Category: Uncategorized

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I had Bad Parenting Moment #1,000,001 (at least) on Sunday when I was at the theater with my ten year old daughter.

She’s recently become completely obsessed with horses. She writes poetry about horses, reads horse books, watches horse shows. And she draws many, many pictures of horses.

My daughter had her sketchbook with her while we were waiting for The Nutcracker to start (surprisingly, she’d agreed to go, even though there were no horses in the ballet.) A friend of mine was also at the ballet, noticed my daughter’s sketchbook (which I was holding for her), and asked her about her artwork.

I said, “Oh, yes! She’s drawn some amazing pictures of horses! Let me show you.” And, proud mama that I am, I opened that sketchbook right up and started flipping through it.

My daughter was absolutely horrified. She snatched it right back out of my hands and gave me a reproachful look. I apologized immediately and was still apologizing the next day.

You’d think, of all people, I’d understand about the privacy aspect of creativity. And I do, but only in an academic way. Even as a kid—even at my daughter’s age—I wanted to share my writing. I’d shove three or four 3-ring binders of stories at you if you showed even the slightest inkling of interest. You could be a teacher, a friend’s parent, a fellow ten year old kid, some random adult—I wanted to tell you a story.

But what I’ve realized over the years is that there’s also a lot of pleasure in writing for ourselves. I have to remind myself of this. Sometimes I’ll be at writing conferences and a writer approaches me to talk about writing. I’ll ask what avenues they’re pursuing for publication—magazines? Literary journals? Are they querying agents? Publishers? Going the e-publishing route?

And sometimes—they just blink at me. They’re totally happy, completely satisfied artistically, by just writing. They just wanted to talk to me about the writing craft.

Honestly, sometimes I think they’re the lucky ones. There’s so much non-artistic work that goes with publishing— promo, figuring out platforms, considering what will sell. It’s easy to lose the joy of it.

Occasionally, I’ve run into writers (or they’ve emailed me) who’ve written for themselves for years…and are now thinking about sharing their work. They’ve asked me where they should start out.

I think, if someone is considering sharing their work, they should start sharing in a limited way. Maybe look into critique groups (in-person or online) and just get used to hearing feedback. And, if that group doesn’t work out, try another one.

Are you happy writing for yourself or are there other artistic things you’d rather keep private (playing an instrument, drawing?) Do you write some things for publication and some things for yourself?

And, if you’re looking for a quick and easy chicken recipe, join me at Terry’s Place this morning. I’m sharing a recipe for Apricot Chicken. :)

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

It’s getting close to the end of the year again…and I really don’t know where the year went.

One thing that I’m usually good at is setting goals and deadlines for myself. It’s really how I stay on track with the different projects I’ve got going on.

My problem tends to be long-term planning. My agent usually will kick me in the rear a little, trying to see what big picture ideas I have. But I’ve found when I’m really busy, I’m just trying to keep afloat …not setting big goals.

The September issue of Writer’s Digest had an article by Elizabeth Sims entitled “10 Things for Every Writer’s Bucket List.” She included things like publishing a short story, taking a writing retreat, and freelancing.

I found the idea of a writing bucket list very appealing. It makes my head hurt to try to set definitive deadlines for specific long-term goals. But I sure as heck can make a list of things I’d like to do before I die.

I think the best way to make these kinds of goals is to not factor in any of the stuff we ordinarily would factor in. Don’t think about the logistics, the money, the time away from the kids. Just make a list.

What would be on my bucket list? Off the top of my head, I’m thinking that I’d like to try writing different genres and subgenres. I’d write a historical saga, a police procedural, and maybe dabble in lit fic. Oh, and maybe some noir.

I’d like to go on a literary-themed tour.

I’d like to try to narrate an audio book.

I’d like to go on a long writer’s retreat…the kind where I can be as antisocial as I need to be.

I’m going ahead and making my list. Because the way time is flying, I have a feeling the next ten years are going to pass by like a second.

What kinds of things would you like to do or try as a writer?

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week.

The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links (now over 12,000) searchable. Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for the web’s best links and interviews:http://bit.ly/gx7hg1 .

In recent news, my writing and computer programming friend Mike Fleming has launched his Hiveword Novel Writing Software. To check out what it’s all about,just click here.

I’ve also released another backlist Myrtle Clover title to ebook. A Dyeing Shame is available on Kindle for $2.99(still in the process of uploading to other platforms.)

Pricing strategies for ebooks: http://bit.ly/uaLyWb @MarkCoker

How To Make Sure Your Book Is The Best It Can Be: http://bit.ly/teBf0R @TheCreativePenn

Self-Publishing: Carnival of the Indies: http://bit.ly/vlP1d2 @JFBookman

Confessions of a Big Six Editor: The Triumph of the Slush Pile: http://bit.ly/rIfrgi @AnneRAllen

Book Design Basics Part 1: Margins and Leading: http://bit.ly/vHOGMZ @daveBricker via @JFBookman

Another nice roundup of links for historical writers: http://bit.ly/trMLrl @2nerdyhistgirls

Zen and the Art of Withholding Information: http://bit.ly/veOY2v @TheReviewReview

Science fiction, legal reality: http://lat.ms/thlA8k @latimeshiltzik

Moral ambiguity in fantasy: http://bit.ly/rqyUxv @jameslsutter

Publishing more women writers: http://bit.ly/vbOE9x @PoetryDivas

Review–Kindle Touch: http://bit.ly/vPaSpj @DearAuthor

The Twitter Retweeting Policy of @Scalzi: http://bit.ly/vlS5WG

The yearning for secret writing: http://bit.ly/v6Fj5J @lisa_rivero

Action/Reaction – The Pistons Powering Your Story: http://bit.ly/tQnAjv @KMWeiland

Finishing your NaNo draft? Don’t open it again until Christmas. http://bit.ly/vmyv1W @Dirtywhitecandy

The best role model might be someone who reinvents his career: http://bit.ly/v3ec2T @LAGilman

How to Read a Book Contract – Non-Competition: http://bit.ly/vJd0qJ @PassiveVoiceBlg

Goal setting for writers: http://bit.ly/u6LiIA @annegreenawalt

If you suspect your agent wants to drop you: http://bit.ly/vMaydZ @literaticat

Appeal is ageless: http://bit.ly/tG1qGW

5 Ways to Never Run Out of Blog Post Ideas: http://bit.ly/sV6LwJ @Non_Toxic_Kids

Leading lines: http://bit.ly/vADDJ2 @RavenRequiem13

Creativity Tweets of the Week — 11/28/11: http://bit.ly/vG7nl6 @on_creativity

How to prep before interviewing: http://bit.ly/tkAWNr @GLeeBurgett

Secondary characters can add dimension and tension: http://bit.ly/u4gERc @JulietteWade

Antagonists–The Alpha and the Omega of the Story: http://bit.ly/veN1Sr @KristenLambTX

Increasing tension in our novel: http://bit.ly/tvDdO9 @luciennediver

Hero’s Journey–Thor: http://bit.ly/thSbP7 @PAShortt

Why Our Characters Must Fail: http://bit.ly/sigCyF @jillkemerer

5 Reasons To Sign Up For A Writers’ Conference: http://bit.ly/sPiXYf @writeitsideways

23 Inevitable Questions to Ask Yourself at the End of NaNoWriMo: http://bit.ly/vjPGpp @VictoriaMixon

Essential Elements of a Bestselling Thriller: http://bit.ly/u7uLEU @JodieRennerEd

Have passion for your writing: http://bit.ly/w1ZNQ7 @jamieraintree

8 ways to find your writing groove: http://bit.ly/tXAqgL @authorterryo

How and where to begin a story: http://bit.ly/uvimiY @JulietteWade

Give your writing some physical therapy: http://bit.ly/vVgCmz @JHansenWrites

When You Need To Write FAST (And Procrastination Is Not An Option): http://bit.ly/rV4bbl @NovelRocket

Choose your own adventure: http://bit.ly/sux05p @FantasyFaction

Even Though Free is IN, Don’t Forget to Buy Books Too: http://bit.ly/vBnbxi @JodyHedlund

Using QR Code to Promote Work: http://bit.ly/tt6aHt @luannschindler

Turn Your WordPress Blog Into a Book: http://bit.ly/sWNiSC @JaneFriedman

Solidifying Your Identity As a Writer: http://bit.ly/thXAlt @krissybrady

Author Blogging 101: Where Are the Readers? http://bit.ly/rz7609 @JFBookman

Why authors disappear: http://bit.ly/u2FQkP @kirstenhubbard

5 ways to generate blog post ideas: http://bit.ly/u66ih4 @problogger

What We Should Learn from the Collapse of Borders: http://bit.ly/v1Qurh @JosephJEsposito for @scholarlykitchn

Arguments against publishers’ use of DRM: http://bit.ly/vtU6Fk @antipopeRSS

Reasons Not to Self-Publish in 2011-2012: A List: http://bit.ly/rVxTq9 @EdanL

What if famous authors from the past wrote recipes? http://ind.pn/uOK6FA RT @bittman @LimerickMan1

Explore the Onomatopoeia Dictionary: http://bit.ly/uccO1F @GalleyCat

What Fantasy Does Best: http://bit.ly/viWav8 @tordotcom

5 Tips for Cleaning Up Your Writing Right Now: http://bit.ly/vekg9v

How and Why to Write With Power: http://bit.ly/ruU44z @storyfix

Notes From the Field: One Beginner’s Book Tour: http://bit.ly/rXXZyb @SolomonAnna for @BTMargins

How Relying on Numbers Can Get You Into Trouble: http://bit.ly/tODZqv @VictoriaStrauss

Tips for Creating Secondary Characters: http://bit.ly/vDV7Sc @Marie_Lu for @Janice_Hardy

Turning a NaNo draft into a novel: http://bit.ly/rHXzbh @DeeScribe

How To Gift An eBook: http://bit.ly/tLIFsS @Ebooknewser

2 Tips for Punctuating Interrupted Dialogue: http://bit.ly/t0Gw4r @keligwyn

Writing a Realistic Superhero Story: http://bit.ly/uRDTVU

Why publishers should build direct sales channels: http://oreil.ly/uZpKjo @jwikert

Thoughts On The Future Of Book Marketing: http://bit.ly/vDE029 @FacundoV

11 Frequently Asked Questions About Book Royalties, Advances & Money: http://bit.ly/uf1jQ9 @ChuckSambuchino

Worldbuilding with Horses: Infrastructure: http://bit.ly/sXHfrp

Cutting For Pace: http://bit.ly/tosbj5

On Kindlegraph (software that alllows you to autograph ebooks): http://bit.ly/tYWUct @BryanThomasS

The Frustrated Writer’s Guide To Generating New Ideas–All The Time: http://bit.ly/vM0oIc @ollinmorales

Does Christian Fiction Require a Warning Label? http://bit.ly/uj91pd @cerebralgrump for @NovelRocket

40 French Expressions “En Tout”: http://bit.ly/vmmkPx

Embracing the Scary Project–Why Bravery on Demand Can Help Your : http://bit.ly/w3EVDt

Rediscovering Inspiration: http://bit.ly/upJo2j @Eliz_Humphrey

What Writers Can Learn by Watching Football: http://bit.ly/sNEoRC @BookEmDonna

Crucial Series Elements: http://bit.ly/vXfnEM (Site has a warning, but there’s no adult content in post) @JoanSwan

Tips for picking up the pace when your story starts to drag: http://bit.ly/uFegFR

Lessons from NaNoWriMo: http://bit.ly/tAeArz @p2p_editor

Hook–the 1st line: http://bit.ly/w1Eo9n @artzicarol

Tips for Creating Thematic Resonance: http://bit.ly/tk9TOS @KMWeiland

College-Aged YA Protagonists: http://bit.ly/rT6yVT @Kid_Lit

When the case works on the sleuth in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/rGXtlA @mkinberg

1 writer’s free ebook experiment & results: http://bit.ly/sciQ0T @authorterryo

Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Try Freelancing: http://bit.ly/uebF3o

Parents and children in fantasy: http://bit.ly/sPaLwh @FantasyFaction

Marketing strategies for traditional vs self publishing – is there a difference? http://bit.ly/rIf8VG @LauraPauling

The agent game: http://bit.ly/terHQR

Freelance Writing 101: Tired of Being Tired: http://bit.ly/sOkhzf @krissybrady

How Hashtags Can Win Friends and Influence Enemies: http://bit.ly/s3QjaD @KristenLambTX

The No. 1 Overlooked Skill for Every Author: http://bit.ly/w35kcH @JaneFriedman

Writer’s Block: The 12-Step Cure: http://bit.ly/rJJ9nF @TheCreativePenn

5 Reasons Starving Artists Stay Starving: http://bit.ly/vu4Xqk @GeoffreyCubbage

10 Ways to Make Our Characters Stronger: http://bit.ly/sEv1rZ @KeliGwyn

Libraries & ebooks, Amazon,media overload: @Porter_Anderson with an astute industry news analysis for @JaneFriedman : http://bit.ly/tJwrmS

How Is Consuming Itself? Lack of Team-Building: http://bit.ly/vNf1AC @bob_mayer

The editorial-business divide at scholarly presses: http://bit.ly/vgI8BM @kanderson

10 Mistakes SFF Writers Make With Research: http://bit.ly/sqoEAw @BryanThomasS

Music is a trigger: http://bit.ly/tZEouZ @TeresaFrohock for @byRozMorris

Ports of Call in @GeneLempp ‘s blog series that connects archaeology with : http://bit.ly/rQpZMF

Remembering Mark Twain’s Gifts to @TheAtlantic: http://bit.ly/sf1PCm @b_resnick

Cracking a Cold Case: Scandinavian Crime Fiction’s Mainstream Success: http://bit.ly/rUS1Ai

Alive and Kicking: Series That Hold Up: http://bit.ly/toRsxW @crimehq

Make December Your NaNoWriMo Revision Month: http://bit.ly/t8Yp9p @storyfix

From the 1st draft to the last: http://bit.ly/siQ8ew

4 Ways to End Your Writing Year Right: http://bit.ly/vuOGxG @WritersLeague

Making setting active: http://bit.ly/vxDcx0 @junglereds

The Occupational Hazards of Writing Subtext: http://bit.ly/sUMIJD @BTMargins

Why you still need to be able to speak publisher: http://bit.ly/ve2kVJ @annerooney

Some thoughts on more realistic violence for writers: http://bit.ly/t33xQ8

The dark side of creativity: http://bit.ly/sJ68vH @sbkaufman

What is Your Novel Missing? Strong Verbs, Unique Words: http://bit.ly/tVyB9e

10 Things You Need To Know About Writing Conflict: http://bit.ly/tqy27y @ajackwriting

6 Tips To Make the Learning of Fiction Techniques Less Painful: http://bit.ly/voGKAF @JodyHedlund

How to keep writing when it all seems pointless: http://bit.ly/urxLy3 @jammer0501

Cool tools to track platform growth: http://bit.ly/tE6Nko @WritersDigest

Dreamers Vs. Goalers: Writers Need to Be Both: http://bit.ly/s6pR83 @writeitsideways

What Writers Can Learn From Politicians: http://bit.ly/vaT1TI @greyhausagency

A Planner tackles NaNoWriMo: http://bit.ly/s54P8I

Top links this week for writers from @4KidLit: http://bit.ly/vkTuJ6

Check out your competition: http://bit.ly/w1ikZ3

10 blog posts that will command attention: http://bit.ly/uqyx54 @SeanPlatt

Screenwriters–translating Hollywood speak: http://bit.ly/uQyT5F @scriptmag #screenwriting

Audiobooks–a cautionary tale: http://bit.ly/tBJq1d @neilhimself

Writing To Sell: Sucker’s Game Or Not? http://bit.ly/sZKrgV @jenna_blum

What to write: http://bit.ly/vq4I6N @bob_mayer

A writer’s plea: http://bit.ly/tVMjy9 @kmcriddle

Swimming to find your characters. http://bit.ly/taAH18 @p2p_editor

Body Language: An Artistic Writing Tool: http://bit.ly/saJvet @SharlaWrites

Monday Musing: Are You Building Your World, Or Limiting It? http://bit.ly/vq4V2d #writiing

5 reasons for agent rejections: http://bit.ly/rqyGgl

A picture book illustrator’s process: http://bit.ly/sdYljW @WheelerStudio

Real Life Diagnostics: A Question of POV and Voice: http://bit.ly/sD2fOf @Janice_Hardy

An agent’s day: http://bit.ly/vDnMlV @RachelleGardner

Rethinking the Familiar Book Tour: http://bit.ly/teifgr @PassiveVoiceBlg

1 writer’s top 5 writing tips: http://bit.ly/tfOs3E @kayedacus

What’s your writing path: http://bit.ly/tBs3Iy @lisagailgreen

What Authors Need to Know About Virtual Book Tours: http://bit.ly/vVyJrE @BookMarketer for @JFBookman

Why you can’t afford to take your eye off your Amazon sales: http://bit.ly/uZ771q @rule17

Stationary vs. Stationery: http://bit.ly/w3zGiI

The Book Signing Monologues: http://bit.ly/tu4rLW @krissybrady

10 Lessons Learned in 10 Months Blogging: http://bit.ly/rSZVbU

On Being the Writer You Are: http://bit.ly/sUKHgV

Why You Should Write 20 Posts Before You Launch Your Blog: http://bit.ly/tJI2TL @Problogger

Pen Names and Pseudonyms : http://bit.ly/vSUPSN

Genre in the Mainstream: How Ray Bradbury Crossed Over: http://bit.ly/v5XNAy @RyancBritt

The Next Phase of NaNoWriMo: Editing: http://bit.ly/t1Exl4

Understanding royalties: http://bit.ly/trBbQv @ChuckSambuchino

3 Tips for Curing “Someday Syndrome” : http://bit.ly/vq1Fg4 @JulieMusil

Slow Writer Reform School: http://bit.ly/sBuX3O @RoniLoren

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Jane Friedman had a great post on Writer Unboxed on Wednesday.  She said that copywriting is the number one overlooked skill for authors.

In her post, Jane covers several different ways that copywriting is important to writers.  

I loved her post because I’ve found exactly the same thing.  There have been tons of times when copywriting skills have come in handy.  Here are some places I’ve found copywriting useful:

Very short and sweet copy:  Bookmarks, directories/catalogs, tiny bios for places like Twitter, Twitter headlines, etc.  If you write enough Twitter headlines, you’ve mastered the art of headline writing.  For bookmarks, you’ve really just got a few words to say something about your book.  Twitter is 140 characters for a bio or tweet.

Long copy:  Writing a long bio is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to write.  My life isn’t the most fascinating thing on paper.  But it’s amazing how many times I’m asked for a long bio. Plus, we always have an “about me” page to fill on our website or blog.  If you self-publish, you would need to come up with a product description for your book, too—not too long, but not too short, either.

Short ad-style copy:  My editor sometimes asks me to read other books from Penguin authors and to blurb them if I like the books.  If I’m writing copy that goes on a cover or inside the book, it’s got to be pithy and persuasive.

Titles:  I’m always asked to submit title ideas for my books.  My publishers rarely choose them (they have a whole department of professional copywriters), but I want to submit something to them that is worthy of being chosen.  I did come up with Pretty is as Pretty Dies.

Epub Everything: In this new era of publishing, we’d better be ready to write all kinds of copy.  For Progressive Dinner Deadly, I wrote all the copy for the book…product description, title, and any short ad copy related to the mystery.

Professional emails:  Copywriting skills come in handy even with something that seems basic and mundane, like emails.   But it’s good to be able to write an email that gets to the point quickly.

Writing copy is definitely different from writing our novels.  I’ve found that it can be very satisfying, though (maybe because we’re using a different part of our brain?  Or because it’s a challenge.)

What kinds of copy have you had to learn to write?  Have you found that it comes easier with practice?

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

My husband is a regular viewer and fan of The Walking Dead series on AMC.

It’s not the kind of thing I usually watch, but I’ve caught the show with my husband a few times. I know that a lot of writers watch it too, because I’ve see their posts in my blog reader.

Lately, the consensus of most of the posts I’ve read is that the show was dragging a little. That the plot wasn’t moving quickly enough, that there was too much dialogue, not enough action, and that the group of survivors seemed to be bogged down.

My husband just wanted more zombies. :)

But then, Sunday night was the mid-season finale (I didn’t even know there was such a thing) and the pace picked up.

There still weren’t a lot of zombies in the episode, but I didn’t hear any complaints from my husband. The writers had kicked the tension up a notch. I’ll be vague here so there won’t be any spoilers.

How the writers picked up the pace and made things interesting:

They pitted characters against each other in ways that developed the storyline.

They increased the tension by threatening a development that would put the characters at risk.

They added ambiguity to the situation by posing questions that they didn’t immediately provide the answers to.

They added a twist.

They put a character in a situation where he had to act against his own moral code. (Great internal conflict resulting from external conflict).

They added depth to supporting characters by showing other sides to them.

The reviews online from writers I follow were very positive—they thought the episode worked well….even without more zombies.

What do you do when your plot starts dragging?