Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

Elizabeth writes the Memphis Barbeque series (as Riley Adams) and the Southern Quilting mysteries for Penguin and writes the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink and independently. She also has a blog, which was named by Writer’s Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers. There she posts on the writing craft, finding inspiration in everyday life, and fitting writing into a busy schedule.

The Tell-tale Tweet

Tools for Writers, Uncategorized

Photo shows a black and white card catalog.

by Mike Fleming, @Hiveword

Ah, mysteries. Who doesn’t love a good one?

Elizabeth does.

Have you noticed the mysterious codes in her recent tweets? This one, for example:

Or this one:

Whatever could they be?Continue reading

Twitterific Writing Links

Twitterific, Uncategorized, Writing Tips

Bluebird with beak open

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 39,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

How to Write When Life Turns Upside Down: https://t.co/KHkZDDazQW @RuthanneReid

On Making Comic Books For the Blind: https://t.co/EbRqGh9a6L @ingredient_x @lithub

How to Write a Novel in Six Months: https://t.co/Wk2SZ4m2S8 @monicamclark

Tips for tightening up our writing: https://t.co/1aoeOy0AwR @inkylinks

Promoting a Sequel in a Book’s Back Matter: https://t.co/qoPRHywEi4 @DianaUrban @BookBubContinue reading

Updating a Facebook Page

Promo Tips

Updating a Facebook Page is a blog post from author Elizabeth Spann Craig.

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I don’t spend the time on Facebook that I probably should (it’s never been my favorite platform). But I understand the importance of Facebook to my overall social media presence. I know it’s where my readers are and I hear from them regularly there. I want to make sure that I’m available on the platform so that I can easily connect with my readers.

I realized last week that I really needed to perform some sort of Facebook page tune-up.  Sure enough, I found lots of things that needed to be updated or tweaked.

Ideas for areas to address on your own page:

First of all, it’s always a good idea to check your security settings and basic profile information.  I discovered that, in my contact section, Facebook had once again in all its wisdom decided to display my cell phone number. I removed it.

How is your bio?  Is your newsletter signup mentioned there?  A link to your book page?

You have the ability on your Facebook page to add a call-to-action button.  For authors, one of the best options may be the ‘shop now’ button (the newsletter signup button would also be a valuable option).  I link mine to my website’s book page, which links to all three series and each book at each retailer.  That way anyone can find my books at any retailer or on any reading platform.Continue reading

Balancing Pace with Reader Inclusion

Writing Tips

Balancing Pace with Reader Inclusion is a blog post by Elizabeth Spann Craig

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Sometimes in my stories, I want to pick up the pace, especially to move the mystery along.   I’ll quickly move through a scene, summing up something that’s happening–a party, a walk that several friends are taking, a picnic–to get to what I think of as ‘the important part’…whatever that might be at the time.

One of my editors at Penguin would frequently type notes in Track Changes at these spots: “Could you expand on this  scene and let the reader see this happening? I think they’d enjoy being part of it.”

The truth is that showing takes time. It takes time to write and read.  But my editor was right: there are parts that I shouldn’t rush through as a writer, even when I feel the pace of the narrative needs to pick up.

For a while, I just gave completely in.  Let’s say we’ve got a carnival going on as a good set-up for our protagonist to be able to casually speak to another character in the story (this character supplies information of some sort for our protagonist).Continue reading

Twitterific Writing Links

Twitterific

Bluebird with beak open

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 35,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Nail That First Line:  http://ow.ly/yein305satR @PBRWriter

3 Tips for Collecting a Wealth of Humorous Material:  http://ow.ly/guy0305sbCD @JeanWilund

How to Write When Life Turns Upside Down: http://ow.ly/Mh6O305vAHG @RuthanneReid

On Making Comic Books For the Blind:  http://ow.ly/rxFL305N5dF @ingredient_x @lithub      Continue reading

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