9 Best Articles This Week for Writers 12/10/2010

Inspiration

• Give Your Writing the Gift of Structure & Discipline [There Are No Rules] Hold yourself accountable using this new book.
• Put Resilence In Your Writers Toolbox [Guide to Literary Agents] 3 pieces of advice for getting elastic skin.
• Blind Spots: A Writer’s Fatal Flaw [GENREALITY] Which ones impede your vision?
• Fighting The Green-Eyed Jealousy Monster [Author, Jody Hedlund] An honest post with perspective.
• Accountability [Julie Musil] With accountability comes encouragement and support.
• 7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Sheldon Russell [Guide to Literary Agents] Do you really want to do this?
• NaNo Now What? [Paperback Writer] Sound advice on where to go from NaNo.
• I Hate My Book! [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] The good news? That's normal.
• Why You Are Not Buffy (But Can Be Veronica) [YA Highway] Read, study, and practice to become a better writer.
• Playing to your writing strengths [James Killick's Blog] Are you taking the path of least resistance?
• 2010 Writing Goals: Your Race to the Finish Line [Write It Sideways] Plus damage control for not meeting your goals.
• Writing for Kids: A Three-Quarter Life’s Work [Ingrid's Notes] Advice from master author Gordon Korman.
• What Kind of Writer Are You? [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Not all writers are created equal.
• The Joy of Writing [GENREALITY] Make a list of what (specifically) gives you joy.
• The publishing rollercoaster [Supernatural Underground] It only takes one 'yes' amid the rejections.
• No Pressure! [Julie Musil] Strive for writing more, with better quality, but not necessarily every day.
• Why It’s Good to Write—Even When You’re Writing Poorly [Mystery Writing is Murder] Find at least one redeeming quality in a given scene.

Craft of Writing

• Can a First Chapter Be Too Exciting? [The Literary Lab] Good question. What do you think?
• SCBWI TEAM BLOG Pre-conference Interview: Linda Sue Park [The Official SCBWI Conference Blog] Terrific interview by @CuppaJolie!
• Nailing Your Teen Voice [The Sharp Angle] Young adults are NOT adults.
• Symbolism Thesaurus Entry: Freedom [The Bookshelf Muse] The Bookshelf Muse strikes again!
• Story Rulez: Things Every Story Needs to do [The Other Side of the Story] 3 ways to hook 'em, 3 ways to keep 'em reading.
• Writing Dialogue: Shannon Style [Shannon Whitney Messenger] Shannon shares her methods for crafting dialogue.
• Word Counts and Words That Count. [GENREALITY] Tips for crafting dynamic scenes.
• It's Notetastic!: Outlines, Notes, and Grimoires [As the Plot Thickens] Use 'em, lose 'em, or just never bother?
• How to Write a Novel: The Snowflake Method [BubbleCow] 10 succinct steps to designing a novel.
• How to Keep Your Story’s Superpowers and/or Magic Extraordinary [Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels, comic books and graphic novels] Excellent post on maintaing the magic.
• Allow yourself to write poorly [Buffy's write zone] Get to the end, whatever it takes. Then refine.
• Day Four--International Plot Writing Month [Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers] Plot recipe: list your scenes, add your themes.
• 3 Signs Your Story’s Characters Are Too Perfect [Write It Sideways] Do your characters suffer from good looks, stilted dialogue, and perfect timing?
• Creating a Book Readers Can’t Put Down [Author, Jody Hedlund] 4 fabulous strategies for creating a page-turner.
• 10 Most Common Writing Mistakes – and 10 Writing Tips [Quips and Tips for Successful Writers] Errors we all make and how to avoid them.
• Having Multiple Protagonists In Your Novel [Advanced Fiction Writing Blog] 1+1 can equal 1/2 in this case.

Self-Editing

• Rules to Remember [Sisters in Scribe] Seven excellent rules to write by!
• The Levels of Revision Hell [GENREALITY] The best writers make the arduous trek through both levels.
• Tip Tuesday #66 [Literary Rambles] How to go adverb fishing.
• Writing from the Place: TEN POST-NANO REVISION TIPS [ROOTS IN MYTH] It's easy- just edit out every other word.

Critiquing

• Writer's Wednesday: Beta Benefits [Oasis for YA] What do those trusty betas do for you?
• When Do I Involve a Critique Group? [Kidlit.com] Terrific post on reaching out to your CPs.
• How to learn from critique partners [Dark Angel Fiction Writing] The ins and outs of CPs.
• How to Handle Harsh Criticism Without Crying [Author, Jody Hedlund] 'We can't be all things to all people.'
• Nifty Writing Tool [Katie Ganshert] Use Google Docs to manage critiques in one location.

Contests

• An Awesome Contest and Teaser Thursday [My Bloggish Blog Thing] 100 prizes. Check this out!
• Fabulous New Fiction: 2k11 Debut Author Julia Karr + Give-away! [Through The Wardrobe] Win a copy of XVI!
• Lauren Kate Signing & Giveaway [The Bookologist] A signed copy of Torment- you know you want it!
• Giveaway: Win Light Series by Jennifer DeLucy [The Bibliophile's Journal] Enter to win a digital copy!
• Book Review & Giveaway: Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] 3 copies of this fabulous read up for the taking!
• Richelle Mead Signing + Giveaway! [Frankie Writes] Enter to win by December 17th!
• Chance to win $25 Target gift card [Buffy's write zone] Buffy generously offers a Target gift card!
• Bookanista Review: Desires of the Dead, by Kimberly Derting--AND AN ARC GIVEAWAY!!!! [Shannon Whitney Messenger] Great suspense AND a giveaway!
• Contest: Will You Be Matched? [Adventures In Writing] Enter and find out!
• FEATURED SWEETHEART - Kathi Appelt [Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels] Win a copy of Keeper!
• The Lost Saint by Bree Despain Giveaway [The Bookologist] Oh. My. Goodness. Enter to win it!
• Blogoversary Ginormous #Giveaway! [Candace's Book Blog] Wow! Mega-giveaway.
• Me and Orson Scott Card (+ SIGNED ENDER'S GAME GIVEAWAY) [Babbling Flow] Yes, SIGNED! Enter. Like now.
• Contest Monday With a Holiday Giveaway! [Sisters in Scribe] Hurry and enter by December 31st!
• December Book Giveaway! [Anna Staniszewski] 3 amazing books can be yours!
• Guest Post + Giveaway: Lindsay Below (Head Over Hand-Bought Heels) [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Enter by December 17th.
• A Week of Prizes! [The League of Extraordinary Writers] Enter by December 20th!
• Marvelous Middle Grade Monday--The Healing Spell (and a Giveaway!!!) [Shannon Whitney Messenger] Review + interview + giveaway = awesome!
• The Preacher's Bride Christmas Giveaway! [Author, Jody Hedlund] Jody offers two copies of her wonderful new book!
• GRAFFITI WALL: Lisa & Laura Roecker, authors of LIAR SOCIETY [Writers' Ally aka ➔ sa larsenッ] Great interview AND a critique up for grabs!
• Contest: Win Matched by Ally Condie [Novel Novice] Enter by 12/10.
• New Contest! [The Katacomb] New writing contest. Enter by 12/19.
• Giveaway: Quest for Merlin's Map [WORD for Teens] Enter by 12/11/10.

Congrats

• Sometimes You Just Give Up [Write About Now] Congrats, Sherrie, for signing with ICM!
• Congrats to Buffy Andrews on her new blog. Check it out at http://www.yorkblog.com/buffy/.

To Market

• How I Got My Agent: Jenny Torres Sanchez [Guide to Literary Agents] Some excellent strategy to follow!
• Query Update: November [Neverending Page Turner] 881 queries, 22 requests, 1 offer.
• Digging Deeper To Find The Right Agent: A Level Four Research Tool [Falling Leaflets] How deep do you go to find the right agent?
• What Constitutes Publication and How Do I Know My Query's Been Read? [QueryTracker.net] Make sure your query is not overlooked.
• Agent Advice: Laura Blake Peterson of Curtis Brown, Ltd. [Guide to Literary Agents] Find out the top 3 mistakes she sees in synopsis submissions.
• Agents Got Heart [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Agents have heart for writers.
• Successful Queries: Agent Mary Kole and ''Wildefire'' [Guide to Literary Agents] Check out Karsten Knight's query for his forthcoming paranormal YA novel.
• Ultimate Blog Series on Novel Queries (#10) [There Are No Rules] Super helpful Q&A on queries.
• As I See It: Top Ten Reasons to Publish with a Small Press [Coming Down the Mountain: From Reclusive Writer to Published Author] Why the little guy may be better than the big one.
• How to Land a Literary Agent: First, Get a Platform [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] Once you know what agents want, it’s rather easy to land one.
• New Agent Alert: Joan Slattery of Pippin Properties [Guide to Literary Agents] She seeks MG and YA fiction.
• NaNoWriMo is the beginning of a VERY LONG process [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Expect NOT to query your NaNoWriMo opus for at least a year.
• Dear guys: This letter is sent to most members of the AAR [SlushPile Hell] Seriously?

After the Sale

• Amazon Strikes Again! [Author/Agent Mandy Hubbard] Excellent examples of royalty vs. BookScan numbers.
• OCD Part 2: Sales [Personal Demons] Free BookScan sales tracking info from Amazon.
• Elements of a Successful Marketing Plan [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] 5 components you'll want to hone in on.
• Marketing Your Self and Your Book [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] A to-do list for building your audience.

Book Reviews

• Book Review: Need (Need, #1) by Carrie Jones [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] High marks for 1st book. 3rd book releases on the 14th!
• Do Titles Mean Anything Anymore? [The New Author] What do the titles of these recommended books say to you?
• THE WRITER'S GUIDE TO PSYCHOLOGY by Carolyn Kaufman [YA Author Elana Johnson] This resource is easy to read and filled with information.
• Last Sacrifice Review! [Frankie Writes] A great wrap-up to the series.
• J'adore Anna and the French Kiss [Carol's Prints] The cover doesn't do this one justice.
• Book Review: Revolution, by Jennifer Donnelly [YA Highway] 'Sad, romantic, and, ultimately, hopeful.'
• Bookinistas: PERSONAL DEMONS [Laura and Lisa Write] A beautifully written novel.
• Review of MATCHED [YA Muses] Excellent start to a new trilogy.
• Book Review: Vampire Crush by A.M. Robinson [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] 'Page-turning story line and the right dose of unique vampires.'
• Tour Review: Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler [Confessions of a Bookaholic] A story of love with strong characters.
• Marvelous Middle Grade Monday - The Candy Shop War [Book Dreaming] High marks for this awesome book!
• Review: Everlasting by Angie Frazier [Confessions of a Bookaholic] This one is unforgettable.
• Book Review: The Lying Game [Confessions of a YA Writer] This one will keep you guessing.
• Book Review: Wither [Publishing Lane] A word to the wise- mark your calendars for this one!
• AWESOME NEWS! [Let The Words Flow] Congrats Susan Dennard! Spirit-Hunters sells to HarperCollins!
• The First Official Review of Warped- (In)Credible!!! [Maurissa Guibord] Yay! A glowing review for Maurissa's book.

Issues and Trends

• Scholastic Shares Ten Kidlit Trends from 2010 [GalleyCat] 25 to 30 percent fewer PBs than last year.
• 'Get the Xanax ready': Authors respond to BookScan on Amazon [Jacket Copy] Will having access to the BookScan data serve any useful purpose?
• Borders Reports a $74.4 Million Loss & 17.6% Sales Decrease in Q3 [GalleyCat] Disappointing 3rd quarter results!
• 6 Questions NOT to ask a Writer [The Blood-Red Pencil] Which questions annoy you as a writer?
• THREE GREAT MUST READ POSTS + TRENDS IN OUR INDUSTRY VIA SCHOLASTIC [Jill Corcoran Books] Interesting list of trends from this year.
• Squeezing Writing In [Mystery Writing is Murder] Wonderful post on juggling writing with family time.
• Conference Checklist [Kidlit.com] Physical and mental things to prepare, and what NOT to bring.

Just for Smiles

• Thursday’s thing to love about being a writer [Cheryl's Musings] 'The gift of words can be more precious than anything on a shelf.'
• Do You Suffer From NWS?: Living With Nice Writer Syndrome [The Other Side of the Story] Take the quiz and find out!
• Total Recall [Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room] Love the idea of memorizing new poems and passages!
• SIX REASONS TO WEAR PANTS WHILE WRITING A NOVEL [Grab a Pen] Everyone needs an extra layer of protection.
• 5 Things I Learned about Writing From Santa Claus [iggi & gabi] Cute post! Writing lessons from St. Nick.
• Natalie Portman's 'Lolita' clutch [Jacket Copy] Judging a bag by its cover. What would you wear?

Social Media, Twitter & Blogging

• Interview with Jane Friedman, Part 1 [Writer Unboxed] Interesting talk on 'the rules,' social media, and more.
• How Do You Show Off The Best Material In Your Archives? [Confident Writing] Don't let those oldies-but-goodies collect dust.
• How to Blog, Part Duh: 13 Steps for Establishing a Popular Writing Blog [Anne R. Allen's Blog] Terrific tips if you're starting to blog.
• Reflections On Two Years Of Blogging: Lessons Learned [The Creative Penn] Fantastic post!
• Great writer gifts day 5: Mastering social media [Don't pet me, I'm writing] Check out Kristen Lamb's book to become social media savvy.
• Agent Spotlight: Steven Axelrod [Literary Rambles] Looking for paranormal, ya, chick lit & more.
• Want a Blogging Job? Quips and Tips is Hiring Bloggers! [Quips and Tips for Successful Writers] Honest to gosh paid blogging/editing op.

 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