Best Articles This Week for Writers 8/12/11

I'm back from SCBWI-LA (what a ride!) and Marissa is back from the Dominican Republic, so the blog should be getting more or less back to normal. (Fingers crossed) for a bit. But I have to give a HUGE shout-out to Clara Kensie for keeping on top of all the Google Reading to track all these amazing articles!

As you know, I'm more of an absorber than a note-taker, so I'm not giving  you any play-by-play from the LA conference. Alice Pope and all the other bloggers have already done that. It was an amazing experience though: so many inspirational speakers and keynotes, and so many amazing success stories and tales of perseverence. We do have some wonderful writers lined up to give us some additional take aways. I'm excited to start posting these in the coming weeks.

Oh, and another note. We missed this month's First Five Pages workshop, but we'll be starting up again the first Saturday of September. Get those manuscripts ready!

Happy writing,

Martina

After the Sale

• Confessions Of A Writer With A Book Deal [Between Fact and Fiction]
• How Much Has Book Marketing Changed Since 2005? [Jane Friedman]
• A Three-Way Conversation: The Authors-Agent-Editor Relationship [The Official SCBWI Conference Blog]
• Ten things I'll do with my next books that I didn't with the first ones [Coming Down the Mountain: A Writer's Blog]
• How To Market Your Book [Rachelle Gardner]
• Best of the Web Book Marketing Tips for the Week of July 25, 2011 [Author Marketing Experts, Inc. » BLOG]
• Authors Dish on Stage Presence: “Un-Mike Before You Throw Up” [Beyond The Margins]

Book Reviews

• Introduction to As You Wish by Jackson Pearce [Novel Novice]
• Book Review: Possess by Gretchen McNeil [Candace's Book Blog]
• JONATHAN AUXIER INTERVIEW AND BOOK GIVEAWAY [Literary Rambles] Lovely interview.
• What is the Best Childrens Book of All Time? [Nathan Bransford, Author] Is it TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD? Thoughts?
• Book Review and Giveaway: Forgotten [Mundie Moms] 5/5 stars
• Blowout by Taylor Morris (+ Giveaway!) [Frenetic Reader] A fun, adorable MG read.
• Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt [The Bookologist] A page-turner w/ relatable characters.
• Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi [The Undercover Book Lover (Not Really)] A+ rating by Undercover Book Lover
• THE MIND-BLOWERY OF FLORENCE AND GILES [Help! I Need a Publisher!] @nicolamorgan loved this book so much we must read it too!
• Book Review: A Long, Long Sleep [Confessions of a YA Writer] 4/5 stars
• Sweetly by Jackson Pearce: YA Fairy Tale Reading List [Novel Novice]
• Dream Dark: Interview with Kami Garcia & Margie Stohl [Mundie Moms]
• THE NEAR WITCH is Born! [Myra McEntire] A lovely post from @MyraMcEntire about the launch of @veschwab's release.
• Read the 1st Chapter of MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE! [Anna Staniszewski] Sneak peek!
• August 2011 YA Releases [Mundie Moms] A quick list.
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children [WORD for Teens] 9/10 stars
• Book Review: Always A Witch [Mundie Moms] 5/5 stars!
• The White Assassin Book Trailer is HERE!! [Hilary Wagner] Excellent!

Contests

• Freebie Friday- Chain Reaction Giveaway! [Mundie Moms] Enter by 8/13.
• Fantasy-Faction’s Writing Competitions [Fantasy Faction] Winner's story is published on blog!
• Sweetly by Jackson Pearce: Fairy Tale Writing Contest [Novel Novice] Enter by 8/31!
• Our 3rd Annual Writing Contest and Anthology [The Literary Lab] Cool contest
• First Line Critique [Kidlit.com] Post your own in the comments, comment on others, and Mary Kole may help.
• The Trifecta of Awesome Giveaway [Shannon Whitney Messenger] SUPERNATURALLY, THE FREND KISS, WOLFSBANE. Enter by 8/6.

Craft of Writing

• Zener cards, ESP, parapsychology, and THE UNSEEN [Alexandra Sokoloff]
• When Your Writing Seems Wooden [Mystery Writing is Murder]
• How Do You Deal with Difficult Characters? [Jami Gold, Paranormal Author]
• On Endings [The Literary Lab] Five things to avoid.
• Fiction Writing Workshop [Writers Digest University] starts 8/18.
• HarperCollins Children’s Division Celebrates Its 2nd Best Year [GalleyCat] Hooray!
• Top 5 Things To Do Before WriteOnCon 2011 [WriteOnCon.com]
• The Best Advice I Ever Got: Gretchen McNeil and Leah Cypess [Anna Staniszewski]
• WITS Tip of the Month on Microsoft Word [Writers in the Sky E-zine] Great tip on creating an index.
• Why Second Novels Are So Different from the First [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors]
• Scene or Summary - How to Decide [*Lynnette Labelle* @Chatterbox Chitchat] Great post
• Handling Backstory [Mystery Writing is Murder]
• Writing Thrillers And Action Adventure With David Wood [The Creative Penn] Very nice post.
• Writing a Saleable Book [Let The Words Flow]
• What To Write? Was Mark Twain correct? [GENREALITY]
• Literary Agents: Top Ten Ways to Make or Break that Relationship, Number 4, The Agent as Friend (when that is possible) [Magical Words]
• WOW Wednesday: Riley Carney on the Reasons You Write [Adventures in Children's Publishing] Love this post.
• Adding More World To Your Novel [YA Author Elana Johnson]
• Guest Post: Time and Time Again [Seeing Creative] On finding time to write.
• Figuring Out Your Strengths and Weaknesses [QueryTracker.net]
• Sharing the Spotlight: How Much Time Do Supporting Characters Need? [The Other Side of the Story]
• Is Your Character a Windbag? [Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors] Keep readers engaged with brevity and conflict.
• Top 5 Plot Principles [Left and Write Brained] Plotting basics
• Wake up your readers! How to thicken a plot [The Book Deal: A Publishing Blog for Writers and Book People]
• Character Trait Entry: Charismatic [The Bookshelf Muse]
• 5 Tips on Writing Outside Your Gender - Guest Post by Jay Kristoff [YA Highway]
• My Homemade MFA [Beyond The Margins] @BTMargins' favorite tips culled from craft books.
• Writing Tips: How to Start Your Novel [The League of Extraordinary Writers] Save the Cat = save your ms.
• Writing Tips: Billy Wilder [The League of Extraordinary Writers]
• Middles, Part 3: The Meandering Middle [Fantasy Faction]
• Describing Appearances: Moving Beyond Eye & Hair Color [Author, Jody Hedlund]
• Revise Grand Entrance Scene to Set up Character Relationship [Fiction Notes]
• Conflict vs Tension [The Bookshelf Muse] BRILLIANT post. Read it. Yesterday.
• Location, Location, Location [Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room] The importance of setting.
• How to Make Yourself and Your Writing Stand Out [Write It Sideways]
• The First Sentence as an Amuse-Bouche [Writer Unboxed]
• Capturing Emotions on Paper: storyteller or spiritual guide? [Words from the Woods]
• Lessons from the U.S. women’s soccer team. [Laura Pauling] Why do books stay with you?
• Getting To the Core of the Character [Paranormal Point of View] Excellent post!
• Taking Notes on Captain America [GENREALITY] What are the moments to remember in your own work?
• Ta Dah! [YA Muses] 9 Steps to Plotting
• Where Do You Want Me? Choosing Narrative Distance in Multiple Third Person [The Other Side of the Story]
• The Emotional Color Wheel [christina lee] How many emotions will your readers feel?
• How to build a Villain, by Jim Butcher [Magical Words]
• Writing Tip: Don’t Block the Flow [Kim Harrington] Don't slow down.
• Cutting Dialogue Tags [Writing Fiction Right from novelist Gail Gaymer Martin] Can you cut ALL your tags? Gale Gaymer Martin did!
• Sub-plots, Main Plots, and Digressions [The Editor's Blog] Bookmark-worthy post
• That Tricky Balance of Show and Tell in Your Writing--How Do You Work with It? [How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book]
• Thoughts On: Love Triangles [WORD for Teens] Fantastic article
• 14 Quick Tips for Fantastic Fantasy Writing [Ingrid's Notes]
• Character Trait Entry: Shy [The Bookshelf Muse] Includes cliches to avoid.
• Finding Your Voice [GENREALITY]
• Happy Writers: Steal Like A Pro [Between Fact and Fiction]
• Harry's Ultimate Ordeal [Harry Potter for Writers] Fantastic.
• Handle Popular Culture Terms with Care [Daily Writing Tips]
• Crucial tips for when you don't know how to start writing your project [Time to Write] Six more tips to get you going.
• It’s Over: Getting Readers to the Ending, and Making Them Glad They Came [The Other Side of the Story]
• Gearing Up For WriteOnCon 2011 – Faculty Announcements! [WriteOnCon.com]
• Gearing Up For WriteOnCon 2011 – Live Forum Events and How They Work [WriteOnCon.com]
• Gearing Up For WriteOnCon 2011 – More Faculty Announcements! [WriteOnCon.com]
• The Pain of Resetting–Loving Your Novel…Even When It Hurts [Kristen Lamb's Blog]
• Writing — Write Even Faster [Magical Words]

Critiquing

• It's All About Critiques: Good and Bad [The Other Side of the Story]
• http://www.stinalindenblatt.com/2011/08/what-or-dealing-with-critiques.html [Seeing Creative] Don't bash your betas!

Inspiration

• What’s your writing weight? [Words from the Woods] Good post!
• 10 Things I Believe About Writing [The Kill Zone]
• Judy Blume in tweets (from LASCBWI) and a winner! [Laura Pauling] Judy Blume ROCKED LA!
• When You Think You Might Quit... [YA Author Elana Johnson] Don't.
• YA INDIE CARNIVAL: MY BIGGEST INDIE SURPRISE [ROOTS IN MYTH]
• Wordy Wednesday: THREE BEAUTIFUL LESSONS [Writer on the Side] Lovely, brief post.
• 4 Keys to Unlocking Your Creativity [Author, Jody Hedlund]
• News from the Trenches- SCBWI LA [YA Muses]
• Writing Lessons from "The Help" (Part 1) [Excuse Editor] Brilliant points about dedication and courage.
• 7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Sarah Alderson [Guide to Literary Agents]
• Laurie Halse Anderson: Daring the Universe [The Official SCBWI Conference Blog] Writing forces you to be alive.
• Sarah Stewart: writing up to children [The Official SCBWI Conference Blog] Brilliant & inspirational.
• LIBBA BRAY: Writing It All Wrong: A Survival Manual [The Official SCBWI Conference Blog] Must-read.
• Writers, YOU are courageous! [Julie Musil] Thanks, @JulieMusil!
• One-Manuscript Diva or Working Novelist? [The Editor's Blog] Fantastic post.
• Why Are So Many Writers Plagued With Insecurities? [Author, Jody Hedlund]
• Things I Never Considered About Being a Writer [Paranormal Point of View]
• Success Does Not Happen Over-Night [Babbles from Scott Eagan]
• On Distractions [Nathan Bransford, Author] "It can be your most productive time."
• The Solution to Every Writing Problem That Has Ever Existed [Nathan Bransford, Author]
• 5 ways to keep our writing brains active [Julie Musil] When you can't write.
• Success Story With Happy Photo [Miss Snark's First Victim] Great story. Get inspired!
• THE TOP 5 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BACK IN 1993 [Some Things I Think...]
• Writing Tips: What I Wish I Knew [The League of Extraordinary Writers] An unreasonable expectation
• Consistency Accomplishes the Impossible [Rachelle Gardner] by Dianne Christner
• Easy vs. do-able vs. impossible [Seth's Blog] Ignore easy.
• Why Are So Many Writers In Such a Hurry? [Author, Jody Hedlund] Are you rushing your writing career?
• Write Fifteen Minutes a Day Challenge – Welcome! [Mad Woman in the Forest]

Issues, News, and Trends

• SOLSTICE: When your Agent is your Editor [ROOTS IN MYTH]
• National Book Awards Accepted Interactive eBook [GalleyCat]
• Keynote: Emma Dryden on Traveling Through the Digital Landscape [The Official SCBWI Conference Blog]
• Donna Jo Napoli keynote: How writing about terrible things makes your reader a better person [The Official SCBWI Conference Blog]
• The Next 10 Ebook Trends [www.publetariat.com] Very interesting.
• Notes from the Career Development Desk [Jennifer Represents...] Interesting post!
• A Rating System for Books, Part Two: How Can We Include Context? [Jami Gold, Paranormal Author]
• When agents become publishers – consequences [Behler Blog] The issues in a nutshell.

Just for Smiles

• The Anxious Writer: 200 Questions Before Lunch [Beyond The Margins]
• Murphy's Law of Agenting [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency]
• The Best Laid Plans... [It's a Mystery] The Plan vs. The Reality
• Field Trip Friday, Twitter Version: July 29, 2011 [Kate Hart] Some great tweets in here!

Self-Editing

• 10 Terms of Gender Identity [Daily Writing Tips]
• Hyphenation in Compound Nouns [Daily Writing Tips]
• Cues from the Coach: Turning Writing-Rule Lemons into Literary Lemonade [The Blood-Red Pencil] Good examples.
• Description and Your Characters' Lens [The Bluestocking Blog] Using that lens to pass on info.
• Wait! Don’t Kill That Darling! The REAL Skinny on Self-Editing from Samuel Park [Anne R. Allen's Blog]
• Revision Checklist (Reprise) [YA Muses]
• Game On: Staying Organized During Revisions [The Other Side of the Story]
• Pre-Revision: Before You Break Out the Red Ink [QueryTracker.net]
• Grammar ABCs: D is for Dashes [The Blood-Red Pencil]
• Writing Tools [KK Lifestream] Dozens of craft books condensed to 50 tips!
• How to revise your novel without getting stale – take a tip from Michael Caine [Nail Your Novel]

Social Media

• 5 Reasons Facebook and Twitter Will Never Replace My Blog [Cat's Eye Writer Blog | Judy Dunn | Blogging Coach | Social Media Copywriter]
• Want to contribute to The Muffin? [WOW! Women On Writing Blog] Great opportunity!
• 3 Invaluable Takeaways for Writers: Willamette 2011 [Jane Friedman]
• Spam Toad vs. Author Brand [Kristen Lamb's Blog] Name + Great Content + POSITIVE FEELINGS = Brand.
• Writer Under Construction - 10 Things I'd Do Differently [* Roni Loren - Fiction Groupie *] Excellent blogging tips!
• WRITEONCON IS COMING! [Literary Rambles] And we can't wait!
• Emma Dryden and Harold Underdown's PAL workshop: Social Media for Authors & Illustrators [The Official SCBWI Conference Blog]
• The Power and SEO Behind Blog Commenting [WOW! Women On Writing Blog]
• MOMMIES, GOD & A REAL HOUSEWIFE OF NEW JERSEY [Coffey. Tea. And Literary.] Platform tips
• The Secret to Twitter That Can’t Be Taught [Jane Friedman] Excellent!
• What Should Writers Blog About? [BubbleCow]
• How to Balance Writing and Social Media [.W.I.P. It]
• Draft Your Platform Action Plan: 5 Worksheets [Jane Friedman] AMAZING. Don't miss this!
• Social Media Presence: Does It Really Matter? [YA Highway]
• Social Networking That Works For YOU [The Sharp Angle] How to be yourself out there.
• G+ Circles–Good Idea for Writers or High School Revisited? [Kristen Lamb's Blog]

To Market

• Agent Spotlight: Weronika Janczuk [Literary Rambles]
• The Great Big Post of Querying [Let The Words Flow]
• Thought for the Day [BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency] GREAT perspective on querying more than one project.
• Can Critique Workshops Kill Your Voice? (And A Call For Manuscripts) [Falling Leaflets]
• Field Trip Friday, Twitter Version: August 12, 2011 [Kate Hart] The best agent tweets of the week.
• How Do I Find An Agent? [BubbleCow] Fantastic post with tons of info.
• Six Tips for When Rejection Happens [Novel Matters]
• New Agent Alert: Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency [Guide to Literary Agents] She seeks YA & more.
• Tips on the Evil Synopsis [Confessions From Suite 500] Focus on plot, tension, & voice.
• What is High Concept? [Rachelle Gardner]
• Steampunk, Writing A Series And The Joys Of Traditional Publishing With Tee Morris And Pip Ballantine [The Creative Penn]
• How You're Possibly Screwing Yourself [Carolina Valdez Miller]
• Why Fiction Magazines Are An Untapped Goldmine For New Authors [The Creative Penn]
• Who Is Your Target Audience? Do You Know? [*Lynnette Labelle* @Chatterbox Chitchat]
• The Elevator Pitch [YA Muses] Brush up in time for SCBWI-LA with this post.
• The Birds & the Bees of Marketing [Author, Jody Hedlund] Excellent advice, @JodyHedlund!
• Ten Ways to Market a Book [Katie Ganshert]
• The Basic Pitch Formula for Novelists [Jane Friedman]
• Novel Pitching Made Easy [Words from the Woods] Excellent!
• How To Write a Book Proposal [Rachelle Gardner] Great!
• Why an agent can’t give you feedback at the query stage [Let The Words Flow]
• Embracing the query process [Red Sofa Literary]
• Gearing Up For WriteOnCon 2011 – Ninja Agents [WriteOnCon.com] Awesome opp for feedback on your query!
• This sounds familiar… [kt literary] On knowing your competition and differentiating.

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