Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

Here are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter for the past week.

If you’re looking for a particular topic, just plug in your keyword into the search box at the top left-hand corner of the blog (on the black header right above my blog name…next to the Blogger symbol…the small search window is next to the magnifying glass) and the roundup with your subject will come up. To narrow your search down on the page, do a CTRL+F, type your subject, and hit enter.

I’m also archiving these posts in what I hope is an easily searchable format—if you look at the Twitterific tabs under the blog’s heading, I’m posting the links there, too.

Steampunk Archetypes: http://dld.bz/GVR2

When Is a Story Worth Writing? – Part One: http://dld.bz/Hbg7 @JamiGold

The Process of Creation – Here’s a Concept: http://dld.bz/GV5j @JustusRStone

Getting a new idea: http://dld.bz/GV4g

Editing by instinct and some tips to distance yourself from your manuscript: http://dld.bz/HbfT

Don’t Show Up In Overalls: http://dld.bz/GV3Q

Failed at Installation: http://dld.bz/GV3J

6 Steps to Fight Content Theft: http://dld.bz/GV3B

The app I use to schedule my tweets ahead of time is down for scheduled maintenance. Tweeting will resume after SocialOomph is back up. :)

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Cream Scones: A Theme and Variations http://bit.ly/eK2beJ @CleoCoyle

Intern Tips: Query Edition: http://dld.bz/GSFg

Love’s labour’s located: how one writer plotted Shakespeare’s London with an iPhone app (Guardian): http://dld.bz/GSEX

The 4 stages of writing–in comic form via @inkygirl: http://dld.bz/GSDE

Mystery writers guide to forensics–forensic linguistics: http://dld.bz/GSxP @clarissadraper

Quick editing tip for rewriting weak scenes: http://dld.bz/GSwg

Character building tips from King’s “On Writing”: http://dld.bz/GSve

Resistance is futile: 10 ways you can find NOT to write that novel: http://dld.bz/GV5E @ziggykinsella

Thoughts on realistic sexual tension for your book: http://dld.bz/GSuM

A tip for adding realistic tension to your book: http://dld.bz/GSut

Best Articles This Week for Writers 1/21/11: http://dld.bz/GV4r @4kidlit

Taming Time—Practical Tips to Increase Writing Productivity: http://dld.bz/GSsV

Barnes & Noble makes small — or big? — exec changes: http://dld.bz/GV3s

Insufficiently challenged heroes: http://dld.bz/GSs6

How to Find a Direct Line to Your Readers: http://dld.bz/GSsn

How to Feature Your Book on Your LinkedIn Profile: http://dld.bz/GSsc

When Social Media Becomes a Time-Suck: http://dld.bz/GSrG

Making your super characters extraordinary: http://dld.bz/GSqT @cvaldezmiller

10 ways to be awkward at a writers’ conference: http://dld.bz/GSqe

The part that a lack of perspective and perception plays in creating crime fiction victims: http://dld.bz/GSzx @mkinberg

How Do You Know if Your Writing is Getting Better? http://dld.bz/GMPA

Why You’re Only 1/4 of A Writer And How to Make You Whole Again: http://dld.bz/GMPu

Rediscovering the fun in our fiction: http://dld.bz/GMNN

Reading like a Writer: http://dld.bz/GMNe

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Vegetarian Split Pea soup http://bit.ly/f64jeW @CleoCoyle

Advice From An Editor: The Three-Word Non-Magic Formula: http://dld.bz/GMFW

B&N lending features are disappearing: http://dld.bz/GMA6

Is It Just Too Much to Ask of an Author? (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/GJm9

Writer’s Platform Vs. Writer’s Foundation: http://dld.bz/GJmv @HeatherMcCorkle

8 Tips To Launch Successful Challenges at Your Blog: http://dld.bz/GJfU

How original do you have to be? Writing for a market: http://dld.bz/GJfJ

Links addressing whether our manuscript is ready for querying: http://dld.bz/GJdW @bluemaven

The difference between “pitch” and “query”: http://dld.bz/GJd9

6 Mistakes That Make Your Website Look Like a 1970s Kitchen: http://dld.bz/GJd6

RT @KMWeiland Need to brush up your grammar? Useful site for a crash course: http://tinyurl.com/94rou

Formatting Your Manuscript – 25 Lines Per Page: http://dld.bz/GHtM @jhansenwrites

SFF and the Classical Past, Part 1: Atlantis: http://dld.bz/GHtb

Writers’ group etiquette: http://bit.ly/grDtrM

Self-Editing for Writers: Part 1, Mechanics: http://dld.bz/GHqD

Steps toward establishing a writing habit: http://dld.bz/G7Ne

5 Tips for Freelance Mentor Relationships: http://dld.bz/G7MD

Authors, don’t take offense at changes your editor & production team make to your book: http://dld.bz/G7Mp

How to Optimize Your Blog for Google: http://dld.bz/G7Fw

An agents says–Be Careful Over-working Your Story. You Will Never Finish: http://dld.bz/G7Fp

Blog design counts– tips on what to avoid: http://dld.bz/G7Fb

Steampunk thoughts: the novels of Felix Gilman: http://dld.bz/GxKD

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Leftovers and Editing http://bit.ly/fV6s3V @CleoCoyle

Do-Overs: 10 speculative fiction books that got major rewrites after they were published: http://dld.bz/GxKe

How to be a Writer and Have a Life: or, Livin’ the Dream: http://dld.bz/GxMk

Trying to Explain Characterization: http://dld.bz/GxKS

Writing The Next Book: http://dld.bz/GxJ3

How blogging helped one writer find an agent: http://dld.bz/G7Aa

The Increasing Importance of the First Chapter: http://dld.bz/G7AR

Need inspiration? A coffee break for writers: http://dld.bz/GBqK @elspethwrites

Developing a Unique Voice – Links, Tips, and a Useful Tool: http://dld.bz/G7AC

Interesting post on narrative distance: http://dld.bz/G6cD

What your writers block may be telling you: http://dld.bz/G6b7 @flawritersconf

Unknown and unpublished: enjoy it while it lasts: http://dld.bz/G6aK

Finding–and Leading With–Theme: http://dld.bz/Gy7R

Free Books Aren’t Free: http://dld.bz/GxGH

Setting the Right Tone for Your Story: http://dld.bz/GxGn

Branding: The Secret to Selling More Books (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/GxFY

Wikipedia is the non-fiction writer’s best friend (Guardian): http://dld.bz/Gxb7

Foreign Rights: Not for the Faint of Heart: http://dld.bz/Gxbc

Edgar Nominees 2011: Mystery Writers of America: http://dld.bz/G6jk @janetrudolph

5 Reasons to Tackle Freelance Projects You Don’t Love: http://dld.bz/GxaY

Is the Print-and-Pray Model of Book Publishing Dead? http://dld.bz/GxaV

Each scene in our book needs to earn its keep: http://dld.bz/G5Cz @authorterryo

Should I Mention My Blog in My Query? http://dld.bz/GwZP

With All the Hype, Is Self-Publishing Really for You?: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/GtBN

Beat Procrastination With a Stopwatch: http://dld.bz/GtB3

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Combatting the Weather With a Southern Favorite—Goulash! http://bit.ly/gFl4no @CleoCoyle

Critiquing with grace and a little panache: http://dld.bz/GsP9

Reject the “New Rules For Writers” (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/GsPm

The 2 Guaranteed Ways to Ruin Your Novel: http://dld.bz/GsNY

An agent with conference tips: http://dld.bz/GsN4

One writer’s experience with Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award process: http://dld.bz/GsE3 @hartjohnson

A Writer’s Quick-fix Toolkit: http://dld.bz/GsNb @jammer0501

More Cuts at Borders (Publishers Weekly): http://dld.bz/GxHw

Showing your characters’ emotions through dialogue: http://dld.bz/GsFr @Paize_Fiddler

Editing made easier: http://dld.bz/GsPK

How Authors Move Their Own Merchandise (Wall St. Journal): http://dld.bz/GxF3

The Writing Process: From Idea To Print: http://dld.bz/GnHR

The Snowball Effect of Social Media: http://dld.bz/GnHM

Finding Book Endorsements: http://dld.bz/GnHn

Non-Fiction–The Road to Becoming an “Expert”: http://dld.bz/GnGT

What Makes a Hero: http://dld.bz/GnGC

Me or You? Choosing Between First and Third POV: http://dld.bz/GnFR

A litmus test for your opening scene: http://dld.bz/GkGx

6 Common Dialogue Mistakes to Avoid: http://dld.bz/GkuZ

The Problem – and Reality – of Adding -LY: http://dld.bz/GkuV

Why one tweeter says ‘no’ to RTs: http://dld.bz/Gkut

Combining characters: http://dld.bz/Gkud

Looking back on past writing goals and tweaking them for the future: http://dld.bz/GktF

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: The Particular Happiness of Orange Cake by Cleo Coyle http://bit.ly/f1n2xY @CleoCoyle

4 business moves you’ll never regret, as a writer: http://dld.bz/Gh2V @wendypmiller

Writing children’s fantasy–what sets it apart from other fantasy: http://dld.bz/GksS

An interesting journey–one writer goes from self-published success to agented author: http://dld.bz/GkkD

Authors weigh in on being published by small presses (and thoughts on distribution): http://dld.bz/GkgT @LadyGlamis

Keeping characters real by allowing them to be moody: http://dld.bz/GnMc @elspethwrites

Know thy hub: http://dld.bz/Gkg5

NPR’s new short fiction contest is on (LA Times): http://dld.bz/GnJS

The best practices list–for writers: http://dld.bz/Gjfz

How to write a press release for your book–8 tips: http://dld.bz/Gjfj @alexisgrant

The Neil Gaiman master class for writing–headhopping vs. POV shifts: http://dld.bz/Ghyk @SimonCLarter

The Cons of a Freelance Career: http://dld.bz/GaAH

How to Write a Synopsis When You Have Lots of Characters in Your Story: http://dld.bz/Ga9J @chucksambuchino

New Rules For Writers: Ignore Publicity, Shun Crowds, Refuse Recognition And More (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/Ga9r

An additional post on openings–defining our characters at the start of our book: http://dld.bz/GkjM @p2p_editor

Openings: In the Beginning . . .: http://dld.bz/Ga8Y

Lessons from the Slushpile: Good vs. Great: http://dld.bz/Ga8N

Be Focused, Be Prepared, Be Committed – Steps to Take Before Hiring a Publicist: http://dld.bz/Ga7g

40 tips to become more productive: http://dld.bz/Ga6Y

Edits vs. Revisions: One on One Death Match: http://dld.bz/Ga3f

How to Make Powerful Connections Through Social Media: http://dld.bz/Ga2G

Jospeh Conrad – A Writer Must Believe: http://dld.bz/Ga25

5 desk exercises for writers (or others who are attached to their desk): http://dld.bz/Ga2z

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Winter Salad with Black-Eye Peas and Spinach http://bit.ly/f26GZg @CleoCoyle

Avoid this “writing contest”: http://dld.bz/Ga2h

Trade magazines for writers: http://dld.bz/Ga2b

3 fixes to make your first novel fly: 1 – hook your reader by the head AND the heart: http://dld.bz/GazX @dirtywhitecandy

Why ebooks cost so much: http://dld.bz/GazT

10 Steps for Working Past the “This Stinks” Blues: http://dld.bz/GazM

What the powers-that-be think about DRM, and an explanation of the cloud: http://dld.bz/GazA

One reader’s top 10 paranormal picks for 2011: http://dld.bz/FSfq

Creating empathy for your characters: http://dld.bz/FSfe

How to create a podcast: http://dld.bz/FSeU @thecreativepenn

Tension vs. Just Plain Old Annoying: http://dld.bz/FSeE

Using Setting to Help Build Your World: http://dld.bz/FSe7

How novels came to terms with the internet (Guardian): http://dld.bz/FSem

America’s most literate cities: http://dld.bz/FSdG

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Welcome Our Guest Blogger Terry Odell: What’s in a name? + Honey and Orange Glaze… http://bit.ly/fUvLGJ @CleoCoyle

When the Bookshelves Spilleth Over: Ideas and Links for Book Donations: http://dld.bz/FSdv

Creating unforgettable settings–world building: http://dld.bz/FSdn

An illustrator’s process in the spotlight: http://dld.bz/FSdh

An agent believes that writers who don’t read their reviews limit their potential for growth: http://dld.bz/FNpD

Let’s call the whole thing off: http://dld.bz/FNpr @sarahlapolla

This post rates a rare 2nd tweet from me…just b/c I think it’s an easy, clever method for deep POV: http://dld.bz/F8j7

Ways to go from Plod to Plot: http://dld.bz/FNnA

Writing like it’s a game of chess: http://dld.bz/FUbY @JustusRStone

Literary tattoos (Guardian): http://dld.bz/FNnx

Tips for making your writing sparkle: http://dld.bz/FRMR

The use of artistically-arranged crime scenes in mysteries: http://dld.bz/FT4k @mkinberg

A couple of days ago I was at a friend’s house, dropping off some craft supplies for the Girl Scout meeting. I was in a hurry, as always, made my goodbyes, jumped in the car, turned the key in the ignition…and nothing happened. And I mean nothing. It wasn’t like the car even tried to turn over…and I’d just been driving the darned thing minutes earlier.

I can do a few things with a car—I can change a tire, add some oil…but I’d probably just call AAA auto club to come and do those things, since we have a membership. I had a feeling this problem was battery related so I popped open the hood.

My friend and I looked at the engine dubiously. Finally, I noticed that there was a cable that was kind of flopping around. I frowned at it. “That couldn’t be right, could it? Some cable not connected to anything?”

My friend said, “You know, I think that’s supposed to clamp onto the battery. See? It’s got a red cover on it and there’s the green one.”

Ahh. I hooked it onto the battery terminal, or whatever it was. I jumped into the car and it started right away.

I know very little about cars, but I do know when something doesn’t look right.

I’ve focused a lot on editing this week, probably because I just finished a slew of it recently. Now I’m back in the creative part again, but the editing still lingers in my mind. So my mind jumped right back to editing as I hurried back home.

I think that sometimes we can overthink the editing process. It seems so daunting (or boring) sometimes, but really…all it boils down to is that we’re searching for something that doesn’t look right.

Now the car engine was completely unfamiliar to me, so my eye went right to the thing that didn’t look right. But with a manuscript, we’ve been working so closely with our words that it can be hard to get that distance.

Ways that we can distance ourselves enough from a manuscript to find the things that don’t look right?

Time: You can put your manuscript down for as much time as possible, then return to it.

Reading aloud: This is a method that I use and it does help quite a bit.

Change of scenery: I really don’t know why this works, but it does. If I’ve written the majority of the book at home, then I’ll go to the coffeehouse to edit it, or vice versa.

Different font: I’ve heard this trick before, but haven’t used it. Some swear by putting your manuscript in a completely different font for editing.

What gives you the distance to see when something doesn’t look right?

Microsoft Word 2010 and I have not been getting along, unfortunately. I’ve been very good to back up, as well as to save work as I go…but I’ve still experienced data loss.

Yesterday I was writing, carefully hitting ‘save’ at the end of each paragraph—and Word froze right before the end of a long paragraph. So I lost the sentences.

It wasn’t a lot of text lost, but it was enough to make me take a 30 minute break in irritation. :)

When I sat down again to rewrite the paragraph, I tried to capture the feeling and gist of the previous paragraph. I’d written quickly and I couldn’t remember my exact word choice.

I used different phrasing and I think the order of the sentences was different—and I know it reads a lot better than what I’d originally written.

I’d kept only my vague impression of the old paragraph. I had the gist of the scene but rewrote it in a fresh way.

This was accidental editing (that I sure wasn’t planning on doing yesterday), but I’ve used the technique on purpose when editing manuscripts before.

Each draft of every manuscript I’ve worked on has had a mixture of strong and weak scenes.

When reading the first draft, I’ll mark scenes that stand out as weak with a comment to myself in the margin, using Word’s commenting feature.

After I’ve finished my read-through, I’ll rewrite the weak scenes without looking at them. Well, I’ll do a really fast read-through, to get the gist of the weak scene, but not a close-enough reading to be able to remember specific word choice.

The end product is nearly always much better than the old version.

I’ve found that if I’m looking right at the sentences that need to be edited, I tend to use the same phrasing…phrasing which obviously didn’t work and which resulted in the weak scene to begin with.

Have you tried doing blind rewrites of a scene, page, or paragraph? How did it work for you?

One exhilarating thing about writing is that there are so many choices for our story.

When I’m working on the Memphis Barbeque series, the plot possibilities are endless. There are dozens of possibilities for story direction, new characters, and character development.

What I do know when I start writing, is that the book will be set in Memphis. There will be at least one murder (and probably two.) Much of the story’s activity will be centered around a barbeque restaurant.

There will not be a lot of profanity, excessive gore, or over-the-top violence.

The lack of profanity, gore and violence is because I know my genre and my readers—and I respect them. I’m writing for a particular market…and readers who might not buy my next book if they’re disappointed by a radical departure from cozy norms. Check out these posts from Margot Kinberg (she explains that these subgenre categories help readers find the kinds of books they want) and Alan Orloff (writers should know their audience and the conventions that audience expects.)

The story’s setting, the murders, and the centering around a restaurant is due to the series’ branding and the expectations of my publisher. This is how we’re marketing the series—it’s set in Memphis, Tennessee which is a vibrant city known for its barbeque. The series is a culinary mystery series.

When I signed the contract for the series, I agreed to certain conditions. My publisher paid me an advance on the books that I hadn’t written yet, and in return I promised to produce something that they could market and put on the shelf—that fit the parameters of the genre.

I was on Twitter the other day and someone sent me a message. They were interested in my agent’s name because they had written something that “had never been done before.”

I know that many unpublished writers say that they want to write a book that is unique and really stands out from the crowd…or the slush pile.

Of course you should write the book you want to write. The one with the characters that talk to you all hours of the day and night, begging for more lines.

But, if you’re looking for publication, I don’t think you have to go wildly original. And you don’t have to push the boundaries or be really edgy to stand out.

In most genres, there’s an audience for what’s considered standbys for the genre. And what you see on the shelves in those genres represent, for the most part, what works. What people want to read, what they’re talking about and sharing with each other.

It’s great to have the breakout novel that defies definition. I think many of us have a book like that in us.

But I think there’s a lot to be said for following industry guidelines for a genre and delivering something that can easily be marketed and sold. The type of book that readers of that genre genuinely love to read.

What makes your book unique and not the same as every other fantasy or YA book or mystery out there? Your characters and your voice.

So, if it’s the edgy, breakout novel that resists labeling is the one that’s asking you to be written, definitely write it.

But don’t feel like that’s the novel you have to write. There’s plenty of room for the old standards. For the kinds of stories that people go back to. For comfortable reads. For what works.

I think it’s great to wow an agent or editor with your unique voice and your amazing characters. I don’t think you necessarily have to forge new territory with a radically different or edgy plot.

And maybe…once you’ve established yourself in the industry with with reliable sales, you can more easily find a home for something really unusual or unique or edgy.

I know there are folks who feel otherwise, though, like the man who contacted me on Twitter. What do you think? New territory? Old standards? Which do you see making its way through the slush pile easier?

Patience is the trait that I admire most.

Unfortunately, it’s one of the traits I’m lacking. :)

Actually, I think if I had to name my biggest fault, it would be my lack of patience. I’m always moving, restless. I have trouble sitting still…even when I write. I’ll frequently “write” in my head while I’m doing housework or errands.

And publishing? It moves veryyyyy slowwwwly.

There’s actually not a single area of the publishing industry that I can think of that moves quickly. Querying? Very, very slow. Contract agreements? Slow. (Usually back and forth between agent to editor a couple of times before getting to us to sign.) Edits? Pretty slow, again mostly due to the back-and-forth nature of it and the need for thought in regards to changes. Book production…oh Lord. That’s the slowest of all.

Of course, it takes time to write a book, too. :) Some of the time, they’re all waiting on me.

Actually, for most published authors that I know, the process is wait, wait some more, waaaait, then…hurry! Hurry! Make the deadline! Then waaaait. Then there’s an insane rush around release time that lingers.

But I never think about the waiting. I’m never anxiously wondering what stage of production my book is in.

I’d ordinarily be the worst person in the world with all the waiting…except that I’m so very busy writing books and working on promoting them.

My mother sometimes will ask me, “Now when is your book coming out? Everyone is asking me!” I’ll tell her it’s June and she’ll exclaim over the wait. And…each time I’m surprised by her reaction. It hasn’t felt that long on my end. For one, I think I’m just getting used to it.

But really, it’s just my busyness. Who has time to think?

Unfortunately, publishing wasn’t designed with impatient types in mind.

I think, if we spend too much time thinking about the wait—particularly if we’re waiting to hear back from queries—then it just makes things worse. I can’t think of a single productive internal monologue that I’ve had when I’ve felt impatient and anxious. They always end up making me feel worse.

If you’re waiting on something to do with publishing …have you tried writing another book? What else do you do to keep yourself busy while you wait? And, since I’m curious today, what part of the writing/publishing loop are you currently focusing on–writing, querying, releasing, promo, or all of them?