Writing Our Region—Without Overdoing It

Writing Tips

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigcart04

If you live in the Southern US or have spent much time here, you’ll know that even something like a short trip to the grocery store can mean many conversations with strangers.

Whenever I’m in the store (which is, really, nearly every day considering I keep forgetting to put things on my lists), I know that items in my shopping buggy, the length of the checkout line, something I’m wearing, or any other random thing may engender comment.

A woman waiting in line with me the other day smiled and said, “Well, your groceries all looked super-healthy until I saw those Doritos.” Continue reading

Twitterific Writing Links

Twitterific, Writing Tips

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Blog

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 23,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Query question: submission guidelines that are off-putting:  http://ow.ly/CUuj8 @Janet_Reid

5 Ways to make Characters “Click” with Readers:  http://ow.ly/CUuja

10 Tips For Taking Notes at a Writer’s Conference:  http://ow.ly/CUuje @JarvisWrites               Continue reading

Using Critical Reviews as Resources

Business of Writing

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigfile0001022451654

Wired’s founding executive editor Kevin Kelly stated that if writers and other artists have “one thousand true fans” then they’re able to sustain a living from their art.

I don’t honestly know how many true fans I have (and I prefer calling them readers instead of fans) but I know I get nearly-daily emails from readers.

And I do know one true ‘fan’.  She is, actually, my number one fan (no Stephen King reference intended).  She is also my number one critic.  Since she doesn’t have a public presence, I won’t call her out by giving her name online.Continue reading

How to Write Compelling and Balanced Backstory

Writing Tips

By Jeni Chappelle, @jenichappellepad-black-and-white

Writers often spend hours creating a realistic and compelling backstory for each major character in their novels. After all that hard work, it’s natural to want to include as much of that as you can. But there’s a fine line between clarifying a character’s past and writing too much backstory. Readers don’t usually need to know much of the characters’ history in order to engage with the story. Here are some ways to help you find the right balance.

The Four I’s

First, let’s revisit what makes an engaging backstory. Only include backstory that fits four criteria—I call it The Four I’s.

  1. Important: It’s directly relevant to the plot.
  2. Individual: It reveals something essential about the character.
  3. Interesting: It pulls the reader in with mystery.
  4. Interval: It’s spread out so it doesn’t overwhelm or bore the reader.

Continue reading

Twitterific Writing Links

Twitterific, Writing Tips

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Blog

Twitterific links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 23,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Why Humorous Fantasy Isn’t Popular:  http://ow.ly/CyKNw @mharoldpage

11 best practices for working with an editor: http://ow.ly/CyKND  @awsamuel

5 Tips How to Write and Sell a Picture Book with a Plot:  http://ow.ly/CyKNH @plotwhisperer

The Craft of Outlining:  http://ow.ly/CyKNL @Sullivan_Kiki               Continue reading

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