Category: Uncategorized

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.

Do the things you *think* you cannot do: http://dld.bz/qNy8

The World is Ready For Your Book – But Are You? http://dld.bz/qNyk

Stuff your friends know about your writing–that you don’t: http://dld.bz/qNx7

Free online writer’s conference for children’s lit writers: http://dld.bz/qYTz

7 Secrets to Getting into Libraries: http://dld.bz/qNxz

How to ensure your readers suspend disbelief–link included! :) http://dld.bz/qYGM

Tips for planning a scaled-down book tour: http://dld.bz/qYFB

14 Reasons Your Manuscript Got Rejected Before Page 1: http://dld.bz/qNxr

Excel for Authors: http://dld.bz/qCY9

Why Books? 9 Reasons to be Optimistic: http://dld.bz/qCYw

Can a writer have a staff? http://dld.bz/qCYr

About theme…the muscle of your story: http://dld.bz/qCYh

What Motivates the Book Buyer? (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/qCWj

Literary last words (Guardian): http://dld.bz/qCWd

5 Links for Speed Reading and Concentration: http://dld.bz/qCTu

In praise of the novella: http://dld.bz/qCTm

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Fig & Blueberry Clafouti http://bit.ly/9lwc4f @CleoCoyle

Eliminating sentence clarity errors in 2 easy steps: http://dld.bz/q7Bk

7 things one writer has learned so far: http://dld.bz/q7A8

How to be a very silly science fiction/fantasy writer: http://dld.bz/q7Ag

How to indent the first line of a paragraph: http://dld.bz/q7Ae

What Should I Write About? Finding Inspiration: http://dld.bz/q79Q

Series synopsis: http://dld.bz/q798

Point of View overview: http://dld.bz/q79t

The Million Word Myth: http://dld.bz/q79m

Respecting Your Readers: http://dld.bz/q78n

First Novel Karma: http://dld.bz/q77B

Finding more story ideas (for freelancers): http://dld.bz/q778

On writing dialect: http://dld.bz/q76J

Best articles this week for writers–8/6: http://dld.bz/qN3d @4KidLit

Strike Back Against Procrastination With A Mental Mongoose: http://dld.bz/qtjj

The High Cost of Self Promotion: http://dld.bz/qtaQ @jakonrath

Are you a #blogger? @CleoCoyle Roast Mortem Pub Party is on. #Win great prizes for yourself and followers: http://bit.ly/pubParty @CleoCoyle

Why a bad day makes for a good story. http://bit.ly/9TRTqf @p2p_editor

Urban Fantasy Reading Recommendations: http://dld.bz/qta8

2 steps to a better revision: http://dld.bz/qsYq @ClarissaDraper

Behind the Scenes with Fine Print Lit’s Assistant and Intern: http://dld.bz/qsX7

8 Tips for Boosting Your Energy: http://dld.bz/qsXN

The Difference Between Begging for and Building Influence: http://dld.bz/qsZB

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Instant Giveaway! California Firehouse Cookbook + a Recipe for Cleo Coyle’s Coffee… http://bit.ly/cbKPdL @kristadavis

Mini-Vacations-Fuel for Writers: http://dld.bz/qsTt

5 Ways to Build Your Blog’s Voice: http://dld.bz/qsZh

Mind your manners and be known as a writer that’s easy to work with: http://dld.bz/qsRV

Is Your Story Premise Plausible? http://dld.bz/qsR9

Backing Up Your Blog: http://dld.bz/qCYD @HeatherMcCorkle

In the first 1 1/2 pages, engage the reader with your character and their problem: http://dld.bz/qswf

Creativity Reloaded: Why You Should Try New Creative Activities: http://dld.bz/qsuK

How to Use Details to Suspend Disbelief (Video): http://dld.bz/qsum

The Trouble with Dialogue – Part 4: http://dld.bz/qstG

Keep Track of Library Books and Avoid Fines: http://dld.bz/qsq4

The Pain of Rejection Never Gets Easier: http://dld.bz/qsnT @JodyHedlund

Tips for creating character presence (before the character actually makes an appearance in your book): http://dld.bz/qsnK

Writing THE END. Be BOLD! http://dld.bz/qsn4

A touch of Frost: the story of Penguin’s secret editor (Telegraph): http://dld.bz/q78J

How one writer develops her characters: http://dld.bz/qsns

Reviewing those tough books: http://dld.bz/qsnf

Congrats Cleo! @LesaHolstine review: No one combines cozy atmosphere w/ a realistic crime novel better than @CleoCoyle: http://bit.ly/b8Rr7g

Literary Movement Series: Beat Generation: http://dld.bz/q7p5 @micheleemrath

The Writer’s Life: Listening: http://dld.bz/qsmC

Grounding the Reader: http://dld.bz/qsm2

Introducing the jumper colon: http://dld.bz/qsmk

One writer’s process: http://dld.bz/qsjS

Who will read your book? http://dld.bz/qskU @bubblecow

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Healthy Weeknight Meal in a Hurry–Black Bean Quesadillas http://bit.ly/9kup5B @kristadavis

Writing–Noble or Selfish? http://dld.bz/qshj

On Writing Fantasy: The Plot Thickens–http://dld.bz/qsha

The Short Synopsis: http://dld.bz/qsgT

Magazine Query Checklist: http://dld.bz/qsgN

Abstinence or Sex: Twilight vs. In Praise of Older Women: http://dld.bz/qsgF

Rejection? Rejection? We don’t need no stinkin’ rejection! http://dld.bz/qsgz

Simon & Schuster sees profits grow 64%: http://dld.bz/qsfj

The significance of milestones: http://dld.bz/qsfe

Pitching based on your goals: http://dld.bz/qseR

8 things that help make a good novel: http://dld.bz/qreC @wendypmiller

An Overview of Different Types of Punctuation Used for Emphasis: http://dld.bz/qrbn

Why is Passive Voice Considered Taboo? http://dld.bz/qhQX

An Agent on Writing vs. Storytelling: http://dld.bz/qhQU

Sean Penn Might Play Editor Maxwell Perkins: http://dld.bz/qsMe @GalleyCat

Ooo, Aww, Ah! – an emotional approach to querying: http://dld.bz/qsyH @CherylAngst

“The Great Typo Hunt”: The irresistible allure of bad spelling (Salon): http://dld.bz/qhQj

Top 100 Killer Thrillers (chosen by the NPR audience): http://dld.bz/qsKJ

The chick-lit debate: who in Playboy Mansion Hell calls women chicks? (Guardian): http://dld.bz/qswp

Mystery writer’s guide to forensic science–guilty, but sleeping: http://dld.bz/qhFN

What happened to genres? http://dld.bz/qhEP

Self-Publishing & Online Publishing Will Not Ruin Your Chances at a Traditional Deal (Writer’s Digest): http://dld.bz/qhEG

POV–tips for staying in one character’s head: http://dld.bz/qqYX @authorterryo

5 Reasons to Practice Timeboxing: http://dld.bz/qhE4

Really Great Sex: A Writing Lesson: http://dld.bz/qqeq @HartJohnson

7 Simple Ways To Say “No”–and maybe free up more time to write?: http://dld.bz/qhDH

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Vacation Potpourri http://bit.ly/adXx5E @kristadavis

The best way to make sure your book is the right length for your genre: http://dld.bz/pSzT

How Book Club Readers (and Bookstores) Can Drive Success (Writer’s Digest): http://dld.bz/pSxj

The Deer Hunter Guide to Social Media Networks: http://dld.bz/pS2X

10 ways to procrastinate before you begin writing: http://dld.bz/qhVp @elspethwrites

Barnes and Noble bookstore chain put up for sale (Guardian): http://dld.bz/qhMC

On the writerly task of waiting (via @JaneFriedman ): http://dld.bz/pSzr

The Sun Sign Guide For Writers: http://dld.bz/qfb8

What Your Twitter Numbers Say About You, part 1: http://dld.bz/qfbQ

Avoiding “talking heads” syndrome: http://dld.bz/qfc7 @Paize_Fiddler

Using the bystander effect in your novels: http://bit.ly/arWETn @p2p_editor

5 Ways to Skyrocket Your Blog Traffic: http://dld.bz/qfch

SCBWI Conference Soundbites: http://dld.bz/qfca

My tips for managing blog reading with Google Reader: http://dld.bz/qffy

Useful things to know about your characters (before you write them): http://dld.bz/qfaz

Mobile Tip: Managing Notes between Desktop and Mobile with Gmail: http://dld.bz/pS3u @merylkevans

Why You (Still) Want an Agent: http://dld.bz/pStW

Tips regarding writer’s conferences: http://dld.bz/pSzE

An Agent on Making a Living at Writing: http://dld.bz/pSzz

An agent on how to write a thriller: http://dld.bz/pSwX

7 Success Lessons from Dale Carnegie: http://dld.bz/pSwq

Pulling A Story Out Of Nowhere: http://dld.bz/pSwK

Huge congrats to my friend, @CleoCoyle for her brand new release, “Roast Mortem!” Picking up my copy today. :) http://bit.ly/dcZSM8

Thanks so much to @PatriciaMWarren for making my blog her blog of the week! :) http://nblo.gs/6te4A

More encouragement to do the 15 min. a day writing challenge: http://dld.bz/pSwH

Survey Finds Mystery Readers Surprisingly Savvy: http://dld.bz/pSwx

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Super Fabulous Summer No-Bake Cheesecake! http://bit.ly/cBBF8Z @kristadavis

Marketing your book on your blog? 101 Ways to Make More Sales Online: http://dld.bz/pSwg

How to Outline a Novel: http://dld.bz/pSvy

Writing Woes: http://dld.bz/pPWu

Writers, enough with the self-flagellation! http://dld.bz/pPU3

The Quickest Way to Create a New Mindset: http://dld.bz/pPUv

“Everything I needed to know about writing I learned from my 6 year old.” : http://dld.bz/pPTD

Organizing Your Days on a Weekly Basis: http://dld.bz/pPT3

Premature Querying (Rapid Submission), or, It’s Not Me, It’s You: http://dld.bz/pPSW

The Incredible Highs & the Discouraging Lows of the Writer’s Life: http://dld.bz/pPRd @JodyHedlund

Perfect characters are boring–10 tips for non-perfection: http://dld.bz/pS4u @elspethwrites

Micro-level Revision Tips: http://dld.bz/pS3C @paulgreci

Developing your craft–tips on character development: http://dld.bz/pPRa @4KidLit

What the heck is steampunk? http://dld.bz/pPJC

Antiques dealer jailed for handling stolen Shakespeare First Folio (Guardian): http://dld.bz/pPJw

Is a writer’s loyalty to the research or the reader? http://dld.bz/pPH8

The 15 Biggest Bestsellers EVER After The Bible (Photo essay–Huff Post): http://dld.bz/pPHv

Writing scenes that sizzle: http://dld.bz/pNgy @KatieGanshert

Help spotting POV errors and POV practice: http://dld.bz/pPSK @authorterryo

Targeting niche markets: http://dld.bz/pNfp

Tips on creating lifelike characters: http://dld.bz/pN8S

How to Keep Your Blog Posts from Dying in Your Archives: http://dld.bz/pNfa

Nice overview of the Gothic lit movement: http://dld.bz/pNUf

How a Sticky Note Can Change Your Life: http://dld.bz/pNeV

Ten Things One Writer Knows For Sure: http://dld.bz/pNM2 @labanan

Info on the free, online writing conference, The Muse Online (deadline to register Aug. 15): http://dld.bz/pNFN @nasharpe

How to type em-dashes, etc. into your Word processing program correctly: http://dld.bz/pNeA

Tips for blog headline writing: http://dld.bz/pNec

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Fan Request http://bit.ly/aEqMH9 @kristadavis

Create a clickable link when you comment on blogs: http://dld.bz/pGRJ

The Write-15-Minutes-a-Day Challenge: http://dld.bz/pGNS

Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 7/30/10)–Writer’s Digest: http://dld.bz/pGNr

7 things one author has learned so far: http://dld.bz/pGNk

Making Your Passion a Higher Priority: http://dld.bz/pGMM

Thoughts on perseverance– http://dld.bz/pDMy

Writers as characters in crime fiction: http://dld.bz/pGVf @mkinberg

Mad Men and Bad Men: http://dld.bz/pDKX

Why Kindle-Killers Haven’t Killed Kindle: http://dld.bz/pDKP

An agent on what you should look for when choosing between agents: http://dld.bz/pBhQ

Is the Booker a barometer of the best literature? (Guardian) http://dld.bz/pBhF

Sex disappears from the British novel as authors run scared of ridicule (Guardian): http://dld.bz/pBhw

Your inner teen and you: http://dld.bz/pAmy

Ebook Predictions Redux: http://dld.bz/pAmw

That New Kid Smell: The Allure of the New Kid at School: http://dld.bz/pAk9

Do You Have an Online Hub? http://dld.bz/pAk3

Did Twitter Just Kill Off Follow Fridays? http://dld.bz/pAk2

Need Novel Fodder? Visit Snopes. http://dld.bz/pAkk

21 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block: http://dld.bz/pAjX

On character block: http://dld.bz/pAmv

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Cleo Coyle’s Blueberry Buttermilk Firehall Pancakes + 2 Instant Giveaways! http://bit.ly/9K3nCJ @kristadavis

Writer Websites: Do it Yourself or Hire a Professional? http://dld.bz/p348

6 Tips to Add Time to Your 24/7 Work Schedule: http://dld.bz/p34v

One Writer’s Top 10: http://dld.bz/p3x8

Book tours can get expensive and overwhelming, but they don’t have to be. And a tour doesn’t mean you have to cover a broad area of the country, either. You can limit it to just a few towns that are close to each other, geographically.

The nice things about book tours is that you get an opportunity to produce a spike in book sales, develop a relationship with some book retailers, and create a little buzz about your book.

I’m going on a book tour starting this next Friday in central North Carolina with three friends of mine. Here are some thoughts on making your tour easier:

Find authors that live close or have connections to the area you’re touring. (I live in NC, Jenn Stanley’s (she’s also Ellery Adams) family still lives in the area, Krista Davis lives fairly close in Virginia, and Avery Aames used to live in NC.)

Decide on the cities you’ll be covering—with a map so you don’t agree to be in Town A at 9 a.m. for a stock signing, 11 a.m. in Town B for a talk, then 2 p.m. back in Town A for a meet and greet if the towns aren’t even close to each other.

Lodging: If you all have connections to the area, chances are you’ll have friends or family in the area you can stay with and reduce your travel costs. Otherwise, consider sharing rooms.

Contact bookstores (chain and independent) and consider other venues, too. Are there libraries that like hosting events? Are there any art fairs, etc., that you could attend? It’s a good idea to call the bookstores a month out so that you can make sure they can order extra copies of your book to have in stock.

Consider stock signings. Each event doesn’t have to be a signing or a talk. You can also arrange to go to a store and sign the stock and leave your bookmarks at the front desk or the customer service desk. Again, you’ll want to call a month ahead even for a stock signing and just make sure that the books are there.

Name your tour. We called ours the Killer Cozies tour. :)

Come up with a promotional flyer that can be emailed to the CRMs or put on webpages.

Post the events on Goodreads.

Add a webpage to your blog or website to give details on appearances.

Divide up some of this work and planning between the authors.

Take all the information on when you’ll be where and put it in an itinerary for the group with everyone’s cell numbers.

Keep all your receipts while you’re on the tour.

Arrange to go with some really organized authors who do most of this for you! :) Thanks Krista and Jenn! And a special thanks to mystery lover Molly Weston who is putting me up (and putting up with me) for four nights during the tour. Hope I don’t drive her completely around the bend…

Sometimes it’s easy to get dragged into your day…and the day isn’t a very inspiring one.

That was my day on Wednesday. I had what felt like an army of workmen at my house, in and out, lugging materials around for the air and heat system. They kept me in the loop as far as what they were doing (although I didn’t understand a word of it.) And my daughter was dying to get out of the house (probably because we couldn’t get out of the house.)

The salesman who sold us the system, which cost a pretty penny, dropped by on Wednesday afternoon to check and make sure I was happy with the installation so far and that the workers were doing all right in the extreme heat they were working in.

I noticed he kept looking into my living room. Then, he finally asked me with some hesitation, “Do you mind if I play your piano?”

“Please play the piano,” I said. “It’s dying to be played.”

I thought I might hear The Entertainer or maybe Frère Jacques but he launched right into a complex and long bit of classical music that I wasn’t familiar with. He played without any hesitation and it was fantastic.

The men came down out of the attic to listen to him play and I moved into the living room. We all applauded when he was done. It totally took me out of the HVAC replacement doldrums.

“That was amazing,” I told him. “I can only play Twinkle Twinkle.”

“I was a music major in college,” he said, “but my dad told me that no one would pay me to play the piano, so I started working with air and heat installation. Then I was promoted to sales…but the piano is my first love.” And he was probably in his late-fifties. “I just wish I could make a living at it.”

I told him I completely understood—that I wrote books. But my husband makes a nice living so that I can write books instead of earning a living.

Which makes me think—how many of us out there are downgrading our artistic talents to hobbies? I know plenty of us don’t have the need to share what we write or the music we play or the paintings we create…and that’s totally understandable. But I wonder how many of us would be pursuing something artistic full-time—if only we could make a living at it.

Also, my friend Dave on My Year on the Grill reviewed Delicious and Suspicious and cooked a recipe from the book. :) If you’re in the mood for some comfort food, pop by for some country fried steaks.

Right now, even as I type, we’re having our upstairs and downstairs a/c systems replaced, along with our furnace.

In my blissful ignorance, I thought this wasn’t that complex of a job. Actually, I don’t think I thought anything much about it at all. I was a little surprised when I heard that it was going to take Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to do the job…but I didn’t really think about the why behind the length of the job.

Then, a few days ago, I spoke to a friend of mine and mentioned the upcoming work. “Ohhh,” she said. “That was the craziest, most invasive thing I’ve ever had to go through when we had ours replaced. They were in every room of the house and the garage and attic, too! It took days and they kept running into problems during the installation.”

This was an eye-opener.

So when the guys showed up Wednesday morning and were in and out the door with all kinds of materials for the HVAC installation, I had the cats squirreled away in a quiet place where they wouldn’t be too freaked out. When they ended up having to take the attic door off because the new furnace was too big to go through the door, I wasn’t too surprised. When I was told the upstairs wouldn’t have any air conditioning Wednesday night, I had the downstairs bedroom ready for us to sleep in.

So far, the process feels like it’s going pretty smoothly—even when it’s not—because I’m prepared for the possible outcomes.

This same approach works well for writing, too. I think, sometimes, when we prepare ourselves for rejection or criticism or bumpy spots in our manuscripts or writer’s block then when it happens (as it inevitably does if we write for a long while) that it’s easier to deal with.

We’re still going through the bad patch…but we’re better equipped to deal with it because it’s not a surprise.

Jody Hedlund, who writes an excellent blog under her name, wrote a post Wednesday called “The Pain of Rejection Never Gets Easier.” She’s right—it doesn’t…whether it comes from agents, publishers, editors, readers, or reviewers.

But I think we can steel ourselves against it a little. And while we’re at it, we can also expect that there will be places in our manuscript where the muse will give us the silent treatment. There’s a point, obviously, where this attitude becomes pessimism, but I think I’m one of those people who likes to be pleasantly surprised instead by good news instead of sucker-punched by the bad stuff.

How do you prepare yourself for problems—whether they’re bad writing days, manuscript rejections, or poor reviews?

I’d reached one of those points in my current manuscript where I really wasn’t excited about moving forward with the plot. I wasn’t even really sure how I was going to move the plot forward. In fact…I’d stalled out.

I skipped ahead to a different part of the book…which works out great. You still get work done on the manuscript, but you’re not working on the part that’s tripping you up.

But I needed to get back to the rocky part of my story.

I’m one of those writers who works completely alone on the first draft portion of my book. I don’t tell people what, specifically, I’m writing about. I don’t belong to critique groups, I don’t ask for help. I just sweat it out through the first draft.

Subsequent drafts are different. I need help for those. But I usually can’t imagine a scenario where I’d talk to someone about my plot while drafting a story. It’s just not finished enough for me to really recap.

Plus, it’s sort of like the baby name conundrum—you know. When you’re expecting a baby and someone asks you what you’re going to name the baby. You’re not really sure what name you’re going to stick with, so you tell them the ones you’re deciding between. Then you hear how one name reminds them of this kid that threw up in 4th grade on his desk, or how one name is really, really cute (and that’s not the one you’re leaning toward), etc.

So a friend of mine called and invited my daughter over for a playdate. I sweated over my manuscript for a while, then jumped in the car to pick my daughter back up. I was thinking about the manuscript the whole way in the car.

When my friend asked me how my book writing went that afternoon, I suddenly spilled everything out. It wasn’t going well. I was stuck. I was even thinking about doing a rewrite after the first draft was done to change the whole motive for the murder.

“What’s the book about?” she asked.

So I told her. And the funny thing was that she had a lot of experience with the topic I was writing on. I’d had no idea. And she told me all kinds of stories filled with people stabbing other people in the back—real people with real emotions and real stories.

And as she was vividly telling me these stories, waving her hands around while she did it, I was thinking about my story and getting all kinds of tangent ideas.

Which is a very good argument for sharing what we’re working on. Although, as you can tell, I’m not doing it here…still thinking about the baby name example. :) And not everyone we share with is helpful—sometimes they can be more critical.

So my question for you is—do you share what you’re working on as you write a first draft? Why or why not?