12 Best Articles This Week for Writers 2/25/11

Inspiration

• R.I.P. L.K. Madigan [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Our condolences! And an opportunity to donate for an excellent cause.
• L.K. Madigan: An Author, A Friend, An Incredible Person [Novel Novice] A heartwarming tribute.
• 5 Surprising Things I've Learned Since I've Sold [* Fiction Groupie *] The work may be even harder, but it's worth it.
• Cliches for Aspiring Writers [There Are No Rules] Love love LOVE this incredibly motivating article.
• Quote of the Week: David Mack [Ingrid's Notes] Love: Talent is a misused notion. You’ve got to do the work for the talent to show up. – David Mack
• Is The First Book We Write Usually Garbage? [Author, Jody Hedlund] Three questions more important than the number of novels you've produced.
• On Writing and Fear [All about them words] LOVE: First you jump off the cliff and you build wings on the way down. (Ray Bradbury via Libba Bray)
• It Doesn't Have to Be Great Art for People to Like It [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Lesson: Sometimes, it all comes down to concept and connection.
• Trunked: manuscripts and hunting dogs [Words from the Woods] A beautiful way to look at the novels in your bottom drawer.
• When the Words Don’t Flow [GENREALITY] Ten tips to combat writer's block.
• Monday Musings: Writer's Block [Angels and Demons and Portals. Oh My!] An issue we can all relate to, plus a GREAT pic!
• My 4 Most Inspirational Posts of the Past Year [A. Victoria Mixon, Editor] Need a quick pick me up?
• Dealing With The Demons [Between Fact and Fiction] Four tips to help you wrestle with the writing monsters.
• When you need some new ideas for your writing (or inspiration in general) [Time to Write] http://www.newidea.com/ -- classic.
• Aha Moments [Paperback Writer] Great post about accepting feelings instead of traditional or expert wisdom.

Craft

• Taking a Good Idea and Elevating It [Nathan Bransford - Blog] Openings are like
  a trust fall. Catch the reader afterward and follow through.
• Chapter Endings [The League of Extraordinary Writers] End on a realization or revelation that will keep the overall tension of the story moving forward.
• Symbolism Thesaurus Entry: Suffering [The Bookshelf Muse] Another great post from one of the BEST resources for writers anywhere.
• The First Line Hook [The Blood-Red Pencil] Great 1st sentences will intro the MC, and set up the story problem, setting, and conflict.
• Giving Your Character Choices [Anna Staniszewski] Raise the stakes by giving your characters gut-wrenching choices to make.
• Action is Character [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Novelists should let characters show who they are through actions and behavior instead of narrative.
• I Need Minions! [Adventures In Writing] I love minions. Unintended minions, betrayed minions, betraying minions...
• Guest Blogger Lydia Sharp on Revising a Short Story: Plus Giveaway! [The Other Side of the Story] Great breakdown. Don't miss this one.
• 15 rules for writing novels. [Claire King] Love: And once you've rewritten using these rules, you'll blend right into the slushpile.
• Is Authorial Voice Different From Character Voice? [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Interesting question using Hemingway to illustrate the difference.
• Can You Have Multiple Storylines in Your Novel? [Advanced Fiction Writing Blog] Your novel should be one novel, with separate threads for each of the main characters.
• Tip Tuesday #77 [Literary Rambles] Using Candybar's dollmaker to bring your character to life.
• Guest Blogger Juliette Wade on World Building in Short Stories [The Other Side of the Story] Every object and every interaction must count.
• Creating Dimensional Antagonists [Write-Brained] Does your antagonist have sympathetic characteristics?
• Guest Post: Julie Chibbaro on Navigating The Past Through Real Stories [CYNSATIONS] How the past can help us make sense of the world we live in today.
• Those Gimmicky First Lines: Ax 'em! [TheWriteGame] 5 Q's to ensure your 1st line is intense, but not gimmicky.
• Fire Bad, Tree Pretty [Glass Cases] Buffy, Willow, & Xander have a lot to teach your about-to-graduate heroine.
• Keeping Dialogue REAL [WOW! Women On Writing Blog] Four tips to making your dialogue more readable and authentic.
• Pacing Your Novel [Dark Angel Fiction Writing] Love: If your book is paced correctly, your reader will anticipate your pay-off scene.
• Tools of the Trade [The Michelle Show] All the tricks from to Word options and Scrivener.
• Mixing Past and Present Tense [Writer Musings] Win-win for both reader and writer.
• How to Create Tension in a Single Character Scene [*Lynnette Labelle* @Chatterbox Chitchat] Add internal conflict and triggers.
• First Chapters [Alexandra Sokoloff] Seven tricks to a great first chapter.
• Why is Your Novel Getting Rejected? [The Other Side of the Story] Four types of beginnings and what they say about your writing weaknesses and the rest of the book.
• Setting Thesaurus Entry: MINDSCAPE [The Bookshelf Muse] Fascinating techniques.
• Settings - Your Example #2 [edittorrent] GREAT lesson: Using setting to define problem.
• Examining Trends vs. Style in Children's Books [Guide to Literary Agents] Always write the book that haunts you. But be aware of how current stories are being written.
• Writing Dialogue: How People Really Talk on the Page [How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book] Six tips to help you layer your dialogue beyond the written words.
• 5 Ways to Write Character Thoughts Worth More Than Penny [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Great tips to bring your reader deeper into the story and elevate your manuscript.
• Creating Engaging Characters [The Other Side of the Story] Passionate engagement in life as the difference in helping readers to connect.
• Making Your Book Memorable: Creating Moments [* Fiction Groupie *] Yes! Five types of "moments" that lift a book from good to great.
• Settings - Your Example #1 [edittorrent] Great! Increase reader engagement via props and suggestive setting details.
• How Do You Define Dystopian? [The League of Extraordinary Writers] Five things that dystopian usually includes.
• The Whole Story: Plotting Multibook Goals [The Other Side of the Story] Every book should have a core conflict and that conflict should be resolved by the end of the book, but each book is a turning point in the series.
• Emerging from the Imagination: Giving Your Characters a Life of their Own [The Blood-Red Pencil] Great piece about how to know when characters are real.
• Favorite Advice [Writer Unboxed] LOVE: Nothing will crush the life out of writing faster than worrying about getting it perfect on the first try.
• Finding the
  Question II [Magical Words] How do we write the question which will extend beyond the fiction to the reader?
• Tip Thursday: Tips from the Masters [Angels and Demons and Portals. Oh My!] Ten things best-selling authors recommend to make your writer stronger.
• Goals versus Need [Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers] GREAT: Tie a plot goal to an emotional need to a higher good for an emotional story with thematic significance.
• Finding my core. [Jade hears voices] AWESOME: Find out what the core of your novel is. Be willing to change everything but that.
• Building Our Protagonist [Mystery Writing is Murder] Great links (thx for including us!) plus questions and perspectives on creating your protag.
• Prologues: Not as Evil as You Think [The Other Side of the Story] Pros, cons, and valid reasons for using them.
• Write What You Know [Paranormal Point of View] LOVE: How do readers become invested in my story if they can't put aside reason enough to fully immerse?
• Grammar of Old and New Worlds [The League of Extraordinary Writers] Great things to think about for any character with dialect or other language issues.
• T3 - Challenging Your Character's Inner Lies [The Character Therapist] And great ways to tie then to your plot!
• Guest Post: Sarah C. Campbell on Connecting Nonfiction to the Curriculum [CYNSATIONS] Find how your book fits into curriculum and develop additional tie-in meterials.

Self-Editing

• Project to Published: Why Those First Few Pages are Important [Emma Michaels] Trust yourself to know what those 1st pages need to say to capture the hearts and minds of... readers.
• Introspection....How much is too much? [Dark Angel Fiction Writing] Great tip: Allow yourself no more than three sentences in a block.
• Things to Watch Out for in Your Writing [The Katacomb] Good: 1) over-formality, 2) broadcasting emotions, 3)too much "teen" voice or slang.
• Infinite Checklist of Writing Tips [Dark Angel Fiction Writing] 27 tips to improve your manuscript and writing. Plus a little humor.

Critiquing

• Guest Post: Receiving Critiques by B. Nagel [The Literary Lab] 'The most important aspect of receiving a critique is actively listening.'

To Market

• The Talent Here is Ridiculous [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] There are a lot of talented writers, so don't hold anything back. Bring it.
• Conference Questions [Buried in the Slush Pile] Don't be tongue-tied if you find yourself (eek!) sitting next to an editor. Ask these 10 Qs.
• Pitching In 25 Words Or Less [Heather's Odyssey] 10 elements that must come across in your pitch & query.
• Monster List of Picture Book Agents - John Schuster, The Literary Group International [Frolicking through Cyberspace] Links to sub guidelines and additional info.
• Agent Advice: Kathleen Ortiz of Lowenstein Associates [Guide to Literary Agents] Looking for YA, MG, chapter books, adult romance and contemporary women's fiction.
• Publishers That Accept Writers Without Agents: DAW [BubbleCow] Science Fiction and Fantasy, 80K words and up. Submit whole ms with cover letter.
• The Synopsis Checklist [YA Muses] Seven steps to a stronger synopsis.
• Workshop Wednesday [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Jessica Faust takes apart a query letter and gives advice.
• Red Alert: Tate Publishing [Time to Write] WARNING: New kind of publishing scam.
• What I Will Be Looking For In YA [Lightning + Lightning Bugs - Musings from Weronika Janczuk, Literary Agent] Weronika Janzuk seeks good writing & voice; dark, edgy, & fresh.
• Don't Knock The Query [Between Fact and Fiction] It tests your writing on every level. LOVE this.
• The Author Bio. What the Heck Do You Say? [The Other Side of the Story] Six tips for your bio on your website, query letters, & eventually your book.
• Choosing Between Agents [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG] You want an agent who is going to be professional and get the work done.
• An Agent's Edits [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] What to do if an agent has your ms and is requesting edits before signing.
• Looking For The RIGHT Agent - A Tip To Increase Requests [Falling Leaflets] Helpful advice for digging a little deeper.
• How To Clearly Communicate the Essence Of Your Book To Agents And Publishers [BubbleCow] What book is yours like, and how is it different?
• Writing Conference Preparation [Red Sofa Literary] Seven tips to help you survive and prosper at a conference.
• The Good Agent [Creepy Query Girl] In praise of @Natalie_Fischer and other agents who remember what it's like to query.
• A Reminder to Always Follow Up [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Great story with an important lesson for queriers.
• Mentioning Similar Books in a Query: How To [QueryTracker.net] Comparable titles/writers can help you find and interest agents.
• Crafting the Editor Submission List [Jennifer Represents...] Finding a good match and other factors.
• Question from a Writer - Moving from E-Books to Print [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Insight into the thought process of a print publisher.
• Frolicking through Cyberspace: Monster List of Picture Book Agents [frolickingthroughcyberspace.blogspot.com]
• New Agent Alert: Lea Beresford of the Denise Shannon Literary Agency [Guide to Literary Agents] Looking for literary, memoir, food, pop science (psychology!) and pop culture.
• Why . . . [A Writer's Blog] How do you pick which agents to query? And do you tell them why?

Congrats

• I SOLD MY BOOK! [Write Me!] Congrats, Leah! We are SQUEEEEEEing for you!
• 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalists announced [Jacket Copy] YA finalists: Marc Aronson/Marina Budhos, Stephanie Hemphill, Jonathan Stroud, Megan Whalen Turner, Rick Yancey
• The PW Morning Report: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 [PWxyz] LA Times Book Prizes are announced!
• In Which Lisa Drops the Ball.... [Lisa and Laura Write] Happy belated birthday, Laura!
• Words of a Feather [words-of-a-feather.blogspot.com]
• Sarah Jio, Author | Facebook [www.facebook.com] Congrats to @SarahJio, whose VIOLETS OF MARCH is a Target "Emerging Author" pick for May.

After the Sale

• A Self-Publisher's Guide To Metadata For Books [www.publetariat.com] Good book metadata is good book marketing. Essential for all self-publishers.
• Changing times: Changing book design [The Blood-Red Pencil] More printing options require more design decisions and better marketing strategies.
• Book bloggers can help sell your book: Tips for authors [The Book Deal: A Publishing Blog for Writers and Book People] Don't neglect this potential marketing goldmine...

Book Reviews

• Review: Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers [Confessions of a Bookaholic] 5 out of 5 stars. I have GOT to read this one.
• The Bookanistas: A Touch Mortal [Lisa and Laura Write] A dark novel for older YA that's nothing short of fascinating.
• Book Review: The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker [Novel Novice] Half Nancy Drew plus half Da Vinci Code equals high-level suspence & mystery.
• POSSESS Cover Revealed! [Seanchai] Gorgeous. And love the teaser. This promises to be an excellent read.
• Darkness Becomes Her [WORD for Teens] 10/10! A glowing review for this debut.
• in which I read you the first page of LIKE MANDARIN :) [Kirsten Hubbard: YA Author + Travel Writer] Beautiful beginning and great kick off to Kirsten's blog tour.
• Review- Darkest Mercy [A Blog about Nothing] Are you scared for the series to end? Some good news. @Melissa_Marr

Contests

• Guest Post and Contest with Becca Ritchie, Author of Wynter Chelsea [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Enter by 3/10/11.
• Book #Giveaway! Hourglass and Afterlife by Claudia Gray [Candace's Book Blog] Enter by 3/1/11.
• First Page and GIVEAWAY: A & L Do Summer [First Page Panda] Enter by 3/9/11.
• Interview and Giveaway: Mad Love & Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Two great books to a lucky winner. Enter by 3/17.
• Interview with Kirsten Hubbard and a Like Mandarin ARC Giveaway! [GotYA] Awesome review and interview. Enter by 2/28 to win.
• Doubles Giveaway [Frenetic Reader] Four great new YA releases. Enter by 3/7.
• March Madness Writing, Reading, and Blogging Challenge! [Denise Jaden] Get motivated and win PRIZES!
• Guest Blog: Author Ashley March on Character Emotions (and contest!) [* Fiction Groupie *] Good article on building character emotion to engage the reader.
• Tour: Interview & Giveaway with Kimberly Marcus [Confessions of a Bookaholic] Enter by 3/14.
• Updates, Giveaways, & a video! [Tales from the Real OC (Really!)] Love @AlysonNoel? Lots of ops to win and catch her in person.
• If you like Swag... [Confessions From Suite 500] ARCs by Hannah Moskowitz and Suzanne Young, plus lots more. Ends 2/28.
• BOMB Magazine Seeks Fiction Contest Submissions [GalleyCat] $20 reading fee for chance to win $500 and publication. Less than 20 pages. Enter by 4/16.
• Awesome Contest of Awesomeness! [Suzanne Young] Enter by 2/28/11.
• International Giveaway: In the Storm [ebook] [Contests [WORD for Teens] Enter by 2/27

Issues

• Writers For The Red Cross [Inkygirl.com: Daily Diversions For Writers - by Debbie Ridpath Ohi] We're ridiculous fans of Debbie Ohi (aka @inkyelbows), who is donating her greeting cards & more to #write4red!
• Protect Yourself from Writing’s Physical Hazards [Write It Sideways] Important reminder for all of us!
• Do Record Stores Point the Way of the Future for Bookstores? [Nathan Bransford - Blog] Are record stores an apt comparison?
• Thomas Jefferson's lost books found in Missouri library [Jacket Copy] With notes in the margins. How do we do that in e-books?
• The Imminent Collapse Of The Publishing Bubble [www.publetariat.com] Is the 40-year traditional publishing bubble approaching the end.
• Resistance is Futile: The Future of Publishing [GENREALITY] Why the Big 6 must adapt to digital pub and how their delay gives writers an opportunity.
• Jane Friedman is Teaching a Webinar: ''Do Your E-Book Right (and Start Making Money)'' on Feb. 24 [Guide to Literary Agents] Should be an excellent presentation! @JaneFriedman
• Margaret Atwood on "The Publishing Pie" [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Amazing video. Included: No author, no book.
• Should writers and artists expect to make money? (Francis Ford Coppola says...) [Time to Write] Wow. Don't ever plan to quit your day job. Really?

Just for Smiles

• Reminder to writers: Don't forget to take regular breaks! [Inkygirl.com: Daily Diversions For Writers - by Debbie Ridpath Ohi] Love this cartoon--and I'm taping it to my laptop. :D
• Photographic evidence of the fading Twilight trend [Inkygirl.com: Daily Diversions For Writers - by Debbie Ridpath Ohi] So many possible puns here. But I'll restrain myself.
• I write with the truth that is like a sword of two edges that can and will penetrate each reader... [SlushPile Hell] Okay, this funny.
• Writers and Voice: new comic up on Writer Unboxed [Inkygirl.com: Daily Diversions For Writers - by Debbie Ridpath Ohi] LOVE LOVE LOVE this. @inkyelbows
• Words to Prove I'm Human [Maurissa Guibord] Haven't we all been here? :D
• You Might Be Under Deadline If… [Jami Gold, Paranormal Author] I can think of a few more, but the list seems pretty complete (and funny).

Social Media

• How to Leave Meaningful Blog Comments [There Are No Rules] Attract attention to your own site w/ impressive, not self-promoting, comments.
• How to Grow Your Reader Community with an Author Blog [The Creative Penn] Three steps to rev yours up.

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, Clara, Cam and Cici