Writing Links!

It’s time for some links to great articles on writing again…

It’s time to start a new story. (It is NaNoWriMo month after all.) But how to begin it? Hmmm… You want your opening to pop. You want something for the reader to sink their teeth into. Should the MC be on the first page? Start with Dialogue? When does this story start anyway? Is that where you should start? Darn, if only there were some examples! To help you through the mess we call the first page, agent Lucienne Diver gives you the goods (and some examples).

You are clicking those keys along, writing like the wind, and then one day… nothing. There seems to be a brick wall in front of you. Some call it <gasp> writer’s block. No matter which way you move, it doesn’t. Need some ideas on how to get past it? Try Women on Writing’s tips.

I can’t write, my cat ate my pen.

After many arduous hours you declare it finished! You finished your book and you are ready to query it. But hang on a second, what the heck genre is it? Is it a mystery? Thriller? High Fantasy? Commercial Fiction? Agent Jennifer Laughran presents the genre glossary.

Now that you have the genre pinned down, what makes for a good ‘hook’ in a query letter? Again, another lovely face in the biz comes to the rescue! Jane Friedman gives you the basics on what that hook should include.

You’ve sent out your query and crossed your fingers. And it worked! You got a request from an agent! They want to see more. You decide you’d better take one quick look through your manuscript and make sure there aren’t any glaring typos, etc. But how long do you have before the agent says, “Aw. Forget it. They won’t send it. I take back my offer.” Agent Mary at her wonderful Kidlit blog weighs in.

It’s been sent. Your manuscript has been sitting on an agent’s desk for what feels forever, waiting to be read. It’s been hours, days, weeks, even months. Do you give the agent a friendly email nudge to make sure they haven’t forgotten about you? Here’s the scoop on when to nudge from QueryTracker.

Okay, so you’ve beat the odds. You snagged an agent (landing you in the top 1%) and now you have a book deal! (About 50% of represented writers land a book deal on their first book.) But how many copies do you need to sell to stay in the game and not be considered a complete flop? There’s no easy answer, but Bubble Cow gives you a scoop or two of chocolate fudge to keep you going.

And because you are so wiped out from this all, you need a little break. Maybe a laugh. Maybe a gasp or two. And so I present to you, ads from the past.

Good Links, May Edition

Wow, there goes May. Hello, June. Might I say you are looking mighty fine?

I didn’t spend a lot of time surfing the net this month, but I still came across some great links to share. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Here’s what I found:

On Writing: Many writers like to use archetypes in their stories or build around a myth. Karen Harbaugh, over on her blog, discusses characterization, plotting, fairy tales and archetypes. It’s an interesting read and a blog I will be checking out regularly.

Pitching your Work: Camy Tang discusses how to create a strong 50 word elevator pitch (story summary) so you can pitch agents or editors in person. They are also great for query letters. I’m currently taking one of Camy’s online classes and it is fantastic. This writer knows how to simplify a difficult task and even makes writing a synopsis fun! (Really!)

Building a Query: Former publishing lady and query guru, Molli Nickell, has a new blog called The Query Letter Wizard. She offers tips and exercises on her blog. She also answers questions and helps folks out with their query questions and blues. You can also find her on AgentQuery and on her website.

General Writing Interest: So, many you may be like me and live outside the publishing haven known as the United States. Maybe you spell funny, adding in extra ‘u’s here and there. You say “zed” and not “zee”. And your manuscript reflects that. What to do, what to do… Well, thankfully Jessica Faust over at Bookends Litererary addresses grammar and spelling in her post.

Future of Publishing: On Demand Books. You may have heard of these already, if not, this article is an interesting look at those little machines that print a book as you wait. It is an interesting idea that could become ‘big’. (And possibly save the planet.)

Marketing: If you are wondering about how popular your blog is, or want to compare some websites or blogs you know, pop them into Market Leap and it will compare these sites for you. You can list one site or up to three for comparison.

About the Money: Editorial Ass gives the real scoop on writers and money. Everything from royalties to right sales and more.

And for fun: The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotations. You got it, it is a blog exhibit of signs people have submitted that use unnecessary quotations.

It’s All Kid’s Play: This is my website and blog. It contains over 780 activities to do with children that are free or almost free. Feel free to pass it on to your friends or enjoy it yourself. It has everything from crafts, to staycation ideas to game rules, car ride games and much more. Enjoy!

Best news of May: A buddy on AQ found an agent who LOVES his work. He is now represented, so a huge congratulations to Thrownbones. I am incredibly happy for this writer as he has put in his time, working, working, working. Best of luck!

I hope May was good to you.