Links of Interest

EDITING AND SPOTTING A BAD EDITOR:

http://riyria.blogspot.com/2013/03/editing.html

THE KIRTSAENG VERSUS JOHN WILEY AND SONS COURT CASE ON COPYRIGHTED BOOKS SHIPPED INTO THE US AT CHEAPER PRICES THAN ON US VERSIONS VERDICT EXPLAINED:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/copyright/article/56444-grimmelmann-issues-in-kirtsaeng-too-signifcant-to-end-with-supreme-court.html

http://www.trademarkandcopyrightlawblog.com/2013/03/copyright-owners-left-legally-jet-lagged-the-supreme-court-embraces-the-international-exhaustion-doctrine

PROS AND CONS OF BEING A PLOT PANTSTER:

http://labelleseditorialservices.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-being-a-pantser/

TELL YOUR READER ONLY WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR CHARACTERS:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2013/03/keeping-your-reader-on-need-to-know.html

SIMON AND SCHUSTER TO SHARE PIRACY NUMBERS WITH THEIR AUTHORS:

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/simon-schuster-to-share-piracy-stats-with-authors-agents_b67356

FIGURING OUT AMAZON SALES NUMBERS USING BOOK RANKINGS:

http://antickmusings.blogspot.com/2013/03/amazon-sales.html

PROMOTION THAT WORKS:

http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com/promo-that-works-from-new-york-times-bestselling-author-gemma-halliday

CONTRACT LANGUAGE, RECORDING RIGHTS:

http://chiseledinrock.blogspot.com/2013/03/lets-not-get-too-dramatic-about.html

EPUBLISHER TO BE WARY OF:

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2013/03/author-unfriendly-terms-at-autharium.html

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR EBOOK ISN’T SELLING:

http://blog.smashwords.com/2013/03/six-tips-to-read-reader-tea-leaves-how.html

MAKING A LIVING AS A WRITER, PART 2:

http://www.rachellegardner.com/2013/03/make-a-living-as-a-writer-part-2/

WORKING WITH A GRAPHIC ARTIST:

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/03/23/tips-for-writers-on-how-to-work-smoothly-with-a-graphic-artist

YOGA FOR THE HANDS, GREAT TO GIVE STRENGTH FOR THOSE OF US WHO DO A LOT OF TYPING:

http://youtu.be/WEKGMPxfxtk

CONTRACT TERMS, LIFE OF COPYRIGHT:

http://amazingstoriesmag.com/2013/03/lifeofcopyright/

WRITING A THRILLER:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2013/03/making-thriller.html

THE THREE COMMANDMENTS OF WRITING:

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/3-writers-commandments-and-the-dreaded-s-word/

SETTING IN RELATIONSHIP TO STORY:

http://thewritersalleys.blogspot.com/2013/03/setting-up-your-story-your-3-point.html

WHAT MAKES A HERO:

http://marcykennedy.com/2013/03/what-makes-someone-a-hero

ADAPTING YOUR NOVEL AS A SCREENPLAY:

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/03/25/march-25-ideas

SELF-PUBBED AUTHORS SHARE WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED, PART 11:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2013/03/25/self-published-authors-share-5-things-they-learned-in-2012-part-11/

FANTASY WORLD FOOD:

http://www.magicalwords.net/specialgueststars/brains-beer-and-books-writing-research-and-urine-mushrooms

BASICS OF CREATING SETTING:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2013/03/is-your-description-helping-your-story.html

WHEN TO START OR STOP WRITING A SERIES:

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/2013/03/when-to-start-or-stop-series.html

THE EDITORIAL PROCESS, BEYOND THE EDITORIAL LETTER:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2013/03/26/after-the-editorial-letter-2/

89 BOOK MARKETING IDEAS:

http://www.authormedia.com/89-book-marketing-ideas-that-will-change-your-life/

6 THINGS READERS WANT AT AUTHOR WEBSITES:

http://www.authormedia.com/what-readers-want-from-your-author-website/

MAKING THE VILLAIN TOO POWERFUL:

http://www.magicalwords.net/misty-massey/weaknesses/

USING DIALECT IN YOUR WRITING:

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-pros-and-cons-of-dialect-in-writing.html

KILLING OFF A CHARACTER:

http://www.publetariat.com/write/killing-character

BRUSH UP YOUR GRAMMAR, THAT, WHICH, AND WHO:

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/when-to-use-that-which-and-who/

Go For the Specific

To give the reader the right image of what is happening, you should always be specific.  This is particularly important in the first description of a person, place, or thing.  

Look at the sentences below, and the introduction of the heroine’s dog, Digby.

Eager for their run, Digby whined and tugged on her leash.  

Jane laughed and began to jog down the greenway that ran behind her apartment.  

The dog kept pace until they reached the wooden bridge across the creek, then the golden retriever jerked to a halt and growled.  

Sentence one is fine.  “whined” and “leash” tell the reader that Digby is a dog, however, the reader has no sense of what the dog looks like.  It could be a poodle or a Great Dane.

Sentence two is okay if bland.

Sentence three, however, starts with the general term “dog” which still doesn’t give the reader a clue about the dog.  Not until the end of this sentence  does the reader learn that the dog is a golden retriever.  By this time, the specific jars the reader who may have already visualized the dog or has decided the dog isn’t important because of the vague description.

How could these sentence be improved?

Eager for their run, Jane’s golden retriever Digby whined and tugged on her leash.

Jane laughed and began to jog down the greenway that ran behind her apartment.  

The dog kept pace until they reached the wooden bridge across the creek then jerked to a halt and growled.  

The reader instantly knows Jane’s dog is a golden retriever so the writer can now use more general terms like dog.  

Links of Interest

MARKET NEWS, MAINLY ROMANCE:

http://cindimyersmarketnews.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/random-house-contracts-adams-media-and-carina-calls-for-submissions/

PINTEREST ANAYLTICS TOOL FOR JUDGING TRAFFIC:

http://www.techhive.com/article/2030688/new-pinterest-tool-watches-analyzes-your-pins.html

ADDING HUMOR TO DARK MOMENTS:  

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2013/03/guest-author-sarah-skilton-get-serious.html

CHARACTER BACKSTORY, WHY YOUR CHARACTER SHOULDN’T SEEM AMNESIAC:

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/03/14/does-your-protagonist-have-amnesia

BESTSELLING SELF-PUB ON HIS BEST PROMOTION TOOLS:

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/hugh-howey-reveals-his-single-most-valuable-self-promotion-tool_b66900

WHOSE POINT OF VIEW SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/pov-whose-head-should-i-be-in/

CONTRACT TERMS, SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS:

http://chiseledinrock.blogspot.com/2013/03/dude-wheres-my-t-shirt.html

LOOKING FOR A CRITIQUE GROUP?

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2013/03/are-you-looking-for-critique-group-or.html

WRITING TENSE ACTION SCENES:

http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/guest-blogger-jodie-renner-writing-tense-action-scenes

SEVEN TYPES OF NARRATIVE CONFLICT:

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/7-types-of-narrative-conflict/

WRITING ADVICE FROM BESTSELLING SELF-PUB AUTHOR:

http://www.hughhowey.com/my-advice-to-aspiring-authors/

FIVE TRENDS IN PUBLISHING:

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/03/18/5-industry-trends-requiring-every-writers-attention

WHAT SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHORS  HAVE LEARNED, PART 10:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2013/03/18/self-published-authors-share-5-things-they-learned-in-2012-part-10/

CREATING EMOTIONAL DEPTH IN CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2013/02/5-keys-steps-to-adding-depth-to-your.html

WHEN CHARACTERS GO THEIR OWN WAY:

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/02/07/when-characters-go-their-own-way

HOW TO WRITE A CHARACTER’S GRIEF:

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/writing-effective-grief-in-fiction-5-ideas-for-writers

HOW TO SELL EBOOKS BY A VERY SUCCESSFUL WRITER:

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-to-sell-ebooks.html

YOUR AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE:

http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com/paging-dr-page-your-amazon-author-central-page

DESCRIBING CHARACTER REACTIONS:

http://blog.karenwoodward.org/2013/02/describing-character-reactions-and.html

FACEBOOK MARKETING TIPS:

http://www.lindsayburoker.com/social-media/facebook-marketing-tips-for-authors/

ISBNs FOR SELF-PUBS:

http://laurahoward78.blogspot.com/2013/02/all-about-isbns-for-self-publishing.html

SOME EBOOK COVER DESIGNS, AND WHY SOME DO OR DON’T WORK:

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2013/02/e-book-cover-design-awards-january-201/

CONTRACT TERMS, TRANSLATION RIGHTS:

http://romanceuniversity.org/2013/02/11/legally-fiction-with-amanda-brice/

BOOK KEEPING TIPS FOR WRITERS:

http://bobbrooke.blogspot.com/2013/02/making-book-on-your-business.html

http://bobbrooke.blogspot.com/2013/02/bookkeeping-tips-to-make-your-life.html

MAKING THE AMATEUR SLEUTH’S INVOLVEMENT WITH THE MURDER WORK:

http://killernashville.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/why-do-amateur-sleuths-solve-crimes-author-sharon-woods-hopkins/

TWITTER FOR BEGINNERS:

http://www.blurbisaverb.com/2013/02/author-tara-conklin-hitchhikers-guide.html

QUESTIONS TO ASK AS YOU LOOK GENERALLY AT YOUR NOVEL:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2013/03/be-your-own-book-doctor.html

US BOOKSTORE CHAINS LOST 13% OF THEIR SALES TO OTHERS LAST YEAR:

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/chain-bookstores-lost-13-share-of-book-purchases-last-year_b67064

CREATING STRESS BEHAVIOR IN CHARACTERS:

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/2013/03/stressed-out-characters-just-way-we.html

CREATING MEMORABLE SECONDARY CHARACTERS:

http://thewritersalleys.blogspot.com/2013/03/creating-memorable-secondary-characters.html

SEVEN TOOLS TO USE WITH PINTEREST:

http://www.authormedia.com/supercharge-your-pinning-with-these-7-free-tools/

KILLING OFF A GOOD CHARACTER:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2013/03/killing-off-good-characters.html

ENDINGS:

http://www.magicalwords.net/misty-massey/endings

HOW TO ADD A “SEND TO KINDLE” BUTTON ON A WEBSITE PAGE:

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/how-to-add-a-send-to-kindle-button-on-your-site_b67235

9 COMMON PROBLEMS IN WRITING A MYSTERY AND HOW TO SOLVE THEM:

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/writing-a-traditional-mystery-problems-and-solutions/

WHAT AUTHORS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DESIGNING EBOOKS:

http://marcykennedy.com/2013/03/three-things-writers-need-to-understand-about-designing-ebooks/

TEN QUESTIONS TO ASK A CHARACTER TO SEE IF THEY SHOULD STAY IN THE STORY:

http://amazingstoriesmag.com/2013/03/ten-questions-you-need-to-ask-your-characters-before-they-can-stay-in-your-story/

FREE SOFTWARE, APPLICATIONS, ETC., USEFUL TO AUTHORS:

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2013/03/not-dime-ten.html

SINGLE TITLES:

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2013/03/just-adding-more-words-doesnt-make.html

ANATOMY OF A FREE EBOOK PROMOTION:

http://www.publetariat.com/sell/readin’-o’-green-anatomy-free-book-promotion

GOODREAD ADS, PRO OR CON?:

http://www.publetariat.com/sell/benefits-running-goodreads-ad