17 Best Articles This Week for Writers 10/22/10

Book Reviews

• Awesome Book News!!! [A Blog about Nothing] Peek at the beautiful cover for Rachel Hawkins' Demonglass.
• Andrea Cremer Talks About Werewolves, Gender Issues, & Power Struggles [GalleyCat] Fascinating interview!
• Looking through The Marbury Lens [Carol's Prints] 'A work of delicious literary genius.'
• Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick: Stephanie’s review [Novel Novice] 'A page-turner from start to finish.'
• Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl [Candace's Book Blog] GREAT review. Can't wait to read this sequel!
• Sneaking Around Goodreads (2) [The Bookologist] Two books I have to add to my already toppling TBR list!
• Nightshade by Andrea Cremer - Review [Book Crazy] 'I dare you to try to rip yourself away from it.'
• Review of: iDrakula [Young Adult Books Reviewed] 'Pulled off in such a creative way you can't help but enjoy it.'
• Book Review -- Raised By Wolves -- Jennifer Barnes [My Bloggish Blog Thing] A positive review by Josin L. McQuein.
• Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler - Early Review [Candace's Book Blog] 'Clever way to mix a paranormal aspect with a serious topic of an eating disorder.'
• Kiersten White's PARANORMALCY [As the Plot Thickens] 'Humor, amazing characters, a healthy dose of the weird, and a splash of romance.'
• 2010/2011 Steampunk Challenge [WORD for Teens] Six steampunk titles to read this year.
• The Frenzy by Francesca Lia Block --Review [Reading, Writing and Waiting] Is this your kind of werewolf book?
• THE Clockwork Angel Answer Post [Cassandra Clare's Blog] Here be spoilers -- and great answers from @CassieClare.
• QOTW: Favorite Magic System? [Let The Words Flow] Love ALL the books mentioned here.
• Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles, #2) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - Review [Book Crazy] 'Dark, daring, haunting.'
• Mary Stewart—An Appreciation [Writer Unboxed] Hear, hear! MS authored some AMAZING books.

Contests

• Congratulations PJ! It's your book release day! [Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels] Woot, PJ! Plus a contest!
• 7th ''Dear Lucky Agent'' Contest: Young Adult [Guide to Literary Agents] Fantastic sub & critique op. Enter by 11/3.
• A little late, here comes AUTUMN GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA Contest #8! [Claudia's Blog] Contest runs through the 24th!
• Haunted Halloween with Brenda Pandos and a giveaway! [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Win a copy of The Emerald Talisman!
• ANOTHER PAN ARC Giveaway! [ROOTS IN MYTH] Hurry and enter by October 29th!
• Cover Post + Giveaway: Kersten Hamilton (Tyger Tyger) [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Contest closes November 1st!
• Giveaway: Trick Or Treat Treasure Hunt [WORD for Teens] So fun! A scavenger hunt with amazing prizes!
• I promised you another contest. Yes I did... [Personal Demons] Win a signed of copy of Personal Demons and Paranormalcy!
• Nightshade Writing Contest [Confessions From Suite 500] 5 little words can help you win a copy!
• Ten Tantalizing Questions & Contest with Sophie Littlefield, Author of BANISHED [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Great interview and a chance to win BANISHED. Enter by 11/1
• Marvelous Middle Grade Monday--The Red Pyramid (and a Giveaway!!!) [Shannon Whitney Messenger] Enter by Oct 22nd!
• Contest Monday [Sisters in Scribe] THE FAMILIARS plus more contests to enter and an auction.
• Spooky-Good Writing Contest & Giveaway! Calling all Writers! [Written In Lipstick] Enter to win writerly prizes!
• Haunted Halloween with Melinda Metz & Laura Burns and a giveaway! [Confessions of a Bookaholic] 2 copies of Crave being given away!
• Query Tracker contest [Buffy's write zone] Children's and YA writers gear up. Opens 10/27!
• In Which I Donate a Critique to a Worthy Cause [Joy's Novel Idea] Ten page crit on offer for Family Violence Prevention.
• Writer Resources & Book Pitch Contest Extension [GalleyCat] Awesome resources and contest extension to 10/27.
• Haunted Halloween: YA Giveaway! [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Awesome! Two chances to win 12 books--enter by 10/31.
• Interview & Giveaway with Michelle Rowen, Author of Demon Princess: Reign Check! [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Great interview and chance to win DEMON PRINCESS: REIGN CHECK. Enter by 10/27
• AUTUMN GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA Contest #7 starts today! [Claudia's Blog] Win THE DUFF, I AM NUMBER FOUR, and MATCHED. Enter by 10/18.

Inspiration

• The Temptation of Thinking Someone Has Made It [Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent] Love this. 'There will always be something to chase.... '
• Tip o' the Day: Part 4 of 4 [Pimp My Novel] 'The truth is often stupid.'
• You Can Write for Love AND Money [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Finding a balance between writing what you love, and writing what sells.
• Reality Check: 5 Tough Truths about the Writing Life [Excuse Editor] 'Buckle your seatbelt and enjoy the ride!'
• Writing Full Time - A User's Guide for the newly agented [Dark Angel Fiction Writing] 'Learn to be HONEST with yourself.'
• Feeling Down? Read This... [Renae Mercado] Ten ways to pick yourself back up when writing or rejection seem determined to knock you out.
• K.M.Weiland: Conquering writer's block. [Adventures In Writing] 'Approach writing with joy.'
• The writing advice you need but don't want [James Killick's Blog] 'Sometimes you need to do nothing.'
• I Wrote a Book, Now What? [Frolicking through Cyberspace] Step by step breakdown.
• Writing a first novel? Three tips for the journey [Time to Write] Ways to help yourself through the hard times.
• Monday Guest Blogging: Writing Meets Field Hockey [GotYA] Great analogies!
• Tip o' the Day: Part 1 of 4 [Pimp My Novel] Or 6 tips to help you get writing.
• I'm So Glad I Lost [Left and Write Brained] Sometimes battles won don't do us any favors.
• Succeed by Giving [ramblings of a recovering insecureaholic] Give selflessly for successful networking. GREAT idea!
• Runaway Trains Part I [Paperback Writer] FABULOUS post about book ideas.
• What Exactly is NaNoWriMo? [Renae Mercado] The info in a nutshell.
• Initial Reviews on My Debut Book and My Strange Reaction [Author, Jody Hedlund] It's okay to be afraid.
• The Worst Mistake a Writer Can Make | Men with Pens [menwithpens.ca] Posture, habits, movement & creativity. Oh, my.
• Footnotes: 5 Articles on Perseverance [Guide to Literary Agents] Several meaningful sources of inspiration.
• Tapping Unconscious Creativity—by K.M. Weiland [Mystery Writing is Murder] How to harness your unconscious mind.

Craft of Writing

• Them’s the breaks: where to put paragraph, scene and chapter breaks in your work | Not Enough Words [notenoughwords.wordpress.com]
• Tip Thursday: 3 reasons to Ditch your Novel's Prologue. [Angels and Demons and Portals. Oh My!] How do you know to dive right into chapter one?
• Symbolism Entry: Ordered/Organization [The Bookshelf Muse] Another phenomenal entry from The Bookshelf Muse.
• Sex is Revealing [The Blood-Red Pencil] Write now, possibly cut later.
• Writing Devices : If the Glove Doesn’t Fit, Introduce a Rooster. And Raison d’etre [Magical Words] Bring a scene alive with something that doesn't seem to belong.
• I Don't Like You! - Creating Sympathetic Characters [* Fiction Groupie *] Eight tips for helping readers connect.
• Not Starting with the Action [Let The Words Flow] Action doesn't have to be HUGE Make things happen and give readers a reason to care.
• Writing Rules are Just Tools [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Awesome. The reasons BEHIND the rules.
• Getting to Know Your Character [Seeing Creative] Have you made a character collage?
• Research According to J-Dash [Elana Johnson, Author] Are you research-averse? Or research-addicted?
• Why do those opening pages fail? [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Three reasons your manuscript might not be cutting it.
• The Big Picture [Mystery Writing is Murder] Are you writing between the lines?
• CAN YOU WRITE A PUBLISHABLE FIRST NOVEL? 8 DOS AND DON’TS TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES. [Anne R. Allen's Blog] Good tips!
• Never bore your reader [White Platonic Dreams] Keep things interesting and avoid the dreaded skim.
• Using Law & Order to Write [Elana Johnson, Author] Introduce the world, the character, and to the "dead body" all in the first five minutes.
• Surviving the Novel [Ingrid's Notes] Tips from author Paul Fleishman.
• When I say good writing, this is what I mean [Janet Reid, Literary Agent] Example from Tom Franklin's CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER :D
• Dramatic Tension [GENREALITY] Your goals as the author aren't your reader's goals.
• Who Should Tell the Story: POV Strategies for Successful Storytelling [WOW! Women On Writing Blog] POV can make or break your work.
• If Your Life is Boring, Can Your Novel Be Great? [Advanced Fiction Writing Blog] Yes. Just develop your characters and energize your writing.
• Firsts. Perhaps a Re-examining is in Order [The Literary Lab] The 1st line leads the reader to the next. It doesn't have to be perfect.
• Guest Elise Allen on Collaboration Celebration: a Summation [The Divining Wand] 'Collaboration makes writing more fun, it also makes the result better.'
• Do Your Research [The Blood-Red Pencil] 'Don’t rely on what you think you know about a place.'
• Creating Unique Characters—by Marvin D.Wilson [Mystery Writing is Murder] 'You can write people that you never have ‘known’.'
• Get the “Read Better, Write Better” Workbook FREE! [Write It Sideways] Prep for NaNoWriMo with this great resource!

Self-Editing

• All words are good words...or are they? [Dark Angel Fiction Writing] Eliminate common words and strengthen your manuscript.
• Big Dumps, Bob, and Other Backstory Blunders [YA Highway] Fantastic fixes for common problems.
• Red pencil time? [Julie Musil] Round-up of editing tips.
• Tip o' the Day: Part 2 of 4 [Pimp My Novel] 'Revision is essential to the writer's work.'
• Writing Pitfalls to Avoid [edittorrent] 34 tips to become a better writer.
• Editing for Eternity [Dystel & Goderich Literary Management] Oh, I can so relate. But what if you are genuinely learning?
• A Case For Reading Your Writing Out Loud [Words and Such] Several excellent points.
• On the way to the Final Draft – Self Editing #5 [Write Anything] Excellent post about how to put on your writing hat and be productive.

Critiquing

• It's not your baby any more [Shannon Whitney Messenger] When others tell you that what you want isn't necessarily right for your book.
• The Power of Critique [Some Things I Think...] Take the heat. Roll up your sleeves and listen.

To Market

• The Big Ol' Genre Glossary [Jennifer Represents...] Find out how to classify your WIP.
• Agent Spotlight: Louise Fury [Literary Rambles] She seeks high concept YA fiction and imaginative MG fiction.
• You Can Submit Your Novel To Penguin, Even Without An Agent, But Time Is Running Out [BubbleCow] Yes, it's true!
• Kindle Singles: A Big Opportunity for Smart Writers [There Are No Rules] Chance to publish short nonfiction works of 10,000–30,000 words.
• My writing process w/ info about working with an agent [Anita Laydon Miller's Blog] Lesson on keeping your lines of communication open.
• Manuscript Request Etiquette [Heather's Odyssey] Mention if you have multiple fulls out?
• Tip o' the Day: Part 3 of 4 [Pimp My Novel] You don't HAVE to know someone. Follow guidelines and send well-crafted queries.
• Agent Advice: Laurie Abkemeier of DeFiore and Company [Guide to Literary Agents] Stay focused and be grateful for every reader.
• Add this to your list of do's and don'ts [Query Shark] Don't query from your work email with disclaimers about confidentiality.
• Query Update [kt literary] Which is better, faster response or personalized rejection?
• The Truth About How Long it Takes to Get a Book Published [Novel Matters] The process in 17 steps.
• Tip Tuesday #59 [Literary Rambles] Critical consideration when purchasing business cards.
• How to handle the, "Yeah? Well, WHO offered you representation?" question [Getting Past the Gatekeeper] What to do if you get push-back.
• Why You Still Don’t Have an Agent [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] Ouch! Prepare yourself for some hard truths.
• How I Got My Agent: Dawn Kurtagich [Guide to Literary Agents] How networking helped her land representation.
• The Business of Writing [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] If your goal is to get a stranger to pay for your work, you may need to yield.
• New Agent Alert: Elena Mechlin of Pippin Properties [Guide to Literary Agents] She is seeking picture books, middle-grade, and YA novels.
• Dear Agent: My Kids Loved My Book! [Franklin, Ink: Writing About Writing and Reading] While you won't put this in a query, you can still give your book a test run.
• How do I reject an agent? And how do I let other agents know I got an offer? [Getting Past the Gatekeeper] Interesting advice.
• AgentFail [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] GREAT post every writer should read!
• Why Simply Knowing Your Book’s Genre Isn’t Enough To Get Published [BubbleCow] Make it easy to say yes.
• Agent Advice: Andrea Somberg of Harvey Klinger Inc. [Guide to Literary Agents] 'Develop a thick skin!'
• Agents Talk Trends, Platform, eBooks and More at Wrangling With Writing [Guide to Literary Agents] Interesting panel discussion on kid lit.
• Mistakes I Made Part IV: Agent Quest [Magical Words] Five tips on how to connect with an agent.
• What if an agent doesn't like the revision I'm working on especially for her? [Getting Past the Gatekeeper] Excellent, encouraging post. Plus how to turn it to your advantage.
• Successful Queries: Agent Jim McCarthy and ''Freefall'' [Guide to Literary Agents] YA author Mindi Scott shares her query for her new book.

Congrats!

• Two Words: BOOK DEAL!!!!!!!!! [* Fiction Groupie *] Hooray! Roni Loren's debut EXPOSURE THERAPY to Berkley Heat!
• SHERRY SHAHAN'S ICE ISLAND TO MICHELLE POPLOFF AT DELACORTE/RANDOM HOUSE [Jill Corcoran Books] Yay, Sherry Shahan for your deal with Delacorte!
• BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!! [Jill Wheeler] Jill inks a 2-book deal with Balzer & Bray!
• Philippa Gregory Inks Three-Book Deal [GalleyCat] Congrats on signing with Simon & Schuster!
• MARTHA ALDERSON'S THE PLOT WHISPERER TO ADAMS MEDIA [Jill Corcoran Books] Congrats, Martha on your book deal!

After the Sale

• Things Every Author Should Know about Promotion [Magical Words] Decide what your time is worth.
• The Cost of Promotion [The New Author] HOW much to buy prominence with booksellers?
• Clever ways to sell your books [Time to Write] Another creative book signing strategy.
• Avoiding the Deadly Scourge of Author’s Alterations [Writers in the Sky E-zine] Save yourself $$$ by cutting off changes before AAs kick in.
• Ask Daphne! How Often is TOO Often? [kt literary] How much output should a writer produce?
• Branding Leads to Landing... [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] 'Branding is about creating reader expectations and meeting those expectations.'

Social Media, Twitter & Blogging

• Publishing Insiders Wrap-Up: Blogging Ideas the Whole Year Through [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] 'Blogging is like planting seeds.'
• What Should I Blog About? Tips for Bloggers Who Have No Ideas [Quips and Tips for Successful Writers] Inspiration if you're running dry.
• 6 Ways To Cure Blogger Writer’s Block [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] What to do when blogging gets in the way.

Issues and Trends

• 5 Things Every Writer Should Know About Rights [There Are No Rules] Crucial information broken down for easy understanding.
• Going for the Degree...or Not [WOW! Women On Writing Blog] Is an MFA necessary for writing?
• Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush Series to End with Tempest [GalleyCat] We can hardly wait for book 3!
• Trends in Children’s Publishing: A Panel [Kidlit.com] What do the experts think about 2010 and beyond?
• College-Aged Characters in YA [Anna Staniszewski] A new trend? Or soemthing that won't pan out?

Just for Smiles

• Is Your Title a Best Seller? [It's All About Writing] Fun tool used to measure your title's appeal.
• Gender Talk [Dystel & Goderich Literary Management] A flowchart representing female characters that repeatedly appear in fiction.
• Borders Launches $89 & $199 eBook Packages for Self-Published Authors [GalleyCat] Thinking of self-pubbing?
• Adult Hardcover Sales Sagged 24.4% in August [GalleyCat] Children's/YA HC down 14.6%, paperbacks down 7.6%.
• How to Type in Your Own Handwriting on Your Computer [GalleyCat] This is a unique tool!
• Five Signs you have Revision Brain [Brodi Ashton] Are those smiley faces mocking you?
• QUERYPOLITAN PRESENTS: BE A SEXIER WRITER INSTANTLY [Grab a Pen] Can we all relate?
• New comic up on Writer Unboxed! [Inkygirl.com: Daily Diversions For Writers - by Debbie Ridpath Ohi] Debbie Ohi keeps us smiling.
• WRITING BROKE MY READING GLASSES [Grab a Pen] Being a writer completely changes the way you read.

 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.

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

Happy reading and joyous writing,

Martina & Marissa