Link Feast For Writers, vol. 38
Writing blogs are a great way to learn about the craft and marketing our work. Enjoy the posts I’ve hoarded, some older, some recent.
If You Have Time For Only One Thing
The Starburst Method: Summarizing Your Story In One Sentence by Karen Woodward
On Writing
Faking It: Making Our Actions Count by Jami Gold
Kurt Vonnegut Can Bite Me by Tiffany Reisz (On the rules of writing)
9 Joyful Ways to Demolish Your Favorite Genre by Charlie Jane Anders
Find Someone Who Is a Stakeholder in Your Writing Life, Find a Few Someones by Kate Gale
Dean Koontz and 5 Things Every Genre Needs by Karen Woodward
10 Things That Make Your Story More Interesting – Part 1 by Justine Musk (can also be applied to your blog and brand as a writer)
10 Things That Make Your Story More Interesting – Part 2 by Justine Musk
5 Ways to Put More ‘Soul’ Into Your Writing by Justine Musk
Building Character: The Importance of Imperfection by Karen Woodward
The Bad Girls’ Club: Female Villains by Leigh Bardugo
How Plotting Can Build a Better Story by Karen Woodward
Turn Passive Plots Into Active Plots by Susan J. Morris
5 Tips to Create Page Turning Plot by J.E. Fishman
How to Start a Novel Right: 5 Great Tips by Jessica Strawser
Tips For Planning Your Plot: Frustrate the Reader by L.B. Gale
Better Plotting: 7 Ways Your Characters Can Screw Up Their Decisions by Janice Hardy
Three Steps to Creating Believable Character Emotions by Marcy Kennedy
Is Your Hometown Diverse? How About Your Books? by Jennette Powell
How to Fail the Bechdel Test by David Tallerman
6 Ways Your Metaphors Are Hurting Your Novel by Marcy Kennedy
Revising Your Manuscript And Building Suspense: Making Your Character’s Stakes Both Clear and High by Karen Woodward
NOW You Can Revise, Step 1: When It’s Finally Time to Fine Tune by Matt Bird
NOW You Can Revise, Step 2: Cut Out 10 More Pages by Matt Bird
NOW You Can Revise, Step 3: Build a Theme Tree by Matt Bird
How to Use Your Kindle to Self-Edit Your Self-Published Book by Matthew Turner
Manipulating the Mythos by Rachel Riegel
5 Tips For Writing and Marketing Young Adult / Teen Books by Natalie Wright
Book Marketing
How to Build Your Global Empire by C.J. Lyons (find partners in crime)
Finding Your Audience and Branching Out by Troy D. Smith
In a Crowded Marketplace Voice Is Your Differentiator by Dan Blank
How to Connect With People in a World Where the Extraordinary is Expected by Dan Blank
Self-Publishing Success Stories: The Anatomy of a Kindle Bestseller by Mark Edwards (great tips for all authors)
How to Run a Blog Tour by Beth Barany
3 Reasons Why You Need an Email List as an Author by F.C. Malby
14 Items to Include In Your Author Media Kit (& Why You NEED One) by Laura Pepper Wu
11 Ways to Make the Most of Your Book Signing by Laura Pepper Wu
(Self-)Publishing
The Number One Mistake New Writers Make by Anne R. Allen
How Much Can You Really Tell From a Query by Janice Hardy
Query Strategy: Narrow Focus or Scattergun? Part 2 by Orly Konig-Lopez
How to Publish a Book 101 by Joanna Penn
How to Publish Your eBook from Word to Kindle in Under Ten Minutes by Ed Ditto
iTunes Anyone? by C.C. MacKenzie (the power of free and diverse sales channels… and *gasp* just writing more and marketing less)
Commodity Publishing, Self-Publishing and the Future of Fiction by Jane Friedman
(Really interesting and insightful look at the publishing field. A must read.)
The New World of Publishing: Counting Numbers by Dean Wesley Smith
Why Online Book Discovery Is Broken and How to Fix It by Laura Hazard Owen
Blogging
5 Blogging Rules Authors Can Ignore… And 5 You Can’t by Anne R. Allen
The Most Powerful Tool For Building an Author Platform – Part 1 by Kristen Lamb
The Most Powerful Social Media Tool For Building an Author Platform – Part 3 by Kristen Lamb
How to Stay on Track With Writing & Blogging by Veronica Sicoe
Why Bloggers Fail (And What To Do To Ensure You Won’t) by Derek Halpern
If You’re Struggling to Get Blog Readers, Read This (Or Continue Wasting Your Precious Time) by Derek Halpern
Get More Comments: Can Blogs Still Attract Huge Comment Counts? [4:38 min video] (Blog Tyrant)
How to Persuade People You Don’t Know To Help You (This Is the Secret to Getting Links) by Derek Halpern
Do You Follow Yourself Around the Web? by James L. Rubart
Social Media
Top 10 Things One Writer Learned About Social Media Marketing by Colby Marshall
My Universal Plan to Succeed on Any Social Network by Fraser Cain
How to Embed a Twitter Tweet Into Your Blog Posts by Joel Friedlander
Two Turbo-Groovy Social Media/Blogging Questions Answered by Jenny Hansen (Klout & Infographics)
Collected Wisdom
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas
Deep Stuff
Thinking Your Problems Are Special Ends Up Making You Stuck by Penelope Trunk (warning: personal story about child abuse)
Fixing Four Social Skills Problems by Ramit Sethi (with illuminating videos)
The Secret to Making Productivity Tips Work For You by Penelope Trunk
Ten Resolutions the Most Successful People Make and Then Keep by Mike Maddock
Is There a Cost To Hiding Our Mistakes? by Marcy Kennedy
Is There a Right Age to Read a Book? by Jo Walton
Role Playing by Sarah A. Hoyt
Fun Stuff
All the Essential Science Fiction and Fantasy Books That Are Coming in 2013 by Charlie Jane Anders
The Kitschies Shortlist Revealed – A Fantasy Award for Truly Unique Books
Tywin Lannister Reads 50 Shades of Gray For Your Sexy Sexy Pleasure
Morning Movie Spoilers (Iron Man 3 & Sin City 2 news among others)
6 Actors Who Play the Exact Same Role In Multiple Movies by Mike Floorwalker
These Character Names Should Be Banned Forever by Esther Inglis-Arkell
Link Feast For Writers, vol. 37
Writing blogs are a great way to learn about the craft and marketing our work. Enjoy the posts I’ve hoarded, some older, some recent.
If You Have Time For Only One Thing
Embrace the Naked by Robin LaFevers
On Writing
What Is Your Goal As a Writer? by Laura Drake
The Ultimate Measure of Your Sucess by Mark McGuinness
13 Reasons to Keep Writing in 2013 by Jody Hedlund
3 Ways to Overcome Fear in 2013 by Shannon at DuoLit
Taking the Scary Out of Scrivener by Gwen Hernandez
Chuck Wendig On Writing: How He Writes a Book by Karen Woodward
5 Ways to Come Up With Great Story Ideas by Brian A. Klems
How to Strenghten a Story Idea by Roz Morris
Writing Your Obsessions by Cathy Marie Buchanan
9 Tips For Writing a Really Good Shitty First Draft by Lisa Cron
Connect With Readers’ Emotions: How to Make People Cry by Karen Woodward
Push Your Characters Into Interesting by Kathy Steffen
Using Public Domain Characters In Your Stories by Karen Woodward
The First 15 Minutes Project: Peter Parker In Spiderman by Matt Bird
The First 15 Minutes Project: Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Matt Bird
The First 250 Words of Your Manuscript by Janice Hardy
Writing Emotion: How Great Writers Do It by Kim Aippersbach
Four Ways to Pre Write Your Scenes by Janice Hardy
Should I Write That Potentially Controversial Scene? by Roni Loren
Foreshadowing & Chekhov’s Gun: Don’t Blow It by Kristen Lamb
Storyteller’s Rulebook: Don’t Make Them Say It by Matt Bird
Three Keys to Memorable Similes and Metaphors by Marcy Kennedy
How Chuck Wendig Edits a Novel by Chuck Wendig
The Finishing Touches by Jael McHenry
When Should You Stop Revising by Janice Hardy
11 Writerly Types to Avoid (Bluestocking)
Book Marketing
Book Marketing Predictions For 2013 by Thomas Umstaddt
How to Understand and Use Your Voice Values In Your Brand Today by Abby Kerr
Tips For Writing Back Cover Copy by Roz Morris
Approaching Promo in 2013 by Elizabeth S. Craig
Building Your Author Platform in 10 Hours a Week (Including Writing Time!) by Chris Robley
Divide and Conquer: Building an Author Platform by Proxy by Joanna Penn
Books Don’t Bomb, Authors Do by John Ward
5 Reasons It’s Hard to Market Indie Fiction and What to Do About It by Rachelle Ayala
I Wrote a Book But It Won’t Sell – What To Do? by Derek Haines
(Self-)Publishing
Introducing the Query/Blurb Exchange Club by Jami Gold
The Facts vs. the Story You Tell Yourself by Rachelle Gardner
Want Agents to Read Your Novel? Do This First by Suzannah Windsor Freeman
Agent Secrets – Do Writers Need an Agent in the New Publishing Paradigm? by Laurie McLean
Query Strategy – Narrow Focus or Scattergun? by Fae Rowen
Book Contract: What’s Negotiable and What’s Not by Brian A. Klems
5 Surprises About Self-Publishing by Jennie Nash
What Do Tradpubs Do… And Can You Do It? by Bufo Calvin
Susan Kaye Quinn’s Self-Pub Basics (Part One of Four): Where to Publish
Susan Kaye Quinn’s Self-Publish Basics (Part Two of Four): Formatting the Easy Way
Amazon’s Kindle Store – A Breakdown of Books by Category [Infographic] by Gary McLaren
Blogging
Blogging for Authors, and How a Banana Slicer Saved My Marriage by Kristen Lamb
8 Things Every Blogging Writer Should Know by Chuck Sambuchino
How to Get 80% of the Results With 20% of the Content by Chris Garrett
4 Steps to Better Blogging Time Management by Amy Lynn Andrews
How to Create a Total Content System by John Jantsch
50 Ways to Drive Massive Traffic to Your Blog by Cassie Boorns
Where Great Copywriting Does Not Come From by Abby Kerr
Social Media
How to Stay Connected When Your Number of Connections Grow by Pamela Slim
15 Common Twitter Questions Authors Ask by Caitlin Muir
What Do Your Facebook Interactions REALLY Say About You? by Jenny Hansen
Collected Wisdom
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas
Deep Stuff
Curatives for judgement. (Please read before you interact with other humans) by Danielle La Porte
Five Geek Social Fallacies by Michael Suileabhain-Wilson
Don’t Be a Dreamer, Be a Planner by Penelope Trunk
Unravelling the Year Ahead by Susannah Conway (really useful workbook for looking ahead and back at 2012)
How to Do Your Own Annual Review by Chris Guillebeau (this is a piece of cake if you are ROWing)
Fun Stuff
6 Reasons Why Batman Is Both Perfect and Boring by Esther Inglis-Arkell
A Sample of George R.R. Martin’s Next aSoIaF Book, the Winds of Winter
Search Term Bingo: The Revengification by Chuck Wendig (his weirdness at its best, totally non PC)
2012 Debut Author Cover War (behold these awesome book covers)
A Free SFF Short Story Anthology: Some of the Best From Tor.com 2012
The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World by Emily Temple
Link Feast For Writers, vol. 36 – Fascinating Edition
Writing blogs are a great way to learn about the craft and marketing our work. Enjoy the posts I’ve hoarded, some older, some recent.
This week there is a whole category dedicated to Sally Hogshead’s book “How To Fascinate” and the seven triggers she describes. These triggers can be used to make anything fascinating, including your blog, your characters, first chapter and so on.
If You Have Time For Only One Thing
10 Ways for an ADD Writer to be OOH! SHINY!…Productive by Kristen Lamb
On Writing
The Secret to Finding Time to Write, Market, Promote and Still Have a Life by Jane Friedman
Talent Is Cheaper Than Table Salt by Kristen Lamb
Nine Good Gifts For the New Year by Juliet Marillier
12 Tips For Recovering From Writing Burnout by Jami Gold
Five Bits of Writing Advice by Diana Peterfreund
The Secret to Writing a First Novel by Julianna Baggott
The Starburst Method: Discovering Your Characters by Karen Woodward
Character Interview Questions That Really Matter by Juliette Wade
Psychoanalyzing Your Villain by Ryan Greenspan
Female Leads and Romances by Nicole Ciacchella
Gender in YA Books by Ilona Andrews
When Do You Start the Story? by Shannon Donnelly
The Starburst Method: Hero’s Journey, Part 1 by Karen Woodward
The Starburst Method: Hero’s Journey, Part 2 by Karen Woodward
Plot Fixer #10: A Loss of Focus by Kara Lennox (Great post about themes)
Must Every Scene Be Different? by Juliette Wade
Time Marches On: Dealing With the Passage of Time Between Scenes by Janice Hardy
How to Research an Ancient Society For Your Fiction by Laura Pauling
The Editorial Process by Steve Laube
One Simple Trick to Effective Self-Editing by Steph Auteri
Young Adult Predictions For 2013 by Kristi Cook
The “New Adult” Genre: Why Does It Exist? by Jami Gold
How to Create a Weekly Schedule With Google Calendar by Amy Lynn Andrews
Book Marketing
Don’t Make Your Book Launch Like a Trip to the Dentist by Dan Blank
Are You Selling Your Book to the Wrong Readers? by Shannon O’Neill
What’s a Niche Market and Where are They Hiding? by Victoria Noe
Which Comes First: Branding, Design or Copywriting? by Abby Kerr
Making Your Launch Day Count by Matthew Turner
What I Did to Launch My Book In Its First Seven Days (Wise Ink)
5 Things on the New Year’s “To-Do” List for Every Purpose-Driven Author (Wise Ink)
Book Promotion: What You Can Learn From Richard Branson’s One Track Mind by Steven Lewis
How to Find Out More About Your Readers Without Having to Ask by Steven Lewis
What To Do When Your Book Isn’t Selling by Rob Eagar
Online Book Reviews: Games People Play by Anne R. Allen (an eyeopening post)
How to Fascinate Others
[Hook your readers to your characters and your blog.]
How to Fascinate Others… And Why Authors Should Take Note by Jeannie Campbell
Fascination Trigger #1: Power by Jeannie Campbell
Fascination Trigger #2: Passion by Jeannie Campbell
Fascination Trigger #3: Mystique by Jeannie Campbell
Fascination Trigger #4: Alarm by Jeannie Campbell
Fascination Trigger #5: Prestige by Jeannie Campbell
Fascination Trigger #6: Trust by Jeannie Campbell
Fascination Trigger #7: Rebellion by Jeannie Campbell
(Self-)Publishing
How Long Should You Try to Get Published? by Jane Friedman
Protecting Amazon From Itself by Sarah Hoyt
(If you have short stories for sale on Amazon that have been published previously elsewhere (especially if the anthology is still in print), this is a must read.)
How to Format Word Document For Amazon by Karen Woodward
Blogging
When Should I Launch My Author Website? by Thomas Umstattd
5 Days of PR For Bloggers – Day 1: Take Inventory and Set Goals by Cassie Boorns
5 Days of PR For Bloggers – Day 2: Write a Great Bio by Cassie Boorns
5 Days of PR For Bloggers – Day 3: Creating Content and Driving Traffic by Cassie Boorns
Five Kinds of Blog Posts Proven to Drive Traffic by Susan Johnston
Keeping Your Blog Focused by Kenra Daniels
5 Days of PR For Bloggers – Day 4: PR Tactics For Your Blog by Cassie Boorns
5 Tips For Maintaining Your Blogging Momentum by Susan Johnston
5 Tools to Keep Your Writing Fresh by Reena Cruz
Why Bloggers Think Your Pitch Sucks by Cassie Boorns
Social Media
Privacy and Social Media – How to Control Your Personal Information by Joanne Phillips
3 Tools to Help You Find the Best Time to Tweet by Caitlin Muir
3 Ways Authors Can Use Pinterest Guilt Free by Caitlin Muir
How to Save Copy of Your Pinterest Boards as a PDF by Cheryl Enlow
Collected Wisdom
Top 10 Writing Blogs For Writers 2012 – The Winners (Write to Done)
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas
Deep Stuff
In Your Life’s Tag Cloud… Remember You by Angela Brown
The Beauty and the Beast of Optimism by Coleen Patrick
2013: The Year of Taking Control by Ramit Sethi
How to Build Resilience For the Year Ahead by Mark McGuinness
Relationship Advice – Why Won’t Anyone Be Honest With You? by Ramit Sethi (I love his tough love)
Would a Jedi Mind-Trick Work On You? by Lisa Hall-Wilson
Fun Stuff
You’re Not Really a Fan Unless You’re Wearing It On Your Underwear by Ellie Ann Soderstrom
Cover Posing For a Good Cause by Jim Hines (he mocks the silly Urban Fantasy & Fantasy female poses for charity)
77 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movies to Watch Out For In 2013 by Charlie Jane Anders
10 TV Cliffhangers That Make Great Series Finales by Charlie Jane Anders
Fiction Affliction: January Releases In Fantasy by Suzanne Johnson
Fiction Affliction: January Releases In Urban Fantasy by Suzanne Johnson
Fiction Affliction: “Genre-Benders” For January by Suzanne Johnson
What Roleplaying Can Be Like (With 8 Fantasy Authors) by Brent Weeks [Might be gibberish to uninitated but I LOLed]
Link Feast For Writers, vol. 35
Happy New Year! I hope these links help to make year 2013 kickass for you. Enjoy.
If You Have Time For Only One Thing
Suicide, Shame and the Painful Truth About Accomplishing Your Goals by Jon Morrow
On Writing
How to Keep Production Going All Year by Dean Wesley Smith
Writing Five Minutes a Day by Alexandra Sokoloff
Should A Writer Let Her Reader’s Expectations Influence Her Artistic Judgement? by Karen Woodward
Logline Library (hundreds of movie loglines)
Losing My Religion: Misconceptions About Tone by Matt Bird
13 Ways to Create Compelling Characters by Justine Musk
Dangerously Genre Savvy Villains (TV Tropes, check out some of the examples)
Name That Character: Top 10 Tips (The Script Lab)
The Paradox by Donald Maass
Stephen King’s Magic: How To Write Compelling Characters & Great Openings by Karen Woodward
A Simple Way to Create Suspense by Lee Child
Act and Sequence Bridges by Alexandra Sokoloff
The Past Is a Foreign Country, So Learn the Language by Matt Bird
The Importance of Setting by Meredith Bond
Four Tips For Fixing the Infamous Info Dump by Jami Gold
How Many Drafts Does It Take to Write a Novel by Karen Woodward
10 Things I Know About How Writers Read by Jenny Hansen
YA Authors Are Creating a New Steamy Genre by Leslie Kaufman
Download and Study Award Nominated Screenplays
Book Marketing
Do You Have a Personal Platform Plan for 2013? by Michael Hyatt
Why Authors Must Build Direct Channels to Readers (Kindle Review)
Your Author Business Plan: Compare, Contrast and Conquer by Susan Spann
Feel Like You’re Running in Place? 4 Simple Ways to Track Your Book Marketing Process by Toni at DuoLit
25 Things I Learned From Doing Business in 2012 by Abby Kerr
Your Story Is Your Marketing Strategy by Vanessa Merit Nornberg
(Self-)Publishing
Writing and Publishing in 2013: How to Survive and Thrive, Part One by Karen Woodward
Writing and Publishing in 2013: How to Survive and Thrive, Part Two by Karen Woodward
What’s Ahead in 2013–Predictions for the Future of Publishing and Authors of the Digital Age by Kristen Lamb
Konrath’s Resolutions For Writers by J.A. Konrath (damn inspiring)
Kindleboards: How to Add Your Signature to Your Profile, Network and Other Tips by Laura Pepper Wu
Blogging
A Rant on Why I Disagree With So Many Blogging and Marketing Experts by Marcus Sheridan
How to Make Your Site the Destination For Your Market by Chris Garrett
7 Ways to Fascinate Your Readers and Build a Hugely Loyal Following by Henneke Duistermaat
How to Quit Publishing Bad Content by Sonia Simone
4 Tips For Writing a Blog Post Opening That Turns Heads by Tara Horner
How a Quick Analysis of Your Top Posts Can Improve Your Blogging Results Next Year by Michael Hyatt
8 Incredibly Simple Ways to to Get More People to Read Your Content by Pamela Wilson
How to Get 40 000 Readers Without Guest Blogging by Gregory Ciotti
Reblogging Etiquette by Marcy Kennedy
‘Tis the Season to Be Chaotic, Is Reblogging the Answer? by Jami Gold
How to Improve Your Website Trust Factor by Chris Garrett
Social Media
A Simple Cheat Sheet for Using Pinterest for Marketing [Infographic] by Pamela Vaughan
Pinterest Could Be the Ultimate Tool for Curating Content by Tami Smith
Collected Wisdom
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas
Deep Stuff
Everyday Deeds That Keep the Darkness At Bay by Lisa Hall-Wilson
Mommy Quandrary: Teaching Faith When You’re Not Sure Where You Stand by Roni Loren
Urgency: The Natural Way to Prioritize by Mark Forster
50+ Better Questions To Ask Than How To Be More Productive by Charles Gilkey
Checklist of Rationality Habits by Anna Salamon (Myers-Briggs TJs do this naturally, we FPs need some help)
The Busy Trap by Tim Kreider
Fun Stuff
The Evil Overlord List (TV Tropes)
2012 Fiction Wrap Up From Tor.com (few dozen SFF short stories)
Link Feast For Writers, vol. 34
Writing blogs are a great way to learn about the craft and marketing our work. Enjoy the posts I’ve hoarded, some older, some recent.
Next week I’ll be spending holidays with the family, and Link Feast is on a break. So I wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! See you in 2013.
If You Have Time For Only One Thing
Social Media Overload: How Do Authors Reach Readers by Roni Loren
On Writing
Breaking Out of Numb by Lynette M. Burrows
Protect Your Wrists: Excercises For Writers by Jami Gold
Your Creative Superpowers: The 7 Different Mindsets (PDF. Randy Ingermanson’s eZine)
How to Write Smart, Not Fast by Danny Iny
The Benefits of Handwriting by Karen Woodward
Why We Are All Artists: Seth Godin in Conversation – Part 1 (Write to Done)
Taking on Insecurity and Kicking It to the Ground by Veronica Sicoe
Tormented by Toothless Writing Goals? Try These Tools by Jan O’Hara
Productivity For Writers and Taking Writing Seriously by Joanna Penn
9 Types of Heroes by Matt Bird
Now Meet the Villains by Matt Bird
The Villain’s Plan Should Actually Benefit the Villain by Matt Bird
7 Strategies Villains Use to Trick Their Victims by Marcy Kennedy
Male Authors, Discover Your Feminine Side by Matthew Turner (these tips also work for ladies writing gents)
Mary Robinette Kowal and the Mysteries of Outlining by Karen Woodward
Not Saving the World? How Does That Even Work? by Jo Walton
How to Keep Your Story on Track? Chart Who Knows What, When by Lisa Cron
How to Manage Expectations: Set the Mood by Matt Bird (first scene advice)
Ten Techniques For Getting Tension on Every Page by Jody Hedlund
How to Manage Expectations: Drop One Shoe, Then Wait by Matt Bird
How to Manage Expectations: More Fun With Foreshadowing by Matt Bird
How to Structure a Killer Novel Ending by Larry Brooks
Unleashing the Internal Editor: Self-Editing Checklist by Jody Hedlund
Editing: Telling Words That Often Spell Trouble by Janice Hardy
Beta Readers – Why You Want Them, Why You Need Them by Orly Konig-Lopez
Creative Writing Prompts For the End of the World by Kathy Steffen
Talking to Non-Writers This Holiday Season by Pepper Phillips
Carrie’s Analysis of Urban Fantasy Part II: When Things Go Wrong by Carrie Vaughn (annoying tropes)
The Structure of Short Stories by Karen Woodward
The Structure Of Short Stories: The Elevator Pitch by Karen Woodward
Twenty-Sided Troubadours: Why Writers Should Play Roleplaying Games by Chuck Wendig
Book Marketing
How to Avoid Cold-Feet Killing Your Progress by Chris Garrett
Build a Great Audience, Not Just a Great Idea by Dan Blank (2:37 mins video) [Who does your book appeal to?]
The Secret Ingredient to a Strong Author Platform by Justine Musk
Why Do We Read or Which Marketing Strategies Work on Readers by Story Addict
A Year Of Book Buying in Review: Did Social Media Influence My Choices? by Roni Loren
A Promotional Strategy For Overwhelmed Introverts by Robin LaFevers
Marketing Your eBook: Making the Most of Your Time by Lyn Horner
Authors Who Say “I Don’t Have Time For Promotion” Are Doomed to Fail by Toni at DuoLit (eat the elephant one piece at a time)
16 Voice Values in Action: What They Think, Do and Say by Abby Kerr
(Btw, it’s worth signing up for Abby’s newsletter just to have access to the Voice Values freebie. The newsletter itself is good stuff too.)
(Self-)Publishing
The New World of Publishing: Goals and Dreams by Dean Wesley Smith
The Business Rusch: Writing Like It’s 2009 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Getting a Traditional Book Deal After Self-Publishing by Judy Mandel
Fan Fiction to a Published Book: A Case Study by Jami Gold
Copyright Basics for Co-Authors, Ghost-Writers, and Illustrators: How to Avoid an Ownership Dispute by Maria Crimi Speth
Blogging
Why Blogging Isn’t Going Anywhere by Beth Hayden
5 Essential Elements of Every Successful Blog by Patrick Molone
A Content Marketer’s Guide to Curiousity by Russ Henneberry
How to Solve the “Creativity Problem” and Stand Out in a Crowd by Chris Garrett
Tying Mainstream Content Into Everything You Write by Andrew Kardon (Batman’s Resume Guide etc.)
Learning, Assemble! What the Avengers Can Teach Us About Our Writing by Andrew Karton
Does Your Blogging Leave an Impact? by Brandon Cox
11 Ways to Write an Irresistible Intro to Your Blog Post by Mary Jaksch
How to Get More Bookmarks and Better Links by Chris Garrett
5 Things to Do Before Your Big Guest Post Gets Published by Kristi Hines
5 Tips to Highlight the Best Content on Your Blog by David Kendall
Does Your Website Need a Refresh? by Steve Lazuka
Social Media
102 Proven Social Media Headline Formulas by Chris Garrett
The Ultimate Social Media Image Sizing Cheat Sheet by Dan Wilkerson
Dealing With Offense – When Is It Okay To Lecture to Others by Kristen Lamb
When Facebook Sucks by Jennette M. Powell
How to Find Influential People With Social Media by Russ Henneberry
How to Promote Your Book on Twitter: An Intermediate’s Guide to Tweeting by Chris Robley
Is It Possible to Have Too Many Twitter Followers? by Janice Hardy
The Art of Getting ReTweets [Infograpgic] by Fransisco Rosales
Getting to Grips With Goodreads: 6 Actionable Ideas by Laura Pepper Wu
10 Creative Ways to Use Pinterest for Marketing by Susan Gunelius
5 Interesting Pinterest Marketing Campaigns by Todd Wasserman
Pinterest’s New Secret Boards: Why They Matter by Shanna Mallon
Collected Wisdom
Blog Treasures by Gene Lempp
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas
Deep Stuff
Girl Boner Resolutions: 25 Sex Goals Worth Setting by August McLaughlin
Where Ideas Come From and Conspiracy Against Nothingness by Karen Woodward
The Get Off Your Ass Manifesto: How to Motivate Yourself to Actually Achieve Your Goals by Thorin Klosowski
Building Your Resiliency Part III: Taking Control of Your Life by Brett & Kate McKay
The Truth About Good Listening Skills by Penelope Trunk
Historically Authentic Sexism In Fantasy: Lets Unpack That by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Fun Stuff
Tor.com Reviewers’ Choice 2012: The Best Books We Read This Year
Something Else Like… Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga by Jo Walton
A Princess of Spain by Carrie Vaughn (a short story of Catherine of Aragon with a twist)
Are All Big Franchise Films Essentially the Same Now? by Ryan Britt
Reopening the X-Files: Pilot by Meghan Deans (nostalgy trip to 1993)
13 Weapons Every Writer Must Have For the Zombie Apocalypse by Veronica Sicoe
Man of Mystery: Santa Claus by K.B. Owen
Link Feast For Writers, vol. 33 – Theme Special
Writing blogs are a great way to learn about the craft and marketing our work. Enjoy the posts I’ve hoarded, some older, some recent.
This week there is a special category for links about theme. According to writing teacher Larry Brooks (Storyfixer), theme is one of the six core competencies writers need to master to succeed.
“Theme is how a story touches you. What and how it causes you to think about. How the story mirrors and/or comments upon real life. Theme says something worth saying, even when it’s obvious.” – Larry Brooks
Read on to find out how you can discover the theme of your book.
If You Have Time For Only One Thing
A Gift Created From Your Writer’s Heart by Kathy Steffen
On Writing
From Debut to Multi-Published: What I Have Learned In My First Year as a Published Author by Roni Loren
Measuring Success by Gabriela Pereira (thank you for the link, Gene Lempp)
How to Write Every Day – In Theory by Matt Bird
How to Write When You Don’t Want To by Ava Jae
Love Lists by Stephanie Perkins
10 Writing (and Life) Lessons I Learned From My Dog by Jenny Hansen
8 Signs That You Were Meant to Be a Writer by Henri Junttila
Is Every Hero a Luke or a Han? by Matt Bird
Heroes Should Run Into Unexpected Antagonism by Matt Bird
12 Tips on How To Write Antagonists by Karen Woodward
Writing Male and Female PoV by Rayne Hall
Kick Start Your Story With These Questions by Joe Moore
Key Story Elements: Lessons From the Nightmare Before Christmas Musical by Alexandra Sokoloff
Love Thy Neighbor by Donald Maass
Plot Fixer # 9 Plots That Rely On Coincidence and Contrivance by Kara Lennox
Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before You Write a Scene. Any Scene by Larry Brooks
Learn to Pace Yourself by Jennifer Rush
Connie Willis and 11 Ways to Write Great Dialogue by Karen Woodward
Spicing Up a Story with Similes and Metaphors by Jody Hedlund
A Simple Approach to Revisions by Cathy Yardley
Cutting the Fat From Your WIP by Gina Conroy
Freelance Editing: How to Hire an Editor For Your Book or Query Letter by Chuck Sambuchino
How to Survive a Critique by Marcy Kennedy
The Dark Art Of Critiquing, Part 1: What Makes A Story Good? by Karen Woodward
The Dark Art of Critiquing, Part 2: Formulating A Critique by Karen Woodward
How Do We Handle Rejection and Keep On Pressing by Kristen Lamb
Lessons From the Godfather on Sticking to Your Creative Vision by Dan Blank
Do You Read Like a Reader or a Writer? by Janice Hardy
Short Story Structures – Several Ways of Structuring Short Fiction by Karen Woodward
Lamp Lighters and Seed Sowers: Tomorrow’s YA by Beth Kephart (books that have meaning will be remembered)
Top 10 YA Tropes by A. E. Rought
Dear Agent — Write the Letter That Sells Your Book by Nicola Morgan
Theme Special
Do Stories Need a Theme? by Jami Gold
25 Things Writers Should Know About Theme by Chuck Wendig
Theme Me Up: How to Develop Your Theme by Janice Hardy
Theme Simplified by Larry Brooks
Beyond Good vs. Sucky: Theme by Matt Bird
Theme = Good vs. Good by Matt Bird
Audiences Are More Interested in Ethics Than Morals by Matt Bird
Dare to Confront the Great Hypocrisy by Matt Bird
Nothing Is Wrong Until You Make It Wrong by Matt Bird
Thematic Image Systems by Alexandra Sokoloff
Visual Image Systems by Alexandra Sokoloff
Visual Storytelling – Part 1 by Alexandra Sokoloff
Hand-Me-Down People – Writing and Activism by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
(What makes you really angry? What kind of a story could you write about it?)
Book Marketing
Why Marketing on the Power of Cool Just Isn’t Cutting It Anymore by Abby Kerr
The Art of Creating an Authentic Belief System (Otherwise Known as a ‘Brand’) For Fans, Friends + Followers by Justine Musk
Your Legacy is Written in the Thoughts, Attitudes and Actions of Others by Dan Blank
How to Keep Your Audience Interested by Writing Long-Term Story Arcs by Georgina Laidlaw
Copywriting And Making Money As A Writer With Mindy McHorse by Joanna Penn
How to Storyboard a Book For Marketing Purposes by Bob Mayer
Are Book Trailers Dead? by Laura Drake
5 Most Persuasive Words in the English Language by Gregory Ciotti
(Self-)Publishing
Self-Publishing or Traditional Publishing? Which is the Right First Step for YOU? Win a Free Book to Help You Decide by Anne R. Allen
The New World of Publishing: How to Get Started Selling Fiction in 2013 by Dean Wesley Smith
Writing on the Ether: Top Literary Agents Talk Author Management at FutureBook by Porter Anderson
Indie Publishing in 2013: Why We Can’t Party Like It’s 2009 by Anne R. Allen
Making Money From Indie Publishing – A Guide For the Hopeful, the Optimistic and the Doomed by Sarah A. Hoyt
All Six Mega-publishers Can Merge, and They Still Won’t Win Amazon’s Game by Sarah Lacy
Why It’s Time For More Transparency in Publishing by Joanna Penn
Blogging
The Zen of Slow Blogging by Kristin Nador
How to Keep Your Right Readers Addicted to Your Blog (And You) by Justine Musk
Tap User Psychology to Build a Community Around Your Blog by Richard Millington
Blog Titles That Get Clicked by Kenra Daniels
Write Better Headlines With This 7 Step Google Reader Experiment by Demian Farnworth
How to Write a Mind Blowing Headline For Twitter So People Read Your Blog by Jeff Bullas
5 WordPress Mistakes Even Experts Can Make by Sherice Jacob
Make Money Blogging: The Provocative History of Professional Blogging by Ramsay at Blog Tyrant
Social Media
25 Ways to Make Social Media Work For You by Kathy Temean
How Can We Brag Without It Killing Our Online Credibility by Kristen Lamb
Social Media Scrooge by Talli Roland (Annoying practices)
How to Get Targeted Twitter Followers by Jeff Bullas
Hashtags Galore by Stacy Green
The State of Facebook: What’s Working Now? by Andrea Vahl
12 Ways to Optimize Your Facebook Marketing During the Holidays by Mari Smith
How to Verify Your Website on Pinterest and Why You Should Do It by Tehmina Zaman
5 Tips For Creating Pinterest Images People Love To Share by Mitt Ray
Goodreads Ad Campaigns… Should You Take the Plunge? by Monica Davis
Collected Wisdom
Blog Treasures by Gene Lempp
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas
Deep Stuff
Motivation Like You’ve Never Seen It Before by Jenny Hansen
How To Put Fear in the Back Seat by James Chartrand
Give Yourself Permission to Be Happy by Lyn Midnight
10 New Year’s Resolutions For Writers by Keith Cronin
8 Ways Goofing Off Can Make You More Productive
The Secret Power of Introverts by Jenna Goudreau
Networking For Introverts by Meghan Casserly
Which Writers Are Asking the Hard Questions Today? by Eric Christensen (great SFF recommendations that are fun and make you think)
Fun Stuff
10 Most Unlikely Things Influeced by J.R.R. Tolkien by Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders
Top 10 Most Anticipated Fantasy Books of 2013 by Marc Aplin at Fantasy Faction
Season of Superstition: The Lost Rituals of Christmas by Erin McKean
Theories of Santa Claus by Anissa at Specnology
A Writer’s Night Before Christmas (poem)
16 Holiday Themed SFF Short Stories by Bryan Thomas Schmidt
About Reetta
I'm a Finnish fantasy / urban fantasy writer who loves reading, roleplaying and all things medieval. 
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