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

14 Comments

  1. Thanks for the mention! Really appreciate it.
    Ramsay from Blog Tyrant recently posted..Get More Comments: Can Blogs Still Attract Huge Comment Counts?My Profile

    • Reetta Raitanen
      Jan 25, 2013

      Thanks, Ramsay!

  2. Jennette Marie Powell
    Jan 24, 2013

    I’m honored to be part of today’s Link Feast – thanks, Reetta!
    Jennette Marie Powell recently posted..Murder and Magic Plus ROW80 Check-inMy Profile

    • Reetta Raitanen
      Jan 24, 2013

      My pleasure, Jen. Diversity in writing is a really important topic.

  3. Debra Eve
    Jan 24, 2013

    Hi Reetta, been off the grid for a while and now it’s time to catch up! Can’t wait to dive in to these. Thanks again for such thoughtful curation.
    Debra Eve recently posted..Late Bloomer, Long Tail 3: Heart WorkMy Profile

    • Reetta Raitanen
      Jan 24, 2013

      Thank you for reading and commenting, Debra 🙂 That’s what makes this worth doing.

  4. Jenny Hansen
    Jan 24, 2013

    LOVE! You know I’m mad for your Feasts, Reetta. Thanks for including me and giving me enough reading to keep me busy all weekend. 🙂
    Jenny Hansen recently posted..What Crossfit Is Teaching Me About Writing, Part 1My Profile

    • Reetta Raitanen
      Jan 24, 2013

      Cheers, Jenny. I’m mad for your blog. You have the Voice.

  5. Debra Kristi
    Jan 24, 2013

    Love, love, love! What more can I say?
    Debra Kristi recently posted..T is for Travel, Texas, and Thor!My Profile

    • Reetta Raitanen
      Jan 24, 2013

      Merci beaucoup, Debra. And oh, more Thor adventures! *hops over to your blog*

  6. Diana Beebe
    Jan 25, 2013

    Another fantastic list, Reetta. I’ll be reading for days! 🙂
    Diana Beebe recently posted..Thor Isn’t a Native Texan…My Profile

    • Reetta Raitanen
      Jan 25, 2013

      Thanks, Diana. Sounds like you and Thor had a great time together 😀

  7. Rhonda Hopkins
    Jan 25, 2013

    Hi Reetta! Just wanted to say a quick thank you. I don’t always comment but I always find some great stuff here. Thanks for all the work putting your lists together!
    Rhonda Hopkins recently posted..Guest Post by Time Magazine Featured Author Saralynn HoytMy Profile

    • Reetta Raitanen
      Jan 25, 2013

      Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Rhonda 🙂 They’re manna to all bloggers.

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