Friday Features #3

Here are this week's best writing articles. There's a free ebook and a writing contest in there! Enjoy :)

Inspiration/Research

S is for Slavs by Caitlin Nicoll at Logically

R Is For Romans by Caitlin Nicoll at Logically

The Writer's Life Is Full of Second Chances (Or Abandon Despair All Ye Who Enter Here) by Robin LaFevers at Writer Unboxed

T Is For Thracians by Caitin Nicoll at Logically

Us Is For Ulster by Caitlin Nicoll at Logically

Eating Good In The Neighborhood. Or Not. By Caitlin Nicoll at Logically

Is This Really What You Want: Or Unbecominga Shark (Life Changing Moments Series) by Jeannine Bergers Everett at My Name Is Not Bob

Writing Advice

Prologue: Deconstructing The Hunger Games by Larry Brooks at StoryFix

Draft Zero: Where Writing Begins by Mooderino at Moody Writing

Stuck On Your Novel? Write Yourself a Five-Star Review by Roz Morris at Nail Your Novel

Writing A Novel People Want To Read by Chuck Sambuchino at Guide To Literary Agents

Voice: Your Are Not Your Characters by Ava Jae at Writability

Obsessing Over Your Manuscript's Size by Jane Friedman at Jane Friedman

IWSG: Where Are You? By Kathleen Doyle at Writing, Reading, and Life

Keep Making It Better by C. Hope Clark at C. Hope Clark

The Hero and Heroine of Your Reader's Dreams by Ashley Clark at The Writer's Alley

Can Too Many Pronoouns Spoil The Story? By Mooderino at Moody Writing

Deconstructing The Hunger Games: Part 1 by Larry Brooks at StoryFix

5 Tips to Trap Your Characters by Chihuahua Zero at The Write Practice

How (Not) To Write A Novel by Ava Jae at Writability

Know Your Reader, Know Your Characters by Cindy R. Wilson at The Writer's Alley

 

Building Your Author Platform

April Platform Challenge: Day 28 by Robert Lee Brewer at My Name Is Not Bob

April Platform Challenge: Day 29 by Robert Lee Brewer at My Name Is Not Bob

A Good Cheap Read by C. Hope Clark at C. Hope Clark

3 Ways Indie Authors Make Good Content Irresitistible at Wise, Ink.

April Platform Challenge: Day 30 by Robert Lee Brewer at My Name Is Not Bob

Discover Your Hidden Remarkable Benefit by Brian Clark at CopyBlogger

Finding Your Voice on Social Media by C. Hope Clark at C. Hope Clark

April Platform Challenge: Next Steps by Robert Lee Brewer at My Name Is Not Bob

World Book Night: What Can An IndieAuthor Do? At Wise, Ink.

Launch Your Book With A Bang at Wise, Ink.

Publishing

5 Things Indie Authors Should Know About Smashwords at Wise, Ink.

Should I Continue Keeping My First Novel Free? by Lauren Waters at Lauren Waters

The Ten Commandments of Successful Indie Authors at Wise, Ink.

Writing Contest

Show Off Writing Contest: Dissent Edition at The Write Practice 

What exceptional writing articles did you come across this week?

My Novel Sucks, and I Think That's Great

By: Yesenia Vargas

Nano '11 was the year I made it through Nano and won.

On previous attempts I had crashed and burned only days (even hours) into the challenge.

Last year, about seven months pregnant, I was determined to finally write my first novel. I knew I had to write it before Andrea was born or it would never get done.

Well, I got it done.

Over fifty thousand words, and they all suck.

Really.

Yes, this novel is one of my biggest achievements, and I still remember the high I got when I typed the last line to the story's ending.

But ever since I wrote the first word, I knew it was bad. It reeked of first time writer. I know I probably did tell, don't show instead of show, don't tell. The characters were either not believable or flat. The plot was outright confusing (even to me) and about stuff I had no idea about. Don't even mention the ending. Even I didn't buy the happily ever after outcome.

I still haven't opened up the file since that night on November 30^th.

Too scared, that's why.

I know there's a monstrous load of research, revision, and rewriting to do.

But you know what?

Even though my first novel truly sucks, I'm proud of it.

The truth is: it was liberating to write badly. Before, I was so scared to write badly that I just wouldn't write at all. Nano was the push (or painful kick in the rear) I needed to just sit down, write. and say “you know what, self? I don't care how much this novel sucks. I'm going to write the book anyways because I know I can always go back and fix things.”

I learned that allowing myself to write badly and not worry about it took the pressure to be perfect off. I could finally enjoy writing.

Now it's time to get that mentality back and start my second novel. It'll probably suck even worse than the first one.

It might not.

I won't know until I try.

And who knows? I might even open up that first novel file and start working on that, too.

What's the biggest lesson you learned from writing your first novel?

Friday Features #2

Here are all the writing goodies I found for this week. I especially recommend the last article, but these are all really helpful. 

Inspiration/Research

M is for Mongols by Caitlin Nicoll at Logically 

O is for Olmec by Caitlin Nicoll at Logically 

Q is For Qin Dynasty by Caitlin Nicoll at Logically

Writing Advice

Have You Written Before? by C. Hope Clark at C. Hope Clark 

Stop Being So Busy by Joe Bunting at The Write Practice

Perfecting Your First Page by Jane Friedman at Jane Friedman

How (Not) to Write Great Characters by Ava Jae at Writability

Why Creatives Need to Criticize Each Other More by Joe Bunting at The Write Practice 

Conditioning Forces - Or, Your Character Doesn't Live in a Vacuum! by Julie Eshbaugh at Pub Crawl

15 Ways to Write Tight by Barb Sawyers at Write to Done

Weeding Our Manuscripts Part II: Word Whacking to Increase Pace by Julia at The Writer's Alley

Video Games vs. Books by Mooderino at Moody Writing 

Whose Story Is It? by Mooderino at Moody Writing

Do You Read What You Want to Write? by Ava Jae at Writability

How to Shorten a Novel Manuscript Which is Too Long by B. McKenzie at Superhero Nation  

How To Finish Writing a Novel by Ava Jae at Writability

The Unanswered Call by Sommer Leigh at Sommer Leigh

13 Ways to Develop a Story That's Too Short by B. McKenzie at Superhero Nation

5 Self-editing Steps You Must Take Before an Editor or Agent at Wise, Ink.  

45 Quick Word Replacements for Good, Great, Awesome and Other Boring Superlatives at Wise, Ink.

How To Write A Novel Without Selling Your Soul by Joanna Penn at The Creative Penn

Are You an Avid Reader? Then You're a Critiquer by Casey at The Writer's Alley

Building Your Author Platform

April Platform Challenge: Day 23 by Robert Lee Brewer at My Name is Not Bob

April Platform Challenge Day 27 by Robert Lee Brewer at My Name is Not Bob 

3 Horrible Mistruths About Social Media That Drive Me Insane by Jane Friedman at Jane Friedman

11 Powerful Networking Groups for Authors by at Wise Ink Blog

The Indie Author Marketing Pie: Bite Sized Tips For Your Book's Success by at Wise Ink Blog

The 5 Principles to Book Reviews and Endorsements by at Wise Ink Blog

Should You Focus On Your Writing Or Your Platform? by Jane Friedman at Writer Unboxed

How To Connect With Book Clubs by Julie Cantrell at The Writer's Alley

Publishing

Is Your Work Commercially Viable? by Jane Friedman at Jane Friedman

10 Questions to Ask Before Committing to Any E-Publishing Service by Jane Friedman at Jane Friedman

4 Reasons to Write Several Books by Rachelle Gardner at Books and Such

Why It's Foolish Not to Self-Publish at Syanxis Chronicles

Did you come across some exceptional writing articles this week? Please share them in the comments!

Don't Be Afraid to Admit Failure and Readjust Your Goals

By: Yesenia Vargas

Maybe you recall the veeerrry ambitious writing goals I had set for myself this year.

When I was about eight months pregnant.

And had no clue what having a baby would entail.

I had been on a roll, having just written my first novel during my first Nanowrimo. I had been wanting to do that for years. I was even planning my next novel.

Then boom.

I had a baby, and my life turned upside down. It's been three months. I haven't written a word of fiction since (I haven't gotten more than five hours of sleep at a time, either). It makes me feel horrible inside, knowing I'll never meet my writing goals now.

But after weeks of moping over that, I'm back. I figure if I still want to write after this major life event, then it must be a real passion of mine.

So here I go again. I fell flat on my butt, but I'm up again. That's what's important, I've realized.

What's the first thing I need to do?

Adapt.

Readjust my writing goals to reflect what's realistic for me now.

And since my life is still pretty hectic, with school and a baby and all, I'm only going to focus on a few big goals. I'm not going to make the same mistake again.

What are my new goals for this year?

1. Write and sell one short story.
2. Begin the first draft of my second novel.
3. Begin the first revision of my first novel.
4. Read as much as I can about writing and for pleasure.

What am I going to do on a daily basis in order to meet these goals?

To be honest, I haven't come up with a specific word count yet. I think for now I just need to focus on writing every day, at least five minutes if that's all I can do. I'll be happy with that for now.

How much do you write a day? What do you do when life happens, and you can't find time to write?

Friday Features #1

Welcome back! Here are the best writing blog posts and articles from the week.

J is for Japan by Caitlin Nicoll at Logically

I is for India by Caitlin Nicoll at Logically

The Courage to Co-Create by Ollin Morales at Courage 2 Create

The Power of Positive Reviews by Lauren Waters at Lauren Waters

Writing Discussion: The Good, The Bad and The Tortuous by Ava Jae at Writability

Is Your Work Commercially Viable? by Jane Friedman at Jane Friedman

 

April Platform Challenge: Day 20 by Robert Lee Brewer at My Name Is Not Bob

Romantic Fiction: It's All Over, Casanova by Mooderino at Moody Writing

Don't Worry About What You Don't Know: Some Words of Advice by Robert Lee Brewer at My Name Is Not Bob

Staple This To Your Forehead by Larry Brooks at Storyfix

Quantum Hand-Wavy Science by Sommer Leigh at Sommer Leigh

5 Great Reasons To Read Even MORE Than You Already Do by Ollin Morales at Courage 2 Create

 

A Lesson from Bestsellers: Write Whatever You Want by Ava Jae at Writability

Powers by Sommer Leigh at Sommer Leigh

Writing & Publishing Terminology 101 by Jane Friedman at Jane Friedman

Problems With Publishers by Mooderino at Moody Writing

Genre Mash-Up — a Guest Post by Art Holcomb at Storyfix

 

Understanding the Other Side of the Contract by C. Hope Clark at C. Hope Clark

Origins by Sommer Leigh at Sommer Leigh

The Basics of DIY E-Book Publishing by Jane Friedman at Jane Friedman

Only One Thing Will Make You A Better Writer by Mooderino at Moody Writing

 

How to Write a Novel in Two Sentences by K. M.  Weiland at Wordplay

3 Rituals To Jump-Start Your Writing Machine by Jane Smith at Procrastinating Writers

The Agency Model Sucks by Joe Konrath at The Newbie's Guide to Publishing

MS lost its spark? by Lauren Waters at Lauren Waters

 

Why Tough Critiques Are Exciting (To Me) by Ava Jae at Writability

Naive Secondary Characters by Sommer Leigh at Sommer Leigh

An Author Who Markets Her E-Books in Airports by Ann Okerson at Jane Friedman

Novels of the Future by Mooderino at Moody Writing

How to write great guest posts about your book – keep your stories about your stories by Roz Morris at Nail Your Novel 

Madness by Sommer Leigh at Sommer Leigh

Are there any exceptional blog posts you read this week? 

Big News + Cute Baby Pics

Hi everyone, 

I'm so sorry for the extremely long hiatus. I know I said I would be back in a few weeks, but that didn't happen. 

Who knew taking care of a newborn would take up so much time?

Not to mention catching and keeping up on schoolwork and the house chores. 

But here I am, about to end the semester and the baby is growing every day. 

Here are the promised pictures. Check out those chipmunk cheeks!

 

Writing has had to go to the back burner for a while now. But I have made time to read plenty of books in little bits of free time and keep up with my favorite writing blogs. 

Now that school is about over (except for a couple of online classes), regular posts on the blog are back. I'm starting off with one post a week, on Wednesdays to be exact.

Even better news: I will now be starting the tradition of Friday Features, a weekly roundup of the best writing blog posts and articles. So stay tuned for that starting tomorrow!

What have you guys been up to while I've been gone? Any goals accomplished? Any new goals on your mind?

Help Me Write a Novel: Sunshine Award Recipient

I return briefly to accept and pass along my very first Sunshine Award ( I hope there will be many more!). 

Firstly, I would like to say that my baby girl was born perfectly healthy. I love her to death, and we are still adjusting. But I promise to come back soon! 

I'd like to thank Lauren for nominating me for this award. It's a big honor, and I hope to keep living up to my readers' expectations and beyond. 

Now for the lists, as I understand it.

Rules: Thank the person who gave you the award. Write a post about it. Answer the questions that come with it. Pass it along to ten other bloggers and let them know they’ve received the award.

Questions:

Favorite Color: Purple
Favorite Animal: Can't just choose one! As far as wild animals, probably tiger. As far as domestic...dogs.
Favorite Number: Don't really have one, but if I had to choose...1?
Favorite Non-Alcoholic Drink: hmm.. I love Coca-Cola, but nothing satiates thirst like some homemade lemonade. Yum.
Facebook or Twitter: FB hands down. Never really caught on to Twitter.
My Passions: Watching my nephews and siblings at their sports events, spending time with my family, reading, writing, soccer and other sports, teaching/coaching
Getting or Giving Presents: gosh I know you're supposed to say give, but receiving a gift comes with the anticipation of unwrapping to find the surprise and knowing you mean something to the giver. But I love giving presents, too! Especially to kids, and it's exactly what they wanted.
Favorite Pattern: tiny flowers?
Favorite Day of the Week: Love Friday because it's date night but gotta say Saturday since it's the only really entire "free day" of the week. 
Favorite Flower: Roses of every color

Nominees:

Lauren from Lauren Waters: One of the blogs I regularly read and enjoy. I look up to Lauren as a writer, and I love reading about the unique lessons she learns in her writing life.
C. Hope Clark: This woman offers tons of practical writing advice. A must-read blog.
Sommer Leigh from Tell Great Stories: I love Sommer's quirky personality. Her posts are an inspiration.
Heather from Starting on the Write Page: This blogger is a fellow college student and writer. I can relate to her writing struggles since I go through similar things.
Kathleen from Writing, Reading, and Life: Thirsty Thursdays are the best! She gathers the best writing blog posts from the week, all in one awesome list. Plus she is someone else I can relate to, now that I am a mother as well.
Roz from Nail Your Novel: Roz has so much to offer. She is a published author herself, but what I really love is how she always answers comments and questions.
J.A. Konrath from A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: So much insight on the self-publishing world. He just says it like it is. Not to mention his writing help book, also titled A Newbie's Guide to Publishing, is another must-read.
Ollin from Courage 2 Create: First off, I love the design of his blog. Second, he offers a fresh perspective on writing that is easy to read and enjoy.
Ava from Writability: Also new to this blog but so much writing advice!

Be sure to check out these blogs and thanks again, Lauren!