Thursday, October 31, 2019

Planning Your Story

One approach to planning your story is to start at the end/goal and work backwards. 

https://writershelpingwriters.net/2019/09/using-backward-design-to-plan-your-story/

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Agent's Vision for Your Work

It's important that you and your agent share the same for your work and your career. 

http://bookendsliterary.com/2019/09/03/understanding-an-agents-vision-for-your-work/

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Author Visits

There are many ways for schools to afford to pay for an author visit. 

https://www.annettewhipple.com/2019/06/how-to-pay-for-author-visit.html?sfns=mo

Monday, October 28, 2019

Bad Critique Groups

Critique groups are wonderful for getting feedback on your work, but you want to avoid ones that hold back your writing.

https://annerallen.com/2019/09/critique-groups-can-drive-you-bonkers/

Sunday, October 27, 2019

NaNoWriMo

It's about time for NaNoWriMo--National Novel Writing Month--and here are some tips to get you started. 

https://writersinthestormblog.com/2019/10/10-tips-to-rock-nanowrimo/

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Funny Picture Books

Kids love reading funny books, and here are some ways to make your picture book a laugh outloud one.

https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/11337/guest-post-emily-jenkins-3-tips-for-writing-funny-picture-books/

Friday, October 25, 2019

Picture Book Topics to Avoid

There are some topics that have been overdone in picture books, but publishers are always looking for a fresh take on them. 

http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/3705/leslie-helakoski-and-darcy-pattison-9-picture-book-topics-to-avoid/

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Building a Scene

How to build a scene from the ground up, brick by brick. 

https://byomentor.com/2019/07/01/brick-by-brick-how-to-build-a-scene-from-the-ground-up/

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Nonfiction Outlines

When you submit a nonfiction proposal, they'll ask for an outline, too. 

https://www.nonfiction-ninjas.com/blog/benefits-of-outlining-by-nancy-i-sanders?sfns=mo

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Evaluating Feedback

Here are some tips on how to deal with critical feedback you receive about your work. 

https://writeforkids.org/blog/2019/08/how-to-deal-with-critical-feedback-on-your-work/?sfns=mo

Monday, October 21, 2019

Book Titles

Here are some hints on how to create a compelling book title. 

https://rachellegardner.com/create-a-compelling-book-title/

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Offer of Representation

An agent has made an offer of representation--hooray--but now what? 

http://bookendsliterary.com/2019/08/27/offer-of-representation/

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Small Publishers

Here are some ways to evaluate a small publisher. 

https://subitclub.com/2018/08/07/evaluate-small-publishers-like-a-pro/?sfns=mo

Friday, October 18, 2019

Deep Point of View

What is deep point of view and why do readers like it so much? 

https://authorkristenlamb.com/2019/08/deep-pov-fiction/

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Author Website

What information needed on your author website depends on whether or not you're yet published. 

https://www.jenniferlaughran.com/faq/do-i-need-a-website-and-if-so-what-should-be-on-it

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Public Domain

Even if a work is in the public domain, you may need to consider the publicity and privacy rights of an individual portrayed. 

http://www.publicdomainsherpa.com/rights-of-publicity-and-privacy.html

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Getting Critiqued

When you're looking for critiquers, look for the nit-pickiest ones you can find. 

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2019/08/why-writers-should-want-nitpicky.html

Monday, October 14, 2019

Denouement

Now that the climax of your book has happened, it's time to bring the action down and end your story. 

https://writershelpingwriters.net/2019/08/4-keys-to-a-powerful-denouement/

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Filler Words

Tighten your writing by eliminating these filler words that add nothing to your story. 

https://www.grammarcheck.net/filler-words/

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Comp Titles

It's sometimes helpful to include books that are similar to yours, that is comp titles, in your query.

https://kidlit.com/2018/12/10/comp-titles-in-a-query-book-comps/

Friday, October 11, 2019

Hashtags for Writers

If you're on social media, here are some hashtags the find your writing community. 

http://bookendsliterary.com/2019/08/19/hashtags-every-writer-should-know/

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Video Trailers

Here's how to use Canva to create some simple trailers for your book. 

https://www.authorimprints.com/canva-book-trailers/

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Grammar Rules

It's okay to break some of the conventional grammar rules in your writing. 

https://stevelaube.com/15-grammar-rules-that-can-be-broken/

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Freelance Editors

If you're considering hiring a freelance editor, do these five things first. 

https://rachellegardner.com/hiring-a-freelance-editor-2/

Monday, October 7, 2019

Rejections

No one likes receiving rejections, so here are several reasons you may be getting them. 

https://annerallen.com/2019/07/rejections-8-reasons-why/

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Sense of Smell

We know we should incorporate all five senses into our writing, but including smell is not always easy.

https://killzoneblog.com/2019/08/the-nose-knows.html

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Book Series

When you're planning out a series, here are some points to consider. 

https://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-write-a-series-5-lessons-ive-learned

Friday, October 4, 2019

Book Title Generators

These websites can help you think of possible names for your book. 

https://kindlepreneur.com/free-book-title-generator-tools/?sfns=mo

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Middle Grade or Young Adult

How can you tell if the category of your novel is middle grade or young adult? 

https://thewritelife.com/young-adult-vs-middle-grade-fiction/

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Contract Terms

This video explains the terms used in agent and publisher contracts. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xhqoKZ_GXg&feature=youtu.be

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Point of View

Some things to consider when choosing whether to use first or third person point of view. 

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/01/first-vs-third-point-of-view-and.html