10 Best Articles This Week for Writers 4/8/11

After the Sale

• 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?

Book Reviews

• 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.

Congrats

• 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!

Contests

• 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.

Craft

• 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 &amp; 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 &amp; 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.

Critiquing

• The Different Needs of a Writer [Write-Brained] What kind of critique partner are you and what role do you serve in your group?

Inspiration

• 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.

Issues, Trends, and News

• 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.

Just for Smiles

• 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).

Self-Editing

• 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.

Social Media

• 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

To Market

• 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.

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