Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

I was looking at my calendar yesterday and adding a guest blogger for Mystery Writing is Murder to it when I realized I have seven guest bloggers coming up in the next five weeks.

I enjoy having guests on the blog—I love reading  different perspectives on writing. It also gives me a chance to find out about some great new releases.

When I first heard about blog touring, though, I really didn’t have a clue what people were talking about.  It was 2008 and I loved the idea of it—the not having to physically tour part—so I spent some time looking it up online. I even signed up for a blog tour class on a Yahoo group that gave some really useful information on blog touring…both hosting one and being a good tour guest.

Reasons to Consider a Blog Tour

It’s hard for you to leave job/family/etc. to travel.
Traveling is expensive
A blog tour reaches many more people than a physical tour
Increased Google Hits for your book and a higher Google ranking
It’s a great way to increase visibility and buzz

Publishers like blog tours, which is another reason to consider having one.  A few years back, when blog tours were just really getting cranked up, Felicia Sullivan, a senior online marketing manager of a HarperCollins imprint,  was interviewed by the New York Times:

“If I had to choose, I’d rather have an author promote themselves online. You can reach at least a few hundred people on a blog, and save time, money and the fear of being a loser when no one shows up to your reading.”

Are you limited to just visiting blogs with a virtual tour?

No, it’s probably a good idea to mix it up a little. Podcasts are nice. (I was on Red River Writers once…that’s a good one to check out. There’s also the Reading and Writing podcast.)   You could also arrange to send your book to online book reviewers so they could review your book—you wouldn’t be making an appearance on their site, but your book would.  Also remember to promote or see if friends can tweet or mention your tour or release on Facebook and Twitter or other social media.

When should you start the book tour?

Probably you should kick it off with the release of the book, unless you’re shooting for good pre-orders.  And a tour can last as long as you like—and be as intensive as you like.  I’ve seen some blog tours where authors have every date in a three-week period booked for an online appearance, and I’ve seen tours (like mine) which were stretched out for a while, but with appearances every couple of days or so.

What kinds of formats should you consider for your appearance?

Reviews—You’d ask book bloggers to consider reviewing your book.

Interviews—The blog host would conduct an interview with you.

Character Interview—These can be fun—the blog host interviews your character.

Guest Post—You write a post for the blog host on a topic of the host’s choice…and it usually ties into your new release.

Contests—Holding contests for commenters is a nice way to spur interest in your book.

How do I reach potential hosts?

Finding good hosts is really key. You’ll definitely have online friends who’ll be happy to host you, but also consider reaching out to other bloggers who write or read your genre….particularly blogs that have a lot of followers (usually there’s a widget in the sidebar that shows followers), commenters, and participation.  Obviously, you want to get as many eyeballs as possible—and some potential new readers— to look at your book cover and buy link.

Usually, as a host, I get an email or a Facebook message from authors who are interested in appearing on my blog.  If I don’t know them, they introduce themselves, tell me a little about their book, mention the date it’s being released, and ask if there’s a date during their launch month that’s available for them to guest post.

Don’t forget to pitch the book.  Make sure that you provide your blog host with a “buy link”—a link to an online retailer where an interested reader can purchase your book.  Sometimes the blog host will hyperlink your book cover to a buy link, too.

List your tour dates on your blog sidebar.   It can help readers keep track of where you’ll be and provides nice exposure for the blog tour hosts.

Etiquette– don’t be obnoxious.  Not that any of y’all would be!  But some folks get a little too tour-happy and you end up with a bunch of BSP (blatant self-promo) coming out at you from all directions—all the time.  Usually it’s enough promo to send readers over to the blog stop du jour from your blog, tweet the stop, and Facebook the stop.

Interested in hosting others’ blog tours?  Here’s a post on how to be a good blog tour host that Helen Ginger created (scroll down after you click over.)

A lot of you have been on blog tours—have you got any additional tips to share?

I was shopping at the Costco warehouse—on a Saturday.  I must have lost my mind because there were gobs of people in there.

I quickly grabbed the things I’d come for, then navigated my way toward the cash registers.

Because it was a weekend, the food samples were really out in full force.  Almost every aisle end-cap had someone with a wok or a small grill, cooking samples.

Finally I got a little closer to the registers and was in the cleaning section of the warehouse.  But there was still a lady on an end-cap with some samples.  She had a bottle of cleaner next to her, a cup with the cleaner in it so you could smell how fresh it was, and some free sample packets that you could take home and try.

I’d forgotten garbage bags, so I dodged down that aisle real quick and heard a man come up to the lady behind me.  “Have you got something for me to taste?”

The lady was elderly and she gave a little, tinkling laugh and said, “Well, you wouldn’t want to taste it because it’s soap.  But I do have some samples for you to take home with you and clean with.”

“But everyone else’s table has samples you can eat or drink.  Sure I can’t eat or drink it? How about if I try to?”

Of course, I’m turning around at this point.  He was a sort of nondescript man about my age with a toddler with him. 

This is where I’d have expected him to wink at her or act like he’d been joking and ask some questions about the cleaning power of the detergent or whatever it was.  But he didn’t.

“Oh, I don’t think you’d want to, sir,” the lady said.

“So…it’s not to eat.  A sample that’s not for eating.  We can’t eat this, Jack,” he said to the little boy.
 
The elderly lady gave a funny laugh, but was clearly trying to figure out if the guy was trying to joke with her, or if he was just odd.  He looked over at me for a moment—I was clearly staring at him.  He smiled, but not a I’m-making-a-joke smile.  I smiled back, but I didn’t understand him or his smile.

“And it’s not for drinking!”  He lifted up the cup she’d put out, acting like he was going to take a sip.

“No sir,” she said, with some emphasis on the ‘no.’ She looked uncomfortable.

He kept going back and forth with it.  Was it a joke that was taken to a tedious length?  Was the man just a little off?  I wasn’t going to stick around and try to figure out more clues, though—especially since he was already clued in to the fact that I was watching him.

I’ve read a few books in the last couple of years that had characters that were hard to read. 

Were they good guys or bad guys?  Friends or enemies of the main character?

Sometimes an author has an unlikeable character do something good, or vice versa.  And as a reader, I was left wondering, “Was this good thing done by this bad character done 0nly because it was self-serving in some way?”

And occasionally, I’ve had a hard time finding clues to a character’s intent in the dialogue.  Sarcasm can be especially hard to figure out (unless a writer is using tags that leave no doubt that he’s wanting a sentence to be taken that way –‘he said sarcastically.’  Which isn’t considered great writing.)

I like ambiguous characters, I think, when I’m getting the feeling that I’m reading a complex character.  I don’t like ambiguity when I feel like the writer just doesn’t have a handle on the character and the character isn’t acting consistently. 

But if the ambiguity goes on for a long time, I think it needs to be really well written.  Rowling’s Severus Snape comes to mind—she did a great job showing different sides to him.  He wasn’t all good or all bad—and really, are most of us?

But if there were a character like my guy in the Costco?  I think I’d want a little more explanation at some point as to where he’s coming from—some background on why he might be behaving erratically.  Some insight on whether he’s got a weird sense of humor…or is weird, himself.

Are your characters easy to read?  If you give them some layers of complexity, is their motivation clear?  Or do you leave readers wondering for a while…and how long?

I’m a huge list maker.

This has a lot to do with my need to outsource my horrible memory.
It also helps me sleep better at night, knowing that I’ve thought of all the things I need to do the next day…and I haven’t dropped the ball anywhere.

So it’s only natural that making lists would help me write my book, too.

Somehow, it’s easier for me to come up with lots of different ideas if I make them into bullet points and put them in list form.  I can  focus my list and have it be:

My protagonist’s catch-phrases.
My protagonist’s features.  Different physical traits of my protagonist.
My protagonist’s facial expressions.

If you do this with plotting, it can be useful, too.  The idea is to come up with as many different resolutions for the scene you’re writing or for the next scene as you can…no matter how outlandish they might be.  Some ideas will be completely ridiculous, but some might end up being useful.

5 possible endings for this book.
5 twists.
5 possible subplots.
5 ways the subplots could tie into the main plot.

Or you could do it for character growth:

5 ways the character could grow.
5 surprising things that we could learn about a character.
Top 10 list of things that bother the protagonist (then 10 things that would drive the character crazy that I could write into the book.)
10 things this character loves more than anything.

You could find other uses for lists, too:

5 ways to add some unexpected elements to the book (humor, suspense, sadness, fear.)

5 ways to describe the setting.

I love making lists because sometimes I’m looking for a way to squeeze in just a little more writing—but I only have ten minutes.  That amount of time is perfect for list-making, and I’ve found the exercise can really help me brainstorm more ideas.

Sometimes I’ll just add list titles in my notebook and keep it in my car or laptop bag for when I end up with a little dead time.  That way I don’t even have to figure out what list I want to start…I can just jump right in.

Do you use lists to brainstorm?  Mind maps?  What works for you?

My daughter and I were at the Halloween store last weekend, trying to find her a costume.  For some reason, it’s never easy finding one for her—she has this perfect mental image of what she’s looking for…and the store rarely has it.

We decided to walk around the store a little bit. It was one of those huge Halloween warehouse places that’s a temporary store—it opens up wherever there’s a vacant big-box store or a vacant strip mall spot, then closes down after Halloween is over.

This store had some really scary stuff in it.  Not only did it have creepy masks and costumes, but it also had a large amount of Halloween yard decorations.  So there were leering, six-feet tall clowns, a large zombie baby display, a huge werewolf, and—at the back of the store—three life-sized recreations of horror movie favorites Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers,  and Jason Voorhees.

They had “try me” buttons. You’d hit the button and then they’d say something really creepy and lift a knife or a claw-like hand threateningly. 

At this point I was ready to go back to the Halloween costumes and do some shopping.  I didn’t need any nightmares from a certain 9 year old girl.  But she was determined to press the buttons.  So I thought…well, okay.  Maybe they’d look really fake and we’d laugh and that would be the end of it.

She tentatively reached out, then pulled her hand back.  These things really did look terrifying.  “Do you want me to press the button?” I asked.  She shook her head.  “No. I want to do it.”

She leaned forward again and I held my breath as we both focused on the Freddy Krueger she was reaching out for.

Suddenly a store clerk came up from behind us, grabbed my daughter’s shoulders and yelled, “Boo!!!”
My daughter jumped a mile, but she quickly recovered and laughed at the joke.  Me?  I was still trying to get my heart out of my throat—I wasn’t able to manage a laugh.  We’d been so intent on looking at the creature that we weren’t paying any attention to anything else.

So by having our attention diverted with that much focus, we were able to receive a huge surprise.

The use for this is obvious for thriller writers—pull reader attention to the closet door, then have something come through the window.

Other genres could use this kind of technique, too.  Make sure your reader is totally absorbed in one character, or one problem and then twist the plot so that the problem is actually something really different and surprising to both the character and the reader.

Mystery writers use this distraction technique to slip clues in.  They reveal a clue then distract the reader (and sleuth) by creating an absorbing diversion somewhere else—maybe by laying down a fake clue (red herring) that looks like more of an important clue than the actual clue itself is.

Or, just when everything seems completely ordinary and banal in the character’s world, drop a bomb into it (not literally.  Well…but you could…) Great for conflict and to stress our characters out—which is good for our books.

Have a character unveil a surprise—about themselves. We’ve focused the reader attention on the character’s good qualities or made the reader think about the character in a particular way—then shatter their illusions. 

How do you distract your readers then surprise them?

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.

Unfortunately, I’ve had technical difficulties the last couple of days with the program that usually puts my tweets in Excel for me—it’s down. :(   So there’s no formatting today….sorry for the mess!

2010-09-26 10:01:28
elizabethscraig: Don’t rush to submit your manuscript: http://dld.bz/wYp4

2010-09-26 09:01:18
elizabethscraig: Does Literary Matchmaking Work? http://dld.bz/wYpx

2010-09-26 04:10:58
elizabethscraig: 100 Ways To Not Write Your Book: http://dld.bz/wX2Z

2010-09-26 03:01:16
elizabethscraig: The Importance of Magic and Wonder in Fantasy (and How a
Series Can Destroy That): http://dld.bz/wX2S

2010-09-26 02:01:20
elizabethscraig: 6 Ways To Turn Acceptances Into Rejections (Huff
Post–photo essay): http://dld.bz/wX2t

2010-09-26 01:01:14
elizabethscraig: Who Wrote it? Pen Names in Literature: http://dld.bz/wXzA

2010-09-26 00:01:15
elizabethscraig: Ten of the best disguises in literature (Guardian):
http://dld.bz/wXz6

2010-09-25 23:01:19
elizabethscraig: Publishing–Where the Boys Are Not: http://dld.bz/wXz4

2010-09-25 22:01:18
elizabethscraig: An Agent: “Quit Wordsmithing The Opening – It will NEVER
be right.”: http://dld.bz/wXzw

2010-09-25 21:01:23
elizabethscraig: Plot discrepancies in comic books: http://dld.bz/wXzv

2010-09-25 20:01:44
elizabethscraig: 8 Tips on Starting Your Own Grass-Roots Campaign For Your
Book: http://dld.bz/wXzu

2010-09-25 19:01:28
elizabethscraig: Giving Stuff Away Is Not a Marketing Strategy:
http://dld.bz/wXyS @JaneFriedman

2010-09-25 18:02:08
elizabethscraig: Has any author’s reputation fallen further or faster than
Dostoevsky’s? (Guardian): http://dld.bz/wXyJ

2010-09-25 17:02:16
elizabethscraig: Grit, Wit and It – Writing Compelling Characters:
http://dld.bz/wXyF

2010-09-25 16:01:30
elizabethscraig: Secrets of Better Writing: The Powers of 1, 2, 3, and
4-or-More: http://dld.bz/wXyD

2010-09-25 15:00:07
elizabethscraig: Writing For Yourself: http://dld.bz/wXyr

2010-09-25 14:00:05
elizabethscraig: The Rules of Fictional Worlds (The Atlantic):
http://dld.bz/wXyq

2010-09-25 12:59:08
elizabethscraig: The importance of knowing the *kind* of story you’re
writing–and how that knowledge helps your writing: http://dld.bz/wXyk

2010-09-25 12:04:20
elizabethscraig: Fixing a Stumbled Scene: http://dld.bz/wSUg

2010-09-25 11:41:34
elizabethscraig: Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Lazy Day Apple Strudel
http://bit.ly/cdu50e @CleoCoyle

2010-09-25 11:04:22
elizabethscraig: Short Story Contracts: http://dld.bz/wSTZ

2010-09-25 10:04:57
elizabethscraig: The Writer’s 5 Ws: http://dld.bz/wSTR

2010-09-25 07:10:36
elizabethscraig: On Killer Char’s: MY DEBUT http://bit.ly/b1JOUs
@LornaBarrett

2010-09-25 04:09:01
elizabethscraig: The importance of a strong opening for your book–and tips
on what NOT to open with: http://dld.bz/wSTK

2010-09-25 03:04:28
elizabethscraig: Writing Compelling Characters: http://dld.bz/wSTm

2010-09-25 02:04:22
elizabethscraig: Reviewing the 7 habits of successful nonfiction authors:
http://dld.bz/wSSY

2010-09-25 01:04:23
elizabethscraig: Our Evolving Publishing Vocabulary: Why Do We Use the
Words We Do? http://dld.bz/wSSu

2010-09-25 00:01:01
elizabethscraig: Bribing my muse: 5 Sentences worth imitating.
http://wp.me/pMiHx-b1 @smaiorca

2010-09-24 23:00:45
elizabethscraig: Amazon Updates Kindle App For Android: http://dld.bz/wME2

2010-09-24 22:01:16
elizabethscraig: Elements of teen pride: http://dld.bz/wMEn

2010-09-24 21:01:28
elizabethscraig: Hostility, Mr. Konrath? One editor thinks not:
http://dld.bz/wMEc

2010-09-24 20:00:59
elizabethscraig: 5 Tips for Remembering and Organizing Ideas:
http://dld.bz/wMDY

2010-09-24 19:01:32
elizabethscraig: 10 Ways to Celebrate Banned Books Week (NY Times):
http://dld.bz/wMDV

2010-09-24 18:01:06
elizabethscraig: In Defense of Dead/Absent Parents in Children’s Literature
(Huff Post): http://dld.bz/wMDJ

2010-09-24 17:01:11
elizabethscraig: How do you know when to stop tweaking your manuscript?
http://dld.bz/wMDA

2010-09-24 16:01:44
elizabethscraig: 5 Mistakes Every Blogger Will Make: http://dld.bz/wMDx

2010-09-24 15:01:37
elizabethscraig: What Star Trek Can Teach Us About Writing:
http://dld.bz/wMdU

2010-09-24 14:01:03
elizabethscraig: Twitter etiquette–there’s no standard: http://dld.bz/wKqd

2010-09-24 13:01:36
elizabethscraig: Things Writers Should Keep Track Of: Part 4:
http://dld.bz/wKpP

2010-09-24 12:01:29
elizabethscraig: The e-reading revolution–finding books when we’re not
browsing bookstores: http://dld.bz/wQ48

2010-09-24 12:01:01
elizabethscraig: 10 tips on the pace and structure of a thriller:
http://dld.bz/wKpJ

2010-09-24 11:00:36
elizabethscraig: Half a Dozen Unsolicited Pieces of Advice about Running a
Small Press: http://dld.bz/wKp6

2010-09-24 10:04:06
elizabethscraig: 10 Tips To Have Your Most Productive Day:
http://dld.bz/wKp5

2010-09-24 09:01:51
elizabethscraig: Time management, creative productivity and multitasking:
http://dld.bz/wKpn @inkyelbows

2010-09-24 05:52:05
elizabethscraig: On Killer Char’s: Newly Released http://bit.ly/d7zcFr
@LornaBarrett

2010-09-24 04:03:55
elizabethscraig: Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Rustic, Honey-Glazed Crostada with
Fall Peaches from California by Cleo Coyle http://bit.ly/bJ3Omu @CleoCoyle

2010-09-24 03:59:16
elizabethscraig: Migrating your TypePad blog to WordPress:
http://dld.bz/wCBM

2010-09-24 03:00:29
elizabethscraig: Mystery Writer’s Guide to Forensic Science–Exhumation:
http://dld.bz/wDRU

2010-09-24 02:00:45
elizabethscraig: How one author accidentally became a book scout:
http://dld.bz/wKnQ

2010-09-24 01:00:56
elizabethscraig: Tips for writing profanity: http://dld.bz/wKnK

2010-09-24 00:05:30
elizabethscraig: Proper format for long quotations within a text:
http://dld.bz/wERN

2010-09-23 23:05:30
elizabethscraig: Manage Multiple Facebook Pages with Hootsuite:
http://dld.bz/wERG

2010-09-23 22:29:09
elizabethscraig: Bad Jobs in Novels Hashtag Sweeps Twitter:
http://dld.bz/wMEr

2010-09-23 22:05:37
elizabethscraig: 7 Mindfulness Tips to Energize Your Writing:
http://dld.bz/wER7

2010-09-23 21:01:10
elizabethscraig: An editor says that writers have to have MS Word:
http://dld.bz/wDUu

2010-09-23 20:34:07
elizabethscraig: How to Become a Household Name–Author Branding 101:
http://dld.bz/wMd8 @KristenLambTX

2010-09-23 20:01:47
elizabethscraig: Kafka’s Last Trial (NY Times): http://dld.bz/wDSU

2010-09-23 19:01:27
elizabethscraig: Could Konrath Become the First Kindle Millionaire?
http://dld.bz/wDS2

2010-09-23 18:01:24
elizabethscraig: 7 Ways the iPad Can Bring Back Your Writing Mojo:
http://dld.bz/wCCv

2010-09-23 17:20:08
elizabethscraig: 5 questions that always surprise me when I write a book:
http://dld.bz/wKhU

2010-09-23 17:02:49
elizabethscraig: Intimacy and Invasion: http://dld.bz/wCBX

2010-09-23 16:01:23
elizabethscraig: Two Reasons To Update Your Writing Goals On Your Birthday:
http://dld.bz/wCB9

2010-09-23 15:03:37
elizabethscraig: Plotting from Character: http://dld.bz/wCBn

2010-09-23 14:13:50
elizabethscraig: 5 Simple Questions for Revision: http://dld.bz/wCAV

2010-09-23 13:35:03
elizabethscraig: Gauging Your Story’s Marketability: http://dld.bz/wCA3

2010-09-23 12:11:37
elizabethscraig: 13 ways to make characters lovable: http://dld.bz/wCAH

2010-09-23 11:04:03
elizabethscraig: Did John Milton write filthy, innuendo-laden rhyme?
(Guardian): http://dld.bz/wCA9

2010-09-23 10:29:46
elizabethscraig: Woo Your Muse by Killing Your Inner Editor.
http://tinyurl.com/2f2vvev @smaiorca

2010-09-23 10:04:54
elizabethscraig: Personalities and Professionalism: http://dld.bz/wCAh

2010-09-23 09:28:23
elizabethscraig: On Killer Char’s: Adele Speaks http://bit.ly/92QSyO
@LornaBarrett

2010-09-23 09:02:14
elizabethscraig: Some questions to help with characterization:
http://dld.bz/wC9X

2010-09-23 04:45:51
elizabethscraig: Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Cheesy Chicken and Gravy
http://bit.ly/9QNoKB @CleoCoyle

2010-09-23 04:09:34
elizabethscraig: Restart in the Moment: http://dld.bz/wB3h

2010-09-23 03:00:40
elizabethscraig: 8 Books to Sharpen Your Ninja Marketing Skills:
http://dld.bz/wB3b

2010-09-23 02:00:51
elizabethscraig: 4 Articles on Pitching Agents at Conferences:
http://dld.bz/wB2Y

2010-09-23 01:06:10
elizabethscraig: How to respect the craft of writing. Maybe.
http://dld.bz/wEJv @WritingAgain

2010-09-23 01:01:03
elizabethscraig: Tips for diversifying your influences while in an MFA
program and avoiding robotic writing: http://dld.bz/wB2Q @litdrift

2010-09-23 00:23:09
elizabethscraig: Wrangling the Writers’ Brain–Writing Software:
http://dld.bz/wE8m @ultraswan

2010-09-23 00:01:05
elizabethscraig: Things Writers Should Keep Track Of: Part 3:
http://dld.bz/wB2C

2010-09-22 23:01:09
elizabethscraig: Writing Without Using Labels: http://dld.bz/wB28
@Christi_Craig

2010-09-22 22:01:07
elizabethscraig: The importance of knowing our characters’ favorites:
http://dld.bz/wBxV

2010-09-22 21:01:25
elizabethscraig: Dos and don’ts of feedback: http://dld.bz/wAdV
@TheNewAuthor

2010-09-22 20:01:10
elizabethscraig: Could your book be a series? Things to consider:
http://dld.bz/wAdD

2010-09-22 19:00:53
elizabethscraig: Putting together an anthology? Rein in your egotism and
leave yourself from the mix (Boston Globe): http://dld.bz/wAdx

2010-09-22 18:01:01
elizabethscraig: Think your publisher will be filing for bankruptcy? An
agent with some tips: http://dld.bz/wAcX

2010-09-22 17:02:15
elizabethscraig: Approaching agents at conferences–some tips:
http://dld.bz/wAcR

2010-09-22 16:01:09
elizabethscraig: Wonder why you got rejected? An agent says they’re not
required to address that: http://dld.bz/wAc6

2010-09-22 15:01:22
elizabethscraig: E-books, Google, and “The Long Prose Curse”:
http://dld.bz/wAcm

2010-09-22 14:34:18
elizabethscraig: Publishing’s Big 12 (Huff Post): http://huff.to/9L7xvj via
@MermaidHel

2010-09-22 14:01:49
elizabethscraig: Top 10 stories about sisters (Guardian):
http://dld.bz/wAb2

2010-09-22 13:01:40
elizabethscraig: Finding a market for your short fiction:
http://dld.bz/wAbh @bmillerfiction

2010-09-22 12:07:31
elizabethscraig: What’s hot? Who cares: http://dld.bz/wAbb

2010-09-22 11:02:41
elizabethscraig: 18 Types of Posts That Get More Comments:
http://dld.bz/w6Pu

2010-09-22 10:04:11
elizabethscraig: For a Good Read, Let the Characters Shape The Plot:
http://dld.bz/w6Pq

2010-09-22 09:01:38
elizabethscraig: The Publishing Catch-22: http://dld.bz/w6NX

2010-09-22 05:27:04
elizabethscraig: Myst. Lov. Kitchen: EPIC CUPCAKE WAR:  PART 2
http://bit.ly/bA41bi @CleoCoyle

2010-09-22 04:27:17
elizabethscraig: Back Up Your Files Now: http://dld.bz/w6NR

2010-09-22 03:27:17
elizabethscraig: 3 Tips for Character Relationships: http://dld.bz/w6NE

2010-09-22 02:27:30
elizabethscraig: How to Comment on Blogs (and Drive Traffic Back to Your
Author Website): http://dld.bz/w6Nw

2010-09-22 01:27:30
elizabethscraig: How many writers does it take to change a light bulb?
Taking responsibility for our writing: http://dld.bz/w6MC

2010-09-22 00:27:24
elizabethscraig: Polishing up your short fiction: http://dld.bz/w5Jx
@bmillerfiction

2010-09-21 22:27:27
elizabethscraig: Writing a book–getting started: http://dld.bz/w5Je

2010-09-21 21:27:25
elizabethscraig: Pacing ourselves as writers: http://dld.bz/w5HC

2010-09-21 20:55:20
elizabethscraig: RT @ComicSocialClub: Top 10 Writing Tips for Comic Book
Writers: “You can’t pass off bad writing as ‘style'” http://mysp.ac/9boGyY
– #ma …

2010-09-21 20:53:09
elizabethscraig: A writer’s dilemma–characters vs. plot:
http://dld.bz/w6Qt @duolit

2010-09-21 20:27:41
elizabethscraig: An Agent Explains What Platform Means for Writers:
http://dld.bz/w5H2

2010-09-21 19:27:30
elizabethscraig: How to read a publishing contract (25): http://dld.bz/w5GZ

2010-09-21 18:27:21
elizabethscraig: Writer’s Digest’s best tweets for writers (week ending
9-17): http://dld.bz/w5GN

2010-09-21 17:28:11
elizabethscraig: Tips for writing suspense: http://dld.bz/w57N

2010-09-21 16:28:06
elizabethscraig: The best way to measure your growth as a writer:
http://dld.bz/wxyW

2010-09-21 15:01:37
elizabethscraig: Why conflict is so important to your novel:
http://dld.bz/wyta

2010-09-21 14:01:37
elizabethscraig: An agent with some query quantification:
http://dld.bz/wysu

2010-09-21 13:22:07
elizabethscraig: Tips for smooth transitions in our story:
http://dld.bz/w4q5 @authorterryo @Paize_Fiddler

2010-09-21 12:16:33
elizabethscraig: The quick and dirty guide to story structure (everything’s
in sets of 3): http://dld.bz/wxyN

2010-09-21 12:08:38
elizabethscraig: Why Being Too Diligent About Your Facts Can Hurt Your
Content: http://dld.bz/wxyJ

2010-09-21 10:32:43
elizabethscraig: The editorial letter (or how to take suggestions):
http://dld.bz/wxyA

2010-09-21 09:01:56
elizabethscraig: 4 Effective Email Spam Filter Tools: http://dld.bz/wxyf

2010-09-21 04:51:12
elizabethscraig: On Killer Char’s: Newly Released http://bit.ly/9aldD8
@LornaBarrett

2010-09-21 04:05:47
elizabethscraig: Myst. Lov. Kitchen: WELSH CHICKEN http://bit.ly/9aixhM
@CleoCoyle

2010-09-21 03:00:40
elizabethscraig: Writers Belong To The Professional Waiting Society:
http://dld.bz/wxwE

2010-09-21 02:01:18
elizabethscraig: 5 ways to make your novel unforgettable:
http://dld.bz/wxd5 @victoriamixon

2010-09-21 01:01:00
elizabethscraig: Character arcs and suspension of reader disbelief:
http://dld.bz/wxbW @authorterryo

2010-09-21 00:01:12
elizabethscraig: Gender bias in the literary world: http://dld.bz/wxvn

2010-09-21 23:27:33
elizabethscraig: 10 ways to annoy a literary agent: http://dld.bz/w5Jt

2010-09-20 23:00:56
elizabethscraig: 5 things a writer always overlooks: http://dld.bz/wxdh
@VictoriaMixon

2010-09-20 22:01:31
elizabethscraig: The use of flashbacks in crime fiction: http://dld.bz/wxc6
@mkinberg

2010-09-20 21:01:49
elizabethscraig: Writing and revising in layers: http://dld.bz/wun8

2010-09-20 20:01:17
elizabethscraig: Looking for extra writing time? 10 Benefits of Rising
Early, and How to Do It: http://dld.bz/wun7

2010-09-20 19:00:52
elizabethscraig: How to write descriptions vividly and well:
http://dld.bz/wunk @dirtywhitecandy

2010-09-20 18:01:08
elizabethscraig: Journaling Techniques to Improve Your Writing:
http://dld.bz/wumV @thecreativepenn

2010-09-20 17:01:45
elizabethscraig: 6 New Thoughts That Will Get Your Book Published:
http://dld.bz/wumT @bubblecow

2010-09-20 16:01:24
elizabethscraig: Anatomy of a Book Contract: http://dld.bz/wum6

2010-09-20 15:01:18
elizabethscraig: Is a Writer’s Conference Worth the Money?
http://dld.bz/wumg

2010-09-20 14:01:29
elizabethscraig: Write what you don’t know: http://dld.bz/wukP

2010-09-20 13:01:22
elizabethscraig: 4 Reasons to Appreciate Your Self-Doubts:
http://dld.bz/wkpp

2010-09-20 12:01:08
elizabethscraig: How to make an agent happy: http://dld.bz/wnD7

2010-09-20 11:07:48
elizabethscraig: 7 Ways Freelance Writers Can Get Inspiration from the
‘Ellen Show’: http://dld.bz/wnDn

2010-09-20 10:08:23
elizabethscraig: For the disorganized writer: 9 Clutter Clearing Tips for
Good Feng Shui: http://dld.bz/wnCT

2010-09-20 09:01:06
elizabethscraig: 10 of the best umbrellas in literature (Guardian):
http://dld.bz/wnCN

2010-09-20 04:39:03
elizabethscraig: Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Pineapple & Ham Quiche from The Long
Quiche Goodbye http://bit.ly/ajkSiY @CleoCoyle

2010-09-20 04:15:40
elizabethscraig: On Killer Char’s: The Name Game http://bit.ly/crJiIe
@LornaBarrett

2010-09-20 04:09:13
elizabethscraig: 5 Rewarding Social Networks for Book Lovers:
http://dld.bz/wnCE

2010-09-20 03:00:33
elizabethscraig: 10 books you have to read this fall (Boston Globe):
http://dld.bz/wnC6

2010-09-20 02:00:39
elizabethscraig: How To Disarm Your Inner Writer’s Worst Fear:
http://dld.bz/wnCx

2010-09-20 01:00:51
elizabethscraig: Writers reflect on their favorite paintings (Guardian):
http://dld.bz/wnCs

2010-09-20 00:00:48
elizabethscraig: How To Use Book Trailers Effectively: http://dld.bz/wnCn

2010-09-19 23:39:08
elizabethscraig: Twitterific–the week in tweets: http://dld.bz/wruf

2010-09-19 23:00:44
elizabethscraig: “The Hunger Games” Series–Lessons for Writers:
http://dld.bz/wkqE @thecreativepenn

2010-09-19 22:00:52
elizabethscraig: Fitting Promotion into Your Writing Life:
http://dld.bz/wkp3

2010-09-19 21:00:57
elizabethscraig: Life’s missing white space: http://dld.bz/wkpy

2010-09-19 20:01:22
elizabethscraig: Tying Up Loose Ends With Your Plot: http://dld.bz/wkpw

2010-09-19 19:00:50
elizabethscraig: 4 Reasons to Appreciate Your Self-Doubts:
http://dld.bz/wkpp

2010-09-19 18:01:01
elizabethscraig: Are you a writer? How we define ourselves as writers:
http://dld.bz/wkpk

2010-09-19 17:02:54
elizabethscraig: 12 Social Media Buzzwords Redefined: http://dld.bz/wkpb

2010-09-19 16:01:39
elizabethscraig: Grammar and You: http://dld.bz/wknU

2010-09-19 15:00:57
elizabethscraig: Creating Compelling Characters: http://dld.bz/wbGJ

2010-09-19 14:01:15
elizabethscraig: Peeking Inside a Successful Crit Partnership:
http://dld.bz/wknR

2010-09-19 13:01:05
elizabethscraig: The Fail-Safe Guide to Overcoming Procrastination:
http://dld.bz/wknH

2010-09-19 12:02:50
elizabethscraig: Chapter Breaks and Pacing: http://dld.bz/wbHF

2010-09-19 11:07:21
elizabethscraig: The importance of good posture for writers:
http://dld.bz/wbHC

2010-09-19 10:03:52
elizabethscraig: The 5 Questions Every Book Proposal Must Answer:
http://dld.bz/wbH2

2010-09-19 06:01:48
elizabethscraig: On Killer Char’s: I Never Thought I’d be Dead At This
Point In My Life http://bit.ly/bQXRNV @LornaBarrett

2010-09-19 04:19:24
elizabethscraig: Myst. Lov. Kitchen: PTA Driving You Crazy?  Meet Laura
Alden! http://bit.ly/93gjxu @CleoCoyle

2010-09-19 04:09:13
elizabethscraig: Fancy is Not Always Better: http://dld.bz/wbHx

2010-09-19 03:00:23
elizabethscraig: Bookish loyalties: http://dld.bz/wbGC

2010-09-19 02:00:32
elizabethscraig: How to make dialogue tags work for your story:
http://dld.bz/wbGh

2010-09-19 01:00:38
elizabethscraig: Editing Filler Words: http://dld.bz/wb7x

2010-09-19 00:00:43
elizabethscraig: Horror Writing Tips: http://dld.bz/wb7m

2010-09-18 23:00:50
elizabethscraig: Noun Clauses: http://dld.bz/wb7g