Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Yesterday morning, I had a great phone interview with writer and radio show host Sharon Vander Meer on KFUN in New Mexico, where I was a call-in guest. Basically, with a call-in spot on a radio show, you’re given a set time to call and a special number to phone in on. Or, sometimes, the station calls you.

I seem to have this sort of Radio Interview Curse. Apparently, I must have at least one of my children in the house when I’m on the radio. :) It’s either summer vacation, a snow day where school is canceled, or else….like yesterday…I’ve got a child home, sick.

Here’s a tip for parents who do interviews while the kids are home: explain everything. Explain that a radio interview means that you will be on the phone (that was a source of some confusion in years past), that they only need to interrupt you if it’s a true emergency (and clarify what a true emergency is), and explain that if the dog starts unexpectedly barking, to put her out in the backyard. Trust me. It’s better to be over-prepared. Put a sticky note on your closed door to remind them you’re on the radio/on the phone…they’ll forget.

I’ve also done an in-person radio interview. In some ways, the in-person radio interview was easier. On the phone, I’m always listening hard for any clues that I need to shush up and move on to the next subject. When you’re face to face with your radio interviewer, you get visual clues to wrap up a particular train of thought. (Hurry up motions).

A few tips for doing radio:

Sharon was kind enough to send me some questions in advance, which really does make life easier. The interview went really well…and there were no interruptions from my daughter, who’s happily now on the mend.

Have you done radio or podcast interviews? Have any other tips?

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Although it’s tough for me to get away, I really enjoy going to writer’s conferences. I love the chance to see other writers in person, since most of my interaction is online.

Saturday, I went to the Book ‘Em conference in Lumberton, NC. It was a great event–well-organized and well-attended.

Benefits of conferences:

Meeting readers and meeting other writers.

Meeting formerly-virtual friends. I loved meeting L. Diane Wolfe, who I’ve known for years online…it was wonderful to finally meet her in person. (And she’s just as fun, vibrant, energetic, genuine, and nice as she seems online. Thanks to Diane’s husband for taking this picture of us.)

Informative panels: I hear interesting perspectives on the publishing industry and the writing craft when I go to conferences.

Connecting with industry professionals: Some writing conferences can be good places for unpublished writers to find agents and publishers. (Usually the larger ones…and you’ll need to make a reservation in advance for a formal pitch session.)

Remember:

Bring business cards. Because you’ll need them. (I forgot mine. Sigh.)

If you’re published, know in advance how the book sales will be handled. Should you bring your own books? Will the venue be ordering books? Will you be handling the sales, yourself (in which case you need to bring change) or will there be a bookstore handling them?

Keep your receipts for tax write-offs.

Bring water with you if you’re on a panel.

Pick your conferences carefully. Getting to conferences can be expensive, so I’d recommend finding conferences that are a good fit for what you write and aren’t too far away, geographically.

Pace yourself. And wear comfortable shoes.

Have you been to any conferences? What tips can you add?

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week.

The free Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links (now over 14,000) searchable. The WKB recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.

Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for the web’s best links and interviews:http://bit.ly/gx7hg1

7 things 1 writer has learned from Stephen King: http://bit.ly/wivL7y @victoriamixon

Go to a Workshop? No Thanks: http://bit.ly/xtAzId @geardrops

Tips for a Successful Public Presentation: http://bit.ly/yjFH6d @WriteAngleBlog

An explanation of speculative fiction: http://bit.ly/y3faKc @theskypirate

How Choreography Helps a Scene: http://bit.ly/ylBkuH @RavenRequiem13

3 Ways Authors Can Use Pinterest Guilt Free: http://bit.ly/zF2UE2

Crime fiction–ethical considerations for PIs regarding romance: http://bit.ly/ySVcQq @authorterryo

Tips for Writing Heart-pounding Visceral Responses: http://bit.ly/Ao2ICF @jhansenwrites

Finding the Four B’s of Your Character: http://bit.ly/wpiFpw

Children’s Writers: Waiting to Get Published: http://bit.ly/zoC4kt @Margo_L_Dill

All about the front matter of your ebook: http://bit.ly/A0DhbA @JFBookman

10 Steps to Writing: http://bit.ly/A2B5O5 @elspethwrites

When critique partners call you out: http://bit.ly/zD9AKT @JoshilynJackson for @junglereds

Tips for Fearless Writing: http://bit.ly/zSITqS

Are You Making Your Characters (and Yourself) Look Stupid? http://bit.ly/y1TeUE @KMWeiland

Finding Inspiration: http://bit.ly/zK4Fou

5 Promises You Make to Your Reader: http://bit.ly/ypxJQO @Diymfa

The What, Why and How of Tagging Books on Amazon: http://bit.ly/znmJuu @keligwyn

What to Do When Your Novel’s Too Short: http://bit.ly/xyqQXP @janice_hardy

How to Simplify Marketing Your Book to Save Time and Make More Sales: http://bit.ly/A9mNhc

The Crucial Question You Must Ask in Your Opening Scene: http://bit.ly/xm6Xi5 @LiveWriteThrive

Mining For Character Emotions: http://bit.ly/xLaqXG @SharlaWrites

Please Don’t Blog Your Book: 4 Reasons Why: http://bit.ly/yhslo3 @JaneFriedman

Deep Worldbuilding and POV Scene Preparation: http://bit.ly/zThmSV @JulietteWade

Why You Should Care About Building an Email List: http://bit.ly/Au1Jjf

Pride and Prejudice and the Three Movements in Every Love Story: http://bit.ly/wNn3Ys @write_practice

Tips for writing horror: http://bit.ly/z4oSBn @nicolebasaraba

Voices of Insecurity: http://bit.ly/y1NWOi

Quick and Easy Tips for Learning More About Your Readers: http://bit.ly/w3R3Gs

Avoid giving characters similar names: http://bit.ly/weUr6T @authorterryo

Tips for promoting in the real world (instead of virtually): http://bit.ly/y3UnRT @spunkonastick for @StephenTremp

Bloggers–learn assertiveness: http://bit.ly/zVhlWq @Rule17

Freelancers–how to boost your confidence to increase income: http://bit.ly/zPADoh @JulieBMack

Learning your writing style: http://bit.ly/x80TqV @mjcache

Bust 4 Myths to Gain More Writing Time: http://bit.ly/yBmqzp @LyndaRYoung

Stories don’t need enhancements: http://bit.ly/xghX4j

“The book was great and the typos weren’t very bad”: http://bit.ly/y8kVqD @thefuturebook

Ebook Pricing for Short Stories and Novellas? http://bit.ly/AC9vtB @goblinwriter

Top 10 Songwriting Books: http://bit.ly/yqe1Ru

Writing Dialogue with Purpose: http://bit.ly/ylP9oI @Ava_Jae

Quitting your day job & following your writing dreams: http://bit.ly/yiAtTO @thecreativepenn for @ollinmorales

Amazon vs. Big Publishing: 800 lbs vs. 798 lbs: http://bit.ly/zvcQDj

The 3 Layers of Story Engineering, Architecture, and Art: http://bit.ly/wnpTq4 @storyfix

Is bundling ebooks with print books a good idea? http://bit.ly/zlDplq

If you don’t exist on the Internet do you exist at all? http://bit.ly/zCfFjH @JenTalty

How Better Happens: http://bit.ly/z0dQCV

Making Your Readers Giggle: http://bit.ly/zJ50uT @writerashley

8 Simple Tips for Editing Your Own Work: http://bit.ly/ww9b1A

How to Recover From a Social Media Hangover: http://bit.ly/xG0Vgg @biggirlbranding

6 Ways to Beat the Blogging Blahs: http://bit.ly/zM5JsI @jodyhedlund

Learn to Love the Pitch: http://bit.ly/zI8OhX @blurbisaverb

3 Steps to Overcoming ‘Almost Done’ Syndrome: http://bit.ly/A7kPGt @writeitsideways

Quiet & enigmatic characters in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/yVxb0s @mkinberg

When sleuths have to step on toes (including ones in their own agency) in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/wJzn3P @mkinberg

5 Google+ Profile Mistakes to Fix: http://bit.ly/xubfAI @galleycat

6 Guest Post Tactics: http://bit.ly/zD9X2V @tomewer

A Quiz on Parenthetical Punctuation: http://bit.ly/xs3rto

How to Use the “Save the Cat” Beat Sheet for Revisions: http://bit.ly/AtumCy @jamigold

5 Tips for Great Series Titles: http://bit.ly/wpmxX1

Writer Beware on Publishers’ Desk: http://bit.ly/z9XB31 @victoriastrauss

On Being A Professional Songwriter: http://bit.ly/xpxbqN @usasong

Is Perfectionism Stalling Your Productivity? http://bit.ly/zvDeNn @problogger

How to be creative: http://bit.ly/ymZTBV @justinemusk

Super Powers: 6 Things To Consider Before You Write Them In: http://bit.ly/x7odix @ajackwriting

Breaking Grammar Rules: Sentence Fragments: http://bit.ly/zpgLEf

Is your antagonist a problem and not a person? http://bit.ly/AoJqdr @janice_hardy

5 top tools for promoting your book on Twitter: http://bit.ly/w20kgo @Rule17 for @JFBookman

10 Questions to Ask Before Committing to Any E-Publishing Service: http://bit.ly/yO0juk @janefriedman

When It’s Time to Say Goodbye to Your Manuscript: http://bit.ly/wAurfz

What Indie Production Actually Costs: http://bit.ly/xWPBNb @deanwesleysmith

Promoting Your YA Novel: http://bit.ly/wMXnn4 @Kristi_Cook

How to Draw Your Characters Out: http://bit.ly/yrDToZ @write_practice

5 basic elements of every good story: http://bit.ly/xRGbH0

Polyglot vs. Translator: Different Takes on Multilingualism: http://bit.ly/zYkZ1M @michaelerard

A Tale of Two Ebooks: http://bit.ly/yOtqVB @AlexisGrant for @Problogger

Writing in the Digital Age: Connecting with Readers: The Stephen King Problem: http://bit.ly/wUP3LC @KellyMcClymer

A refresher–subjunctive mood: http://bit.ly/zLM9f0 @readingape

Better Procrastination as a Writer: http://bit.ly/Agr1Mk

Screenwriting: Is the audience listening to your dialogue? http://bit.ly/x88BrM @jacobkrueger

5 Myths About eBooks Debunked: http://bit.ly/A6dffb @ebooknewser

Why Page Length for YA or MG Novel Is The Wrong Question: http://bit.ly/yzF22C

Fantasy writers–have a Magic System: http://bit.ly/xUMSlR @thomasaknight

Why Hating Facebook Is Costing You Book Sales: http://bit.ly/wmWu3S @bubblecow

Dealing with Difficult Blog Visitors: http://bit.ly/wdXMwV @annerallen

Are We Grounded? Setting the Scene and Engaging the Reader: http://bit.ly/z3BXrE @janice_hardy

Transform Your Writing Weakness into Strength: http://bit.ly/yycykd @angelaackerman

Revise and Present: updating your ebook: http://bit.ly/A8r3v4

90 Verbs Starting with “Ex-“: http://bit.ly/w0vxRZ @writing_tips

Every Writer’s Lament: http://bit.ly/wZ7QrB @bookemdonna

Are you waiting too long to market your book? http://bit.ly/wYs4sB @WiseLouise

When writing, the trick is to breathe: http://bit.ly/yjJ96d @jcbaggott

Tips for developing writing voice: http://bit.ly/z2sncY @rebeccaberto

Creating the image arc for your book: http://bit.ly/A3Qy4J

21 Ways to Kill Your Creativity: http://bit.ly/yusYv2 @MichaelMichalko

6 Tips On Writing Plays For Kids: http://bit.ly/ximofT @chucksambuchino

Eliminating Unnecessary Plot Complications: http://bit.ly/xafmBJ

Key Story Elements: Lessons from Musical Theater: http://bit.ly/yegbTF @AlexSokoloff

Should you publish your novel to build your platform? http://bit.ly/xJeRQo @dirtywhitecandy

A Writer’s Guide to Punctuation: http://bit.ly/zx9xCN @KMWeiland

A Quiz on Expletives: http://bit.ly/xmuifq @writing_tips

Smart & savvy look at industry news from the past week (including Amazon’s latest dirty deeds): http://bit.ly/yeFB5f @Porter_Anderson

Writing on the Ether features @jimchines @DonLinn @paulkbiba @nicovreeland @annerallen @LloydJassin @jasonashlock http://bit.ly/yeFB5f

The rescue motif in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/w2bWLt @mkinberg

The prodigal’s return theme in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/yJSWoM @mkinberg

Author blogging–linking for traffic: http://bit.ly/zVF3R7 @JFBookman

Twitter etiquette – careful with DMs: http://bit.ly/Az37jb @nicolamorgan

Transitions and Chapter Breaks: http://bit.ly/yJpOYU

What the Publishing Industry Can Learn From Kodak: http://bit.ly/AAQgcm @rachellegardner

Finding Extraordinary Writing in an Ordinary Life: http://bit.ly/Amls4o @writeitsideways

Afraid to Publish Your Work? Here’s the Solution: http://bit.ly/AdgDLJ @jeffgoins

Making the Most of Your Writing Time: http://bit.ly/y377Wp @calistataylor

Tips for writing slice-of-life essays: http://bit.ly/wawxQI

7 Essential Tips for WordPress Bloggers: http://bit.ly/AA6pem

An agent on choosing a genre: http://bit.ly/xpLZ9x @bookendsjessica

Figuring out Your Character’s True Desire: http://bit.ly/zxUkSj @katieganshert

Do you have a creative block? Do you know what you’re trying to accomplish? http://bit.ly/xR0ZtN @tannerc

The role of dystopian fiction in a changing world: http://bit.ly/wslPWE

Why Consistency Isn’t Always A Good Thing: http://bit.ly/yjTZkC @ollinmorales

The Aesthetics of Good and Evil in David Copperfield: http://bit.ly/wsoPKE @write_practice

5 writing myths: http://bit.ly/xz7432 @ava_jae

4 Tools to Make Writers More Productive: http://bit.ly/y8May6 @HowToWriteShop

Mixed Feelings About Pinterest: The Latest Shiny New Thing: http://bit.ly/AEC4pZ @NicholeBernier

Who should take the blame for the publishing industry’s troubles? http://bit.ly/y5Tk0z

Using Kickstarter to Fund Self-Publishing Projects: http://bit.ly/zh8IXv @goblinwriter

Focus and the Distracted Writer: http://bit.ly/zhaYKJ

10 Experts Take on the Writer’s Rulebook: http://bit.ly/z1UacV @writersdigest

The Writer’s Ear: Hearing Prose, Poetry and Music: http://bit.ly/xSQ9OG @JomCarroll for @WomenWriters

Do You Really Need to Write Every Day? http://bit.ly/yyOify @writersdigest

10 Ways To Get More Facebook Fans This Week: http://bit.ly/A2dICt @authormedia

Tips for becoming an editor: http://bit.ly/ybTjly @noveleditor

Why Foreign Rights are a Big Deal for Small Publishers: http://bit.ly/wlRqbB @pubperspectives

Fixing the holes in our manuscripts: http://bit.ly/zhpjkv

How to Use Anger to Fuel Your Writing (In a Positive Way): http://bit.ly/wrz7FJ @krissybrady

If we didn’t procrastinate, we’d never accomplish anything: http://bit.ly/zpqqTk @misfitsmascara

Out Of My Comfort Zone: Exposing the Dark Questions: http://bit.ly/wuVxmp @BTMargins

How to Find Your Writing Voice: http://bit.ly/zApQZ4 @JulieBMack

The Life Cycle of Twitter: http://bit.ly/wzpWRS @JulietteWade

Do you know your customer? http://bit.ly/ymotKi @rachellegardner

Adult vs YA dystopias – A Question of Hope: http://bit.ly/z6RQTB @Lenoreva

25 Subordinating Conjunctions: http://bit.ly/yTlrKG @writing_tips

Zealotry in Fiction: http://bit.ly/xbCt5y @fantasyfaction

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Last weekend, I was in South Carolina for the Festival of the Arts in the town of Anderson.

I’m originally from Anderson and Jane, one of the event organizers, called me last fall and invited me to attend. She explained that it wasn’t a signing or speaking gig, but more of an exhibit. The artists would be there to talk to attendees about their creative process, etc.

The word “artist” gave me pause, although I frequently use it in reference to writers. This time, though…. “Who is going to be there?” I asked.

“Sculptors, painters, photographers, quilters, woodworkers…” The list went on.

I wasn’t sure. “I’m going to be the only writer there?”

That was correct.

I agreed to go, but remember feeling…well, a little insecure about it. Those other artists are artists! In every way.

Time went by until about two weeks ago and the organizer called me again. “I’m in the process of setting up the tables for the event and wanted to go ahead and plan your exhibit. What kinds of things would you like to bring in?”

I paused. “What are the other artists bringing in?”

“Photography, maybe some woodwork they’re working on or a current canvas they’re in the process of painting.”

I said, “Jane, all my stuff is going to look like clutter! In fact, it is clutter. It’s notebooks and Post-Its and scribbles. The stuff in the notebooks is going to sound absolutely crazy. Besides, most of the writing I do is on my laptop and that’s not going to be very interesting.”

But she convinced me to send along what I had. I put together some of my books, some of my printed rough drafts that I’d marked up with revisions, an ARC of one of my books, and a few notebooks for past projects that had sticky notes scattered throughout and cryptic notes to myself.

And it was clutter! Mine is the center, yellow table in the picture. Jane arranged it as best she could, but there’s only so much you can do with clutter. :)

When I got to the festival last Saturday, I learned that I wasn’t the only attendee to have second thoughts or doubts. Jane told me that a large number of the artists she’d called had told her that they didn’t consider what they did art. Some did consider their creative efforts art, but they didn’t think it was good enough to display. Some were uncomfortable with anyone viewing their art, stating it had really just been done to please themselves.

I’m fairly confident about some aspects of my writing now. I’m confident I can finish a book. I’m confident I can deliver what my editors are looking for (or, if not, that I can tweak it to make it work.) I’m confident that I can fix whatever disaster of a first draft that I write.

But this just serves as a reminder that we’re never really over feeling insecure about what we do, especially in comparison to others’ efforts. And that apparently is true for other areas of the artistic community, too.

Once the exhibition started, though, I think all the artists forgot their self-consciousness. That’s because our audience came in. And they were eager to see what we were doing, ask questions, and enjoy what we’d created.

This makes me think that if we think less about what other artists or writers are accomplishing, less about our own fragile egos, and look toward our readers, we might have a shot of getting past our insecurities.

How do you step outside your comfort zone as a writer? How do you battle insecurities?

I’ll be traveling again tomorrow, this time to the Book ‘Em Conference in Lumberton, NC. I’m speaking on a panel at 2:00 there with my writing friend L. Diane Wolfe. Hope you’ll come if you’re in the area. http://www.bookemnc.org/

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Penguin has asked me to write a fourth Memphis Barbeque book. It was great to hear that I’d have a reason to spend more time with the characters in that series.

I also had an idea for something I wanted to do with the plot—I wanted to feature the huge Memphis in May festival that’s such a big event there every year.

My protagonist and sleuth for the series is Lulu Taylor, who owns a barbeque restaurant. I decided to make Lulu a judge for the event. There are many different foods to judge at the festival—everything from slaw to sauce to the barbeque itself.

I got deeper into the research on being a food judge. I realized there were different rules these judges have to follow to keep the competition fair. I saw that there was a good deal of training that went into being one. I felt, also, that this would be something I’d need to make sure I represented well in the book, since there are people in Memphis who read this series…and I wanted my information to be correct and not something that I changed for my own purposes.

I could also tell that Lulu would be kept very busy as a judge.

As I got farther into the book (this is one that I’m working on now), I realized I was making this mystery unnecessarily complex. And confusing. And, really, having Lulu be a judge was going to tie up a lot of her time and make her less available to investigate a murder.

This wasn’t a book about judging barbeque competitions. This was a mystery. And my sleuth needed to solve the mystery, not pick the top baked bean winner.

These were some of the questions I asked myself before I decided to demote Lulu from judgeship:

Does this forward the plot? Is it necessary?

Am I including research simply to show off how well I’ve researched?

Will this complication confuse readers?

Are there other, simpler ways to accomplish the same effect?

What’s the basic reason I’m including this complication in the book?

For me, I decided the whole point I’d made Lulu a judge was to put her on the scene at Memphis in May. But wouldn’t she already be there? Her best friends have a booth at the festival. It’s the biggest Memphis event of the year. And Lulu has two grandchildren begging for her to take them there.

Why wouldn’t she be there? The whole complication of Lulu being a judge just wasn’t needed. It only made the plot more convoluted for readers and tougher for me to write. And required a great deal of research.

Do you ever notice, like me, that you’re making things complicated for both yourself and your readers? How do you simplify unnecessarily convoluted plotlines?