21 Best Articles This Week for Writers 11/5/10

Book Reviews

• Adventures in Copyediting [Kiersten Writes] In praise of some unsung heroes.
• Review of: The Devouring [Young Adult Books Reviewed] Creepy monsters, scary babies, possessed people...
• The Morganville Vampires: Ghost Town [Renae Mercado] Evidently, the excellence continues.
• Bookanista Review: Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes [Shannon Whitney Messenger] 'Page-turning, elegant, and unlike most other things I've read.'
• The 3 types of negative book reviews [Kirsten Hubbard: YA Author + Travel Writer] Hiding behing the internet can make it easy to be nasty.
• Bookanista Thursday: NetGalley [Myra McEntire] Very helpful post that's like NetGalley for Dummies!
• PW Best Books 2010: The Eternal City by Kathleen Graber [PWxyz] Poems anyone could love.
• Enchanted Ivy [WORD for Teens] 'The writing was perfect. It's clever and funny and I loved it.'
• Plain Kate by Erin Bow: Review [Emily's Reading Room] This is a must-read that will stay with you for years to come.
• Book Review: Crescendo [Breaking the Bookshelf] 'Becca Fitzpatrick is a writing Goddess.'
• Book Review: The Emerald Talisman by Brenda Pandos [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] 'An eerie plot and intriguing spin on the vampire myth.'
• IMMORTAL BELOVED by Cate Tiernan [ROOTS IN MYTH] 'If you love fantasy, paranormal, or the idea of immortality then this one's for you.'
• Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales [Frenetic Reader] 'One of the funniest and most realistic books I've read this year.'
• Review- The Mockingbirds [A Blog about Nothing] It meets high expectations.
• Book Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore [Novel Novice] 'This is classic science fiction at its very best.'
• Book Review: Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan [YALSA] Cool characters and an unlikely romance.
• The Duff by Kody Keplinger [The Bookologist] Absorbs readers with it's appealing characters, stupendous plot, and addictive writing.

Contests

• Contest: Bloomsbury Prize Pack [The Bookologist] International entries only--enter by 11/27.
• Steampunkery- Round One Giveaway! Prize packs with Multiple winners! [Candace's Book Blog] Enter by November 25th!
• Query, Query, on the Wall, Who's the Fairest of Them All? [Chatterbox Chitchat] Get a crit on your query letter. Enter by 11/12.
• KING OF ITHAKA Giveaway! [ROOTS IN MYTH] Enter by November 12th to win Tracy Barrett's great book!
• Hush, Hush & Crescendo Character Tweet Contest [Novel Novice] 5 copies of Crescendo up for grabs!
• Contest alert [Buffy's write zone] Secret Agent Contest opens November 8th!
• Contest Monday featuring the Baker's Dozen Agent Auction [Sisters in Scribe] Contest roundup!
• November Secret Agent Early Info [Miss Snark's First Victim] Adult fiction and literary YA contest starts 11/8.
• November Debut Contest!! [Personal Demons] Win MATCHED plus PERSONAL DEMONS. Enter by 11/26.
• Happy Halloween and a HOT giveaway! [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Chance to win many fantastic books!
• Exposed Review and Giveaway! [The Character Therapist] Contest closes on Friday evening!
• Marvelous Middle Grade Monday--The Mysterious Benedict Society (and a Giveaway!!!) [Shannon Whitney Messenger] Glowing review and a giveaway!
• Haunted Halloween with Kristie Cook and a giveaway! [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Enter by November 14th to win Purpose!
• Haunted Halloween with Lisa Desrochers and a giveaway! [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Enter by 11/12 to win Personal Demons and goodies.

Congrats!

• Book Deal!! [Miranda Kenneally] Miranda Kenneally's YA novel SCORE will be published by Sourcebooks in December 2011!
• Some Things I Think...: Wait? Am I Dreaming? [skateorbate.blogspot.com] Congrats Kate for your book deal!
• Couldn't be prouder! [Janet Reid, Literary Agent] Congrats to Jaime Reed and Kathleen Ortiz for the sale of SOUL IMPULSE to Dafina.

Just for Smiles

• Becca Fitzpatrick’s Novel Novice Shout-Out! [Novel Novice] Cool video mention and two book trailers.
• Titles Tell a Story [Write-Brained] Try this with your own books!
• The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord [Where Fantasy and Love Take Flight] More things your EO should not do.
• How to be (or Write) a Villain [The League of Extraordinary Writers] Things an evil overlord must not do.
• THE POWER OF PERSPECTIVE [Grab a Pen] Must-see manuscripts!
• Things That Make Me Snarf - Jane Austen Fight Club [Carrie Harris] You must see this video. What do you think?
• Writing from the Place: TEN WAYS TO GET READY FOR NaNoWriMo! [ROOTS IN MYTH] Sleep is for weenies. Love it!
• Five for Friday: Best Villains in Children's Literature [Wavy Lines] What are your favorites?

Inspiration

• Advice for Hopeful Writers [.W.I.P. It] Five tips to get you started.
• It's called "community" for a reason: Holla atcha gurl [The Misadventures In Candyland] Help a girl out! Any ideas for getting past a stuck revision?
• A Muse Me [Paranormal Point of View] Tips for waking up that sleeping muse.
• SCBWI TEAM BLOG Pre-conference Interview: Jane Yolen [The Official SCBWI Conference Blog] Cool trivia and a great interview.
• 3 Reasons to Quit Writing, 3 Reasons Not to Quit Writing [A. Victoria Mixon, Editor] Fabulous post!
• On Momentum [Mystery Writing is Murder] The benefits of stopping when you're on a roll.
• How I Got My Agent: Corrine Jackson [Guide to Literary Agents] Twitter stalking pays off.
• Can we be honest for a second? [Shannon Whitney Messenger] Finding inspiration and not giving up.
• When surprise doesn't suck [The Misadventures In Candyland] Build some into your manuscript!
• BATTLING EXPECTATIONS [Grab a Pen] Sharing each other's victories and fighting the fear of failure.
• 3 Mistakes Writers Make in the Quest for Publication [Author, Jody Hedlund] Research, keep your expectations in check, and don't give up.
• The Writer’s Enemy List: Dream Smashers, Crazymakers and Groucho Marxists [Anne R. Allen's Blog] Rid yourself of people who don't treat your time and work with respect.
• Be hungry for life [Buffy's write zone] Good life and writing advice!
• It's Over. Whew. [The Other Side of the Story] FANTASTIC list of posts!
• WHAT THE REJECTIONIST IS REALLY TRYING TO SAY* [Grab a Pen] Never give up! Never surrender!
• My Secret To Juggling Life in Ten Words [Author, Jody Hedlund] What principles do you strive to live up to?
• Resource Roundup – NaNoWriMo Edition [The Bluestocking Blog] Bookmark this!

Craft of Writing

• Staying True To Your Character's Voice [YA Highway] Three ways to get deeper into character and stay consistent.
• When You Break The Agreement [Between Fact and Fiction] Give the readers something so they're satisfied.
• Why Writing is Like Being a Kid on Halloween [The Daily Harrell] Step into your characters with flair.
• Another thought on genre blending [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Create a new voice, a new style.
• the problem with the 1st chapter [emy shin] Problems arise when you start a novel too early or start it too late.
• Symbolism Thesaurus Entry: Sacrifice [The Bookshelf Muse] 'Conveying destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else.'
• Tension over Tenses [WOW! Women On Writing Blog] Half the novels listed for the Booker were in present tense. What do you think?
• How To Set Up Your Story Without Boring Your Audience [The Sharp Angle] One of the toughest things to master.
• The Writer/Reader Agreement [Between Fact and Fiction] What do we owe our readers?
• Strong Foundations [Julie Musil] The elements you need to have in place.
• The Dreaded Synopsis [Confessions From Suite 500] How to tackle this conquerable evil.
• 5 Tips for Writing By Scenes [Author, Jody Hedlund] Building your book from one scene to the next.
• The Importance of a Fabulous Setting [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Watch and learn from fantasy writers.
• Food, Wine and Drink by Stephen Tremp [Mystery Writing is Murder] Using them to enhance characterization.
• Is your protagonist a "yes, but" or a "yes,and" person? Which are you? [Time to Write] Using this concept to build tension in scenes.
• Growing With Your Characters (Like Plants! Except Not) [YA Highway] What can you learn from your characters?
• Tip Tuesday #61 [Literary Rambles] Cosmetics do more than cover our case of the uglies.
• Writing the Story Premise [Katie Ganshert] The five elements you must have.
• Flashbacks and Back-Story [Writer Musings] Nice rules of thumb.
• The Difference Between the Inciting Incident and the Catalyst [The Sharp Angle] Superb explanation, guidelines, and reasoning.
• Writing Interesting Dialogue that Indicates Who is Speaking [Writers in the Sky E-zine] Extensive example.
• How High Are the Stakes? Building Better Conflict and Dilemma into Your Book [How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book] The greater goal, the more likely it will drive the person to do something risky.
• Setting Description Entry: Cryogenic Sleep Chamber [The Bookshelf Muse] Evoking the senses in the sci-fi setting.
• Bringing Pages to Life [GENREALITY] Six questions to ask your character in any situation.
• Improper use of Emotion Words in Fiction Writing [Dark Angel Fiction Writing] Don't wimp out by "telling."
• Hands-On Advice + Interaction With Harlequin Editors (Free!) [There Are No Rules] Amazing opportunity!
• Are you a plotter or a pantser? [The Blood-Red Pencil] Mind mapping in the name of Nano.

Self-Editing

• Shifting the blocks [Writer Unboxed] Great reminder about structural editing and applying your own instincts.
• Re-Write Wednesday: Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes. The Edit Letter [The Other Side of the Story] Excellent peek into the process.
• Kill Your Darlings - A Movie Musical Analogy [Sisters in Scribe] Great example!
• Buried Dialogue: The Unofficial Rules [Chatterbox Chitchat] Five ways to unbury it and make it shine.
• The Great Semi-Colon Debate [The Kill Zone] The semi-colon as a period slumming. :D
• Don’t Bore Us with the Thesaurus [.W.I.P. It] Have the confidence to find your own words without a crutch.

Critiquing

• And while you're busy critting: [Miss Snark's First Victim] Logline blogfests. Fantastic learning opportunities!
• The Tools of Your Trade [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Using track changes and comments in Microsoft Word.
• Get others to make your writing mistakes for you [James Killick's Blog] Read to identify what's wrong, why it's wrong, and how to fix it.
• Better At BETAing [Write-Brained] Growing as a writer and a reader.
• A Lot of Critique is GREAT! If it all is in sync... [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Stop and think about all the input.
• 5 Techniques for Managing Group Critiques [Guide to Literary Agents] Help manage expectations and outcomes.
• 7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Annette Lyon [Guide to Literary Agents] The value of a solid critique group and more.

To Market

• Agent Spotlight: Barbara Kouts [Literary Rambles] Another search of the available info by Casey!
• Loglines [A Writer's Blog] Good approach and excellent links.
• Querying Agents at the Same Agency [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Refreshing advice--after you've done your research!
• On Submission Etiquette and Offers [kt literary] Taking your time on offers and dealing with multiple submissions.
• Agent Tina Wexler On: 6 and 1/2 Ways to Impress an Agent [Guide to Literary Agents] From writing an amazing query to asking questions and more.
• Interview with Associate Agent, Kathleen Ortiz [Dark Angel Fiction Writing] What's the best advice she ever received?
• Blow Me Away [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Things Jessica has liked lately.
• Getting Ready to Query? [The Daily Harrell] Nuts and bolts to help you prepare.
• Janet Evanovich Looking for Co-Authors [GalleyCat] Hop to it, folks!
• The Peter Lampack Agency Loses Suit Against Former Client [Writer Beware® Blogs!] Read your agency agreements VERY carefully.
• Agent Miriam Kriss On: The Perfect Pitch [Guide to Literary Agents] 5 tips for preparing to meet your dream agent.
• Agent Dan Lazar On: Query Dos and Don'ts [Guide to Literary Agents] 6 tips to tighten your query.
• What Agents Are Looking For [Where Fantasy and Love Take Flight] Some big agents and what their wish lists.
• Books I couldn't sell [Dystel & Goderich Literary Management] Unsold books hurt agents, too.
• You Have an Offer From a Publisher... [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] But you don't have an agent.
• Killing The Sacred Cows Of Publishing With Dean Wesley Smith [The Creative Penn] 'This is the best time to be an author.'
• Agent Debbie Carter Seeking YA Writers With Experience in Study Abroad Programs [Guide to Literary Agents] Great opportunity!
• New Agent Alert: Lindsey Clemons of Larsen Pomada Literary Agents [Guide to Literary Agents] Looking for thrillers, mysteries & literary fiction.
• Beware of this "opportunity" [Time to Write] A potential scam waiting to suck you in?
• All advice isn't created equal, and some of it is stupid [Janet Reid, Literary Agent] Do not put "Represented By:" in a query. Ever.
• Don't Forget--New Submission Guidelines! [Coffey. Tea. And Literary.] Effective 11/1 Nancy Coffey Literary will accept email subs.
• Advice for the writer as businessperson (from 50 Cent) [Time to Write] No, really. Fiddy offers decent advice.
• On Rejection, part 2 [Jennifer Represents...] Find someone else who will love your manuscript.
• Expanding What I'm Looking to Sign [Neverending Page Turner] Kathleen Ortiz seeks adult romance, women's fiction and non-fiction to expand kid & ya client list.
• Get Out Those Calendars… [WriteOnCon.com] WriteOnCon does it again- Agent Stephen Barbara and author Leila Sales.

After the Sale

• 5 Steps for Crafting the Perfect Book Review Pitch [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] Help build buzz by getting more reviews.
• Effective Online Marketing Workshop - What Do YOU Want to Know [Neverending Page Turner] Backspace Writers Conference Nov 11-12

Issues

• Genre Cooties [westerblog] Great post by @ScottWesterfeld about the recent #reviewfail steampunk discussions.
• When book reviews cross the line--a rant [Personal Demons] Reviewer beware -- if you want to be a writer.
• NaNoWriMo [Dystel & Goderich Literary Management] Non-readers who want to be writers. Does it make you mad?
• Is it Okay to Post Your Writing in Critique Forums? [Write It Sideways] Good overview of different advice.
• Hated Literary Characters [Where Fantasy and Love Take Flight] Love to think about these things!
• The Economics of Writing [ELUSIVE SANITY] Not in it for the money?
• GUEST POST - Boys on Boys - Males Writing YA [GotYA] Interesting perspective on this recurring issue.
• There are no bad books.* [The Michelle Show] Just different readers.
• No NaNo? No Problem: 5 Other Ways to Put 1667 Words-a-Day to Work [Excuse Editor] Suggestions for the "NaNo" Allotment of 1667 words a day.
• Legislative Issues Affecting YA Library Services [YALSA] Help ensure ESEA legislation includes school libraries!
• In the News This Week [Alice Pope's SCBWI Children's Market Blog] Excellent overview of the best of the best.
• Revisiting Our ‘I Write Like’ Obsession [GalleyCat] It's now monetized and targeted to pre-pubbed writers.
• NaNoWriMo Tip #4: Take the Fantasy Novelist’s Exam [GalleyCat] Fun! And actually pretty useful.

Social Media, Blogging and Twitter

• Social Networking Fail or Save Me from Myself! [Hilary Wagner] When is it too much?
• A Few Hints on Twitter [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] How NOT to annoy people on Twitter.

 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