Link Feast For Writers, vol. 22
It’s Wednesday, and the perfect time to browse the best writing, book marketing and blogging links I’ve come across this week.
In last week’s comments, C.C. MacKenzie asked for advice on how to write a good blurb for your book. I have some links for you in the Author Platform category. The pitching links might also be helpful.
Marcy Kennedy was interested in learning about formatting eBooks and cover design. I created an extra category for those links.
For the next month I hope you’ll sate your link love with the excellent mashups featured in Collected Wisdom.
Instead of my regular posts, I’ll be doing a huge blog series about the Myers-Briggs personality types. The next Link Feast rolls out in 17th of October. Meanwhile, enjoy learning more about how people tick.
And this week’s links, of course.
If You Have Time For Only One Thing:
Maturity: The Difference Between the Amateur and the Professional by Kristen Lamb
(Yes, many of you have already read this great post. But read it again. It’s really worth it.)
On Writing
How To Write a Kick-Ass Outline and Get Hooked by Veronica Sicoe
The Heroine’s Journey by Jo Walton
Arena Stories & Outer Motivation by Michael Hauge
Jim Butcher’s Villain Building Tips by Karen Woodward
The Archetyphal Character (at TVTropes. Consider yourself warned. I plead innocence for the time you spend at the site 😉 )
Visceral Rules by Margie Lawson
Finding Your Novel’s Theme and Your Universal Theme by Roni Loren
Crossing Genres with Vicki Hinze
The 6 Categories of Romantic Comedy by Michael Hauge
J.R.R Tolkien – Enemy of Progress by David Brin
5 Tips on World Building From Scratch by Jordan Dane
How To Edit Your Book In 4 Stages by Mike Nappa
(*points above* Personally I disagree with editing while you’re still writing the book. It’s hard to shift back to the writer mindset again unless you are a pro with 50 books behind you, like Mr. Nappa. But the advice about reading your book out loud is brilliant.)
5 Qualities of the High Value Writer by Jenny Hansen
6 Forms of Distraction (And How To Prevent Them) by Krissy Brady
Writing Lapses: 5 Tips To Get You Back on Track by Sarah Baughman
Repetitive Work Injury Syndrome – Easing the Symptoms by Pauline Baird Jones (a book review)
Crafting Your 90-Second Pitch by Marcy Kennedy
How To Slam Dunk Your 90-Second Pitch by Debra Eve
How To Keep Your Inbox At Zero by Caitlin Muir
Your Author Platform
Want To Grow Your Audience? Understand What They Read and WHY They Read It by Dan Blank
How Can Readers Help Authors? by Nancy J. Cohen
How To Research Your Market Online by Cory Huff (see what other writers are doing and emulate the best practices IF they suit you)
The Internet and Discoverability by Jen Talty
Book Promotion: Where Is The Line? by Karen Woodward
How To Sell 100 Books Per Day: 6 Things You Need To Do by Karen Woodward
Self-Publishing Tips For First Time Writers by Karen Woodward
6 Things Readers Want From Your Author Website by Thomas Umstattd
Websites 101: What the Unpublished Author Needs by Jeannie Ruesch
Websites 101: What the Newly Published Author Needs by Jeannie Ruesch
Why Use Premium WordPress Theme Instead of a Free One? by Laura Pepper Wu
9 Clever Ways To Kickstart Stagnant Email Conversion Rates, Without Annoying Your Readers by Gregory Ciotti
How To Write Back Blurb For Your Book by Joanna Penn
Tips For Writing Back Cover Copy by Roz Morris
5 Tips For Writing a Compelling Book Blurb by Amy Wilkins
Book Trailer Resources by Jeannie Ruesch (links to stock photos, audio & video sites)
Do Blog Tours Work and How Do You Set One Up by Michelle Isenhoff
How To Gift Ebooks by D.D. Scott
5 Places Indie Authors Can Get Their Books Reviewed by Chris Robley
Self Publishing: eBook Formatting & Cover Design
Smashwords Style Guide (PDF)
A New and Improved, Even Easier Way To Format Your eBook by Catherine Ryan Howard
How To Format an eBook Starting With Microsoft Word by Lori Devoti
Free Word To Kindle Conversion Through Amazon DTP (Foner Books)
Ruth Harris Reports: Covers & Cover Designers – Part 1
Ruth Harris Reports: Covers & Cover Designers – Part 2
Ruth Harris Reports: Covers & Cover Designers – Part 3 (how to choose a designer & how much a cover costs)
How To Design a Book Cover If You’re Not a Designer by Masha du Toit
Worth a Thousand Words: Book Cover Design 101 by Nancy Brauer
The Scent of a Kitten: The 20 Irrefutable Theories of Book Cover Design by Jen Bowden
Design 101: How a Book Cover Gets Made by Isaan Stewart & Stacy Whitman
Judge a Book by It’s Cover: Interview with Larry Rostant by Mike Shackle
Blogging
8 Tips For Blogging Success by Karen Woodward
Evergreen Content: Why Articles for Experts Are Hurting Your Blog by Ramsay at BlogTyrant
Why You Shouldn’t Read Blogs by Ramsay at Blog Tyrant
Your Unique Selling Proposition: Why It Matters, and How to Find One That Really Works by Gregory Ciotti
How To Get 40 000 Readers Without Guest Posting by Gregory Ciotti
How To Create Reader Profiles/Personas To Inspire and Inform Your Blogging by Darren Rowse
10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Started Blogging by Johanna Castro
The Spell It Out Technique: 5 Critical Moments To Educate Your Readers by Ramsay at Blog Tyrant
Let Me Show You Inside a Secret Blogging Alliance by Darren Rowse
How To Start a Blogging Alliance by Tina Gray (if you don’t yet know what #MyWANA is, you want to be a part of it. It’s the best community I have ever had the honor of belonging to.)
Blogging Strategy 101: Ten Things to Do After Installing WordPress by Yeremi Akpan
13 Ways To Make Idea Generation a Daily Habit by Kerry Jones
32 Most Popular Blog Post Ideas (The Blog Stylist)
How To Use Headline Swipe Files To Grow Your Blog by Yeremi Akpan
What Every Blogger Should Know About Headlines by Adam Hayes
Why Your Post Style and Structure Are Killing Your Blog by Ramsay at Blog Tyrant
Rapid Blog Post Writing: A Step By Step Strategy by Yeremi Akpan
How To Score a Guest Post With These 6 Influential Blogger Types (Blue Glass)
12 of the Best About Pages on the Internet by Ramsay at Blog Tyrant
WordPress Plugin: Pretty Pinterest Pins by Jeannie Ruesch
The Blogger’s Guide to YouTube: How To Dominate Your Niche With Your Video Content by Gregory Ciotti
Social Media
How To Track Social Media Traffic With Google Analytics by Eugen Oprea
25 Things Writers Should Know About Social Media by Chuck Wendig
Top 5 Creepy Social Media Marketing Tactics by Kristen Lamb
Dawn of the WriterBots by Veronica Sicoe (Cautionary tale of using Triberr the wrong way)
26 Things To Share On Twitter by Debbie Hemley
4 Excellent Examples of Successful Twitter Contests by Aaron Lee
The Bro’s Guide To Pinterest by Ryan Sammy (do your Pinterest boards appeal to dudes?)
5 Ways Writers Can Get The Most Out of Goodreads by Patrick Brown
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
Are You Starring In Your Own Life by Jenny Hansen
The Lucifer Effect: Why Good People Turn Evil by Elaine Aron
Inspired Relationships by Steve Pavlina (it’s easy to be around you when you expect nothing from the others)
“Am I Happier Single?” Learning To Love and Hyper-Sensivity by August McLaughlin
After reading August’s post, if you feel like you or someone you know might be hyper-sensitive, I really recommend checking out Dr. Elaine Aron’s website.
What Successful People Do With the First Hour of Their Work Day by Kevin Purdy
Goals Into Habits by Steve Pavlina
How To Maintain Not Quite Daily Habits by Steve Pavlina
Why Procrastination Is Good For You
Beat Procrastination (MindTools)
Networking Tips for Introverts by Penelope Trunk
The Moomins – Books Full of Introverts (MoominLight)
Culture Shock: When an Aussie Moved To US by Kate Paulik
Teenage Heroes & Teenage Hubris (Breakfast With Pandora)
Raising Expecations Pretty Woman Style by Lisa Hall-Wilson
(What would be your writer outfit? What kind of a dress would make you feel like a total pro who can crank out page after page?)
Fun Stuff
The Publishing Process in GIF Form by Nathan Bransford
Make Me Laugh by Lisa Hall-Wilson
21 Tools To Unlock Your Creative Inspiration by Amanda Milligan
Writers Say the Darnedest Things by Colin Falconer
Ladies and Their Knights and other gorgeous Pinterest boards by Shelly Fifer
A Prayer For Each Myers-Briggs Type (The Thinker Blog)
Me Tarzan, You Jane. An excerpt from the book telling the story from Jane’s perspective. (Tor.com)
Top 20 Best Fantasy Books of 2011 (The Ranting Dragon)
Top 20 Fairytale Retellings: An Introduction to the Genre (The Ranting Dragon)
Link Feast For Writers, vol. 18
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.
(Next week I’ll be doing something different. The Feast is dedicated to setting/worldbuilding. It’s an area that touches many aspects of writing, like characters, plot ideas and theme)
If You Have Time For Just One Thing
Raise the Stakes by Kara Lennox
On Writing
Parenting Tips For Writers by Janet Fitch
Writer and Parent? Tips For Finding Your New Balance by John Scalzi
5 Ways Your Brain Sabotages Your Writing And What To Do About It by Kimberly Turner
How To Effectively Create More Time To Write by Krissy Brady
9 Productivity Tips For Writers by Joanna Penn
Books Like Mine by April Dávila
Write About What Makes You Angry by Alexandra Sokoloff
Evaluating Your Ideas by Jill Kemerer
Give Your Protagonist an Anomaly To Generate Interest by Bob Mayer
The Ideal Setting by Carrie Vaughn
Transition As Metaphor by Chris Rosales
Tips On Subtext – What It Really Is by Shannon Donnelly
Race in YA Lit by Sarah Ockler
Revision Checklist (PDF) by Jill Kemerer
20 Common Grammar Mistakes Almost Everyone Gets Wrong by Jon Gingerich
Naming Your Characters by Jodie Renner
In Praise of Ripening by Marcia Yudkin
7 Excellent Reasons To Enter Writing Contests by Tiffany Jansen
The Top Ten Query Mistakes by Rachelle Gardner
Query Letter Tips – Advice From Writer’s Digest’s Chuck Sambuchino by Jennifer Jensen
My Querying Journey by Lydia Kang
Your Author Platform
Your Clear Message: Get Your Potential Reader Curious Now by Beth Barany
What the Heck Is a Voice? by Abby Kerr (4 illuminating examples)
Illuminating Voices – Part 2 by Abby Kerr (8 more examples)
The Slap-Your-Head-Simple Secret for Selling More Books by Toni at Duolit
Social Media: Your Shadow Career by Porter Anderson (if you have time, read also the comments. They have good insights)
Extra Ether: Shadowy Platforms by Porter Anderson
Why Social Media Isn’t the Magic Bullet For Self-ePublished Authors by Ewan Morrison
One Page Marketing Plan – PDF (Pro Business Writer)
10 Steps To Mastering Your Book Marketing Plan by Laura Pepper Wu
How To Market a Kindle Book (a wiki post listing the steps. Pick & choose the steps that suit you)
What Is The Goal of Your Home Page? by Brad Shorr
Buzz Doesn’t Sell Books, Community Does – Interview with Penelope Trunk by Matt Gartland
7 Things You Can Do To Right Now To Improve Your Author Website by Laura Pepper Wu
Writers Can’t Do It Alone by M.K. McClintock (3 sites helping authors & readers to connect)
Measuring Your Reach by Liz Schulte
A Book Launch Is an Investment in a Long-Term Career by Cynthia Morris
7 Deadly Email List Building Mistakes by Robert Middleton
Image Desperation: The Kiss of Death For a Self-Publishing Author (Book Cover Express)
(A Rabbit-Trailed) Book Rewiew: Michael Hyatt’s Platform by Ann Lynn Andrews
Blogging
Is Blogging a Waste of Time For Writers? by April Dávila (Why do you blog?)
Should Writers Blog About Writing? Some Answers by Yesenia Vargas
How To Find Your Passion by Amy Lynn Andrews
How To Find a Unique Angle in a Crowded Niche by Amy Lynn Andrews
Charles Darwin’s 12 Rules of Blogging Survival by Tom Treanor (Pick one and do that better than anyone)
10 Questions For Planning Out a Year of Blogging by Brandon Cox
How To Organize Your Blogging Time by Amy Lynn Andrews
7 Tips For a Balanced Blogger Life (Mom Advice)
9 Keys To Blogging Success From A-List Bloggers by Joel Friedlander
What Makes Readers Lose Interest in a Blog by Amy Lynn Andrews
10 Blogging Don’ts For Writers by Yesenia Vargas
105 Author Blog Prompts (Duolit)
Copywriting Essentials From A to Z by Ali Luke
Do the Wrong Thing: The Benefits of Unconventional Headlines by Ollin Morales
Long vs. Short posts (Pushing Social)
6 Tips For Creating a Good Call To Action by Amy Lynn Andrews
How To Make Your Blog a Pinterest Magnet (Mom Advice)
6 Ways To Recycle Your Old Content by Amy Lynn Andrews
How To Optimize Twitter Sharing On Your Blog by Amy Lynn Andrews
Why I Stopped Using Feedburner To Serve My Blog Subscribers by Jane Friedman
How Does Your Site Look On Mobile Devices? by Amy Lynn Andrews
Social Media
Where Should I Focus My Time? Tips For Social Media Use by Robert Lee Brewer
The 80/20 Rule: How To Promote Your Books On Social Networking Sites by Paula Margulies
10 Ways To Get More REAL Twitter Followers by Allison at Blog World
How To Embed Tweets & Ways To Use Them by Amy Lynn Andrews
The Ultimate Guide To Facebook Marketing by Andrea Vahl
How To Get a Vanity URL For Your Facebook Fan Page by Amy Lynn Andrews
Pinterest & Copyright by Amy Lynn Andrews (6 links with advice)
Writers, Why It’s Time To Renew Your Love Affair With Pinterest by Kristen Lamb
The Ultimate List of Pinterest Tips by Amy Lynn Andrews
Collected Wisdom
Twitterific by Elizabeth Spann Craig (August 5th)
Blog Treasures by Gene Lempp (August 4th)
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas (August 3rd)
Fill Me In Friday by Roni Loren (August 3rd)
Deep Stuff
A Story of Balls & Work Life Balance by Jenny Hansen
How To Journal: 5 Tips For Capturing Your Best Ideas by Cheryl Craigie
6 Common Diets That Cramp Creativity by August McLaughlin
The Practice of Stillness by Michael Hyatt
Talking To Children About Death by Julie Glover (thank you Jenny Hansen)
The Fat Friend by Allie Sanders (also found via Jenny Hansen)
Lets Talk Sex by C.C. MacKenzie
Ecce Orcus! An Argument For Humanizing the Orc by Mordicai Knode
Fun Stuff
Eyecandy (Aleksd has gathered a wide variety of cool Pinterest boards)
Bookshelf Porn (brilliant bookshelves)
11 Geeky Wedding & Engagement Rings by Jill Harness at Mental Floss
6 Most Accidentally Erotic Images of the 2012 Olympics by Adam Tod Brown at cracked.com
100 Best-Ever YA Novels (npr.org)
10 Instances In Which History Meets Geekery by Rebecca Pahle at The Mary Sue
5 Ridiculous Gun Myths Everyone Believes Thanks To Movies by Robert Evans at cracked.com
A Timeline of Future Events (as mentioned in sci-fi books) by Jane Hu at The Awl
Link Feast For Writers, vol. 16
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:
Interview with Les Edgerton by Richard Godwin (best questions & answers I’ve ever read)
(Thanks for the link, Jenny Hansen!)
On Writing
5 Reasons Why Writers Get Bad Advice by Lisa Cron
Mind Your 4Ps and Qs: One Approach to Writing the Character and Plot-Driven Novel by John H. Ritter
5 Tricks To Adapting A Well Known Story For Fiction by Bryan Thomas Schmidt
5 Ways Writing A Novel Is Like A Bread Pudding (plus 2 recipes) by Kristin Nador
Write A Novel Easily Using The Snowflake Method (Bubble Cow)
Thriller Writing Made Easy: 4 Steps To Starting A Thriller (Writer’s Digest) [works for any genre & pantsers too]
Two Magic Words: “What If” by Joe Moore
10 Possible Reasons Why Your Script (or Story) Is Boring by Carson Reeves
Using Tarot In Writing by Raeyn Barclay
Creating Your Hero’s Journey With Tarot Cards by Raelyn Barclay
Designing From Bones: The First Passion of Story by Gene Lempp (what was the first moment when you fell in love with your genre?)
How To Grab The Reader’s Brain by Lisa Cron
The Reader Must Want To Know What Happens Next by Lisa Cron
What Winter’s Bone (Great Movie) And True Grit (Sucked) Are Sorely Missing by Lisa Cron
Character Voices Shouldn’t Sound Like Yours by Beth Hill
Essential Scene Elements Worksheets by Jami Gold (Word & Excel versions)
The Inciting Incident (Good Seed IV) by Donald Maass
Before You Type The End: Creating Emotional Resonance In Your Books by Karen Schravemade
5 Romance Writing Tips by Sarah MacLean
Rehearsal Notes For Your Rough Draft by Angie Dicken
Do I Have To Kill My Darlings? 5 Self-Editing Steps You Should Take Before An Editor Or Agent (Wise Ink)
7 Ways You Give Away Your Power – And How To Avoid It by Rachelle Gardner
Writers & Writer-Adjacent People: The Hermit Myth by Fabio Bueno
Traveling Tips & Doo-Dads For Writers by August McLaughlin
3 Reasons To Read Lisa Cron’s Wired For Story by Suzannah Winsdor Freeman
Movie Review: Prometheus by Carson Reeves (he reads movie scripts as a profession)
Your Author Platform
Authors: Stop Promoting To Other Writers by April Hamilton
Readers Face The Slush Pile: A Few Hard Truths by Roni Loren (what causes reader cynicism and how to get around it)
When Building A Significant Social Media Following May Not Work by J. Steve Miller
How Much Does Self-Publishing Cost by Toni at DuoLit
5 Ways To Save Money In Self-Publishing (And NOT Compromise Quality) (Wise Ink)
Splurge & Save: How To Be A Thrifty Indie Writer by Shannon at DuoLit
Who Understands Story Better: Writers Or The Marketers? by Lisa Cron
Michael Hyatt’s Lessons From “Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World” by Ali Luke
Marketing Essentials Every Writer Should Know by Zachary Petit
Marketing For New Authors by Jillian Dodd
5 Ways To Market Your Book by Angela Ackerman
Amazon For Dummies (Like Me) – Liking & Tagging Explained by Derek Blass
Tips For A Successful Kickstarter Campaign by Jason Stratford
Making Full Use Of Goodreads by Lia Kays
Top 10 Awards For Indie Authors (Wise Ink)
Blogging
Using Visualization To Write Great Hooks by Nathan Kash
7 Book Writing Tricks That Work For Blogs (Wise Ink)
3 Simple Strategies That Add Value To Your Blog by Frank Dickinson
The Art (And Science) Of Neck-Snapping Headlines by Adam Costa
Speedy Blog Writing by Tom Ewer
5 Steps To Telling Engaging Stories On Your Blog by Judy Lee Dunn
The Secret Of Writing Funny by Annie Binns
Is This The Perfect Blog Post? [Infograph] by Jason Keath
How Formulas Can Make You A Better Blogger (Blog World)
7 Keys To Scoring Bestselling Author Interviews by Suzannah Windsor Freeman
10 Reasons I Won’t Leave A Comment On Your Blog by Judy Lee Dunn
Does Blogging Jack Up Your Schedules? Schedule Your Posts Ahead by Jenny Hansen
How To Schedule Posts Effectively (Blog World)
Want 1000 Blog Subscribers? Just ‘Invent’ Them by Judy Lee Dunn
How To Attract More Readers With SEO by Jodi Aman
Cheat Sheet For Optimizing Your WordPress Blog For Search Engines – Without Cheating by Neil Patel
How To Link To a PDF In a WordPress Post by Beth Hayden
Scribe – A Search Engine Tool For WordPress by Beth Hayden (this is not free but the A-List Bloggers use it)
Social Media
How Much Time Do Authors Need To Spend Time On Social Media Sites & Blogging by D.D. Scott
A Social Media Survival Guide by Jenn Reese
Everything I Need To Know About Twitter I Learned From Hospice by Piper Bayard
How To Succeed On Twitter by Molly Greene
Strategies For Effective Tweeting (Buddy Media)
How To Write Effective Tweets by Rebecca Berto
31 Twitter Hashtags For The Indie Author (Wise Ink)
10 Twitter Lists For Writers To Follow (Wise Ink)
Great Automated Twitter Support Tools by Molly Greene
(Tweet automating can be done well but you need to know what you’re doing. Read the next Kristen Lamb post to avoid fubars)
Hash Tags – The Trouble with Twitter Tribbles by Kristen Lamb
Twitter Follower Maintenance by Paul Dorset
Pinterest Alert: The New Pin Scam To Avoid by Kristin Nador
Pinterest Marketing Guide by Beth Hayden (PDF)
7 Ways To Sell More Books With Pinterest by Beth Hayden
9 Ways To Go Viral on Pinterest and Get an Avalanche of Traffic (Boost Blog Traffic)
Sticky Pinterest Marketing by Beth Hayden
Facebook For Authors: Setting Up An Author Page, Part 1 by Chris Robley
Facebook For Authors: Setting Up An Author Page, Part 2 by Chris Robley
7 Things Chris Brogan Taught Me About Google+ and Why It Matters by Carol Tice
Collected Wisdom
Blog Treasures by Gene Lempp (July 15)
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig (July 15)
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas (July 14)
9 Killer Resources Of Weekly Writing Links by Kristin Nador (July 10)
Writing on the Ether by Porter Anderson (July 12)
Deep Stuff
The Habit Change Cheatsheet: 29 Ways To Succesfully Ingrain a Behaviour by Leo Baubata
What Multitasking Does To Our Brain by Leo Widrich
Sleeps With Monsters: Endurance & Persuation – Traits of the Heroine by Liz Bourke
Outside-of-the-Box Books For Writers by Kathy Steffen
Why Is It Hard To Make Friends Over 30? by Alex Williams (New York Times)
Individualism In Overdrive by Frank Bruni (New York Times)
How To Raise Creative Kids by Toby Neal
How To Talk To Little Girls by Lisa Bloom (Huffington Post)
Fun Stuff
Which famous writer do you write like?
Down And Dirty Hot Dudes by Catie Rhodes
Top 10 Archers In Fiction (Fantasy Faction)
Underground New York Public Library (interesting way to discover new books)
What To Expect When You’re Expecting An Extra Hunger Games Movie by Bridget McGovern (tor.com)
Breaking Down The Wall: Immortal Monday by Debra Kristi
The 4 Questions Everyone Asks At Conventions by Steven Padnick (tor.com)
Five Fabulous Female Fantasy Forces by Rajan Khanna
Link Feast For Writers, vol. 13
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 Post, Read This:
Map Your Way To A Streamlined Social Media Experience by Kristin Nador
On Writing
#FastDraft – How To Do It Successfully And What You Learn Along The Way by Jess Witkins
Script Analysis Checklist (by Story Sense)
Joanna Penn’s Journey of Writing Her First Novel (collection of posts)
The 4 Story Pillars by Amy Deardon
Hey, James Patterson Stole My Plot by Anne R. Allen
Motivation Reaction Units (MRUs) by Amy Deardon
21 Ways To Make Your Plot More Compelling by Margo Berendsen
5 Ways To Show Emotion In Your Writing by Ingrid Sundberg
Turn Problems Into Characters by Donald Maass
Character Connection by Stina Lindenblatt
10 Tips For A Terrific Antagonist by Kathy Steffen
Therapeutic Thought On Triangles by Jeannie Campbell
Love Story Plots: 13 Ways To Mess With Your Characters by Margo Berendsen
Romance in YA by Lisa Schroeder (Video 9:58 mins) [The CUPCAKE Romance rules work for all genres]
The Elusive Character Voice by Lisa Gail Green
The Color Of A Voice by Jan Morrill
Power Words Save The Scene by Stina Lindenblatt
Lets Talk About Adjectives by Janice Hardy
Conquer Cliche by Ash Krafton
Keep On Digging For The Deeper Meaning by Stina Lindenblatt
5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before A Revision by Kendra Levin
Revising: Evaluate Your Story by Cynthea Liu
Writing Down To The Bone by Liana Mir
Pixar Story Rules by Paul Lasseter
On My Writerly Bookshelf: Editing by Stina Lindenblatt
What Should We Look For In A Beta Reader by Jami Gold
Why You Should Copy Other Writers by Joe Bunting
Improve Your Writing With Daily Critical Reading by Suzannah Freeman
Writers: A Tribe Divided by Pat O’Dea Rosen
How To Take The Plunge And Be A Writer by Yesenia Vargas
How To Use Writing Rituals To Become More Productive by Kristin Nador
Awesome Scrivener Hacks For Windows by by Linda Adams
Using Writing Contests To Improve Your Game by Ash Krafton
Current Writing Contests by Stephie Smith
Your Author Platform
How People Discover Books Online (Goodreads presentation)
Be Narrow Minded: 11 Questions To Turn A Target Market Into A Reader Profile by Shannon at Duolit
What Has Changed And What Hasn’t by Rachelle Gardner
Book Lauches & Marketing With Joanna Penn & Zoe Winters
Book Launch: Breakdown Of The Pentecost Launch Process by Joanna Penn
Marketing Your First Book: 9 Tips For Authors by Graham Storrs
Can Writers Earn Living Writing Just One Book A Year by Jody Hedlund
Why It’s Good To Create A Bad Writing Platform by Krissy Brady
Make Quality Connections For Your Writing Career by Krissy Brady
7 Networking Tips For Authors by Chris Robley
Great Writers Connect With Other Writers by Jeff Goins
5 Principles To Book Reviews & Endorsements (Wise Ink)
Words To Avoid When Pitching Your Book (Wise Ink)
How To Develop An Emotion Evoking Elevator Speech (Wise Ink) [Works also for cover blurbs]
Blogging
Do Writers Need To Blog (and great tips) by Amber West
4 Ways To Better Understand Your Blog Audience (Bloggertalk)
Sharpen Your Blogging Habits: 4 Ways To Define Your Audience by Kristin Nador
Sharpen Your Blogging Habits: 7 Keys To Consistent Blogging by Kristin Nador
The Difference Between Simply Writing A Blog And Making A Difference (Pushing Social)
Successful Blog Post Types + His Formula (Pushing Social)
19 Essential WordPress Plugins For Your Blog by Eric Siu
23 Hot Blogging Tips by Annabel Candy
5 Good Stock Image Sites For Bloggers by Judy Dunn
Is A Blog Tour Really Worth It by Janice Hardy
Tips On Doing A Blog Tour by Janice Hardy
Blogging Tour by Stina Lindenblatt
Results of the Reverse Blog Tour by Laura Pauling
Social Media
How Much Time Should You Spend On Social Media by Jill Kemerer
Social Networking for Authors: Tips For Using Twitter Effectively by Joanna Penn
Twitter Content Strategy Guide by Adam Justice
Does Your Grasp Exceed Your Reach? Triberr Can Help by Ash Krafton
Using Pinterest As A Reader, Writer and Author by Livia Blackburne
Collected Wisdom
Blog Treasures by Gene Lempp (June 16)
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig (June 17)
Fill Me In Friday by Roni Loren (Friday 15)
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas (June 15)
Writing on the Ether: uAreWhich? by Porter Anderson (June 14)
Deep Stuff
What Are You Doing Today And Why Are You Doing It by Louise Behiel
Are You A Visionary or A Crazy Maker, Responder or A Victim: Test Your Personal Productivity Quotinent (Lifehacker)
Why I Write YA by Stina Lindenblatt (Not All 16s Are Sweet)
Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful by Kassandra Lamb
The Help: A Multicultural Perspective by Jan Morrell
Book Review: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
The Beauty Of Something New by August McLaughlin
How To Write A Masterpiece at Just 18 and 3/4 by Colin Falconer
Why Are Fantasy Films All About The Men? (tor.com)
10 Changes From Books To Season 2 of HBO’s Game Of Thrones Series (tor.com) [Spoiler alert!]
Ripley vs. Shaw – The Women Of The Alien Universe (tor.com) [Spoiler alert!]
Fun Stuff
Who’s The Best Archer by Fabio Bueno
15 Thrilling Moments At The Cinema by Ellie Ann Soderstrom
Mancandy (Pinterest board)
4 Steps To Buying Indie Books You’ll Like by Laura Pauling
How To Create An Awesome Summer Reading List (Lifehacker)
Huge List of YA SF Books by Margo Berendsen (includes dystopia, steampunk & fantasy)
Link Feast For Writers, vol. 12
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
Writers Must Be 3 People At Once by Julie Musil
Plotting By The Numbers by Janalyn Voigt
How To Make The Most Of A Scene by Jami Gold
Story Threads In The Hunger Games by Randy Ingermansson (PDF E-zine)
Dan Brown Wants His Cookie Cutter Back: Fix Your Dysfunctional Characters by Chris Abouzeid
Surprise vs. Suspense by Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Sow Seeds Of Foreshadowing Early: Case Gattaca by Jim Van Pelt
Strategies For Crafting Good Dialogue by Leslie Geffrenius
What Makes A Great Final Sentence by Ava Jae
5 Story Mistakes Even Good Writers Make (Writer’s Digest)
How To Break The Rules of Writing (Writer’s Digest)
Writing Contests: The Extra Push In The Right Direction by Kathy Crowley
Short Story Writing by Declan Conner
Forging Stories: Exploring the Metaphor by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
5 Lessons On Writing From The Hunger Games by Susan Johnston
6 Tips To Create The Write Frame Of Mind by Krissy Brady
Fill Your Writing Pickle Jar Right by Krissy Brady
Writing: Find The Time Or Don’t by John Scalzi
Introvert’s Writing Convention Guide by Morgan Dempsey at Inkpunks
How To Write A Query Letter For YA Novel by Kristi Cook
Why Read Fiction And Write It by Necee Regis
Your Author Platform
Hand Puppet Marketing For Introverts by Crystal Williams
Grow Your Crazy-Dedicated Fanbase Through Reader Centered Book Marketing (DuoLit)
5 Places To Find New Readers & 3 Ways To Make Sure They Stick Around by Toni Tesori
How To Create A Great Author Tagline by Jean Oram
What Does Your Author Bio Say Of You by Jami Gold
Comparison Shopping: Who Else My Readers Read by C.J. Lyons
Book Marketing: Don’t Do It Alone by Tony Eldridge
7 Book Marketing Mistakes Authors Make (Book Buzzr)
How To Turn Website Visitors Into Customers For Your Creative Business
7 Bad Habits Of Insanely Productive People by CopyBlogger
Jane Friedman‘s Interview On Marketing & Building An Author Platform
How I Became An Amazon Best Seller And How You Can Too by Annabel Candy
Blogging
Slow Blog Manifesto & 8 Reasons Why by Anne R. Allen
5 Tips For Maintaining Your Blogging Momentum by Susan Johnston
14 Proven Ways To Simplify Your Blogging And Get More Done by Nick Thacker
Mavens, Connectors, Visionaries, Promoters, Identifiers: Which Are You by Danielle LaPorte
(What does your type mean for your blogging style?)
How To Train Yourself To Become A Great Blogger (Social Media Today)
Lazy Woman’s Guide To Copywriting by Pamela Wilson
Pinterest Friendly Blog Posts: 5 Steps by August McLaughlin
3 Guest Post Pitches That Got The Gig by Carol Tice
How To Make Your Site The Destination For Your Market by Chris Garrett
Inbound Marketer’s Complete Guide To Newsjacking
Here’s an example of how Chuck Wendig utilized genre news for his blog post. And the original piece of news at Fantasy Faction.
Another great way to ride the wave of hot topics is to relate your blog post to a recent popular movie or other phenomenon.
5 Ways To Promote Your Blog by Susan Johnston
Find Blog Topics By Mind Mapping by Michele Linn
How To Write A Post That Goes Viral by Neil Patel
Social Media
White Knuckling Your Author Platform: Reign In The Social Media Pressure by Roni Loren
5 Types Of Social Media Influencers (Who are these influencers for your readers?)
How To Get Twitter Followers Without Using Mass Following Tools (Social Mouths)
10 Steps To Make Your Facebook Page Shine (Social Mouths)
10 Reasons Your Facebook Page Is Not Taking Off (Social Mouths)
Can Facebook Hold Your Page Hostage by Kristen Lamb
Is Tumblr Right For Your Book by Karma Bennett (resounding yes if you write YA)
3 Pinterest Strategies (Social Media Today)
Collected Wisdom
Blog Treasures by Gene Lempp (June 9)
Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig (June 10)
Fill Me In Friday by Roni Loren (June 8 )
Friday Features by Yesenia Vargas (June 8 )
Writing on the Ether: Fight For Air by Porter Anderson (June 7)
I Can’t Do This Because I Don’t Have…. by Crystal Williams
Deep Stuff
In Praise Of Browsing by Lisa Gold
Lets Talk About Search by Lisa Gold, Research Maven
Beating The Anxiety Of Online Reading by Leo Baubata
Why People Hate Productivity by Jonathan Mead
Teach Your Children Well by Sarah Hoyt
If I’m So Smart, Why Am I Not Rich? by Crystal Williams
Why You Can’t Make That Habit Stick (Rock Your Day)
Why You Can’t Make That Habit Stick – Continued (Rock Your Day)
Fun Stuff
EYECANDY! If you’re interested in it, Michelle has likely Pinned it.
Writing Websites I’d Like To See
Prometheus Movie Review by Chuck Wendig
Meal Planning For Busy Moms & Dads
Multitasking: Make Twice The Mistakes In Half The Time by Coleen Patrick
Are You an Veggie, an Egg Or a Coffee Bean? by Louise Behiel
Time Traveling Through The English Language With A Historical Thesaurus by Lisa Gold
How To Have A Baby by Ellie Ann Soderstrom
4 Page Turning Book Recommendations by Marilyn Dahl
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