Jen's Writing Journey

And, another work week for the 9-5 crowd comes to a close. I wonder if this song lyric would be true of me if I did not have a day job to do in addition to this crazy writing thing: “I wake up every evening, with a big smile on my face, and it never feels out of place.” (from Gives You Hell by the All-American Rejects)

The Business of Writing

Writing as an Identity
Is writing who you are or what you do? Agent Nathan Bransford explores why most writers seem to believe it is who they are.

Author-Agent Agreements
Agent Rachelle Gardner has started a series that describes what happens once she decides to request more from an author who has queried her. This installment covers the written and verbal agreements that may be made between an author and his or her brand-spanking-new agent.

American (Author) Idol
This is an interesting look at the cult of the author that has built up on the Internet. It is a balanced exploration of both the good and the bad. What do you think? Is it about the author or the book?

Fiction

The Fake-Book-Idea Factory
Jody Wallace writes fantasy, paranormal romance, and erotic romance. She often gets asked things like, “When are you going to write a real book?” Now, we all know that her books are just as real as any others out there, so that is not the point of including her guest at Powell’s Books. Instead, she talks about the process of generating ideas.

Crafting the Paranormal Romance
As this is what my current WIP is (paranormal romance, or PNR), I found this post very interesting. You can apply the steps here to any genre, though.

Freelancing

Marketing Tips
A new season means a new approach to marketing for freelance guru Jennifer Mattern. (All of a sudden, I feel as if I’m announcing a fashion show. But not as a serious announcer with a love of fashion. Rather, I’m taking on a very Janeane Garofalo-esque persona. And I don’t mean to sound sarcastic about this post, because it had some good ideas that can help you break out of a marketing rut.)

Prepare for Problems
We all know that things will go wrong when we least expect them to. As writers/business managers, we need to ensure that we are prepared for likely obstacles so that they don’t completely derail us. Allison Boyer offers some potential problems and solutions.

Hey. You’re Not Romantic At All.
Aspiring writer December Gephart describes through example the beauty of fiction. She doesn’t believe in soul mates in real life, but she sure does believe in romance in writing.

General Writing Tips

Discovering and Developing Your Voice, part 1
The ladies at the Blood-Red Pencil have a post that will help you find your voice as a writer. They ask questions that will guide you in learning the hallmarks of voice and using them in your writing.

Errors will Ruin Your Chances
I wish we lived in a world where this went without saying, but 30 Helens and writer Sue Lick agree that proofreading is important.

Showing versus Telling
In her untitled blog post, Robyn Campbell looks for guidance in (a) showing instead of telling and (b) knowing when it is right to tell.

• Writing Roundup, October 9 Here is a handy table of contents that will help you quickly reach the topic of your choice. Let me know if you like it this way. The Business of Writing Craft Fiction Freelancing Platform Special Section: The FTC Rules The Business of Writing Letting the Market Speak The Waxman......
• Writing Roundup, July 10 I hope you are all having as productive a month as you would like it to be. This seems like such a good time to take a breather and go light on the writing projects. Not me, I always seem to have big deadlines in the summer. Maybe next year,......
• Writing Roundup, January 29 The Business of Writing Craft Fiction Freelancing Platform The Business of Writing Top Authors Await Ebook Bonanza The Times looks at how many British authors are waiting to sell their backlists on the long-awaited Apple tablet. (On a related note, I can't imagine that the price tag of the......
• Writing Roundup, August 28 Lots of good stuff out there as we look toward the fall. The Business of Writing How a Book Gets Published Agent Nathan Bransford gives a great, easy-to-follow description of how a book goes from finished clean copy on the author's desk to a shiny new book on the shelves.......
• Publicity Writers write; authors market. That is an extreme oversimplification of the publishing industry, but I think it captures one major difference between a write and an author. An author is required to market the heck out of their book(s), unless they are happy to only sell to their family and......

• Second Edition: Author Love Carnival Welcome to the second edition of author love. This carnival is for the highlighting and promotion of writers, authors, and readers. Every genre, every aspect...
• Jane Porter speaking about life I'm happy to share this online interview with Jane Porter. She was gracious to spend some time with us. I think you'll agree that she...
• Get into Bed with Terry Spear (An Author Interview) Today, we’re welcoming back a familiar voice here at LRP, hello Terry Spear. Thank you for visiting, let’s chew the fat awhile. Susan looks over...
• Welcome to the Financial Hard Truth - Can You Handle it? Welcome new readers and visitors to Tough Money Love, one man's blog about the hard truth of money and personal finance.  This is a place...
• Quick and Dirty Tips for Effective Corporate Blogging, pt 4 This is part four in our series about good tips for good corporate blogging. We have touched on three tips each in the first part,...