Best Articles This Week for Writers 11/12/2010

Book Reviews

• Nevermore by Kelly Creagh [Candace's Book Blog] Added to all-time favorites list. Wow.
• Book Review: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly [Novel Novice] A book to make you consider and contemplate.
• Book Rec: ENCHANTED IVY by Sarah Beth Durst [ROOTS IN MYTH] 'Crisp, clean plot and a love triangle that's sure to make readers smile.'
• SELLING HOPE by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb on Bookanista Thursday [Myra McEntire] Tight writing, great heroine, interesting historical concept. Sounds like a winner.
• Blue Fire by Janice Hardy [Writer Musings] Sequel to THE SHIFTER has a spunky, proactive, relucant heroine.
• Review- Freefall [A Blog about Nothing] Mindi Scott's novel gets a great review!
• Review: You [Buried in the Slush Pile] Charles Benoit conquers the challenge of second person.
• Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan [Frenetic Reader] A festive plot and fabulous characters.
• Review- Across the Universe [A Blog about Nothing] 'It will grab your attention and won't let go until the end.'
• Halo by Alexandra Adornetto [The Undercover Book Lover (Not Really)] 'Vivid, powerful, and meaningful.'
• Book Review: JANE by April Lindner [YA Highway] Thumbs up for this page turner!
• Long Live Revolution by Katy [YA Muses] 'Complex, studious, beautiful and brilliant.'
• A Very Tardy Book Review of Incarceron [YA Muses] 'This is a book I wish I'd written.'
• Books For Relaxation (3) [WORD for Teens] Three book suggestions to sweep your stress away.

Congrats

• How to sell a short story in 44 easy steps. [Constant Revision] Congrats, Simon! Perseverance pays.
• Angie Fox on Taking Charge of Your Career [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Congrats to Angie Fox on a 3-book deal. Her advice? Commit yourself to keep writing, and innovating, and growing.
• Pop the champagne!! [Babbling Flow] Congratulations Cristin Terrill, who signed with literary agent Diana Fox!
• YA Outside the Lines [Holly Cupala, YA Author] Congrats, Holly for joining this awesome blog!
• It's Official [Must Love Books] Jessica Tudor signs with Suzie Townsend. YAY Jess!!!

Contests

• Monday Madness-Lydia Kang [paranormalpointofview.blogspot.com]Enter by 11/14 for an excellent cause--and Komen for the Cure wins too!
• Steampunkery- Bookmark Giveaway! 3 winners! [Candace's Book Blog] Enter by November 30th!
• November Giveaway [Searching] Win a copy of Audrey Couloumbis's Jake!
• Blog Tour, Interview, Contest Love! [unedited] Signed copies of Perilous and a Kindle up for grabs!
• Marvelous Middle Grade Monday - The Underneath (+ a giveaway) [Book Dreaming] Contest runs through November 12th!
• Paying it Forward with Partials! [ROOTS IN MYTH] Enter to win a 25-page critique!
• Contest for Auction Bidders (Winners): LOTSA Books! [The Undercover Book Lover (Not Really)] Thank you contest! Win bonus books.
• Thanksgiving Give Aways [LM Preston] Get Hats for The Pack -- easy entry!
• November Book Giveaway! [Writer Musings] Nightshade, Hunger & Blue Fire
• Interview & Giveway with Catherine Ryan Hyde, Author of Jumpstart the World [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Two copies up for grabs!
• Give Thanks, Give Books!! DRIVE & Giveaway [Oasis for YA] Donate books, win great prizes! #givebooks

Inspiration

• J.K. Rowling and the Art of Being a Clutch Writer [Nathan Bransford] An important tribute and reminder for the rest of us.
• 5 Causes and Solutions to Writer’s Block [.W.I.P. It] Good way to get to the root of your problem.
• 20 Creative Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block [www.publetariat.com] Good stuff!
• What Are You Absorbing? [The Sharp Angle] A little about THE CAREER NOVELIST and thoughts on your reading education.
• NaNoWriMo Tip #11: Use Foursquare for Inspiration [GalleyCat] Another great plotting and setting tool.
• Creative Blocks and How To Overcome Them [GENREALITY] Love this- 'Embrace not knowing.' @Bob_Mayer
• Finding the Writing Groove [YA Muses] 8 tips for getting inspired.
• NaNoWriMo Tip#9: Use the Brainstormer App [GalleyCat] New tool to kickstart your creativity!
• My secret to getting published. [The Michelle Show] Roll up your sleeves and prepare to work hard.
• Deciding Which Story to Write [Mystery Writing is Murder] Dealing with Shiny New Idea Syndrome (SNIS).
• A message for you if you've stopped writing [Time to Write] Get started doing what you want and can do.
• Seek Library Write-In Support: NaNoWriMo Tip #6 [GalleyCat] Head to the library to write with other writers.
• First draft tip #2: Break it up [Dancing with Dragons is Hard on Your Shoes.] Write an hour at a time in separate chunks.
• NaNoWriMo Tip #7: Consult Role Playing Game Plots [GalleyCat] Stuck for a plot or plot twist? Free inspiration.
• NaNo: Don't give up! [Jade hears voices] All first drafts suck. But they can be revised.
• Flashback Friday: Posts to Your 16 Year Old Self!!!! [GotYA] Love these!
• What We Hear vs. What's Said [Julie Musil] Excellent point about listening to the praise.
• Finding a Writing Schedule That Works [Author, Jody Hedlund] Excellent advice for finding more writing time.

Craft of Writing

• Archetypes, not Stereotypes [Let The Words Flow] Excellent post on the difference and why they are worth contemplating.
• The Promise of Your Premise [The Sharp Angle] Getting that core nugget just right.
• Ultimate Blog Series on Novel Queries (#3) [There Are No Rules] Brevity is your friend. Jane provides helpful examples of hooks.
• Keep Your Story Moving With a Cohesive Narrative [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Avoid throwing an unnecessary roadblock in your reader's way.
• Force the conflict! [edittorrent] Putting the conflict on the page.
• Five Writing Tips From Reading J.K. Rowling's HARRY POTTER [Nathan Bransford] From crafting dialogue to characters, lessons from the queen herself.
• Checking for Plot Holes: Does Your Story Add Up? [Write It Sideways] Four last questions to ponder in revision.
• Agent Joanna Volpe On: Why Realistic Teen Dialogue Isn't Necessarily a Good Thing (and a Free Book Giveaway!) [Guide to Literary Agents] Flavor to spice, but don't overdose.
• A Personal Glimpse into Character Emotional Development [Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers] 10 questions to create a profile for your protag.
• If It's A Duck, Call It A Duck - Being precise in your wording [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Making your writing clear for the sake of your reader.
• RESOURCES: AN EXHAUSTING LIST [Help! I Need a Publisher!] Must-see treasure trove!
• Writing Novels for Today’s Kids [Ingrid's Notes] Gennifer Choldenko on what resonates and why.
• Brainstorming Metaphors [edittorrent] Two techniques to up your originality in comparative language.
• Setting Thesaurus Entry: Secret Genetic Engineering Lab [The Bookshelf Muse] Excellent post by PJ Hoover--fans of The Necropolis head on over!
• Writing — Magic Systems as Characters [Magical Words] A solid system of magical rules is crucial.
• YA, MG, or Adult? [Supernatural Underground] Which is it and what makes it?
• 2010's New Words [The Blood-Red Pencil] Added to the New Oxford American Dictionary.

Self-Editing

• Dreary Ole Modifers [Dark Angel Fiction Writing] 114 adjectives and adverbs you do not want to use.
• Polishing Up a Draft [Mystery Writing is Murder] Elizabeth Craig shares her checklist for self-editing.
• How To Improve Your Novel: On Getting Feedback From An Editor [The Creative Penn] Why you need an editor and how to find one. @thecreativepenn
• Writing from the Place: TEN THINGS TO DO AFTER RECEIVING A REVISION LETTER [ROOTS IN MYTH] Start the coffee pot and pull out the nachos.
• Definitive List of Clichéd Dialogue [Dark Angel Fiction Writing] 131 Things your characters should never say.
• 
  7 Things Your Characters Do Too Much [Grab a Pen] Funny AND true. Good post!

Critiquing

• When is Close, Too Close? [The Bluestocking Blog] When a CP's work is reading a little bit too much like your own.
• Critiquing--Shannon Style [Shannon Whitney Messenger] Shannon shares her approach to critiquing.
• How To Handle Subjective & Contradictory Feedback [Author, Jody Hedlund] Know the source and watch for trends.
• 
  The Joys of Beta Reading [Ara's Blog] Excellent post about compatibility.
  

To Market

• ANNOUNCING: The Baker's Dozen Agent Auction CAST OF CHARACTERS! [Miss Snark's First Victim] AMAZING contest/auction. Run, don't walk.
• Is it worth resubmitting the full manuscript if I changed only one chapter? [Getting Past the Gatekeeper] YES! Something we've all wondered about.
• Ultimate Blog Series on Novel Queries (#4) [There Are No Rules] Excellent example and discussion for novice query writers.
• Pitching/talking to/meeting me at CrimeBake? [Janet Reid, Literary Agent] Meeting Janet Reid at a conference? Bring pages.
• Agent Mollie Glick Talks: 7 Things Agents Want to See in a Query, and 9 Things They Don't [Guide to Literary Agents] Pay attention to this post!
• Your Writing May Be Good But... [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Thoughts on rejections from the agent side of the desk.
• Announcing Open Submissions at Dragon Moon Press [Miss Snark's First Victim] Open to 12/31/2010.
• From a Scared Client [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Good advice on a failed agent relationship.
• Agent Spotlight: Kerry Sparks [Literary Rambles] Looking for YA and MG with a fresh voice and compelling story.
• Acquiring An Agent After Self-Publishing [QueryTracker.net] How to catch an agent? Write a second book.
• Ultimate Blog Series on Novel Queries (#2) [There Are No Rules] How to seduce an agent or editor with your sizzling query.
• The Agent-Client Relationship [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Four things to remember about your agent. And a question for us.
• Addressing Your Query [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] It never hurts to use good old-fashioned etiquette.
• Agent Scott Eagan On: Author Branding and Career Planning [Guide to Literary Agents] Every genre has nuances you should be educated on before you write it.
• Loglines - My Process [A Writer's Blog] More good examples.
• Know the Business Before You Submit [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Identify the roles, know the process.
• GalleyCat Interviews Stephanie Meyers [GalleyCat] The editor, not the vampire novelist.
• Publication Opportunity [Evil Editor] Phoenix Anthology EXTINCT. Deadline is 1/30/11

After the Sale

• Blog Tour Effectiveness, Part One: The Overview [The Other Side of the Story] Dissecting a recent blog tour and lessons learned.
• 4 Tips on What NOT to Say (or Pitch or Do) to Get Your Book Reviewed [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] Don't burn bridges and take the long-view.

Social Media, Twitter, and Blogging

• 14 Ways to Make Your Facebook Page Fun and Lively [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] Advice for increasing traffic on your FB page.
• Dear Self: Social Media [Elana Johnson, Author] What Elana wishes she had known about entering the electronic pool.
• Gadgets in the Sidebar [Enter the Between] 'How many gadgets are helpful, and how many are too many?'
• How to Become a Powerhouse Blogger in just 15 Minutes! [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] Improving your blog's popularity.
• Collaborative Linking Strategy [Writing For Digital] Content strategies for the web. Interesting tips.
• Twitterific [Mystery Writing is Murder] @ElizabethCraig's tweets for the week, in case you missed them the first time around.

Issues

• Sharing Books with our Troops [GalleyCat] All the links to make it possible.
• The Times it is a-changin' [Dystel & Goderich Literary Management] Michael's take on the e-books bestseller list.
• YALSA Teen Lit Symposium: Diversity [Crowe's Nest] More important food for thought.
• Beyond Good Intentions: The power and peril of prepositions [YALSA] Excellent points on many topics.
• YA Lit Symposium: Some Post-Conference Reflections [YALSA] Some great tips out of this recent event.
• Tip Tuesday #62 [Literary Rambles] Coping with printing out your ms for your crit partners.
• Yes, You Can Make a Living as a Writer! 5 Money Writing Tips [Quips and Tips for Successful Writers] 5 ways to start earning some cash for writing.
• Sequel Syndrome [Breaking the Bookshelf] Books that end suddenly and leave you annoyed.
• The PW Morning Report: Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010 [PWxyz] Multitasking iPad, Why you don't need an e-reader, Rosenthal moving to Penguin and more.
• Is Contemporary YA a Difficult Market? [Kidlit.com] 'Contemporary realism isn’t much of a sales hook these days.'
• YALSA Symposium Pre-conference: Body Positivity and Size Acceptance in Contemporary Young Adult Fiction [YALSA] Good post with books covering the issue.
• Why Do eBooks Cost So Much? (A Publisher’s Perspective) [michaelhyatt.com] Printing costs are only 12% of retail. 70% will of ebook price stills goes to publisher under agency model.
• Nathan Bransford Leaves Curtis Brown & Joins CNET [GalleyCat] OMG. Enough said.
• Genre Cooties [westerblog] Great post by @ScottWesterfeld about the recent #reviewfail steampunk discussions.

Just for Smiles

• Five Ways To Tell Your WIP Is Progressing [YA Highway] LOVE this bit of writerly truth! Must read.
• Things you can do in the absence of a brain [Don't pet me, I'm writing] Creative ways to recharge from the inimitable Tahereh!
• 10 Writing Pests [It's a Mystery] Hilarious- diagnose your writing's ailments.

 Other Weekly Round-Ups:

• 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