Elizabeth Spann Craig, bestselling cozy mystery author.

Intermittent Journaling: How I Lost the Guilt and Acquired a Helpful Writing Strategy.

May 20, 2019May 18, 2019Uncategorized, Writing Tips

Ever since I got a pink diary with a lock and key for Christmas when I was eleven, I have tried to keep a daily journal—I really have. But, no matter what my intentions, I have never managed to succeed. And once I became a writer, it seemed even more important that I keep a daily journal. I mean, it’s what writers do, right?

Finally, I stopped trying. More importantly, I stopped feeling less than a ‘real writer’ or guilty because I didn’t write in my journal every day. Journaling has a definite place in my writing life, and when I need to, I approach my journal with a purpose and enjoy the benefits that journaling brings.

Here are the times when I turn to my journal—sometimes daily, sometimes not. These journaling times are short-term, focused, and reap rewards.

Journal when the creative well needs filling.

I have writer friends who always have an abundance of story ideas. They bemoan the fact that there will never be enough time to write them down. Sadly, I’m not like that. When I search my brain for inspiration and get crickets, that’s when the journal comes out. I commit to a week of daily journaling, and if I’m still looking for inspiration at the end of the week, I’ll try another week.

My best time to access random story ideas is before bed. I quickly jot down my to-do list for the next day, so those I-must-remembers are cleared out of my head, and then, because I’m a bit tired and dozy, I just let my brain wander. I let characters walk in and talk or move around, and I write it down. I’m under no pressure to make a story out of these ramblings right now. I just let them be. If you’re not a lark like I am, then mornings may be the best time for you to welcome that half-dreamy state where stories can happen.

Yes, some dross lands on the page, but there’s gold, too, and I’ve found many stories and book ideas using this process.Continue reading

Twitterific Writing Links

May 19, 2019May 18, 2019Twitterific, Uncategorized

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 50,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Have you visited the WKB lately? Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox! Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

New Stuff

Just a note that one of my blog readers, who is a fellow mystery writer and website designer, is running an author website special. Click here to check out the details for the $300 offer.

Business / Miscellaneous

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels

What every writer should know before writing a first novel: @lisapoisso

How To Decide The Voice And Tone Of Your Novel

May 13, 2019May 16, 2019Uncategorized, Writing Tips

by Kristina Adams, @KristinaAuthor

The voice and tone of your novel will affect who connects with your characters and what genre it fits into. It can even be the difference between someone finishing your book an avid fan or putting it down after the first page.

Yes, it really is that important.

Tone is the overall mood of your novel. The voice, meanwhile, is how you and your characters communicate with your reader. It’s how you get across the personality of your characters, as well as draw in your target audience from the first words on the page.

If your book is written in third person, you can channel a little bit of yourself into your narration. If it’s written in first, your character(s) should speak through you.

When it comes to dialogue, the voice will vary from character to character. It’s the main way we show their different personalities. Your reader should be able to tell who’s saying what even without dialogue tags.

Here are some of the factors you need to consider when deciding on the voice and tone of your novel:Continue reading

Twitterific Writing Links

May 12, 2019May 11, 2019Twitterific

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. :)

New Stuff:

If you’re in the area, consider attending The Possibilities Conference on June 15th, 2019 in Falls Church, VA (about 12 miles outside Washington, DC). The conference helps authors learn how to build their fan base through marketing, branding, and PR via a full day of workshops.

A Basic Author Website

May 10, 2019May 5, 2019Business of Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I remember when I first decided to go online and set up a website. I was reluctant to do it because of ‘imposter syndrome‘. I also had no idea what I was doing and it ended up being a one-page deal that didn’t have the information it should have had on it. I don’t think anyone actually visited it.

Writer and writing coach/consultant Dan Blank recently addressed the imposter syndrome part of the equation, stating that “many people are nervous about claiming their identity as writers. ” He also said that the tech aspect of the chore may make some writers procrastinate setting up a site.

The setup and the ‘why’ aspect of websites for writers is something I’m not planning on covering in this post, but you can find very helpful information from industry expert Jane Friedman in her articles:

3 Reasons to Have a Website if You’re Unpublished

Building an Author Website on WordPress: How to Start Smart

and

Before You Launch Your Author Website: How to Avoid Long-Term Mistakes

If you want to set up an author website of your own, here are what I consider to be the basics that your site should cover:

Homepage: A page that quickly sums it all up. Who you are, your genre, the cover of the book you’re currently promoting (if you’re published), and maybe snippets of your best reviews. I’d also include a newsletter signup link because the sooner you start collecting emails, the easier it is. I use MailChimp, which is free for up to 2,000 subscribers. If you’re not published, a simple bio, photo, and note about what you write and are currently working on would work well. I’d still include a newsletter signup on the page since it won’t do any harm and will give you a head start when you do get published.

Who you are more in depth (About Me). This is where you post your author bio. I think a headshot is a bonus and can also help readers connect with you as a person.

How to contact you (Contact Me). Sometimes I go to these pages and find only a contact form. At least the author offers a way to contact them, but it would also be great to find social media links providing information for finding the author online.

What you write (Books). It’s best to list a genre so that readers have more of a sense of what exactly you’re writing. If you’re unpublished, this could be the genre of your work in progress. I think it’s best to be as specific as possible with genre. There are many types of mysteries, for example, so I list that I write ‘cozy mysteries’ so that a reader knows exactly what to expect (i.e, not a thriller).

If you want to have only a couple of pages on your site (if you’re currently unpublished, for example), you could have the ‘about me’, ‘what you write’, and the newsletter link on your home page and the contact info (email, social media links) on a separate page.

If you have an established online presence, what do you recommend for a first website? Or, if you’re new, do you have any questions?

Author Website Basics: Click To Tweet

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