The Link Feast, vol. 57

Welcome to the Link Feast. I hope today’s smorgasbord is to your liking. Next Link Feast will be served on Sunday 14th of April.

If you have a topic or issue you’d like me to cover next time, please share it in the comments. Your wish is my command.

Now, onto the links.

 

If You Have Time For Only Thing

 

No, Really, Why Do You Write? By Heather Webb

No, Really, Why Do You Write?

 

On Writing

 

Where Do You Get Your Ideas? By Neil Gaiman

http://www.neilgaiman.com/p/Cool_Stuff/Essays/Essays_By_Neil/Where_do_you_get_your_ideas%3F

 

All Books Have Genders by Neil Gaiman (he tells the story of how the idea of the book American Gods came clearer to him)

http://www.neilgaiman.com/Cool_Stuff/Essays/Essays_By_Neil/All_Books_Have_Genders

 

Whence Cometh Ideas? 10 Fun Idea-Generating Activities and Story Starters by Erika Hoffman

Whence Cometh Ideas? 10 Fun Idea-Generating Activities and Story Starters

 

10 Ways to Conquer the Inner Critic by Mike Lucas

http://storyrunner.houseoflucas.com/2019/01/10-ways-to-conquer-inner-critic.html

 

One Free Trick: How to Use the Writing Skills You Have to Learn the Ones You Don’t by Arkady Martine

https://www.tor.com/2019/03/25/one-free-trick-how-to-use-the-writing-skills-you-have-to-learn-the-ones-you-dont/

 

How to Get Inspiration When Writing Erotica by Rachel Kramer Bussel

https://frolic.media/how-to-get-inspiration-when-writing-erotica/

 

Love the Grind by Ilona Andrews

http://www.ilona-andrews.com/love-the-grind/

 

Whose Character Is It Anyway? By John J. Kelley

Whose Character Is It Anyway?

 

How to Create a Compelling Character by Shirley Jump

How to Create A Compelling Character

 

Creating Characters Who Clash by Angela Ackerman

https://jamigold.com/2019/03/creating-characters-who-clash-guest-angela-ackerman/

 

Nasty, Menacing, Murderous Protagonists We Love… And Why by Donald Maass

Nasty, Menacing, Murderous: Protagonists We Love…and Why

 

Six Common Villain Mistakes and How to Avoid Them by Oren Ashkenazi

Six Common Villain Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them

 

Representation in Fiction: How to Write Characters Whose Experiences Are Outside of Your Own by Diana M. Pho

Representation in Fiction: How to Write Characters Whose Experiences Are Outside of Your Own

 

Planning Super Light Stories by Chris Winkle

Planning Super Light Stories

 

How J.K. Rowling Outlines Her Books (The Paperblanks Blog)

Writing Wednesday: How J.K. Rowling Outlines Her Books

 

Writing to the Beat: Translating Story Beats to Any Genre by Jami Gold

https://writershelpingwriters.net/2017/09/writing-to-the-beat-translating-story-beats-to-any-genre/

 

Storyteller’s Rulebook: Have At Least 6 Difficult Decisions by Matt Bird

http://www.secretsofstory.com/2015/03/storytellers-rulebook-have-at-least-six.html

 

Genre Structures: Charting the Big Dilemmas by Matt Bird

http://www.secretsofstory.com/2015/03/genre-structures-addendum-charting-big.html

 

Rulebook Casefile: Big Decisions and the Midpoint Disaster by Matt Bird

http://www.secretsofstory.com/2015/04/rulebook-casefile-big-decisions-and.html

 

4 Pacing Tricks to Keep Reader’s Attention by K.M Weiland (Captain Marvel examples. Squee!)

4 Pacing Tricks to Keep Readers’ Attention

 

Deepening Our Story: Theme It Like You Mean It by Jami Gold

https://writershelpingwriters.net/2018/03/deepening-our-story-theme-it-like-you-mean-it/

 

Learning to Write to Theme with Last Jedi by Bryan Young

Learning to Write to Theme with The Last Jedi

 

Best Scenes From the Wheel of Time, Part 10: Nynaeve and Lan in the Borderlands by Elanda Tonil / Suze from Tarvalon.net

https://blog.tarvalon.net/?p=31

(The post features a few scenes from high fantasy epic series the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. The characters in the scenes are a married couple and they have a difficult decision to make. Then we see the aftermath. Spoiler warning if you haven’t read the series yet but intend to. If that’s not an issue, I highly recommend checking the scenes out for learning purposes.

In case you are totally confused by the strange names and who these people are, Tarmon Gai’don means the Last Battle against the Shadow, an event foretold in a prophecy. Lan is an uncrowned king like Aragorn, except that his whole country was annexed by the Blight (a tainted area) and the monsters living there when he was a baby. He has dedicated his whole life to fighting them. Borderlands like Shienar are the countries at the edge of the Blight and defend their people from the monsters. Nynaeve, his wife, is a sorceress and an Aes Sedai, a Servant of All, who are respected but who most people are wary of. Lan is her Warder, a warrior dedicated to protecting her. He is a man with two causes and that is causing the dilemma.)

 

Story Revisions: Keeping Track of Changes by Jami Gold

Story Revisions: Keeping Track of Changes

 

When Your Query Reveals a Story-Level Problem by Susan DeFreitas

https://www.janefriedman.com/novel-query-problems/

 

How to Get an Extra Novel Written In a Year by Janice Hardy

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2019/03/how-to-get-extra-novel-written-in-year.html

 

Exploring Three Ways to Structure Your Book Series by Kristen Kieffer

https://www.well-storied.com/blog/structure-book-series

 

Four Ways to Plot a Trilogy by Kristen Kieffer

https://www.well-storied.com/blog/4-ways-to-plot-a-trilogy

 

How to Write a Trilogy: Q&A Session by Kristen Kieffer

https://www.well-storied.com/blog/how-to-write-a-trilogy-qa-session

 

7 Tips for Collaborating on a Novel by Dan Brotzel, Martin Jenkins, & Alex Woolf

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2019/03/7-tips-for-collaborating-on-novel.html

 

App Happy: 11 Free (or Mostly Free) Mobile Apps for Writers by Jess Zafarris

App Happy: 11 Free (or Mostly Free) Mobile Apps for Writers

 

Book Marketing, Blogging and Social Media

 

Schmoozing For Introverts: How to Network Like a Pro by Lisa Cooper Ellison

https://www.janefriedman.com/schmoozing-for-introverts/

 

What’s More Important: Author Websites or Social Media? By Jane Friedman (she says author website)

What’s More Important: Author Websites or Social Media?

 

The Ultimate Guide to Social Media For Writers 2019 by Dave Chesson

https://kindlepreneur.com/social-media-for-writers/

(Now take a deep breath. Yes, many different social media are mentioned but that doesn’t mean you need to be on all of them. Choose one that sounds right for you – maybe one you’re already using. Great, stick to that one. But if your audience is on another platform than the one you’re using, consider at least checking that place out. For example if you write YA, younger people are not on Facebook much but many frequent Instagram instead)

Aaand then I go against my advice. Goodreads is a place where you should set up your author page even if you wouldn’t use it at all after that. Because a social media specifically created for readers? It would be silly to not have a minimum presence there. Hence the next link.

 

The Ultimate Guide to Goodreads For Authors by Dave Chesson

https://kindlepreneur.com/how-to-use-goodreads-for-authors/

 

Book Marketing: 5 Ways to Stand Out As an Author on Social Media by Eevi Jones

Book Marketing: 5 Ways To Stand Out As An Author On Social Media

 

13 Copywriting Tips to Help You Write a Better Novel by Robert Lee Brewer (frankly, these work better for a blog post. But perhaps something to consider in the editing phase of your novel)

https://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/13-copywriting-tips-help-write-better-novel

 

Penny Sansevieri’s Top Book Marketing Complaints by Penny Sansevieri

Penny Sansevieri’s Top Book Marketing Complaints

 

Changes to Amazon Advertising: What Authors Need to Know by Dave Chesson

Changes to Amazon Advertising: What Authors Need to Know

 

Deep Stuff

 

How Inuit Parents Teach Kids to Control Their Anger by Michaeleen Doucleff (stories are powerful)

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/03/13/685533353/a-playful-way-to-teach-kids-to-control-their-anger

 

Can Inuit Moms Help Me Tame My 3-Year Old’s Anger by Michaeleen Doucleff (some repeat of the previous article but also personal stories. A really interesting read)

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/03/21/702209976/can-inuit-moms-help-me-tame-my-3-year-olds-anger

 

Life, Well Lived, Will Weep (poem) by Holly Lisle

Life, Well Lived, Will Weep

 

Marvel bids farewell to the original Avengers by introducing new, vaguely similar ones by Todd VanDerWerff

https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/3/18/18266003/marvel-avengers-captain-marvel-phase-4

 

Fun Stuff

 

13 Series to Read If You Love J.D. Robb’s ‘In Death’ Series by T.A. McIagan

https://www.bookbub.com/blog/books-if-you-love-j-d-robb

(And if you don’t know what series I am talking about, go and buy the first book Naked Death. It’s futuristic police procedural with kick ass murder cop Eve Dallas who has a haunted past and who falls for Roarke, a suspect, a billionaire and mostly reformed street thief. You’re in for 40+ books of this awesomeness. J.D. Robb is an alias of Nora Roberts.)

 

13 Romances to Read If You Love Roarke From the ‘In Death’ Series by Chanel Cleeton

https://www.bookbub.com/blog/romances-to-read-if-you-love-roarke-from-in-death-series

 

Spring 2019 Books We Cannot Wait to Read by Stubby the Rocket

https://www.tor.com/2019/03/20/spring-2019-books-we-cannot-wait-to-read/

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. 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)

Roni Loren’s Unforgettable Reads of 2012

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