It’s Thursday! Where’s Elizabeth?

Apparently on Thursdays I have a subconscious desire to take over everyone’s Google Readers with my posts. :) This is the second Thursday in a row that I’m writing for 4 different blogs (I’m counting this one.)

First up, I’m at Diane Wolfe’s excellent Spunk on a Stick blog, where I’m posting on writing settings—should you choose a real place or a fictitious one? If you choose an actual location, should you choose a town you live in? If not, how do you research your setting?

I’m also at fellow mystery writer Beth Groundwater’s blog for an interview. I’ve answered all Beth’s questions…see if you have any additional ones for me and I’ll be happy to respond in the comments.

It’s also my day at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen today. If you feel like some blueberry stuffed French toast (above), then pop on over!

Manuscript Mood Swings

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One thing that I’ve noticed with my writing is that I swing back and forth in my opinion of the draft I’m working on.

What I aim for is to feel good about where I am with the draft. Maybe it’s still a mess, but I’ll tell myself I’ve come a long way with it. Or maybe it’s in pretty decent shape and I’ll try to look more critically at it (because if I’m feeling breezy about a manuscript, it worries me.)

Then there are the days where I swing from one extreme to the other with my feelings toward the manuscript.

This is when I enjoy posts like this one by author Libba Bray (one of my all-time favorite articles…because I so completely emphasize). It explains how writing a novel is like a love story. I share it with writing friends when I think the process has gotten to them.

And this post on the Writing Roads blog outlines the phases of a writer—from optimism to defeatism.

It’s a little bit of humor from writers who understand the process and help us realize we’re not alone.

My July 6th release is just weeks away! Click here for my book release contest. Entering is easy…and you might win a $25 bookstore gift card, a signed copy of “Delicious and Suspicious,” and a “Delicious and Suspicious” tote bag. :)

Flawed

Girl with cigarette-- 1925--Agnes Goodsir 1864-1939 I think that, as a writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about my protagonists’ strengths.

What are they good at? Where do they excel? How can I play to their strengths?

I’m sure that most writers do that. After all, our protagonist usually has to save the day. How else can our battle be won or our mystery solved, or our character’s love interest bewitched?

But most people have a major flaw: something that could bring us down if the wrong person knew about it.

Mine is my impatience. Since I’m frequently in a hurry, I’m more likely to make a mistake. Or get irritated when I’m stuck on hold waiting for customer service.

Character flaws can be really useful tools. Mostly because they create conflict for our character.

If our character has something that really, really bugs them? Then naturally we’re going to use it. Even a small thing could produce a little stress in a scene. So we can have our impatient character running a little late for something important—like a flight—then stick her in a long ATM line or in a traffic jam. We’ll make the reader just as anxious as the protagonist that they make it to the airport in time.

What if the flaw is something more than that? What if it’s in the category of fatal flaw or more of an Achilles’ heel? The kind of thing that falls in the Seven Deadly Sins category. So you could have a basically good protagonist, but their flaw is a pretty big one. This flaw could affect the way the character reacts to an event or how they approach a problem.

It gets a little sticky, because we don’t want our readers to lose respect for our protagonists. But what if we do have a protagonist who makes a (big) mistake—cheats on their wife or husband, becomes furious and says things that they shouldn’t have said that get them fired from a job or disowned or un-friended? What if their pride is their downfall? What if they’re so envious of a friend or a family member that they can’t have a normal relationship with them?

These types of flaws—lust, wrath, pride—can take our protagonists down and create conflict for our plot.

But how far can we go with it? (In my genre I can’t take it very far.) How bad can we make our characters before our readers aren’t cheering them on anymore?

How flawed is too flawed?

My July 6th release is just weeks away! Click here for my book release contest. Entering is easy…and you might win a $25 bookstore gift card, a signed copy of “Delicious and Suspicious,” and a “Delicious and Suspicious” tote bag. :)

Twitterific

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Here are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter for the past week. I’m setting this up as a Sunday installment on Mystery Writing is Murder. 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 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.

Writers Conferences: The Spell Called Networking– http://dld.bz/gyzj

Thinking Small without Guilt: Setting Your Minimum Goal Standards– http://dld.bz/gyzg

Why you shouldn’t send an agent a bound book w/ an ISBN as a submission: http://dld.bz/gwn2

Enough with the Eyebrows: Showing Emotion– http://dld.bz/gMvS

Best articles this week for writers @4KidLit: http://dld.bz/gMBx

Social Media and Your (Lack of) Privacy– http://dld.bz/gwnz

Are You Too Lazy to Write Less? http://dld.bz/gwnt

Questions that authors are never asked (Guardian): http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/may/29/writers-hay-questions-never-asked

Coping with rejection: http://dld.bz/gwnh

Privileging the Pretty– http://dld.bz/gwnb

How to Go to Bed With the Thought, “That Was an Awesome Day.” http://dld.bz/gwmM

5 fun ways to improve your writing: http://dld.bz/gwmm

Writers and Twitter: Yes, it’s a Good Thing! http://dld.bz/gwkU

Finding the Story in the Story– http://dld.bz/gwkT

Book promo tips for skittish sellers: http://dld.bz/gJyY @BookMarketer

The Importance of Hating Your Book– http://dld.bz/gwkH

Writing Tutorial: The Synopsis. http://dld.bz/gwkA

Mystery writer Kate Collins’ Abby Knight…today at Killer Characters: http://bit.ly/9l6VkU @kristadavis @LorraineBartlet

How Travel Renews Your Writing Life (Writer’s Digest): http://dld.bz/gwkj

Know When to Stop Editing– http://dld.bz/gwkf

Why genre is a writer’s best friend: http://bit.ly/bF96yz @CleoCoyle

Whose Fault is it When the Manuscript Fails to Sell? http://dld.bz/gwke

What’s for supper? Mystery writer Liz Lipperman’s Potato Chip Chicken Casserole: http://bit.ly/asFRWE @CleoCoyle @kristadavis

Trying to plot? Consider story frames: http://is.gd/cLzjH @mkinberg

Your Agent’s Editorial Ideas– http://dld.bz/gwjZ

Outlining with Index Cards– http://dld.bz/gwjU @annastanisz

Steampunk mass communications: http://dld.bz/gwjN @mattdelman

9 Ways To Improve Your Writing– http://dld.bz/gwh4

10 Things to Help with Developing Characterizations– http://dld.bz/gwhk

5 Great Summer Literary Festivals (Daily Beast)– http://dld.bz/fuCa

16 tips to write great thrillers: http://dld.bz/gmfS

Focus on one blog or juggle several blogs? http://dld.bz/gmfP

A Balanced Writing Life– http://dld.bz/gmfH

Book Marketing–Don’t go it alone: http://dld.bz/gmfE

Creativity As A Dirty Word– http://dld.bz/gmfh @stephanellaw

Is it Who You Know in Publishing? http://dld.bz/gmfe

Decisions, decisions (LOL): http://dld.bz/g68K @elspethwrites

Twitter Fiction. Really! http://dld.bz/gmeu

Reassessing Your Trajectory– http://dld.bz/gmdU

The Unbridled Passion of Young Adult Readers: http://dld.bz/gmdP

What is Fanfiction? http://dld.bz/gmd3

Real Life Diagnostics: Show vs. Tell, Part Two– http://dld.bz/gmbm

Learning how to use social media effectively: http://dld.bz/gmbg @JodyHedlund

Rethinking the Ebook Revolution: http://bit.ly/a6yfdm @S0BeUrself

Mistaken reports of midlist’s demise? http://dld.bz/ghNw

Important Elements of a Solid Creative Writing Program– http://dld.bz/gy4U

Superhero types and how to distinguish yours (Part 2)– http://dld.bz/ghNv

How to Read A Book– http://dld.bz/ghNr

Why You Need to Know Why You Write– http://dld.bz/gy5d @wawriters

Be brief and specific in our writing: http://dld.bz/ghNg

Nice collection of self-editing links : http://dld.bz/g942 @jaysubject

The best interview is the self-interview: http://dld.bz/gy5s

Maximize your story’s inciting event: http://dld.bz/gffK @KMWeiland

Showing, not telling– http://dld.bz/gffE @flawritersconf

Summer book fairs and festivals for writers: http://dld.bz/gff3

One Blogger’s Favorite Tweets for Writers May 31-June 6, 2010: http://dld.bz/gy5x @simplywriting

The greatest SF universes that include both magic and science fiction– http://dld.bz/geSJ

Writing obstacles and 9 tips for overcoming them: http://dld.bz/g67Q

Writing lessons from a rock concert: http://dld.bz/geS7

What’s for supper? Easy, cheesy broccoli cornbread from the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen: http://dld.bz/g68c @CleoCoyle @kristadavis @AveryAames

How one writer conducts research: http://dld.bz/gy56

Who really reads your manuscript? http://dld.bz/geSr

Sharing stories: http://dld.bz/geSC @TheNewAuthor

For zombie-loving writers: 5 real diseases that could make you act just like a zombie: http://dld.bz/geS8

Meet Lulu Taylor of “Delicious and Suspicious.” Today, on Killer Characters: http://bit.ly/cdCTgJ

The Two Types Of Twitter Stars– http://dld.bz/g4G8

One writer resents editing other people’s work– http://dld.bz/geSk

You promised to write your story today: http://dld.bz/geRE

Writers’ Groups: the Nuts and Bolts– http://dld.bz/g4G3 @CPatrickSchulze

Tools for Writers– http://dld.bz/geRu @EmilyCaseysMuse

The 3 things that make for lasting motivation for a writer: http://dld.bz/geRr

Better listening leads to better writing– http://dld.bz/geRa

Motif in Query Letters– http://dld.bz/geQZ

The Power of the First Sentence– http://dld.bz/geSh

Creative ways to add dialogue to one-character scenes: http://dld.bz/geQq

Finding a Writing Mentor– http://dld.bz/geRH @flawritersconf

The scene conflict worksheet–developing tension in your novel (excellent): http://dld.bz/gy6V @4KidLit

An agent advised to query on only 1 project at a time: http://dld.bz/gePV @arcaedia

Unpublished Larsson stories found (Globe and Mail): http://dld.bz/gy6Q

What Has Stephen King Done For You Lately? http://dld.bz/gy67 @PauloCamposInk

Ten of the best examples of rowing in literature– (Guardian): http://dld.bz/gePU

Writing Effective Description– http://dld.bz/gePG

Agent Sharlene Martin is Teaching ”10 Secrets to a Winning Book Proposal”: http://dld.bz/gyz4

How can writers make an over-the- top event feel right, if surprising? http://dld.bz/gePC

Cozy mystery character Skye Denison on today’s Killer Characters: http://dld.bz/gzJz

Trying to write a synopsis? Consider the first sentence of paragraphs: http://dld.bz/gdyU

52 Therapeutic Writing Tips & Techniques– http://dld.bz/gz9r

12 things one writer has learned so far (incl. don’t look to your cat for approval): http://dld.bz/gzGq @elspethwrites

Don’t writers have the right to remain silent? (Guardian) http://dld.bz/gdy7

The cycle of blogging–how life is different at 10 followers vs. 1000 followers: http://dld.bz/gzAr @WritingAgain

Where Do Writers Write? (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/gy66

Writing sexual tension in a romance: http://dld.bz/gz7U @authorterryo

The resource roundup– tips for coming up with the right title: http://dld.bz/gduk @bluemaven

Life is fast-paced. Should books be? http://dld.bz/gyxb

Tales from the Slush Pile–some problems an editor is seeing– http://dld.bz/gdup

Dialogue–talking about talking: http://dld.bz/gy7x

Big books, small apartment (The Globe and Mail): http://dld.bz/gduw

Authors Take Note: Yet Another “How Not to Get Published” Story: http://dld.bz/fXJZ

Public Speaking: Another Newbie Tale– http://dld.bz/fXJY

Cut the Cord, Writers!– http://dld.bz/fXJS

Macavity Award Nominees 2010– http://dld.bz/gwuE @JanetRudolph

6 Tips on Writing Picture Books (That May Just Warm Your Heart): http://dld.bz/fXJK

You just don’t understand me! http://bit.ly/cc9KhS @p2p_editor

A voice journal as a writing tool: http://dld.bz/gwhS @paulgreci

5 Must-Read Short-Story Collections (Daily Beast): http://dld.bz/gwha

5 Elements that Make Fantasy Fiction Feel Real : http://dld.bz/fXJ7

6 Ways to Constantly Produce Quality Blog Content– http://dld.bz/fXJ6

So frickin’ predictable: The creative process: http://dld.bz/fXJ2 @writingroads

An Agent on Choosing and Finding an Agent: http://dld.bz/fXJh

Writing Opportunity: New Magazines: http://dld.bz/fXJc

Sex and the single mother–writing a romance w/ a single mom as protagonist: http://dld.bz/gvb2

The writer’s rejection dictionary: http://dld.bz/fXJa @4KidLit

How To Build A Strong On-line Following Even Before You Have A Book Deal– http://dld.bz/fXHX

Deadline to meet? Go clean that oven… http://dld.bz/fXHP @wawriters

How to create guest post guidelines for your blog: http://dld.bz/fXHH

Dear Writing Mojo– http://dld.bz/fXH7

Writing a mystery series (some tips): http://dld.bz/fXHr

Avoiding a character description dump: http://dld.bz/gsA4

5 tips for playing a smart publishing game: http://dld.bz/fXHp @JodyHedlund

The Nine Lives of Translated Literature– http://dld.bz/fXHe

6 keys to revising your fiction: http://dld.bz/gsBt

Get to a character’s core with this RSC exercise: http://dld.bz/gs9T

Own Your Ambition– http://dld.bz/fXHk

Overcoming Doubt– http://dld.bz/fXH4

How to Make Twitter More Useful (apps)– http://dld.bz/fXHw

How to Craft Back Cover Copy that Sells Books– http://dld.bz/fXHt

How to Become a Speaker to Build Your Platform– http://dld.bz/fXGr

Stieg Larsson: The Man Who Wrote ‘The Girl Who…’ (NPR): http://dld.bz/fXGs

Under representation in SF: http://dld.bz/gmep

How to Use YouTube to Position Yourself as an Author-Expert– http://dld.bz/fXGk

The problem with calling your manuscript “cutting edge”: http://dld.bz/fXFE

What do you stand to lose if you are unsuccessful at achieving your writing goal? http://dld.bz/fXF9

Create Printed Marketing Materials to Promote Your Book– http://dld.bz/fXF2

An author’s take on MFA programs: http://dld.bz/gmcS

Why everyone hates poetry: http://dld.bz/fXFw

Freelancer’s Survival Guide: Giving Up On Yourself Part One– http://dld.bz/fXFh

Whether by telephone or text message, communication is learned– http://dld.bz/fXEP

Writing unreliable narrators and unreliable impressions: http://dld.bz/gnUf

Looking at our old writing–some observations: http://dld.bz/fXEt @__Deb

How to Make Your Travels Part of Your Career Brand– http://dld.bz/fXDG

What’s behind the boom in dystopian fiction for young readers? (New Yorker) http://dld.bz/gmfX

Responding to comments–how important is it? http://dld.bz/gmb5 @stephfaris

Your Blog is Not Your Job– http://dld.bz/fXDn

Will Literary Agents Really Read Your Query Letter? http://dld.bz/gmbp @Writeitsideways

11 Practical Ways To Stop Procrastination– http://dld.bz/fXDk

Some tips on synopsis writing: http://dld.bz/fXCV

A summing-up of an #askYAeditor chat: http://dld.bz/gkHU Great tips on the current market.

On dramatic irony in writing: http://dld.bz/fXC4

Reading Our Reviews: http://dld.bz/fXCz

What Makes You Put a Book Down? http://dld.bz/fXBS

Why you want an intern to read your proposal: http://dld.bz/fXB6

A recap of The Cimmerian Blog, Year Two: Aug. 2006 – Aug. 2007 (a blog of heroic fantasy, horror, and historical adv.): http://dld.bz/fUMc

10 ways authors can profit from instant screencasts for Twitter they create for free– http://dld.bz/fUKS

For a writer, no time is ever wasted– http://dld.bz/fUKH

Adverbs are much maligned: http://dld.bz/fUKA

5 Ways to have your Author Website Work for You– http://dld.bz/fUJ5

Summer Survival Guide for Writer Moms– http://dld.bz/fUJx

Reflection Mode: Thinking About Life Inside an MFA Program– http://dld.bz/fUJe

Novelists–be careful before you spend time submitting to writing contests: http://dld.bz/fUJc

Networking for writers: http://dld.bz/fUHK

Avoiding Basic Writing Blunders– http://dld.bz/fUHG

Using Creative Commons to add media to your blog– http://dld.bz/fUFU

So, What’s Really Killing Fiction? http://dld.bz/fUHF

7 things one writer has learned so far: http://dld.bz/fUFP

Writing About Rape– http://dld.bz/fUHD

What I’m Learning from the Launch of My New eBook– http://dld.bz/fUGe

It all comes back to the story: http://dld.bz/geUJ

How to write good dialogue – it’s not simply about what people say– http://dld.bz/gffQ @dirtywhitecandy

As Lit Fest nears, a query: What’s the future of books? (Chicago Tribune): http://dld.bz/gffa

20 young writers to watch (NY Times): http://dld.bz/fUHp

A nice review of my book by @Ghunibee: http://dld.bz/geW9 Thanks so much, Glynis!

What do editors do? http://dld.bz/fUHj

Killer Characters blog: where characters take over a blog. See what happens when the authors aren’t looking. http://dld.bz/geU6

Crafting Visual, Memorable Scenes– http://dld.bz/geWj @4KidLit

A rejection is just a rejection–don’t parse it: http://dld.bz/fUGj

Text query letter to e-mail–formatting your query from Word to email: http://dld.bz/fUFX

A writing roundup: http://dld.bz/gdu5 @PauloCamposInk

When You’re Weary of Writing: http://dld.bz/fUFJ

The art of weekend reading (Globe and Mail) : http://dld.bz/gdu2

Having trouble finding the right word? Some resources: http://dld.bz/gdun @bluemaven

When Bad Writing Becomes Funny– http://dld.bz/fUFB

Top 10 Ways to Cyberslack: http://dld.bz/fUF4

Finding a writer’s residency program: http://dld.bz/fUFc

On writing conventions–what can writers get out of them? : http://dld.bz/fUFa

Have you tried fast drafting to silence your inner editor? http://dld.bz/fUEX

Copyright Protection Service: Another One You Don’t Need– http://dld.bz/fUEF

Top Ten Signs of a Writer– http://dld.bz/fUE6

Don’t Quit Your Day Job-What Debut YA Writers Really Make– http://dld.bz/fUE4 @Georgia_McBride

Writer’s block? Or is it more of a writer’s hesitation? http://dld.bz/gbYs

Conveying Character: A Few Suggestions– http://dld.bz/fUEz

An Agent Says Thick Skin is Part of the Job: http://dld.bz/fUEk

Great advice from the experts– http://dld.bz/fUDZ

Will my grandma like my book? http://dld.bz/fKz9

Use foreshadowing to keep readers reading (video): http://dld.bz/fKz7

An explanation of some important financial phrases for writers: http://dld.bz/fKz2

Lessons from the Backspace Writers Conference: http://dld.bz/fKy5

An agent on developing the one-sentence summary: http://dld.bz/fKy2

What it’s like to do agent revisions: http://dld.bz/fKxJ @frankiediane

Have we homogenized writing? Are we better or worse off than we were when we writers labored in isolation? http://dld.bz/fKxG

Tales From the World Steam Expo– http://dld.bz/fKnT

What I Wish I’d Known : http://dld.bz/fXKG

Create Writing Flow Using The 10 Minutes of Gibberish Method: http://dld.bz/fXKM

6 Organization Tips for Disorganized Writers– http://dld.bz/fXKw @Writeitsideways

An Author’s Plan for Social Media– 21 tips: http://dld.bz/fXDy

5 observations on how genre novelists deal with setting: http://dld.bz/fXBs

How to Promote an Event– http://dld.bz/fKsu

Twitterific- ElizabethSCraig’s tweets from the past week: http://bit.ly/cCSoki

Twists on conversational endings– http://dld.bz/fKs2

4 Steps to Create a Simple Website– http://dld.bz/fKtK

5 ways writers can use the “fundamental attribution error”: http://bit.ly/c6Qqyw

Twitter 101: Hashtags Worth Checking Out– http://dld.bz/fKtQ

The Secret to Success: Harness the Power of Focus and Concentration– http://dld.bz/fKur

The Secret to Plot in Your Novel– http://dld.bz/fKvr

Things I’d love to see being posted online– http://dld.bz/fKve

The Hero’s Journey Part 9 – Reward– http://dld.bz/fKvt @JustusRStone

Cultivating the Mental Energy to Write– http://dld.bz/fKn9 @Wordstrumpet

Do You Really Gain Followers from Online Interviews? http://dld.bz/fKn7

Plot types: http://dld.bz/fKv3

10 Lies Agents & Editors Tell You. And Why. http://dld.bz/fKn2

Beware of those who recite poetry at parties– http://dld.bz/fKn5

The Art of War for Writers : http://dld.bz/fUDF

Manuscript CPR: http://dld.bz/fKn4

Messy friends and messy characters: http://dld.bz/fKyk

Book blurbing: http://dld.bz/fKxS

The E-Book Juggernaut– http://dld.bz/fD7R

What do I deserve as an author? http://dld.bz/fSBf

The Surefire Way to Save Yourself from Mediocrity (That You Already Know, But Don’t Do) http://dld.bz/fD79

Newer vs. Established Agents– http://dld.bz/fSAK

Paris: What’s not to love? Two expat authors write a list… http://dld.bz/fSA4

Plus—my July 6th release is just weeks away! Click here for my book release contest. Entering is easy. :)

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