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. 49 – Setting Special

Here’s your round of writing, book marketing and other interesting links. My apologies for missing weeks. I’ve been really busy with work and family.

Next Link Feast is due in two weeks, on Friday 21st of July. Because of work schedules I’m moving Link Feasts permanently for later weekday.

Enjoy the links. And please leave a comment. I’d love to hear what kind of links would be most useful to you right now 🙂

 

On Writing

Why Good Writers Sometimes Give Bad Advice? by Lisa Cron

To get the answers we need, we must ask the Right Questions by Jennette M. Powell

Authors: How Are You Backing Up Your Manuscripts and Business Files? by D.D. Scott

The Weirdest Story Ideas Come From Your Own Obsessions by Kelly Link

Pinterest: The Ultimate Writing Excercise by Shannon at DuoLit

Write Your Novel Step by Step by Melanie Anne Phillips

10 Traits of Great Protagonists by Janice Hardy

How to Prevent Predictable Plots by Noelle Sterne

Families: Google+ Worldbuilding Hangout by Juliette Wade

Why the Hero’s Journey Is a Tourist Trap by Lisa Cron

Figuring Out Your Story’s Turning Points by Jenny Hansen

How to Structure Your Story, Part 11: The Spiritual Crisis by Matt Bird

How to Structure Your Story, Part 12: Proactive Pursuit of the True Goal by Matt Bird

How to Structure Your Story, Part 13: The Timeline Is Unexpectedly Moved Up by Matt Bird

Setpiece Scenes: The Unlimited Production Budget by Alexandra Sokoloff

The 7 Essential Questions of Plot – Do You Ask Them? by Jenny Hansen

10 Things Your Opening Chapter Should Do:  A Check-List for Self-Editing by Anne R. Allen

Once More With Feeling by Shannon Donnelly

“Deepening” In to a Scene of Oppression by Juliette Wade

Make It Stick: The Art of Chapter Ending by Tiffany Reisz

Different Voices In Your Narrative by Juliette Wade

How to Write Characters Who Don’t Sound Like You by Janice Hardy

4 Most Common Mistakes Fiction Editors See by Victoria Mixon

How I Self-Edit My Novels: 15 Steps From First Draft to Publication by K.M. Weiland

Using a Critique Checklist, or, How Not To Look Like a Twit by Becca Puglisi

Create a Style Sheet For Your Manuscript by Rachelle Gardner

Should Authors Write Bad Book Reviews by Kristen Lamb

Is It Fair For Authors to Review Other Authors: Do We Ruin the Magic? by Kristen Lamb

 

Settings and World Building

10 Questions to Ask When Choosing Your Setting by Janice Hardy

Setting Your Tale – Part 1 by David Farland

Persistent World, Persistent Characters by David Farland

How Real Do You Want Your World to Be? by David Farland

Your Setting as a Petri Dish by David Farland

Resonance in Settings by David Farland

World Building Tips Learned at Louvre by Janice Hardy

Tips For Shared Worlds and Collaboration Between Independent Authors by Charlotte E. English

 

Book Marketing & Social Media

Writers: 5 Tips on How to Identify Your Target Audience by Colby Marshall

Tweeting Is Not a Marketing Strategy by Dan Blank

10 Free (or Mostly Free) Book Launch Strategies by Chris Robley

Reach New Readers With The Magic Of Audiobooks by Wolf Pascoe

7 Ways Authors Waste Time “Building Platform” on Social Media by Anne R. Allen

What Is Your Strategy For Social Media Intimacy? by Srinivas Rao

25 Tweet Ideas To Help Authors Fight Follower Fatigue by Toni at DuoLit

5 Ways to Use Pinterest For Book Promotion by Shannon at DuoLit

Getting the Most Out of Triberr as Authors by Kenra Daniels

 

(Self-)Publishing

Murder Most Foul by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

The New World of Publishing: Stop Submitting Manuscripts to Traditional Publishers by Dean Wesley Smith

The Stages of an Indie Writer by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

How to Survive and Thrive as an Indie Author by Karen Woodward

Writing on the Ether: Faster, Authors, Faster! by Porter Anderson

 

Blogging

8 Ways Blog Writing Is Unique by Mark Schaefer

Six Steps to a Stress-Free Blogging Habit by Skellie at DailyBloggingTips

3 Ways to Blogging Success by Joel Friedlander

How to Write Your Best Post Ever, Part 1: Planning by Vinita Zutshi

How to Write Your Best Post Ever, Part 3: Editing by Vinita Zutshi

The Brain-Dead Simple But Effective Way To Become a Better Writer by Greg Digneo

5 Ways to Bond With Your Audience by Henneke Duistermaat

Why You Shouldn’t Create a Newsletter (and What to Do Instead) by Jon Morrow

How to Add a Click to Tweet to Your Blog Posts by Caitlin Muir

5 New Ways to Think About Guest Posting by Annabel Candy

How to Use Google+ To Easily Record a Video Blog by Marcy Kennedy

How to Read More Blogs In Less Time by Rachelle Gardner

 

Collected Wisdom

Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig

Writer Resources by Gene Lempp

Monday Must Reads by Yesenia Vargas

 

Deep Stuff

5 Life-Saving Facts About Blood Clots by Jenny Hansen

5 Simple Behaviours That Help Prevent Blood Clots by Jenny Hansen

Do You Need a Judgement Day Bucket List? by Jenny Hansen

The Truth About Why You Aren’t Learning Anything in Your Online Classes by Tea Silvestre

25 Things to Know About Sexism and Misogyny in Writing & Publishing by Chuck Wendig

Boudicca: An Archetype For the Ages by C.P.D. Harris

Introduction to the Green Beret Survival Guide and Why You Need It by Bob Mayer (a must read for anyone interested in Post Apocalyptic books)

 

Fun Stuff

An Earnest Attempt to Make You Feel Good Avout Game of Thrones Again by Leah Schnelbach

Movie Review: Man of Steel by Melinda VanLone

No, Man of Steel’s Superman Is Not Your Superman. And That’s Okay by Emily Asher-Perrin

The Great Fantasy Novel Nomination: The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett by Myke Cole (having just read the first three books of the series, I had to share this. Impressive fantasy)

Fiction Affliction: June Releases in Urban Fantasy by Suzanne Johnson

Fiction Affliction: Genre Benders For June by Suzanne Johnson

Fiction Affliction: June Releases in Fantasy 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

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]

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