Link Feast For Writers Vol. 11

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.

 

On Writing (Character Special)

Drop The Drama Bomb by Mario Acevendo at Writers In The Storm

Spice Up Your Writing With Optimal Learning Styles by Jan O’Hara at Writer Unboxed

Ask Your Character: Why Do You Matter? by Donald Maass at Writer Unboxed

Depth of Character by Donald Maass at Writer Unboxed

First Impressions by Diana Peterfreund

Giving Your Character A Unique Voice (Film Script Writing)

5 Tests To See If Character’s Voice Is Working by Christopher Boone

Character Development Sheet

What Makes A Female Character Strong by Jami Gold

10 Antagonist No No’s by Lynn Viehl

16 Villain Archetypes by Tami Cowden

Top 10 Mentor Characters by Alexandra Sokoloff

Where Are All The Female Mentor Characters by Stella Carter at Jezebel

How To Kill Characterization (at Drying Ink)

Myers-Briggs As A Tool For Authors by Fae Rowen

Chinese Element Personality Types For Fun & Writing by Fae Rowen

Creating Character Depth With Astrological Signs by C.J. Winters

Character Trading Cards by Lynn Viehl

Using Tarot For Creative Writing by Janet Boyer

10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Dialogue by Ali Luke at Write To Done

Create a Rough Sketch Of Your Work In Progress (diymfa.com)

12 Ways To Create Suspense by Gail Carson Levine

What Everyone Knows & Team Mundane by Catherynne M. Valente

Practical Writing Tips From 22 Brilliant Authors (scroll down to get the advice. My favourite bit was: “Write the first chapter LAST”)

Writing Quickly: A Secret Strategy by Ava Jae

Trend Tracking Versus Jumping by Lynn Viehl

Write Books That Change Lives by Ingrid Sundberg

Book Series Sell by agent Rusell Galen

Do You Read Like A Reader Or A Writer by Janice Hardy

Fighting Writer Fatique by Lynn Viehl

 

Your Author Platform

How Much Interaction Should Writers Have With Their Readers by Jody Hedlund

Hustling: How To Spread Word About Your Book by Chris Guillebeau

Convention Schmoozing 101 by Mary Robinette Kowal

How To Write Free Content That Gets You An Avalanche Of Traffic by Danny Iny

How To Keep Your Book Talk Fresh by Roz Morris

3 Selling Tactics From The Internet Marketing Gurus by Lindsay Buroker

89 Book Marketing Ideas (Author Media)

How To Launch A Book Without Losing Your Mind by Elizabeth S. Craig

 

Blogging

How Long Does It Take To Get Blog Readers? by Nina Amir

Top 10 Blog Traffic Killers by Michael Hyatt

How To Get Better Results With List Posts (Pushing Social)

3 Guaranteed Ways To Get Your Blog Post Read (Pushing Social)

Put Some Thought Into Your Blog Comments: No Vanilla Adjectives Please by Susie Lindau (check out the comments too)

How To Write A Good Blog Comment by Nathan Bradsford

Find Your Blog’s Unique Voice by Jeff Goins at ProBlogger

How To Promote Your Blog Like The Big Guys by Leo Baubata

How To Get Serious About Promoting Your Blog (Pushing Social)

Launching A Successful Blog Tour by Alan Rinzler

Hosting Your Own WordPress Website by Melinda Van Lone

Must Have WordPress Plug-ins by Annabel Candy

If I Started Blogging Today, I Would… by Annette Gendler

The New Style Of Blog Writing by Mary Jaksch

Shakespeare on Blogging by Leanne Shirtliffe

How To Figure Out What Content People Want (at Social Triggers)

 

Social Media

8 Ways To Grow Your Social Media Footprint by Jenny Hansen

Why Authors Tweet (NYTimes)

Twitter Success Tricks from @thewritermama

Content Creator’s Twitter Evolution (Writer’s Digest)

Control Your Social Media So It Doesn’t Control You by Elizabeth S. Craig

Triberr Review: Useful Tool Or Shiny Toy? by Linda Adams

Tumblr For Writers by Ava Jae

 

Collected Wisdom

Blog Treasures by Gene Lempp (June 2)

Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig (June 3)

Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas (June 1)

Writing on the Ether by Porter Anderson (May 31)

 

Deep Stuff

What’s the First Thing You Do When You Open The Computer? by Seth Godin

Expand Your Circles by Amber West

Email Sanity: How To Clear Your Inbox When You’re Drowning at Zen Habits

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: The Princess Culture by Margot Magowan

 

Fun Stuff

Male & Female Eye Candy (collection of actor photos)

FictFact – Track Your Favorite Book Series

Bookmarks From Hell by Lynn Viehl

10 Signs You’ve Attended Too Many Writing Workshops by Lynn Viehl

The Vampire Smythe (short story by Lynn Viehl)

Dark & Devastating Secrets (shot, funny story by Lynn Viehl)

Armor-ella (short fairytale retelling by Holly Lisle)

Link Feast For Writers, vol. 10

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.

On Writing

Scenes Must Grab Interest & Move Story Forward by Lori Devoti

Scene Structure: Goal, Conflict & Disaster by Lori Devoti

Blurb Critique by a Marketing Goddess by Edie Ramer

10 Secrets To Better Fiction by Bob Mayer

How Janet Evanovich Storyboards by Zanchary Petit at Writer’s Digest

How To Create Distinctive Character Voices by L.B. Gale

What Avengers Teaches Us About Heroes by Sarah Hoyt

I Wanna Be Evil (aka How To Do Antagonist Well) by Sarah Hoyt

The Hero’s Journey by Cornell De Ville

Paranormal Romantic Writer’s Pop Quiz by Lynn Viehl (sadly the examples here are from real books, some even bestselling series)

Tools For Developing Characters: Must-Haves For Your Writing Bookshelf by Kathy Steffen

Recipe For a Best Selling Book by Laura Miller at salon.com

13 Most Common Errors On Novel’s First Page by Catherine Rankovic

Editing For People Who Hate Editing by Rachel Aaron

What’s In A Name – Choosing The Right Book Title by Sarah Baughman at Write It Sideways

Fun & Inexpensive Ideas For Writing Retreats by Sherrinda Ketchersid at The Writers Alley

10 Secret Killers That Destroy Your Personal Productivity by Dries Cronje

The Comfort Zone Is For Pets, Not Professionals by Kristen Lamb

 

Your Author Platform

Why It’s So Stinking Hard To Sell Books by Stephanie Chandler (Average person reads only 7 books a year)

Why It’s So Stinking Hard To Sell Books – Part 2 (A Reader should have heard of you or your book about 6-8 times before buying)

Who Are The Big 6 & What Does Indie Really Mean? Answers To Not-So-Dumb Questions You Were Afraid To Ask by Anne R. Allen

Catherine Ryan Howard (author of Mousetrapped) shares her great tips for marketing books

Every Author Has A Unique Marketing Voice & Approach by Jane Friedman at Writer Unboxed

Marrying Marketing & Writing Goals by Monica Valentinelli

Tips on Setting Your Marketing Priorities by Michele Linn

The Number One Reason Why Marketing Tactics Fail by Monica Valentinelli

3 Steps To An Effective Social Media Strategy by Amy Porterfield at Social Media Examiner

Send Newsletters, Not “Me Me Me Letters” by Rob Eagan

8 Elements of Effective Newsletters by Rob Eagan

What Makes Word Of Mouth Work – Part 1 by Rob Eagan at Writer’s Digest

What Makes Word of Mouth Work – Part 2 by Rob Eagan at Writer’s Digest

10 Ways To Sell Books At Amazon by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Using Wattpad To Market Your Books by Edie Ramer

Wattpad Marketing Success Stories by Edie Ramer

Recommended Marketing Tools by Big Brand Systems

Cover Design Tips From Pros by Ruth Harris (Pros share the stock photo services they use)

14 Tips For Good eBook Cover Design by C.L. Smith

What Do I Need An Agent For Again by Gemma Holliday

Earn More Money With A Book: 10 Business Models For Non-Fiction Authors by Stephanie Chandler

4 Important Marketing Actions To Take On Amazon As Soon As Your Book Is Published by Stephanie Chandler

 

Blogging

An Original Blog Idea Is Overrated by Henneke Duistermaat

21 Warning Signs You Chose The Wrong Blog Topic by Jon Morrow

7 Dumbest Mistakes With a New Blog by Jon Morrow

Why Posting Every Day Is a Silly Strategy (And What To Do Instead) by Dries Cronje

How To Make Your Blog Writing Real by Brian Clark at Copyblogger

Spice Up Boring Blog Posts Into Delicious Content by Brian Gardner

How To Improve Your Website Trust Factor by Chris Garrett

A Popular YA Blogger Turned Out To Be a Plagiarist (at Gossamer Obsessions)

From Blogger To Book Author: The 4 Step Guide by Jeff Goins

How To Plan Your Blog Posts For A Year In Advance by Laura Roeder at Content Marketing Institute

Write An Article In 20 Minutes by Jim Estill at Copyblogger

How To Host A Blog Event & Why You Should by Lori Devoti

7 Free Places To Submit Your Website by Fred Campos

Blogging Tips A-Z: Networking by Annabel Candy at Successful Blogging

Stephen King’s 20 Tips For Becoming A Better Blog Writer by Jon Morrow
Social Media

Finding Your Voice In Social Media by C. Hope Clark

20 Ways To Build Your Audience In Twitter by Stephanie Chandler

Frequency and Timing of Twitter Posts by Fred Campos

8 Ways To Get More ReTweets by Brian Gardner

25 Ways To Gain More Likes On Your Facebook Fan Page – Part 1 by Fred Campos

Pinterest For Writers by Beth Gwazdosky

5 Tips To Increase Interest On Your Books On Pinterest by Fred Campos

How Pinterest Can Increase Traffic For Your Blog by Brian Gardner

Get More Viral Traffic From Pinterest With This Simple Strategy

 

Collected Wisdom

Blog Treasures by Gene Lempp (May 26th)

Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig (May 27th)

Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas (May 25th) (her link collection blew me away & I feature some here)

Writing on the Ether by Porter Anderson (May 24th)

Build Your World: 10 Resources by Lynn Viehl

Writing Hero: Martha Alderson (aka The Plot Whisperer) [Must See Links]

10 Must Have Templates For Content Creators

 

Deep Stuff

8 Reasons Paper Books Will Become an Endangered Species by Marcy Kennedy

Safeguard Your Files by Lynn Viehl

Top 10 Relationship Words That Aren’t Translatable Into English by Pamela Haag at Think Big

What Advice Would You Give To a Kid Choosing a Future Career? by Sarah Hoyt

Those Who Can’t Create by Sarah Hoyt

Find Out The Price Of Your Desire & Commit To Paying It by Johnny B. Truant

Half An Ass Does You No Good by Emma Burcart

If you love history of Scotland, this post by Emmie Mears is for you:

Who’s different, Rob Roy’s wife Mary, William Wallace’s wife Murron or Merida from Pixar’s Brave?

 

Fun Stuff

Nebula Awards Winners (tor.com) – Aka the Best of Fantasy This Year (you can read the short stories awarded through the links)

Romantic Comedy Movie Generator by Fabio Bueno

The Brain Of The Beginning Blogger (Infographic)

How To See What a Blog Is About At Glance by Lynn Viehl

Eau d’Olde Book (a fascinating video) by Lynn Viehl

What If Famous Authors Had Written Advertising Slogans by Lynn Viehl

Would you be surprised by this loo? (Huffington Post)

Link Feast Vol. 7

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. 

 

On Writing

In the beginning: How to draw the reader in by Susan Bearman at Write It Sideways

How to make your writing stronger by mixing hard and soft words by Roy Peter Clark

Using Style Sheets for consistency by Carol Riggs

Plot Fixer – Part 2: How to fix a weak opening by Kara Lennox

7 Tools For Pacing Your Novel (Writer’s Digest)

Creating Memorable Dialogue by Patrick Kirkland at Script Lab

Creative ways to kill a character (Writer’s Digest)

10 Fantasy Cliches That Should Be Put To Rest (Fantasy Fiction)

4 Biggest Mistakes at Writing Contest Entries by Jennifer Crusie

How to avoid/keep at bay repetitive strain injury by Roz Morris (your body is your most important tool, take care of it)

Beating the 3 Ps That Lead To No Writing by Pia Newman

How to find your daily writing motivation by James Chartrand of Men with Pens

Fear Is The Writer’s Worst Enemy by Bob Mayer

5 Things Before You Quit The Day Job by C.J. Lyons

Randy Ingermanson’s Ezine (PDF)
Formatting Your Manuscript Like a Pro |  More Magic in The Hunger Games | What To Do With Your Horrible Reviews.

How technology has transformed short fiction by Charlie Jane Anders at io9.com

Writing Short Stories by Liv Rancourt

Tips for creating a series character by Alan Rinzler

How do you know when your book is good enough to publish? by Talli Roland

 

Your Author Platform

How to discover and build your author brand by Joanna Penn

Elements of a Succesful Author Platform by Christina Katz (Writer’s Digest)

The YA genre is killing itself by trying to create marketable books

How to create Reader Profiles to inspire and inform your blogging by Darren Rowse at ProBlogger

Author Blogging 101: How to listen what your audience really wants

Blogging bling and tips on blogging by Jen Talty

19 ways to build connections with blog comments by Marcus Sheridan at Social Media Examiner

15 Tips for Guest Bloggers by Anne R. Allen

How to feature on the most influential websites of the world by Joanna Penn

How much should writer’s charge for their work? by Jenny Hansen

 

Social Media

9 ways to use social media to launch a book by Michael Stelzner at Social Media Examiner

The danger of authors being too cliquey on Twitter by Roni Loren

How to promote your writing on Pinterest by Chris Robley at BookBaby

YA Authors on Pinterest by Kirsten Hubbard (see what other writers are doing with their boards)

 

Collected Wisdom

Blog Treasures by Gene Lempp (May 5th)

Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig (May 6th)

Writing on the Ether by Porter Anderson (May 3rd)

Top Picks by Kerry Gans at Author Chronicles (May 3rd)

How to write fight scenes – Delicious links by Linda Adams

 

Deep Stuff

Your Clutter Is Killing Your Creativity by Jeff Goins

Four Most Powerful Types of Creative Thinking by Mark MacGuinness

When bad things happen to good people by Ginger Calem

Happiness Is by Melinda van Lone

How do you define success? by Louise Behiel

Is This Really What You Want? (Life Changing Moments Series) by Jeannine Bergers Everett

If Twilight and Fifty Shades are wish fullfilment by Kait Nolan

 

Fun Stuff

Hatch’s Plot Bank – funny plot ideas for writers

Internet Writing Workshop’s Archive of Writing Excercises

Avengers Review by Script Lab (warning: contains serious spoilers)

World Tour of Wonderment: Philippines – Part 1 (Fantasy Faction)

World Tour of Wonderment: Philippines – Part 2 (Fantasy Faction)

May releases in Urban Fantasy (tor.com)

May releases in Fantasy (tor.com)

What happens in the outhouse doesn’t always stay in the outhouse by Coleen Patrick

Humor mashup by K.B. Owen

Potty humor & Our Military by Jenny Hansen

Goblins – A webcomic where the monsters are the protagonits.
Tickles the funny bone of D&D fans.

Link Feast vol. 6

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.

On Writing

Better writing through pressure by Lara Schiffbauer

How to make your book pop out from the sea of same by P.W. Creighton (btw, notice how every picture in this blog has the same misty look than the blog’s background)

Book review of John Truby’s Anatomy Of A Story by Jennifer Jensen

Wonders happen in the writing world too. How Jennifer Jensen’s writer’s blog got her an agent.

How to create a remarkable writing voice
by Les Edgerton

Elements of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Act One by Alexandra Sokololoff

Are you a craft junkie? by Jillian Kent

Man against nature – how to make it work by Kristen Lamb

What parts of your life are not homogenized, pasteurized, FDA-approved, plastic-wrapped, unscented, tasteless, pablum?
by Holly Lisle

Escalate the scale of your story by Donald Maass

Why you should be writing short stories by Anne R. Allen

10 ways to spark creative connections by Cheryl Reif

25 realizations writers need to have by Chuck Wendig

 

Your Author Platform

What should you blog about? by Anne R. Allen (from February but one of the most helpful blogs about the topic that I have seen)

8 ways to build a loyal readership for your blog by Judy Dunn

Killer Flagship Content by Chris Garret (free 17 page PDF book)

Quote: “What we really want is

one trusted resource

that fully answers the question,

in a language we can understand,

in a place we can easily find”

And I would add to that: in a site that looks good. That means both the website design and the structure of the blog post (grammar, subtitles, having white space, great pictures etc.)

So, what questions are your blog posts answering (and asking)?

279 days to overnight success – An unconventional journey to full time writing
A free 79 page PDF book by a blogging guru Chris Guillebeau

1000 days after overnight success by Chris Guillebeau

How to profit from your creative work, not by teaching ‘how to’ by Chris Garrett

Has social media handicapped our social skills? by Bri Clark

Author Branding Plan: The Icon by Jen Talty

How to build a reputation by C.J. Lyons

Ruth Harris Reports: Covers & Cover designers (part 1)

Book Marketing: Why I gave up trying to build a huge Social Media following by J. Steve Miller

 

Social Media

How to become a Twitter Ninja by Michael Hyatt

Twitter chat tips for introverts by Judy Dunn

5 ways to enchance your Facebook timeline with images

The Power of Photos: How to get more traffic from Pinterest by Judy Dunn

Tumblr tips for writers (check out best selling YA writer Cassandra Clare’s Tumblr blog to see someone acing it)

 

Collected Wisdom

Blog Treasures by Gene Lempp (April 28th)

Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig (April 29th)

Writing on the Ether by Porter Anderson (April 26th)

Fill me in Friday by Roni Loren (April 27th)

 

Deep Stuff

The greatest girl characters in literature by Mari Ness at tor.com

Everybody’s a Bitch by Emma Burcart

Catie Rhodes gets nostalgic and gives us a  glimpse on how life was like in 40s and 60s – and now.

 

Fun Stuff

10 bestselling authors of all times (can you guess who they are?)

Jenny Hansen has gathered fun random facts about women

Everything I need to know about Sci-fi, I learned from Star Trek by Piper Bayard

Neologistically speaking by Julie Glover (have you ever heard these words before?)

And oldie but goodie by CC MacKenzie: What if Bill Gates built a car & Ford’s response

K.B. Owen’s hilarious post about raccoons

Boyfriend of the week: Paul Wesley by Roni Loren

Best American Idol performances ever by Roni Loren (with videos!)

Spoiler free Avengers movie review

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog by Joss Whedon (YouTube video)

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