Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

by Anne R. Allen, @AnneRAllen

Hope you’ll join me in welcoming Anne R. Allen to the blog today. Anne’s blog is a great resource for writers…check it out. This week she has a guest post from Lawrence Block.

Finding a beta reader or critique group is essential to any writer’s development. We can’t write in a vacuum. Nobody ever learned to be a good writer holed up in an attic with no one to review his work but the cat. (Cats can be so cruel.)

But it’s good to be aware that not all the advice you’ll hear will be useful. As Victoria Strauss said in her must-read Writer Beware blog “never forget that people who know nothing are as eager to opine as people who know something.”

Even worse than know-nothings are the know-somethings who turn every bit of advice they’ve ever heard into a “rule” as ironclad and immutable as an algebraic formula. Follow their advice and your book will read like an algebraic formula, too.

Here are a few critique “rules” I find more annoying than useful.

1) Eliminate all clichés

Unless your characters are wildly inventive poets, space aliens, or children fostered by wolves, their dialogue and thoughts will include familiar expressions. Don’t rob your Scarlett O’Hara of her “fiddle dee-dees” or deprive your Bogart of “doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.”

2) More! Make it vivid!

Would we really improve Casablanca with “a hill of Moroccan garbanzos, yellow-pale and round, of the kind the English call chick-peas”?

3) Avoid repetition

Not necessarily. Beware what H.W. Fowler called “elegant variation”.

OK: “It was a good bull, a strong bull, a bull bred to fight to the death.”

NOT: “It was a good bull, a strong animal, a male creature of the bovine persuasion bred to do battle…”

4) Eradicate the verb “to be,” especially in the past tense: “was” is the enemy.

Yes, it’s generally wise to avoid the passive voice, which uses “was” in the past tense:

“The cat was laundered by me,” is passive and sounds lame.
“I laundered the cat,” is active and stronger.

But sometimes the passive voice makes the clearest statement: “The cat was abused.”

Real problems arise when amateurs confuse passive voice with the progressive tense, which also uses “to be” (with the present participle.)

“I was just sitting there when the cat owner punched me,” means something different from “I just sat there when the cat owner punched me.” Eliminating “was” changes meaning instead of “strengthening.”

5) Put your protagonist’s thoughts in italics. No. Don’t. Unless your editor specifically asks for this, avoid it. Italics are harder to read.

When you write in the third-person-limited viewpoint, it’s read like first person: no italics or “he thought/she thought” necessary.

“I walked away from the ‘In Crowd’. They were just a bunch of ill-bred alley cats,” can be changed to third person with just a switch of pronoun/noun: “Pufferball walked away from the ‘In Crowd’. They were just a bunch of ill-bred alley cats.” See? Just the same.

6) Characters must behave predictably
Don’t let anyone tell you a character “wouldn’t” behave in a certain way. Only the writer knows if this particular truck driver would read Proust; this bride would run off with the florist’s mother; or that Maine Coon cat would pee on your Christian Louboutins.

7) Describe characters’ physical appearance in detail.
When your English teacher told you to beef up that “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” essay with long, colorful descriptions of your new kitty, she was looking for a complete page, not preparing you for publication. Brevity is now and ever shall be the soul of wit. The only thing Jane Austen told us about Elizabeth Bennett’s appearance was that she had “fine eyes.” Let your reader’s imagination do the work.

8) Protagonists must be admirable
Saints are boring in fiction, unless they liberate France and get burned at the stake, and that’s been done.

9) If we don’t point out everything wrong, we’re not doing our job
Newbies make a lot of mistakes. (You did too, remember?) But if you list them all at once, they won’t hear what you’re saying.

They’ll hear a personal attack. When a person feels attacked, the brain shuts down.

A critiquer should tell you what’s right with a work as well as what’s wrong. When I was directing actors, I discovered the “sandwich” method is the most effective way to help someone improve: praise/criticism/praise.

All-praise-all-the time does nothing to help a writer’s work, of course, but neither does rigid thinking, power tripping, or misinformation.

My new mystery novel GHOSTWRITERS IN THE SKY was sparked by a particularly snarky and unhelpful critique workshop I witnessed at a writers conference many years ago.

GHOSTWRITERS is set at a Z-list writers’ conference in the wine-and-cattle country north of Santa Barbara CA. where a young writer appears to have committed suicide after a savage critique.

I couldn’t help the young man who was humiliated in that long-ago workshop, and I’m not sure I ever knew his name (I hope he’s a bestseller now!) But I wrote the novel partly for him—and every other fledgling writer who has been the victim of a nasty, misinformed critique.

Anne R. Allen is the author of five romantic-comedy/mysteries debuting this fall with two publishers, Popcorn Press and Mark Williams international Digital Publishing: FOOD OF LOVE, THE GATSBY GAME, GHOSTWRITERS IN THE SKY, THE BEST REVENGE and SHERWOOD, LTD.

GHOSTWRITERS IN THE SKY is available in ebook from at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and will debut in January in paper. You can read more about Anne’s “chick lit noir” mysteries on Anne R. Allen’s Blog or her author page at Amazon.com.

{Note from Elizabeth–There’s been such a great response to this post that I’m foregoing my Friday post today to let Anne’s stand at top-post position until Sunday. Thanks to everyone who has come by, and please remember I’m giving away a 1000-word critique from The Bookshelf Muse. Just send an email to me at elizabethspanncraig (at)gmail (dot) com with “contest” in the subject to enter. Entries accepted through November 21. The randomly-chosen winner will be announced here November 22. Thanks, Angela and Becca!}

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Lately, I’ve been interacting with readers quite a bit. This, honestly, is pretty rare for me. I usually speak to writers twice as often as to readers.

Speaking to writers is easy. I talk about promo or the writing craft, or something specific about writing mysteries.

But I’m frequently uneasy when I’m speaking to readers. I’m more worried about being boring. And I’m more aware that I’m supposed to be promoting the books that are on the table against the back wall.

I also find that I need to really brush-up on my books before I do the talks. The readers have usually read my books more recently than I have.

Lately, I’ve done a lot of reader-targeted programs. I spoke to a group of mystery readers, spoke to a local service organization, and participated in a chat with mystery readers online. In addition, I’ve been on several book blogs.

I actually put a good deal of time into preparing for these events. What I was most interested in finding out was, what do readers want authors to talk about? What’s interesting to them?

So here’s a roundup of the questions I got from readers, in case it helps you prepare for a talk or online chat:

What made you choose to write your genre?
How did you come up with your protagonist?
What kinds of books do you like to read now?
What kinds of books did you like to read as a child?
Is your protagonist based on someone?
Where is your book set?
Have you lived in the place where your book is set?
What made you decide to write a book about ______?
Who is your favorite character?
Who is the victim in your new book?
What are you working on now?
What is your writing day like?
How fast do you write?
Do you write more than one series?
Why do you write under a pen name?
What other writers inspire you?
Do you know ______? (names a writer)
When did you decide to become a writer?
Do you have an English degree?
Do your books have recipes?
Who helps you with your recipes?
Are your books available on Nook? Kindle?
Where can I find your books?
Are your books at the library?
What’s your last release about?
Do you put people you know in your books?
Can I be in your book?
Did you have to do a lot of research to write your books?
Are you on Facebook?
Are there other kinds of books that you’d like to write?
Have you thought about putting your protagonist into (names a scenario?)
How many more books will be in this series?

Hope this helps a little. Want to add to it? If you speak to readers, what questions are you usually asked? As a reader, what would be interesting to you?

Through the generosity of Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi at The Bookshelf Muse, I’m giving away one of their insightful 1000 word critiques. Just send an email to me at elizabethspanncraig (at)gmail (dot) com with “contest” in the subject to enter. Entries accepted through November 21. The randomly-chosen winner will be announced here November 22. Thanks, Angela and Becca!

And—Anne R. Allen will be here tomorrow, with a post entitled: 9 Pieces of Bad Writing Advice it’s Best to Ignore. Hope you’ll come by!

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Confidence is incredibly important for writing, but it’s hard to come by.

There have been plenty of times when I’ve wanted to just throw a manuscript in the trashcan when I had a crisis of confidence in it—or in my ability to tell the story. One of the last times was for the book that launched November 1. I got 1/3 of the way through it and seriously considered starting over with a new concept.

There are so many times when we rely on confidence in this business. We have to:

Believe in ourselves enough to finish the draft. Believe enough to spend the time to edit the crappy draft we’ve finished.

Be self-confident enough to have the courage to reach out to others for feedback.

Believe enough in our writing to spend hours researching agents and publishers or, alternately, epublishing options, formatting, and cover design.

Believe enough in our story that we aren’t defensive about it if we get negative reviews.

Of course, there’s hubris too, and that’s not helpful. We’ve got to listen to folks who are trying to help us improve our manuscript or future manuscripts. But it’s also true that it’s important to listen to our gut and carefully weigh the advice we get from others.

It’s the confidence that gets us through the whole process. Or maybe…it’s stubbornness. I’m not sure. :)

How do you talk yourself off the ledge when you’re writing?

Through the generosity of Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi at The Bookshelf Muse, I’m giving away one of their insightful 1000 word critiques. Just send an email to me at elizabethspanncraig (at)gmail (dot) com with “contest” in the subject to enter. Entries accepted through November 21. The randomly-chosen winner will be announced here November 22. Thanks, Angela and Becca!

by @elizabethscraig

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week.
The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links searchable. Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for the web’s best links and interviews: http://bit.ly/gx7hg1 .
Recent news: the 3rd book in the Memphis Barbeque series released November 1—Hickory Smoked Barbeque.

Ghostwriting: Does It Matter If You Don’t Get The Credit? http://bit.ly/uuDUp4 @shurleyhall

Why Bloggers Should Be Stalkable: http://bit.ly/w3aPqu @charissaweaks

5 Ways to Stay Motivated While Writing a Novel: http://bit.ly/sU8JHo @nathanbransford

Speaker Tips for Authors: http://bit.ly/uuMjxN @sparrowgrp for @Bookgal

50 Quick, Dirty, and Cheap Ways to Improve Your Social Media Presence: http://bit.ly/vkKGT2 @smartwoman

11 Ways to Improve your Writing: http://bit.ly/urCf6G @soulofaword

Correct use of commas: http://bit.ly/ueQbTn @FantasyFaction

Smashwords to Start Accepting More eBook Formats in 2012: http://bit.ly/vDWdyU @ebooknewser

10 SEO Optimizations That Make A Difference: http://bit.ly/vndJXO @danny_cooper for @seanplatt

Chekhov’s Gag Tropes for Brainstorming Humor: http://bit.ly/sipyH7

Twitterific–my week in tweets: http://bit.ly/umy50a

1 indie author’s October sales report and analysis: http://bit.ly/s9btQK @DavidGaughran via @PassiveVoiceBlg

Getting the most from your Facebook fan page: http://bit.ly/vCI1Pn @curiosityquills

How to Write a Cover Letter That Is Both Modest and Confident: http://bit.ly/vAuqeE

7 things to remember when writing for young adults: http://bit.ly/u5AE7Q

How to Download Ebooks onto an Ereader from Project Gutenberg: http://bit.ly/u4svFI @PassiveVoiceBlg

10 reasons why pursuing your creative work is actually highly productive: http://bit.ly/rN3ggk @justinemusk

Keys to self-pub success: http://bit.ly/vvQ0r8 @TweetTheBook

How to Query a Book Review Blogger: http://bit.ly/sdG0xK @AnneRAllen

Do Readers See Your Characters the Way You Want Them To? http://bit.ly/vcZXW9 @KMWeiland

Tips for readings and signings: http://bit.ly/ukyK1A @marthawells1

Tips for book promo from @Janice_Hardy: http://bit.ly/vWmqeZ

10 resources for educating yourself on contracts: http://bit.ly/sgKpvL @/BryanThomasS

Structure-Getting Primal & Staying Simple: http://bit.ly/tTSmmt @KristenLambTX

5 Mistakes Writers Make When It Comes to Virtual Book Tours: http://bit.ly/rG9Cdv

6 Strategies To Help Get Your Family On Board With Your Passion: http://bit.ly/ugDLpz @OllinMorales

Barnes & Noble Introduces $249 Nook Tablet; Calls Kindle Fire ‘Deficient’ : http://bit.ly/vpOaJ7 @laurahazardowen

Writing memoirs – meeting the burden of marketability: http://bit.ly/tmgyKD @behlerpublish

10 Steps to Writing Mindfully for Your Blog: http://bit.ly/ugO8af @SeanMMadden

HarperCollins to pay $200 mil for Thomas Nelson: http://bit.ly/vsqqtv @GalleyCat #publishing

The Art of Performance = Not Wasting Your Audience’s Time: http://bit.ly/tO8f3u @kameronhurley

Why moving on to our next book is a good tactic: http://bit.ly/teKMJM

Inspiration vs Perspiration in Writing: http://bit.ly/tUjH0P @FaeRowen

1 agent’s concerns with NaNo: http://bit.ly/sSNsol @greyhausagency

5 writers with great Twitter bios: http://bit.ly/sSh8g7 @MarianSchembari

Download Seven Free Writing eBooks from @WritersDigest: http://bit.ly/urhVI8 @galleycat

The Challenges of Editing an Anthology: http://bit.ly/vrQCXk @Colin_Barnes

What 1 writer has learned about improving plot: http://bit.ly/sW0wzD @@Kathy_Crowley

Konrath releases his ebook v. print sales numbers: http://bit.ly/tcwV2O @jakonrath

Author Blogging 101: The Blogging Mindset: http://bit.ly/s9h6L9 @JFBookman

YA writers–a reminder of the many 1sts that kids face: http://bit.ly/u3MMrK @CherylRWrites

Tips for Using a Plot Board to Plot: http://bit.ly/vowoU6

An agent on Amazon Kindle Owners’ Lending Library: http://bit.ly/w3wdrA @RachelleGardner

Why story beats character: http://bit.ly/vjYugd @jammer0501

Create, Publish, Market, and Sell Your Own E-Book: http://bit.ly/rzIjJS @TheCreativePenn

How to hire the right website designer: http://bit.ly/rC8gq1 @JaneFriedman

The Nook tablet’s target audience: http://bit.ly/ujV9kj @laurahazardowen

Fantasy stories in a non-fantasy world: http://bit.ly/ugLGTo @DirtyWhiteCandy

Using Character to Fuel Momentum: http://bit.ly/tkF6Px @VictoriaMixon for @jan_ohara

How to gain perspective on your work: http://bit.ly/tS61KE @writersdigest

A Pulitzer-winning biographer with 6 writing lessons: http://bit.ly/vXImSq @michellerafter

Good Writing Habits & Motivation: http://bit.ly/u1MVXg

Authors can’t skimp on cover design or editing: http://bit.ly/vXc8Nd @novelpublicity

A Better Way Of Managing Your Author Website: http://bit.ly/sbc3GE

How to Recognize and Recover When You’ve Started Believing Your Own PR: http://bit.ly/se97vU @lizstrauss

8 rules for developing a good plot: http://bit.ly/vMsmih

5 Ways to Take the Ickiness Out of Marketing Our Books: http://bit.ly/uh2Grd @JodyHedlund

1 writer explains how his focus and motivation: http://bit.ly/tsthsH @RobertSharenow for @Janice_Hardy

Using The 12 Stages of Physical Intimacy To Build Tension In Your Novel: http://bit.ly/sIfqiI @JHansenWrites

Best self-publishing sites: http://bit.ly/v5Hdex @rule17

Tips for marketing your novel from @Janice_Hardy for @AngelaAckerman: http://bit.ly/vDSsqo

Using triggers in our writing: http://bit.ly/ssAr9W @authorterryo

Publishing in literary journals–an endangered rite of passage: http://bit.ly/vKtr90

A Love Affair…With Index Cards: http://bit.ly/vdFbfw @JulieMusil

True “do-it-yourself” publishing success stories will probably become rare? http://bit.ly/rQKY8o @PassiveVoiceBlg

An agent with “Submissions 101”: http://bit.ly/uUun06 @BookEndsJessica

Be a More Confident Writer: 5 Choices That Might Be Hurting Instead of Helping: http://bit.ly/siaqvS @AnnieNeugebauer

10 phrases freelancers hate to hear: http://bit.ly/vmB4lD @michellerafter

How movie money works: http://bit.ly/sre3qG #screenwriting

10 Intensifiers You Should Really, Absolutely Avoid: http://bit.ly/vyks5u

Attaining the impossible: http://bit.ly/tF0MiB @HP4Writers

Indie publishing is professional suicide? Authors respond: http://bit.ly/tPfDkc @PassiveVoiceBlg

Kobo Acquired by Japan’s Rakuten for $315 Million: http://bit.ly/sPbZ0q @GalleyCat #publishing

Tips for writing dialogue: http://bit.ly/slMVWY

How To Succeed At Screenwriting… By Really Trying, Part 2: Watch Movies: http://bit.ly/tgA5qr

Thoughts on what pages authors should sign books: http://bit.ly/t1lQ0p

Magic Bullet: The WISE Screenwriting Method: http://bit.ly/t0peDn @scriptmag

8 Ways Writers Cause Trouble: http://bit.ly/toSt3s @dollycas

The Creation of an Agent’s TBR Pile: http://bit.ly/t4Am91 @SaraMegibow

10 tips for getting published: http://bit.ly/tVrENb @nicolamorgan

1 writer’s experiment with Facebook ads: http://bit.ly/satEYq @LizzyFord2010

Tips from a self-pub success story: http://bit.ly/rVDxoG @JFBookman

3 Essential Guidelines for NaNoWriMo: http://bit.ly/uUSaMT @VictoriaMixon

When to Modify Your Name Due to SEO Concerns: http://bit.ly/sVMZM3 @JaneFriedman

7 More Fixes for Dangling Modifiers: http://bit.ly/rp1Fyi

Ebook as artifact: http://bit.ly/u8DKvI @camillelaguire

Crime fiction writers: 1 way to write sleuths that readers identify with: http://bit.ly/s8AaRA @Mkinberg

Creepy houses in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/s7NEhw @mkinberg

Save The Bookstore Day: http://bit.ly/uJUa4L @NicholeBernier

Why indie authors need to produce professional products: http://bit.ly/szDyls @joebeernink via @p2p_editor

The Brit Writers Awards: Questions and Threats: http://bit.ly/ue4dYg @VictoriaStrauss

The Art of Receiving Criticism: http://bit.ly/ttk36a @storyfix

Understanding Advances And Royalties: http://bit.ly/ssHVBy @HeatherMcCorkle

Social media–1 size doesn’t fit all: http://bit.ly/vdXKWP @KristenLambTX

The Secret to Writing While Driving: http://bit.ly/rq1iDn @christi_craig

5 Things To Consider When Turning Real Life into Fiction: http://bit.ly/rvkVlX @ProcrastWriter

Thanks to @AngelaAckerman & @beccapuglisi for making me a hero! http://bit.ly/vOG89f . Ck out their sidebar resource for writers.

How and why 1 writer changed his book’s title: http://bit.ly/v6IF4c @AuthorGuy

Create Visibility Before Getting Published: http://bit.ly/uD3IV5 @KarenCV for @spunkonastick

5 levels of slush pile manuscripts: http://bit.ly/sp0VLv @camillelaguire

5 Mistakes Virtual Book Tour Mistakes: http://bit.ly/tJjPKM @Working_Writer

Tips for organizing information: http://bit.ly/tfWY2D @CherylRWrites

How to Keep Writing When the Honeymoon is Over: http://bit.ly/vrEOxk @JodyHedlund

Indie pub drama, Amazon’s library, book piracy, con-confusion. Great wrap-up by @Porter_Anderson for @JaneFriedman : http://bit.ly/uAI8PI

An agent on the stages of an edit: http://bit.ly/tNgtf3 @BookEndsJessica

8 Press Kit Elements for Your Author Website: http://bit.ly/suQt8H @sandrabeckwith for @FriesenPress

The trouble of calling ourselves writers: http://bit.ly/smxWxs @writeitsideways

Keeping your writing interesting to keep yourself engaged: http://bit.ly/uLjmXW @originalimpulse for @fuelyourwriting

How to speak publisher – D is for Design: http://bit.ly/uDYwLM @annerooney

Great covers–tips from 4 design pros: http://bit.ly/sTxzoa

‘Every Book is a Leap of Faith’: Int’l Lit. Publishing: http://bit.ly/tXkBKs @pubperspectives #publishing

The different types of plotting writers: http://bit.ly/s2tNo6 @C_Herringshaw

Author platform–it’s not about you: http://bit.ly/sDkqyC @JFBookman

Book Bloggers: The New Publishing Gatekeepers: http://bit.ly/sjNc0M @jenniecoughlin

Faking It – acting like you know what you’re doing: http://bit.ly/sosm0N @behlerpublish

A Get Out of Jail Free Card for Some Authors: http://bit.ly/uPwXGN @PassiveVoiceBlg

What Makes a Story Feel Unrealistic? http://bit.ly/uGLflu @JamiGold

Survey of Low Fantasy Subgenres: http://bit.ly/sygKZp @FantasyFaction

When Characters Betray Other Characters: http://bit.ly/vR4glj @janice_hardy

Tips for using a storyboard for revision: http://bit.ly/vYUQHU @joanswan

When, in your drafts, to add the details of your worldbuilding: http://bit.ly/rAGXtw @HP4Writers

Examples of description used in novel openings: http://bit.ly/v0c0yL @KarenMusings

How to feel miserable as a writer: http://bit.ly/viq2Sm @JamesScottBell

Writing Adult Vs. YA Titles, one author’s experience: http://bit.ly/uNvBaB @LeannaRenee

Build a questions list to keep writing fresh: http://bit.ly/sKbq2U

Song structure and plot (what novelists can learn from songwriters): http://bit.ly/s3LVVW @JLeaLopez

Best articles for writers–11/11/11: http://bit.ly/uLsMkN @4KidLit

3 tips for giving readings: http://bit.ly/vOxXJB

10 Phrases to Purge From Your Speech & : http://bit.ly/rLsacn @nancyragno for @JaneFriedman

15 Tips for Writing a Murder Mystery: http://bit.ly/ua2ran @JHansenWrites

Write the beginning last: http://bit.ly/vsAL1E @elanaj

Indie v. traditional. Choose according to your project: http://bit.ly/vYNVu6 @LAGilman

Character v. trait: http://bit.ly/tSoOgo @TheresaStevens

Myth-Busting About Uncertainty: http://bit.ly/upfaaq @Later_Bloomer

Backstory: A Lesser Known Reason Not to Dump it Upfront: http://bit.ly/tHOUah @jeanniecampbell

1 writer admits to not being totally present with her family: http://bit.ly/rFfssC @tessgerritsen

15 Words for Household Rooms, and Their Synonyms: http://bit.ly/sTuyOY

How to Be a Better Parent AND a Better Writer: http://bit.ly/svLRxY @write_practice

Why Would You Ever Want to Outsource Your Voice? http://bit.ly/vBYbRN @chrisbrogan

Juxtaposition of relationships: http://bit.ly/rvgdQC @RavenRequiem13

A free directory of #ebook pros–for covers, editing, formatting, & more: http://tinyurl.com/3mxg5zt

Introducing Writer Beware’s Small Presses Page: http://bit.ly/tiaTKk @VictoriaStrauss

Why 1 writer has been happy with his decision to self-pub: http://bit.ly/vC4SzI @DavidGaughran for @jakonrath

YouTube Video Marketing Tips for Authors: http://bit.ly/sM2MA8 @curiosityquills

4 Ways to Fix a Stalled Story: http://bit.ly/vIHz3U @Janice_Hardy

Why an author’s early works are usually most original: http://bit.ly/rYFCxr

Tips for writing book proposals: http://bit.ly/rUJ2qK

An interesting interview with Stephen King: http://nyti.ms/v3lENZ (NY Times): @errolmorris

10 point website checkup: http://bit.ly/vU1x7m @Bookgal for @KarenCV

Hook your reader from the start: http://bit.ly/vUkcnv @HowToWriteShop

Generating Story: Develop The 6 Core Parts, Start Anywhere: http://bit.ly/tFL0LZ @authorjohnbrown

How The Kindle Fire Will Attack The iPad: Newsstand: http://rww.to/vPJx6Q @JonMwords

How to Write Fast and Well: http://bit.ly/v4hp1J @gatekeeperspost

5 Great Websites for Thriller Writers: http://bit.ly/tYPj8X @worddreams

The Art And Craft Of Story With @VictoriaMixon for @TheCreativePenn: http://bit.ly/rT1D2l

How to Style Compounds After the Noun: http://bit.ly/t2vWqY

3 Hidden Benefits of a Controversial Guest Post: http://bit.ly/rZMzMT @webtrafficcafe

5 Ways to Make More Time to Read: http://bit.ly/tHUZBh @robertbruce76 for @michaelhyatt

Writing for Middle Grades: Voice: http://bit.ly/tMlaeX @magicalwords

1 writer’s lessons learned after 20,000 tweets: http://bit.ly/vPVqqn @JeffGoins

Treating characters as if they were real: http://bit.ly/tkIWeM

The subconscious shelf: http://nyti.ms/tWWeMV (NY Times)

The Pleasures and Perils of Rereading: http://bit.ly/sdCOT9 @RealLiveCritic

Speed bumps on the road to publication: http://bit.ly/ryOtVd

5 features to help you grow your ghostwriting business: http://bit.ly/vMuZXI & http://bit.ly/ttqyzU @KarenCV

How Independent Bookstores Sell E-Books: http://bit.ly/vvBDvy @laurahazardowen

Romance in fantasy: http://bit.ly/tOSTb0 @FantasyFaction

Hi everyone! Today I’m over at the Writers in the Storm blog with tips for writing mysteries. If you’ve ever thought about writing one, or if you’re a mystery reader, I hope you’ll slide by.

Also, I want to thank Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi for featuring me as one of their Writing Heroes on The Bookshelf Muse blog. It’s a huge honor for me, since I really respect the resource they’ve established for writers there— fantastic writers’ thesauruses. Look in their sidebar to check out their thesaurus for character traits, emotions, settings, symbolism, weather, and more. They’ve opened up a giveaway for one of their wonderful critiques, which I’ll be passing along to a reader very soon.

I also wanted to thank Sharon Galligar Chance at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews for her kind review of Hickory Smoked Homicide.

Thanks!