Jen's Writing Journey

Fiction
Dialogue: Creative Listening
Use these tips to make your dialogue shine.

Platform Development for Fiction Writers
Platform has typically been the least important consideration when agents and publishers choose which novels to pick up. But, with the competition increasing, it may become more important. Rachelle Gardner gives some tips for building your platform as a fiction writer.

Freelancing
Erik Sherman’s WriterBiz: Craigslist Scams and Other Cheap Ass Lowlifes
Many job postings ask writers to write and submit samples as part of the hiring process. And, many freelance writers caution against it. Erik Sherman provides a specific example of a poster who sells those carefully crafted, professionally written samples.

Media News
Bloggers Say They’re Open to Paying for Online Content
Forty percent of bloggers surveyed said they would (or already do) pay for online news content as a means of ensuring that the quality of the news reporting remains high. What do you think? Would you support a paid online subscription? Or do you think history has shown that web users want it for free?

General Writing Info
How Agents & Editors Decide
Literary agent Rachelle Gardner discusses the three main criteria agents and editors use when evaluating a submission: idea, execution, and platform. She covers both fiction and nonfiction, and she promises to cover platform more in future posts. I will be interested to compare her posts on platform to the info presented in Get Known Before the Book Deal.

Seriously Short Stories
People are beginning to use Twitter for more than just connecting with friends and business associates. Look for Twitter stories, either in self-contained tweets or a series of tweets.

Happy writing!

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I just won a signed and numbered copy of Writer Mama! Christina Katz is giving away one copy of the book every day in March–so you still have time to win your very own copy. Find out where Christina is going and where she has been here. I won the day 26 giveaway, hosted at Freelancing for Newspapers.

If you would like to know a little more about the book, visit Christina’s site or read my review.

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I covet the LiveScribe Pulse pen. It has a camera and a voice recorder, and if you use their special paper, it scans your notes to your computer. It’s not a cheap pen–it starts at $150–but it combines a lot of tools into one compact package that seems way cool.

The special paper thing scares me a little. It could be like razors and Crayola no-mess markers–they get you with the recurring expenses. But you can print your own special paper for free if you don’t want to buy their notebooks.

I also would be afraid I would lose my pen. I’m bad about that. It’s why I don’t buy expensive sunglasses. I sit on them or leave them places or let them fall off my head and break. Some (my husband, for example) might make the argument that I would take better care of a nicer pair of sunglasses. I think I would behave the same but be incredibly paranoid all the time. I fear that pen paranoia would set in soon after my purchase.

The one drawback I see that is not based on my own fears and bad habits is the lack of variety in the notebook size. Obviously you can use the pen to write on any shape or size of paper, but it doesn’t reach its full potential as a time-saving tool if you don’t use the special paper. LiveScribe doesn’t have an ETA on smaller notebook sizes, but they do plan to offer different sizes in the future. I specifically requested reporter’s notebooks because that is what I like.

If anyone has this pen, please tell me what you think of it. Is it worth the cost? What do you put in your pockets as you scramble off to an interview? How do you manage the full-size sheets of paper if you previously got used to reporter’s notebooks?

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In switching back from Haloscan to Blogger’s built-in commenting tools, I lost a lot of my comments. I value your feedback, so I’m very sorry if your comments got deleted.

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Wil Wheaton recently posted this snippet on his blog:

most people can’t write for a book and a blog at the same time, because our brains get different kinds of feedback and rewards from each. For most of us, if we had to pick, we’ll write in our blogs because the feedback and interaction is more immediate and rewarding, and it trains us to write short bursts instead of longer narrative pieces.

I think he’s right on the money, but it’s not just blogging that can train you away from writing a longer work. I’ve been pitching and writing articles in addition to my uber-fun blog posts instead of working on my book. And we won’t even get started on Twitter–I turned off my wireless network last night so I could write instead of tweeting. That is why I’m stuck in the 30K range instead of the 70K range I had thought I would be at by now.

That doesn’t mean I’m planning to abandon this blog or Pop Culture Curmudgeon or even my articles. The piece I’m researching on teacher retention seems really interesting, and I definitely want to see it through. But I’m going to have to better compartmentalize my writing to help ensure forward progress on my novel.

What do you think? How do you balance the different types of writing you do?

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I decided to add some categories this week to make it easier for you to find your favorite links. Let me know if you like it better this way, or if the hodge podge put together as I found a good resource worked better for you. Also let me know if there are any specific tips you’d like me to be on the lookout for each week.

Happy writing!

Fiction

Gone Too Deep
Rachel Vincent knows how to give enough details about her writing process to whet readers’ appetites. In this post, she says that one of her characters is going through hard time. Her readers (including me) have posted comments about how they can’t wait to find out what she’s talking about. In her blog, Vincent goes behind the scenes just enough, unlike J.R. Ward, whose insider’s guide to her Black Dagger Brotherhood series was too much behind-the-scenes for a lot of readers.

Prop Up Your Sagging Plot Middles
The Blood-Red Pencil does it again. How many of us have wonderful beginnings and endings for our WIPs and ideas, but no idea how we will flail through the middle of the story?

Freelancing

Finances for Full-Time Freelancers
The move from full-time employment to full-time freelancing will change the way you manage your finances drastically. Not knowing when or if you’ll get another paycheck can be stressful. Jenny Cromie gives tips to help you prepare financially so that you will be able to make it on your own. Mary Richards would be so proud.

Create a Freelance Marketing Plan and Campaign
Jennifer Mattern provides some good tips on marketing your freelance business.

Media News

Why Teach Journalism if Newspapers Are Dying?
A journalism professor sent a question to Salon.com questioning his very reason for being. Cary Tennis provided a response that should give us all hope. Things may look bad now, but we will survive and thrive as long as we keep our core skills.

Longevity in the Evolving Newsroom
Continuing the message of hope, Mediabistro gives real examples of how to adapt to the changing times for the news profession.

General Writing Info

Effect/Affect
Do you struggle with which effect is correct when you’re writing? This post might have the trick that will help you.

Doing Research
Tiffany Colter gives three very good reasons for doing your research.

The Perils of Book Writing
Does writing make you fat? How do you deal with the war between keeping your butt in the chair and ensuring that your butt still fits in the chair? As part of her month-long book tour, Christina Katz shares her experiences with her lack of activity while writing her first book.

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With the demise of many major newspapers–or their move to an online format–I have been wondering if the printed model makes sense for newspapers.

When I used to subscribe to the newspaper, I got it at home, read it before I left for work, and recycled it immediately. Now, much as I hate to admit it, I watch the news in the morning on TV. If I wanted to read the newspaper, I could easily get on my computer and read it online. And I wouldn’t have to recycle the paper. That sounds like a win-win for me, the news consumer.

The only case I can think of where I would need to have portable access to a newspaper is if I lived in a city where a mass transit commute were possible. Of course, if I had an iPhone, I could still access the news online. Or if I could download it to an iPod Touch or other device, I could read the downloaded pieces during my commute.

It’s just hard for me to think of a reason to keep most newspapers in print, other than coupons and sale papers in the Sunday edition. Am I missing something? Should newspapers remain printed pieces?

Edited to add: Here’s a link to a well-reasoned post about the future of journalism.

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A few months ago, I asked you what music you listen to when you write. Lately, I’ve been watching TV and movies while I write rather than listening to music. I’ll pull out the music when I need to create a specific mood (last week I was writing a bar scene, so I drove the dogs crazy with industrial and techno), but I’m all about the words in the background.

Gilmore Girls is my favorite. The clever writing elevates my diction and helps spur me on to hit my word count goals. 30 Rock is also good. Friends is always a winner, because I know it so well that it can completely fade to the background.

I was raised on TV, so I think that is why I fall back on it when I’m writing. Plus, I gotta watch my shows, but I also gotta write. There’s nothing like a little multi-tasking to keep me sane.

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Ten Characteristics of a Good Client
Use these tips when evaluating whether you will continue to work with your current clients. Also, the comment from Kelly Parkinson has great tips to evaluate a potential client.

Proving You’re Worth More Money
In this post, Heather Boerner helps you negotiate for higher rates from current clients.

Follow Your Passions to Find New Clients
Passion is what drives most of us to writing, but sometimes economic realities force us to look beyond our passion to what best pays the bills. In this post, Shelley DeLuca suggests that we return to our passions and find ways to make them pay our bills. If poetry is your passion, make it your greatest focus. If macroeconomics gets you going, find the clients who will best appreciate your skill and your interest.

Busy Parent Writer: Keep an Eye Out for Tax Deductions
What do I learn from tax season every year? “This year, I need to keep better records.” In this post on the Writer Mama blog, Sharon Miller Cindrich reminds us of things we can write off. I’ve already done my taxes for 2008 (and spent most of the refund, to tell you the truth–Ducks season tickets are not cheap), but these tips will help me keep better records for 2009.

Defining the Blog Tour
L.J. Sellers defines blog tours, then solicits feedback about how to handle a tour. I am planning a tour for this summer, when my book comes out, so I found this very interesting. Ican’t wait to see all of your comments on her blog.

Business Building on a Shoestring
Goals. Goals bedevil me, even though I know they are necessary. Tiffany Colter provides tips here to help set the goals for your writing business.

Lift Every Voice: In Search of the Writer’s Voice
Voice is one of the key components of a query, either for a book, short story, or article idea. How can you find your voice and ensure that it shines through in all of your writing?

Do Magazines Publishers Have an Irrational Fear of Digital?
The popularity of digital publishing avenues strikes fear in the heart of many in the print world. I think digital and print can co-exist–some types of publications make sense in print, while others work best online. This exploration of the hypocrisy of print executives who use their Blackberries to complain about the death of print gives a little perspective.

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Missy Frye posted the Just Write Blog Carnival this morning. It includes one of my posts as well as a host of other great resources.

Check it out.

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