Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

The beginning of the new year is always the time when I start assessing my writing goals for the year. It’s the perfect time to do it, since resolutions are on everyone’s brain and it’s hard to get away from it. :)

I’ve found that the more specific I can be with my goals, the better of a chance I have of meeting them.

I can deal with bite-sized goals. Or even finding out what it is that I want.

I’ve mentioned before that my writing never really took off until I figured out that I really wanted to share it. I wanted to be published—I wasn’t satisfied keeping my writing to myself anymore. But it took me a while to even figure out that was what I wanted to do.

I thought, since I’ve noticed a lot of new readers and new lurkers lately, that I’d do a mini-series on setting writing goals. I know a lot of my longtime blog friends’ goals—and I’ve read some of their books! But a lot of folks might be just trying to figure out what they’re wanting to do with their writing.

So if you haven’t focused yet on the early part of goal-setting with your writing, it’s worth asking, who am I writing for?

Are you writing for yourself? For a small number of people (family or friends?) For a specialized market? For genre readers? For a wider audience?

I think I’d take it a little farther, once I knew the answer to that question. If you’re writing only to please yourself (and I did that for a long time, myself, and found a lot of pleasure in it), then are you looking to improve your writing? In other words, how much time do you want to spend learning about writing (reading craft-related blogs, reading books on writing, and practicing writing)? Are you satisfied with where you are, or are you wanting to grow?

If you’re looking at writing for a small number of people (some memoirs, family histories, etc.), then I’d set a goal for finishing the project, for knowing when it’s finished (is an independent editor needed? How perfect does the copy need to be for these readers?), and for figuring out the format for the book and how I wanted to share it (self-publishing? Kindle through Smashwords? POD?)

If I was interested in writing for a larger number of people—that opens up a whole other set of goal-setting questions, so I’ll start on that tomorrow. :)

Have you thought about for whom you’re writing? Have you ever changed from writing for yourself to writing for others?

I’ve always thought that books made the best gifts.

I think I can remember every book I’ve ever gotten as a gift. And I’ve got a lousy memory. But it always struck me that the person giving the book to me had spent time thinking about me and the kinds of things I like to read. And bought me something they thought I’d like.

I remember even the books I got as gifts as a child. I got great books from my grandmothers, like these:

and my mother and father, like these:

Later on, when I was married, I started to get these kinds of books from my husband and my sister-in-law (they knew I was interested in writing):

This year, I’ve bought quite a few books as gifts. Some of them I haven’t even read myself, but loved the description from different book blogs that I read. Some seemed like the perfect match for family members or good friends.

I even have two family members who live in Africa. It’s hard to get physical gifts to them (unreliable postal service there), but they are getting a gift card to an online book retailer so they can download books to their PCs.

Do you have a favorite book that you received as a gift? Do you have a favorite book that you like to give as a gift?

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.

An Agent With A Year In Statistics–2010: http://dld.bz/B9Dm

Influencers 2010: On Writing, Publishing, Blogging, Marketing and Entrepreneurship: http://dld.bz/B9CF

Help wanted–strong, believable character: http://dld.bz/BAeQ

Revisions vs rewrites: http://dld.bz/B9CC

Why children’s books that terrify are the ones kids love the most (Ntl. Post): http://dld.bz/B9C3

Be careful where you click: http://dld.bz/B9Cs

Conferences/workshops for beginning writers: http://dld.bz/B9Cp

10 Blogging Myths You Must Ignore: http://dld.bz/B9Cm

How to establish characters in your book’s opening: http://bit.ly/fbYhex @p2p_editor

A tip jar at public readings? (Guardian): http://dld.bz/B3hF

Five things to do if (gasp) the words won’t come: http://dld.bz/B3hz

Writing Across Formats: http://dld.bz/B3hg

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: The neighborly thing to do…egg nog quick bread! http://bit.ly/fdoFXw @CleoCoyle

What copywriters actually do: http://dld.bz/B3gX

The 7 Deadly Sins of Paranormal Romance: http://dld.bz/B3gD

Passive vs Active Voice: http://dld.bz/B3gr

Walt Whitman’s notebook (NY Times): http://dld.bz/B3gd

Your Art is Not Frivolous–It’s Money Begging to Be Made: http://dld.bz/B3fH

10 tricks to help you feel like a writer: http://dld.bz/B3f9

First-page problems and enduring the wait: http://dld.bz/B3fx

How Boring Is Your Blog? http://dld.bz/B3fs

3 traits of characters readers give up on: http://tinyurl.com/37jdbxz @mkinberg

Zen Pen: http://dld.bz/Bg6j

Dr. Strangemuse: Or How I Learned to Quit Worrying and Love Writer’s Block: http://dld.bz/Bg4Q

Avoid Clichés Like the Plague (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/Bg4K

Thoughts on book distribution: http://dld.bz/B3fq

“I am a writer, and I will finish the s*** that I started.”: http://dld.bz/Bg4f

Enriching your story-world: http://dld.bz/BgxV @jammer0501

How Small Victories Help You Write with Perseverance: http://dld.bz/BgxE

Why TV Ads Don’t Sell Books Online (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/Bgxr

What To Do When We Feel Unappreciated As A Writer: http://dld.bz/Bgwq

Too Many Cooks – How Do You Handle Conflicting Critiques? http://dld.bz/Bgvv

An apple pie and an editor go into a bar: http://dld.bz/BguM

Manuscript formatting: http://dld.bz/Bgut

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Fresh Soup Without Leaving the House! http://bit.ly/e0tYIy @CleoCoyle

Uncle Sam Cracks Down on Music and Movie Piracy. But What’s with Books? http://dld.bz/Bgt5

How to Use the Info Tab on the New Facebook Profile: http://dld.bz/Bgtb

Breaking writing rules: http://dld.bz/Bgm3

When Should You Quit Writing? http://dld.bz/Bgmr

How Peanut Farmers Can Save Publishing…and You Can Help: http://dld.bz/BuEg via @tonifois

How to Drive Traffic To a New Blog Through a Commenting Tribe: http://dld.bz/BgkD

Do You Think He Likes Me? Conveying Emotions: http://dld.bz/Bgk5

Editing and the YA market: http://dld.bz/Bgky

The iPad And The Kindle Compared: http://dld.bz/BgjX @thecreativepenn

Countdown to December 31 – Your Writing Expenses: http://dld.bz/BgjV

How to write a book next year: http://dld.bz/BgjT

The Writer Version of Ebenezer Scrooge: http://dld.bz/BgjF

On Contests and Agents and Editors: http://dld.bz/Bgjr

Self-Promotion, With Integrity: http://dld.bz/AVXF

For freelancers (but good for novelists)–The Holiday Season Slow-Down: The Importance of “Making a List”: http://dld.bz/Bgg8

World-Building Through Character: http://dld.bz/Bggx

Writing series: http://dld.bz/Bggg

Blogging–Part 2 Don’t Feed the Trolls: http://dld.bz/Bggc

Writing an agent or editor back after a rejection: resist the temptation: http://dld.bz/BgfD

Arthur C Clarke award calls on SF fans to help reinvent the prize (Guardian): http://dld.bz/BgeT

Why we love bad books (Salon): http://dld.bz/BgdV

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Hooray for soup! http://bit.ly/eCQgo9 @CleoCoyle

The 51 steps to editing: http://dld.bz/Bgdd

A 6-part series on revising characters: http://bit.ly/4wP2Rc @p2p_editor

An agent on who decides titles and covers: http://dld.bz/BgcS

Writing and promoting–yes, we’ve got to do our dirty work: http://dld.bz/Bgce

Bloggers: If You’re Not Struggling, You’re Failing: http://dld.bz/AVYm

7 ways to change your mindset: http://dld.bz/AVXT

How to Manage Criticism Effectively: http://dld.bz/AVXK

Lost Roald Dahl manuscript sells on eBay (Guardian): http://dld.bz/BgBq

Nice List of Romance Writing Resources: http://dld.bz/Bghv @bluemaven

How To Slay Toxic Creatures In Your Creative Life: http://dld.bz/Bgyx @EeleenLee

Is an Emotionally Mature Author an Oxymoron? (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/AVX3

Stay motivated with your writing–you’re *not* falling behind: http://dld.bz/Bgad

End Of Days For Bookstores? Not If They Can Help It (NPR): http://dld.bz/AVWQ

4 Tips To Stress Free Blogging: http://dld.bz/AVW5

5 More Aspects of Emotion Writers Need to Know – Expectations: http://dld.bz/AVWj

7 Tasks to Bridge Your First and Second Drafts: http://dld.bz/AVVJ

6 tips for surviving bad reviews: http://dld.bz/AVVy

How to know when your book is finished: http://dld.bz/AV3V @dirtywhitecandy

Revision: Sharpening Characters: http://dld.bz/AV34

The Slush Pile Slump Syndrome: http://dld.bz/AV3j

10 signs you’re having one of *those* writing days: http://dld.bz/Bcu8 @elspethwrites

Understanding genre: http://dld.bz/AV3e

Deconstructing a movie to demonstrate story structure and act one elements: http://dld.bz/AV2S

How to Add a Like Button to Your Facebook Tabs: http://dld.bz/AVzZ

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Crunch Time Fallbacks—Creamy Chicken http://bit.ly/ho2fpM @CleoCoyle

Ideas (particularly for nonfiction writers) on putting extras for readers on our websites (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/AUMd

The Sophomore Slump for Published Writers: http://dld.bz/AUK4

When marketing can be too much: http://dld.bz/AUKc

On the overuse of dialogue tags: http://dld.bz/AUJW

The role of an editor: http://dld.bz/AUJb

Raising the stakes in your manuscript: http://dld.bz/AUHW

Stieg Larsson was the top European writer in 2010: http://dld.bz/AUHV

3 tips for avoiding info dumps: http://dld.bz/AUHG @juliemusil

Slush pile trends: http://dld.bz/AUHs

The 13 Most Obnoxious Publishing Stories of 2010 (Huff Post–Slideshow): http://dld.bz/AVYt

Un-Rut Yourself: http://dld.bz/AJam

A collection of posts on writers’ retreats and colonies: http://tinyurl.com/28ppduk http://tinyurl.com/2c73n2a http://tinyurl.com/22u5abv

Digging Hurts: The Trauma of Writing Fiction Truthfully (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/AJab

Why celebrity memoirs rule publishing (Guardian): http://dld.bz/AHZU

How to backup your data–and keep up with your passwords: http://dld.bz/AUQz

Top 5 mistakes writers make when penning sex scenes–and a writing exercise to avoid making them: http://dld.bz/AU87

Finding your voice: http://dld.bz/AHZA

A List Of Book Genres: http://dld.bz/AHZ4

What Makes A Good Crit Buddy? http://dld.bz/AHYx @RoniLoren

The pie in the face writing method: http://dld.bz/A8SE

All about the excerpt: http://dld.bz/A8SC

NaNo Now What? http://dld.bz/A8S7

Writer reality check: http://dld.bz/A8Sx

Does Charles Dickens Matter? (Wall St. Journal): http://dld.bz/A8Sr

How to triple your Twitter traffic in 7 days: http://dld.bz/A8Se

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: World’s Best Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte from Cleo Coyle http://bit.ly/fHZmPr @CleoCoyle

The Father Figure in Literature: http://dld.bz/A849

Novelist Gordon Korman’s take on writing for children: http://dld.bz/A85P

Tips for opening lines: http://dld.bz/A85z

The road to remembering–accurate recall for memoirs: http://dld.bz/A85x

What Constitutes Publication and How Do I Know My Query’s Been Read? http://dld.bz/A84T

Copy-Editing And Beta Readers: http://dld.bz/A83H @thecreativepenn

Sexy villains (and why you should be scared of them): http://dld.bz/A8zc

Stop making excuses–tips for increasing writing productivity: http://dld.bz/A8wW

I’m archiving all my tweeted links for easier searching and research for writers: http://dld.bz/AFCJ

When will English come to a full stop (and lose its global dominance)? (Guardian): http://dld.bz/A8ws

8 iPad Apps for Brilliant Writing: http://dld.bz/A8wk

Writers ‘at greater risk of depression’, survey finds (Guardian): http://dld.bz/AHYj

8 Reasons to Let Your Stories Ripen: http://dld.bz/A8wg

How to Avoid Blogging Burnout During the Holidays: http://dld.bz/A8bh

Why the Best Authors Have a Mailing List: http://dld.bz/A7SB

Facebook Tips for Writers: http://dld.bz/A7S8

An author on problems she’s experienced writing for small publishers: http://dld.bz/AFCj @authorterryo

5 Ways Engineering is Like Writing: http://dld.bz/A7Sg

What makes a cozy….good? http://dld.bz/A7RH

10 practical tips for better writing: http://dld.bz/A3DP

3 Ways to Get Organized: http://dld.bz/Aqy6

Season’s Readings–a look at “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” (Guardian): http://dld.bz/AExE

Year-in-Review Questions: http://dld.bz/Aqyu

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Crinkle Cookies! http://bit.ly/ff6Fli @CleoCoyle

An agent gives tips on querying: http://dld.bz/Aqwj

Brushing up on grammar: http://dld.bz/AqwW @clarissadraper

On the Problem of Steampunk as “Window Dressing”: http://dld.bz/AqwK

Does Refreshing Ourselves Keep Our Writing Fresh? http://dld.bz/Aqvw

An agent posts on whether agents remember submissions: http://dld.bz/AquV

7 Powerful Ways to Get Your Blog Post Noticed: http://dld.bz/AquD

A successful query, point by point: http://dld.bz/AqtG

7 Lessons That WikiLeaks Teaches Us: http://dld.bz/Aqtr

Twitterific–the week in tweets: http://dld.bz/A8qP

DIY Gifts for Writers: http://dld.bz/AqsT

E-readers seduce romance-novel fans (NY Times): http://dld.bz/A8tp

Why Amazon is Critical to Book Sales – And What To Do About It: http://dld.bz/Aqrb

The Best of the Best Books 2010 (Daily Beast): http://dld.bz/A7UX

Publishing etiquette: http://dld.bz/AqqT

Why one writer thinks the future of memoirs is bright: http://dld.bz/Aqqw

Canceling a project – reality check: http://dld.bz/Aqqh

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles http://bit.ly/fhZWJI @CleoCoyle

Freelancers–When to Walk Away From a Writing Job Offer: http://dld.bz/Am9x

In a blog vs. website faceoff, blogs win: http://dld.bz/Am8W

Can a first chapter be too exciting? http://dld.bz/Am8S

The levels of revision hell: http://dld.bz/Am8D

Margot Kinberg had a nice post yesterday on character traits that are off-putting to readers. 

She made a good point—as a reader, I’ll give up on a book that has characters that I can’t connect with or admire.  Here are the traits that Margot listed for unlikeable characters:

Characters With No Redeeming Qualities
Characters Who Aren’t Authentic
Characters Who are “Flat” or Stereotyped

Margot got me thinking about traits that I do enjoy reading and writing.  If I were to make a “help wanted” poster for characters, these are the types of people I’d be looking to employ:

They’re Everyman—but braver, nicer, and more pleasant to be around than we are.

They’re problem-solvers.

They’re growing…either in skills or in knowledge or in personality.

They overcome the odds.

They have some sense of humor (without being silly).

They’re a major part of the book’s action.  They cause things to happen.  They don’t sit on the sidelines.

They’re decisive and not wishy-washy.

They’re intelligent…or, if they’re not that intelligent (Forrest Gump) then they’re incredibly likeable and good-hearted.

They’re flawed.  There’s nothing more unlikeable than reading about a character who is perfect.

They’re not too flawed.  Or, if they’re totally unlikeable, (Ebenezer Scrooge) then they’re at least dynamic enough to experience a radical change of heart.

What’s on your “help wanted” list for characters?

My daughter got it into her head last week that she wanted an easel and a beret for Christmas. She sat on Santa’s lap and told him on Saturday.

Actually, she told anyone who would listen to her.

On Wednesday, a flyer from a large national toy store arrived with our paper. It was advertising the type of easel she was asking for at 50% off.

So I was off to the toy store. :)

Unfortunately, when I got there, I discovered that there were no more easels in the store. In fact, they’d been out of those easels for weeks.

The clerk got on the store’s computer. “Atlanta has 78 of them at the main store. Want to go to Atlanta?” We burst out laughing. (Southern joke here—Atlanta scares us all to death to drive in….most folks there drive 100 mph and weave in and out of traffic. Plus the fact, of course, that there are five million people in the Atlanta metro area.)

The clerk kept on looking. There were 100 easels in Orlando (not exactly a quick drive from Charlotte…more like 8 hours.) And they couldn’t ship from another store without charging me for shipping…even if I picked it up at the store.

So I was a little irked. The clerk looked sympathetically at me. It would have been a guaranteed sale.

With books, distribution has always played a key role in a book’s success. If it’s available in a lot of stores, its chances of being bought are increased.

I’ve found that Penguin, in particular, has amazing distribution…and that it gets amazing placement on shelves. I’ve found my book on endcaps, on new release tables, and on special displays. That has little to do with me and a lot to do with them and their clout with bookstores.

Distribution has also always been a reason why self-published books have faced such huge odds. Unless the writer went through a company that distributed through Ingram or Baker and Taylor, then the book couldn’t even get to the bookstores, unless the author went to each store with a load of books in his trunk. And then the author had the bookstore manager to make his case to.

Now, however, I feel like ebooks are starting to really impact the publishing landscape.

I think visibility is still going to be an issue—maybe getting your book on the landing page of Amazon or Barnes and Noble—but distribution will be as easy as a download.

To some degree, I think this is going to level the playing field a little bit. I’m sure that publishers are feeling ambivalent about it.

To me, though, it’s all about the books. I just want people to continue reading…despite all the modern-day electronic distractions that compete with their attention and time.

I love the idea that, if we want to read a book, we have the capability of reading it immediately—without even having to hunt it down in a store. I love the ease of distribution.

But I’ll miss my bookstores.

What are your thoughts on the ebook revolution? Mixed, like mine? Are you seeing the advantages more than you used to? Advantages like accessibility of books—and lack of physical distribution?