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
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
Writing the “Perfect” Book by Fae Rowan
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
The #1 Goal For Your Book Marketing by Tim Grahl
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
Creating Your Author Brand as a Self-Published Author by Carla King
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
An Oxford researcher says there are seven moral rules that unite humanity by Jenny Anderson
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
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
All the New Genre-Bending Books Coming Out in March (Tor)
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
About Reetta
I'm a Finnish fantasy / urban fantasy writer who loves reading, roleplaying and all things medieval. 
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