Jen's Writing Journey

We’ve got a lot of interesting news posts this week in addition to the regular blog suspects.

The Business of Writing

The Limits of Control
This article from the American Journalism Review provides a good synopsis of the ethics policies and guidelines major newspapers are asking their reporters to follow when using social media. Are these policies enforceable when the journalist is acting as a personal user? What decisions do you make when you interact with others using social media tools?

Who Are You Online?
Another piece exploring the personas we put out on the web. I have three Twitter accounts that I use for different purposes. @jenroland is to discuss writing and romance issues. @pccurmudgeon is to discuss pop culture. And @EdTechJen is focused on educational technology–because I thought teachers might be turned off by the occasional tweet about the peen.

Tech’s Heavyweights Put Google Books Deal in the Crosshairs
Microsoft, Yahoo, and others have come together to challenge the Google books settlement, arguing that it gives Google an unfair copyright advantage that other businesses would be unable to match.

Angela James Joins Quartet Press
Angela James has been a heavy hitter in the e-publishing segment of the romance market for a while. It was announced this week that she is joining Quartet Press, a new publishing company “founded on shared principles to create a high-quality, community-centric, and reader- and author-friendly digital publishing house,” according to its press release.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Kindle
Nathan Bransford shares his thoughts on the various e-reading options out there. He, like me, prefers using his iPhone to read books.

Lucienne Diver: Agent and Author
Lucienne Diver, who was taking pitches at the Willamette Writers conference, shares the crazy hectic life she leads as both author and agent. Of the most interest is her description of why she is not her own agent.

Craft

Your Advice Needed
Agent Janet Reid plans to meet with some beginning authors who need a lot of guidance. As such, she asked her readers to share the best advice they got when they were first starting out. And boy, did they bring it. The comments are a treasure trove of time-tested and useful tips.

Weak Verbs One and Two
Writing mentor Mary DeMuth discusses the need for strong, active verbs rather then weak, boring helper verbs.

Fiction

Does Size Matter?
At Dear Author, Janet explores the rumor of shrinking page counts. Does a shorter book mean less value for the reader? Or does it mean a higher-quality, better-edited work?

Tighten Up Your Manuscript
Agent Rachelle Gardner offers tips to help you cut your word count to fit the new, shorter mindset.

An Unusual Take on Conflict
Jennifer Hubbard shares the lessons she learned from reading Guru by Jeff Griggs. We writers often hear that conflict is an essential component of our fiction. However, Griggs suggests that the relationship between the hero and the villain is richer and more interesting than their conflict. How can you apply that idea in your writing? Will you ensure that your villain is as fleshed out as your hero? (Or, if you’re like me, will you go back to the draing board and breath more life into your protagonist?)

Freelancing

For Publishing Companies and Their Suppliers, a Surge in Bankruptcies
Many magazine publishers are in bankruptcy or will likely file bankruptcy soon. This article from Folio discusses what those bankruptcies mean for the industry. We writers need to know what it means for freelancers. Will there be an increase in freelancing opportunities as magazines more to even-more-bare-bones staffs? Or will freelance pay drop to ensure the magazines financial success?

Save Time. Organize Your Space. Now.
Freelancer Julie Steed reminds us of the importance of proper organization. Can you take a few minutes now to ensure that your writing time will be productive for at least the next few months? Why waste your precious writing time looking for pencils or paper clips?

30 Day Marketing Boot Camp
Jennifer Mattern is planning a marketing boot camp on her Query-Free Freelancer site in September. The Query-Free Freelancer is focused on helping freelancers build a business that doesn’t rely on pitching for low-paying jobs on job boards.

Platform

Writing for a Blog Tour Versus Writing for a Book
The Blood-Red Pencil has been focusing on promotion this week. Here, Marvin Wilson discusses the differences between blog tours and book writing.

Book Tours and Book Reviews: When to Give up Control
And here, guest blogger Elizabeth Spann Craig shares her experience with interviews about your book.

Promotion Routines for Writers
Finally, Camy Tang talks about her promotional tools. Her big tip for writers: Only market in ways you are comfortable with. If you can’t bear the thought of wasting time on Twitter, don’t do it. If you can’t keep to a regular posting schedule, don’t blog. If you shudder at the thought of standing in front of a classroom of writers hungry for the knowledge you can share, don’t teach.

Fun Stuff

Apparently I Like Vampire Books. Who Knew?
Amanda Brice shares her new-found love of certain vampire books with the ladies at Fictionistas. I have always loved everything vampire. How about you?

Are You a Cat or a Dog?
December Gephart shares a couple fun quizzes. In case you needed some further ways to procrastinate.

Looking for more? Andy Shackcloth presents his own list of writing posts on his site. I suggest bookmarking it or adding it to your Google Reader.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, December 4
• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4