Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

Hope everybody had a great holiday and New Year celebration. I missed the blogosphere while I was gone!

I also hope y’all got home safely, if you were traveling. There has been bizarre weather over much of the break here in the States. Tornadoes, blizzards, earthquakes, massive amounts of rain…it’s been a real mess.

It actually snowed on Christmas Day—the first time this had happened in North Carolina in any measurable amount since 1947.

We do usually get snow in Matthews, but it’s in February, which is our coldest month of the year.

Snow in the South is unusual enough that we don’t have a lot of snow plowing equipment here. And the snow melts during the day—and freezes at night as ice. It’s beautiful here when it snows…but treacherous.

It made me think of all the unusual weather in books that I’ve read. The weather in the books stands out because it was so striking to the characters in the book or because it made a difference in the plot. As a reader, it stood out to me, too.

The heat in New York while the group is at the Plaza Hotel in The Great Gatsby. The Tempest and the storm that Lear suffers through in King Lear. The Grapes of Wrath. Just about anything in Dickens. The Wizard of Oz. Tennessee Williams’ play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Depending on how it’s treated, weather can be an important element in the book. It can create stress or discomfort for the characters, or causes them to act out of character. Murder mysteries frequently use weather to cut the characters off from the rest of the world (and law enforcement) and isolate potential victims with a killer.

Weather can be overdone, of course, too. If there’s a big storm during a character’s moment of personal crisis, I’m probably going to roll my eyes a little bit.

What seems to work best in books is either for weather to either add a little background ambience for a scene or else for the weather to take more of a center stage role—times when the weather is something really unusual. Something that the characters will remember as striking weather, even years later. Something the reader will remember as striking weather.

As a reader, can you remember times the weather really set the mood in a book? Do you use weather in your own writing, and how?

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate and a Happy 2011 to all!

Taking the lead from many of the blogs I follow in my Google Reader, I’m taking a week off from blogging and will be back in 2011. Traffic slows to a crawl online this time of year during the holidays. :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

Here are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter for the past week.  The list will be a little shorter this week because I’m going on tweetcation (most bloggers seem to be taking a break until New Year and the content is pretty scarce.)

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.

Resist the Urge to Explain: http://dld.bz/Cn8j

Darkly Developing Dexter-A Lesson In The Literary Anti-Hero: http://dld.bz/Cn7F

Amazon.com Kindle Sales Are Said to Exceed Estimates: http://dld.bz/Cn6U

Writers Rally To Support Novelist Charles Bock & His Family: http://dld.bz/Cn8u

Tips for Writing Verse Novels: http://dld.bz/Cn5h

“Traditional” publishing – let’s just change the definition, shall we? http://dld.bz/Cn46

Keep it real, only more interesting: http://dld.bz/Cn4s

Get Over Overstating: Trimming Unnecessary Words: http://dld.bz/Cn4q

Key elements of strong fiction: http://dld.bz/Cn4f

10 ways to finish that danged first draft: http://dld.bz/Cucg @elspethwrites

Setting writing goals, step 3–finding time to write and writing: http://dld.bz/Ct6x

A case for villains: http://dld.bz/Cn3W

Using defense mechanisms for characters: http://dld.bz/Cn3K

J.K. Rowling and Plot Planning: http://dld.bz/Cn3C

A writer’s impressions of Twitter: http://dld.bz/CtWj and http://dld.bz/CtWk @authorterryo

A little word play fun: http://dld.bz/CtU5 @MermaidHel

Six Pet Hates of An Editor: http://dld.bz/Cn3a

The Simple Software That Could — but Probably Won’t — Change the Face of Writing (The Atlantic): http://dld.bz/Cn2N

29 literary films to fill your holidays (LA Times): http://dld.bz/Cn2s

Your To-Do List: Knowing Where to Start: http://dld.bz/Cbbx

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: http://bit.ly/h8zhNg @CleoCoyle

E-readers breed fondness for other e-readers (LA Times): http://dld.bz/Cn5t

The Twelve Days of a Writer’s Christmas: http://dld.bz/CbcG

WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange will write memoir: http://dld.bz/Cn6A

When (or Why) Social Media Fails to Sell Books: http://dld.bz/Cbc6

Writing Ebooks: Top 3 Ways to Make Sales: http://dld.bz/Cba7

Balancing the Scenes that Make Up Your Novel: http://dld.bz/Cbcn

4 Reasons Every Novelist Can Benefit From Writing a Screenplay: http://dld.bz/CbbP

Setting writing goals, step 2–links to conferences, blogs, and resources to help you improve: http://dld.bz/Cjmb

Modeling Protagonists After Real Life Heroes: http://dld.bz/Cbb3

Your To-Do List: Knowing Where to Start: http://dld.bz/Cbbx

Top 75 Apps for Enhancing Your Facebook Page: http://dld.bz/CbaU

Prologues – this side of hell: http://dld.bz/CbaC

Author Turns Going-Out-of-Print into Act of Charity: http://dld.bz/Cba8

Nice list of writers’ conferences in North America for 2011: http://dld.bz/CjnY @Jodie_R_Editing

Getting to the Point with Tom Cruise: http://dld.bz/Cbcx

Tailoring Submissions (part 2): http://dld.bz/Cbax

Tips for Reposting an Older Post: http://dld.bz/Cbak

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Shrimp and Rice Casserole http://bit.ly/gRn2dA @CleoCoyle

Words That Sound Like What They Mean, but Aren’t Onomatopoeia: http://dld.bz/BVv4

Great Writers Rescue Obama (Daily Beast): http://dld.bz/CaYr

Will all good writers be published? An agent’s thoughts: http://dld.bz/CaYf

Google eBooks: a Refresher: http://dld.bz/CaXQ

Writing a prologue: http://dld.bz/CaXP

A Gathering of Literary Christmas Cards: http://dld.bz/CaXJ

Setting writing goals–step one: http://dld.bz/CaXx

10 Rules of Social Engagement That Will Make or Break Your Blog Readership: http://dld.bz/BVwX

Finding Your Unique Blogging Voice: http://dld.bz/BVwJ

Writing with style sheets: http://dld.bz/BVwB

Underlying Motivation – Getting Through the Rough Spots: http://dld.bz/CaVA @joanswan

The Relevance of YA for Adults: The Harry Potter Effect: http://dld.bz/BVw7

This figure of speech isn’t dead – it’s just resting: http://dld.bz/BVwf

Top 10 Ways To Improve Your ReTweetability: http://dld.bz/BVvD

10 best tweets of 2010 (Jane Friedman): http://dld.bz/BZPa

How to be a great writer: http://dld.bz/BVuX @jammer0501

The Inanity of the Erudite: http://dld.bz/BVuW

An agent on whether you should post your writing online: http://dld.bz/BVuP

Konrath’s Resolutions for Writers 2011: http://dld.bz/BVu6

2010’s Best Nonfiction For Winning Family Arguments (NPR): http://dld.bz/BVur

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Pfeffernüsse (Gesundheit!) Gingerbread Snowballs for Santa from Cleo Coyle http://bit.ly/go4qmZ @CleoCoyle

Your characters offstage: http://dld.bz/BVbk

The Writing Life: How to Thoroughly Abuse Caffeine: http://dld.bz/BPgA @GeoffreyCubbage

Social media: Literary luvvies come over all aTwitter about tweeting (Guardian): http://dld.bz/BJPH

New Year’s Inspirations for Writers: 10 Creative Writing Websites: http://dld.bz/BJPC

5 ways to hone your blogging skills: http://dld.bz/BJPw

Your dialogue can do more: http://dld.bz/BJPs

Reading with Android 101, a reading app guide: http://dld.bz/BJNv

Writing is its own reward: http://dld.bz/BJKb

Are Your Verbs Showing or Telling? http://dld.bz/BJJW

8 Easy Things To Do BEFORE You Start Your Novel: http://dld.bz/BJJP

Villain Stereotypes: http://dld.bz/BJJN

Writers in prison: when having an opinion becomes a crime (Guardian): http://dld.bz/BJHW

How To Write A Home Run Story in 2011: http://dld.bz/BJHJ

Last minute gift ideas for writers: http://dld.bz/BJH8

On ‘show, don’t tell’: http://dld.bz/BGga

The art of pacing: http://dld.bz/BGfN

The art of creative writing goals: http://dld.bz/BPfh @storiestorm

Six things they don’t teach you about writing: http://dld.bz/BGfe

Don’t tag your emotions: http://dld.bz/BGeV

Simplify your life in 10 steps (and free up time to write): http://dld.bz/BFNW

How to Shop for Your Neurotic Writer: http://dld.bz/BPd3 @GeoffreyCubbage

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: The Diva Roasts A Goose http://bit.ly/f94okw @CleoCoyle

Beyond the Printed Page: Robert Sabuda is the superstar of the modern pop-up book: http://dld.bz/BFXp

From Story Pantser to Story Planner: One Writer’s Journey: http://dld.bz/BFWf

The One Thing About Social Media That Most People Don’t Think About: http://dld.bz/BFRG

Holiday Gift Ideas For Writers: http://dld.bz/BFRE

8 “Moments” You Absolutely Need to Deliver to Your Readers… And One That You Should Hope For: http://dld.bz/BFQX

7 Creative Principles of Pixar to apply to writing: http://dld.bz/BFQz

Blogger Becomes iPhone and Droid-Friendly: http://dld.bz/BFQu

The 12 Days of Christmas In The Land Of Urban Fantasy: http://dld.bz/BFQp

Creating Consistent Artist Brands: http://dld.bz/B9Fg

Twitterific–the week in tweets: http://dld.bz/BGf8

I got THE CALL! … Um now what? http://dld.bz/B9EC

On euphemisms (Ntl. Post): http://dld.bz/B9Ej

Best articles this week for writers: http://dld.bz/BGfn

5 Tips For Working from Home: http://dld.bz/B9Ee

10 of the best alps in literature: http://dld.bz/B9Eb

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Welcome guest Janet Rudolph! http://bit.ly/fjmR9F @CleoCoyle

New Year’s Inspiration for Writers: Progress, Goals within Reach, and Bad-Ass Ambition: http://dld.bz/B9DD

One children’s book illustrator’s design process: http://dld.bz/B9D4

Don’t Write the Obit For Picture Books Yet: http://dld.bz/B9Dw

The practicing is really the thing that made me grow the fastest as a writer. 

Everything else I was doing (reading books, craft books, blogs, industry news) was definitely helpful, but the one thing that really helped me improve was practice.

Everybody needs to come up with a plan that will work for them.  This is just what worked for me.

Set goals you can meet.  Starting out, I always set a goal of a page a day.  I let myself come up with that one page whenever and wherever I could.

Start fresh every day…don’t play catch-up.  Don’t get discouraged by feeling you’re falling behind.  Each day is a fresh chance to meet your goal—not catch up on the previous day’s goal.

If you’re facing a challenging day the following day (or even if you’re not), then write a short couple of sentences that night to remind yourself what you’re planning on writing the following day.  Or where you’re picking up with your story.

Be flexible.  Learn to write on the go, out in public, in the morning, during lunch, or at night.  You don’t have to set a particular place or time to write.

If it helps—try not to edit what you’ve already written.  For me, that’s a discouraging process because I’m seeing all the faults in the manuscript.  For me, the most important thing is moving the story to its conclusion, not editing as I go.

Remember that first drafts are supposed to be bad. And give yourself permission to have an awful first, second, or tenth draft.  The only one that counts is the one you submit.

Have any writing tips for daily goals or starting out with a manuscript?

Once I decided that I wanted to write for a larger audience than just myself, I made a goal to improve my writing skills.

The nice thing is that now there are so many ways of learning the writing craft.

Writing Blogs

Reading writing blogs are fantastic ways to get tips on handling problem areas like sagging middles, POV issues, and transitioning between scenes. If you look in my blog roll and underneath my daily posts, there are fantastic writers/bloggers who share their challenges and insights. I have way too many favorites to list them all here, but I consider each of these writers my friends. Each blogger has his or her own blog roll—so you can find even more great writers to connect with and learn from.

Some blogs focus on craft nearly every day. Here are some blogs to get you started: The Other Side of the Story, Fiction Groupie, Write it Sideways, Adventures in Children’s Publishing (not just for children’s lit writers), Magical Words, and Plot to Punctuation.

Critique Groups

If your town has a local writers’ group, check and see if they have critique groups. Or, join an online one, like Critique Circle. For tips on starting your own critique group, see this post on Kirby’s Lane.

Independent Editors
If you’ve gone as far with your revisions and edits that you feel you can, consider contacting an independent editor. Not only can they point out things you might not see yourself, but you can learn a lot from them. There are several that visit my blog, including Helen Ginger, Marvin Wilson, and Crystal Clear Proofing.

Classes and Workshops

Here are some links to online organizations and sites that sponsor online classes and their calendar of upcoming workshops. The classes range from $15 to $50. Many of the classes are taught by working writers.

http://www.writeruniv.com/

http://www.writersonlineclasses.com/?page_id=22

http://www.rwanational.org/cs/chapter_conferences_and_events#online

http://www.rwamysterysuspense.org/index.php

http://www.romance-ffp.com/workshops.cfm

Conferences

Conferences can be another way (a bit more expensive, but many conferences are starting to go online) to learn more about the writing craft—and, of course, network.

I found this list of 2011 writing conferences on Jodie Renner’s blog.

Books about Writing

Everyone has their favorites. :) There are many that are specific to particular genres, too. As far as general books on writing, I like On Writing by Stephen King, and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

Magazines about Writing

There are also subscriptions that can help you get information on writing. I’ve subscribed to Writer’s Digest, Poets and Writers, and The Writer.

And then there’s….writing. Practicing each day, or as often as you can. And I’ll cover that in the post tomorrow. :)

Do you have any favorite writing resources for writers trying to learn more about the craft?