18 Best Articles This Week for Writers 10/29/10

Book Reviews

• Review- Beautiful Darkness [A Blog about Nothing] More high marks for Kami and Margaret's latest!
• THE MOCKINGBIRDS [Laura and Lisa Write] A powerful message in this soon-to-be-released book.
• ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins [Kirsten Hubbard: YA Author + Travel Writer] 'One of the best books I've read this year.'
• Please Ignore Vera Dietz [Some Things I Think...] 'Honest and extremely well written.'
• Nightshade by Andrea Cremer --Review [Reading, Writing and Waiting] Fast-paced opening that will hook you right away.
• Ten Tantalizing Questions with Andrea Cremer, Author of Nightshade! [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Great interview.
• The Preacher's Bride [Julie Musil] Finishing it is like saying 'farewell to a good friend.'
• MOSTLY MONSTERLY - The Perfect Picture Book for your Little Monster [ROOTS IN MYTH] PJ recommends a fun PB!
• Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl [Frenetic Reader] 'A richer world, deeper characters, and a more intense mystery.'
• Random Magic Halloween Tour Oct. 24th – Nov. 2nd Schedule! [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Check this!
• The Big 4 Interviews – Paul Collins [Burn Bright] Great interview!

Congrats

• Awesome Announcement [Neverending Page Turner] Yay, Jamie Reed for inking a 3-book deal with Dafina Books!

Contests

• Haunted Halloween with Daniel Waters and a giveaway! [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Enter to win Passing Strange by Daniel Waters!
• Coffins 'n Things ('n Giveaway) [WORD for Teens] Enter to win these creepy reads!
• Writing Contest! [Janet Reid, Literary Agent] Use Paris, Kids, Cullen, Loathing, and Temple in 100 word story and win!
• Too, too, TOO Real: Contemps Halloween contest [The Contemps] Match the pictures and win ARCs!
• This one’s for the AFTERLIFE ARCs: Welcome to AUTUMN GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA Contest #10! [Claudia's Blog] 5 copies being given away!
• YA Novel Discovery Contest: No query? No pitch? No problem! [Reading, Writing and Waiting] Submit the first 250 words of your novel to Serendipity Literary Agency!
• Haunted Halloween with Lauren Hammond and a giveaway! [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Enter for a chance to win Love Sucks!
• This is how I roll... Another contest! [Personal Demons] Firelight AND Personal Demons!
• Guest Post: Angels & Demons (& Giveaway) [WORD for Teens] Chance to win Hush, Hush and Crescendo!
• Contest alert: YA [Buffy's write zone] Submit title + 1st 250 11/1-11/30. #yalit #yalitchat
• Agent Judged Contest Has Begun! [QueryTracker.net] Querytracker children's contest opens at 9:00 am ET. #kidlit #yalit
• Writer's Wednesday: Personal Demons Book Review and Contest [Angels and Demons and Portals. Oh My!] Interesting point about the cover. Enter by 11/2.
• Classic Haunts (& Giveaways) [WORD for Teens] So many books to win!
• giveaway: ARC of MATCHED by ally condie! [sandy shin] New blog to follow and a great giveaway!
• Twenty-Book Giveaway [The Bookologist] Amazing. Enter by 11/8
• Day of the Wolves (& Giveaway) [WORD for Teens] Great roundup of werewolf lit + 13 to Life giveaway.
• Book Review + Giveaway: Where The Truth Lies by Jessica Warman [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Enter by 11/5
• Halloween Tour Giveaway: Random Magic + Madame Alexander Doll [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Ghoulish prizes await!
• New tour dates, plus AUTUMN GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA Contest #9 is now underway! [Claudia's Blog] Enter by October 27th!
• Spooktastic Giveaway: Win a Prize Pack from Hatchette Books [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Two prize packs waiting to be won!
• Guest Post: Why the Dead Make Great Neighbors (& Giveaway) [WORD for Teens] Two copies being given away!
• Haunted Halloween with Kate Kaynak and a giveaway! [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Enter to win Minder!
• Interview: Andrew Cremer (& Giveaway) [WORD for Teens] Come enter to win a copy of Nightshade!
• Haunted Halloween with Michelle Zink and a giveaway! [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Win Prophecy of the Sisters, Guardian of the Gate, and more!
• CONFESSION FRIDAY [Oasis for YA] What book have you NOT liked? Fess up and win.
• Before the Split Blog Tour: A Guest Post From Jace + Giveaway [21 pages] Charity auction and chance to help The Family Violence Prevention Fund.
• The Maze Runner Review and Giveaway! [The League of Extraordinary Writers] Two chances to win James Dashner's book!
• Giveaway: Jenny Pox by JL Bryan [The Bibliophile's Journal] Contest closes November 4th!
• 7th ''Dear Lucky Agent'' Contest: Young Adult [Guide to Literary Agents] Fantastic submission & critique oportunity. Enter by 11/3.
• Chocolate Giveaway: Ghirardelli LUXE MILK pink bags ~ for National Breast Cancer Foundation [WOW! Women On Writing Blog] Great contest for an even better cause!
• SPOOKTACULAR GIVEAWAY—Signed ARC of THE MARBURY LENS [ROOTS IN MYTH] Another great contest from @PJ_Hoover. Definitely going on the TBR list!

Inspiration

• T3 - Facets of Grief: Cognitions [The Character Therapist] Realistic responses to a character receiving bad news.
• Steampunk Blog Tour with Jon S. Lewis + Giveaway [Book Dreaming] Ten things you need to know before you write with someone else.
• Widen Your Perspective [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] The power of writing beyond books.
• Drive vs. Competition [Shannon Whitney Messenger] Interesting point about the writing community.
• Practical Magic for Writers [Writer Unboxed] Craft is necessary, but so is magic.
• Writing Wisdom of the Ages [The League of Extraordinary Writers] Truly excellent quotes.
• NaNo-ing: Yay for National Novel Writing Month [Mary Brebner] And Yay for NaNoWraMo, too!
• Are You Sabotaging Your Pursuit of Inspiration? [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] You must choose to believe in yourself.
• We don't need no publication [James Killick's Blog] Where do your writerly motivations lie?
• NaNoWriMo Survival Kit [It's All About Writing] Great idea!
• How to get started as a writer [Time to Write] 'Take it step by step, day by day.'
• (title unknown) [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Even classics have received bad reviews.
• 7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Amanda Flower [Guide to Literary Agents] 'Don't chase the market,' and other great tips.
• Keep Yourself Inspired on a Daily Basis [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Train your brain to write at the same time everyday.
• Feeling Sad Makes Us More Creative | Wired Science | Wired.com [www.wired.com] Fascinating!
• NaNoWriMo—Seven Reasons To Join in the Silliness [Anne R. Allen's Blog] And watch your novel profit from it.
• NaNo Checklist [It's All About Writing] Are you on track?
• Balancing Time for Writing and Life [It's All About Writing] A little is better than none.

Craft

• Countdown to NaNoWriMo Day Four: Characterization [I'll Name My Typewriter After the Moon] Exploring your characters as you gear up for Nano.
• The Dangers of the Thesaurus [Let The Words Flow] Beware the almighty thesaurus.
• How To Write Character Emotions [www.publetariat.com] Bring out the emotions your characters feel.
• 6 Golden Rules of NaNoWriMo [A. Victoria Mixon, Editor] Love this- 'It's not meant to destroy your life.'
• Write A Novel, Novel Writing Software, Write A Book, Book Writing Tips | Marshall Plan’s Writeanovelfast.com [writeanovelfast.com] Fiction Technique Tip: Remember F-A-D!
• The secret of creating a good villain [Time to Write] Subtlety in the motivation between protag and antag.
• Countdown to NaNoWriMo Day Three: POV Character [I'll Name My Typewriter After the Moon] Seven needs requisite for a main character.
• Front-loading your work as an author [GENREALITY] You can never have enough info.
• Finding your Character’s Voice [Ripping Ozzie Reads] '‘Finding’ a character’s voice is a cumulative process.'
• NaNoWriMo Boot Camp: Goals and Obstacles [Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent] Three steps to stronger tension.
• Countdown to NaNoWriMo Day Two: Writing YA [I'll Name My Typewriter After the Moon] What you need to write good YA.
• Use Pacing to Create Shape [The Literary Lab] Mad lib analogy to story structure. Love it!
• Free Rhyming Dictionary Online [GalleyCat] End, beginning, last syllable, first syllable, double, triple rhymes.
• My Synopsis Template [Katie Ganshert] This 12-paragraph structure will make writing a synopsis much easier!
• Using Writing Devices [.W.I.P. It] They need to add to the prose, not detract from it.
• Use Motion to Spice up Your Scenes [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Don't let your characters just stand around.
• Setting Thesaurus Entry: Halloween Party [The Bookshelf Muse] Just in time. All the sights, sounds, and scents.
• Ask Daphne! About Formatting [kt literary] How to include text messages in your WIP.
• Notes on Opening Chapters with Agent Natalie Fischer ~ Segment II [Writers' Ally aka ➔ sa larsenッ] Ten tips for a brilliant opening.
• NaNoWriMo Workshop – Find, and Flush Out, an Idea [Write Anything] Generating a great idea and putting it into a synopsis.
• Symbolism – How to Make it Work in Your Writing [Let The Words Flow] Layer in depth and meaning.
• POV: The Cure for the Common Problem—by Janice Hardy [Mystery Writing is Murder] Five common trouble spots and how POV can help fix them.

Self-Editing

• Putting on my Reader Hat to Revise [YA Highway] Make your story flow and make sure that it is logical.
• The Method To My Madness [Renae Mercado] Good article on inspiration and editing.
• How Much Does a Book Change From First Draft to Final Copy? [Author, Jody Hedlund] Layering your edits to produce the best result possible.

Critiques

• Critiquing Your Critiques [Sisters in Scribe] Getting to the root of the issue your CP may have.

To Market

• Agent Spotlight: Pat White [Literary Rambles] She's seeking children's fiction and non-fiction.
• The Evolution of a pitch [Author/Agent Mandy Hubbard] Check out pitch revisions from Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez.
• Things Take Time [Babbles from Scott Eagan] You're not the only one submitting. Be patient.
• What Should You Do After Fifty Agents Say No To Your Book? [BubbleCow] Russell Brooks answers questions and offers self-pub advice.
• Submit One Project At A Time [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Excellent advice and the reason behind it.
• An agent confesses-and the lessons we can learn from it [Time to Write] What gets your ms pulled from the slush pile?
• Live Chat with Literary Agent Sara Megibow [WriteOnCon.com] If you missed it, come see it replayed.
• I WANT ROMANTIC COMEDIES! [Jill Corcoran Books] Jill Corcoran wants your romantic teen comedy NOW!
• "Personalizing" Queries [The Bookshelf Muse] 'Taking time to research is nothing when considering how long it took to perfect your book.'
• New Agent Alert: Denise Little of the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency [Guide to Literary Agents] She is seeking romance, paranormal, and mystery.
• Do You Have a Strange Attractor? [Writer Unboxed] Game changing twist on high concept.
• Our Next Logline Critique Tomorrow [Miss Snark's First Victim] First 25 at 7:00 pm Eastern 10/26.
• Maria Rainier on Freelancing for Children's Markets [Literary Rambles] EXCELLENT article!
• Ask Daphne! About a Different Kind of Formatting [kt literary] Make email sample pages readable.
• letters from the query wars 10/22/2010 [Et in arcaedia, ego.] Some daunting stats--and a note of inspiration.
• Creative Destruction, or How to Survive the Ebook Apocalypse [The Creative Penn] Terrific lessons on e-publishing.
• Notes From an Agent ~ Natalie Fischer [Writers' Ally aka ➔ sa larsenッ] Wow, very helpful tips!

After the Sale

• Tip # 86: Author Photos? [Seeing Creative] Great tips!

Issues

• Should You Get an MFA? [Kidlit.com] Interesting thoughts on the weight of an MFA.
• The Dysfunctional Workshop [www.publetariat.com] If you attend workshops or conferences, don't miss this article.
• Will Publishers Steal Your Book Idea? [BubbleCow] Not likely.
• Strength, Weakness, & Why Everyone Gets Feminism Wrong [Glass Cases] Really excellent. Must read this!
• New look for teens at B&N [Dystel & Goderich Literary Management] What do you think of the rearrangement?
• Amazon to Introduce Lending for Kindle [GalleyCat] Finally! Loan your ebooks out to friends!
• How to Get Boys to Read [GalleyCat] Give them books instead of video games?!!!!
• This Week in Publishing 10/22/10 [Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent] A brilliant round up with food for thought and videos for laughs.
• Where Books Come From [The Rejectionist] To completely cool videos. Watch!

Just for Smiles

• Writing from the Place: TEN THINGS FOUND IN ANY MANUSCRIPT [ROOTS IN MYTH] Does your ms feature Easter eggs and Star Trek references?
• A little link for your dystopian pleasure. [The League of Extraordinary Writers] 10 dystopian predictions that actually came true.
• If you write YA, you need to watch this... [Laura and Lisa Write] Stay on top of these 'terrifying' teen trends.
• 6 LIES EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT WRITERS [Grab a Pen] Are we really socially inept and smelly?
• Top Ten Vampires of All Time [Paranormal Point of View] Fear not- Edward Cullen made the cut.
• Dog costume fun [TerryLynnJohnson] Cutest. Doggie. Costumes. Ever.
• 51 Steps to Editing [The Katacomb] Chocolate included.
• Book Dominoes Video from Arizona Bookstore [GalleyCat] Watch this. Seriously.
• The Myths & Realities of Being a Published Author [Author, Jody Hedlund] These reality checks made us laugh out loud.
• WRITING MAKES YOU SICK IN 6 DIFFERENT WAYS [Grab a Pen] Only six?

Social Media, Twitter and Blogging

• How Writers Can Use Twitter for Networking and Success [Guide to Literary Agents] 4 types of people you can get to know via Twitter.
• Bookanista Thursday: BOOK BLOGS! [The Michelle Show] Excellent round-up of places to find great books!
• 7 Ways to Look Good Online [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] 'It's your 24/7 resume.'
• Basic Author Websites [www.publetariat.com] Good overview.

 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