Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Sound

Use sound to add another dimension to your writing. 

http://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com/2014/08/renee-m-latulippe-sound-bitesmaking_14.html


Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Writer Blogs

Use this tool to find writer blogs of interest. 

http://www.writersblogfinder.com/faqs

Monday, December 29, 2014

Submission List

Look behind the scenes at how an agent crafts a list of editors to submit to.

http://literaticat.blogspot.com/2011/02/crafting-editor-submission-list.html

Sunday, December 28, 2014

How Not to Start a Novel

These scenes might not be the best to choose for your opening. 

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2011/09/13-ways-not-to-start-novel.html

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Friday, December 26, 2014

Response Times

What's an agent doing before he/she responds to your query? 

http://www.denpatrick.com/2014/02/response-times-guest-post-by-juliet.html

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Are You Easy to Work With?

Follow these suggestions to make your relationship with your editor or agent better. 

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/agent-talk-7-ways-to-make-yourself-an-easy-author-to-work-with/

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Adults

Even though we're writing for children, there's a place for adults in our stories. 

http://katiaraina.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/the-value-of-adults/

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Book Release

What should you do in the month before your book is going to be released? 

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2014/11/preparing-for-release-month-by-kate.html

Monday, December 22, 2014

Deep Point of View

When the author disappears entirely from the story, you're in your character's deep point of view. 

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/10/diving-deep-into-deep-point-of-view/

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Music for Book Trailers.

There are several sources of LEGAL music to use on your video. 

http://creativecommons.org/legalmusicforvideos

Saturday, December 20, 2014

LGBTQ Stereotypes in YA

Here's a five-part blog series on how to avoid LGBTQ stereotypes in young adult novels.

http://www.malindalo.com/2010/06/avoiding-lgbtq-stereotypes-in-ya-fiction-part-5-resources/

Friday, December 19, 2014

Picture Book Structure

There are many different ways to structure your picture book. 

http://www.scbwi-illinois.org/pub/PrairieWind/?p=592

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Social Media Etiquette

Avoid social media gaffes by using these tips. 

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-10-commandments-of-social-media.html

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

New Agency

Newly formed Rising Bear Literary Agency will represent picture book through young adult authors.

http://risingbear.com/about-us/

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Book Signing Checklist

What to do before, during, and after your book signing event.

http://www.amarketingexpert.com/book-signing-checklist-tip-29-52-ways-market-book/

Monday, December 15, 2014

Micro-Level Revision

After you've revised your manuscript over and over again, it's time to look at the individual words and sentences. 

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2014/11/craft-of-writing-micro-level-revision_7.html

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Titles

There are many different ways to choose a title, and here are some examples. 

http://taralazar.com/2014/10/31/pre-pibo-day-6-dianne-de-las-casas-and-the-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-title/

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Agent Move

Lana Popovic has switched agencies to Chalberg Sussman and is actively looking for new middle-grade and young adult clients.

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/literary-agent-spotlight-lana-popovic-of-chalberg-sussman

Friday, December 12, 2014

Leaving Your Agent

If you and your agent no longer connect, maybe it's time to think about moving on. 

http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2014/07/when-happily-ever-after-ends.html

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Writers' Conferences

Why should you go to conferences and how to get the most out of your experience.

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2013/08/why-go-to-writers-conference-10.html

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Ageism

How to incorporate older characters into your books while avoiding stereotypes. 

http://www.lindseymcdivitt.com/2014/07/07/5-stereotypes-positive-aging-picture-books-avoid/

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Finding Your Audience

You need to think outside the box to expand your reading audience.

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/09/5-steps-finding-books-ideal-audience/

Monday, December 8, 2014

Backstory

How do you avoid the dreaded infodump while still giving your readers the information they need to understand your story? 

http://elizabethspanncraig.com/2515/write-compelling-balanced-backstory/

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Mailing Lists

Here's a source for bookstore and library mailing lists. 

http://www.newpages.com/mailing-lists/

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Types of Picture Books

Here are some types of picture books that work for different ages of children. 

http://www.writingpicturebooksforchildren.com/types-of-picture-books.html

Friday, December 5, 2014

New Agent

Heather Alexander has switched from editor to agent and is now representing picture book through young adult authors at Pippin Properties. 

http://www.kidlit411.com/2014/11/Kidlit411-Agent-Spotlight-Heather-Alexander.html

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Kill Your Darlings

It's not always easy, but it's important to trim the fat from your manuscript. 

http://rateyourstory.blogspot.com/2014/10/courageous-cutting.html

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Critiquing

Whether you're being paid or not, your critiques should always be professional. 

http://www.noshovelshere.com/?p=607

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Social Media Errors

Avoid sabotaging your book promotion by making sure you don't do these social media goofs. 

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2014/10/ten-common-errors-in-social-media.html

Monday, December 1, 2014

Character Arc

Can you get a story published that's only about a situation, but with no character arc? 

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/2014/09/no-character-arc.html