NaNoWriMo 2012: Linktastic Day 29

So, since I'm not reporting on my writing any more this month, I thought I'd make a stab at a normal post schedule, aka the Weekly Roundup! Here below lie all the links which have accumulated whilst I typed furiously for NaNo.

A few NaNoWriMo related posts to start us off:

Errol (of the NaNotoons and NaNomusical adventures) brags, I mean, explains how he wrote 50k in one day and didn't die. And then his equally interesting post on Quantity Begetting Quality explains the reasoning behind NaNoWriMo and why it works.

And once you've finished with your novel and are trying to make heads or tails of it in order to edit there are a few things you should check.

1) Is it told episodically? Anne R. Allen gives a few tips on how to avoid this problem while mooderino points out the difference between episodic and non-episodic on Moody Writing.

2) Is it told step by step where you tell every single detail? Amy Deardon outlines the advantages and disadvantages of this method and how to eliminate it safely.

3) Does your story have a voice? If it doesn't then the story will feel disconnected. Ash Krafton explains the importance of voice in her post on Query Tracker.

When finished editing, it's on to the agents! This is where you'll need to Learn to Love the Pitch (by Sarah Pinneo) and if that doesn't work, find out why you were rejected (by Mike Wells).

And then once it's time to start all over with a new novel, here are a few places you could start:

Dogs in Elk (the misadventures of a few dogs when introduced to an Elk carcass)

Murder or Suicide? (the curious case of a dead man)

Until next time!

Weekly Roundup

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To start off, advice for self-editing your own writing and the top 10 tips for self-editing.

What's the value of adversity in a writer's life?

While building a social media presence as an author, a facebook page is becoming essential. But how do you build one that works?

A warning for bloggers: be careful which pictures you use.

And lastly few fun and hopefully inspiring videos:

Alas the sorry state of our English language in the present day. John Branyan tries to illustrate what we've lost.

What a breathtaking and inspiring video! (Enlarge to full screen for maximum effect.)

Until next time!

Where I've Been (and Links to Prove it!)

As you may have noticed, I've been rather silent for the past, oh, around 1 1/2 months? So, some explanations are in order.

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Firstly, I know several of you have commented on the fact that I stopped Camp NaNoWriMo last month. This is because we went on a vacation for a week and I was thrown off track by shiny other projects (non-writing) I've been meaning to get done. In my defense, I did and still have been plugging away at writing the new plot-line featuring the 2nd POV of Lia, but at a very slow pace. The point is that I never ground to a complete stop. However the initial torrent of Camp turned into a trickle.

Secondly, there will be a new feature appearing on this blog on a monthly basis. The first appearance will be late in August. More on this in a later post.

Thirdly, another feature! Maybe. This one might be a weekly/bi-monthly blog serial...Once again, more info later. Stay tuned!

And now onto the links! I've still continued to read and collect links in the meantime so here's a list:

Patricia C. Wrede on whether or not to preach in one's writing.

Rayne Hall lists 13 mistakes writers make in fight scenes.

Query Tracker's Ash Krafton gives tips to conquer cliches and how to use writing contests to improve one's game.

Inkpunk's Andrew Romine tells how he applied gesture drawing to writing to capture the essence of ideas.

John Yeoman reveals the secrets of Kathy Reich's excellent writing.

Do short stories have a higher payout than novels in the long run?

David Sims guests posts a series on structure featuring the heroic journey (20 posts in the series to date).

When should one kill their story darlings? Natalie J. Damschroder helps unravel the how and when.

K M Weiland lists the top 25 ways to blow a book and suggestions for fixing and avoiding the problems.

How does one define success as a writer? (with a Weird Al Yankovic illustration!)

And finally, a cute (but relevant) poem going around on tumblr: I Once Dated a Writer and

Until next time!

L is for Links

Yet another occurrence where the A-Z blogging challenge intersects with a normal feature on this blog. This time around: links.

Have you got a blank notebook lying around? Ten Reasons to Carry a Blank Notebook will put it to good use.

You're just starting out in the publishing world and are looking for an agent to represent you. But how does an agent decide which newcomer to represent? Wendy Lawton from Book & Such Literary Agency gives a few tips for how she chooses the perfect unpublished author.

What kind of writer are you? Do you follow routines to get yourself "in the mood" or do you write whenever inspiration strikes? K M Weiland lists the pros and cons in How Routines Save (and Ruin) Your Writing.

For Graduates: Feeling lost? Here are two inspirational speeches to help you find your way.

DEAR SUGAR, The Rumpus Advice Column #72: The Future Has An Ancient Heart

Neil Gaiman's Inspiring Commencement Speech about Succeeding in the Arts

How Thoroughly Do You Read Contracts?

More links! And I'll be putting up another 11 questions post soon. (Sorry that the links aren't in any particular order this time.)

Do Authors Actually Read Contracts?

Structuring your writing.

Ask an Agent Part 5

How to Dream Without Making Dreams Your Master

How to Create, Register and List Your New Publishing Company

4 Crucial Pre-Flight Checks for Your Ebook

The Problem with Ebooks

Most of What You're Reading is Probably a Waste of Time

And, if you're interested, a podcast on Freelance Copywriting.

Until next time!

Help! My Browser's Flooding!

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With links! And more links! And it's to the point where Firefox just doesn't want to load.I guess it just doesn't like having 40 or 50+ tabs open at one time.

Looks like a very interesting post will be appearing soon. I just got tagged in a game of 11 questions as part of the Platform Building Campaign. So, the main question is, will I post my answers today or Saturday? Hmm....I'm not sure yet.

And onto the links. (The fun links are at the bottom!)

Writing

How do we, as writers, make our writing realistic? This writer succeeded through research.

Perfect characters are boring. But small flaws are almost just as bad. Rosslyn Elliott explains why major flaws are necessary.

What is the difference between Literary and Commercial Fiction?

8 Reasons an agent will hate your novel.

Editing

What happens after you snag an editor?

Agents

Ask an Agent Part 3.

Ebooks

With so many 99 cent ebooks out there, the perennial question for a self-published ebook author is what to price the book at. David Coe started a discussion on this matter with some surprising results.

Does KDP Select work? I've posted a link before, but here's a new perspective from an author who opted to put up 3 of his books in the program.

Publishing

Digital Rights Managment is kicking up a stir as publishers tighten their control over ebook content. Is DRM really the solution to illegal content sharing?

B&N vs. Amazon. Who will win the chess match?

Self-Publishing

3 Disadvantages of Self-Publishing and ways to overcome them.

What are the costs of Self-Publishing?

Creating a Print layout for Lightning Source in Indesign (a 3 part tutorial).

Marketing

Do blog tours sell books?

Is too much publicity a bad thing?

Blogging

Links drive traffic, so how do you do use them to the best advantage?

And the fun parts!

What city do you think is the most romantic? Answer at Meradeth's blog giveaway for a chance to win a $10 Amazon giftcard.

Go here to download Ninc's "A Comprehensive Guide to the New World of Publishing".

NaNoWriMo's 2nd annual Pitchapalooza is running until the end of February. Submit your pitch here for a chance at winning!

Until next time!

What do Publishing, Writing, Book Design and Debates have in Common? Links...

Yes, that's right. I've got more links to dish out! Oh, but first, remember that contest a ways back I entered (The Author's Giveaway)? Well I won the photo print prize! Just waiting for it to arrive in the mail. (I'm getting this photo!)

Writing

How Long Should Your Book Be?

How to Get Out of Your Own Way: The Secret to Becoming a Successful Writer

Publishing

The 5 Emotional Stages of a Book Launch

Real Ebooks: Are We Still in the Stone Age?

Readers (Are Self-Publishers Ignoring Readers?)

Gender Issues in Publishing. Using Initials as a Female Thriller Writer

Playing Tag the Self-Publisher Way

It's Not Always About the Money (from a literary agent)

There's No Such Thing As The Publishing Debate

How Amazon's KDP Select Saved My Book

Book Design: Don't Get Confused by Typeface Point Sizes

5 Attitudes Towards Publishing You Should Avoid

Helpful Sites (And Contests!)

QueryTracker.net/QueryTracker Blog

Got Goals? (Pursuing Your Passion on Purpose with a Plan)

A Kindle Fire Contest!

Blogging

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 101 for Authors (a very simple and helpful explanation of what SEO is)

Where's the Bucket?!

My browser is overflowing with links from this week and last week! They've backed up because I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to fit link posts into my already packed blog schedule. So, pardon the lack of comments on each link. There's really too many to explain each individually.

Off we go!

Writing Links:

Scene Design - The First Sentence

On Writing: The Value of Ambition

Interiority vs. Telling

Publishing Links:

Why Reader Taste Differs from Publisher Taste

Where Have all the Book Illustrators Gone?

Self Publishing Basics: How to Read an ISBN

Bestseller Lists and Other Thoughts

Do You Need Multiple Agents if You Write in Different Genres?

Self Pubbed Author Beware

Sewing Your Own Parachute - Advice About Book Covers

How to Get Testimonials for You Self-Published Book

Self Publishing: At a Publishing Group Meeting

The Value Rubric: Do Book Bloggers Really Matter?

Fun Links!

Artist Carves Vintage Books Into Astoundingly Intricate 3D Sculptures

Giveaway at The Siren for Holly Black's The Curseworkers series!

Links Saturday

Ok, ok. I know the schedule says that Saturdays are when I'd be posting in depth discussions on writing or some other topic related to writing. However, I don't have anything that comes to mind to discuss, so I'll link to you another blog which has an interesting discussion. And I've discovered so much juicy information these past few days that I had to share it. I've learned more about writers, writing and publishing in the past month on Twitter than I have in years previous. I think I made a good choice to dive in (even if Mom thinks I'm crazy [Yes, I do love you, Mom]).

Before the long discussion, another giveaway to report! Sophia Chang is giving away a book and a 25 page critique over at her blog to celebrate her blogaversary. Head on over to enter! (And tell her I sent you. ;) )

Another goodie. "The Story Within" (Penguin books) author Laura Oliver is judging a weekly contest based around writing prompts. Each week will have a different winner and the weekly winners will be entered in a drawing for the Grand Prize: a 2 hour consulting (critiquing?) session with Laura Oliver. So, put on your thinking caps and head over to Laura Oliver's site to read the prompt. Week one entries are due on the 18th! (It's only 250 words or less so I think it's perfectly possible.)

For those of you considering self-publishing, you might find this article informative. It's not just writers seeking traditional publication who have to be careful of scams. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/12/self-publishing-cons_n_1203007.html

And now onto that writerly discussion post I mentioned in the first paragraph. I found it particularly enlightening. (Excerpt below.)

The Business Rusch: Why Not?

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

On TV’s most popular drama series, NCIS, the main character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, walks through the office, and if he hears a stupid statement, he slaps the speaker on the back of the head. Now, this is fiction, mind you. In any real office, military or not, he’d probably be fired, brought up on charges, or forced to have sensitivity training.

But that’s not my point.

My point is: I can relate.

I walk past writer after writer after writer, and as I hear what comes out of their mouths, I want to slap some sense into them. Because words don’t seem to be working.

Which is odd, considering that writers use words as their stock in trade.

The biggest problem writers have as a class isn’t that they work too cheaply, which I wrote about last week, or even that they don’t understand business, which I write about almost every week, but that they think too small.

Huh? you think to yourself as you read this. My last novel clocked in at 140,000 words. I invented an entire world. I don’t think small.

Oh, yes, you do. Every damn day. It’s the rare writer who actually has ambitions—real ambitions—and stands up for them. It’s the rare writer who not only dreams of glory (bestseller lists, millions of dollars, fame, lasting acclaim, or whatever) but actually works toward those dreams.

Click here to continue reading. It's a long post, but well worth the time spent reading it.

One last goodie. I must applaud these indie bookshop owners for all the time invested in creating this video and if I lived in Canada anywhere near them, I would be hopping in the car to visit. Enjoy!



Until next time!

World Book Night

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What if 1,000,000 non-readers received free books? And what if those non-readers were turned into readers by those books?

That's the idea behind "World Book Night". It started in the UK and now has spread to the US. And, the cool part is that they need volunteers to distribute 20 books a piece on April 23rd. I'm considering applying to volunteer once I figure out 20 people to give books to. Sign up here or just visit for more information.

Another interesting link: a guest post on a literary agent's blog about Needs vs. Wants. http://www.rachellegardner.com/2012/01/needs-wants-and-pretty-blue-pens/

Until next time!

Linked to Infinity

Since I've been procrastinating, the amount of interesting things I've discovered has increased into quite a stack. I shall try to organize them into a somewhat coherent order. Enjoy!

First and most important, my friend Sky is having a joint blog giveaway with two other bloggers. The fabulous prizes have been kindly donated by Etsy shop owners. Answer each question on each blog for a total of three entries. (And tell her I sent you, if you'd be so kind.) Click here to enter!

Next, some writing advice.

Some tips on writing dialogue: writetodone.com/2011/12/12/10-easy-ways-to-improve-your-dialogue/

And a short discussion on what it means to really be able to talk (and therefore write) with eloquence: blog.writeathome.com/?p=2150

And finally, some more fun!

ncf.idallen.com/english.html
This poem incorporates 800 of the most difficult and/or confusing English words to pronounce. For shame that it took a Frenchman to write it. (I dare you to read it aloud. I did it three times so you can do it. If you're feeling exceptionally daring, record yourself and post it in the comments!)

Now, the last two items are just for interest's sake.

I followed a link over on twitter to this site. It tells the interesting story of the first animated Hobbit book to movie adaptation. The movie is only 12 minutes long and deviates from the book quite a bit. Watch it for a smile and a laugh! (There's even a princess!)



And finally....now, I don't normally like to engage in sparring fights over popular books concerning allegations that they aren't written well, buuut, I had to give in just this once. I read this article on i09.com about how Twilight would have been written/plotted had famous authors from the past 200 years written it instead of Stephanie Myers. Cue a load of Twilight hating in the comments below. However, one commentator (unicycle) made their point quite clear in a whimsical fashion. Here it is for your amusement.

Twilight, by Dr. Seuss

Jake likes a girl. Her name is Bella.
Bella likes a different fella.

See this vamp? This is Ed.
Ed is pale. Ed is dead.

Ed saved Bella from a van.
Ed must be a special man.

Ed won't kill boys. He won't kill girls.
Ed gets fed on deer and squirrels.

This is James. He's a tracker.
He's a sort of vamp attacker.

James hunts Bella for a thrill.
Will Ed kill him? Yes, he will.

But James gave her a little bite.
Will she be a vamp? She might!

Edward fixes Bella's cut.
She won't be a vampire.
But...

She becomes one. Read some more.
She's a vampire in book 4.


And with that I leave you. Until next time!