Link Feast For Writers, vol. 46
Here’s your bi-weekly round of writing, book marketing and otherwise interesting links. My apologies for skipping last week and not hitting Wednesday. I’m still not entirely adjusted to the new schedule thanks to the day job.
Next Link Feast is due in two weeks, on Wednesday 8th of May.
Please leave a comment and tell me what kind of links would be useful to you. Is there an area of writing you’re struggling with right now?
On Writing
How to Create and Maintain the Habit of Writing by Karen Woodward
How To Not Write Crap by Karen Woodward
5 Tips to Help You Make Your Deadline by Liza Palmer
The Biggest Problem With Writing Advice by Suzannah Windsor Freeman
Confessions of a Converted Structuralist – Or How I Realized the Error of My Ways by Veronica Sicoe
Wisdom for Writers From Steve Jobs (Yes, THAT Steve Jobs) by Tiffany Reisz
Dean Wesley Smith Writes a Novel in 10 Days by Karen Woodward
The Writing Life: Knowing When To Say No And When To Say Yes by Roni Loren
Writing for Inspiration by David Farland
Characters & Plotting
Mysterious Characters and the Search of “Who Am I?” by David Farland
Rich Character Voices by David Farland
What Downton Abbey Can Teach Us About Tension by Janice Hardy
What Slush Pile Readers Look For In a Novel by Karen Woodward
The Most Important Thing at the Start of Your Novel by David Farland
The Strange: How to Hook A Reader’s Interest by Karen Woodward
Ooh, plot device! by Susan Bischoff (Act 1 done right)
Fixing a Scene by Jenny Hansen
Plot Fixer: Weak Black Moment and The End Does Not Satisfy by Kara Lennox
Great Fiction Goes For the Guts by Kristen Lamb
Triggers and Taboos in Fiction by Veronica Sicoe
Scenes, Dialogue and Other Goodness
How to Set the Tone and Mood In Your Scenes by Janice Hardy
The End Game by Joe Moore
Les Edgerton Shows How to Write Amazing Dialogue – Part 1
Les Edgerton Shows How to Write Amazing Dialogue – Part 2: An Excercise
Les Edgerton & Two Tips to Take Your Dialogue to a Whole New Level – Part 3
Body Language Cues to Emotion by Joanna Waugh
Speaking of Revising by Nicole L. Reber
5 Common Problems In Your Young Adult Manuscript by Kristi Cook
Do We Expect Too Much Realism In Our Manuscript? by Janice Hardy
Love and Romance: Do You Believe in Magic? by Susan Bischoff
Utopia and Dystopia – The Many Faces of the Future by Veronica Sicoe
5 Writing Lessons I Learned From Being an Editor by Emily Wenstrom
Larry Brooks on the Structure of Short Stories by Karen Woodward
How to Write a Short Story by James Scott Bell
Three Tips For Being a Better Beta Reader by Jami Gold
How to Choose the Right Conference by Gabriela Pereira
Book Marketing
The Myth About Introverts and Extroverts – Could You Be an Ambivert? by Kristen Lamb
When Titles Go Bad by P.J. Parrish
How Fiction Authors Can Steal Marketing Ideas From Their Non-Fiction Friends by Toni at DuoLit
Book Marketing Using Paid Promotion: Targeted Email Lists by Joanna Penn
Secrets of Copywriting: The Power of a Strong Value Proposition by Pete Sandeen
How to Get Honest Book Reviews by Karen Woodward
10 Book Club Tips by Dina Santorelli
(Self-)Publishing
Help! I’m Published and I Can’t Get Up by James Scott Bell
How Self-Publishing Has Changed the Industry by Clare Langley-Hawthorne
Answers to 14 Questions You’re Too Afraid to Ask Literary Agents by Barbara Poelle
Real Life Diagnostics: A Look at a Middle Grade Query Letter by Janice Hardy
Kris Rusch Says: Don’t Accept A Book Advance Of Less Than $100,000 by Karen Woodward
Self-Publishing Goals: Increase Your Income Streams by D.D. Scott
Self-Publishing Grabs Huge Market Share From Traditional Publishers by David Gaughran
Blogging
4 Ways Blogging Will Make You a Better Writer by Dan Blank
Sacred Cow-Tipping – Why Writers Blogging About Writing Is Bad by Kristen Lamb
An Open Letter to All the Bloggers Cluttering the Web with Forgettable Content by Mark Hermann
How to Make Sure You Never Run Out of Blog Post Ideas Again by Beth Hayden
How to Dominate Your Niche by Brian Clark
7 Lessons to Improve Your Author Website (or, Learn from My FAIL!) by Toni at DuoLit
Creating a Reader Friendly Website by Ellen M. Gregg
10 Important Questions You Should Ask a Website Company Before Buying a New Website by Caitlin Muir
WordPress Is Being Attacked: 3 Precautions You Can Take by Amy Lynn Andrews
How to Find Images For Your Blog With Photo Pin by Amy Lynn Andrews
Social Media
How to Set Up a Professional Twitter Profile by Shaney Lee
Did Facebook Change Something? 5 Tips For Page Owners to ‘It’s All Good’ by Lisa Hall-Wilson
Pinterest For Authors in 10 Steps by Amanda June Hagarty
5 Pinterest Tricks For Indie Authors (Wise Ink)
Collected Wisdom
Writer Resources by Gene Lempp
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas
Deep Stuff
The Parental Paradox & Caterpillar Conundrum—How I Grew Up to Be THAT Mom by Kristen Lamb
I, Antagonist, part 1: The Procrastination by Susan Bischoff
How to Be More Productive By Limiting Open Browser Tabs by Amy Lynn Andrews
Why Daily Learning Beats the Gobble Gobble Learning by Sean D’Souza
The Perfect Health Regimen That Only an Absolute Dictator Could Impose by Esther Inglis-Arkell
Your Approach to Mistakes Defines Your Success by Penelope Trunk
Men and Women and the Real Workplace Revolution by Penelope Trunk
Fun Stuff
*squee* Thor: The Dark World trailer
X Is For X-Chromosome: 18 Interesting Facts About Women by Jenny Hansen
12 Phrases That Are Never a Good Sign For Hero’s Survival by Charlie Jane Anders
Little Girl Superheroes by Susanna Polo
10 Heroes Who Got More Interesting After Being Gender Swapped by Charlie Jane Anders
The Ultimate Guide to This Summer’s Science Fiction and Fantasy TV by Meredith Woerner
NYPD 2095 – The Best Police Protection Money Can Buy (12:21 min long short video)
Link Feast For Writers, vol. 45: Antagonist Special
Blog posts are a fun and fast way to learn about writing and marketing our books.
Here’s a smorgasbord of links for you. The chef recommends this week’s special, the dark and conflicting section of the menu. Bon appetit!
On Writing
3 Writer’s Commandments and the Dreaded “S” Word by Jenny Hansen
Three Phases of Becoming a Master Author by Kristen Lamb
6 Ways to Write Every Day by Karen Woodward
5 Unexpected Lessons From Inside the Iowa Writer’s Workshop by Dina Nayeri
Being Profilic by David Farland
Changing the World One Story At a Time, Part 1 by David Farland
Changing the World One Story At a Time, Part 2 by David Farland
Idea vs. Concept by Larry Brooks
How to Develop Any Idea Into a Great Story by Elizabeth Sims
Character Development Tricks by Sheldon at Dramaticapedia
Creating Emotional Frustration In Your Characters by Rachel Scheller
Different Kind of Story Openings: Shock and Seduction by Karen Woodward
7 Reasons Agents Stop Reading Your First Chapter by Livia Blackburne
Storyteller’s Rulebook: Beware of Instant Conflict by Matt Bird
How to Organize Time For a Dramatic Story by Michael Rabiger & Mick Hurbis Cherrier
5 Ways to Practice the Art of Double Duty Writing by Susan Squires
Don’t Be an Information Dumper by Don McNair
Storyteller’s Rulebook: Add an OMFG Scene by Matt Bird
Jawing About Writing and Writing About Jaws by Sharla Rae
Series vs. Stand-Alone: What Should We Work On Next? by Jami Gold
The Rules of Romantic Comedy by Karen Woodward
What Is Urban Fantasy Anyway? by Emma Newman
Do You Make These 5 Surprising Short Story Mistakes? (Writer’s Relief)
Writing the Antagonist
Structure Part 3: Introducing the Opposition by Kristen Lamb
Scene Antagonists and Big Boss Troublemakers by Kristen Lamb
What Makes a Great Villain? by Alexandra Sokoloff
Villains: The Forces of Antagonism by Alexandra Sokoloff
Make Your Antagonist a Force For Good by Jami Gold
12 Tips On How To Write Antagonists Your Readers Will Love To Hate by Karen Woodward
Not All Villains Are the Heroes of Their Own Stories by Matt Bird
The Language of the Corrupted by Matt Bird
Book Marketing
Platform Is Craft by Dan Blank
The Dirty Secret of Author Platform (Hint: It’s Difficult) by Dan Blank
Mark Coker, Founder Of Smashwords: Six Ways To Increase Book Sales by Karen Woodward
12 Ideas For Email Updates You’ll Actually Enjoy Writing by Toni at DuoLit
Before Publishing Your eBook: A 3 Month Checklist by Laura Pepper Wu
(Note: This is a product plug. This ebook sounds really useful, and the previous books of Laura have been high quality. But make up your own mind.)
Book Marketing: 9 Activities to Boost Your Author Career by Dana Sitar
Where Can Authors Advertise for the B&N, Apple, and Kobo Stores? by Lindsay Buroker
(Self-)Publishing
Four Steps To a Winning Query by Gabriela Pereira
Amazon KDP Select: Is It Worthwhile For Authors? by C.J. Lyons
Amazon Buys Goodreads: What Does It Mean for Authors and Readers? by Dan Blank
Business Rusch: The Logic Behind Self Publishing by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
The New World of Publishing: The Assumption of Agents by Dean Wesley Smith
Self-Publishing in 30 Minutes and 50 Seconds by Joel Friedlander
Blogging
The Changing Nature of Blogging For Fiction Writers by Jody Hedlund
5 Ways to Improve Your Blog Today by Dino Dogan
21 Critical Tasks to Perform As Soon As You Start a Blog by Ramsay at Blog Tyrant
How to Blog Like You Mean to Change the World by Justine Musk
Don’t Let the Well Run Dry: Content Strategy and Your Blog by Liz Bauman
The Art of Keeping Your Audience Coming Back For More by Robert Bruce
Recycle Your Blog Content: 3 Ways to Re-Feature Popular Articles on Your Site by Chris Robley
3 SEO Myths That Scare Writers (And How You Can Use Them to Your Advantage) by Alexis Grant
Google Reader Alternatives by Amy Lynn Andrews
When Should We Upgrade to a Paid Site? by Jami Gold
WordPress.COM vs. WordPress.ORG — Which Is Better for Writers? by Jami Gold
Is Your Site Secure? Tips From a Tech Guy by Jay Donovan
Does Your Site Welcome Disabled Readers? by Linda Adams
Social Media
What To Do When Social Media Bums You Out by Abby Kerr
But Do You *Like* Like a Facebook Page? by Talli Roland
4 Compelling Reasons For Creative People to Start Using Google+ by Mark McGuinness
Pinterest for Authors: How to Promote Your Writing on the Fastest Growing Website Ever by Chris Robley
How Novelist Justine Musk Builds a Fictional World on Pinterest by Lauren Rae Orsini
Directory of Book Bloggers on Pinterest by Mandy at The Well-Read Wife
Collected Wisdom
Writer Resources by Gene Lempp
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas
Deep Stuff
The Grass Is Greener When You Water It by Lisa Hall-Wilson
The Not Knowing Path of Being an Entrepreneur by Leo Baubata
What We Lack in a Hyperconnected World by Leo Baubata
The Green Beret Survival Guide by Bob Mayer (some really useful questions to ponder if you live in an earthquake area – or write Post-Apocalyptic novels)
Fun Stuff
The Blacksmith Duel by Jim Paw-Paw Wilson
10 Dinosaur Myths That Need to Go Extinct by Brian Switek
Immortal Monday: Hades, God of the Underworld by Debra Kristi
The Day Thor Came To Visit by Kristy K. James
Fiction Affliction: April Releases In Urban Fantasy by Suzanne Johnson
Fiction Affliction: Genre Benders For April by Suzanne Johnson
Fiction Affliction: April Releases in Fantasy by Suzanne Johnson
Link Feast For Writers, vol. 44
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.
And tune in for the next Link Feast, coming out in two weeks.
If You Have Time For Only One Thing
The Art of Asking: For Creative Writers and Storytellers by Chuck Wendig
(This is worth your 15 minutes. I promise. Watch the talk.)
On Writing
What Lights Your Creative Spirit on Fire? by Jenny Hansen
Inspiration Hunting in the Publishing World by Sonali Dev
What Kind of an Author Do You Want to Be? by David Farland
How to Write Better, Faster & Easier by Matching Your Writing Process With the Way You Think by Don Fry
Why Some Books Are Harder to Write Than Others by Janice Hardy
The Faster I Write, the Better the Book? by Roni Loren
Be a Copycat by Keith Cronin
The Play’s the Thing by Robin LaFevers
Setting – The First, Most Crucial Choice for your Career AND your Character by Blythe Gifford
How to Use Your Logline, Tagline and Pitch to Write a Stronger Story by Marcy Kennedy
Characters
Creating Characters – What You Really Need by David Farland
Creating Characters – What You Really Need, Part 2 by David Farland
What Your Character Really Needs – The Central Question by David Farland
How to Create a Compelling Character: Contrast Their Outer and Inner Lives by Matt Bird
Know More Than You Show, Part 1: Characters by Matt Bird
Writing From an Authentic Teen Viewpoint by Lydia Sharp
The Hero’s Journey – My Pros and Cons by Veronica Sicoe
Rich Relationships by Donald Maass
Choose Wisely: Metaphors In Character by Jael McHenry
Plotting etc.
Know More Than You Show, Part 2: Plot by Matt Bird
Every Scene Needs It’s Own Hero by Matt Bird
Where Should a Second Chapter Start? by Beth Hill
Stressed-Out Characters – Just the Way We Want Them by Diane Krause
Why Serious Books Need Humor and Levity to Work by Sarah Skilton
Handling Cliffhanger Endings With Multiple POVs by Janice Hardy
The Clock Is Ticking – 5 Tips For Tighter, Cleaner Writing by Kristen Lamb
Know More Than You Show, Conclusion: Theme by Matt Bird
When You Really, Really Care by Dave King
The Battle of Science and Magic, Part One – Particles and Pixie Dust by Victoria Hooper
Be Your Own Book Doctor by Janice Hardy
The 7 Deadly Sins of Self-Editing by Janice Gable Bashman & Kathryn Craft
Cynicism Is Never Romantic With Handsome Hansel
Playing the Short Game: Why Short Fiction? by Douglas Smith
Book Marketing
Focusing on the Writing First by Elizabeth S. Craig
Measure Your (Self-)Publishing Competence by Joel Friedlander
(Awesome breakdown of 6 Core Skills all writers need)
Tactics vs. Strategy by C.J. Lyons
The ABCs of Voice Values: Part 2 (H-P) by Abby Kerr
The ABCs of Voice Values, Part 3 (Q-Z) by Abby Kerr
8 Book Marketing Tasks To Tackle BEFORE Your Book Is Published by Toni at DuoLit
3 Ways to Build Meaningful Connections to Move Your Writing Career Forward by Monica Carter Tagore
It’s Write O’Clock: Do You Know Who Your Contacts Are? by Susan Spann
Book Promotion Advice From Popular Indie Fantasy Author Joseph Lallo
Why I Cut My Email List In Half by C.J. Lyons
How to Book Your Own Virtual Book Tour by Chris Robley
When Visibility Doesn’t Lead to Book Sales by Genevieve Pearson
(Self-)Publishing
The #1 Reason for #QueryFails – How to Avoid Automatic Rejection from a Reviewer, Agent, Editor or Blogger by Anne R. Allen
Querying? Think Outside the Box to Get Noticed by LynDee Walker
Turn One Agent’s No Into Another Agent’s Yes by Wendy Burt-Thomas
The Business Rusch: The Bad Book by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (reader & editor preferences)
What Does the Future Look Like For Traditional Publishers and What Does That Mean For Self-Published Authors? by D.D. Scott
Go-To List for Helpful Indie Resources (The Writer’s Guide to Publishing)
The Business Rusch: Binge Reading by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
The Frontiers of Publishing by Jason Dyck
Book Promotion – What’s Working at Amazon in 2013 by Lindsay Buroker
Blogging
Do Authors Need a Website and Blog? by Jami Gold
To Blog Or Not To Blog, That Is Jane Friedman’s Question by Karen Woodward
What Should an Author Website Include by Jami Gold
Which Content-Marketing Tasks Can Wait Until After Your Site Launches? by Amy Harrison
How to Build an Online Marketing Audience of People You Don’t Know by Manon Eileen
How Authors Can Survive the Death of Google Reader by Caitlin Muir
5 Lessons Cat Videos Can Teach Us About Blissfully Mindless Content by Marie Rotter
3 Criticial Thigs to Remember About Guest Posting by Danny Iny
Social Media
Wonder Twin Powers…ACTIVATE! Introverts & Extroverts Unite by Kristen Lamb
7 Ways Buffer Will Change Your (Social Media) Life by Shannon at DuoLit
Can Social Media Tools Make Us a Social Tool? by Kristen Lamb
Twitter: My 5 Unshakable Beliefs by Ann Neugebauer
Collected Wisdom
Writing Resources by Gene Lempp
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas
Deep Stuff
How to Tell if You’re Really Overloaded (and What to Do About It) by Mark McGuinness
Is It Better to Be a Good Person or a Great One? by Mary Kennedy
Enough Feisty Princesses: Disney Needs an Introverted Heroine by Lindsay Lowe
Will Old People Take Over the World by George Dvorsky
Fun Stuff
The Funniest Amazon Review I’ve Seen This Month by Jenny Hansen
5 Shockingly Advanced Ancient Buildings That Shouldn’t Exist by Eric Yosomono
The 21 Happiest Objects of All Time by Jessica Misener
Fiction Affliction: March Releases in Fantasy by Suzanne Johnson
Fiction Affliction: March Releases in Urban Fantasy by Suzanne Johnson
Fiction Affliction: Genre Benders For March by Suzanne Johnson
Link Feast For Writers, vol. 43
This week’s Link Feast got a tad bloated since I wanted to make this one to be special. It will be the last Link Feast for a while.
I got a full time job. So until I get used to the vastly diminished free time and balancing work and family, my blogging is pretty much on hold. I might be able to whip up some partially written posts but I make no promises when.
Meanwhile, enjoy the link collections of Elizabeth S. Craig, Gene Lempp and Yesenia Vargas. And write. And then write some more 
If You Have Time For Only One Thing
Be the Gatekeeper of Your Mind by Rachelle Gardner
On Writing
How To Push Past The Bullshit And Write That Goddamn Novel: A Very Simple No-Fuckery Writing Plan To Get Shit Done by Chuck Wendig
The Forrest Gump Guide to Writing That Bites Readers in the Buttocks by Jon Morrow
How Badly Do You Want the Dream? by Kristen Lamb
7 Things Confident Writers Don’t Do by Kristen Lamb
Enemies of the Art, Part 8 – Being a Starter, Not a Finisher by Kristen Lamb
To Find Success, Learn to Embrace the Meantime by Kristen Lamb
Defining Yourself as a Writer by David Farland
The Appeal to “Intellect” in Fiction by David Farland
How to Work on More Than One Book At a Time by James Scott Bell
8 Books For Writers by Raima Larter
A 12-Step Checklist For a “Sexy” Synopsis by Shannon Donnelly
Concept
Good to Great: Nail a Better Concept to Empower Your Story by Larry Brooks
“Side Effects” (Deconstruction 1) – The True Concept by Larry Brooks
“Side Effects” (Deconstruction #2) – Putting Concept to Work In the Narrative… Even Before You Write It by Larry Brooks
Characters
Three Questions to Get to the Heart of Your Story by Janice Hardy
Dig Deep Into Character by Kathy Steffen
Why Character Arcs (and Growth) Make Readers Care by Janice Hardy
Strong Character Voices by David Farland
Cultural Guilt by David Farland
How to Get Out of Your Character’s Way by Amy Sue Nathan
Dealing With a Large Cast of Characters by David Farland
Plotting
Plot, Story and Tension by Karen Woodward
Writing and the Monomyth, Part 1 by Karen Woodward
Writing and the Monomyth, Part 2 by Karen Woodward
4 Steps of Organizing Plot Ideas Into a Novel by Jody Hedlund
Visual Methods of Writing by Robert Ferrigno
Worksheets For the Breakout Novelist by Donald Maass
Storyteller’s Rulebook: Move Up the Timeline by Matt Bird
Putting Emotional Twists In Your Tales by David Farland
How to Write a Scene in 11 Steps [Infographic] by Jason Boog
Compelling Writing
Making the Pages Cry by Becca Puglisi
Immerse the Reader in Your World and Never Let Them Up For Air by Kristen Lamb
Those So-Called Clichés by David Farland
Revising
How To Karate Your Novel And Edit That Motherfucker Hard: A No-Foolin’ Fix-That-Shit Editing Plan To Finish The Goddamn Job by Chuck Wendig
Edit Your Shit: Editing For Content by Chuck Wendig
Self-Editing 101 – 13 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Opening Chapter by Anne R. Allen
Avoid Reader Confusion by Elizabeth S. Craig
Telling Yourself to Show: How to Identify Flat Scenes by Janice Hardy
What Is Your Stylistic Device? by Patience Bloom
10 Proofreading Tips For Self-Publishers by Anna Lewis
Genres
Sleeps With Monsters: Epic Fantasy Is Crushingly Conservative? by Liz Bourke
What Is Gaslight Fantasy? by Terri Windling
Dystopian Round Table: The Appeal of Dystopian Fiction by John Joseph Adams
Teens and Dystopias by Scott Westerfield
Book Marketing
What’s Going On with Readers Today? Goodreads Finds Out
5 Essential Skills For Today’s Online Marketer by Chris Brogan
Building an Author Brand by Ali Cross (IndieReCon)
The ABCs of Voice Values: Learn to “Read” Your Brand & Your Right People (Part 1, A-G) by Abby Kerr
Marketing Plans Made Easy by S.R. Johannes (IndieReCon)
Insert Brilliant Category Romance Title Here! by Patience Bloom
10 Ways to Make Your Cover Stand Out in the Crowd by Alicia Kat Dillman (IndieReCon)
Creative Book Launches That Command Attention by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi (IndieReCon)
Money Matters Most in Book Marketing by Rob Eagar
Top 10 Tips: How to Create an Effective Author Website by Malle Vallik
E.C. Myers: Reading Between the Lines (this is one of the juiciest bios & author introductions I’ve ever seen)
12 Steps to Blog Tour Success by Joel Friedlander (IndieReCon)
Why Non-Fiction Books Are the New Ultimate Business Card by Ryan Holiday
(Self-)Publishing
The Financial Reality of a (Trad Published) Genre Novelist by Jason Boog
The Death of Publishing by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
How Have Things Changed In the Last 3 Years in Indie Publishing by Bob Mayer
Interview with Jane Friedman (The State of Publishing and All Kind of Great Writing Tips) by Jerry Waxler
Lessons Learned and Tips From Indie Authors by Ali Cross (IndieReCon)
Top 10 Tips For Successful Self-Publishing by Barbara Freethy (IndieReCon)
Measuring Success by Susan Kaye Quinn (IndieReCon)
Partnering With an Agent by Steena Holmes (IndieReCon)
Amazon’s Bestselling Author Theresa Ragan Treats You to the Steps She Took to Self-Publish
Building a Best-Selling Publishing Team by Miral Sattar of BiblioCrunch (IndieReCon)
The Recipe For Indie Success: Advice From 4 Successful Authors by Shannon at DuoLit
Joe Konrath Talks About How to Sell Books on Amazon by Karen Woodward
Breaking Into International Markets by Orna Ross of ALLi (IndieReCon)
Amazon’s Recommendation Engine Trumps the Competition by David Gaughran
The Shocking Truth: Book Buyers Have Minds of Their Own Chris McVeigh
Here’s the Problem With Book Publishers’ Discovery Problem by Laura Hazard Owen
(Fascinating insight on how super readers – most writers, I suspect – can understand how the average readers discover and select books. An average reader being someone who only reads 6 books / year)
What Aren’t Bookstores Doing? by Jenn Northington
Blogging
Why Do We Blog? by Molly Greene
Is Blogging Still Essential to a Fiction Writer’s Platform by Mike Duran
What the Heck Do I Blog About? Blogging Ideas For Fiction Authors Stuck In a Rut by Laura Pepper Wu
Make Your Blog the Event of the Year (And Have People Clamor to Attend) by Tea Silvestre
Get It Done: 7 Tips for Writing When You Don’t Have Enough Time by Tea Silvestre
Social Media
9 Tips For Making Online Friends by Jami Gold
Build Your Online Writing Community by Gabriela Pereira
Resolve to Tweet Better in 2013 by Nina Badzin
How I Got a Six-Figure Twitter Following (and Why It Doesn’t Matter) by Jane Friedman
0 – 4000 In a Snap – How to Build a Quality Twitter Following Fast by Molly Greene
Twitter Basics – The Proper Care and Feeding of Hashtags by Marcy Kennedy
Facebook: Should We Use a Profile Or a Page by Lisa Hall-Wilson
Facebook Tricks For Better Engagement by Lisa Hall-Wilson
Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make On Facebook and How to Avoid Them by Lisa Hall-Wilson
The Weird Thing About Facebook: Status Updates Are the Most Memorable Writing You Do by Jennifer Miller
It’s Not You Facebook, It’s Me — Okay, It’s Partly You: Why I Unfriended Almost Everyone by Matthew Ingram
Collected Wisdom
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig
Writing Resources by Gene Lempp
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas
Deep Stuff
Must Read Monday: The Happiness Project by Roni Loren
15 Ways to Rock Your Sister’s World by Jenny Hansen
Women in Media: Why Our Stories Count by August McLaughlin
2 Critical Myths That Separate Top Performers From Ordinary People by Ramit Sethi (This is a sales page. But you can ignore that and focus on the meat, the myths. And yet, if you have sales pages, are yours this convincing?)
Fun Stuff
How Game of Thrones Season 3 Will Split A Storm of Swords by Chris Lough
‘Hunger Games’ Success Proves Dystopia Is the New Supernatural by Brooke Tarnoff
F*ck Year Warrior Women Picture Blog
Are You Ready to Have Kids? This Quiz Should Tell You by Little White Lion (thanks for this funny link, Jenny Hansen)
Writer Horoscopes Monopoly Style by Donna Gambale
Link Feast For Writers, vol. 42
This batch of links comes on Thursday again. I made this edition a little thicker as I will be on a blogging hiatus next week. Hubby is on a vacation so we’ll have family time.
Enjoy the links! Until March.
If You Have Time For Only One Thing
Create Your Personal Vision – You Can Do It If You Can See It by Cigdem Kobu
On Writing
Be the Watchdog For Your Own Rights by Susan Spann
The Most Important Quality in Best-Selling Authors by Jody Hedlund
Making Writing Resolutions That Stick by Gabriela Pereira
Turning Those Writing Resolutions Into Reality by Gabriela Pereira
The Hardest Writerly Truth of Them All by Chuck Wendig
How to Stick to Your Goals by Veronica Sicoe
Yoga For Writers by Raima Larter
Prewriting: The Trick to Preventing Writer’s Block by David Farland
Write In the Flush of the Moment to Free Up Flow by Sam Horn
How to Increase Concentration – The 5 Key Steps by Sulagna Dasgupta
Make Your Own MFA in Creative Writing: How to Build a DIY Creative Writing Curriculum by Chris Robley
8 Tips From Chuck Wendig on How to Read Like a Writer by Karen Woodward
Beyond the Basics: 5 Ways to Take Your Writing Further by Joanna Penn
How Do You Know Your Writing Is Getting Better? by Janice Hardy
Words From George R.R. Martin by Aderyn Wood
Analyzing What to Write by David Farland
Analyzing Your Novel’s Audience by David Farland (that elusive High Concept)
Audience Analysis, Part 2 by David Farland
Do We Stick With a Genre or Write What We Feel? by Julia Robb
Fate Core and Creation of Magical Worlds by Karen Woodward
On Writing the Non-Western Fantasy Setting by Miriam Forster
Writing Race in YA by Nicola K. Richardson
How to Raise the Stakes in Your First 50 Pages of Your Novel by Jeff Gerke
Can Story Themes Help Pantsers Write? by Jami Gold
Three Ways to Ground Readers In Your World by Janice Hardy
Spinach Scenes (And How to Deal With Them) by Leila Austin
Five Ways to Create Context In Your Story by Dr. John Yeoman
Voice Tips From Pros by Becca Puglisi
How to Revise For a Stronger Theme by Jami Gold
3 Ways to Compress Your Story Like Les Misérables by Joe Bunting
What Makes a Romance Novel Truly Romantic by Jody Hedlund
The Pride and Prejudice Beat Sheet by Marilyn Brant
Writing Historicals – How Accurate Must You Be? by Anne Cleeland
Writing a Feel Good Story by Karen Woodward
Writing Warm and Fuzzy by David Farland
Testosterone Fueled Fiction by David Farland
How to Write Short Story Characters by Karen Woodward
6 Ways to Stand Out At a Writer’s Conference by Barbara Santos
Book Marketing
Author Platform Starter Kit (72 page long PDF) by Dan Blank (AWESOME resource)
You, amplified (a poem about marketing) by Colleen Wainwright
Designing a Brand That Works – 6 Key Elements by Tea Silvestre
11 Tips For Creating a Remarkable Brand by Tea Silvestre
6 Places to Look Outside Your Business Niche for Creative Inspiration (& 3 Places Never To Look) by Abby Kerr
5 Goldenly Creative Ways to Tell Your Brand Story by Tea Silvestre
Taking Responsibility For Your Marketing Plan by David Farland
Building a Platform vs. Promoting a Book by Rachelle Gardner
Bigger Bang For Your Marketing Bucks by Tea Silvestre
Are You Neglecting This Important Book Sales Tool? 5 Steps to a Great Blurbs by Mark Edwards
10 Ways Proven to Draw Readers to Your Novel’s Website by Thomas Ummstattd
The Cheese Factor: Keep the “Cheesiness” Out of Your Author Website by Kerry Lonsdale
Build Your Mailing List! 5 Ideas That Really Work by Toni Tesori of DuoLit
Email Marketing For Authors: 6 Articles by Chris Robley
Teaching Your Fans to Shout Out For You by David Farland
Getting Book Reviews: Hit Me With Your Best Pitch by Kelly Jensen
How to Take a Good Author Photo by Chris Robley
5 Tips to Improve Your Amazon Author Central Page by Cat Rambo
Life in an Ottoman Harem by Colin Falconer (This is one of the most interesting book promotion posts I’ve ever seen. A great story)
(Self-)Publishing
Think Like a Publisher 2013: Return on Investment by Dean Wesley Smith
Are Self-Pub Books the New Slush Pile? by Rachelle Gardner
Query Letters: Author Meagan Spooner and Agent Josh Adams discuss SKYLARK by Stephanie Kuehn
Ebook Parts by J.A. Konrath
Using a Variety of eBook Price Points to Build an Indie ePublishing Empire by D.D. Scott
2013 YA Cover Trends, Part 1 by Kelly Jensen
2013 YA Cover Trends by Kelly Jensen
2013 YA Cover Trends, Part 3 by Kelly Jensen
Blogging
How to Find Your Message and Stand Out by Justin Dixon
Blog For Your Right People by Abby Kerr
17 Ways to Turn Your Blog Readers Into Loyal Fans by Tea Silvestre
7 Surprising Things About Blogging by Victoria Mixon
Blogging Tips: 3 Fast Fixes by Angela Ackerman
The Science of Storytelling: 6 Ways to Write More Persuasive Stories by Gregory Ciotti
How Do You Feel About Re-Posting Old Blog Posts? by Janice Hardy
Social Media
Where’s the Line Between Spamming and Sharing by Jami Gold
The Brave New World of Social Media – Love Never Needs Updating by Kristen Lamb
12 Social Media Mistakes For Authors to Avoid by Anne R. Allen
Quick-Start Pinterest Tips by Stormy Sweitzer
Books, Reading and Pinterest by Kelly Jensen
YA Authors on Pinterest by Kristen Hubbard
LinkedIn—Making The Most of Your Six Seconds by Jenny Hansen
Collected Wisdom
Writing Resources by Gene Lempp
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig
Deep Stuff
Date a Girl Who Reads by Rosemarie Urquico (I’ll definately give this spiel to my kids when they’re older )
Why Do We Read? by David Farland
How to Be Creative When Your Brain Doesn’t Want to Play by Gary Korisko
The Story of a Boy Who Went to Prison by Shannon Lell
Beauty of a Woman Blogfest: Do Breasts Define the Female? by Jenny Hansen
Beauty of a Woman Blogfest: What Would You Trade to Look Young Forever by Marcy Kennedy
An 18-Minute Plan Managing Your Day by Peter Bregman
18 Minutes Free Resources by Peter Bregman
Smile At Your Unfinished List by Jonathan Mead
Fun Stuff
The Best Stuff Revealed in the Game of Thrones Season 2 Blu-Ray Set by Chris Lough
“As You Wish…” Eight Unabashedly Romantic SF/F Love Stories by Ryan Britt and Emily Asher-Perrin
The 5 Soapiest Romances in the Star Wars Expanded Universe by Natalie Zutter
Explore a Living Map of Ankh-Morpork by Stubby the Rocket
10 SFF Book Series So Addictive Tou Never Want Them to End by Charlie Jane Anders
10 Fantasy Book Series That Could Replace Harry Potter at the Movies by Charlie Jane Anders
2012 Nebula Award Finalists Announced (Tor.com)
Portrait of Lisane da Patagnia by Rachel Swirsky (Nebula Award Nominated Short Story)
Fiction Affliction: February Releases In Urban Fantasy by Suzanne Johnson
Fiction Affliction: February Releases in Fantasy by Suzanne Johnson
Fiction Affliction: Genre Benders For February by Suzanne Johnson
Creating a Sub-Genre by Accident: Georgette Heyer’s The Corinthian by Mari Ness
About Reetta
I'm a Finnish fantasy / urban fantasy writer who loves reading, roleplaying and all things medieval. 
Recent Comments