11 Best Articles This Week for Writers 4/29/11

Huge CONGRATS! to Carol Riggs who signed with Kelly Sonnack of Andrea Brown this week. WOOT!!! We're so happy for you, Carol!

After the Sale

• Marketing 101: Loving & Taking Care of Our Readers [Author, Jody Hedlund] An important and different way to look at book marketing. Hint: It's ALL about the reader! via @JodyHedlund
• 6 Ways to Add Vibrant Partnerships to your Author Platform [Enter the Between] Six ways to expand your author platform to get to a higher level of attention.

Book Reviews

• And in other news...SOLSTICE! [ROOTS IN MYTH] @PJ_Hoover's new YA novel SOLSTICE sounds amazing--and it will be out in May.
• ya smackdown: team dystopia [allyson condie] Which team are you on? Distopia? Paranormal? Contemporary? via @AllyCondie
• 20 Classic Novels You Can Read in One Sitting [Daily Writing Tips] Twenty famous novels under 200 pages. Read some classics for perspective.
• One Sentence Debut Reviews and WITHER giveaway [Caroline by line] Three great one-sentence pitches for books you love, and a contest that closes 4/28.
• Free Samples of the 2011 Hugo Award Nominees [GalleyCat] Want free book samples? Here's a treasure trove of links including 2011 Hugo Award SF nominees. via @GalleyCat
• T is for TBR Pile [Adventures In Writing] Six great books for your TBR pile. What's on your list?

Congrats

• I Have an Agent!  [Artzicarol Ramblings] Big congrats to the awesome Carol Riggs, who signed with the fantastic Kelly Sonnack of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency this week!

Contests

• Possession Arc Giveaway (International) [Frankie Writes] Win an ARC of POSSESSION by @ElanaJ. Enter by 4/29.
• WELCOME TO BORDERTOWN Contest [Holly Black] Win an ARC of WELCOME TO BORDERTOWN via @HollyBlack. Enter by 5/8
• Auction Update [Evil Editor] WOW! Evil Editor has great prizes for The Brenda Novak Auction. Bid early!

Craft of Writing

• Choosing Our Path–Genre Matters [Kristen Lamb's Blog] Good discussion of plot and genre from @KristenLambTX
• Character building tools for writers | Astrological signs [Guardian Cats] Character astrology--use it for character development?
• Inspiration from Libba Bray [Inkygirl.com: Daily Diversions For Writers - by Debbie Ridpath Ohi] Brilliant quote from @LibbaBray. And see her whole post! via @Inkyelbows
• 10 Tips To Improve Your Writing [www.publetariat.com] Ten basic tips to bring your writing to the next level.
• Strengthening Dialogue [QueryTracker.net] Great tips to make your dialogue flow and pop. via @StinaLL
• 5 Ways to Gain the X Factor in Writing [.W.I.P. It] Five ways to learn to stand out as a writer.
• T3 - Is Your Character Left Brained or Right Brained? [The Character Therapist] Fun quiz. Which side of the brain is dominant in your character?
• You Can Say That Again: Repeating Yourself [The Other Side of the Story] Five ways you may repeat yourself in your ms and how to catch them.
• Eight Things To Keep In Mind When Naming Characters [Author, Jody Hedlund] Techniques to consider before you settle on your character's name. via @JodyHedlund
• Visual Tools for Writers [The Kill Zone] Four visual aids that can help you build a story. via @nancyjcohen
• Motivation 101 via The Pawn [The Character Therapist] Are there really only five motives that drive character actions? @jeanniecampbell
• How to Get a Rocking Beginning [Seeing Creative] Great post from @StinaLL on what you need in your 1st two paragraphs!
• Use a Question to Create an Unforgettable Opening Chapter [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Great tip: plant a question that leads readers beyond the first chapter. via @KMWeiland
• Is Your Novel Required to Have a Villain? [Advanced Fiction Writing Blog] Do you need a villain? No, but evil is more Evil when it's personified.
• Bruce Coville’s Eight Tips for Fantasy Writers [Ingrid's Notes] Eight beautifully-written tips you must know to write better fantasy. via @ingridsundberg
• The 3 Basic Aspects of Showing-Not-Telling [A. Victoria Mixon, Editor] Great post on using description, action, and dialogue effectively to engage your reader. via @VictoriaMixon
• Softening a Main Character Just a Smidgeon [Mystery Writing is Murder] Small glimpses of kindness can redeem a character and add more interest than a big change. via @ElizabethCraig
• How to make your story unputdownable [James Killick's Blog] Six tools to make readers need to keep reading. via @jammer0501
• Use Your 5 Senses to Gauge Your Book’s Potential [Write It Sideways] Five ways to test-drive your book idea. via @WriteItSideways
• Writing a sequel? Should be a piece of cake, right? [The League of Extraordinary Writers] Three reasons not to write the sequel yet. via @JuliaKarr
• Analysis of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak [The Literary Lab] Great question: Do we need to choose prose vs. plot so often because too few books are strong in both? via @LiteraryLab
• TOTW: Subverting the cliche: Maiden in peril [The Enchanted Inkpot.] Great post: Turning the maiden in peril cliché around requires balance between the hero and the heroine.
• Character Development 101 - Extra credit [Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room] Many character archtypes exist more frequently in fiction than in real life. Some interesting examples, and a challenge.
• How to make your most ordinary scene interesting [Nail Your Novel] Some of your scenes just there to give information, all purpose & no soul? How to bring those dull scenes to life.
• Use Archetypes to Create Literary Characters [Daily Writing Tips] GREAT post about the different kinds of archetypes and the basic hero personality types.
• Setting Thesaurus Entry: Medieval Markets [The Bookshelf Muse] Creaking wagons, bins of bread, sellers hawking wares: a Medieval Market! @AngelaAckerman's Setting Thesaurus.
• Lessons learned from THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE [Julie Musil] Great commentary on craft and THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE from @JulieMusil.
• Pacing in Writing [The Blood-Red Pencil] Good post: Three questions to ask about every scene to help maintain your pacing.
• S is for Slang [Mary Brebner] To optimize your market, stay timeless in your word choice. Sprinkle slang sparingly for flavor.
• YA Cafe: 5 Essentials For a Story Starter [iggi & gabi] Great post. Five promises your 1st scene makes to the reader and what it takes to make them work.
• Time Management for Writers–Getting More Done in Less Time [Kristen Lamb's Blog » Time Management for Writers–Getting More Done in Less Time] Love: Your weakest key area sets the height at which you can use all your other writerly skills and abilities. via @KristenLambTX
• Writer’s Block—Real or Imaginary? [The Editor's Blog] Don't leave your characters hanging! A fantastic list of solutions to break through writer's block.
• The “Villain” Spectrum: Creating a Layered Antagonist [Fantasy Faction] Six ways to give depth to your antagonist. via @FantasyFiction

Critiquing

• Everyone Wants to "Help" Writers. But Whose Help Do You Really Need? [There Are No Rules] Four questions to ask before accepting writing help. via @JaneFriedman
• A Perspective on Cataclysmic Criticism [storyfix.com] Analyze that critique, and don't fix what isn't really broken. via @StoryFix
• Questions For Your Beta Readers [www.publetariat.com] What to ask your beta readers to make sure you get your revisions off on the right track.
• It’s Not Just a Critique, it’s an Adventure! [. . . . . . . ~© The Writer's Den ©~ . . . . . . .] Share with someone who’ll tell you the truth or risk writing books that no one wants to read. via @TheWritersDen

Inspiration

• Obtainable Goals [YA Author Elana Johnson] Are you using other people to make your goals come true? Great ??? via @ElanaJ
• Teen Author Tuesday Presents Allan Woodrow and THE ROTTEN ADVENTURES OF ZACHARY RUTHLESS! [Denise Jaden] "Ignore the negative in you." Debut MG author Allan Woodrow's quick journey to success.
• Five Fab Questions for Veronica Roth, Author of DIVERGENT! [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Fascinating interview with DIVERGENT author @VeronicaRoth.
• WRITERS COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET [Grab a Pen] LOVE: Friends and family won't take you seriously as a writer if you don't take yourself seriously. via @TaherehMafi
• Separating Confidence From Self-Doubt [Nathan Bransford, Author] Love: Confidence will give you the strength to doubt yourself. via @NathanBransford
• Time to write: When to get started writing [Time to Write] Have a writing project and no time? Start. One word at a time. Great post.
• Out of Perfection, Nothing Can be Made [Confident Writing] LOVE this poem by Campbell, and the line: "if you are lifeworthy you can take it." Rewrite. via @joannapaterson
• 3 Ways to Add Meaningful Structure to Your Writing Life [Writer Unboxed] Great post on structuring your writing time to combat the effects of too much freedom. via @JaneFriedman
• Five Fundamental Practices That Keep You Away from Writer's Block While You're Writing a Book [How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book] Five tricks to keep writer's block from slowing you down.
• The Craft Essay on Why You Shouldn’t Trust Craft Essays—by Man Martin [Mystery Writing is Murder] Lovely: We fill ourselves to the brim with words and living until we just have to write. via @ElizabethCraig

Issues, News, and Trends

• The PW Morning Report: Thursday, April 28, 2011 [PWxyz] Rent a bookstore to sell your book. Great marketing strategy?
• Book Wish Foundation Compiles Y.A. Short Story & Poetry Collection [GalleyCat] YA Authors join the Book for Darfur project - help out and get your name in the acknowledgements section! via @GalleyCat
• What Will Book Publishing Look Like in 6 Months? [The Kill Zone] Exciting and scary times ahead: the next 6 months in publishing.
• Jennifer Egan Pulitzer, The Help Trailer & General Electric Sponsorship: Most Popular Publishing Stories of the Week [GalleyCat] Top ten stories of the week for #writers from @GalleyCat.
• What YA Lit Taught Me About Feminism and Femininity: A Guest Post by Stephanie Su [Kody's Blog] Great: Five questionable things girls learn from reading YA. via @KodyKeplinger

Just for Smiles

• Voices in your Head, Part II [The Blood-Red Pencil] LOVE this. Do you have a Cousin Irene in your head?
• Are You Prepared?? [Paranormal Point of View] Great post. You'll laugh. You may even see yourself. via @LisaGailGreen
• THE SIX PHASES OF WRITING A NOVEL [Grab a Pen] Great post on conversations with yourself during the different phases of your ms. :D via @TaherehMafi
• Underachiever [The Misadventures In Candyland] Love this: Set the bar low and you'll amaze yourself. :D via @candylandgang
• BlogEEversary! [Evil Editor] Happy blogEEversary stuff from Evil Editor. LOTs of writerly stuff for everyone.

Self-Editing

• Adverbs Are Really Quite Acceptable [Daily Writing Tips] Great point about adverbs and when they are okay--or even necessary.
• Noteworthy Links: What You Need to Know About Was [The Other Side of the Story] Love: Treat "was" as a first draft word.
• Little Mistakes Can Kill a Story [The Blood-Red Pencil] Three common errors that can take a reader our of your story.
• Five Common Writing Problems and How to Fix Them [The Creative Penn] Five tips to help you bring energy back to your prose. via @VictoriaMixon
• Another Setting Example [edittorrent] Another great writing lesson on sneaking details into the action. via @TheresaStevens
• Wrestling the Octopus of Revisions [Words and Such] Revisions = octopus. Brilliant.
• V is for Vary the Sentence. [Adventures In Writing] A beautiful demonstration of how sentence length affects the reader. via @isabellamorgan
• Tricks of the Trade- Give Sentences Punch [The Blood-Red Pencil] Seven figures of speech to help you paint words for your readers and voice to your ms.
• Apostrophes [YA Highway] Stop the misuse of apostrophes! Contractions, possessives, and when NOT to use them.
• Untangling the Webs We Weave: Revising a Series [The Other Side of the Story] Revising a series takes different skills than revising a stand-alone novel. 4 tips to help.

Social Media

• A New Way to Find Critique Partners [* Fiction Groupie *] Book Country is social networking from Penguin. Find crtique partners and more.
• Social Networking: Twitter Tips [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Not getting followed on Twitter? 13 reasons why not. via @BookendsJessica and @MediaBistro
• Maximize your Blog & Twitter Relationship [The Bookshelf Muse] Why a SHARE button on your blog post is absolutely critical. And a step-by-step on how to get one. via @AngelaAckerman
• Find More Than Friends on Facebook [WOW! Women On Writing Blog] Facebook apps for book lovers and writers.
• Quick Blog Post Ideas [WOW! Women On Writing Blog] Blogging taking too much time? Some ideas for quick posts.
• Major Search Engines - How to Get Listed in Google, Yahoo, and Bing [eBook Crossroads Blog] Is your website invisible to the internet? How to optimize it and get listed.
• Top 20 Facebook Apps for Book Lovers [GalleyCat] Top 20 book-related apps available on Facebook. Say good-bye to Farmville! via @GalleyCat
• Blogging to Promote Your Books [Writers in the Sky E-zine] Should you create a web site for your book? How can you promote it via blogging?
• One of the Best Ways to Build Our Social Media Platform–Be a Blogger Booster [Kristen Lamb's Blog] Three ways to be a blogger booster -- and build your platform. via @KristenLambTX

To Market

• Agent Spotlight: Jennifer Jackson [Literary Rambles] Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Literary Agency is looking for YA. via @Casey_McCormick
• Some Thoughts On Those Online "Resources" For Writers [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Why even the best web sites for writers are not enough.
• How I Got My Agent: Allan Woodrow [Guide to Literary Agents] A really smart approach to finding an agent. Pay attention, folks! via @ChuckSambuchino
• The Interminable Agency Clause [Writer Beware™ Blogs!] A potential deal-breaker in agency contracts. via @VictoriaStrauss
• What’s In Our Full Manuscript Queue [Pub Rants] What has agent Kristin Nelson requested lately? Hint: fantasy and paranormal are still hot.
• Interview with Literary Agent Mitchell Waters [Beyond The Margins] Agent Mitchell Waters from Curtis Brown is looking for ambitious writing and concept.
• Workshop Wednesday [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Great query letter breakdown by @BookendsJessica
• New Agent Alert: Kathleen Rushall of Waterside Productions [Guide to Literary Agents] New lit agent @KatRushall seeks YA/MG fiction across the board.
• Should You Re-Query? [GalleyCat] When to re-query an agent (and when not to).
• Live Query Event With Jessica Sinsheimer! [WriteOnCon.com] Replay WriteOnCon's live query event with literary agent Jessica Sinsheimer.
• Back to Basics, part VI: Submitting Our Work [Magical Words] Seven things to help you avoid rejection.
• Book Genres and Blog Stats [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Writing paranormal or SF/F? Some figures you need to see from lit agent Rachelle Gardner.
• Avoid The Obvious In a Query [Kidlit.com] Six additional things NOT to put in your query and what they say about you. via @Kid_Lit
• Spaghetti Agents [Nathan Bransford, Author] Signing with a spaghetti agent may hurt your career. How to tell before you sign. via @NathanBransford
• On Agency Agreements [Jennifer Represents...] Great post on the agency agreement. Bottom line? Don't be afraid to ask questions. via @Literaticat
• Five Don’ts for Pitching Books and Manuscripts [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Great tips on how NOT to pitch from Krista Davis. via @BookendsJessica.
• What Does Scott Value In A Writer? [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Five things an agent wants to see before or during THE CALL.
• Self-Publishing: What Happens Next… [Write It Sideways] Interesting article on self-publishing by @tonifois. Lots for aspiring authors to think about!

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