24 Best Articles This Week for Writers 6/11

What an amazing week in the blogosphere! Here are some of the best posts we've seen out there, along with a few older posts or articles we loved.

Inspiration:

• If You Really Want It, It Doesn't Matter What You Do to It [Productive Flourishing] Ken Robert from Mildly Creative guest blogs about following your passion.
• I Can See Clearly Now the Rain is Gone [Hello, Ello] In anticipation of a good news announcement, Ellen Oh shares lesson's she's learned en route to publication. Don't miss this.
• How Travel Renews Your Writing Life [There Are No Rules] Jane Friedman encourages us to hit the reset button by traveling and getting inspired. 
• Climbing a Tree, Uncovering a Duck: Writers on Writing [The Millions via @rileycarney] Edan Lepucki  compiles great perspectives on the craft of writing.
• Be Extraordinary [Writer Unboxed via @inkyelbows] What writers can and should do to push themselves into the realm of publishability, and stay there.
• 7 Things I've Learned So Far [Guide to Literary Agents] Holly Schindler passes along tips from her journey to publication.
• What Americans Used to Read [Washington Post via @PublishersWkly] Great list of books by decade. Surprising.

The Craft of Writing:

• Picture Book Checklist [Cornell DeVille] Laura Backes provides us a simple list of picture book considerations.
• Paragraph Starts in the Synopsis [edittorrent] Alicia encourages us to rethink smooth transitions between pargraphs in a synopsis.
• How to Write Good Dialogue--It's Not Simply About What People Say [Nail Your Novel via @LynSouth] Roz Morris provides three questions to ask yourself when setting up dialogue. She also points out that any "revelation worth its salt will disappoint, or cheer, or explain irrational behaviour or clear up a mystery. And the reaction will be complicated by the history between the speakers."
• A Recipe for Writing the Breakout Novel [Ingrid's Notes] Ingrid Sundberg recaps her notes from a conference speech by Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary explaining the six ingredients for a breakout novel that will make agents sit up and take notice. Also includes Greenhouse submission tips!
• Maximize Your Novel's Inciting Incident [Wordplay] K.M. Weiland provides great tips and a great quote from James Scott Bell: "The key question to ask yourself is this: Can my lead walk away from the plot right now and go on as he has before? If the answer is yes, you haven’t gone through the first doorway yet."
• Write-a-Scene Writing Prompt: Character Motivation [Vivian Lee Mahoney] Inspired by tips from her critique partner, author P.J. Hoover, Vivian suggests you write out what your character needs, desires/motivations and weaknesses then make sure these three things drive every decision and conflict in the scene. 
• Character Description Dumps [Mystery Writing is Murder] Elizabeth Craig explains how to use a mixture of direct and indirect characterization to avoid info dump.
• What Makes a Scene Memorable? [Word Love via @Writeitsideways] Randy Susan Meyers discusses why scenes stay with readers. 
• You Just Don't Understand Me! [Plot to Punctuation] Is what you understand about your characters obvious enough to your readers?
• POV = Viewpoint [edittorrent] Alicia Rasley provides in-depth discussion about the perspective of your characters.
• The Power of the First Sentence [Write to Done via @elizabethscraig] Brenda Hineman talks about what makes a first sentence work.
• Writing a Series [Just Jemi] Author L. Diane Wolfe explains her journey with writing a series.
• Oh My Gosh! My Scene is RUINED! [The Secret Archives of the Alliterati] Stephanie Thornton discusses how you can ruin a scene in your story.
• Showing Not Telling [Florida Writers' Conference Blog via @ElizabethCraig] We've all heard it. Here's a way to figure out whether or not you should follow the advice.
• The Importance of the First Line [Scribe Sisters] The power of the hook, with examples.
• Age-Specific Examples of Domestic Violence Exposure [The Character Therapist] Third in a great series, this article will help you build character or story authenticity.

Self-Editing:

• Editing: Things to Look For [Dark Angel] Sherry gives us straight-forward tips on editing our own manuscripts.
• Old Writing [Punctuality Rules via @ElizabethCraig] Writer Deb Boyken describes some things she noticed when pulling an old manuscript out of the proverbial bottom drawer. Want a kick? Check out some of your early work.
• 6 Keys to Revising Your Fiction [Guide to Literary Agents] Kristina McBride, author of The Tension of Opposites, offers tips on revision.

Critiquing:

• Prithee, Inform Me: What's the Best Writing Advice You've Ever Gotten? [Pimp My Novel] Open forum in the comments for the topic.
• Writers' Groups: The Nuts and Bolts [C. Patrick Schulze] C. Patrick Schulze enumerates all the considerations when joining a critique group.
• The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide [Writer's Digest Store via @WritersDigest] Seriously. It's an actual book you can buy! 
• Providing Better Critiques: Being Detailed in Your Feedback [QueryTracker] Carolyn Kaufman tells us how to maximize the critiquing experience.
• Searching For a Critique Group [Christine Fonseca] SM Ford outlines the steps for joing a writer's group.

Rejection:

• Writer rejection? This book will help ease the sting. [Tumblemoose via @IainBroome] As writer George Angus puts it, "If you have received any kind of rejection letter in the recent past, this book will help to make you feel a little better about the rejection. Maybe it will give you hope. At a minimum it should give you a chuckle or two."
• Seven Fatal Mistakes Writers Make (And How to Avoid Them) (Agent Pete via @JulieMusil) The title pretty much says it all.

To Market:

• On Becoming an Agent [Kidlit.com] Mary Kole gives us the not-so-glam reality of what it takes to cross into an agent's shoes.
• Don't Quit Your Day Job, What YA Writers Really Make [Georgia McBride] A much more hopeful article than it sounds, with a lot of amazing links, plus a useful overview of the Publisher's Marketplace YA deal reports from the past two months. Don't miss this article.
• Will Literary Agents Really Read Your Query Letter [WriteItSideways] Another great article from Suzannah about the process and importance of query letters.
• Nine Articles Authors Should Have Read [There Are No Rules] Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest takes the best articles she shared with her followers in teh first half of 2010.
• Top 10 Publishing Myths [Author Magazine via Dystel & Goderich Literary Management] Erin Brown offers reality checks about the world of publishing.
• Basics of an Elevator Pitch [Literary Rambles] Kristi Helvig outlines considerations for your pitch.
• On the Traditional Publishing Process with Hazel Flynn [The Creative Penn] Excellent run-down of traditional publishing.
• A Rose By Any Other Name [Pimp My Novel] Eric provides the publisher's perspective on naming your novel, and some things you want to think about before hitting the market with a name.
• Agent Spotlight on Diana Fox [Literary Rambles] Casey McCormick's everything-and-the-kitchen-sink round-up of everything you should know about Diana Fox before submitting to Fox Literary. Wow.
• Why So Picky? [Neverending Page Turner] Agent Kathleen Ortiz discusses the importance of following submission guidelines.
• Tension in Every Page: The Donald Maass & Lisa Rector Interview [A. Victoria Mixon, Editor] Author and literary agent Donald Maass and his wife, a freelance editor, talk about craft, blogging, and the state of publishing. Hard to know where to file this one except that reading this article may bring you a step closer to publication.
• Dystopian and the Apocalypse: What's the Difference? [YA Highway] A clear and concise description of these two, frequently-confused terms. Distopian is "kind of like a utopia gone wrong. Where the world is trying so hard to be perfect, that it ends up with some serious scars (think too much plastic surgery... "  Read the article if you want to know!

Congratulations:

• Raquel Byrnes, Erin Spock & T. J. Carson for their wins in Creepy Query Girl's awesome Query Spoof Contest.
• Bane of Anubis of Bane's Blogging Blues (quietly and humbly) won Nathan Bransford's Chase/Action/Suspense Contest! Tied for the top spot was Josin L. McQuein! Congrats to both of you!
• YA writer Tracy Clark for landing representation by Michael Bourret of Dystel & Goderich! 
• Tahereh! You're 3 months old and we've loved every moment on it!
• Ellen Oh for signing with Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary!
• Barbara Kingsolver for winning the Orange Prize!
• Heidi R. Kling [@HeidiRKling] for the launch of her novel SEA.
• Rebecca Stead, Elizabeth Partridge & Laurel Croza for Winning the BG Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature.
• Pam Muñoz Ryan, Megan Whalen Turner, Menno Metselaar and Ruud van der Rol, Telgemeier, John Burningham & Jerry Pinkney for their Honors in the BG Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature.

Contests:

• Notes from the Underground [Literary Lab] Enter by August 15, 2010 and win a spot in the 2nd Annual Genre Wars Contest. Awesome opportunity to experiment and stretch yourself!
• Linger and Matched ARC Giveaway [Roots in Myth] Fabulous author PJ Hoover holds a contest to win Linger and Matched!
• Get Matched [Gayle Forman] The author of If I Stay, gives away her ARC of Matched. The best part? Just comment. No gimmicks.
• Writer's Contest [Cogitate Studios] Just what it sounds like. This is not just about your book, it's about YOU. Fill out a survey and these editors/agents will pick the writers they most want to work with.
• 800/20,000 [The Bookshelf Muse] Angela Ackerman reaches a milestone and gives away excellent prizes!

Trends, Conferences, and Issues: 

• Boys & Girls & The Bechdel Test [Fomagrams via @petaanderson] Quick, name a YA & MG book that respects girls enough to: 1) Have at least two girls in it, 2) Who talk to each other, 3) About something besides a man. Did you think we'd come a longer way, baby?
• Reading YA: Where Do Trends Come From? [ILBNH] Peta Anderson traces the rise and fall of vampire fiction trends, discusses trickle-down, and looks forward to possible new directions in YA fiction. What do you think the next big thing will be?
• #askYAeditor [Just Jemi] Jemi's taken must-see notes from a Twitter chat on YA trends.
• Elana Johnson Predicts the Future [YA Highway] Discussion about where YA is headed in the future.
• Networking [Magical Words via @elizabethscraig] Stuart Jaffe gives us advice on building relationships as we network.
• Essential Writers' Conference Etiquette Guidelines [Suite 101 via @johannaharness] As you head to a conference, follow these tips to network appropriately.
• The Nine Best Story Lines for Marketing [How to Change the World via @CPatrickSchulze] Lois Kelly shares themes to consider to make yourself marketable.
• How To Research The Best Literary Agents For Your Book [Writer's Relief, Inc. via @CPatrickSchulze] Steps to finding the right person to represent your book.
• Book Publishers Can Learn from Film & Music Industry [Forbes via @PublishersWkly] Suggestions for reimagining how readers read to find a brighter future for the publishing industry.
• The Elephant in the Room [Publisher's Weekly] The shocking lack of diversity in publishing. (2% - really? Holy Cow!)
• The Rejection Letter of the Future [Nathan Bransford] Fascinating description of how the rise of the e-book may shift the burden of rejection letter from agents and editors to the general public.
• Shame the Ultimate Time Vampire [Veronica Roth via @thmafi] An essay about braving the academic view of Young Adult and Commercial Fiction, being true to yourself, standing up for your writing, and a lot more good stuff.

Twitter & Blogging:

• 6 Ways to Constantly Produce Quality Blog Content [Social Media Examiner via @copyblogger] Excellent, actionable post. Don't miss it.
• The Best Book Editors on Twitter [GalleyCat]  Wow. Just wow.  Who to follow and why.
• An Author's Plan for Social Media Efforts [Chris Brogan via @elizabethscraig] Steps to take as an author to maximize social networking.
• Ellery Adams on Establishing an Online Presence [BookEnds, LLC] Author Ellery Adams discusses how to use Facebook and a website to build yourself up.
• Learning How to Use Social Media Effectively [Jody Hedlund] Advice on using an online presence to market in a meaningful way. 
• Your Online Persona- Writers, Stay Consistent [It's All About Writing] Nicole Humphrey Cook practical advice for how you present yourself online.
• 5 Easy Steps to a Winning Social Media Plan [Social Media examiner via @smexaminer] Emily Soares Proctor offers majorly sound advice on this topic.
• Is There Such a Thing as Blogging Snobbery [Jody Hedlund] Discussion about being a blog snob.

Just For Smiles:  

• 21 Things You Writers Know that Non-Writers Don't [A. Victoria Mixon, Editor] A funny but true perspective on what it takes to be a true writer.
• Query Spoof Contest Finalists [Creepy Query Girl] Hysterical spoofs of query letters sent to agents--with a lot of truth and some serious lessons behind them if you take the time to think. REALLY good stuff.
• Fabulously Fun Friday: Write a Sentence that Illustrates a Redundancy [Author Culture via @KMWeiland] Fun cartoon. Even more fun to think up your own.
• Join a Writers' Coffee Klatch [Don't Fence Me In] Anne Taylor Lord invites you to share major events, new projects, announcements, interviews or publications from the #Writers_Life Twitter community every Weds.
• Librarians Do Lady GaGa [via @SimplyWriting] Must see video about catalog searching and research. ;D
• Day Jobs of Famous Writers Before They Were Famous [via Nicole Humphrey Cook @davidkubicek] This will make you feel a little better about that pesky day job you may have. 
• Who is Your Favorite "Bad" Protagonist? [Bob Mayer] You know you want to ponder... what makes being so bad feel so good?
• A Day in the Life of a Writer [Grab a Pen] Tahereh keeps it real. Sadly, we can all relate!
• The Blog of Unnecessary Quotes [UnnecessaryQuotes.com via @AAKnopf] Fun visuals. And make sure they don't show up in your manuscripts!

Other Weekly Round-Ups:

• Favorite Tweets for Writers This Week [All About Writing] Nicole Humphrey Cook's round-up of writing tweets.
• Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest also does a wonderful list of best tweets of the previous week. 
• Alice Pope does a Wednesday Tweet Roundup for the SCBWI Children's Market Blog.
• Northern Colorado Writers do This Week in the Writing World every Friday.
• Jennifer Roland does a Writing Roundup on Fridays.
• Ricki Schultz does an "In the Blogosphere" post on Fridays where she lists posts she's stumbled across during the week.
• Elizabeth Craig has started posting a weekly list of all her helpful Twitter posts.
• And don't forget to check Nathan Bransford's blog later this morning for his weekly recap of publishing news and information.
• Saturday Link Party [Forever Young] Jessica rounds up fun and interesting links.
• Stina Linddenblatt does a Cool Links Friday. This week, she caught a lot I wish we had on ours. I know what I'm doing for the next few minutes!
• DuoLit does a weekly list of links with some emphasis on self-publishing and marketing.
• YA Highway's Friday Road Trip hits the high points of the publishing industry, writing craft, submissions process, and other fun stuff.
• Cynthia Leitich Smith at Cynsations does a Cynsational author and book news review.

Do Something: A Friend in Need

• Editor Alyssa Smith lost all of her possessions in a house fire this week. Please consider donating what you can to help a friend in need.

Did we miss anything? Anyone? Please leave a comment!

Happy reading and joyous writing,

Martina & Marissa