- The Long and Writing Road [The Other Side of the Story] How publishing your second book is different (and sometimes more difficult) than publishing your first.
- The Difference Between Copyediting and Proofreading [Daily Writing Tips] A copyeditor improves, a proofreader corrects. Do you know the difference?
- First Page: LIKE MANDARIN [First Page Panda] @KirstenHubbard ends page one of LIKE MANADRIN on a cliffhanger. Awesome.
- Tantalizing Future YA Releases! [/- LA FEMME READERS -/] Seventeen gorgeous YA books coming up for release.
- Richelle Mead Reveals Vampire Academy Spin-Off Details [GalleyCat] Vampire Academy spin-off will have the same world, humor, high emotion, and suspense.
- Spring Fantasy Covers for Tweens [The Enchanted Inkpot.] Love MG fantasy? Here are 37 fabulous covers for books releasing this spring.
- The Girl Who Was On Fire: A Hunger Games Anthology [Novel Novice] An anthology of thought-provoking essays on the world of THE HUNGER GAMES by best-selling YA authors.
- Jennifer Egan Wins 2011 Tournament of Books [GalleyCat] Pacing gives Egan's A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD an edge over Franzen's FREEDOM.
- Why Story Engineering Is a Must-Have Book [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] @KMWeiland explains why reading Larry Brooks' STORY ENGINEERING will bring you to the next level as a writer.
- Nancy Gallt Agency Hooray! 2011 CBC List! [Hilary Wagner] Congrats 2011 Best Children's Book winners Hilary Wagner, Sophie Blackall, Naomi Howland, Emily Whitman, Janni Simner, Suzanne Weyn.
- It's A Girl! [Written In Lipstick] Happy book birthday @AmyHolder! THE LIPSTICK LAWS is out from Houghton Mifflin.
- Thank you and a GIVEAWAY [Left and Write Brained] Congrats to Saumya Adave for winning the NY Times win-a-trip contest!
- Possession Anyone? [Book Dreaming] Enter by 4/12 to win an ARC of POSSESSION by @ElanaJ
- Bookanistas Give Back--with an Awesome Contest [Shannon Whitney Messenger] QUICK! Donate for a great cause and win amazing critiques and/or books from the Bookanistas.
- Spring Writing Contest [Disgruntled Bear] Got a great logline? Enter it by 4/15 and win a crit for your query and 1st 10 pages.
- The Second of Many Contests-for-No-Reason and THE FIRST ORIGINAL SIN TEASER!! [Personal Demons] Enter by 4/15 to win a signed ARC of DEMON GLASS.
- Bookanistas Give Back [YA Author Elana Johnson] Join the Bookanistas in contributing to a good cause and win books, critiques, and more. via @ElanaJ
- April Secret Agent Early Info [Miss Snark's First Victim] Next Secret Agent contest starts 4/11. YA (thriller, contemp, SFF, horror, pnorm) & commercial women's fic.
- Giveaway: Miles from Ordinary & Bookmarks [WORD for Teens] Enter by 4/11 to win MILES FROM ORDINARY plus 30 different bookmarks. #giveaway
- A Midsummer Night's Dream Writing Contest [inkpop.strutta.com] Reimagine a scene in 5,000 words. Top 20 entries will be reviewed by a HarperCollins editor.
- April Book Giveaway!! [Writer Musings] Enter by 4/30 to win DIVERGENT or WITHER. #giveaway
- Fool for Books Giveaway Hop: Win an ARC of Moonglass by Jessi Kirby! [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Moonglass ARC available. Enter before 4/2.
- Levels of Competence [Miss Snark's First Victim] Scrabbling up the levels of competence? You're at least at Level Two.
- Finding Your Voice: Seven Tips [Cheryl's Musings] Seven tips to help you nail the voice of your mc.
- How To Include Backstory Without Killing Your Novel [www.publetariat.com] Five ways to avoid infodump.
- Books on Writing Craft! [YA Muses] Four great writing books you don't want to miss.
- The Importance of Subtext in Story - The Story Book by David Baboulene [The Blood-Red Pencil] Knowledge gaps, privilege gaps and subtext. Do you use them well?
- FINAL Symbolism Entry: Friendship/Camaraderie [The Bookshelf Muse] Say goodbye (and love) to the Symbolism Thesaurus. :< via @AngelaAckerman
- T3 - The Languages of Love [The Character Therapist] What love language do your characters speak?
- Once Upon a Backstory [QueryTracker.net] Take time to get to know your characters and you'll deepen your story organically.
- Strengthen Your Prose: Distancing Verbs [Fantasy Faction] Five words that keep readers from connecting to your story. And how to fix them.
- Literary Fingerprints [Novel Matters] GREAT post. Voice = authority. The writer's mastery of the right tools of craft to tell the story.
- Character Interview [iggi & gabi] Eighteen great questions to ask your characters.
- Guest Author Gini Koch: Finding Your Voice [The Other Side of the Story] FABULOUS exercise to help you find your writer's voice.
- Technique Toolbox - Therapy Worksheets Blog [The Character Therapist] Therapy worksheets that can help you with the psychology of your characters.
- Switching the Goal [Write About Now] Is your protag her own worst enemy? How does her nature get in the way of her goal?
- Beautifully Written [Writer Unboxed] GREAT post about ways to pull your manuscript from commercial to commercial literary.
- D is for Details [Adventures In Writing] LOVE this: The structure holds it together, but it's the details that catch the reader in our story.
- What is Dramatic Point of View? [Ingrid's Notes] Four situations where Third Person Objective POV works better than Third Subjective.
- Story Architecture: A Clinic With Popcorn [storyfix.com] Breaking down THE SOURCE CODE for a look at picture perfect story architecture.
- Why Understanding Conflict Will Make You A Better Writer [BubbleCow] Include many smaller conflicts while escalating/resolving the one that stems from the inciting incident.
- WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS [Help! I Need a Publisher!] Some great insight on Writing for Children and Teenagers from @NicolaMorgan
- Real Life Diagnostics: We Need to Talk: Bringing Out Emotions in Your Scene [The Other Side of the Story] Great line-by-line breakdown of the emotional beats of a scene. Read it and learn!
- What exactly is a Character arc? [Laura Pauling] Arc shows your mc growing from internal conflict to more confidence & acceptance of flaws.
- Character Stereotypes: The Doormat [The Character Therapist] Do you have a doormat character in your ms? Why is she that way. Get the psych 4-1-1.
- Writing humor [QueryTracker.net] Eight elements of good satire.
- Getting to the Core of Your Story [Writer Musings] Write down all the themes in your story. Find the one that you can't remove. THAT's your core.
- Cheat Sheet: How to Keep Readers Worried [*Lynnette Labelle* @Chatterbox Chitchat] Ten ways to keep readers worried enough abour protag to keep on reading.
- Description Issues [Kidlit.com] Great post! "Description makes up the stage upon which the action plays out." Balance it. Via @Kid_Lit
- A Cup of Coffee with Reggie (4) - Dystopian & Controversial Topics in YA [The Undercover Book Lover (Not Really)] A reader's perspective on 5 things that make for a great distopian novel. What do you think?
- Descriptions [It's a Mystery] Give the reader the most telling of details instead of burying them in description.
- The Flashback Quagmire [The Kill Zone] "Flashbacks. Handle with care. But in the opening chapters, don't handle them at all."
- Good writing is supposed to... [Time to Write] Good writing is supposed to evoke sensations in the reader, not the fact that it's raining, but the feeling of being rained upon. ~E.L. Doctorow
- Setting Thesaurus Entry: Wedding Ceremony (Church) [The Bookshelf Muse] Writing a wedding scene? @AngelaAckerman immerses you in the sights, smells, and sounds.
- 3 Writing Lessons I Learned from an Elementary School Field Trip [Mystery Writing is Murder] Writing tips: 1) Don't date your book 2) Don't be afraid to change the plan 3) Remember your audience. Via @ElizabethCraig
- Building a Fantasy World [Sisters in Scribe] Good reminder: Let your readers discover information only when they need it.
- Kurt Vonnegut Story Grids for Writing & Editing [GalleyCat] Use Kurt Vonnegut's story grids to chart your MCs journey on the spectrum from ectasy to misery.
- Smells Like A Novel~ Writing With The Five Senses [Falling Leaflets] Thinking about a scene with all your senses helps put you and your reader there.
- Balance the Party—Guide to Creating Legendary Characters [Kristen Lamb's Blog] Make conflict generated by your antag escalate until the reader MUST finish your book.
- Busted!—Janet Fitch and her unlikable character, Part 2 [The Blood-Red Pencil] GREAT post on showing relatable inner conflict through setting, inner monologue, sense imagery, and more.
- We can’t leave fiction alone—Talking Plot [A. Victoria Mixon, Editor] "Listen in" as Victoria Mixon & Roz Morris discuss plot in their new series of editor chats.
- The Different Needs of a Writer [Write-Brained] What kind of critique partner are you and what role do you serve in your group?
- Three Rules for Writing a Novel [Words and Such] All the writing rules in one amusing post.
- Things I Know and Things I Don't [Paranormal Point of View] Love this post about what we know and control as writers. via @LisaGailGreen
- Class of 2k11 Writing Advice [Class of 2K11] The 2k11 authors give aspiring writers their best advice.
- Magical Thinking, Voodoo Dolls and Other Ways to Keep Believing in Your Work [Beyond The Margins] What's the magical thinking model that helps you keep writing?
- 4 Ways to Make Your Writing Schedule Work [Author, Jody Hedlund] Scale-back, simplify, sacrifice, support--the four s's that make your writing schedule work.
- Generosity Is More Than a Word [Myra McEntire] Beautiful and important post from @MyraMcEntire about using our neurotic writers' inclinations.
- Book Deal Envy [GalleyCat] Book deal envy? Get over yourself. You are in charge of the book. The rest? Not in your control.
- Ever Feel Like a Failure? [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] Getting rejected? Reframe the failure and look at it as simply part of the process.
- 20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your Story [Daily Writing Tips] Brilliant first lines in twenty different tones. Need some inspiration?
- JUMPING OFF A CLIFF [Grab a Pen] LOVE this --> Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. ~Neale Donald Walsch via @TaherehMafi
- 10 Creativity Lessons from George Carlin (Part Three, Plus a Bonus Lesson!) [Excuse Editor] "This whole thing is probably about connecting." Creativity in a nutshell from George Carlin.
- B is for Believing [Adventures In Writing] When you write fantasy, clap for the fairies, just in case.
- 15 Famous Authors Who Were Published Late In Life [www.publetariat.com] Great authors who didn't publish until their forties and beyond.
- YA Deals By The Numbers [Kate Hart] GREAT post with charts on YA deals by advance, debut, and number of books.
- So Long, Farewell, Goodbye and Adieu [Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room] Michelle Brower leaves 'Dead Guy' blog and Josh Getzler will step in.
- Agents, Self-Publishing, Etc. [Lightning + Lightning Bugs - Musings from Weronika Janczuk, Literary Agent] The pros, cons, caveats and prognosis for traditional vs. e-publishing from an agent's POV.
- Interested in a Critique? Or a Signed Book? [The Other Side of the Story] Do a good deed for charity by bidding on a signed book or critique.
- HARRY POTTER ON HIS JOURNEY TO PUBLICATION [Grab a Pen] OMG Read this. LOVE this! HP wants Hermione to read his ms. via @TaherehMafi
- The FOLLIES of Writerhood [Writers' Ally aka ➔ sa larsenッ] Being a writer sometimes makes you do weird things... via @sherwordsgirl
- Manuscript Makeovers [Class of 2K11] From Tweeze as You Please to Complete Reconstructive Surgery: how do you revise?
- The Humane Approach to Darlings [Jest Kept Secret] Great --> Because you're a literary darling, life is H.A.R.D.
- Best Insults [Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels, comic books and graphic novels] Think Americans invented snark? Here are some of the world's best insults. And guess what...
- How Writing is Like Spending Eight+ Hours Trying to Rescue Your Cat from Underneath Your House [Franklin, Ink] Writing is all about rescuing something that you love. Against all odds.
- Comic: Hazards Of The Occupation [Writer Unboxed]
- Are You Ready for Fame? [Writer Unboxed] Great post from Nava Atlas about CLASSIC AUTHORS DISH ABOUT BEING IN THE PUBLIC EYE.
- To peek or not to peek, that is the question [Julie Musil] How often do you check your email while querying?
- 10 Rules Every Aspiring Author Needs to Know... aka How to get Published and Make Friends [Brodi Ashton] The 10 Golden Rules of Becoming an Author (April Fool's Day edition).
- What in the Heck is a Content Edit? [Words from the Woods] A content edit checks for inconsistencies that pull readers out of your story.
- Proper Use of The Colon [Daily Writing Tips] The care and feeding of the colon, and the capital(s) that (may) follow.
- 5 Revising Tricks [YA Highway] Five ways to see your manuscript with new eyes.
- Give Your Writing a Revision Sweep [WOW! Women On Writing Blog] Six steps to help you trim and tighten your manuscript.
- One Way to Tell if Your Prologue (and Epilogue) Is Unnecessary [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Would your novel lost context or clarity without the prologue? Or does it just get in the way?
- 5 Ways to Fix the Comma Splice [Daily Writing Tips] Great post on identifying and fixing a comma splice beyond using a conjunction..
- Grammar Police: Alot vs A lot vs Allot [Justine Dell] Alot is not a word. Allot means to divide or distribute something you may have a lot of.
- Why Most Writers Are Blind to Their Own Faults [Author, Jody Hedlund] Four reasons you can't see what's wrong with your ms, and three ways to be more realistic.
- Can You Read This? (If so, you need an editor) [The Blood-Red Pencil] If yuo can raed tihs, you hvae a sgtrane mnid, too. Fascinating post. Try it!
- Those last two inches -- or when do you stop? [Blue Rose Girls] Some rules of thumb about when to stop editing and just submit.
- Paragraphs past and present [edittorrent] Keep progression as coherent as you can within a paragraph, including time progression.
- DO YOU HAVE GRAMMARPHOBIA? [Help! I Need a Publisher!] Grammar questions? Check the Grammarphobia blog.
- The Ubiquitous, Wandering It [The Editor's Blog] Strengthen cleft sentences, and your impersonal, anticipatory, and vague "it" usage for more evocative prose.
- How Can Authors Reach (Non-Writer) Readers Online? [* Fiction Groupie *] Your blog may be focused on writing, but you can be random (& connect with your readers) on Twitter.
- Coffee Break ...You're invited to a Live Chat with freelance editor/agent intern CA Marshall [Brenda Drake Writes . . . under the influence of coffee.] Clear your schedule for this can't-miss chat with @CA_Marshall over at @brendadrake's blog! 4/13 3pmEST.
- Twitterific [Mystery Writing is Murder] @elizabethscraig collects all her tweets each week in one Twitterific list.
- 4 Ways to Avoid the Pitfalls of a Writer’s Solitude [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Many writers are introverted. Here's how to keep solitude from turning into loneliness.
- The Aspiring Author’s Blog Isn’t Just About Platform [Writer Unboxed] Eleven ways your blog can bring you closer to published. Via @WriteItSideways
- No, Really. Finish the Manuscript. [Jennifer Represents...] Agents are matchmakers looking for ms they can love and sell with polishing. via @Literaticat
- Bustin’ out: when agents flee the coop [Behler Blog] When an agent leaves, what can you do to make a smooth transition?
- Agent Spotlight: Sarah LaPolla [Literary Rambles] Sarah LaPolla is looking for horror, dark mystery and fairytales for YA.
- How to Survive a Writers Conference: Dos and Don’ts to making it out alive [Beyond The Margins] Ten ways to get the most out of a writer's conference.
- Agent Advice: Holly McGhee of Pippin Properties, Inc. [Guide to Literary Agents] Agent Holly McGhee seeks beautifully written MG & YA stories that come from the heart, across all genres.
- April’s Next Live Event [WriteOnCon.com] @Natalie_Fischer will comment on 50 queries live 4/13 on #WriteOnCon. Get your queries in!
- Workshop Wednesday [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] Succinct query letter critique from Kim Lionetti at Bookends LLC.
- Networking at National Conventions [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Going to a national conference? Two ways to connect with agents and editors.
- Lies (Dishonest) Fee-Charging Publishers Tell [Writer Beware™ Blogs!] Misleading publisher statements that should make you sit up and take notice.
- Polishing Your Manuscript: Beyond the First Pages [YA Highway] Four things to check before you send that query.
- Live Query Event With Literary Agent Roseanne Wells [WriteOnCon.com] Look over an agent's shoulder as Roseanne Wells reviews queries for WriteOnCon.
- Synopsis Example: ''Courage Under Fire'' (Thriller / Mystery) [Guide to Literary Agents] Writing a synopsis? Here's a good example for COURAGE UNDER FIRE.
- Coolest Parts of Querytracker [The Katacomb] Use Querytracker? Are you making the most of it? via @KatZhang
- Sub Ops Ten [Paperback Writer] Ten places you can submit your fiction.
- Getting Our Hopes Up [Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent] On the road to pub, celebrate every bit of good news, but balance it with reality.
- Why being agented is weird: reason #1 [Dancing with Dragons is Hard on Your Shoes.] What you lose by getting an agent. (Hint, you aren't going to miss it!)
- BookEnds Welcomes Jessica Alvarez [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] New agent Jessica Alvarez joins BookEnds. Looking for women's fiction & romance.
- You gotta have an agreement first, doggone it [Behler Blog » You gotta have an agreement first, doggone it] Don’t ignore red flags with an agent or publisher. They just may save you from losing your book.
- Preparing for Publication--Writing Your Book's Premise and Synopsis [How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book] What's unique about your story? Find 5 inner/outer elements to craft your pitch.
- Query Letter Basics [Magical Words] Often the blurb on the back of a paperback is exactly what appeared in the query letter.
- letters from the query wars 4.2.2011 [Et in arcaedia, ego.] Queries = 336, Requests = 2. Voice is what made Jennifer Jackson want to read more.
- Pitching IS a Job Interview [Babbles from Scott Eagan] Pitching? How to show that agent you're the right person for the job.
- Once More Upon A Time [Glass Cases] Fairytales are now that dreaded word: TREND. How can yours stand out in a sea of thousands?
- More Notes on Pitching [Where Fantasy and Love Take Flight] Five things to include in your pitch.
- Pitching Is Nothing More Than A Job Interview [Babbles from Scott Eagan] A pitch is a job interview. Period.
- Another Children’s Editor Weighs In [Pub Rants] Eight things Kristin Nelson wants you to query her with.
- It's Not You, It's Your Query [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] If you aren't getting at least a request for every 20 queries, rewrite your query.
- Question from a Writer - Contests [Babbles from Scott Eagan] A caution about contests and what they really mean.
- 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.
Happy reading and joyous writing,
Martina, Marissa and Clara
Great list! (as usual) :D
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to let you know I'm holding a contest/give-away for a free copy of INVINCIBLE SUMMER by Hannah Moskowitz plus a signed bookmark and a signed magnet, starting today. Details are here:
http://lydiasharp.blogspot.com/2011/04/epic-breakinvincible-summer-give-away_08.html
WOW. This post is awesome! Thanks for all the links! (I'll be back here every week.)
ReplyDeleteA great-looking list to wander through on a Friday. :) Already intrigued by the second article, the diff between copyediting and proofreading! Thanks for the long linky list. :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome stuff, ladies. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat links, ladies. Thank you for including my D is for Details post. <3
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the awesome links. So many yummy ones. :D
ReplyDeleteI always love your list...It points me in the right direction for finding information for writers in my country......You Guys Rock!
ReplyDeleteI'm digging in to this great smorgasboard of readings once again. Thank you! And thanks for the mention, too--appreciate it a bunch :-)
ReplyDeleteWow, what a terrific roundup!
ReplyDeleteWe're also running a contest on our TeachingAuthors blog to celebrate the release of Gretchen Woelfle's novel, ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE (Holiday House), which has already received terrific reviews from BOOKLIST and KIRKUS. To enter, readers must post a comment by 11 pm (CST) Wednesday, April 20. See:
http://tinyurl.com/3rjrcbf
Carmela
TeachingAuthors