15 Best Articles This Week for Writers 3/25/11

After the Sale

• Book Marketing: Your Online Press Kit [www.publetariat.com] GREAT list of what to put together for your online media kit.
• #VAbook: Promoting Like a Pro [Babbling Flow] Eye-opening tips to help you promote your novel from the VA Book Festival and @SaraMcClung.
• Why Writers Need Book Bloggers [Guide to Literary Agents]
• Using PR and Social Media [Writers in the Sky E-zine] Social media reaches influencers that can help your platform.

Book Reviews

• First Page and Giveaway: ILLEGAL [First Page Panda] Enter by April 6th to win Betina Restrepo's ILLEGAL.
• First Page and GIVEAWAY: Between Shades of Gray [First Page Panda] AMAZING opening. Read the 1st page and enter by 4/2 to win BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY #yalit
• One Sentence Debut Reviews: March [Caroline by line] Love all three quick pitch breakdowns!
• Tantalizing Future YA Releases! [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] 17 gorgeous covers and books you won't want to miss.
• Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams [Frenetic Reader] This little book packs quite a punch.
• Spotlight: Fiction First Aid [The Other Side of the Story] One of the great How-To books for writers.
• Review- The Dark and Hollow Places [A Blog about Nothing] Creepy and brilliant and not-to-be-read-at-night. GREAT review for @CarrieRyan
• An Introdution to The Curse Workers Series by Holly Black [Novel Novice] I completely agree with this great review. White Cat is fantastic.
• Guest Post: Phoebe North on Sex Positive YA [Kody's Blog] Three great books and a fascinating question.
• Cornucopia of Dystopia [The League of Extraordinary Writers] A month and a half of amazing events!
• YA Cafe: Searching for Short Stories [iggi & gabi] Some great YA anthologies. Dive in.
• Something Epic. Epic I Tell You. [Some Things I Think...] Release day is Tuesday for Kate's new collaboration!
• Guest Post: Monika Schröder on Inspiration and Cross-Culturally Writing a Book Set in India [CYNSATIONS] Love this: Wanting is just another kind of hunger. SARASWATI'S WAY by Monika Schroeder.

Congrats

• Amy Tan Inks Deal with HarperCollins [GalleyCat] Tan's THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT sold by Sandra Dijkstra to HarperCollins.
• Drumroll Please -- The Cover of Darkfall [The Other Side of the Story] Brilliant new cover for DARKFALL, releasing 10/4/11. Congrats, @Janice_Hardy!
• Thank YOU Thank YOU Thank YOU!! [Tales from the Real OC (Really!)] SHIMMER hit the NYT Bestsellers list! Congratulations, Alyson Noel!
• Plow to the End of the Row [Caroline by line] Congrats! May B. coming Fall 2011 from Tricycle Press.
• Project Middle Grade Mayhem [Caroline by line] Congrats, Caroline and all the ladies at Project Mayhem!
• 
  The Post I've Been Wanting to Write [Scobberlotch] Congrats, Karen Harrington
  and Julia Kenny on the new agenting relationship!
• Amy Holder and Sarah Davies
  [Amy Holder Books] Congrats to Amy and Sarah for a new representation partnership!

Contests

• Write Hope Auction Item [Miss Snark's First Victim] Win 3-chapter crit from @AuthoressAnon
• Sara Bennett Wealer Goes Gleek (plus 2 RIVAL giveaways!) [YA Highway] Enter by 3/29 to win Wealer's RIVAL. #giveaway
• Giveaway...Graceling [Disgruntled Bear] Haven't read Kristin Cashore's brilliant GRACELING? Enter by 3/31 to win.
• Biggest Contest EVER! -- Win a trip to Tybee Island from Deidre Knight and Elle Jasper [The Knight Agency Blog]
• Contests for Causes [unedited] Don't forget the auctions for Japan! Amazing prizes.
• Purple Daze by Sherry Shahan Giveaway! [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Enter by 4/5 to win PURPLE DAZE. #giveaway
• The First of Many CONTESTS-FOR-NO-REASON!!! Win OS, PD and swag! [Personal Demons] Open internationally! Enter by 3/31.
• Interview with Holly Schindler and #giveaway of your choice of her books! Open Internationally! [Candace's Book Blog] Enter by 4/12.
• White Space + GIVEAWAY [The Michelle Show] Enter by 3/28 to win FALLOUT and a secret MARA passage on a jacket proof.
• Writing Contest: Win a copy of Ten Miles Past Normal [Novel Novice] Enter by 3/28 - 250 to 500 words. How many miles past normal are YOU?
• Looking for screenplay contests? [Time to Write] List of contests, plus five tips for anyone considering a writing contest.
• Win a Critique From All of us at Oasis for YA! [Oasis for YA] Five critiques in one. Amazing opportunity! Enter by 4/1.
• Four Querying Tips and a Contest Announcement! [Cambria Dillon] Great news, great tips, and a phenomenal contest for writers.
• Twitter Tuesday~Contests & Advice [Heather's Odyssey] Seven contests you won't want to miss.

Craft of Writing

• 8 Fiddly Things You Can Do To Your Manuscript To Make Your Editor's Day [Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room] What can you do to make your ms more editor-friendly? 7 formating tips, plus 1 writing tip!
• Six Core Analogies for the Six Core Competencies [storyfix.com] Great, quick explanation of the six things novelists have to marster.
• The Art and Science of Writing Scenes [Advanced Fiction Writing Blog] Revisting tell vs. show and the structure of a scene.
• Style Sheets: An Editorial Tool [Let The Words Flow] Use an editorial style sheet as a writing tool.
• Go-to Writing Books [The Divining Wand] Great writers share their favorite books on the craft of writing.
• Symbolism Thesaurus Entry: Depression [The Bookshelf Muse] Great list of symbols to suggest or evoke depression in your novel.
• Identifying Your Themes [Magical Words] Know what’s at the heart of your story to help develop the character arc.
• Place in the Novel: Setting or Character [Beyond The Margins] If place matters in your novel, be faitbful to its character and/or physical details.
• Writing Historical Fiction? How to Write a Book Set in the Past [Quips and Tips for Successful Writers] Accuracy is king.
• The Hijacking Of Original Language [The Literary Lab] Look at life when writing instead of immitating art.
• Navigating the Subplot Waterways [YA Muses] Extraneous subplot can slow the middle section of your book to a crawl.
• Vonnegut on Writing and Thanks [Where Fantasy and Love Take Flight] Eight great rules to write by.
• Two For Tuesday: Colorful Writing [Kate Hart] Brilliant post. Stop and ponder it in context of your WIP.
• Backstory Problems & How to Overcome Them [Author, Jody Hedlund] Balance delay with the reader's need to empathize.
• Writing past our weaknesses and why we should do it. [Laura Pauling] Stretch out a moment to help the reader invest in your character.
• CONNECTING THE DOTS [YA Muses] Great way to brainstorm the middle of your book!
• 7 Great Online Research Resources for Writers [Daily Writing Tips] Great 'net places you might not know about.
• Beyond the Five Senses [Seeing Creative] Great! Additional ways to bring your character and manuscript to life.
• In Short: Writing a Novel Synopsis That Rocks: by H.L.Dyer [QueryTracker.net] Great tips for big and narrow picture structural editing.
• Does your writing imply status? [Time to Write] Switch up the relative status of your characters to build conflict.
• Tip Tuesday #81 [Literary Rambles] Give your WIP voice- literally.
• Judging when to use or not to use exposition [A. Victoria Mixon, Editor] Everything you pause to explain pulls your reader just a little bit out of your fictional dream.
• 5 Pickles to Write Yourself Into [A. Victoria Mixon, Editor] Common story problems and how to fix them.
• Butt in Chair! Put in the Hours! [Ingrid's Notes] Great breakdown of hours to proficiency translated to years.
• What Makes a Flashback Sizzle? [Advanced Fiction Writing Blog] Delay the backstory and plan for the big reveal.
• I Hear You: Character Voices in Non-POV Characters [The Other Side of the Story] Excellent post on differentiating supporting characters and making them live.
• My Writing Success:The ONE Thing That Helped Me Most [Author, Jody Hedlund] Pursue the conscious study of craft.
• Metaphorically Speaking [Paranormal Point of View] Brilliant example of the bad and the great.
• 7 Tips for Writing About Places You’ve Never Been [Write It Sideways] Excellent post.
• Adverbs Don't Bother Me [YA Author Elana Johnson] What other writing rules annoy you?
• Challenge: Plot-Driven or Character-Driven? [Writer Musings] Great learning exercise and food for thought.
• Why your head isn't necessarily the best place to get your ideas [Time to Write] Five questions to get your gut engaged.
• Writer Warning: Don't Get Lost in the Minutiae [* Fiction Groupie *] Love: Find your story's magic--that's what will make it rise to the top.
• Mimetic Writing [Kidlit.com] Strive to match writing and syntax to what you’re describing. Put yourself in the scene.
• The Pros and Cons of First-Person Viewpoint [The Blood-Red Pencil] Solid overview to help you assess future and current work.
• Follow the Rules. Really? [It's a Mystery] Break some writing rules. Freedom can be the first step to some wonderful adventures.
• Nine Steps for Plotting Fiction [YA Muses] A handy road map for telling your story.
• Conferencing 101: An Introduction [Ampichellis Ebooks (formerly Wylie-Merrick Literary Agency)] Let where you are in your journey guide you in picking conferences and classes.
• Forget the Writing Rules [The Editor's Blog] A few rules you can, and sometimes need to, break.
• How do you know what to cut? Tune into the rhythm of your story [Nail Your Novel] A story edited with awareness of rhythm is elegant and persuasive. @dirtywhitecandy
• How I know when I’ve got the right ending for my novel [Nail Your Novel] What makes a good ending? Three words: surprising, inevitable and right. @DirtyWhiteCandy
• Most Common Mistakes Series: Why Vague Writing Is Weak Writing [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Be bold, precise, and definite in your choice of words.
• Quote of the day [Buffy's write zone] What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers. ~ Logan Pearsall Smith <-- Love this!
• Setting Thesaurus Entry: Birthday Party [The Bookshelf Muse] Every detail down to the half-empty juice boxes. Perfect!
• Nine Writer Woes and the Books to Cure Them [* Fiction Groupie *] Have you read any of these?
• Flashback Friday &amp; Rant: Why are All the YA Parents Dying? [The Daily Harrell] Great point about not being lazy with your story.
• How To Write Your Novel's Hook [www.publetariat.com] Thirteen choices to get your creative juices flowing.
• Expressive Writing – 5 Ways to Write With Emotion and Hook Readers [Quips and Tips for Successful Writers] Try these tricks to get deeper into your story and help readers connect.
• It’s okay if your first draft sucks… [Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels, comic books and graphic novels] Excellence comes only from rewrites, & you must have something to rewrite.

Critiquing

• The Value of Beta Readers: How They Help You as a Writer and Reader [Guide to Literary Agents] Five things your beta readers need to tell you.
• Are You Teachable? [Jami Gold, Paranormal Author] What can you learn from a seemingly off-track critique? Usually there's a kernel of truth.
• Good Grief: The Painful yet Productive Process of Revising after a Critique [Beyond The Margins] 4 tips for making the most of criticism.

Inspiration

• Passion in Writing is Good, But It Can Be Blinding [Babbles from Scott Eagan] You have to remain objective to create a great story.
• What keeps unpublished writers writing [Time to Write] Five reasons why we write and how to explain to those who do not get it.
• 10 Ways to Reach "The End" [It's a Mystery] Ten great tips to get your manuscript written.
• 10 Creativity Lessons from George Carlin (Part One) [Excuse Editor] Three great tips, for starters.
• SOMEDAYS I THINK ABOUT GIVING UP WRITING [LM Preston] Need a kick in the butt? Read this.
• Balance, Priorities, Rewards [Writer Unboxed] What if life doesn't leave room for balance?
• Momentum [Book Dreaming] Ten brilliant tips to help you create forward motion in your writing journey.
• Pressing Send [Beyond The Margins] Great post about stepping out of your comfort zone and trusting yourself.
• 4 Phases of Idea-Generation [iggi & gabi] Which phase scares you most?
• Feeling Scattered? Pull Yourself Together with Journaling [WOW! Women On Writing Blog] More than one reason for writers to journal.
• Improvisation in Life and Writing [Mystery Writing is Murder] Improv more and laugh more often. Love it!
• 5 Principles for Generating Ideas [iggi & gabi] You can do it the easy way, or the hard way.
• Guest Post: What to Expect When You’re Aspiring, and Why You Need a Dragon [The League of Extraordinary Writers] Lauren DeStefano shares wisdom from the road to publication.
• Tackle the Page [Robin Mellom] What you need to take your readers on the literary ride of their lives.
• Story, Story Everywhere! [GENREALITY] Getting ideas is easy. Twisting them into finished stories takes effort.
• 4 Ways To Make Yourself Complete a Book [Author, Jody Hedlund] Great tips. Now go get it done!
• Taming the Perfectionist Monster [Novel Matters] "When I write, I feel like an armless legless man with a crayon in his mouth." K. Vonnegut
• WHY DIDN'T U TELL ME BEFORE I BECAME A WRITER? [LM Preston] Writing is a business. Learn it. Ten things you need to know.
• Breaking Writer's Block: 10 Tips To Get You Back On A Writing Roll [www.publetariat.com] Smart strategies.
• Creative Writing Prompts for Writers – Make Your Words Flow [Quips and Tips for Successful Writers] Ideas to get those creative juices flowing.
• Writing Can Be Learned—But It Can't Be Taught [There Are No Rules] Talent can be nurtured but it has to be there first.

Issues, Trends, and News

• Kate Winslet will publish a book, 'The Golden Hat' [Jacket Copy] Winslet's concept book THE GOLDEN HAT about autism will feature celebs wearing the hat.
• Amanda Hocking Scores Four-Book Deal [GalleyCat] Self-pub star Amanda Hocking gets over $2 mil in 4-book WATERSONG deal w/ St. Martin's.
• Joe and Barry Talk Role of Agents [Pub Rants] Barry Eisler and Joe Konrath on who will e-stribute your books in future.
• Blaming Victims, Blaming Characters [Kody's Blog] Is it easier to blame a fictional victim than a real one?
• 10 Reasons Why Authors Love Ebooks [The Creative Penn] Are you eReading? Ten reasons to dive in.
• Character Copyright [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Yes, you can mention another author's character w/out copyright infringement.
• Smile When you Say That. [Novel Matters] Really excellent points about when and how to approach reading for other writers.
• Is Amazon smart to pull the plug on Kindle e-book loan service Lendle? [Jacket Copy] All lending APIs discontinued because they don't drive product sales.
• Self-publishing phenom Amanda Hocking said to be looking for traditional deal [Jacket Copy] And what this may say about the value of traditional publishing.
• Google Books Settlement Rejected [GalleyCat] Publishers are willing to consider narrower settlement and opt-in basis.
• The PW Morning Report: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 [PWxyz] Bad news for Willy the Wizard? Judge says set money aside.
• Keep Your Eye on the Ball [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Rachelle weighs in on using college names in your WIP.
• THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS - AND FRIENDS [Help! I Need a Publisher!] Such an amazing story -- and a cautionary tale!
• Focus on the positive! [Writer Unboxed] Passionate, important post: "Persistence and time in the market is also key." @thecreativepenn
• Borders Closing 28 More Stores, Barnes &amp; Noble Also Struggling [Writerswrite.com's Writer's Blog] S.O.B. Save Our Bookstores!
• The Art of the Review: Laura Miller [PWxyz] New feature talking technique every Friday.
• A Day of Silence [Write-Brained] For Japan. Please donate if you haven't already.
• Writing for Young Adults – The Real Issue [The Blood-Red Pencil] LOVE: YA writers can be part of the village that raises a child. We can change a life.

Just for Smiles

• Accessories That Do Not, In Fact, Inherently Constitute A Strong Female Character [The Rejectionist] LOVE this. Stereotypes of "strong female characters.".
• What type of book are you? Take the quiz and win ! [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Fun!
• Just. Wow. [Neverending Page Turner] Two videos from Nick Pitera totally worth watching.
• WTF Wednesday [Lisa and Laura Write] Seriously, this made me laugh out loud. Camel toe?
• How Not to Market Your Book [Writer Beware™ Blogs!] This. Is. Just. Sad. (In a ya gotta laugh kind of way.)
• Cupcakes for Japan [Blue Rose Girls] Can't you just see the story here?
• Dear Agent: You don’t shy away from gross stuff. You don’t seem to be squeamish. Perhaps you’d... [SlushPile Hell] What do you think?
• sunday special edition: your publishing horoscope for this week [The Intern] Get your writerly fortune from the cosmos.
• What writers can learn from the Elaine Dance [Julie Musil] Who can forget that classic Seinfeld dance? Use it to become a better writer.
• QUERYPOLITAN Q &amp; A [Grab a Pen] Questions and answers to make any writer snarf.

Self-Editing

• Semi-Colon Savvy [The Blood-Red Pencil] Is is okay to use a semi-colon? Are you using it correctly?
• Battling Word Addictions [Julie Musil] Identifying your crutch words and a few great links.
• Run-ons, Fuses, and Comma Splices [Fantasy Faction] Excellent post about spotting them, correcting them, and when they can be useful.
• The Right Time to Speak: Proper Dialog Placement [The Other Side of the Story] Excellent post about keeping the flow and giving readers what they need.
• Don’t Confuse Readers With Similar Character Names [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Have you fallen into this trap? Check your novel.
• Polishing vs. Fixing [Between Fact and Fiction] Editing isn't about hiding flaws, it's about making your ms shine.
• Book proposals: She said I was a nut job… [Behler Blog] Great:Float your literary cream to the top by writing a book proposal for your novel.

Social Media

• 10 Steps to Making Your Author Blog a Rockin’ Success [A. Victoria Mixon, Editor]
• 5 Tips for Being Found by Your Readers [Inspired by Real Life] Steps you can take to help your audience find you.
• Lunchtime Links: Are Your Scaring Your Followers? [The Other Side of the Story] Things NOT to do on Twitter.
• Strategic tweeting for authors [The Book Deal: A Publishing Blog for Writers and Book People] How to mingle at the world's largest literary cocktail party.
• 7 Dos and 7 Don’ts for New Bloggers [Anne R. Allen's Blog] Don't have one yet? Some pointers to get you started.
• SelfControl App Blocks Internet Distractions for Writers [GalleyCat] Shuts off Twitter, FB & email but allows internet for research. A must-have!
• Field Trip Friday, Twitter Version: March 18, 2011 [Kate Hart] Great tweets, tweeps to follow, and the #HigherStakesChildrensBooks hashtag.
• I Want To Be Like Christine Fonseca [YA Author Elana Johnson] Brief profile of @chrstinef and some awesome upcoming events.
• Follow Friday -- Janice Hardy [YA Muses] Hear, hear. Follow @JaniceHardy and her blog The Other Side of the Story.
• Go Hard or Go Home–Blogging &amp; Branding [Kristen Lamb's Blog » Go Hard or Go Home–Blogging & Branding] The best name for your blog is YOUR name. And also, a contest.

To Market

• How I Got My Agent: Stacy Pershall [Guide to Literary Agents] Great story: "Rejections are nothing but a temporary road block."
• 7 Ways to Be Professional [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Author-in-training? Seven tips to be more professional.
• Dealing with Agents and Publishers [Write Anything] Why do agents earn their pay? And what you should consider?
• Agent Advice: Kimberly Shumate of Living Word Literary (Part I) [Guide to Literary Agents] Agent Kimberly Shumate wants YA & adult fiction, Christian living, n/f. No simultaneous subs.
• Is 100 a Good Number? [Write-Brained] The 100 rejection rule? Yes, but keep improving the manuscript and query as you go.
• Top 5 Things an Agent Looks for in a Query Letter [Sisters in Scribe] What MUST you have in your query letter before you get that request?
• When An Agent Gives Up on a Project [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Four reasons it could happen and what it might mean for the writer.
• Why editors will never give up drinking [Behler Blog] Six things to put in your query--and eight to leave out.
• Kim: Conference Expectations [Crowe's Nest] Be realiztic and plan ahead so you can take full advantage.
• The Right Agent for YOU [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Rachelle Gardner will always seek fresh content, fresh voices.
• Querying Elana J's Way [Writers' Ally aka ➔ sa larsenッ] Three reasons you may be experiencing query-fail.
• How to Find a Literary Agent [Daily Writing Tips] Starting to query? Here are the basics you need to know.
• Novel Synopsis Basics Part I: by founding QT Blogger, H.L. Dyer, M.D. [QueryTracker.net] Five tips to help you get yours market-ready.
• Spotlight: SCBWI: Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators [The Other Side of the Story] Not a member yet? Here's why you should be.
• A Little More News [Buried in the Slush Pile] CBAY will be opening to YA submissions.
• What I've Learned About Queries [Write About Now] Great: You only need one yes. But you might not get it until after you've heard a hundred nos.
• Hunger Games Actress Named (And More Agent Tweets!) [Falling Leaflets] @JillCorcoran wants great YA R, Luise Fury wants a good writer with mob insight.
• Getting published– even if you’re a “nobody.” [Let The Words Flow] The writing is the only thing that matters. Write a damn good book, and it’ll rise above.
• why queries get rejected—a pie chart in the manner of Kate Hart [The Intern] Great. Read this!

Other Weekly Round-Ups:

• Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest 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 enjoyed during the week.
• Elizabeth Craig posts 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 and Clara