Jen's Writing Journey

I decided to post early this week to avoid the holiday run-off. I wish you all a lovely holiday weekend. If, like me, you’ll be spending a good portion of it writing, well then I wish you happy writing.

The Business of Writing

Could Changes in the Copyright Law Save Newspapers?
This article in Editor & Publisher describes the argument that copyright law should be amended to bar aggregation. I think rewriting copy just to avoid infringing on copyright is a violation, but linking to it? If no one links to your content, how will people find it? I’m not sure I’m on board with this one.

Poll Results on E-published Author Earnings per Title
Marianne Lacroix provides some actual data on how much an e-published author may earn. The results were from an anonymous poll, so there could be a large chunk of non-responders or even multiple responders, but it is the first attempt I have seen to quantify earnings for e-publishers. I hope this begins a concerted effort to quantify writers’ earnings so that we can all enter the profession knowing what to expect financially.

Are You There, Amazon? It’s Me, JA
JA Konrath tells us why he doesn’t plan to buy a Kindle and what he would like to see from ebooks and ebook readers in the future.

Should You Self-Publish?
Another great post from JA Konrath. Here he gives some tips on when you should and shouldn’t self-publish.

Waiting By the Phone
The life of a writer isn’t so different from the life of a teenage girl after all. We are hit with horrible bouts of low self-esteem. We have to fight for respect from those around us. And we sit and wait for the phone to ring (or the email to pop up,as the case may be).

Craft

So What Are You?
A little kick in the pants from agent Janet Reid. Don’t spend your time thinking up fun ways to describe yourself; spend it writing.

Pre-Editing
Moonrat discusses the pros and cons of hiring an editor to help you shape up your manuscript for submission to agents and/or editors. It can be great, or it can be a huge money waster. Keep these points in mind when you make the decision of when or whether you need an editor.

Fiction

Normative Heterosexuality and the Alpha Male Hero
An interesting and informative look at the role of the alpha in our culture and in our fantasy.

Charting the Novel Story Arc
An essential component of the self-editing process, ensuring that your novel follows a strong arc, with an appropriate amount of time spent on buildup and release of tension can be time-consuming. Patricia Stoltey gives one way of handling the process.

Freelancing

Freelance Writer Hiring Trends: Credit Checks and Drug Tests??
Michael Stelzner describes a recent experience with a potential freelance client who wanted him to undergo a full background screening, as if he were coming on staff. We can debate the practice of background checks on staff until the cows come home, but I thought part of the reason we wanted to freelance was to be free of the restrictions of full-time office work. This seems a bit over the top to me.

How Not to Hire Freelance Writers and Bloggers
Jennifer Mattern weighs in on some further practices that make the hiring process a bit unwieldy for the average freelancer. In particular, the idea of writing a custom sample can be a bit much. The life of a freelancer is spent on so many different non-writing tasks, that our writing time really needs to be reserved for billable projects, not spec work.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14

Where has this month gone? How did you do on your goals? I got my spreadsheet going, and I’m using it. The two books are still in process, but I’ve got a whole weekend ahead of me! And I’ve gotten 3,000 words written on my novel.

The Business of Writing

Five Bonus Tips on How to Survive in Publishing
In this companion to the print article, Patricia Holt provides some tips to navigate the author-publisher relationship.

The Case for #RWAChange
The romance world is still reeling from the back-and-forth between RWA leadership and membership regarding e-publishers. Jane from Dear Author pulled together a nice collection of posts on the topic.

Pitching: Scoring a Home Run
Writer Jenn Bray-Weber gives good advice for preparing the elevator speech about your book and for how to comport yourself when you meet with an agent.

Low Publishing Salaries >===== Literature Suffers?
Moonrat gives an interesting take on who you will likely need to impress to get your book moved up the chain and published.

Writing a Synopsis Doesn’t Have to Kill You
Tips for pulling together the dreaded synopsis. It’s all about organization and understanding the structure of your story.

Craft

Good Reading Recipe
Another post from Dear Author, this lists the criteria they use when reviewing a book. It is an exhaustive list, and it can help you write a better book to begin with. When you are reading a draft, try to approach it using these criteria to decide how and where to revise.

Easy on the Hoopdedoodle
Elmore Leonard gives tips for creating gripping fiction. No, this wasn’t posted this week, but the editors at The Blood-Red Pencil did link to it this week.

I Do Not Have Time to Read This Crap
Author Anne R. Allen provides a quick and dirty list of writing don’ts.

Why You Should Not Write Your Novel
Andy Shackcloth shares an interesting opinion about the preparation a writer needs not only in writing but also in promotion and marketing before writing that first novel. I’m not sure I agree completely, although I enjoyed the concept of the post. We writers need to  be aware of the responsbilities we’ll have once we’re done with the book, but nothing teaches writing better than writing.

Fiction

How to Save Time and Money with Professional Editors
Jim Adams details the lessons he learned after getting his first novel edited by a professional. The second time around, he had his synopsis edited, and used the feedback to make changes to the complete work.

On Books: Gloating Villains
How many times have you read a book or watched a movie where the villain gloats over his or her victim, providing said victim with the time and opportunity to escape? And how many times did it make you want to pull your hair out? Elizabeth Moon reminds us that villains do often gloat; our job as writers is to make sure their actions are in character, not cartoonish.

Freelancing

Exposing Some Myths about Blogging Pay Rates
Jennifer Mattern provides some context to consider when setting rates for blog posts. There is such a wide range of price points, and beginning freelancers find it so hard to place appropriate value on what they do without pricing themselves out of the job.

Writers Never Run Out of Blog Topics
Victoria Janssen offers some guiding questions to help you jump-start your creativity when you just can’t think of a blog topic. The questions are also useful to freelancers looking for story ideas to pitch. You probably shouldn’t invite guests, unless they are your co-authors, but you can interview your friends for profiles in appropriate venues.

5 Places to Find Higher-Paying Freelance Writing Jobs
How to Attract the High-Paying Writing Jobs
These two posts are not from this week, but I am including them to help my visitors create strategies to find writing jobs that pay a living wage. Low-paying jobs are everywhere, and they are a good place to begin earning money while you cut your teeth on writing for clients. Use the lessons you learn in the lower-paying gigs to build your skill and portfolio so that you can go after the higher-paying jobs.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14

We’ve got some great resources this week–summer hasn’t slowed down any of the bloggers!

The Business of Writing

Money, Money, Money, Money
Author Lauren Dane shares her thoughts on the RWA president’s position on e-publishing. It is a well-thought-out argument that asks the RWA to put the focus back on writers and their needs rather than on the publishing medium. Also read parts 2 and 3 of this series to find out more about the nuts and bolts of book deals.

Textbooks: A Market Begging for Change
Students (and their parents) could benefit a great deal from the move from print to electronic publishing–their backs wouldn’t bend under the weight of their books, and their school expenses could be greatly reduced. Joe Wikert presents some ideas about why textbooks need to change their delivery model and what obstacles the change faces.

Straight from the Source: A Book Editor Helps You with Those Five Little Words
“It doesn’t fit our needs.” We’ve all seen those words, and we’ve all wondered exactly what they meant and what we could do to better meet their needs. Kristine Meldrum Denholm went to a book editor to find out more.

How to Write a Marketing Plan and Promotion Timeline
This is a two-fer from L.J. Sellers. As the release date for her new book looms, she is sharing her marketing info. These posts could serve as the skeleton as you plan your own marketing efforts.

Craft

Discipline
What strategies work for you when you write? Do you need to write at the same time of day? In the same location? Do you think a long time before you binge-write? Or do you chunk away at a project? Author Nancy Kress shares her thoughts on the discipline needed to write.

Internal Dialogue
Author L.J. Sellers shares a recent editing note she received regarding her use of internal dialogue. How do you treat your characters’ thoughts? Do you use internal dialogue narration? How do you handle editing marks or critique notes that you don’t quite agree with?

My Prediction Is…
Jennifer Hubbard gives tips to help you avoid being too predictable. You don’t want actions or choices to be completely out of character, but you also don’t want your readers to guess the end on page 2. Strike a balance.

Fiction

June Writing Tip: What I Learned from Movies and TV
Writers can learn a lot about pacing, character development, and narrative devices from tv shows and movies. Author Joe Finder shares the lessons he has learned and put into practice in his books.

The Vampire’s Influence on Teenage Self-Identification
I know, a lot of us are sick of vampires. But, this piece goes into some of the things current vampire stories are doing right when they target their audience. How are you targeting your audience with your stories?

There and Back Again: Five Reasons Tolkein Rocks
Author China Mievelle shares his admiration of Tolkein’s work. What can we learn from Tolkein’s techniques? How can we shake up familiar story archetypes?

Freelancing

Contacts Pay Off Again
Writer Sue Lick shares a recent tale of networking success. Knowing the right people–and making a favorable impression on them–is key to finding new freelance clients.

Reader Question: Specializing in Article Writing
Specialization typically equals higher pay, because the more you know about a topic area, the more valuable you become. But, it can be hard to break into a new field of specialization. Jenifer Mattern provides some ideas that will help you.

The Reckoning
Michelle Rafter discusses the changes she is making to her business model to compensate for the recession and for the changes to the landscape of publishing.

Freelance Tips
Lyndon Antcliff shares some of the realities of freelancing. Good for a laugh and a reality check.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14

The Business of Writing

Making Time for Real Life
As the lazy days of summer approach, many of we writers are looking for balance between our work and home lives. (Some of us work at home, making it even more confusing.) L.J. Sellers posts her short-term, non-writing to-do list. What’s on your list?

Self-Publishing
Is it a wise choice or a big mistake? Agent Jessica Faust would prefer that authors not go the self-published or POD route before querying her.

The Desire to Be Published
Writer Victoria Janssen explores her own need for validation (aka publication). Why do you want to be published? Or, do you write just for the fun of it, never seeking publication?

Rescuscitating the Muse
Nothing like a reminder that even writers who have received that golden carrot of publication get bogged down in the mire of despair that we call writer’s block. Minnette Meador gives her “Why I Write” list, which is one way to bring back the love of writing if you’ve lost it.

This Is a Blog
Oh, agents and their quirky desire that we writers use words correctly. Nathan Bransford gives a little tip about how to personalize letters to him–describe his blog correctly, for starters.

Craft

First Draft in 30 Days…Recommend or Not?
Rebecca isn’t quite sure what to make of the book First Draft in 30 Days. It’s author claims that it is possible to create a compelling first draft that will require little editing–and to do it in a tight time frame. Do you buy it?

Top Ten Things I Know about Editing
Alexandra Sokoloff stops by The Blood-Red Pencil to share her wisdom about the editing process. She offers some great tips. (For more on editing–because, who doesn’t want to read more about editing–see Rebecca’s 12-part series, which begins here.)

Fiction

The Link
Author C.J. Lyons explores the missing link between cave drawings and modern stories. Turns out people have always looked for stories that illuminate the human condition and provide a little entertainment. But we all knew that, right?

Plot Progressions
Elle Scott provides an example of a plot progression that helps keep your WIP moving.

Cross My Genre
With all of the cross-genre works out there, how do you decide which genre is your best fit?

Freelancing

Who Sets Your Freelance Writing Rates?
Many freelancers, especially those just starting out, wait for the client to quote a rate. I mean, you don’t want to turn them off by quoting way too high or way too low for their expectations? Unfortunately, many of us are shooting ourselves in the foot. I added rates to my freelance writing and editing page, and I suggest that you do the same. Figure out how much you need to earn and then look at other freelancers to see what they charge. Then have a firm set of starting rates that will allow you to enter negotiations on solid footing.

How to Get Freelance Writing Referrals Even If You’re New
Jennifer Mattern again provides excellent advice. We all know that word of mouth is the most effective form of advertising, and Jennifer gives tips to help get that all-important WOM.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14

My goals for this month:

• Finish my two nonfiction books
• Write 10K words on my novel
• Finally create the submission tracking spreadsheet I keep talking about

So that is what I need to accomplish this month. It’s a lot, but I can do it.

What are you planning to achieve in June?

The Business of Writing

Effectively Combatting Piracy
DRM is a contentious issue in publishing. Many industry bigwigs seem to think that crack-proof DRM will stop piracy. But how well has that worked for the usic industry? At Dear Author, Jane presents her plan to combat piracy.

Stepping up Your Game
I love that agents go out of their way to tell us how to get their attention (in a good way). And I love that Nathan Bransford channeled his inner Coach Taylor to help we writers work through the despair this economy may be causing for us. (I’m a huge fan of Friday Night Lights.) Right now, money is tight, and editorial standards are tighter. We need to work even harder and polish our work even more to help it stand out.

Some BEA Observations
Agent Kristin shares her experience at BEA last weekend, with a articular focus on how spartan it seemed because of the economy.

Rules for Writing
An honest and amusing list of the rules we all need to follow. I would add another rule that had something to do with drinking copiously, but maybe that’s just me.

Craft

Does Editing a Manuscript Help It Get Published? Part 1
Robyn begins another good series on her blog, this time focusing on the importance of editing.

Developing Your Writer’s Voice
Voice is that certain je ne se qua that sets you apart from the myriad other writers out there. But developing it and describing it can be a real challenge. Camy Tang shares a series of posts on the topic of voice.

Fiction

I Scrapped It and Skinned It and Scored!!
Inez Kelley tells the story of cutting out more than half of her current WIP, cutting out the hero entirely. It sounds really scary, but it was the right decision for her story, and she is ready to rock with it now. I’m actually leaning toward cutting out one of my characters–it was an idea that came to me while I was listening to Philip Margolin speak on Tuesday–so reading Inez’s story was very useful to me this week.

Romance: The Same Old Same Old?
In this guest post at the Novel Journey, romance novelist Cheryl Wyatt discusses how she keeps her books from just being the same thing over and over again. It is particularly challenging in romance, where we all know there will be a happy ending, but her tips apply to other genres as well. I’ve certainly said that there are no ideas, just new ways of presenting them.

Freelancing

Monthly Marketing Mix: June 2009
Ugh, marketing. Who wants to market when the great late spring weather makes us all want to go outside and have fun with friends and family? Certainly not Jennifer Mattern, who provides us with easy ways to market our freelance services and have fun this month.

30 Sites Every Freelancer Should Visit and Utilize
The folks at Freelance Folder have compiled a good list of resources for freelancers. The only thing I don’t love about this post is that they listed their site first. I mean, come on, at least bury the blatant self-promotion. Well, that, and use “utilize” when “use” would have done just as well. The copy editor in me will never shut up about that one.

Happy writing!

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14

Let’s start by re-checking our goals for the month. Did you achieve them? If not, what can you do next month to reach your goals?

Blogging

How to Devalue Your Blog and Burn Yourself Out
Men with Pens have done it again. This post about the need to find a blogging schedule that works for you is golden.

The Business of Writing

On Submissions Guidelines
Agent Nephele Tempest discusses the need to find and actually follow each agent’s submission guidelines. If you submit to her on paper, it gets trashed; she accepts electronic submissions only, as it clearly states in her submission guidelines. Really, if you can’t follow the directions to submit, how can an agent feel confident that you have done your due diligence in studying and perfecting your craft? And how will an agent know you will be able to follow revision instructions?

Agents = People. Not Fish
Don’t try to land an agent, says UF/PNR author Stacia Kane. Find an agent. Sign with an agent. But don’t engage in some sort of battle of the wills to master an agent. I will take it a step farther. Whenever someone “lands” a person, it implies to me that they picked the person up in the bar and sealed the deal that night. In the immortal words of Jeremy Piven in PCU, Don’t be that guy.

Publishers Rewrite Book
Matthew Flamm has some less than pleasing news for we writers: Book advances are dropping. However, the big boys are finally seeing that ebooks are the future of reading. They are funneling more resources into ebooks and looking at ways to mine their backlists and employ more freelancers to do the work. I remember reading about cool, futuristic readers who used a variety of electronic means to read their books and news publications. I am excited to see how that future will actually play out.

What Are Your Goals for Writing?
Why do you write? What motivates you to keep writing when everything seems stacked against you? Victoria Janssen explores her motivations.

Craft

Rejuvenating Writing by Not Writing
Feeling overworked and overwhelmed seems to be a theme this week. Here, erotic romance writer Michelle Hasker talks about her vacation from writing. Instead of BICHOK, she is playing tennis. And, the time away from the keyboard has rejuvenated her and made her want to the write again. Maybe the next time you feel overwhelmed, you should take a break rather than forcing yourself to write when you don’t want to. Of course, don’t give yourself too much time off; you don’t want to get out of the habit of writing. But remind yourself that a vacation every now and then is definitely a good thing.

Everybody Wants to Teach You to Write
Sue Lick provides some insight into the mind of the serious writer–and those who want to profit from them.

Fiction

Eight Questions for Writers
These guiding questions can help shape your story into one that people actually want to read. Use them in early outlining stages to ensure that you hit on the important points and have fleshed-out characters. Use them in revisions to make sure you know how to fix what doesn’t work and what to leave alone.

The Anatomy of a Book
Rose City Romance Writers member Genene Valleau explores the process of plotting a book. For some, the idea of plotting takes away all of the spontaneity of the writing process. For Valleau, though, plotting provides the structure she needs to follow the story from beginning to middle and end. She still finds all of the fun discoveries along the way, but she also makes sure she doesn’t get lost.

Freelancing

A Beginner’s Guide to Freelance Business Processes
Lea Woodward lines out some of the basics to get your business going and keep it running smoothly. I mean, how can you stay in business if you don’t have a process to invoice your clients and ensure payment is received on time.

How In-Depth Should Your Business Plan Be?
We know that new businesses need a plan. But we just want to write. Jennifer Mattern discusses the ins and outs of creating a business plan that meets your needs and helps keep you on the right track.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14

A short and sweet pre-Memorial Day roundup.

The Business of Writing

So-N-So Recommended Me
Referrals can be a great way to get an agent to look at your work–but only if they are done right. Here you’ll find some examples of good and bad referrals. Main lesson? Make sure the agent actually knows the person who referred you.

We’ve Terrified the Wrong Half of Y’all
Agent Janet Reid lets us know that those of us reading agent blogs and applying the lessons they teach are doing at least something right. Sometimes, we will take whatever affirmation we can get.

Having a Writing Life…
Have I mentioned that I love Elizabeth Moon? So I was super-excited when I found her Live Journal. Now I could keep up with her releases and her process and maybe find out a little more about her. That’s the coolest thing about the Internet for we readers: we can let our stalking tendencies out a little without really putting anyone in danger. But, that access has led some of us to believe that our favorite writers owe us more access or information or even the next installment in out favorite series. Moon reminds us that no matter how much we love a writers or his or her books, we don’t own them.

Interview with Christina Katz
I can’t get enough of Christina Katz. Her books Writer Mama and Get Known Before the Book Deal have shaped a lot of my ideas about how to conduct my burgeoning writing career. Here, she talks a little more about building your platform.

Fiction

Is Fiction a Type of Fabrication? part 1
Rebecca Emrich starts a series on the nature of fiction in response to an email question she received. She writes both fiction and nonfiction, so she is poised to explore some really interesting aspects of fiction writing in these posts.

False Starts
Jasmine Ahern describes her own personal writer’s block. She is starting strong, but unable to finish. So she went to another writer to get some tips to push past her block.

How to Write a Great First Draft
L.J. Sellers challenges the notion that all first drafts suck. Although sometimes it is important to give yourself permission to just get a chunk of the story out without regard for craft–especially if you are having trouble moving past that section–a little pre-planning will help you ensure that the bulk of your first draft is good. It will still need revisions, but you’ll be a lot closer to a saleable piece.

Freelancing

The Lure of Mother Nature
A lot of us dream of the day we can quit our day job and write for a living. We imagine how gorgeous it will be to work from home, spending time with our families and taking daily visits from the muse. But, working from home can be hard to accomplish. Freelancer Jennifer Mattern talks about distractions and how she deals with them.

Use Your Parenting Experience to Generate National Pitches
In this post, Sharon Miller Cindrich provides tips of how to translate real-life experience into writing assignments. Although she focuses on parenting publications, the concept applies to hobbies, day job knowledge, lots of things. How can you turn your personal strengths and knowledge into stories that instruct?

Writing for the Web: Establishing an Online Presence
Jennifer Applin says if you want to write for the web, you need to be on the web. Most of us look at the websites of established writers and think, “one day…” But, Applin argues that the website is one component that makes the “one day…” possible.

General Writing Tips

More than the Bones
At the Rose City Romance Writers blog, Pauline Trent discusses the necessity of transitions and flow. The key, Trent says, is making sure you have anough filler to move your story and keep its pace appropriate, but not so much that you bog it down.

Punctuate Quotes Correctly
Sue Lick gives a quick refresher on punctuation. Print it out and keep it handy when you proof your work. Your editor will thank you.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14

[digg=http://digg.com/educational/Essential_Links_for_Writers]We’re halfway through the month already. How have you done with achieving your writing goals so far?

The Business of Writing

Where Have All the Bookstores Gone?
Obviously, you must sing this title to the tune of Paula Cole’s Where Have All the Cowboys Gone. No? That’s just me? Anyway, Sue Lick gives some insight into the death of the independent bookstore. It is sad to lose these connections to books and writers.

5 Lies Writers Believe about Editors
Jeremiah Tolbert shatters some myths, and provides some amusing examples to help writers better understand editors. Use this post to guide you when perfecting your craft and submitting your work. And, when all else fails, buy an editor a drink. You never know what will work.

Copyright and Consumer Digital Rights, Part 2
At Dear Author, we get an interesting survey of court cases that affect our ability as writers to own our words and our ability as citizens to access those words freely. If you missed part 1, read it here.

Why a Pre-publication Web Presence Is Important
A writer can’t go anywhere on the web without some discussion of platform, it seems. And Christina Katz would remind us that platform is not just web presence. But web presence is an important component, and Yen, who works in publicity at a publishing house, provides the reasons to get your web presence going sooner rather than later.

Kiss of Death: Quitting the Day Job
Wendy Lawton of the Books & Such Literary Agency discusses the potential pitfalls of quitting your day job.

Is Your Day Job Good for Your Writing?
Another perspective on the issue of keeping your day job.

I’m torn on the whole day job issue. The Keep It and Ditch It camps make good arguments. What do you think?

Fiction

Critique Partners
As writers, we all reach the point where we need someone else’s opinion. We can ask our friends to read our works and give their feedback, but there is no substitute for the opinions of another writer. The writer can not only point out flaws, he or she can also suggest specific ideas to help fix the flaws. Jill James describes the relationship and what makes it work. For more on critique partners, also read this post describing J.R. Ward’s and Jessica Anderson’s critique relationship. Finally, budding romance writers can find critique partners on the Harlequin website’s writers forums.

Write Your @ss Off Day

What are you doing tomorrow? You could spend the entire day focusing on your writing. The New York Writers Coalition has dubbed May 16 as their Write-a-Thon. They are offering events and workshops to help writers connect and perfect their craft. This blog post offer ways to participate in the Write-a-Thon without going to New York.

Freelancing

30 Days to Become a Freelancer?
This post leads you from 0 to business in one month. It is structured such that you can perform a short task each day around your day job.

How Much Are Examiner.com Authors Really Earning?
This post from Writers Weekly is included on honor of Writers Worth Day. It is so easy to go for easy writing gigs that don’t pay well but offer the option of earning more in the future or great exposure. But, is it really worth it?

An Interview with Successful Freelancer and Author Kelly James-Enger
This interview tackles the tough questions of freelancing, from when it’s okay to take a low-paying gig to how much haranguing an editor will stand for when you just want to know if you can move the idea to another venue.

General Writing Tips

A Twisty Little Story from Sandra…
This post from Chip MacGregor’s blog highlights the importance of craft in writing. Anyone can write–anyone can slap words on a page. And some of them might even have enough natural talent that it works pretty well. But those who work at learning how to write, how to query, how to work with an agent and publisher have the best chances for success.

Back to the Drawing Board
Agent Rachelle Gardner discusses the importance of rewriting. It can be frustrating to rewrite or to begin again from scratch, but sometimes that is just what you need to do.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14

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.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14

Can you believe it’s already May? I can’t either. Here are some good resources to help you start your writing month off right.

The Business of Writing

Perception Is Truth
Writing Career Coach Tiffany Colter takes a fresh look on book marketing. She reminds us that readers don’t make decisions based on fact but on their gut instincts, their perception of a book. How can you use that knowledge to shape your own book marketing?

Money: The Balance Between Spending It and Making It
In a post targeted to freelancers, Jennifer Mattern gives tips to help you decide when you should spend your own money, your hard-earned writing money, or look for free alternatives.

The Agent Who Knew Too Much
Do you want a grizzled veteran or a wet-behind-the-ears newbie representing you? Agent Jenny Bent gives a description of each, with their strengths and weaknesses to help you decide ho might be a better fit for you.

(Accidental) Networking for Writers
What comes to mind when you think of networking? For me, it is an exhausting evening of gladhanding slightly tipsy businessmen. Bella Andre had similar visions of networking until she realized that it isn’t sleazy; in fact, networking with a like-minded group of people can be downright fun.

Fiction

Jeri Smith-Ready on World Building
Where will your fiction take place? In our world? In the seedier undercurrents of our society, be they crime, supernatural, sexual, etc.? In a completely different world with completely different rules? No matter what your setting is, you must make sure it rings true to your readers. Jeri Smith-Ready talks about the different ways she builds the worlds of her urban fantasy books.

Casting the Bones: The Truth about Telling Lie
Not technically a new resource, but Janet Reid included a link to it this week on her blog. She called it a must-read for all fiction authors.

Freelancing

Three Ways to Find Those Elusive Unadvertised Freelance Jobs
Have you driven yourself mad responding to freelance writer jobs, only to find out they pay less than a penny a word or to not even get an email in response? Jennifer Mattern has some tips to recast your freelance gig search that may hold the answer for you.

Writing a Solid Contract
A contract isn’t a foolproof scam repellent, but it can protect you and help you recover if you are scammed. Here are tips to ensure that you write a contract that offers your protection.

General Writing Tips

Writer’s Block…A Thing of the Past
Nadia Ballas-Ruta shares tips to help you banish writer’s block.

Writing Every Day
Do you write every day? I had always heard that advice, but usually people suggested “even if it’s in a journal.” I have a long and sordid history with paper journals. I buy them because I love how they look, and I write in them once or twice. Then six months later, I buy a new one. Same story. I started my Pop Culture Curmudgeon blog as a means of forcing myself to write every day outside of work. Here, Carrie Vaughn shares her approach to a daily writing schedule.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14