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.

Happy Halloween!

Did Steampunk Forget The Meaning Of The Word Dickensian? (NPR): http://dld.bz/3XJp

Tips for public speaking: http://dld.bz/3XHW @eveningfades

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Baking up the famous $250 Neiman Marcus Cookies and Comment to win HOLIDAY GRIND! http://bit.ly/b5zEAg @CleoCoyle

The new face of the MFA (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/3XHB

6 Golden Rules of NaNoWriMo: http://dld.bz/3XH7 @victoriamixon

NaNoWriMo Workshop – Plot: http://dld.bz/3XHt

Words that can weaken and dilute your writing: http://dld.bz/3UgC

The Pros and Cons of NaNoWriMo: http://dld.bz/3UfK

Women in Horror Anthologies: http://dld.bz/3UeU

How to write like a rock star (Daily Beast): http://dld.bz/3Uef

How Writers Can Use Twitter for Networking and Success: http://dld.bz/3UdQ

Understanding Publishing: http://dld.bz/3UdF

Cranking out blog content: http://dld.bz/3UdB

Misconceptions about agents: http://dld.bz/3Udc

Building your tribe before publication: http://dld.bz/3UcT

Don’t fall for publishing industry scams: http://dld.bz/3UcM

Are You Marketing Your Book With A Full Deck? http://dld.bz/3Uc6

An agent on dialogue: http://dld.bz/3UbT

POV–the cure for common writing problems: http://dld.bz/3UhE

How to send out requested materials: http://dld.bz/3BNW

On Launching an Online Community and Micropublisher from Scratch: http://dld.bz/3BNR

Avoiding the Slush Pile: http://dld.bz/3BNA

How to speak publisher – A is for Author: http://dld.bz/3BN4

Use the 5 Ds for a Purposeful and Peaceful Holidays (a system that can be applied to prioritizing tasks): http://dld.bz/3BNv

Gift ideas for writers: http://dld.bz/3BNc

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie http://bit.ly/drefz2 @CleoCoyle

Queries, Synopses, Pitches and Other Uneasy Friends, Part 2: http://dld.bz/3BMW

Steampunk Abstractions: On Commodification: http://dld.bz/3BMD

An editor’s checklist of 13 things to look for when editing: http://dld.bz/3BMs

Outlines and plotting for novels: http://dld.bz/3BKX

6 Things Your Website Should Tell Book Reviewers About You (and Your Book): http://dld.bz/3BKU

Vividly depicted characters in crime fiction–making even an unknown victim come alive for the reader: http://dld.bz/3BTz @mkinberg

An agent on seeing the words “utterly original” in a query: http://dld.bz/3BK8

Working in 10 minutes of exercise a day to make us better writers: http://dld.bz/389Z

Authorial Voice: the many hued definitions: http://dld.bz/389K

A case of the not-enoughs: http://dld.bz/389h @bluemaven

A genre glossary: http://dld.bz/388K

How Acting Can Help You To Develop Character: http://dld.bz/388C

An agent on–What if there aren’t enough agents? What if I don’t like the ones that like me? http://dld.bz/388r

Similes, cliché, and added information: http://dld.bz/388e

Travel Writing 101: http://dld.bz/387T

NaNoWriMo Boot Camp: Choosing the Right Idea: http://dld.bz/3876

Let’s Make a Deal: An Editor/Agent Mock Negotiation: http://dld.bz/386K

Getting your NaNo on: http://dld.bz/386A

Writer platforms–why we need one and links to help develop one: http://dld.bz/3BPg

Reasons to write for writers not seeking publication: http://dld.bz/386q @jammer0501

Wonder why no one shares your blog content? Try this: http://dld.bz/385Y

Characters: When They Won’t Talk To You: http://dld.bz/385n

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Let’s get pickled! http://bit.ly/cXX56l @CleoCoyle

Understanding screenwriting: http://dld.bz/3hgd

Don’t assume your reader isn’t literally taking you literally: http://dld.bz/3hg2

What to consider before shortening links: http://dld.bz/3kPG

Busting the Top 3 Guest Blogging Myths: http://dld.bz/3kPE

5 Freelance Fears – And How to Conquer Them: http://dld.bz/3kPA

Should You Mention Using Freelance Editors? http://dld.bz/3kP8

Character development – Ken and Barbie vs. The Seven Deadly Sins: http://dld.bz/3kPz

Writing for children and youth–word counts for different age groups: http://dld.bz/3kPv

Teaching Writing for Extra Income: http://dld.bz/3kPh

Ten Tips For Your Favorite Crime Scene Investigator: http://dld.bz/3hfX

Basic author websites: http://dld.bz/3hfH

6 lies everyone knows about writers: http://dld.bz/3hfx

Writing and publishing questions answered: http://dld.bz/3hfa

You thought *your* rejections were tough? http://dld.bz/3hen

Neglected character types in women’s fiction: http://dld.bz/3hae

Writing good sex scenes: http://dld.bz/3gZw

How Much Does a Book Change From First Draft to Final Copy? http://dld.bz/3gZe @jodyhedlund

Writing in the nooks and crannies of life: http://dld.bz/3gYZ

Does having 2 creative people in a relationship work? Take an informal poll: http://dld.bz/33KU

An Author’s List of Things That Go Bump in the Night: http://dld.bz/3gYK

What makes a character a hero? Some qualities: http://dld.bz/33Ey @camillelaguire

A synopsis template: http://dld.bz/3gYJ

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Marvelous Meatloaf http://bit.ly/avdOQ2 @CleoCoyle

Is it ever time to self-publish? http://dld.bz/3gYE

Could Online Writing Communities Replace Creative Writing Programs? http://dld.bz/3gYz

The Ultimate Retro Laptop: http://dld.bz/3cQU @JanetRudolph

One writer’s agent hunt experience: http://dld.bz/3cNP

A list of unusual tools for writers on the internet: http://dld.bz/3gZJ

Countdown to NaNoWriMo Part 4: Your Outline Will Fail: http://dld.bz/3cKp @PauloCamposInk

Jane Austen would have flunked English? (Baltimore Sun): http://dld.bz/3cHv

Nanowrimo – Make a list: http://dld.bz/3cF3

How a writer (or other creative) can develop multiple sources of revenue: http://dld.bz/3cEj

The Ecosystem of Independent Publishing: http://dld.bz/3cCZ

The No. 1 Component of an Effective Online Marketing and Promotion Strategy: http://dld.bz/3cBE

Writing compelling blog post titles–4 tips: http://dld.bz/3cAv

Reading That Helps Your Writing: http://dld.bz/3c8u

An Appeal to Poetry Editors: http://dld.bz/3c8d

How Live Readings Can Help Your Writing: http://dld.bz/3c7R

How to build a world–otherwise known as research: http://dld.bz/3cwZ

Developing contacts to promote your book (part 2): http://dld.bz/3hw5 @spunkonastick

Use Motion to Spice up Your Scenes: http://dld.bz/3cwj

Edits are *not* revisions: http://dld.bz/3hvv @authorterryo

A glimpse at some publisher-requested revisions: http://dld.bz/3hhc

How to state the obvious – obligatory scenes in Stephen King’s The Green Mile: http://dld.bz/3cvR @dirtywhitecandy

The Fine Line between the Writing and the Writer: http://dld.bz/3gYu @paulgreci

Helpful character creation links: http://dld.bz/3cvH

Get It On The Page: http://dld.bz/3cvD

17 Reasons your film script was rejected…in 1925: http://dld.bz/3cvC

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Welcome Jessica Faust! http://bit.ly/dn37oe @CleoCoyle

Revising Your Book? Check This: http://dld.bz/3cv2

50 Years of Mystery Book Awards in One Place: http://dld.bz/2S6z

The trial of Lady Chatterley’s Lover (Guardian): http://dld.bz/2S6p

Best tweets for writers (wk ending 10-22): http://dld.bz/3dj7

The year murder got respectable: http://dld.bz/2S5X

Upcoming Events For YA Writers: http://dld.bz/3cQZ

Why one blogger deleted his Foursquare account: http://dld.bz/2S59

How to Avoid Using PowerPoint in 5 Easy Steps: http://dld.bz/2S52

Passion in Characters: http://dld.bz/2S5n

Writing Slow: http://dld.bz/2S4X

Twitterific–the week in tweets: http://dld.bz/3b49

Quality vs. Quantity: http://dld.bz/2S4S

The Seven Sentence Character Sketch: http://dld.bz/3baU

Writing with a formula (even if you’re not a plotter): http://dld.bz/2S4Q

Where We Write: http://dld.bz/2S49

The Writing Fantasy: http://dld.bz/2S47

The Early Reader and Chapter Book Market: http://dld.bz/2S4z

How to Type in Your Own Handwriting on Your Computer: http://dld.bz/2S4q

Get Your Steam on II: New Steampunk Events the World Over: http://dld.bz/2S4n

Permission to Create “Bad” Art: http://dld.bz/2S4k

Ten of the best balls in literature (Guardian): http://dld.bz/2S3M

The Hay Festival: The literary institution to save the planet (Telegraph): http://dld.bz/2S34

Artfully recovering creativity: http://dld.bz/2S3w

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: CHIEF BAKER PAUL YATES with a LEMON CHESS PIE! http://bit.ly/bb8eRD @CleoCoyle

How to Get Boys to Read: http://dld.bz/2S2v

The Double-Edged Sword of Creative Community: http://dld.bz/2Ssu

When Every Word Is a Struggle (take 2): http://dld.bz/2S2s

Written for freelancers, but works for novelists, too: Keep Readers Hooked Past the First Paragraph: http://dld.bz/2S2m

Last Sunday, my husband and I took my daughter to church (our son was camping.)

Our church has a children’s moment worked into the service—a time for all the elementary-aged kids to come forward and listen to a homily by the youth pastor. The homily is usually themed, very short, and with a clear message.

Sunday’s lesson? I can’t remember exactly what it was. That’s because the youth minister asked the children what they were going to be for Halloween (as a sort of warm-up question), and my daughter loudly proclaimed she was going to be the devil.

It is true that she’s going to be a (cute) devil for Halloween. If I’d known the minister was going to ask such a question, though, I probably would have advised her not to pipe up that she was going to be Satan.

But then, this is a Presbyterian church (and a very laid-back one, at that) and the congregation burst out laughing both at what she said, where she said it, and the youth pastor’s Art Linkletter expression as he looked out at the crowd. My daughter, of course, was totally baffled at the reaction, not really seeing the good vs. evil implication. She just liked the costume.

Still…the devil wasn’t really the right casting for the minister’s homily.

It got me thinking about my own character casting. Because I do it, almost without thinking about what I’m doing.

If there’s not enough conflict, I add a character that grates on people’s nerves (and might end up being an additional victim.)

If the book seems too serious, I’ll cast a funny character to bring some humor in.

But sometimes I miscast, too. I’ll put a character in who is too strong of a character and he or she steals the spotlight too many times. I’ll have to change the character or tone him down. Sometimes a character just changes the whole dynamics of the story (like the devil in the pastor’s homily.) Then I completely jettison the character, if it doesn’t work out.

Because the protagonist can’t do it all. They can’t carry the whole book and all its elements. Well, I guess they can, but it’s difficult. Much easier to have a cast of characters to support the protagonist or trip him up. As long as they’ve been well-cast.

Have you ever had to rein a character in or pull one out completely because of miscasting? Or added a new character to the cast because something was lacking?

I’m a firm believer that understanding point of view (POV) can cure most common writing problems. It’s such a versatile tool that does more than just help us pick which pronoun to use. It allows us to put ourselves in someone else’s head, empathize with them, see the world through their eyes even if that world is very different from our own. It’s what lets us be storytellers and not just someone who plops details on a page in a logical order.

Here are five common trouble spots and how POV can help fix them.

Telling, Not Showing

This is the biggie, and a problem every writer has likely faced at some point. One reason why is that when we tell, we’re explaining what is going on from our author perspective. We describe what we see as if we’re watching a play, because often we see our stories unfold in our heads like one. But try applying a solid POV to this problem. Look out through the eyes of your character and think about what they see and most importantly, how they feel about it. Forget what you as the author knows. What do they see? How does that fit into their life and their problem at that moment? Because when someone is running for their lives, they don’t bother to notice what the drapes look like. A solid POV can help keep you from telling what’s there and focused on what matters.

Backstory

If we’re telling someone else’s story, we tend to slip in extra information because the listener doesn’t know the person we’re talking about. But when we’re telling our own story, we usually only tell the details that are relevant to what we’re saying, because we already know the other stuff and know the person we’re talking to does as well. POV and backstory work in the same way. If you’re looking at a newly created room or character, you’re going to want to explain everything to catch the reader up. But think about that character as if you were her. Would you really think about your past out of the blue? Or bring up painful topics you’re trying hard to avoid? Unless something happened to trigger that memory, you’re more likely to go about your day doing what you do. If you stay inside the POV’s head, you’ll be able to see life as they do and know what’s relevant to that scene.

Weak Goals or Motivations

POV is all about motivations, because it’s how a character sees and feels about the world. Understanding how they feel or where they’re at emotionally in a scene will determine how they respond to the situation. Someone who’s terrified will react very differently from someone who is angry. They’re motivated by different things. They’re after different goals. So if a character is just acting out plot, get inside their head and think about what you’d do if you were them and why.

Low Stakes

Just like POV can help with goals, it can also help you understand what that character has at stake. It forces you to become that person, if only for a little while, and lets you ask why they’re risking their lives or family, or whatever it is that fits the plot. A lot of what we ask our characters to do, no sane person would comply with. They’d run for the nearest exit. So why is this person willing to act? What about them is making them choose this path? If you can’t find a reason for them to care, then you know where to start looking to raise those stakes. Find something about them that they do care about. To do that, get in their heads.

Voice

Voice is one of those things that’s hard to explain, but we know it when we hear it. For me, voice comes from the judgment of the character, and to get that judgment, you need a strong POV. Who that character is determines what they sound like. If all you’re doing is relating facts about a scene or story, it can sound flat, even empty. But if the scene is described how the character sees it and feels about it, it comes to life. There’s a soul behind the words. A personality. A point of view coloring every word.

I’ve found that point of view has its fingers in pretty much every aspect of writing. We can do all the characterization and study sheets and interviews we want, but until we put ourselves in that character’s head and show the world through their eyes, very little of that work can really shine.

Stories are about people. And point of view lets us be those people.

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Janice Hardy Bio

A long-time fantasy reader, Janice Hardy always wondered about the darker side of healing. For her fantasy trilogy THE HEALING WARS, she tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing was dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst choices. Her books include THE SHIFTER, and BLUE FIRE from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. She lives in Georgia with her husband, three cats and one very nervous freshwater eel.

You can find Janice at her blog: The Other Side of the Story

Blue Fire Blurb

Part fugitive, part hero, fifteen-year-old Nya is barely staying ahead of the Duke of Baseer’s trackers. Wanted for a crime she didn’t mean to commit, she risks capture to protect every Taker she can find, determined to prevent the Duke from using them in his fiendish experiments. But resolve isn’t enough to protect any of them, and Nya soon realizes that the only way to keep them all out of the Duke’s clutches is to flee Geveg. Unfortunately, the Duke’s best tracker has other ideas.

Nya finds herself trapped in the last place she ever wanted to be, forced to trust the last people she ever thought she could. More is at stake than just the people of Geveg, and the closer she gets to uncovering the Duke’s plan, the more she discovers how critical she is to his victory. To save Geveg, she just might have to save Baseer—if she doesn’t destroy it first.

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Selling is usually not the favorite thing for writers to do. Writers like to write.

But, as we all know, selling is a big part of the job now in 21st century publishing.

What is new about selling is the indirect approach, or building a social media platform.

The basic idea, as I see it, of platforms, is to have a large enough social media presence so when a new release comes out, you’re able to promote it in a way that can impact sales. For pre-published writers, a platform gives industry professionals some insight into how much influence you have in the media…and how that might impact sales when they sign you as a writer.

It’s more than that, though, which is where some writers get off-track. They toot their own horn too much—and everyone will just tune that out.

The idea is to develop friendships, network, and provide something of value to the community. And then, to use that platform as a way to promote—indirectly and without overdoing it.

You’d think that once you get published that things would get easier—but there are just so many books out there. I walked into both Borders and Barnes and Noble (no independent stores are near me) yesterday and the number of books on their shelves was amazing. I made sure mine were in stock (they were) and signed…but what makes mine stand out from the probably 150-200 other cozy mysteries on the shelves near it?

Nothing—unless the reader happens to be someone who might have heard of me or seen me on Facebook or Twitter or on my blog or around the blogosphere as I guest post. The book covers or my name might seem a little familiar.

Really, though, that’s still statistically not likely. But it’s more likely that when I have a release, I might get some clicks online to a website to buy my book—from people in my online circles.

This sales approach is really indirect. REALLY indirect. But I did nearly earn out my advance…before the book even released, just on preorders. And who knew about this book? Mostly people I knew online. Besides, of course, the folks who order every cozy mystery that comes out each month (bless them!)

The latest issue of Mystery Scene magazine has a really generous review of Delicious and Suspicious in it. But it did tickle me when they wrote: “Riley Adams—the pseudonym of veteran author Elizabeth Spann Craig…” It made me sound grizzled! And I haven’t been around nearly as long as a lot of writers—but I think the difference is that I’ve been around online enough to give that impression.

So, summing up? Building platforms–I’m afraid we have to do it. But there are ways to do it where we’re not in people’s faces all the time or blasting out promo stuff so that potential readers unfollow and unfriend us. And best of all? It does seem to work…both for sales and for networking with folks in the industry.

This is a pretty big area right now, so I thought I’d link to a few helpful articles if anyone wants to look into this a little farther:

How To Discover and Build Your Author Brand
What Platform Means for Writers
Building Your Author Platform
More than an Author? How to Become a Household Name–Branding 101
Your Author Platform – Branding

What kinds of things are you doing to get your name or your book’s name out there?

My daughter and I went to a Halloween party on Saturday night. Well, it was both a Halloween party and a premiere…the dad of my daughter’s friend had an official premiere of his band.

He’s an interesting guy—he has a huge record collection (vinyls— in floor to ceiling shelves), and just lives for music.

During the day he has a day job selling chemicals. The music really keeps him going.

His wife is a middle school assistant principal and is very matter-of-fact and serious.

I walked up to his wife at the party and raved over their house. It was full of antique music players and old radios and stereos—and books! Books everywhere. He also had a music room for all the LPs and his huge collection of 60s and 70s kitsch and toys that were on a shelf that ran along the ceiling. There were collections of different objects in different rooms. I pulled out my phone and started taking pictures. I was very impressed.

His wife said, “I get so overwhelmed in that room! I’m there for a few minutes and it drives me a little crazy so I have to go to a quieter room.” She paused for a few minutes and said, “Really, I’m kind of boring, compared to my husband.”

I said, “But I think if there were two people who were that creative in the same place, then they’d end up wanting to kill each other. Opposites work better.” I was thinking about my own daydreaminess and the way I’m easily distracted—and my husband who is nothing if not grounded. He’s very set in the here-and-now and helps rein me in from some of my flights of fancy. It works out well.

On the other hand, I do personally know a couple of husband and wife writing teams. And they work together really, really well. Although—I think they still have personalities that are very different from each other. Maybe that’s the aspect that makes it work.

I think back to all the creative unions in the past that didn’t go so well—the Sylvia Plaths and Ted Hughes of the world, or the Liz Taylors and Richard Burtons. Now there were other problems at work in those relationships, too, of course.

So I thought I’d take a little informal poll among those who’d like to participate. How many of you creative types are married to fellow artists? And how is that working for you? Or are you married to a non-creative? If you are, do they “get” what you’re doing? If they don’t “get” it, do they at least respect your reasons for writing?