Chuck Wendig is basically like a hairy, foul-mouthed little writer god and you should listen to him. Read his 25 Bad Writer Behaviors post. It's a good post. It's a really, really good post.
Caustic Cover Critic discussed E-Book Cover Design here and here. If you're looking for a cover artist, or doing it yourself, read these posts (and this blog).
Over at Do Some Damage, Scott Parker wrote about knowing if you're a writer. I would argue that if you write and identify yourself in any way by that activity, then you're a writer (even if your work only has an "audience of one"). If you're feeling any of the insecurity or self-doubt that seems to come with writing, that's a good post to let you know you're not alone and there are ways to make it better.
Girl Who Reads discussed negative reviews in her Tips on Thursday post this week. I've said it before and I'll say it again: reviews are for other readers, not for authors, and authors would do well to keep in mind that a negative review isn't a personal attack (except when it is, and then it's not about the review, it's about nastiness and being a jerk), it's an opinion, and everyone is entitled to their opinions.
Rik Davnall's posts likening a story to sex and books to sex toys made me laugh, entertained me, and informed me enough to make me think--which means those posts hit the perfect trifecta of How To Be Successful On The Internet.
Lynn Viehl's Zero Cost Ten is packed with useful, free writing tools. I love it when she makes posts like that!
Every single one of Delilah S. Dawson's posts last week was golden. Every. Single. One. Go read them all.
Showing posts with label rik davnall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rik davnall. Show all posts
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Blog Roundup: April 23 - 29, 2012
Chuck Wendig's newest book came out last week and so he offered up 25 Things [He] Learned While Writing Blackbirds. It's just a really solid post about writing a novel. I can't pick a favorite tip, I can just tell you that if you're an aspiring novelist, that's a good place to spend some time.
Amanda Hocking wrote about her experiences with traditional publishing. I, for one, appreciate her transparency. Seeing her go through both self-publishing and traditional publishing is fascinating.
This week's Tips on Thursday from Girl Who Reads was about picturing it. Readers are more likely to click on links that include a picture. At least, I think I read that somewhere?
This post over at It's the Future, Stupid about marketing post-gold rush is worth checking out. It's rough analysis from a fellow self-pubber who is struggling--just like the rest of us--to get his books sold, so reading his thoughts might be helpful. (For the record, I don't think marketing on Twitter helps--but I do think sharing blog links, writing advice, and networking with other bloggers and writers does help.)
James Killick offers analysis of creativity and suggestions for achieving originality in this post. It just makes me think of Amanda Hocking's basic tip, which is to write a story people want to read. That's what it's all about.
...wow. Slow week. Once again, I don't feel so bad about not blogging as much as I should. It's the weather, isn't it? Gorgeous weather is back so people aren't chained to their computers anymore.
Amanda Hocking wrote about her experiences with traditional publishing. I, for one, appreciate her transparency. Seeing her go through both self-publishing and traditional publishing is fascinating.
This week's Tips on Thursday from Girl Who Reads was about picturing it. Readers are more likely to click on links that include a picture. At least, I think I read that somewhere?
This post over at It's the Future, Stupid about marketing post-gold rush is worth checking out. It's rough analysis from a fellow self-pubber who is struggling--just like the rest of us--to get his books sold, so reading his thoughts might be helpful. (For the record, I don't think marketing on Twitter helps--but I do think sharing blog links, writing advice, and networking with other bloggers and writers does help.)
James Killick offers analysis of creativity and suggestions for achieving originality in this post. It just makes me think of Amanda Hocking's basic tip, which is to write a story people want to read. That's what it's all about.
...wow. Slow week. Once again, I don't feel so bad about not blogging as much as I should. It's the weather, isn't it? Gorgeous weather is back so people aren't chained to their computers anymore.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Blog Roundup: October 3 - 9, 2011
November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and it's kind of a big deal. If you're considering participating, check out the official site and check out Chuck Wendig's blog post on the 25 Things You Should Know.
Greta van der Rol talked some about targeting your audience. I think that if you're planning to publish or share your writing in any way, you really do need to think about your audience.
Amelia James had a nice personal post on why she's happy being self-published. I have to agree with her assertions there. I love the freedom and the total control of my career self-publishing allows.
The A Chick Who Reads blog is so pretty. It's like a bright Tim Burton landscape. She writes pretty good reviews, too. If you're looking for a book review blog, this one is a good place to start.
Cover design was on my mind this week, so I think this post over at Do Some Damage is worth reading. Good cover design is important whether you're working with print books or ebooks or both, but each medium needs something a little bit different. A print book has to grab your attention in the store. An ebook has to look good as a thumbnail. But print book covers need to look good as thumbnails, too, because more people buy their books online.
Diana Cosby wrote a guest post for Isis Rushdan's blog about believing in yourself. Insecurity is a serious affliction for writers so it's a good idea to build up an arsenal against it.
Rik Davnall's post about his marketing strategy actually encouraged me to comment. (Fourteen years of fandom trained me to be terrified of commenting on anything online.) I think any writer pursuing self-publishing needs to come into it with reasonable expectations.
I enjoyed James Killick's "Three Little Words" post. The ideas are the easy part. It's the making the idea big enough to make a story, stringing the words together, and making the whole thing compelling that's tough. (Writing is hard. Why am I doing it again?)
Keystrokes and Word Counts moved.
Rob on Writing featured a post about his $0.99 novel. About the price, really. I was talking to my mother about pricing earlier this week and how I thought $0.99 for my current books was fair, but that I'd probably charge $2.99 for the novel (I'm also planning considerably more promotion and marketing for it). It will still be cheaper than most traditionally published books and it still falls within the "impulse buy" range. My mother remarked that she doesn't feel like she's losing anything if she spends up to $2.99 on a book, even if she doesn't read it. I think most people feel that way.
Sirra has done it again, this time with a post on show vs. tell. Even if you think you've got that particular aspect of writing down, a refresher is never a bad thing.
Greta van der Rol talked some about targeting your audience. I think that if you're planning to publish or share your writing in any way, you really do need to think about your audience.
Amelia James had a nice personal post on why she's happy being self-published. I have to agree with her assertions there. I love the freedom and the total control of my career self-publishing allows.
The A Chick Who Reads blog is so pretty. It's like a bright Tim Burton landscape. She writes pretty good reviews, too. If you're looking for a book review blog, this one is a good place to start.
Cover design was on my mind this week, so I think this post over at Do Some Damage is worth reading. Good cover design is important whether you're working with print books or ebooks or both, but each medium needs something a little bit different. A print book has to grab your attention in the store. An ebook has to look good as a thumbnail. But print book covers need to look good as thumbnails, too, because more people buy their books online.
Diana Cosby wrote a guest post for Isis Rushdan's blog about believing in yourself. Insecurity is a serious affliction for writers so it's a good idea to build up an arsenal against it.
Rik Davnall's post about his marketing strategy actually encouraged me to comment. (Fourteen years of fandom trained me to be terrified of commenting on anything online.) I think any writer pursuing self-publishing needs to come into it with reasonable expectations.
I enjoyed James Killick's "Three Little Words" post. The ideas are the easy part. It's the making the idea big enough to make a story, stringing the words together, and making the whole thing compelling that's tough. (Writing is hard. Why am I doing it again?)
Keystrokes and Word Counts moved.
Rob on Writing featured a post about his $0.99 novel. About the price, really. I was talking to my mother about pricing earlier this week and how I thought $0.99 for my current books was fair, but that I'd probably charge $2.99 for the novel (I'm also planning considerably more promotion and marketing for it). It will still be cheaper than most traditionally published books and it still falls within the "impulse buy" range. My mother remarked that she doesn't feel like she's losing anything if she spends up to $2.99 on a book, even if she doesn't read it. I think most people feel that way.
Sirra has done it again, this time with a post on show vs. tell. Even if you think you've got that particular aspect of writing down, a refresher is never a bad thing.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Blog Roundup: September 5 - 11, 2011
This week, I discovered Avery Olive, an author with a name I think is too cool for words. I enjoyed the tips posts on naming characters and editing because I thought they were both concise and useful. Even if you're familiar with the points brought up, it's worth it to revisit the tips in someone else's voice.
I don't know if I've mentioned the Erotic Romance blog before, but it's worth checking out for up-to-date information on the erotic and romance publishing industry/ies. There's no bullshit over there, something I find quite refreshing.
Rik Davnall's post on marketing is worth recommending again. I found it very useful.
I'm a big fan of learning things no one told you. James Killick's post on five things writing experts won't tell you is a good example of why. Particularly the second, third, and fourth things catch me up. In the process of editing chapter one of my current WIP, I found several lines that made me stop and smile because they were just so me. If I always followed the rules, I would have deleted them--and killed any originality I might have.
Rob On Writing's post about being needles in a stack of needles just reinforces what I've been telling myself all week: just keep working. Any day I get over ten blog hits or one hit on my book page at Smashwords is a good day as far as I'm concerned.
Sirra did her post on standard manuscript format! Go read it!
Ciara Ballintyne posted on the etiquette of self-promotion on Twitter. I think her list is more along the lines of things not to do rather than a question of etiquette, but it's worth reading regardless.
I don't know if I've mentioned the Erotic Romance blog before, but it's worth checking out for up-to-date information on the erotic and romance publishing industry/ies. There's no bullshit over there, something I find quite refreshing.
Rik Davnall's post on marketing is worth recommending again. I found it very useful.
I'm a big fan of learning things no one told you. James Killick's post on five things writing experts won't tell you is a good example of why. Particularly the second, third, and fourth things catch me up. In the process of editing chapter one of my current WIP, I found several lines that made me stop and smile because they were just so me. If I always followed the rules, I would have deleted them--and killed any originality I might have.
Rob On Writing's post about being needles in a stack of needles just reinforces what I've been telling myself all week: just keep working. Any day I get over ten blog hits or one hit on my book page at Smashwords is a good day as far as I'm concerned.
Sirra did her post on standard manuscript format! Go read it!
Ciara Ballintyne posted on the etiquette of self-promotion on Twitter. I think her list is more along the lines of things not to do rather than a question of etiquette, but it's worth reading regardless.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Blog Roundup: August 1 - 7, 2011
Struggling with POV? Sirra's post on the different types of third person point-of-view can help.
Joelle Charbonneau's post at Do Some Damage about the proper care and feeding of a writer has some no-brainer advice, but it always helps to remind yourself to do things like sleep, eat more than coffee and granola, and take time off.
Rik Davnall talks about book prices, the marketplace, and business sense. For what it's worth, I don't think the $0.99 price puts us in the ghetto, either; I fully intend to make use of that price when I finally start to publish. Like Rik, though, I am thinking of using it as more of a promotional tool in certain cases, and to me, that just makes sense.
I like this post about the celebrity of authors. I would recognize some of my favorites, but for the most part, authors are kind of a faceless bunch. (I have an anecdote about being recognized in fanfiction and not being recognized that I'll save or my What I Learned From Fanfiction post.)
Desirae Jeffers posted about choosing a penname this week, and I think it's worth reading. I know that I struggled with choice of penname. As my husband advances in his career, he becomes more of a public figure within his units, and the military spouse community can be... trying at times. I don't necessarily want everyone to know that I write and what I write, so I chose a version of my maiden name as my primary penname, and I chose a second penname that is a play on the first in order to separate my young adult work from my adult work.
There was a post over at The Bookshelf Muse about charisma as a character trait, and another about conflict versus tension. That whole blog is just a gem of information.
I discovered this blog this week, and it's so packed with good advice, neat tips, and excellent writing that it's hard not to get lost over there.
Joelle Charbonneau's post at Do Some Damage about the proper care and feeding of a writer has some no-brainer advice, but it always helps to remind yourself to do things like sleep, eat more than coffee and granola, and take time off.
Rik Davnall talks about book prices, the marketplace, and business sense. For what it's worth, I don't think the $0.99 price puts us in the ghetto, either; I fully intend to make use of that price when I finally start to publish. Like Rik, though, I am thinking of using it as more of a promotional tool in certain cases, and to me, that just makes sense.
I like this post about the celebrity of authors. I would recognize some of my favorites, but for the most part, authors are kind of a faceless bunch. (I have an anecdote about being recognized in fanfiction and not being recognized that I'll save or my What I Learned From Fanfiction post.)
Desirae Jeffers posted about choosing a penname this week, and I think it's worth reading. I know that I struggled with choice of penname. As my husband advances in his career, he becomes more of a public figure within his units, and the military spouse community can be... trying at times. I don't necessarily want everyone to know that I write and what I write, so I chose a version of my maiden name as my primary penname, and I chose a second penname that is a play on the first in order to separate my young adult work from my adult work.
There was a post over at The Bookshelf Muse about charisma as a character trait, and another about conflict versus tension. That whole blog is just a gem of information.
I discovered this blog this week, and it's so packed with good advice, neat tips, and excellent writing that it's hard not to get lost over there.
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