Category: Uncategorized

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific is a compilation of all the writing links I
shared the previous week.

The links are fed into the Writer’sKnowledge
Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming)
which has over 19,000 free articles on writing-related topics. It’s the search
engine for writers.

Sign up for our free
newsletter for monthly writing tips and interviews with top contributors to
the WKB or like us on Facebook.

Try “My WKB”–a way for you to list and sort articles, view your read
articles, and see your search history. Read more about it here: http://bit.ly/S9thqS. The free My WKB page is
here: http://bit.ly/PV8Ueb. And check out Hiveword to help you organize your
story.

The Biggest Problem Facing the Beginning Novelist—And 6 Tips for Avoiding It:
http://bit.ly/XmMGGl @annerallen

Top 5 Reasons Nonfiction Authors Should Be Speakers, Too: http://bit.ly/SK2DBM @jfbookman

The Art of Writing Dialogue: http://bit.ly/XmN2gp @maria_mckenzie

Unreliable Narrators: http://bit.ly/XmN87H

Tips for Writing Superhero Ensembles and Superhero Teams: http://bit.ly/SK2U7S

The Difference Between Paranormal Romance And Urban Fantasy: http://bit.ly/XmNj2L @woodwardkaren

6 Common Myths About Book Reviews: http://bit.ly/SKAOJH @livewritethrive

How to Pick a Good Critique Partner: http://bit.ly/XnrZdq @LyndaRYoung

Stephen King’s tips for imagery: http://bit.ly/SKBa2P @galleycat

Famous literary exits: http://bit.ly/Xns9S3 @guardianbooks

10 reading nooks: http://bit.ly/Xnuz39 and
10 secret passage bookshelves: http://bit.ly/XnuwEy @deadwhiteguys

Tips for book beginnings: http://bit.ly/SKDsiq @4YALit

Ask the Agent: Wooing Agents, Focus, and More: http://bit.ly/Xnv4dz @breeogden

Tips for Writing About Serious Subjects: http://bit.ly/SKDOFY @lisaburstein

8 tips for cutting the fat from your WIP: http://bit.ly/TQTIzP @GinaConroy

Dont’ get bogged down in language: http://bit.ly/XnvnVQ @mooderino

Learn your characters’ secrets: http://bit.ly/SKF2kn @JulieEshbaugh

When your story isn’t ready (but you’re on top of a deadline): http://bit.ly/SKFSxB

4 Compelling Reasons to Make Guest Blogging a Priority: http://bit.ly/Xnxw3D @alexisgrant

Create Revolutionary Characters: http://bit.ly/XnxDMF @KristinNador

Estate planning and copyright inheritance for authors: http://bit.ly/VBZ7KH @PassiveVoiceBlg

The MacGuffin: A Plot Device From Screenwriting: http://bit.ly/VBZtkc @woodwardkaren

Prepare for the Critics, the Nasty Ones: http://bit.ly/RBj86i @noveleditor

12 Clichés To Avoid When Beginning Your Story: http://bit.ly/VBZJji @writersdigest

A roundup of posts on ebook promo: http://bit.ly/TnGCri @bookmarketer

Develop a Slogan to Help Your Author Platform: http://bit.ly/RBkJJt @robertleebrewer

Tips for focusing on 1 manuscript at a time: http://bit.ly/RBkVbr @DeeWhiteAuthor

Overcoming Dialogue Challenges: http://bit.ly/RBkYEi @wordsbywebb

1 writer’s experience advertising with BookBub: http://bit.ly/RBl5zQ @goblinwriter

Use WriteChain to Track Your Progress: http://bit.ly/VC5c9O @galleycat

Defending Your Writing to Scientists, Physicists… And Your Parents: http://bit.ly/RBlXnV @beinglizbreen

Is Serial Fiction Profitable? http://bit.ly/RBm3vW @woodwardkaren

Keep Submitting: http://bit.ly/RBm8jg
@emergentpublish

3 Common Comma Errors: http://bit.ly/RBmaHM @writing_tips

Your readers’ online haunts: http://bit.ly/RBmiab @PYOEbooks

Thesaurus Pros and Cons: http://bit.ly/RBmjLs @CMKaufman

Publishers teching up: ‘Transformative, Exciting, Alarming’: http://bit.ly/VAXLNZ @jwikert @Porter_Anderson
@letiziasechi

The “who can be trusted?” theme in crime fiction and its trickiness for
writers: http://bit.ly/Uij7jn @mkinberg

10 Ways to Sabotage Your Writing: http://bit.ly/12lSekn @jamesscottbell

Telling It Twice – Incompatible Versions of a Story: http://bit.ly/XUNXop @camillelaguire

How To Use QR Codes: http://bit.ly/VC8uKm
@ebookrevolution @thecreativepenn

Top 5 Tips for Coping with Writing Pain (Carpal Tunnel, et al): http://bit.ly/RBmEO5 @gailcarriger

Tips for Writing Meaningful Description: http://bit.ly/VC9fD1 @susanjmorris

8 Tips for a Great Conference Experience: http://bit.ly/RCpulO @Janice_Hardy

Maeve Binchy’s tips for writing a page-turner: http://bit.ly/VEEmxL @fcmalby

Writing for the YA audience: http://bit.ly/RCq7fs @writersdigest

The writer’s lens–our vision makes stories successful: http://bit.ly/RCqdUm @fictionnotes

Sell More Fiction by Activating the Power of Book Clubs: http://bit.ly/VEFktU @janefriedman

After the editorial letter: The editor’s perspective: http://bit.ly/VEFMIJ @thejordache

Authors on Publishers: Who’s Sorry Now? http://bit.ly/ZbFDRu @Porter_Anderson
@NigelRoby

Including music in our stories–5 rules of thumb: http://bit.ly/RCqO8w @4YALit

Marketing Begins Before Your Book Releases: http://bit.ly/VEH6v6 @novelrocket

Why 1 writer was glad the internet community didn’t exist when she started
writing: http://bit.ly/RCr2MS
@jodyhedlund

Questions readers ask about ereaders: http://bit.ly/YE6czT @junglereds

Self-publishing industry explodes: http://bit.ly/WLpOvt @PassiveVoiceBlg

An effective way of editing your own work: http://bit.ly/YE6SFm @fcmalby

Writing lessons learned from YA book “Just Listen”: http://bit.ly/YE7tGY @juliemusil

Allegory: When a Story Is About Ideas: http://bit.ly/WLqlNW @write_practice

Is character more important than worldbuilding? http://bit.ly/YE7H14 @juliettewade

Series vs. Stand-Alone: Pros and Cons: http://bit.ly/WLqoJz @jamigold

Why Author Email Addresses Make a Difference: http://bit.ly/YE7ScK @authormedia

4 traits of successful writers: http://bit.ly/WLqAZ7 @BrianKlems

Tips for formatting synopses: http://bit.ly/YE87EH @lynnettelabelle

The State of the YA Market: http://bit.ly/WLqDnL

How to Write a Killer Logline: http://bit.ly/YE8grt @diymfa

6 Elements of a Great Dystopia: http://bit.ly/WM3VMu @lkhillbooks

Changing Your Process: http://bit.ly/YFrayp @MsAnnAguirre

What Type of Edit Does Your Book Need? http://bit.ly/YFrugv @marcykennedy

Mustering the Courage to Turn Down a Publishing Contract: http://bit.ly/YFrKfz @KfirLuzzatto

Publishers Need to Think Themselves As Community Organizers: http://bit.ly/YFrUDq @brianoleary

7 Creativity Tips From a Top Mathematician: http://bit.ly/YFsb9E @passivevoiceblg

Ephemeral Horror and the Diffusion of Genre Markers: http://bit.ly/WM4ztk @KgElfland2ndCuz

25 Ways To Unstick A Stuck Story: http://bit.ly/YFsAJh {lang} @chuckwendig

A Look at the Merlin archetype: http://bit.ly/VBFAha @genelempp

Pour on the Conflict: http://bit.ly/VOjHaH
@KMWeiland

Speed-Writing: Not Just for NaNoWriMo Any More: http://bit.ly/VBFVAp @adriennedewolfe

Tips for beginning writers: http://bit.ly/VOjZOK @davey_beauchamp

The Anatomy of a Drama Pilot Sale: http://bit.ly/VBG9r3 @Julie_Gray

Selling Ebooks Direct From Your Website: http://bit.ly/VOkrMV

Tips to Surviving the Road to Publication: http://bit.ly/VOwc65 @4YALit @SeanBeaudoin

Amazon Lists: The New Slush Pile? http://bit.ly/VBM2oa @woodwardkaren

Applying the Moral Premise to your story: http://bit.ly/VOwNVp

Top writing tips from 31 debut authors: http://bit.ly/VOx1f7 @TaliaVance

Writerly Uses For Microsoft Excel: http://bit.ly/VBMtPl @JennyHansenCA

10 Things You Should Know About Plurals: http://bit.ly/VBMxyH @writerscramp1

How To Use 5 Online Mind Mapping Tools To Beat Procrastination: http://bit.ly/VOxzSk

Writing an Unplanned Sequel: http://bit.ly/VBMGly @ninapost

Reaching Tween Readers: Content Matters More than Format: http://bit.ly/VBMP8L @pubperspectives

Character vs. gimmick–a tale of 2 short stories: http://bit.ly/VOyn9I @PhilAthans

A Framework for Thinking About Author Platform: http://bit.ly/TwuB5n @janefriedman

“Eagerness to please,” and the weakness of database marketing for directing
the future of SF/F: http://bit.ly/X3S40X
@juliettewade

Why it’s Worth it to Purchase Your Own Domain Name: http://bit.ly/Ve2btO @HarryGuinness

3 dialogue tag issues to watch for: http://bit.ly/VQeShc

The wonder and imperfection of 1st novels: http://bit.ly/VCCqK5 @Marie_Lu

How 1 writer uses music as part of her creative process: http://bit.ly/VQfHXh @Melissa_Foster
@byrozmorris

3 Vital Pieces for Creative Success: http://bit.ly/VCCOZ4 @originalimpulse

Real dialogue isn’t really real: http://bit.ly/VQfWBH

8 Do’s And Don’ts Of Writing Fiction From Neil Gaiman: http://bit.ly/VCCRUF @woodwardkaren

Overcoming Your Speaking Fears to Market Your Books: http://bit.ly/VQgcAx

Working premises: http://bit.ly/WP4Rjg
@annerooney

Characterize through Experiential Description: http://bit.ly/YLKDNT @RayRhamey

Eavesdropping on publishers’ conversations/concerns is vital for writers: http://bit.ly/ZbHm9q @booksquare @BKGKristen
@Porter_Anderson

How an Enterprising Author Sold a Million Self-Published Books: http://bit.ly/WP4ZPL @copyblogger

5 Common First-Chapter Mistakes: http://bit.ly/YLKJFa @jodyhedlund

How to Gain Quality Feedback from Your Critique Partners: http://bit.ly/WP5ol9 @LyndaRYoung

How To Make Your Readers Care About Your Characters On The First Page: http://bit.ly/YLLEoY @donmaass
@woodwardkaren

When do you walk away from a project? And how do you know when to come back?
http://bit.ly/YLMbHE @juliettewade

Agents and Money: http://bit.ly/WP5MjE
@kristinerusch

Topics to avoid blogging about: http://bit.ly/YLMm5G @rachellegardner

Advice From The Slushpile-8 Common Mistakes To Avoid In Submitting
Manuscripts: http://bit.ly/WP7eCH @
BryanThomasS

To MFA or not to MFA? http://bit.ly/WP7m4U
@fleurphilips

Confessions of a (Paid) Book Reviewer: http://bit.ly/YLPIG2 @luannschindler

Kickstarter for writers: http://bit.ly/TLYQ5T @rachellegardner
@CalebBreakey

An editor on writer habits and processes: http://bit.ly/TLYTyw @theresastevens

Ideas for making blogging less of a burden and best practices for ending
blogging altogether: http://bit.ly/TQIHP0
@michellerafter

Resilience: How To Deal With Criticism And Rejection: http://bit.ly/TLYZpY @markmcguinness
@thecreativepenn

How Twitter Hashtags Help Authors Find Readers: http://bit.ly/TLZ0dx @jfbookman

Self-Publishing Young Adult Fiction: http://bit.ly/TLZ5xK

The 7 Skills of Screenwriting (and Almost Every Other Kind of Writing): http://bit.ly/TQJ7VE @CockeyedCaravan

How To Use Permanently Free Books To Increase Sales: http://bit.ly/TLZdNR @woodwardkaren

3 Rules of Revision: http://bit.ly/TLZdgO
@AnnieNeugebauer

3 Ways to Get Your Story Unstuck: http://bit.ly/TQJiAc @writersdigest

Name generator: http://bit.ly/TLZhNE
@galleycat

The Un-sexy Side of Self-Publishing: http://bit.ly/TLZv7w @VictoriaSmith76

Targeting your readers with your website: http://bit.ly/TLZOPG @janvbear

What Is Your Character’s Wish-Song? http://bit.ly/TQKt2I @jacobkrueger

Episodic Storytelling Is A Problem: http://bit.ly/TQKtQn @mooderino

Tips for writing your query: http://bit.ly/TLZVKQ

New survey reveals self pub sales data and writers’ opinions toward trad.
pubs: http://bit.ly/VD8gAA @samatlounge
@Porter_Anderson

4 Left-Brain Exercises to Jumpstart Your Writing: http://bit.ly/TQKCDd @writersdigest

4 things 1 writer learned about self-pubbing: http://bit.ly/TQKHqC

7 Examples of Valid Passive Construction: http://bit.ly/TM02Gx @writing_tips

Why Stories Should Never Begin At The Beginning: http://bit.ly/TQKMdM {lang}

5 book marketing strategies for authors: http://bit.ly/TM0412 @bookmarketer

5 traits of writers: http://bit.ly/TQKZxC
@rileymagnus

5 Ways to Use Images to Make Your Posts Irresistible: http://bit.ly/TQL3xo @problogger

Using Excel To Outline Your NaNoWriMo Novel: Defeating the sprawl: http://bit.ly/TQL4S2 @woodwardkaren

Care About Your Characters Or Your Readers Won’t: http://bit.ly/TQLKa9

7 Habits of Highly Prolific Writers: http://bit.ly/TM0BQx

Book Marketing Plans: Begin with the End in Mind: http://bit.ly/TQLSWW @janvbear

How to Juggle Writing and Life: http://bit.ly/TRp61p @ava_jae

Why your flaws should define your writing career: http://bit.ly/TMsWX1 @krissybrady

Using Setting to Add Humor: http://bit.ly/TRpixs @annastanisz

“Wool” author Howey cuts print deal with Simon & Schuster…but keeps his
digital rights: http://bit.ly/12dq9fJ
@Porter_Anderson @JDGsaid

 by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Lately, I’ve had ideas bursting out of me at crazy times of the day: frequently when I’m doing something else.

I’m driving a car and am struck by three or four ideas or bits of dialogue or plot points or character names.  I was honked at yesterday while dreaming at a stoplight (particularly irksome for me because I’m usually the honk-er and not the honk-ee).

I’m having a conversation with someone and get ideas.

I’m falling asleep (this is happening on a daily basis now) and getting ideas.

These ideas are for current projects, future projects, and a nonfiction project I don’t have time for but am doing anyway.

My creative thoughts are just leaping out at me during any halfway quiet moment because I’m so busy they don’t have the opportunity to naturally develop during brainstorming sessions.

The funny thing (here in the States, anyway) is that free time, where you’re just doing nothing, isn’t particularly valued.

My son, for instance, was involved in way too many activities last year.  He was gone most of the time—day in and day out, on weekends, and in the evenings.  He was drained, so I pulled him out of one of the main time-stealing culprits—marching band.

I ran into one of the other marching band parents and she asked me about it.  I said that he was too busy and was  too rarely at home.

“Well, what’s he going to do with that free time?” she asked.

I just blinked at her.  Of course I was the wrong person to ask this question of.  “Whatever he wants to,” I said.  “Stare off into space if he wants to. It’s free time.”

“He’ll be bored,” she said. 

“That might be a good thing.” 

I can’t remember the last time I was bored.  I’m frequently restless, but never bored.  Being bored always led to creative pursuits for me, though.

This importance placed on structured activities is apparently not only a modern phenomenon. Here’s a bit of dialogue where Christopher Robin explains to Pooh that he won’t be around as much anymore (he’s being sent off to boarding school):

I’m not going to do nothing anymore.”
“Never again?”
“Well, not so much. They don’t let you.”

The House at Pooh Corner.  A.A. Milne.  1928.

There does seem to be a conspiracy against nothingness. 

I was glad to see that the other parent plans to pull her child out of band at the end of this year. Nothing against band—I take any opportunity to support arts for children—but because her son was equally run ragged.

When was the last time you penciled in some nothingness into your schedule?

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve mentioned before that I have a hard time sitting still.  It makes me feel like I’m about five years old when I admit this, but it’s true.

This means I’ve tailored my writing routine around my restlessness.

I live by my timers (the one I use the most is a free online timer), writing straight through in short bursts of time until the bell rings.  Then I usually will do either something fairly active (yard work, housework, take a walk….I have a list at the start of each day for what I need to accomplish in my non-writing time), or I’ll check in with some of my social media stuff (and I’ll set a timer to get off of social media, since it’s so easy to get sucked in there.)

I write before my kids get up—I give myself 30 minutes then. 

If I’m on a tight deadline, I’ll write again in the morning, setting my timer for short periods of time until I finish that goal.

Then I write in the carpool line for about 30 minutes.

If I know that I’m going to do other things after I write, it helps me to focus on what I’m doing.  It’s harder for me to know that I’m going to be writing for a couple of hours at a stretch.  In fact, I won’t write for a couple of hours at a stretch unless it’s a true emergency (when I have simultaneous deadlines, for instance.)  If I know I have to write for a couple of hours straight, I don’t stay at home: I’m at the library or a diner or something—I can’t stay at home with all the distractions and work.

Pros to writing this way:

Goals seem a lot less-intimidating.

I seem to get more accomplished because I’m keeping such tight track of my time.   There’s no chance for social media to derail me.

I don’t get burned out.

I’ve gotten into the habit of picking up my story at a moment’s notice and working at it for anywhere from five to fifteen minutes.  This is a useful skill to have.  Who knows when you’ll have dead time in your day?

Cons to writing this way:

Sometimes transitions get squirrelly because I just jump right in.

I’ve found that I’m much more likely to write echoes into my writing.  (Echoes are what my editors call repeating words or phrases on the same page or last couple of pages.)  I think this is because a word from the previous session will stick in my head and I use it again, thinking I haven’t used it recently. 

But still, even with the cons:

It all gets fixed in the edits.

So…how long are your writing sessions?  Do you knock it all out at one time for a longer session?  Do you break it into smaller, shorter sessions?  Why have you chosen to do it that way?

by Gina Conroy, @GinaConroy

When I contracted my mystery novella last year and had to cut 36,000 words from my WIP, I knew it was going to be hard. In fact, I almost bailed on submitting the anthology because I knew that would mean cutting more than half my story. The pain of deleting my brilliant prose aside, I knew it would be difficult to edit this mystery whose characters and clues were tightly woven together.

But I signed that contract, took a deep breath, and said a prayer. I could do this!

The first 10,000 words went easily when I realized there were plenty of unnecessary words I could delete. Then I started messing with my characters’ voices and that hurt. So I moved on to the boring, not so important scenes. Found a few of those. Cut a couple of fun, but unnecessary characters, and started the whole process again.

This went on for months until I was down to the last 8,000 words. I wrote to my agent telling him I was having a hard time swallowing this elephant. I couldn’t see how I could cut the last 8,000 words. He very wisely told me that when the ark is sinking, I should throw the elephant out first. In other words, find big chunks I could cut.

Problem was, I did that. Over and over again. Or did I? Sure, I got rid of the easy stuff, then the scenes I could live without, but now 8,000 words shy of my goal I had to take a closer look and go chapter by chapter salvaging the voice and heart of my story as well as cutting the stuff my book could live without. Notice I didn’t say “What I could live without!”

Was it easy? No, but I got my mystery from 56,000 down to 21,000 words. Here are some things I learned that hopefully will help you write tight and cut the fat from your WIP!

Don’t Show Everything
I know it’s been drilled into us to show don’t tell, but a wise author once said that refers primarily to emotions. I learned that I could “tell” how a person got from point A to point D and skip the details in between. Not only will it make your story move, but it will cut the word count.

Cut the Unnecessary Words
YOU KNOW that word or phrase your character ALWAYS uses all the time JUST like my character DOES. JUST cut it out ALREADY! JUST do a search for those words and CAPITALIZE them, so when you go BACK through your WIP, they jump out at you. I cut several thousand words this way.

Cut the Double Talk
I admit I’m wordy. Editing this story made me realize I often say the same thing a couple of times in different ways. For example, I might have internal dialogue and external dialogue that say similar things or my character might ask himself a question when it was already expressed in another way in a previous chapter. Not only can it be annoying to the reader, but it slows down the action. Just cut it out, no matter how much you’re in love with all the creative ways you’ve said it.

Resist the Urge to Explain (RUE)
In an effort to make my character’s motivations clear, I often tried to explain them through internal dialogue, external dialogue or both. Then I started asking myself “Does the reader need to know this now?” If the answer was no, I cut it and looked for a shorter way to weave in the motivation later. I learned, most times it was unnecessary. I had packed the scene enough that I believe the reader understood without me telling them.

Pick Your Adverbs, Adjectives, and Conjunctions Carefully
Most times, if your writing is strong, you don’t need many adverbs and adjectives. Sometimes you do. I noticed my adjectives would sometimes come in pairs. That’s when I chose one over the other. When it comes to starting a sentence, I seem to favor AND and BUT. I’m not sure why, but now that I know, I can go back and keep the conjunctions that add to the story. And I’m not talking word count.

Get Rid of Prepositions Trying to cut those last 8,000 had me looking closer at my sentence structure and prepositions. I learned by cutting certain prepositions I could save one or two words. For example, instead of “the pieces of the telescope” I could say, “the telescope’s pieces.” “Clutching a bottle of Pepcid AC” becomes “clutching a Pepcid AC bottle.” With the search and find feature, I could track down these pesky prepositions and send them packing.

Cut the Scene Short
I like to wrap up a scene sometimes with a cliff hanger, often times with internal dialogue. But if I cut the last sentence or two from the scene, it still works. Often times it reads better.

Contractions are Your Friend
This might not work for historical stories, but since my WIP was contemporary, anywhere I could use a contraction, I did. Unless your character is “proper” or foreign, most people talk in contractions anyway.

Deleting our wonderfully crafted prose is one of the hardest things we do as authors, but it’s necessary especially if you’re contracted for 20,000 words and have a story that’s 56,000. I didn’t quite make 20,000 words, but I knew my anthology partners were a little shy of their word count. I submitted 21,000…and got a note back I needed to cut another 700. How did I do it? By going back through the list above.

How do you get your word count down and what techniques have you found to make it easier?

Gina will be giving away an ebook to a randomly-chosen commenter today.  Thanks for your comments!
   
Gina Conroy used to think she knew where her life was headed; now she’s learning to embrace life’s detours. After seven years of dream pursuit, she held her first novella, Buried Deception in the Cherry Blossom Capers Collection, in her hands and recently released her first full length mystery, Digging Up Death.

Gina founded Writer…Interrupted to encourage busy writers and chronicles her triumphs and trials as she pursues her dreams while encouraging her family and others to chase after their own passions. Gina loves to connect with readers, and when she isn’t writing, teaching, or driving kids around, you can find her on Facebook and Twitter, or pursuing her new passion — ballroom and swing dancing!

Summary:
Archaeology Professor Mari Duggins is adjusting to life as a single mom and trying to balance a television career, but gets caught between the pull of her former flame, a field archaeologist, and her ex-husband who is wanted by the FBI on an antiquities crime. Then her colleague is murdered, and she gets in over her head as she searches for truth in a desert of lies. Mari Duggins’ life caves in as she tries to excavate the truth, but realizes only God can dig her out of the hole she’s created. Will Mari sort through her muddled feelings and put her trust in someone else before her world caves in? Or will the truth bury her alive?

My Novella: Buried Deception in the Cherry Blossom Capers Collection

Mount Vernon archaeology intern and widow Samantha Steele wants to provide for her children without assistance from anyone. Security guard and ex-cop Nick Porter is haunted by his past and keeps his heart guarded. But when they discover an artifact at Mount Vernon is a fake, Nick and Samantha need to work together, set aside their stubbornness, and rely on each other or the results could be deadly. Will Samantha relinquish her control to a man she hardly knows? Can Nick learn to trust again? And will they both allow God to excavate their hearts so they can find new love?