Link Feast, vol. 56

Welcome to the Link Feast. I hope you’ve had productive two weeks. The next Link Feast is coming out on Sunday 31st of March.

After you’ve checked out some links, could you please write a comment and tell me which links and topics you found most useful or interesting. What particular challenges or issues you are facing right now? Do comment.

But now, please enjoy today’s offering.

 

If You Have Time For Only One Thing

 

How to Write Emotions: An Experimental Study by Matt Gianni

How to Write Emotion: An Experimental Study

 

On Writing

 

Self-Rejection: What It Is, Why You Do It and How to Eject It’s Ass Out of the Airlock by Chuck Wendig

http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2019/03/06/self-rejection-what-it-is-why-you-do-it-and-how-to-eject-its-ass-out-the-airlock/

 

Writing the “Perfect” Book by Fae Rowan

Writing the Perfect Book

 

Should You Write to the Market? by Kathy Edens

https://writingcooperative.com/should-you-write-to-market-de2f29daeeec

 

3 Surefire Ways to Write More Consistently by Nick Maccarone

https://writingcooperative.com/3-surefire-ways-to-write-more-consistently-154c1856c961

 

How Do We Set Goals When Trying Something New by Jami Gold

How Do We Set Goals When Trying Something New?

 

A Glimpse at a Best-Selling Pantser’s Process. (Author Diana Gabaldon shares how she writes her stories + some chapter titles for her newest book)

http://www.dianagabaldon.com/2019/03/bees-update-with-chapter-titles/

 

How to Write a Book in 3 Days by Tim Dedopoulos (NaNoWrikend – How Michael Moorcock and pulp masters of yore pulled off writing 50K words in 3 days)

http://www.ghostwoods.com/2010/05/how-to-write-a-book-in-three-days-1210/

 

Three Ways to Use Dungeons & Dragons to Improve Your Writing by Zulie Rane https://writingcooperative.com/three-ways-to-use-dungeons-and-dragons-to-improve-your-writing-afaf62083453

 

(There are many other roleplaying games of various genres out there than just Dungeons & Dragons, which is a fantasy RPG. But D&D is one of the most common game, and easiest to find playing groups for if none of your friends are playing and aren’t interested in trying)

 

The Differences Between a Crime Novel, Mystery Novel and Thriller Novel by David Corbett

The Differences Between a Crime Novel, Mystery Novel and Thriller Novel

 

How Long Will Your Book Be? By David Farland

http://davidfarland.com/2019/01/how-long-will-your-book-be/

 

Plot, Character and Theme: The Greatest Love Triangle in Fiction by K.M. Weiland

Plot, Character, and Theme: The Greatest Love Triangle in Fiction

 

Create Characters In 60 Seconds by Laurence McNaughton

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2019/03/create-characters-in-60-seconds.html

 

The Practical Guide to Using Character Archetypes in Your Novel by Janice Hardy

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2019/03/the-practical-guide-to-using-character.html

 

Bonding Character and Reader by James Scott Bell

Bonding Character and Reader

 

Working With the Shadow: A Writer’s Guide by Joslyn Robinson

https://the-artifice.com/shadow-writing-guide/

 

Can You Really Fall in Love With a Fictional Character by Noah Spud

Can You Really Fall In Love With a Fictional Character?

 

Exploring the Hero’s Journey: The Writer’s Guide by Joslyn Robinson

https://the-artifice.com/writers-guide-hero-journey/

 

Creating Three Dimensional Villains: Lessons From Buffy and Firefly by Scott McCormick

https://blog.bookbaby.com/2019/02/three-dimensional-villains-lessons-from-buffy-and-firefly/

 

A Guide to Changing Someone Else’s Beliefs by Kate Morgan (handy information for a manipulative villain, or a character who persuades for his/her job)

https://medium.com/s/reasonable-doubt/a-guide-to-changing-someone-elses-beliefs-c08fc1cb956b

 

The 10 Rules of Writing a Large Cast of Characters by K.M. Weiland

The 10 Rules of Writing Large Casts of Characters

 

Plot Twists in Fiction: Making a Story Standout by Fransesca Turauskis

https://the-artifice.com/plot-twists-in-fiction/

 

Watch Out! Avoiding Sneaky Plot Holes by Jami Gold

Watch Out! Avoiding Sneaky Plot Holes

 

You Get One Page to Hook the Reader. Yes, Really by Janice Hardy

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2019/03/you-get-one-page-to-hook-reader-yes.html

 

Writing About Controversial Topics by Michael Gallant

https://blog.bookbaby.com/2019/02/tips-for-writing-about-controversial-topics/

 

The Last Fifty Pages Make Or Break Your Novel by James Scott Bell

https://killzoneblog.com/2019/02/the-last-fifty-pages-make-or-break-your-novel.html

 

More Than a Happy Ending: What Makes a Story Uplifting by Jami Gold

More Than a Happy Ending: What Makes a Story Uplifting?

 

Writing Lessons From TV: Slang Can Help Create Your World by Scott McCormick

https://blog.bookbaby.com/2019/02/writing-lessons-from-tv-slang-can-help-create-your-world/

 

Story Threads: Fixing Rips In Our Story by Jami Gold

Story Threads: Fixing Rips in Our Story

 

Editing For Authors: 7 Ways to Tighten Your Story and Cut Costs by Kristen Lamb

https://authorkristenlamb.com/2019/03/editing-authors-professional-edits/

 

Taming the Synopsis: 4 Steps for Perfecting One-Page and Long-Form Synopses by Ammi-Joan Paquette

https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/queries-and-synopses-and-proposals/taming-the-synopsis-4-steps-for-perfecting-one-page-and-long-form-synopses

 

How Saleable Are Short Stories? The Benefits of Writing Shorter by Sarah Dahl

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2019/03/how-saleable-are-short-stories-benefits.html

 

Publishing Industry & Self-Publishing

 

The State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing in 2018 by Bea & Leah Coch (The Ripped Bodice Bookstore)

https://www.therippedbodicela.com/sites/therippedbodicela.d7.indiebound.com/files/2018%20diversity%20study.pdf

 

Pitching: Writing Excuses Podcast Transcript

https://wetranscripts.livejournal.com/50356.html

 

Why books are the length they are by Charlie Stross (he is talking about hardcover books)

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2010/03/cmap-5-why-books-are-the-lengt.htm

 

Why I don’t self-publish by Charlie Stross (what all background work traditional publishing house is doing for authors)

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2013/03/why-i-dont-self-publish.html

 

Why I do self-publish by Linda Nagata (response to the above post)

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2013/04/why-i-do-self-publish.html

 

Interview with R.K. Thorne, author of Mage Slave by A.J. Blakemont (Thorne is a self-published author and she shares her path there)

http://blakemont.com/interview-r-k-thorne/

 

Book Marketing, Blogging & Social Media

 

Opinion: What Makes Readers Buy Books by Maggie Lynch (survey results)

https://selfpublishingadvice.org/opinion-what-makes-readers-buy-books/

 

Dungeons and Dragons and Reader Psychology by Chris Fox

Dungeons & Dragons and Reader Psychology

 

The #1 Goal For Your Book Marketing by Tim Grahl

The #1 Goal for Your Book Marketing

 

Business Musings: Shifting Attitudes (Planning for 2019, part 7) by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Being profilic is a good thing and micro influencers are better than one for all curation)

Business Musings: Shifting Attitudes (Planning For 2019 Part 7)

 

How to Build Your Author Brand by CJ Lyons

https://blog.bookbaby.com/2011/12/how-to-build-your-author-brand/

 

No More Platform Anxiety, Please by James Scott Bell

No More Platform Anxiety, Please

 

Creating Your Author Brand as a Self-Published Author by Carla King

Creating Your Brand As A Self-Published Author

 

How to Find Writing Success by Leaving Your Niche by Pat Aitcheson (mainly applies to blogging but also contains some general writing advice)

https://writingcooperative.com/how-to-find-writing-success-by-leaving-your-niche-bfaaa38e56b8

 

Five Things You Need as Your Begin Your Career as a Self-Published Author by Steven Spatz

Five Things You Need As You Begin A Career As A Self-Published Author

 

A Writer’s Opinion on 5 Social Media Platforms by Sam H. Arnold

https://writingcooperative.com/a-writers-opinion-on-5-social-media-platforms-151550c26a76

 

Deep Stuff

 

There’s an optimal way to organize your day – and it’s not the 8-hour workday by Dr. Travis Bradberry

https://qz.com/work/1561830/why-the-eight-hour-workday-doesnt-work/

 

Why Willpower Is Overrated by Brian Resnick

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-willpower-is-overrated

 

After the 30-Day Social Media Ban: What Surprised Me & What I’m Changing by Roni Loren

https://roniloren.com/blog/2019/3/9/after-the-30-day-social-media-ban-what-surprised-me-amp-what-im-changing

 

An Oxford researcher says there are seven moral rules that unite humanity by Jenny Anderson

https://qz.com/1562585/the-seven-moral-rules-that-supposedly-unite-humanity/?utm_source=pocket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits

 

See Through Words by Michael Erard (how to create metaphors consciously)

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/see-through-words

 

Fun Stuff

 

Best Harry Potter Escape Rooms by Katisha Smith (in the US and UK mainly)

https://bookriot.com/2019/03/05/best-harry-potter-escape-rooms/

 

11 Mythical Creatures Lurking in Finland’s Lakes and Forests by Jessica Wood

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/11-mythical-creatures-lurking-in-finlands-lakes-and-forests/

 

Mansa Musa: The richest man who ever lived by Naima Mohamud (he was king of the African Mali empire)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47379458

 

Read Harder 2019: A Book of Mythology or Folklore by Cassie Gutman

https://bookriot.com/2019/02/19/read-harder-2019-a-book-of-mythology-or-folklore/

 

Spring’s Big Sci-fi and Fantasy Books by Hayley at Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1518

 

Spring’s Most Epic YA books by Marie at Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1503

 

The Sweetest (and Sexiest) Romance Books of Spring by Hayley at Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1521

 

Hot Off the Press: 31 New Paranormal and Speculative Titles Releasing in March by Kristina at All Things UF

http://allthingsuf.com/2019/02/hot-off-the-press-31-new-paranormal-and-speculative-titles-releasing-in-march.html

 

All the New Genre-Bending Books Coming Out in March (Tor)

All the New Genre-Bending Books Coming Out in March!

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. 30

Writing blogs are a great way to learn about the craft and marketing our work. Enjoy the posts I’ve hoarded, some older, some recent.

 

If You Have Time For Only One Thing

The Business Rusch: Agents and Money by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (what an eye opener)

 

On Writing

NaNo Check-In: Lessons From the Halfway Point by Jami Gold

Slow Writer Reformed: It Can Be Done by Roni Loren

7 Habits of Highly Profilic Writers by Henri Junttila

4 Options For Improving Your Fiction by Suzannah Windsor Freeman

How to Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by Dr. Rita Hancock

NaNoWriMo Kernel Idea Examples by Bob Mayer

Writing Starts With “I Want” by Kim Harrison

Why Stories Should Never Begin at the Beginning by Chuck Wendig

Donald Maass Talks About How to Make Your Readers Care About Your Characters by Karen Woodward

Five Common First Chapter Mistakes by Jody Hedlund

Revealing Your Novel’s Theme by Rachel Larow

Bringing the Theater to Your Writing by Evie Manieri

Too Smart? Intelligence in Romance Novels by Heather Massey

3 Types of Humor: Getting Them on the Page by Charlotte Carter

A Cauldron of Spooky Words for Your Halloween by Sharla Rae (how did I miss this one?)

Red Hair Is Not As Uncommon As You Think – 25 Repeated YA Cliches (PDF) by Joëlle Anthony

The New Red-Haired Best Friend (Updated List of Most Used Things in YA) by Joëlle Anthony

Reading Your Work: Pre and Post Editing by The Edit Dude at WG2E

Career Turning Points: Read 200 Books in Your Genre by Joëlle Anthony

Career Turning Points: Finally Call Yourself a Writer by Stephanie Burgis

Career Turning Points: No More Trend Chasing by Eric Luper

An Unorthodox Method to Developing a Wicked Vocabulary by Demian Farnworth

8 Tips For a Great Conference Experience by Janice Hardy

25 Things Writers Should Know About Conferences and Conventions by Chuck Wendig

 

Your Author Platform

eBook or Print: When Do You Buy One Over the Other by Roni Loren

Three Game Changers to Launch Your Career by C.J. Lyons

What Does Your Online Activity Say About You? by Rachelle Gardner

A 3-Step Way to Becoming a Celebrity Author by John Yeoman

Spacing Releases to Keep Readers Hooked by Elizabeth S. Craig

Book Titles: The Resonance Is All by Barry Eisler

Titles Part 2: Acquired Resonance by Barry Eisler

Why Ignoring Offline Promotion Is a Bad Idea (and 9 Ideas to Get Your Started) by Toni at Duolit

Observations From Running a Free Book Sale by Elizabeth S. Craig

How an Enterprising Author Sold a Million Self-Published Books by Mark McGuinness (she’s C.J. Lyons, a writer of excellent thrillers with heart)

 

Blogging

Possibly the Best Blogging Tip Ever by Rachelle Gardner

13 Types of Author Blogs: Pros and Cons by Veronica Sicoe

Branding Your Blog: You Make a Promise With Your Every Post by Julie Cottineau

Cheat Sheet to Hypnotic Storytelling by Demian Farnworth

Key To Consistent Blogging Success: How to Find Your Voice by Bill Zipp

What 8 Best Selling Magazines Can Teach You About Irrestistible Content by Demian Farnworth

Which magazine is the best match for your blogging style? Grab a copy and see what you can learn.

5 Steps to Creating an Everlasting Gopstopper of Traffic by Jon Morrow

10 Ways to Beat Online Obscurity by Demian Farnworth

5 Tips to Make Your Blog Posts More Shareable by Andrew K. Kirk

How to Install Google Analytics by Amy Lynn Andrews

 

Social Media

10 Strategies to Keep You Afloat in the Treacherous Social Media Waters by Janalyn Voight

Avoid the Twitter Timesuck: Twitter Less Than 10 Minutes a Day by Laura Pepper Wu

It’s a Brave New World by Diana Beebe (be careful about what you share)

Lexi Ryan on Using Facebook to Increase eBook Sales

 

Collected Wisdom

Blog Treasures by Gene Lempp

Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig

Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas

 

Deep Stuff

100 Best Ways to Becoming a Better Writer by Demian Farnworth

The Path to Mastery by Robert Greene

Bullying: The New Dynamic by Lisa Hall-Wilson

High School Halls: What If High School Sucks by Julie Glover

 

Fun Stuff

Your Sex Life Is Boring and Every Animal on Earth is Laughing About It by Robert T. Gonzales (hilarious video)

Designing From Bones – Evil For a Reason: Morgana and Mordred by Gene Lempp

All Hobbit Trailers Stitched Together in Chronological Order by Meredith Woerner (over 7 minutes of Hobbit)

7 Norse Myths We Wouldn’t Have Without Snorri by Nancy Marie Brown

He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My (Half) Brother: Ill-Considered Family Members in SFF by Emily Asher-Perrin

Movie Review: Skyfall Unquestioningly Belongs to Dame Judi Dench by Charlie Jane Anders (Spoiler alert)

Fantasy Novels That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity by Charlie Jane Anders

Alternative History’s Distortive Mirror by Aidan Harte

10 Must Books to Read to Understand the History of Earth by Annalee Newitz

Link Feast For Writers, vol. 23

Ahoy me matey! Merry Talk Like a Pirate Day to ye. Here is me finest link booty. Dig in.

(Avast! The Myers-Briggs blog series be continuing this Friday with ENFP type)

 

If You Have Time For Only One Thing:

Discovering and Building Your Writing Strenghts by Jenny Hansen

 

“The easiest thing to do on earth is not write.” (William Goldman)

 

On Writing

10 Writing Tips That Can Help Anyone by Janet Fitch

3 Writer’s Commandments and Avoiding the Dreaded “S” Word by Jenny Hansen

How To Be a Writer: 201 Short, Compelling Tips by Mary Jaksch

5 Muse Abusers: How To Protect Your Creative Flow by Roni Loren

Novel Structure: James Scott Bell’s LOCK System by Linda Gray

The Business of Character Engagement by Jenny Hansen

Character Questionnaire: How Would Your Character Handle These Situations? by B. McKenzie

Black Swan: The Trick To Inner and Outer Demons by Kristen Lamb

Realistic Love Interests by Sarah LaPolla

Red Flags For Female Characters Written by Men by B. McKenzie

Your Plot Moves Too Slowly: 5 Tips to Help Improve Your Story’s Pacing by Kara Lennox

13 Ways To Write With Urgency by Chad R. Allen

Dig Deep For NYT Writing by Margie Lawson (Note: the contest deadline is over)

Tighten Your Subplots by Veronica Sicoe

A Writing Taboo: Never Begin Your Story With Weather by Karen Woodward

Subtext Matters: Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory by Rachel Funk Heller

Dialogue Preliminaries by James Alan Gardner (Avenger characters are used as an example)

Immersion Masterclass With Margie Lawson – Part 1 by Melinda Collins

Immersion Masterclass With Margie Lawson – Part 2 by Melinda Collins

Fantasy Influences: Ancient Greek Mythology – Part 2 by Victoria Hooper

Playing To Expectations by Sarah Hoyt

Make Or Break Verbs by Constance Hale

How To Meet Your Writing Deadlines (Every Time) by Krissy Brady

Finding the Best Place To Write by Kathy Steffen

How Do You Know If You’ve “Made It” As a Writer by Krissy Brady

Writer’s Conferences: Are They Still Relevant In the E-Age? by Anne R. Allen

How Many Books Are Going To Be Published In 2012 (Prepare For a Shock) by Pat Bertram

Personalized Writer’s Knowledge Base by Elizabeth S. Craig

(What ever writing information you’re looking for, WKB has it. Next time don’t Google it but WKB it.)

 

Your Author Platform

Lyla Sinclair’s 8 Secrets of Successful Romance Writing by Karen Woodward (works for authors of all genres)

3 Steps To Creating You Own Writing Luck by Suzannah Windsor

Writing Hero: Gene Lempp by Angela Ackerman

(So, how did Gene became a writing hero? The secret is being unique and giving his blog readers something they really value)

The Write It Forward Author Branding Plan by Jen Talty

Author Branding Plan: The Creed by Jen Talty

Author Branding Plan: The Icon by Jen Talty

How To Write an Author Bio When You Don’t Feel Like An Author… Yet by Anne R. Allen

How To Get Your Avatar To Show Up Everywhere With Gravatar by Thomas Umtstaddt

Email Marketing Primer by Tivi Jones

Metadata & Keywords: Under the Radar Marketing by Jen Talty

Amazon’s KDP Select Program: The Power of Free by Karen Woodward

Making Amazon Forums Work For You by Lyn Horner

 

Blogging

How To Start a Blog Or Website – Link Resources by Amy Lynn Andrews

Is Your Website At Risk From Hackers: 8 Ways To Protect Your Blog by Marcy Kennedy

How To Decide What To Blog About: Discovering Your Niche by Amy Lynn Andrews

Becoming Organizational Genius: The Tickler File by Karen Woodward

7 Psychological Studies Reveal Secrets To Blogging Success (And I Reveal How To Implement Them) by Gregory Ciotti

The Psychology of Going Viral: 12 Proven Ways to Craft Content That Gets People Talking (About You) by Gregory Ciotti

3 Reasons Why You Should Be a Formulaic Blogger by Ali Luke

5 Link Bait Posts That Get You More Email Subscribers by Ramsay at Blog Tyrant

5 Hollywood Sequel Tricks To Turn Your Sizzling Blog Posts Intro a Series by Judy Lee Dunn

How To Stop Your Blog Bleeds by Ramsay at Blog Tyrant

 

Social Media

Myth Busting: Three Lies That Could Sabotage Your Writing Success by Kristen Lamb

Social Media Fitness For Authors: Happy Findings by August McLaughlin

How To Utilize an ARC Blog Contest in Pinterest (example of a board doing that)

8 Twitter Hashtags To Get And Keep You Writing by Yesenia Vargas

Feeding the Facebook Beast by Pat Bertram

Writers and Readers on Twitter and Tumblr: We Need More Criticism, Less Liking by Jacob Silverman

 

Collected Wisdom

Blog Treasures by Gene Lempp

Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig

Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas

 

Deep Stuff

Being an Introvert Is Not a Crime by Lisa Hall-Wilson

Dealing With Anger by Jenny Hansen

The Habit of Starting by Leo Baubata

15 Clutter Busting Routines For Any Family by Joshua Becker

Who Was the First Kick-Ass Heroine? by S.C. Butler

Glass Ceiling For the Blood Sucking Lawyers by Phillipa Bornikova

 

Fun Stuff

The 10th Annual Talk Like  a Pirate Day (the main course is the Tim Curry Muppet video)

This lady has Pinned over 11 000 gorgeous pictures. Wow

The Happy Manhood Operator by August McLaughlin

Not Your Typical Myers-Briggs Personality Types (The Profiles for Villains)

How Urband Legends Work by Tom Harris

11 Insane Features of Normal Human Body by Maggie Ryan Sandford

Top 20 Steampunk Books: An Introduction to the Genre (The Ranting Dragon)

Link Feast For Writers, vol. 21 – Time Management

Welcome, welcome.

In last week’s comments I asked you to tell me what you are currently struggling with. Rhonda Hopkins was looking for the right balance to keep up with writing, blogging and social media.

Thanks for the comment, Rhonda. This week there is a whole category dedicated to time management and productivity, and some other relevant links.

Also, this Friday I’m blogging about social media and what you can do with it in just 15 minutes a day.

Another commenter, Coleen Patrick, was stuck with her story which lead her to feel disinterested. I really feel for you so I scavenged a few links to help you out, Coleen. And then there is the usual fare. Enjoy everyone!

 

If You Have Time For Only One Thing

Book Marketing Freebies by Duolit
– Get Your Mind Right: The 4 Rules of Successful Book Marketers (PDF)
– Market Your Book (Without Losing All Your Writing Time) (PDF)
– Who is My Target Market? (PDF)
– Find Your Best Reader Hangouts (PDF) [This is a must see]

 

On Writing

Pauline Fisk On Cyber Bullying: A Personal Tale

Ask a Writer: How Do I Write What the Audience Wants to Read? by Chuck Wendig

How Debut Novels Need To Be Different by Nicola Morgan

“You Just Need To Get Started” Is a Bad Idea by Cal Newport

5 Ways To Write the Right Kind of a Book For You by Karen Woodward

A Girl’s Love For Batman: The Possible Cost of Segregating Stories By Gender by Julie Wu

Character Values by Liz Fredericks

People In Your Memoir Are Characters Too by Matilda Butler and Kendra Bonnett (these tips work for fiction writers too)

Writing Realistic Love Relationships by Carolyn Kaufman

Showing Emotions: Boys vs. Girls by Susan Kaye Quinn

What Star Wars “New Hope” Can Teach Us About In Medias Res by Kristen Lamb

Scenes and Sequels by Lisa Hall-Wilson

Find Your Voice, Find Your Power by Robin LaFevers

Killing the Scared Cows of Publishing: Rewriting by Dean Wesley Smith

Reignite Your Passion For Writing: Interview With Julie Isaacs by Nancy Christie

4 Ways To Hack Into Your Mind and Become Infinately More Creative by Ollin Morales

Got Writer’s Block? You Just Need To Care Less by Lori Devoti

10 Steps To Deconstructing a Novel: How To Learn From Great Authors by Kathy Steffen

Heinlein’s Rules On Writing by Robert J. Sawyer

Becca Puglisi’s Favorite Teacher: Stephen King

Writing Prompts: Start With a Setting by Kathy Steffen

6 Laws For Becoming a Career Author by Shannon from Duolit

Build a Budget For Success by Lisa Jacobs

Comparable Titles by Janet Reid

 

Productivity & Time Management

The Writer’s Golden Hour: Making the Most of Our Time by August McLaughlin

Making the Time to Write, Blog, Do Social Media, Finish School and Be a Parent by Yesenia Vargas

Triage Your Priorities by Steve Pavlina

How To Prioritize by Steve Pavlina

The 50-30-20 Rule by Steve Pavlina

Microtasks by Steve Pavlina

33 Rules To Boost Your Productivity by Steve Pavlina

How To Create a Personal Productivity Scaffold by Steve Pavlina

Why “I Don’t Have Time” Is a Big Fat Lie by Steve Kamb

Always Dominate Mondays by Steve Kamb

How To Become a Productivity Ninja by Steve Kamb

My 2012 Plan To Stay Out of Busy-ness & In Creation by Abby Kerr (really helpful day by day schedule)

Efficient Email by Steven Pavlina

 

Your Author Platform

Do You Know Who Your Audience Is? No, Really: Do You? by Dan Blank

Finding Your Audience Is About Becoming More Yourself, Less Like a Marketer by Dan Blank

Discover Your Core Values and Use Them To Anchor Your Brand Story (every book has a theme, a deeper meaning and message, and so should your brand and blog)

The Value of People by Erika Napoletano

How Little Surprises Help You Blow Awayyy Your Audience and Clients by Dorian Mars

7 Reasons Why Your Marketing Isn’t Working by Cory Huff

Is Your Marketing a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? by Jay Baer

DIY Book Marketing: 4 Things Authors Must Do Themselves by Stephanie Barko

How To Get Your Book Reviewed: A Practical Lesson by Catherine Ryan Howard

How To Build an Email List, Starting From Nothing by Jon Morrow (6:32 min video)

5 Things To Ponder Before You Self-Publish by Karen Woodward

Ruth Harris Reports: Editors and Editing (Part 2)

What Is a Book Publicist by Stephanie Barko

 

Blogging

What Offer Does Your Author Blog Make? by Joel Friedlander

Are You Writing Your Writing? by Abby Kerr

Why No One’s Paying Attention to You (And What to Do About it) by Mars Dorian

5 Steps To Make Your Blog Difficult To Ignore by Yeremi Akpan

How To Manipulate People For Fun (and Profit) by Derek Halpern

10 Ways To Optimize Your Blog Subscriptions by Christine Brady

17 Crazy Places To Get Jaw Dropping Headline Ideas (Pushing Social)

How To Add Impact To Your Story-Based Articles by Sean D’Souza

How To Interview Anyone: 5 Lessons From Amazing Interviewers by Rohit Bhargava

Guest Posting Genius by Annabel Candy

How To Live Blog (or Twitter) an Event Effectively by Rohit Bhargava

Why I Don’t Have a Blog Roll And Why You Shouldn’t Either by Yeremi Akpan

5 Ways To Re-Enter Your Blog When You’ve Been MIA by Abby Kerr

 

Social Media

Long Term Goals for Social Networking by Adam Justice

Social Networking: What Are You Getting From It As a Writer? by Cindy R. Wilson

How To Not Get Overwhelmed by Social Media Marketing by Matt Southern

Should You Preschedule Tweets? by Meghan Ward

Social Media Is a Process by Vered de Leuuw

Twitter Is a Pub by E.J. Newman

Why 150 Followers Is All You Really Need by Srinivas Rao

Promoting Your Blog With Twitter (Pushing Social)

Diary of a Social Media Hiatus: How I Did It & What I Learned by Abby Kerr

30-Day Facebook Fast (and the lessons learned) by Steve Pavlina

 

Collected Wisdom

Blog Treasures by Gene Lempp

Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig

Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas

Fill-Me-In Friday by Roni Loren

 

Deep Stuff

10 Incredibly Simple Things You Should Be Doing To Protect Your Privacy by Kashmir Hill at Forbes.com

10 Powerful Things To Say To Your Children by Jim Barnes (this is a book review of a book with the name of the post)
http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1513&

Living Your Values by Steve Pavlina

Using Your Values To Make Decisions by Steve Pavlina

Re-Evaluate Your Values by Steve Pavlina

30 Days To Success by Steve Pavlina

Practice Makes Permanent: A Lesson From World-Class Korean Archers

How To Go From Introvert to Extrovert by Steve Pavlina

 

Fun Stuff

Lea Kingsbury’s gorgeous Pinterest boards

August Horoscopes by Austin Kleon (clever)

10 Ways To Know Your GPS Is Trying To Kill You by Sarah Hoyt

Top 20 Most Anticipated Fantasy & Science Fiction Books of August 2012 (The Ranting Dragon)

Top 30 Most Anticipated Speculative Novels Coming Out in September 2012 (The Ranting Dragon)

Fantasy Influences: Ancient Greek Mythology – Part 1 by Victoria Hooper

Pirates: Fantasy’s Forgotten Scoundrels by Laura Graham

The Music of Miriam Black: Songs for the Songbird by Chuck Wendig

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