Filling in Detail and Benefits of Editing

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigDSCF7236

Detail and description is, I think, a little tricky.  Two of my series require a lot of it because of the nature of the subgenre.  The quilting mysteries and the Memphis barbeque series are both cozy series with a series hook (crafting and cuisine).  My editors for those series have mentioned to me many times that readers of these series really appreciate a good deal of description in terms of the hook.  My most current editorial letter asks me for more detail on the quilts the characters are working on, for instance.

On the other hand, my self-published Myrtle Clover mysteries don’t have a series hook (I’ve wondered before if this were a reason the series was dropped by the publisher years ago).  The descriptions I use for the characters and settings are sketchier—more of the types of descriptions I like as a reader.  I like to get just enough so that I can mentally say, “Oh, okay.  So that character sort of resembles my Uncle Joe. Got it.”Continue reading

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Blog

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

5 Key Plot Points:  http://ow.ly/GKiuY  @shauntagrimes

3 Things that Surprised an Agent About Publishing:  http://ow.ly/GKiv0 @RachelLKent

Most Common Writing Mistakes: Describing Character Movements:  http://ow.ly/GKiv5 @KMWeiland

Make 2015 your year to write:  http://ow.ly/GKiv7 @jennaavery       Continue reading

Tracking Trivia by Using a Series Bible

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigSeries Bible

It’s trivia that trips me up in my series…seemingly trivial throwaway lines that I make in books and then promptly forget.

The more books we have in a series, the more important tracking the trivia becomes.  It’s easy to lose track of tiny details when your mind is on the big picture of your plot.

It’s the kind of detail that you use to fill a character or a setting in a little bit.  A recurring character has nice teeth.  Drives a Buick.  Is allergic to cats.  Lost his mother in his twenties.Continue reading

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Blog

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Hope everyone has enjoyed their holidays so far.  I know I said I wouldn’t be blogging, but I couldn’t resist posting the last Twitterific for 2014.  See you again in 2015. 

How To Keep Pace After NaNo:  http://ow.ly/GdiSD @novelpublicity

Reactive and proactive protagonists:  http://ow.ly/GdiSF from Fix Your Writing Habits

7 Ways to Write Better (That Have Nothing to Do With Writing):  http://ow.ly/GdiSH @NanciPanuccio

Unwrap The Truth For Your Creative Loved Ones:  http://ow.ly/GufPP @Porter_Anderson @ThoughtCatalog

Tips for Critiquing Other Writers’ Work:  http://ow.ly/GdZ5l @WritingForward

Amazon’s No. 1 reviewer:  http://ow.ly/GdZ5o  @billy_baker

Developing a Writing Plan:  http://ow.ly/GdZ5p @writersdigest

5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Writing Time: http://ow.ly/GdZ5s @kellyjamesenger

Farther versus Further:  http://ow.ly/GdYLk  @Savage_Woman

4 Fatal Flaws of a Romantic Hero:  http://ow.ly/GdZ5t @jassydejong

Character Development in Storytelling:  http://ow.ly/GdiSB @scriptmag  @paulalandry

How To Choose A Main Character:  http://ow.ly/GdiSy @HeatherJacksonW

Preview up the upcoming #DBW15 conference:  http://ow.ly/Gugeh @Porter_Anderson

Nonfiction Writing: How to Make More Money: http://ow.ly/GdiSw @ninaamir

Things Writers Do to Irritate Readers:  http://ow.ly/GdiSt @brrbach

Dialogue practice and revision:  http://ow.ly/GdiSq from the Commander Scribbles blog

The Melodrama Dilemma:  http://ow.ly/GdiSm @kid_lit

Is 3rd-Person the Right Point of View for You? http://ow.ly/GdiSk @monicamclark

Tips for Catching Typos in Your Own Work:  http://ow.ly/GdiSi @JodieRennerEd

Social Media the Second Time Around: Tips:  http://ow.ly/GdiSg @jaelmchenry

Character Skills and Talents: Organization:  http://ow.ly/Gco92 @angelaackerman

22 Commonly Confused Adjectives:  http://ow.ly/Gco8W @writers_write

Cool Tools for Writers:  http://ow.ly/Gco8U  @Diana_Hurwitz

Tropes Vs. Cliches: A Storyteller’s Guide:  http://ow.ly/Gco8S @bang2write

How to Start in the Middle:  http://ow.ly/GcnNB @lindasclare

Taking responsibility for knowing language well:  http://ow.ly/Gco8O @Porter_Anderson

How To Use The Senses To Show And Not Tell:  http://ow.ly/Gco8M @writers_write

Must Your Hero Have A Story-Level Goal? http://ow.ly/Gco8J @scriptmag  @IvoRaza

7 Effective Ways to Grow Your Email List: http://ow.ly/Gco8G @blogherald

Want to Launch Your Book With a Bang?  You Need This. http://ow.ly/Gco8E  @writerplatform

How to Write an Amazing Short Story:  http://ow.ly/Gco8C

8 Ways to Mentally Squash Rejection Letters:  http://ow.ly/Gco8y @lekicn

4 Secrets Writers Won’t Tell You About Themselves:  http://ow.ly/Gco8Z @LoriHatcher2

The art of the metaphor:  http://ow.ly/GaaL5 @TED_ED and Jane Hirshfield

6 ways to create satisfying scene endings:  http://ow.ly/GaaX7 @writers_write

Writing or Wrestling?  http://ow.ly/GaaX5  @BigChiefTablet

Build Your Author Platform: 7 Ways to Start From Scratch:  http://ow.ly/Ga8Qu @brooke_warner

Creative prompts and other tips to help start a story:  http://ow.ly/GaaX3 from WriteWorld

Can you write scenes that feel the fear?  http://ow.ly/GaaX2  @RayneHall

Protagonist’s Personality Considerations:  http://ow.ly/GaaX1 @glencstrathy

Characters of Color and Urban Fantasy Roles:  http://ow.ly/GaaWY from Writing With Color

15 Things Successful Writers Never Say:  http://ow.ly/GaaWW @EdieMelson

How to Get 90% of Your Work Done Before Lunch:  http://ow.ly/GaaWV @99u @AllisonStadd

Should a pantser really outline a novel?  http://ow.ly/GaaWT @JoelDCanfield @SueColetta1

The One Twitter List You Should Be Keeping: http://ow.ly/GaaWQ @Catrambo

Never Visited a Place? You Can Still Write About It:  http://ow.ly/G8fJO @fictionnotes

Tools for writing: Microsoft Surface Pro 3 first impressions:  http://ow.ly/G8fJK @mstibbe

3 Ways to Turn Email Subscribers Into Social Fans: http://ow.ly/G8fJI @smexaminer

7 Email Marketing Secrets Every Fiction Writer Should Know:  http://ow.ly/G8fJG @storyrally

Midwifing A Story: The Trusted Reader:  http://ow.ly/G8fJC @DeborahJRoss

Benefits to outlining:  http://ow.ly/G8fJw @KMWeiland

Essentials For the Writer’s Skill-Toolbox:  http://ow.ly/G8fJs  @MaryVeeWriter

3 anti-social skills to improve your writing (TED Talk):  http://ow.ly/G8fJp

11 steps to writing a scene:  http://ow.ly/G8fJn from WriteWorld

7 Essentials Every Author Needs to Know About Twitter: http://ow.ly/G8fJg @kristenlambtx

Edit Your Self-Published Book In 8 Steps:  http://ow.ly/G8fJd  @selfpubreview

Author Skype Visit: What 1 Writer Learned, What She’d Do Differently Next Time:  http://ow.ly/G8fJk @inkyelbows

Using OneNote Like It Was 1987:  http://ow.ly/G84sr @JennyHansenCA

When The Action Goes Too Far:  http://ow.ly/G84sm  @Peculiar

Book Cover Design And Entrepreneurship: http://ow.ly/G84sj  @creativindie

7 ways to write a plot outline:  http://ow.ly/G84sh @nownovel

10 Dollar Store Gift Ideas for The Writer on Your List:  http://ow.ly/G84sf  @AineGreaney

Using the Novel Journal for Writing Breakthroughs:  http://ow.ly/G84sc @jamesscottbell

Bring the Hero’s Journey / Monomyth to Life with these Storyboards: http://ow.ly/G84sa  @StoryboardThat

Small Publishers: 3 Steps to Finding the Perfect One For You:  http://ow.ly/G84s6 @JulieMusil

3 simple ways to market your published fiction: http://ow.ly/G84s4 @netraptor01

3 Tricks to Surviving a Public Speaking Event:  http://ow.ly/G84rY  @RachelAmphlett

7 Practical Gifts for the Starving Artist:  http://ow.ly/Gl0oZ @HeatherJacksonW

What To Do Once The Screenplay Is Written:  http://ow.ly/G84rU @raindance

A Writer’s Guide To Holiday Travel:  http://ow.ly/G84rQ  @SarahAllenBooks

“…the book and the web page are converging.”  http://ow.ly/GhdVo @Porter_Anderson @MirabilisDave  and  Sherisse Hawkins”

Character Development Checklist – 13 Points To Consider:  http://ow.ly/G4oxj @writers_write

Why Amazon Reviews Just Aren’t Enough:  http://ow.ly/G4oxf @selfpubreview

Preparing for Release Month:  http://ow.ly/G4ox9 @KateBrauning

5 Tips for Editing Literary Works in Translation:  http://ow.ly/G4ox5 @pubperspectives

22 Tricks That Can Make Anyone A Keyboard Ninja http://ow.ly/G4owZ from Lifehack

How Good is Your Story’s Title? http://ow.ly/G4owU @shalvatzis

How To Write A Compelling Underdog in Your Screenplay:  http://ow.ly/G4owP @TheScriptLab

How’s your blog doing? Top 5 things to measure and why:  http://ow.ly/GhowR @RobinHoughton

How to Remain True to the Art of Writing and Still Be in the Business: http://ow.ly/G2kgK @MarthaRCarr

Holiday treats should be handled with caution in the world of crime fiction: http://ow.ly/GhdIZ @mkinberg

Create Interest on Your Website With a Protagonist Resume: http://ow.ly/G4owt  @SouthrnWritrMag

5 Ways to Vet a Publication: http://ow.ly/G4owE  @AineGreaney

Living the stuff of novels: the ghostwriter’s lot:  http://ow.ly/G4owL @Roz_Morris

What Makes a Story’s Black Moment a Black Moment?  http://ow.ly/G4owz @jamigold

When Writing Doesn’t Make You Bleed:  http://ow.ly/FZtfx @Laura_the_Wise

How Authors Can Work Together to Achieve Success:  http://ow.ly/FZtfu @MarcyKennedy

5 Tips for Editing Literary Works in Translation:  http://ow.ly/FZtfo @pubperspectives

Use Daily Rewards to Break Creative Blocks:  http://ow.ly/FZtfg @99u

Broaden your Color Vocabulary: http://ow.ly/FZtf7 @ingridsundberg @yapip19

Twitter Etiquette:  http://ow.ly/FZtf1 @sueannedunlevie

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Blog

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

How 1 writer outlines:  http://ow.ly/FUzlE from Nova Zero

Plot Driven or Character Driven? http://ow.ly/FUzlH by Shawn Coyne

5 Ways to Stay a Writer:  http://ow.ly/FUzlL @rogerdcolby

Pacing Tips: http://ow.ly/FUzlT @beccapuglisi               Continue reading

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