writer:  Shattering the Myths about the Midas Touch and Success by Brian Hutchinson

• Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers:  NaNoWriMo Plot and Writing Schedule & Resources for 11/13

• Paulo Coelho's Blog:  Ideal Conditions Don't Exist

Links of Interest to Writers

Learn something new today!

• Adventures in Agentland:  Copyright Basics:  All You Ever Really Didn't Want to Know (and More) by Natalie Lakosil

• GalleyCat:  Can You Include Song Lyrics in Your Book? by Jason Boog

• YA Muses:  Finding Your Story's True North by Lia Keyes

• Harvard Business Review:  Why You Might Make a Better Decision After a Quick Game of Solitaire by Andrew O'Connell

• Write to Done:  5 Ways Your Journal Can Take You Deeper into Your Story by Claire DeBoer

• Amy Tan on Historical Research

• Writer Unboxed:  You Want to Write, or Do You Want to Be a Writer? by Julianna Baggott 

Links of Interest to Writers

A toast to writers everywhere!

• The Write Practice:  How Original Are You? by Sophie Novak

• The Character Therapist:  Helping NonWriting Partners "Get" Your Passion

• Jamie Gold:  How to Avoid a Sagging Middle in Our Stories

• A Writer's Journey:  Eliminate Unnecessary Stage Directions

• Kristen Lamb's Blog:  Novels & The "Knockout" Ending

• All Write - Fiction Advice:  Why You Should Back Your Characters into Corners

• Jody Hedlund:  Having Self-Discipline All Year (Not Just During NaNo)

Links of Interest to Writers

Study your reading to see if the writing works!

• How to Plan, Write, & Develop a Book:  Dialogue Dos & Don'ts:  Crafting Lively & Believable Back-and-Forth on the Pages of Your Book by Mary Carroll Moore

• Amanda Bumgarner:  Head Hopping:  What it Looks Like & Why You Shouldn't Do It

• The Write Practice:  Writer's Block? Try Getting Visual by Joe Bunting

• The Daring Novelist:  Story Game:  The Situation Worksheet by Camille LaQuire

• Mythic Scribes:  Case Study:  Using Villains to Shape Your Hero by Brian DeLeonard

• The New York Times:  Slaves of the Internet, Unite! by Tim Kreider

• Ink & Angst:  A NaNoWriMo Toolkit:  Practical Tip, Apps, & Playlists  (NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month)

Links of Interest to Writers

Hope you find one of these articles helpful in motivating your writing!

• i09:  10 Ways to Make Everyone Root for Your Amoral Protagonist by Charlie Jane Anders

• The Atlantic:  The 8 Habits of Highly Successful Young-Adult Fiction Authors by Nolan Feeney

• dwiFilms:  How to Speed Read (YouTube)

• Project Eve:  Amateur Blogging:  Getting Started

• Live, Write, Thrive:  Use Camera Angles to Supercharge Your Novel by C. S. Laken

• YARN:  Commit to Your Writing Now...And Later.

• HootSource:  5 Authors Using Social Media to Reach Readers & Sell Books by Alyssa Kritsch

Links of Interest to Writers

Happy writing!

• Anne R. Allen's Blog:  Social Media Secrets for Authors, Part IV:  How Not to Spam (I wish more authors would follow this advice!)

• Beyond the Margins:  Do This! Don't Do That! To Outline or Not:  That is the Question by Randy Susan Meyers

• Writer's Digest:  Should You Quit Your Day Job to Write Full Time? by Zachary Petit

• Writers Helping Writers:  Finding Your Character's Weakness by Angela Ackerman

• Live Write Thrive:  Harnessing the Storm in Your Brain through Mind Map

• The Creative Penn:  How to Get in the Zone and Stay in It with Tom Evans [Podcast]

• Copyblogger:  The Power of Mystery by Demian Farnsworth

Links of Interest to Writers

Advice from the masters!

• Brain Pickings:  Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Tips on How to Write a Great Story

• Amanda Bumgardner:  On Avoiding Unnecessary Narration

• The Write Practice:  What are Stock Characters and How Can They Enliven Your Story by Liz Bureman

• QueryTracker:  Ten Things I Need to Tell You. . .About Dreams Coming True by Rosie Genova

• Writer's Digest/Brian Klems' Blog: 6 Secrets of Writing a Novel by Steven James

• The Writers Alley:  Deb Raney on Time Management 101

• Luc Reid:  Still Not Getting to That Goal? Four Essential Factors

Links of Interest to Writers

Here's a dose of intelligence!

• Writing Forward:  Writing Tips for Creating a Complex Villain by Melissa Donovan

• Writer's Digest/Brian Klems:  How to Build Subplots From Multiple Points of View 

• SpiritAuthors:  Going Public - What All Authors Fear When Getting Read to Publish by Lynn Searfinn

• Publishers Weekley:  New Trends in YA: The Agent's Perspective by Sue Corbett

• LA Times:  Lois Duncan on Reaching a New Generation of Teen Readers by Elisabeth Donnelly

• The Writer:  Character Profile (Interview Your Character) by Patrick Scalis

• Susan Kaye Quinn:  Create a Five-Year Plan