Links of Interest to Writers

Here we go -- more blog posts writers will love!

• The Other Side of The Story:  6 Tips on Making Similar Scenes Feel Different by Janice Hardy

• Writer's Digest - Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents Blog:  Conferencing for Introverts by Angela Ackerman

• Molly Greene:  101 Fabulous Plot Resources for Novelists

• Justine Larbalestier:  Writing Under Different Names

• Stavros Halvatzis:  Scene Checklist

• My Book Therapy:  Backstory, Flashback, Memory Moment:  The Difference by Rachel Hauck

Links of Interest to Writers

What are you going to write next?

• Creative Writing With The Crimson League:  First Person Narration:  Is It Like Dialogue? by Victoria Grefer

• Writers Helping Writers:  Good Heavens--Another Post About Opening Lines? by Becca Puglisi

• The Write Now! Coach:  Your Query Letter:  How to Write An Irresistible Offer by Rochelle Melander

• Writer's Digest - Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents Blog:  7 Tips for Pitching to an Agent or Editor at a Conference by Peggy Eddelman

• Publishers Weekly:  DiCamillo, Floca, Sedgwick Win Newbery, Caldecott, Printz (Awards) by Diane Roback

Links of Interest to Writers

If you want to write, here is some great reading to assist you.

• The Writer's [Inner] Journey:  A Workshop for Writers Who Hate Writing Groups (and Why This Writing Group Works) by Meredith Resnick

• Kill Zone:  A Short Course on Dialogue Attributions by James Scott Bell

• The Write Life:  How One Famous Author (Elizabeth Gilbert) Tricks Herself Into Writing Wonderful Stories by Amanda Palleschi

• Writer Unboxed:  The Lessons I Should Have Learned From Stephen King's On Writing... by Jeannie Ruesch

• Time to Write:  More Book Trailers Should Be Like This by Jurgen Wolff'

• Anne R. Allen's Blog:  Writer's Toolbox #5:  Must-Have Research Tools Beyond Google & Wickipedia by Ruth Harris

Links of Interest to Writers

Some great tips about writing in these blog posts!

• Pretentious Title:  Managing Your Inner Editor by Rachel Aaron

• Brain Pickings:  Debunking the Myth of the 10,000-Hours Rule:  What It Actually Takes to Reach Genius-Level Excellence by Maria Popova

• Sharing With Writers & Readers:  Blog Tour Tips:  Reminder or New Ideas for a More Successful Tour by Carol Howard-Johnson

• Books & Such Literary Management:  Alert:  New Home Office Tax Law by Rachel Kent

• Write To Done:  How To Create an Inspiration Workspace for Writing by Laura Carlin & Alison Forbes

• The Washington Post:  The Health Hazards of Sitting by Bonnie Berkowitz & Patterson Clark

Links of Interest to Writers

Happy writing to all you authors out there!

• Daily Writing Tips:  Do You Mean Passive or Just Weak? by Maeve Maddox

• Pen & Prosper:  What We Can Learn From The "Little Engine That Could!" Tips to Move Forward ... by Jennifer Brown Banks

• The Seekers:  On Deadline:  How To Make Your Writing Deadlines Work for YOU by Sarah Ladd

• Positive Writer:  Use Discipline to Cultivate the Creative Flow by Stacy Claflin

• My Book Therapy:  Ten Things I Learned On My Writers Retreat by Rachel Hauck

• Pub(lishing) Crawl:  Making The Most of Social Networks As a Writer by Erin Bowman

Links of Interest to Writers

How is that writing going?

• The Other Side of the Story:  Real Life Diagnostics:  Would You Read on? A Look at a Science Fiction Opening  by Janice Hardy

• Blogging Funk:  Tips For Writing Picture Books:  Picture Book Length by Joe Funk

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

• Author Jody Hedlund:  5 Top Ways To Rivet a Reader

• Winning Edits:  Author MBA Podcasts    (Conversations about the business of books)

• Moody Writing:  The Long and Short of Writing The Middle

Links of Interest to Writers

More great writing advice!

• Stavros Halvatzis:  How Conflict Leads To Character Growth

• Pretentious Title:  FAQ:  To Blog Or Not To Blog 

• The Business of Being an Author:  Simple Tactics To Grow Your Author Platform by Marquita Herald

• Susan Uhlig:  175 Proof  (Are you watering down your stories and articles by not proofing carefully?)

• All Write - Fiction Advice:  The Art of Layering - Part 1 by A. J. Humpage

• The Creativity Post:  Daring To Push The Boundaries of Creativity by Carla Woolf

Links of Interest to Writers

What will you write today?

• My Book Therapy:  Getting Past Stuck by Reba J. Hoffman

• The Daring Novelist:  Story Game:  Plot Structure & Finding The Wow by Camille LaGuire

• Novel Matters:  Hunting Adjectives With Elephant Guns by Patti Hill

• Scribbles from Jenn:  Top Ten Tips How to Survive a Relationship With a Writer

• Positive Writer:  Why You're Not Finishing The Writing You Started by Shanan Haislip

• Moody Writing:  What a Story Needs to Begin

Links of Interest to Writers

If you're a writer, you're going to love these blog posts!

• Thup:  Keeping Track by Erin Brown Conway (Have you ever lost track of a character?)

• Just Write a Book Blog:  Writing Short Stories For Fun & Profit:  How Fast Can You Write? by Angela Booth

• The Season Blog:  The Self-Publishing Survey Results - It's a Brave New World by Beverley Kendall

• Writer's First Aid:  The Vicious Procrastination Cycle by Kristi Holl

• Molly Greene, Writer:  Query Letters:  What Agents Love and Loathe

• The Creative Penn:  Stories That Kill - 7 Tips For Writing Crime by Luke Preston

Links of Interest to Writers

Write because you love it!

• Writer's Digest/Brian Klems:  A 12-Day Plan of Simple Writing Exercises

• Artzicarol Ramblings:  Ordering Your Words by Carol Riggs

• Seize The Day:  Novel Craft:  5 Common Scene Problems by Molly Blaisdell

• The Write Practice:  Make The Most of Your Writing Time

• A. Victoria Mixon, Editor:  3 Reasons Description Is Important; 3 Reasons It's Not

• Live, Write, Thrive:  Novel Construction Begins With Concept by C. S. Lakin

Links of Interest to Writers

Here's to reading about good writing!

• GalleyCat:  George R. R. Martin's Writing Tips by Dianna Dilworth

• TED:  How to Build a Fictional World by Kate Messner

• Writing.ie:  Ten Truths About Being a Writer by Hazel Gaynor

• Brain Pickings:  John Green's Superb Advice to Aspiring Writers & Creators in the Digital Age by Maria Popova

• Write To Done:  How to Start a Novel by Mary Jaksch

• The Write Now! Coach:  A Quick Way to Create a Business Plan (For Writers) by Rochelle Melander

Links of Interest to Writers

Did you write today?

• W.I.P. It:  How Writers Can Balance Time Spent Online by Lynda R. Young

• Aliventures:  How to Create a Writing, Publishing, & Marketing Plan For The Year [Includes Template]

• Omnivoracious:  Beyond Orcs & Elves:  Stacy Whitman on Writing Cross-Culturally by Susan J. Morris

• All Write - Fiction Advice:  Common Writing "Myths" by A.J. Humpage

• Just Write a Book:  Book Editing:  How To Turn a Mess Into a Book by Angela Booth

• Project Eve:  10 Tips To How To Stop Procrastinating by Danielle Boulton

Links of Interest to Writers

For your reading pleasure...

• Writer's Digest - Brian Klem's Blog: Important Writing Lessons From First-Time Novelists 

• DBW - Digital Book World:  6 Degrees of Agent Evolution by Jason Allen Ashlock

• Huffington Post Books:  Writing Tips:  How To Breathe New Life Into Your Short Stories

• Writers Helping Writers:  How to Cure a Cardboard Villain by Angela Ackerman

• Writer Unboxed:  The Power of Renewal a.k.a. Character Arc by Heather Webb

• The Blue Rose Girls:  Keeping Your Mouth Shut by Grace Lin

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

Enjoy the adventure of writing!

• Sandy Appleyard:  How Do You Create Memorable Secondary Characters?

• Cassandra Page:  The Dream Journal - One Writer's Inspiration

• Writers in the Storm:  5 Steps for Surviving a Revise & Resubmit by Orly Konig-Lopez

• Jody Hedlund:  9 Lessons I've Learned So Far About Writing & Publication

• Write Hook:  4 Impossibly Simple Ideas for Better Writing by Scott Morgan

• BookBaby:  7 Life Lessons From Einstein You Can Apply To Your Writing

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

Some vital reading for all writers:

• The New York Times:  Newbery Winner to Promote Her Genre:  Kate DiCamillo to Be Ambassador of Young People's Literature by Julie Bosman

• Glass Cases:  2013:  A Year in Queries by Sarah LaPolla

• Writers Helping Writers:  Using Colloquial Speech To Spice Up Dialogue by Eli Dahle
• Writers Helping Writers:  Writing Tools

• Daily Writing Tips:  The New, Delightful Use of Because by Maeve Maddox

• Writers In The Storm:  Query Letter Pet Peeves - Agents Speak by Chuck Sambuchino

• Brain Pickings:  How Long It Takes To Form A New Habit by Maria Popova

Links of Interest to Writers

What are you waiting for? Start reading!

• The Cybils Finalists (Children's & Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards) 

• Goins, Writer:  500 Words a Day:  The Secret to Developing a Regular Writing Habit by Jeff Goins

• BookBaby:  How To Write Your Book's First Draft Like a Professional

• The Write Practice:  3 Dialogue Terms You Probably Didn't Know (But Should!) by Liz Bureman

• The Nitty Gritty of Children's Writing:  He Thought to Himself and Other Excesses by Susan Uhlig

• Write to Done:  How to Be a Writer:  Do You Use These 3 Vital Keys to Success? by Mary Jaksch

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

Read, write, revise - the three keys to great stories. Here's some other great advice.

• Anne R. Allen's Blog:  6 Writing Dragons & How to Slay Them in 2014 by Ruth Harris

• How to Plan, Write, & Develop a Book:  How'd You Do?  Reviewing Your Year's Writing Goals -- A Sure Way to Encourage Your Creative Spirit by Mary Carroll Moore

• Charlotte Rains Dixon:  Reviewing Your 2013 Writing Life

• Beyond the Margins:  Writing Outside Your Generation by Dell Smith

• Writer's First Aid:  A Writer's happy New Year by Kristi Holl (Do you have at least one fun thing on your list of resolutions?)

• Book Riot:  The 10 Best Top 100 Book Lists by Greg Zimmerman

Links of Interest to Writers

Last chance to read about writing this year!

• The Creative Penn:  Create Something Together:  Artistic Collaboration In Action by Joanna Penn

• Teens Can Write, Too:  Writing An Antagonist by John Hansen

• The Blood Red Pencil:  Revision Is Half The Battle bu Diana Hurwitz

• Nathan Bransford:  Creative Fatigue

• Huffington Post Books:  Find Your Writer's Voice in 2014 by Theo Pauline Nestor

• Entrepreneur:  Forgetting Setting Goals, Focus on This Instead by James Clear

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

Here's some great writing advice from blogs I love.

• How to Write, Plan, & Develop a Book:  Your Writing Voice:  how to Develop It, Recognize It, Not Copy Someone Else's by Mary Carroll Moore

• Writer's First Aid:  What Type of Writer Are You? by Kristi Holl

• Elizabeth Spann Craig:  Twitterific Writing Links

• Writers in The Storm Blog:  Advanced Craft Tips - Writer Strong by Laura Drake

• Adventures in YA Publishing:  Inspired Openings:  Care About Your Character by Jackie Garlick-Pynaert
• Babbles from Scott Eagan:  How Will You Sell Your Story In This Competitive Market?

Special Note:  Because so many bloggers are celebrating the holidays, their postings become less frequent at this time of year. I will only post links when I have gathered several I think are of interest to writers. Posts will pick back up after the new year. Please have a happy holiday season whatever your beliefs and traditions! 

Links of Interest to Writers

It's almost Christmas - why not write a holiday story? Here are some writing links that might help.

• Daily Writing Tips:  Transition Words by Maeve Maddox

• Helping Writers Become Authors:  The Moral Villain by Becca Puglisi

• Brain Pickings:  The Year's Best Books on Writing & Creativity by Maria Popova

• Amanda Bumgarner:  On Setting the Mood

• Get Me Writing:  Getting into Your Writing Headspace

• Fiction Notes:  Writing Out of Sequence by Darcy Pattison

Links of Interest to Writers

Write twice as much this week so you can write half as much during the holidays.

• The Write Practice:  Make Myth Your Muse by Birgitte Rasine

• Writability:  How to Write Strong Supporting Characters by Ava Jae

• The Write Life:  6 Effective Ways to Engage With Your Readers (So They Buy More Books) by Jessica Davis

• The Atlantic:  How to Write:  A Year in Advice from Franzen, King, Hosseini, and More by Joe Fassler

• The Writer's Alley:  Creating Character Empathy, Part One:  Having Empathy as a Writer by Karen Schravemade

• Writer Unboxed:  The Overwhelmed Writer's Two-Step Checklist For Staying Connected to Readers by Dan Blank

Links of Interest to Writers

Writing advice for fun and inspiration.

• Writers Helping Writers:  Prologue Done Right by Becca Puglisi

• Pink Tea and Paper:  Time Management:  Working Full-Time and Writing by Ellen Brickley

• Simply Scrivener:  Tutorials for Scrivener Users (Scrivener is a great software for writers that's reasonably priced!)

• Stavros Halvatzis:  Avoiding Repetition in Stories

• The Creativity Post:  How to Dramatically Reduce Time Typing by Elizabeth Grace Saunders

• The Other Side of the Story:  Pace Yourself! Some Thoughts, Various & Sundry, on Pacing Your Novel by Tiffany Reisz 

Links of Interest to Writers

Here's some great writing advice!

• Jane Friedman:  The Art and Business of Reader Engagement and Author Platform

• Ninie Hammon:  Ten Ways to Create Gut-Gnawing Suspense

• Writer's First Aid:  Talent, Passion, and Discipline by Kristi Holl

• Moody Writing:  The Logic of Illogical Characters

• Lauren Sapala:  5 Easy Ways to Make Writing a Habit

• Creative Writing with the Crimson League:  Creative Writing Reflection:  On Villains (well, Antagonists) and Vengeance by Victoria Grefer

Links of Interest to Writers

Enjoy the latest links to writing information that I found on the Web!

• The Business of Being an Author:  Turn Your Author Dreams Into Working Goals to Achieve More by Marquita Herald

• All Write - Fiction Advice:  Creating Character Dynamics - Part 2  (For part 1 scroll down to the December 9th links.)

• Bestseller Labs:  The REAL Secret to Writing a Bestseller by Jonathan Gunson (Includes a great poster to remind us to WRITE!)

• Courage 2 Create:  3 Paradigm Shifts to Help Make Pursuing Your Passion More Meaningful by Ollin Morales

• From the Write Angle:  5 Ways to Make Author Friends by Jean Oram

• Writers in Charge:  How to Start a Freelance Writing Business in One Hour a Day by Tom Ewer