Writing Post Round Up – November

Now that it’s half-way through December, I’m finally getting around to posting the writing links I collected in November.  I’ll try to be more prompt in January.  In any case, I hope you enjoy them and find them useful!

http://www.magicalwords.net/specialgueststars/lets-get-personal-with-special-guest-star-jodi-mcisaac/

I love this take on “write what you know” by Jodi McIsaac.  

http://joycedoyle.com/2/post/2013/11/keeping-the-flow.html

Here are some more good tips on what to look for when you’re editing.

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2013/11/nanowrimo-push.html

This is a post from mid-NaNoWriMo, but it’s good advice for making it through the middle of your story all year round.

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/11/01/you-want-to-write-or-do-you-want-to-be-a-writer/

An interesting reflection on writing and being a writer.

http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/11/14/an-email-about-writing-and-my-response/

Chuck Wendig responds to an e-mail from a young writer looking for some guidance on the path.  There’s some pretty good stuff here.

http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/10/22/25-reasons-i-fucking-love-genre-fiction/

This post made me cry and nod my head a lot.  Because I love genre fiction.  It doesn’t get as much respect as literary fiction from some people, but I have to respectfully disagree with those people.  Genre fiction has every bit as much power to move people and comment on the human experience.

http://storyaday.org/the-one-thing-you-must-do-before-taking-writing-advice/

Another post that really spoke to me.  I love reading writing blogs (obviously), but it’s really easy to get overwhelmed by all the (at times conflicting) information.

http://www.magicalwords.net/mindy-klasky/then-and-now-writing-fast/

I am fascinated (as I’m sure I’ve mentioned before) by other people’s writing process.  Lately I’ve been reading a number of posts on writing fast, or fast drafting.  I’m a slow writer, but I’d like to at least become more efficient.  After all, there are only so many hours in a day.  Here’s a post from Mindy Klasky about how she writes fast.  As an added bonus, this is a “then and now” post, giving us a look at how her process has changed over time.

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/10/27/arm-yourself-with-casts/

Here’s an interesting tool for testing the structure of your novel – both in the initial drafting process and while editing.

http://timetowrite.blogs.com/weblog/2013/11/five-brain-boosters-for-writers-and-others.html

A nice bite-sized post with suggestions for boosting your brain power.

http://timetowrite.blogs.com/weblog/2013/11/dont-have-time-to-write-do-this.html

 And finally, some suggestions for finding more time to write in our busy lives.

Note: this is a list of blog posts and articles on writing that I collect monthly.  Inclusion on this list does not necessarily mean it was published this month, just that I read it this month and thought it was cool, interesting, and/or useful.

Writing Post Round Up – October

Since most of the posts I collected in October were for my NaNoWriMo edition, and I wasn’t very good about getting the round-up posted every week, I’m just going to do one post for the rest of the links I collected in October.  There’s not very many, but they’re all good.  I hope you enjoy them!

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/10-dos-donts-for-the-aspiring-novelist

There is so much good advice out there for writers that it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it.  That’s why I like this post.  It’s nice and succinct, but it covers the bases pretty well.  If you want one list of writerly advice to post by your desk and refer back to, this is a good one.

http://www.downthewriterspath.com/2013/10/nano-prep-countdown-to-nanowrimo/

Okay, one more NaNoWriMo post.  I must have collected this one after I posted the NaNoWriMo edition.  Anyway, this is a prep post, but even though NaNoWriMo has already launched this year, there’s still some good ideas in here – maybe you’ll find one that helps you push through if you’re running out of steam mid-month.  Or maybe you’re not even doing NaNoWriMo this year (or ever), but you’ll find a good tip or to for setting up your space, or embarking on some other kind of writing project.

http://penelopeloveslists.com/organize/i-need-to-stop-letting-perfect-be-the-enemy-of-good-or-why-penelope-came-back/

This is another one of those not-really-a-writing post links, but it resonated with me so much that I just had to share it.  Sometimes (often) I get paralyzed by the fear that I’m not good enough, that I won’t be able to do this wonderful thing I want to do exactly right.  Posts like this help me feel like I’m not alone.  If you struggle with perfectionism, maybe it will help you, too.

http://aroundofwordsin80days.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/the-lovely-chaos-of-writing-weaving-a-writing-life-by-shan-jeniah-burton/

This is one of the weekly inspirational / motivational posts from the ROW80 challenge – the writing challenge that knows you have a life.  A beautiful reminder that ALL the parts of our lives are important to our writing – not just the sitting down and putting words on the page part.

http://readjennymartin.com/2012/06/30/when-show-dont-tell-is-really-bad-advice/

 

An interesting take on the “show, don’t tell” chestnut of writing advice.  I think she makes some good points, although I also think a lot of the bad writing she mentions comes more from a misunderstanding of what “show, don’t tell” means, rather than from following the advice too closely.

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/09/14/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-hashtag/

 

I am so Twitter illiterate.  I have an account (I actually used to have two – one from a work related “web 2.0” training, and a second I set up for my personal interests).  I occasionally log in and peruse my feed, and even less occasionally actually post a tweet, but I just haven’t really figured out how to use it to good advantage and what it’s all about.  One of the consistently confusing things for me is hashtags – I understand in general, that you can follow a trending topic, but figuring out how and when to apply one has been kind of a mystery.  If you also struggle with this aspect of Twitter, you may find this post helpful. 

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2013/10/website-tips-for-authors/

We’re told over and over as writers that we need to have a platform, an online presence to connect with readers, publishers, agents and other writers.  A good website can be a huge component of that.  Here are some great tips for putting one together.

That’s all I’ve got for now!  Due to NaNoWriMo, and some other things going on in my life, I’ve not had time to read as many blogs, and I’ve been struggling with actually getting this post up on a weekly basis.  For that reason, I’m thinking of making this a monthly feature, rather than a weekly one, at least for a while.   That idea literally just occurred to me this morning though, so I’m still mulling it over.  Stay tuned!  And happy writing!

Note: this is a list of blog posts and articles on writing that I collect weekly.  Inclusion on this list does not necessarily mean it was published this week, just that I read it this week and thought it was cool, interesting, and/or useful.

Writing Post Round Up – NaNoWriMo Edition

November is fast approaching, and with it NaNoWriMo (that’s National Novel Writing Month, for the uninitiated).  This will be my second year participating, and hopefully my first win.  So I thought I’d dedicate one of my post round-ups to NaNoWriMo advice.  Some of these posts are actually from last year, and some are brand new.  Enjoy!

http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/10/08/welcome-to-nanowrimo-prep-school-word-nerds/

Here’s one from Chuck Wendig.  He has some great tips, as well as links to other helpful posts.

http://musecraftonline.com/writing/nano-planning-2013

This post is from fellow ROWer Kim Switzer and she’s been adding to it all month.  Don’t forget to check back to see if she’s left new tips – these are great!

http://blog.nanowrimo.org/post/32671611607/10-reasons-you-should-do-nanowrimo

Still on the fence about whether or not you want to participate?  Don’t even know what NaNoWriMo is?  Here’s ten reasons you might want to pick up the pen this November.

https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/2013/09/could-you-draft-a-novel-in-a-month-here-s-how-to-nail-nanowrimo

And here’s some fabulous tips on how to get the most out of your NaNo experience from Roz Morris.

http://writerunboxed.com/2012/10/13/pre-plot-for-nanowrimo/

Although “no plot, no problem” seems to be a favorite theme for NaNoWriMo, plenty of writers do pre-plan their novels.  This post is from last year, but it’s all still good advice.

http://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/how-to-outline-your-story-for-national-novel-writing-month-checklist/

Roz Morris again (what can I say, she has great stuff) with a checklist on outlining your novel for NaNoWriMo.  Another older-but-still-good post.

http://writingishardwork.com/2012/11/14/nanowrimo-tip-14-scrivener/

How could I resist a post that contains two of my favorite writing things – Scrivener and NaNoWriMo?  A short, to-the-point tip on using the Project Target feature in Scrivener.

http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/2012/11/6-12-things-i-learned-from-nanowrimo.html

This post is a recap of things learned from participating in NaNoWriMo, shared so we can all use her insights in our pre-NaNo prep.

http://blog.nanowrimo.org/post/64961638752/roadtrip-to-nano-creating-3-d-characters-by-people

People watching tips for writers – flesh out your NaNo characters!

http://www.scribblecode.com/author_ehaynes.html

And lastly, here’s one from an author who does most of her drafting during November.  This interview is by the creators of Aeon Timeline, a cool writing tool that helps keep track of timelines and story arcs (and newly available for Windows PCs, just in time for NaNo!), so there’s a few tips in there for using that as well.

That’s all folks!  If you’re diving into this crazy November writing adventure with me, good luck and have fun!  If NaNo’s not for you, there’s still some good stuff in the posts above for writing in general, too.  Happy writing, whatever method you choose!

Note: this is a list of blog posts and articles on writing that I collect weekly.  Inclusion on this list does not necessarily mean it was published this week, just that I read it this week and thought it was cool, interesting, and/or useful.

Writing Post Round Up – End of August & September

These are actually all the posts I’ve collected since the last time I posted a round up.  I guess I’ve been in kind of a slump.  Maybe I still am, but I’m trying to pull myself out of it.  Which actually brings us to our first link:

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2013/09/anti-slump-ten.html

Lynn Viehl offers ten suggestions for changing it up to get yourself out of a writing slump.  They may not all work for everyone (I can’t do a whole lot about my writing space right now, for example), but hopefully everyone can find at least one suggestion that will help them out.  There’s a few good ideas in the comments as well.

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/08/24/uncaged-the-hottest-tweet-links-of-august/

Is it weird for a post round-up to link to another post round up?  Maybe not if it’s really good stuff. Writer Unboxed has launched a new feature – a monthly round-up of all the great posts they’ve shared on Twitter for the month.  I haven’t even managed to visit all these links yet, but it looks like some great stuff.

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/08/09/when-nothing-goes-right-go-left/

I think I’ve mentioned before how much I love everything Robin LaFevers writes, and how her posts are always like a long drink of clear water to my thirsty writer’s soul.  Like maybe I’m not a hack or a fraud after all, just someone struggling and in need of a little help.   This is another post with ideas for getting out of a slump.

http://blog.kaleidico.com/copywriting/11-essential-books-to-be-a-better-online-writer-43741#sthash.u7T4eQB6.dpbs

This list of writing books is targeted at people who want to write online, but most of them look like they’d be useful for any type of writing.

http://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2013/08/25/how-to-deal-with-critiques-and-editorial-feedback/

I’ve saved a lot of links to posts on how to deal with critiques, but they’ve mostly been about critiques from writing groups and beta readers.  This one gives advice for dealing with the detailed critique that comes from an editor during the publishing process.  That’s a long way out for me, but I still love the suggestions.

http://diymfa.com/reading/reading-mentor-texts

I like this post because, while everyone talks about how writers need to read and learn from masters in the field, this is one of the few posts I’ve seen on the subject that breaks that advice down into concrete suggestions.

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/07/28/the-shy-writers-cocktail-party-survival-guide/

I am an introvert and also kind of shy.  Parties – especially where I don’t know many people – are not my favorite thing.  I’d much rather have lunch or coffee with 2 or 3 people I do know.  But, in this writing life, sometimes we need to attend these events so we can meet cool and interesting new people.  So here is a post with some great tips for those of us who are less comfortable with such occasions.

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/07/30/clothing-your-characters/

Fashion forward I’m not – but maybe some of my characters are.  Here’s a post with some suggestions for thinking about what your character wears, and what it says about him or her.

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/07/31/develop-voice-by-listening/

A fresh take on developing that elusive quality known as “voice”.   I’ve spent a large portion of my life involved in musical pursuits to various degrees, so the idea of using music to hone in on voice seems particularly apt to me.

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/08/28/a-handful-of-writing-truths/

This is a lovely post on the truths one writer has discovered on her writing journey.  We will all find our own truths, of course, but perhaps some of these will ring true for you as well.

So there you have it – some writing links, after about a month and a half hiatus.  See you (hopefully) next week!

Note: this is a list of blog posts and articles on writing that I collect weekly.  Inclusion on this list does not necessarily mean it was published this week, just that I read it this week and thought it was cool, interesting, and/or useful.