- When Dreams Become Expectations [Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent] Don't let your dreams float too far from reality.
- T3 - Types of Grief, Part 1 [The Character Therapist] LOVE these posts! Thanks for the insight.
- Khaled Hosseini likes to read a few lines from a favourite novel before he starts to write [Inkygirl.com: Daily Diversions For Writers - by Debbie Ridpath Ohi] Great way to stay REALLY humble :D.
- A Bestseller's Rejection Story [Dystel & Goderich Literary Management] Rejection to bestseller- Tatiana de Rosnay.
- You Tell Me: Have You Faced Writer Burnout? How Do You Escape It? [Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent] Need to vent? Recharge? Find solutions? Tell @NathanBransford or see what others have to say.
- 7 Ways to Avoid Burn Out [.W.I.P. It] Tricks to keep yourself motivated.
- 7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Thomas W. Young [Guide to Literary Agents] Writing lessons from military aviation.
- The First One Is Only Practice [The Sharp Angle] Your first novel may never see print, but it teaches you to write the next.
- The Bride’s Guide to Manuscript Monogamy [Write It Sideways] Keep writing and resist the temptation to stray.
- How to get more of your writing time. [Angels and Demons and Portals. Oh My!] Sit down at least an hour a day. Write, don't edit. Plan on multiple drafts, so don't worry about the first one.
- Are Writing Routines Important to Success? [Author, Jody Hedlund] A writing routine can keep your dream on track.
- Unconscious Competence [How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book] Abraham Maslow's famous theory on how people learn and how it applies to writing.
- The Hunger Games: Why Is It Such A Fantastic Series And Lessons For Writers [The Creative Penn] What makes the series great and what we can learn as writers.
- Symbolism Thesaurus: Unity [The Bookshelf Muse] Using symbols to foreshadow unity.
- Plot and Predictability [Ingrid's Notes] Words of wisdom from Gail Carson Levine.
- Before You Write a Single Word: Develop a Reader Profile [There Are No Rules] Identify what your reader wants.
- Thirteen Ways to Make Characters Lovable [Dark Angel's Writing Website] Endearing qualities that make your MC likable.
- Serial Comma Drama: Which Side Are You On? [Write It Sideways] Some insight on providing clarity: by mandate or by inspection? What's your choice?
- Grammar and You [The Other Side of the Story] Seven things you can learn to elevate your skill level as a writer.
- Inciting Incidents [Mystery Writing is Murder] What event sends your MC out of their ordinary world?
- The Offer S/he Can't Refuse [Alexandra Sokoloff] Locked your MCs into the action with high stakes or an “Offer They Can’t Refuse.”
- Unique Comparisons, aka the Un-Cliche' [The Sharp Angle] Using comparisons unique to your characters is one of the best ways to keep a reader engaged.
- Plotting from Character [edittorrent] Exaggerate or turn a character trait around to provide the backbone of a scene.
- Character Stereotypes: The Victim [The Character Therapist] What to avoid and how to make it creative.
- Drafting in Writing [Oasis for YA] What NASCAR can teach us about writing.
- Why Hypocrites Make Excellent Bad Guys [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Why a hypocrite can get under a reader's skin just as must as a classic bad guy.
- Moving Right Along: The Ins and Outs of Plot [iggi & gabi] Man goes on a journey, or stranger comes to town.
- Tip Tuesday #54 [Literary Rambles] Blogging really CAN inspire your writing!
- Finding Goals [Bekah's Stories] Your MC's goal must be clear within the first five pages.
- Dialogue - It's More Than Simply Talking [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Your characters have to act and behave like humans for us to believe your story.
- The Hero’s Journey [Let The Words Flow] Excellent overview of the Campbell/Vogler phases of the journey.
- Seven Ways to Develop Compelling Characters [Ingrid's Notes] Know their role, know their reactions, know them, and then show us.
- 5 Ways to Make Your Novel’s Climax Unforgettable [A. Victoria Mixon, Editor] Resonance. Fuses. Cause & effect logic. Surprise. Inevitability. Simple when Victoria explains it.
- In Search of Structure [Write About Now] The Plot Whisperer's newest project--and how it can help your writing.
- The First Page [The Blood-Red Pencil] Where you decide to start your story has everything to do with success.
- Word Counts for Children's Books [Literary Rambles] Is your WIP breaking the limits?
- Mind Mapping [iggi & gabi] Visual thinkers will thrive on this technique.
- Sentence Strengthening Sunday--Metaphors and Similes [YA Highway] Make them clear and avoid cliche.
- Research: When in Doubt, Make It Up [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Fake it, for fiction's sake.
- Morphological Forced Connetions [iggi & gabi] Using a matrix to come up with unique ideas.
- Rewriting: Pay Attention To Sequences! [Alexandra Sokoloff] Movement within a sequence and into the next sequence. And is there a big set change between the two?
- The End [The League of Extraordinary Writers] Is a less than happy ending requisite for a dystopian novel?
- Avoid Clichés Like the Plague! [. . . . . . . ~© The Writer's Den ©~ . . . . . . .] Long list of cliches to avoid.
- The Scene Deck – a story-building technique [James Killick's Blog] 'The difference between Story – what happens, and Plot – why it happens.'
- Manuscript Problems—Which to Jump on Right Away [Mystery Writing is Murder] Elements of your story to actively consider as you write.
- Please don’t use “Guardian” as a name for a rank, group or series [Superhero Nation] Avoiding the term like the plague.
- Giving Useful Critiques [iggi & gabi] 5 easy rules to be a better crit partner.
- What I Learned from Chopped [Elana Johnson, Author] 'Put your head down and work harder.'
Self-Editing
- Revision and Editing [Ripping Ozzie Reads » Revision and Editing] Stay open to changes while keeping your vision.
- Sweating Your Way to Success - NYTimes.com [opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com] Another argument in favor of repetition over talent. via @AnneMazer
- The Cart Before The Horse [Between Fact and Fiction] Fantastic post about remembering why we write! via @NatalieWhipple
- Getting Published is Not a Crap Shoot [Writer Beware® Blogs!] Write a good book, do your research, be smart & persistent....
- The key question E. L. Doctorow asked this writer [Time to Write] Are you writing something YOU would want to read?
- When It Looks Like We’re Headed for a Crash [Author, Jody Hedlund] You can’t quit when things get tough.
- How to Publish Your First Novel [Writers' Ally aka ➔ sa larsenッ] Equip yourself with business savvy and patience.
- Writing Tips From Famous Authors – How to Become a Writer [Quips and Tips for Successful Writers] 'These writing tips from famous authors will help you learn how to become a writer.'
- Distance and Lists in the Editing Process [Novel Matters] Your love affair with your words needs distance and this post.
- Deal Breakers: Do You Know What Yours Are? [* Fiction Groupie *] Where's the line for changes you're willing to make, and those you won't?
- Rewriting: Stuck? Make a list. [Alexandra Sokoloff] Keep lists of the most hot, tense, heart-pounding scenes you've read and use them for inspiration.
- Boring is not a four-letter word…but it might as well be [Dystel & Goderich Literary Management] Is your manuscript boring? Whatever the reason, that's the kiss of death.
- Confession [Editorial Ass] Editorial Ass signs off.
- A is for Accepting Criticism [Michelle Teacress] How to take criticism with grace and efficiency.
- Interpreting criticism [Seth's Blog] What needs to change in the world for your idea to succeed?
To Market
- Agent Spotlight: Cari Foulk [Literary Rambles] She seeks YA and MG.
- YA publisher looking for Unsolicited Submissions [Angels and Demons and Portals. Oh My!] What are you waiting for?
- Goober Writers Anonymous--Carol Riggs [Stepping into Fantasy] GREAT cautionary tale to take to heart.
- Self-Publishing Book Expo Will Feature On-Site Manuscript Critique [mediabistro.com: GalleyCat] Self-Pub event w/ the right recipe to help produce a good book that sells...
- Self-Publishing: The Numbers Game [The Blood-Red Pencil] Breaking down the numbers.
- A Writing 101 Production - Part 11: Beating Your Submission Letter Into Shape [Scribble City Central] Four harsh realities when you submit your ms.
- Sara: On requested manuscripts [Crowe's Nest] What keeps agent Sara Crowe reading?
- Back to Accepting Queries [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Follow all her submission guidelines before sending!
- Interview with Literary Agent, Kevan Lyon [Dark Angel's Writing Website] She represents YA among other genres.
- How to Get a New York Publisher [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] 83% of Americans want to write a book, and 800 books are published each day. Do the math.
- Succeeding as a Writer: Confidence and Determination [QueryTracker.net] Learning to deal with rejection is the first step. You'll get it from readers and critics too. Pick yourself up and just keep going.
- Pitch It! Pitch It Good! [* Fiction Groupie *] Don't stop believing...
- How I Got My Agent: Corinne Bowen [Guide to Literary Agents] Things rarely happen fast in this business, but often the pace is for the best.
- Losing Out on a Hot Commodity [Kidlit.com] Multiple offers from an agent's perspective.
- In Search of Specific Information [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] 'It's the writer's job to come up with the best book idea they can.'
- New Agent Alert: Victoria Marini of Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents [Guide to Literary Agents] She is specifically looking for YA.
- Interview with Literary Agent Elisabeth Weed, Part 2 [Writer Unboxed] What to put in your query and what she wants to see.
- Talking to Agents at Conferences [kt literary] The dos and don’ts of pitch sessions.
- The epic post of query goodness. [Jade hears voices] Query link madness!
- TWITTER FOR AUTHORS - PART 5: HASHTAGS and #FF [Help! I Need a Publisher!] Hashtags for dummies.
- Which Social Media is Most Effective in Reaching Readers? [Author, Jody Hedlund] Any form of social media is only as effective as you make it.
- A List Of Blogs For Writers [BubbleCow] A one stop shop for writing sites!
- 7 Ways to Improve Your Blog's Readability [Between Fact and Fiction] Simple formatting tricks can keep people reading.
- Why I Hate Social Media - But Will Do It Anyway [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Compare the time you spend on social media to the time you've spent writing this week. You might be surprised.
- 7 Reasons You Need A Facebook Fan Page [www.publetariat.com] Use Facebook Pages (Fanpages) instead of a profile to promote your writing.
- Why You Should Make Wealth — Not Money — With Your Blog [Blogussion] It turns out that what's important is doing something that matters.
- Carrie's Guide to Getting Blurbs [Carrie Harris] How to approach your favorite authors...
- How Can You Tell How Well Your Book is Selling? [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Using Bookscan and asking the publisher can help track the real numbers.
- The secrets of the writer's platform - part one [Time to Write] Practical tips for tackling your platform.
- Author Readings and Literary Events [iggi & gabi] Creative ideas for finding literary events.
- On the Experience of Seeing Your Cover for the First Time [Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent] The uber agent turned writer on how it feels to release your baby into the world and realize it's no longer yours alone.
- Giving back [Dystel & Goderich Literary Management] Once you are successful as a writer, supporting others enhances what you are doing.
- The Many Faces of Rejection [Rose Cooper] Rejection doesn't end with an agent or even an editor. Chin up. We love you, @RoseCooper.
- Make Your Readers Work for You [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Are they helping you create a buzz?
- What is book tour really like? [Mad Woman in the Forest] Fun. Tiring. Hectic. Necessary. Unpaid. Not posh.
- PEEING YOUR PANTS IN PUBLIC [Grab a Pen] What do you do when your book goes into print?
- Working with an Out-of-House Publicist [Writer Unboxed] An outside publicist can organize your blog tour, score big hits, and more.
- Bookanista Review: The Mockingbirds, by Daisy Whitney [Shannon Whitney Messenger] This sounds like an excellent, if difficult, read. On my list.
- GCC: Bringing You Lucienne Diver [Elana Johnson, Author] Lit agent Lucienee Diver has a new YA book out about an undead fashionista. Elana's looking for it!
- Book Birthdays!!!! [A Blog about Nothing] Three great books ready to buy!
- Reading for Writers: WRITING GREAT BOOKS FOR YOUNG ADULTS [Kidlit.com] Book review of the Regina Brooks collection of editor essays. @Kid_Lit says it deserves a shout out!
- Book Review: Mistwood by Leah Cypess [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Such a beautiful book -- read the review then go buy it! @LeahCypess
- A Reason to Smile! [Suzanne Young] Congrats Trish Doller for the sale of your book THE NEW NORMAL to Bloomsbury!
- some VERY big news [allyson condie] Congrats on the MATCHED film deal. WOW!
- Super sekrit revealed. [Jade hears voices] Congrats Tere Kirkland for signing with Rosemary Stimola!
- Contest: Hush by Eishes Chayil [The Bookologist] This one ends October 7th!
- LIKE MANDARIN ARC giveaway!! [Kirsten Hubbard: YA Author + Travel Writer] It's arrived! Some come win it already!
- The Bookinistas: NIGHTSHADE CITY by Hilary Wagner (comment and win!) [Lisa and Laura Write] Interview and giveaway!
- Signed w/Love [unedited] Firelight- SIGNED! Woo hoo!
- Signed ARC of The Revenant by Sonia Gensler [WriteOnCon.com] Another terrific book up for grabs!
- ARC and Pre-Order of Moonglass by Jessi Kirby [WriteOnCon.com] Don't miss the chance to win this great contemp!
- Signed Copy of RIVAL by Sara Bennett Wealer + Critique [WriteOnCon.com] Such a wonderful opportunity! Hurry!
- Signed ARC of The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker [WriteOnCon.com] Excellent giveaway from @LandLRoeker & #writeoncon -- Enter and provide your support!
- Pre-Order of Hourglass by Myra McEntire [WriteOnCon.com] More awesomeness you can win from @MyraMcEntire and #writeoncon
- Pre-Order of Mercy Lily by Lisa Albert [WriteOnCon.com] Another great #writeoncon giveaway!
- Signed Copy of Broken Wings by Helen Landalf [WriteOnCon.com] More giveaway awesomeness. Just support #writeoncon
- THE NECROPOLIS ARC Giveaway [ROOTS IN MYTH] PJ Hoover is giving away one copy each week until release in 3 weeks. WOOT!
- Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin- Giveaway [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Enter by September 29th!
- Hungry for HarperTeen Contest!!! *INTERNATIONAL* [The Undercover Book Lover (Not Really)] 4 prize packs up for grabs!
- Signed Copy of The Eternal Kiss from Author Robin Bridges [WriteOnCon.com] This entry is a two-for-one win!
- Pre-Order of Memento Nora by Angie Smibert [WriteOnCon.com] Great contest to help out WriteOnCon!
- Signed Books from Author Randy Russell [WriteOnCon.com] Win Ghost Dogs of the South and Ghost Cats of the South!
- Critiques, Books, Preorders, Oh My! (from Kendare Blake) [WriteOnCon.com] Win Sleepwalk Society, Anna Dressed in Blood, and more!
- Pre-Order of WARPED by Maurissa Guibord + Unicorn Charm!! [WriteOnCon.com] Contest ends September 26th!
- Between Shades of Gray ARC (by Ruta Sepetys) + Swag!! [WriteOnCon.com] Let's make WriteOnCon even more awesome!
- ARC of CHARLIE JOE JACKSON’S GUIDE TO NOT READING by Tom Greenwald [WriteOnCon.com] As Elana would say, Dude, come enter!
- Critiques + Bad Taste in Boys (by Carrie Harris) Swag! [WriteOnCon.com] Another great giveaway in the name of WriteOnCon.
- Book Review + Giveaway: Songs For A Teenage Nomad by Kim Culbertson [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Contest ends September 25th!
- Signed Copy of Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers [WriteOnCon.com] More amazing swag from #writeoncon. Go comment to win, and please donate (optional).
- Giveaway: Low Red Moon [WORD for Teens] Enter by 9/21 to win Ivy Devlin's new book. Read the review, too!
- WriteOnCon Amazing Amazingness [Elana Johnson, Author] Hurry and enter for a great cause!
- Die Cut Business Cards Giveaway [The Bookologist] Contest closes September 29th!
- Ednah Walters Back-to-School Pack Giveaway! [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Signed ARC up for grabs!
- Book Review + Giveaway: David Inside Out by Lee Bantle [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Enter by September 27th!
- Read the first chapter of LIAR SOCIETY and Win a 50 page Manuscript Critique [Lisa and Laura Write] Contest closes September 18th!
- The Epic Giveway of Epic Epicness!!!!!! [Shannon Whitney Messenger] Prizes you DON'T want to miss!
- Opportunity for Writers [» Opportunity for Writers] Announcing the Scribe Fiction Prize!
- Awakened Giveaway [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Signed ARC, t-shirt, pen & notepad. And wait til you see the cover. Enter by 9/16.
- Contests Reminder: Lots of chances to win books & prizes! [Novel Novice] Three great contests. Check them out!
- Secret Agent Contest [Buffy's write zone] Heads Up! Science Fiction and Fantasy genres coming up in September.
- Epic Announcement Monday - Our very first LIAR SOCIETY ARC Giveaway [Lisa and Laura Write] WriteOnCon continues AND giveaways!
- The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell Review and Giveaway! [Candace's Book Blog] Contest closes September 30th!
- Friday Fav. Giveaway with E.J. Stevens [Book Crazy] All things SHE SMELLS THE DEAD, including a signed copy. Winner picked 9/24.
- Young Adult Book Giveaway--Blogfest!!! Opens Sept 10 at 12am EST and Closes Sept 12th at 11:59p EST [Reading, Writing and Waiting] Dead and Gone and Hex Hall up for grabs.
- Six Month Blogoversary Giveaway – Thank You! [Voracious YAppetite] So many books up for grabs, you won't want to miss it.
- On Writing and Neuroscience With Livia Blackburne [The Creative Penn] Science geeks that write- this is a cool post!
- Barack Obama to Release Children's Book [mediabistro.com: GalleyCat] Book will release November 16th.
- Getting Out More [Mystery Writing is Murder] Distracted? It's not your fault, creative one.
- How To Pick The Correct Genre For Your Book [BubbleCow] An exhaustive list of genres.
- Frontlist, Backlist, Midlist [Jennifer Represents...] You are probably midlist.
- MG vs. YA [Invincible Summer] Terrific discussion about what makes middle grade different than YA.
- This Week in Publishing [Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent] The best of the week's posts and issues by @NathanBransford.
- The absolute funniest post you will read this week! - Updated Link! [ROOTS IN MYTH] Trolls and a laugh? Can't pass it up.
- IDEAS ARE ON SALE FOR NOTHING DOLLARS [Grab a Pen] Need blogging inspiration?
- 18 Easy Steps to Becoming a Writer [Guide to Literary Agents] Kiersten White breaks it down.
- "The The Impotence of Proofreading," by TAYLOR MALI [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Any writer can appreciate this.
- FIVE STEPS TO QUERYING SUCCESS [Grab a Pen] Priceless.
- 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
Great list of links. I loved Literary Rambles' word count post. I've been obsessed with the issue lately as I try to figure out the proper word count for my middle grade fantasy. It really helped.
ReplyDeleteAn AMAZING list list week! THANKS
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat list as always. Wow, what a lot of giveaways. :D
ReplyDeleteCraft of writing has some real good ones! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWow - your list is great. Now I have lots to read this weekend.
ReplyDeleteYou girls always do an amazing job. Thank you for all your hard work, dedication and passion. You're the best! Have a super weekend. Blessings, Buffy
ReplyDeleteThanks again for a great list--still plowing through it, but I did like A. Victoria Nixon's 5 Ways to Make Your Novel's Climax Unforgettable!
ReplyDeleteOhh, lots of good character ones this week. Thanks for gathering them and for including my post on unity too, of course!
ReplyDeleteAngela @ The Bookshelf Muse
Heeeey! Thanks also for including the Goober Writers Anonymous over at Emily White's blog! with the post of my excruciating-writer-mistake tale.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad more writers may read that, so they WON'T do what I did! If it helps anyone become published, that would be way cool.
Fabulous list! I'll be busy today, I see :)
ReplyDeleteAww- thanks again for including me : ) I check every Friday and some how manage to lose myself in these wonderful posts. Thanks for doing this
ReplyDeleteTa da! Thanks for the list!
ReplyDeleteHey guys,
ReplyDeleteThanks (as always) for your awesome list. I'm almost amazed at how much gold you dig up.
Just wanted to throw the post I wrote on the Perfect Pitch in there. It has lots and lots of links to other resources on pitching:
http://writeupmylife.com/2010/09/15/perfect-pitch/
Have a great weekend!
Again, you astound me with your awesomeness. Thank you so much for all you do for the KidLit community! I can't imagine this place without you. *hugs* <3 <3
ReplyDeleteThanks, everyone for all your kind words! Marissa and I love doing this and you make it fun. And Elana? OMG, the shoe is SO on the other foot!!!
ReplyDeleteMartina