6 Best Articles This Week for Writers 7/1/11

This is going to be our last round-up for a little while. Both Marissa and I are going to be taking a blogging break this month as we travel and catch up with family and life. We'll still be reading and tweeting posts whenever possible, and the lovely Clara will be keeping an eye on the blogosphere. Tune in tomorrow for some exciting news about our workshop, too! We've got an amazing guest to help Lisa Gail Green out this month. Once I get back from SCBWI-LA though, or maybe even sooner, I'll do a monster post of the best of July. And in the meantime, we've scheduled some craft posts for you, and we've got some amazing guest articles coming up, so don't leave us. Have a great month!

Hugs,

Martina and Marissa

After the Sale

• Writers: six things NOT to do during TV and radio interviews [Time to Write] Interview coming up? Six survival tips you need to read.
• The Truth About Book Editors [GalleyCat] Want a peek into the editorial process? John Green shares input from Julie Strauss-Gabel. [
• How To Sell 1 Million Books On Kindle: Lessons Learned From John Locke [The Creative Penn] Nine lessons on writing as a business you can learn from John Locke's million Kindle sales.

Book Reviews

• Book Review: Flawless [Mundie Moms] High marks for Lara Chapman's FLAWLESS.

Congrats

• It's a deal! Teri Terry and Slated find a home with Orchard Books [Notes from the Slushpile] Congrats, Teri Terry on your three book deal with Orchard Books!
• The Announcement You've All Been Waiting For [YA Muses] Big Congrats to Donna Cooner for the sale of SKINNY to Scholastic at auction. [

Contests

• Recommending Wildefire (With an ARC Giveaway) [Carolina Valdez Miller] Enter by 7/7 to win ARC of WILDEFIRE by Karsten Knight. [
• When a Supporting Character Tries To Take Over [Paranormal Point of View] Words of advice for the runaways in your ms, and a chance to win ORIGINAL SIN. [
• Four teens judge your story . . . with three editing prizes up for grab! [Brenda Drake Writes . . .] Great contest and critique op with @CAMarshall and three teen judges. [
• Website + Teaser = Giveaway FUN [Some Things I Think...] Fun giveaway from @KMWalton1 -- guess the location of the photo.
• Freedom Giveaway Hop: Win an ARC of Hourglass by Myra McEntire! [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Enter by 7/7 to win HOURGLASS by @MyraMcEntire. [
• Giveaway: Win an ARC of Flying Blind by Deborah Cooke [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Enter by July 10th to win!
• Interview: Lisa Desrochers (& Giveaway) [WORD for Teens] Enter by 7/4 to win Lisa Desrochers PERSONAL DEMONS and ARC of ORIGINAL SIN. [
• Q&A with Forgotten author Cat Patrick & a contest! [Novel Novice] Enter by 7/4 to win Cat Patrick's FORGOTTEN. [
• Top Ten List with Lisa Desrochers & Signed Galley Giveaway for Original Sin! [THE BOOK BUTTERFLY] Want a signed galley of ORIGINAL SIN? Is hell gunning for your soul? [

Craft

• Setting Thesaurus Entry: GLOBAL WARMING (Futuristic) [The Bookshelf Muse] Excellent new entry for the setting thesaurus. [
• 10 Tips For Building Your Writing Checklist [Guide to Literary Agents] Ten ways to focus your writing from Mark Charan Newton. [
• Building a Slow Burning Romance with Janice Hardy [* Roni Loren - Fiction Groupie *] Make your romance simmer, not burn.
• Why Nice Characters Equal No Conflict [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] 'Conflict is the heart of fiction.'
• Kicking Out a Fast First Draft [Writer Unboxed] Ann Greenwood Brown shares her first-draft process.
• Scene and Chapter Endings [The Sharp Angle] Great tips to keep in mind as you craft your final lines.
• Show versus Tell: Macro-, Micro-, and When to Use It [Let The Words Flow] Sometimes, telling is important.
• Basics of Writing, part X: Pacing Your Novel Musically [Magical Words] Small victories along the way can make future failures or defeats more poignant. [
• First Person vs. Third Person [Nathan Bransford, Author] GREAT article about where the tension really lies in 1st & 3rd POVs. [
• How Do You Like Your Heroes? [Katie Ganshert] Great heros know who they love, and they're willing to die for their women. [
• Less Obvious Channels of Description [The Sharp Angle] Don't settle for generic, overused descriptions. Push yourself. [
• Dropbox can simplify writing life [Buffy's write zone] Using Dropbox to synchronize your story between your laptop, cell, and desktop. [
• Getting that Story Down On Paper [Mystery Writing is Murder] Six tips for keeping your story moving forward. [
• Character Traits Thesaurus Entry: Reckless [The Bookshelf Muse] Another great tool for your writer's arsenal. The character traits thesaurus. [
• How to write a fast-paced novel (Joseph Finder's method) [Time to Write] Thriller recipe: Surprise, reverse, reveal, and only put 10 percent of your research on the page.
• Of Quirks and Characters [Magical Words] Characters must sometimes do the unexpected to be 3-D. [
• Ask the editor: Trusting the reader [The Book Deal: A Publishing Blog for Writers and Book People] Let the story tell itself. Great examples of too much and too little telling from Alan Rinzler.
• Plot Questions [Brooklyn Arden] Editor Cheryl Klein lists twenty-three critical questions to ask yourself about your book.
• Writing Rules? What Writing Rules? [.W.I.P. It] Most readers don’t know the rules, but they recognise a good story. [
• Researching Your Story – A Four-Step Strategy [Let The Words Flow] Four streamlined steps to researching your new ms. [
• Don’t keep your distance – capture the experience [Nail Your Novel] That’s what we do as writers. We try to capture the experience. [
• The Secret to Mastering Plot–Getting Primal [Kristen Lamb's Blog] Great novel = simple plot + primal drives + primal drives + solid stakes. [
• Why There’s No Such Thing as a Writing Expert—And Why That’s a Good Thing [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Never stop learning, never believe you’ve achieved mastery. [
• How to Avoid Last Line “Lemons” + GIVEAWAY! [The Bookshelf Muse] Help your last line resonate with readers and illuminate the book. [

Critiquing

• Editors Are Not Out to Get You! [Writers in the Sky E-zine] Improve your writing career by checking your ego at the door. [
• Real Life Diagnostics: Voice, Tone, and a Little Bit of Scary [The Other Side of the Story] Nice analysis and critique of a very nice novel opening. [

Inspiration

• What to Do When Your Writing Plan for the Day is Wrecked [Mystery Writing is Murder] The best laid writing plans may fail. Prepare a Plan B.
• Writing when we're not writing [Julie Musil] Five ways to keep writing when you can't get to the computer. [
• How to Write a Bestseller [.W.I.P. It] How to define a bestseller and how to write one. [
• Creativity: How 20 Bad Ideas Can Kick-Start Your Imagination [The Creative Penn] Great: Write 20 ideas. They won't all be good, but they also won't all be bad. [
• When Jealousy Turns Ugly [YA Highway] Your career is the only one you have any control over, so that’s the one to focus on. [
• How Do We Stay Content With Our Own Writing Journeys? [Author, Jody Hedlund] Count your own blessings. Every writing journey is unique. [
• 5 Things More Important Than Talent [Writer Unboxed] Wonder if you have talent? Five questions that will get you further. [
• Happy Writers: It's Never Over [Between Fact and Fiction] Great reminder that it takes perseverence and the ability to keep improving. [
• Magic in Fantasy: Real Magic [Fantasy Faction] Great discussion of magical systems, folk medicine, lore, and past religious beliefs. [
• What Makes A Book "Real"? [Between Fact and Fiction] What makes a book legitimate? Finishing it? Pubbing it? Reaching readers? [
• Not Writing Enough? 5 Tips for Disorganized, Distracted Writers [Quips and Tips for Successful Writers] Need to up your productivity? Great tips to get more writing done. [
• Failure–The Forge of Excellence [Kristen Lamb's Blog] OMG, I LOVE @KristenLambTX -- read this! I dare you not to be inspired!

Issues, News, and Trends

• Agencies Becoming Publishers--a Trend and a Problem [Writer Beware™ Blogs!] More agencies are getting into self-pubbing. Is this a good thing? [
• Penguin Classics iPhone App Launches with Annotations for 1,500 Titles [GalleyCat] New Penguin Classics iPhone app has 1500 annotations and 65 quizzes on classic novels. [
• When authors get hit with the stupid stick [Behler Blog] Writer stages fake kidnapping of agents' kids to promote own work. Seriously? [
• Estributors Redux [A Newbie's Guide to Publishing] Joe Konrath on the recent Dystel & Goderich move to help clients e-pub.
• Literary Agents: An Endangered Species? [Anne R. Allen's Blog] How are literary agents preparing for the future? Depends on the agency and the ethics. [
• 4 Steps To Writing Fitness [Excuse Editor] Is writing making you gain weight? Get to the root of your problems. [
• Writers: beware of quoting song lyrics [Time to Write] The high price of quoting song lyrics in a novel. Writer beware!
• Harry Potter and the Deathly DRM [GalleyCat] JKR decides no DRM on Harry Potter books. Will use watermarks only. [

Just for Smiles

• Friday Fun! [Rachelle Gardner] A perfect lesson in proofreading. Check it out. [

Self-Editing

• 8 Steps to More Concise Writing [Daily Writing Tips] Are you wordy? Here are eight quick tips to trim back all but the good stuff. [
• When to Capitalize Words for Compass Points [Daily Writing Tips] Should you capitalize the name of a region? A direction on a map? [
• How to Kick Your Characters Out of the Car [YA Highway] Five ways to distance yourself from your story so you can see it clearly. [
• Orwell’s Writing Rules Are Made to Be Broken [Daily Writing Tips] Six more writing rules to consider following and breaking at your pleasure.

Social Media

• Author Web Sites: The Basics [Kathleen Ortiz] Great post on what to include in your author web site. [
• 30 Blog Topics For Writers [WOW! Women On Writing Blog] Thirty ways to do something interesing on your writer's blog. [
• When Is the Best Time To Post on Twitter? [GalleyCat] Want to know when to tweet to reach more writers? [
• Understanding Influence–Making the Most of Our Time on Social Media [Kristen Lamb's Blog] Social media-- it's all in your approach.

To Market

• Do Publishers Market Books? [Rachelle Gardner] The full story on publisher sales teams and marketing depts and how they help promote your ms.
• Have you met my interns yet? Here’s your chance. [Red Sofa Literary] Meeet the two new interns at Red Sofa Literary.
• Agent Spotlight: Miriam Kriss [Literary Rambles] Agent Miriam Kriss loves YA, modern UF, romance, and other commercial fiction. [
• 6 Benefits of Having an Agent in Today's Publishing World [Author, Jody Hedlund] Why having an agent really is in your best interests.
• Advances: How Can I Find Who Got What? [Rachelle Gardner] You pretty much can't unless you ask the author.
• What Agents Are Chirping About! [Falling Leaflets] Querying? Read these tweets first. [
• Query Paranoia [Rachelle Gardner] Send your query out already. [
• Other things you can safely leave out of your query [Behler Blog] Don't brag, flatter, preamble, or show you've rushed to query IN YOUR QUERY. [
• What Publishers are Looking for Today and Tomorrow [.W.I.P. It] Three things publishers are looking for right now and in general. [
• Five Promotion Tips for the Shy Writer by Lindsey Bell [* Roni Loren - Fiction Groupie *] Five tips to prepare for RWA Nationals, SCBWI-LA, or any other writerly event. [
• Dystel & Goderich ‘To Facilitate e-Publishing’ for Some Clients [GalleyCat] D&G, another big agency, gives their clients a self-pub option. [
• “The Help” – Isolating and Understanding the First “Pinch Point” [storyfix.com] What's a pinch point? And where do you find the 1st one in The Help? [

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