Weekly Express

Since I tend to spend way too much time reading other writer's blogs, I thought I would deliver some of the better ones I find. Here are this weeks articles delivered by the Weekly Express:

• Write Because You Love It - Words of wisdom from Author Jody Hedlund.
• 25 Reasons I Hate Your Main Character - More humor and good advice from Chuck Wendig.
• How To Balance Dialogue and Description -  by Sarah Baughman.
• 20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes - Jon Gingerich.
• Are Self-Published Authors Happier Than Traditionally Published Authors? - Joanna Penn.

Monk Mind: How to Increase Your Focus

I confess to being as prone to the distractions of the Internet as anyone else: I will start reading about something that interests me and disappear down the rabbit hole for hours (even days) at a time.  This all comes out of precious writing time.

But my ability to focus on a single task has dramatically improved, and that one habit has changed my life.

While a few years ago I couldn’t sit down to work on something without quickly switching to email or one of my favorite Internet forums or sites, today I can sit down and write. I can clear away distractions, when I set my mind to it, and do one thing. And that changes everything: you lose yourself in that task, become so immersed that you pour everything you have into the work, and it becomes a meditative, transformative experience. Your happiness increases, stress goes down, and work improves.

Ira Glass On Creative Work

A little bit of inspiration from Ira Glass.  We all have a learning curve, the trick is not to give up.  Accept it and keep pushing on


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Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

Weekly Express

Since I tend to spend way too much time reading other writer's blogs, I thought I would deliver some of the better ones I find. Here are this weeks articles delivered by the Weekly Express:

• 25 Things You Should Know About Word Choice,  always hard hitting truth on writing from Chuck Wendig, hop in the trenches and get dirty with him.
• Ain't no one fucks with tiny hippo - From Peter Smalley on G+ , file this one on the same shelf as "Go the F*ck to Sleep" and other classics of children's literature.
• See your name here? - Then get off the fucking internet and get back to writing.
• 50 Iconic Writer's Who Were Repeatedly Rejected - So drag your ass up off the ground, put on your big boy pants, rub some dirt on it and get back to work!
• 17 Ways For Writers To Use Pinterest - Still unsure about Pinterest as a whole, but I found this an interesting read.  Never say no to a new way to find ideas - or to market your ideas.

Scrivener For IPad

A 2012 release date has been set for the IPad version of Scrivener. An IPhone and Android version of Scrivener are also in the works. The IPhone should be released closely with the IPad verion. The Scrivener Android version has no release date yet.

Don't forget to grab your 20% Scrivener coupon code here for a limited time only.

 From the Literature & Latte blog:

I think it’s in the customers’ interests to have a dedicated developer for each platform to ensure that each version is always kept up-to-date, and my hands are full with the Mac version. To that end, I’m very pleased to announce that we have just signed contracts with a developer, Jen Yates, to develop the iOS versions for us. Jen has been beavering away in secret for two or three months now, putting together some proof-of-concepts.

I have to say that moving index cards around on a touch screen is a lot of fun, and the corkboard implementation she has come up with is, I think, one of the nicest I’ve seen on a touch screen device in terms of selection and dragging.

It’s still early days, though – we are about to embark on the design process proper, and all we can say in terms of a release date is that our iPad and iPhone versions will be out some time in 2012.

The ability for Scrivener users to seamlessly work between Mac, IPad, and IPhone platforms will be a writer's dream.

Don't forget to grab your Discount - 20% Scrivener Coupon Code.

Weekly Express

Since I tend to spend way too much time reading other writer's blogs, I thought I would deliver some of the better ones I find. Here are this weeks articles delivered by the Weekly Express:

• 25 Ways to Unfuck Your Story - Terriblminds.  I find it hard to think of a week where Chuck Wendig wouldn't be in my required reading.
• Scrivener: 3 Reasons You Should Use It For Your Book - The Creative Penn.  Also, check out the great podcasts.  If you decide you'd like to try Scrivener don't forget to get your 20% discount coupon code here.
• The Daly Show: Episode 7: "The Daly Superheroes" guest starring Nathan Fillion.  Just because it has Nathan Fillion duh.
• Pinterest Tips for Writers - Galleycat.  Decide if this newest social media outlet is for you.
• 21 Ray Bradbury Quotes: Your Moment of Friday Writing Zen - Writer's Digest. If you need some writing inspiration from one of the masters.
• NY Steampunk - Artists and Enthusiasts.  This is a new group for lovers of all things STEAMPUNK!

Weekly Express

Since I tend to spend way too much time reading other writer's blogs, I thought I would deliver some of the better ones I find.  Here are this weeks articles delivered by the Weekly Express:

• How I Make It Work - Myke Cole talks about downsizing his life in order to make writing a full time endeavor.  A must read for all of us who only dream of making this leap of faith.  Also, be sure to check out the release of his new book Shadow Ops: Control Point
• 25 Things You Should Know About Protagonists - another one of Chuck Wendig's great lists. I don't think I've read one of his lists I haven't enjoyed.
• How to Return to Writing After a Long Break - Nathan Bransford talks about exactly that.  There is also a great article on Game of Thrones and being unsentimental about your characters. "Don't get attached. Anyone may die at any moment."
• 6 Wordsmiths Who Couldn’t Spell - Sometimes it's nice to see some of the greats had flaws of their own.
• Stewarding Your Career and Your Agent - Some helpful pointers, as always, from wordserve water cooler.

Top 10 Writer's Podcasts

So, I have gradually made the move from listening to music while running every morning, to listening to podcasts.  While I do not listen solely to writing podcasts and still do occasionally need some music to get pumped up for a run - I decided to list my top 10 writing podcasts I listen to right now. In no particular order:

1. The Once and Future Podcast
2. The Creative Penn Podcast
3. The Creative Writing Podcast
4. Grammar Girl Podcast
5. Litopia Podcast
6. Fantasy and Science Fiction Podcast
7. Writing Challenges Podcast
8. Writing Excuses Podcast
9. The Writing Show
10. Escape Pod

For those of you with an iPod, iPhone, iPad or iWhatever you can simply search for these under the podcast tab in iTunes and add them at your leisure.  If you are on a different platform you should be able to download many of these in mp3 format and listen to them.  I am not as familiar with other platforms, so you are on your own when it comes to moving them to your device.

If anyone has any I SHOULD be listening to, please share them!

Weekly Express

Since I tend to spend way too much time reading other writer's blogs, I thought I would deliver some of the better ones I find.  Here are this weeks articles delivered by the Weekly Express:

• Writer's Digest 18 Most Popular Articles of 2011 Based on their most read articles of 2011.
• Chuck Wendig's 25 Things Writers Should Start Doing (ASAFP) Caution -  "Here There Be Bad Words. Naughty profanity. The sinner’s tongue."  Biting sarcasm, hard truth and a minefield of eff-bombs.  If you have never visited, you will thank me.
• SF Signal - The Years Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2012 Edition The table of contents for the upcoming anthology.
• Flavorwire - The 25 Most Beautiful College Libraries In The World  Add visiting some of these to your bucket list.
• Lisa Gardner - Writer's Toolbox A great collection of articles in PDF on the writing process.  Many are geared towards the romance writer, but all are a good read for writers of any genre.

Feel free to share your own links to anything you stumbled across recently.

2012 Writing Goals

After enjoying the responses to my previous post and looking through other writer's articles I tried to decide on a few realistic goals.  I wanted to set attainable goals in order to challenge myself, but not so hard as to become discouraged.  Here is what I've settled on:

• Finish writing and editing of my NaNoWriMo 2011 novel before NaNoWriMo 2012
• Write one short story a month
• Submit one short story a month
• Write one piece of flash fiction a month
• Submit one piece of flash fiction a month
• Regular posts at least three times a week on this blog
• Maintain at least 1000 words/day of fiction
• Read 26 new books this year.  Low I know, but like I said I don't want to over commit

I'll see how this goes with my crazy schedule, it may need to be adjusted.  I think these are fair goals though.  I need the push without feeling overwhelmed.  Feel free to leave a comment with your goals or post a link.  I love seeing other writers lists.

How Do I Claim My NaNoWriMo discount for 50% Off Scrivener?

If you're wondering how to get your 50% discount on Scrivener, here is a quick how to.  It took me a while to find the answer and there were similar questions on the NaNoWriMo Forums, so I thought some may find this useful. Follow the steps below to get the Scrivener sale price. Remember if you don't qualify return here to still get your Scrivener Coupon Code worth 20% off!

• Go to the NaNoWriMo website.
• Log in using your username and password
• The first link on the brown navigation bar is My NaNoWriMo.  Hover over this and select Dashboard.
• Now scroll down to the bottom of the page.
• On the bottom right is a section labeled Winner Prizes. Click their link.
• Now you should reach the page with your various winnings.
• Scroll to the bottom and find the Scrivener coupon code.  Highlight the code, right click and Copy.
• For the Scrivener Mac OS X version click here and paste your coupon code.
• For the Scrivener Windows version click here and paste your coupon code.
• Either version will be $20 after discount!
• Your coupon code is good until October 1, 2012, but the sooner the better.
• Now fall in love with Scrivener!

Like I said, not the easiest task to find your reward.  Though being able to snag Scrivener for 50% off is a huge bargain!

If you didn't participate or compete in NaNoWriMo and would still like a discount on Scrivener use this 20% Scrivener Coupon Code.

Have You Set Any Goals For 2012?

Sorry for the month long absence. I took a much needed family vacation (for them and me). NaNoWriMo 2011 was a
great experience, but it burned me out a bit. I am looking forward to editing what I wrote and finishing the story. I am excited now to be back writing. I am setting my writing goals for 2012 and would be interested if anyone already has theirs? Have you posted your 2012 goals anywhere? I would love to read what others have planned for this year.

Your Ideal Reader

When a publishing house considers your novel, one of the first things they ask themselves is, "Who's going to buy this book?"

One answer they won't even consider is, "Everybody."

Every book has a natural audience. When a publisher tries to market your book, they're going to target that natural audience.




This is true, even when a story has extraordinarily broad appeal. The Harry Potter series was massively
popular, but even so, plenty of people didn't read it. I know lots of readers who heard about it and just
shrugged and said, "So what?" I know others who read the first chapter and didn't get it and stopped. I know others who read the first book and then quit.

I'm going to bet that very few of them were 11-year-old boys. The ideal reader for the first Harry Potter book was an 11-year-old boy.

True, lots of other people liked the book. Zillions of adults. Zillions of females. But we're talking here
about which group loved it best. That group was the set of boys Harry's age.

Why think about these "ideal readers" when they obviously aren't the only readers for a book?
Simple. Every publisher has a limited marketing budget. Their game plan is to market your book

Curiosity Quills Kindle Giveaway

For those of you who love free stuff, here's a great contest from Curiosity Quills.  Visit their site for more details, but here is their post with the details.

"In case you haven’t heard, Amazon has recently announced their new Amazon Kindle Fire - a 7″, color, Android-powered successor to the respected and ubiquitous Kindle family.
As someone who bought two third-generation Kindles for my family, two more as gifts, and use the Android Kindle application extensively, I can safely say that the electronic reading experience is getting better and better with every iteration.
Needless to say, the whole Curiosity Quills Press team is excited. And to celebrate, we’re throwing a GIVEAWAY! Yes, one lucky winner will be receiving their very own bundle of fiery book-loving joy. Drawing will take place on December 1, 2011, so hurry and get your entries in! We hope you’ll participate and win!"

Why not take a chance.  Enter and win!

How to Write Cliffhangers

The secret to writing novels that readers can't put
down is simple -- in theory.

All you have to do is making the ending of each chapter
so exciting that your reader can't help but turn the
page.

That's a nice theory. How do you do it in practice?
The answer depends on the kind of novel you're writing.
The purpose of a novel is to give your reader a
Powerful Emotional Experience.



Each category of fiction creates its own mix of emotional experiences. Each category makes a promise to
deliver a certain kind of emotion at the end of the novel. A romance promises to deliver love. A suspense
novel promises to deliver safety. A mystery promises to deliver justice.As your story progresses, your reader tracks how close you are to delivering the final emotional payoff for your story. If the payoff looks like it's getting closer, your reader's tension eases. If it looks like the payoff is getting further away, your reader's tension tightens.

When something happens at the very end of a chapter to make the payoff suddenly look dramatically less likely, that's a cliffhanger.

Lee Child is a master of writing cliffhangers. Child is the author of a series of thrillers starring Jack
Reacher, a drifter who left the Army after 13 years as a military cop. Now Reacher hitchhikes around the
country, running into one set of bad guys after another and reluctantly puttings right.

Reacher is a skilled street fighter who knows every dirty fighting trick in the book

Curiosity Quills Now Open For Submissions

Curiosity Quills is now accepting submissions.  The following announcement is taken from their website:

Curiosity Quills Press is the publishing arm of Curiosity Quills, a boutique publisher of hard-hitting dark sci-fi, speculative fiction, and paranormal works aimed at adults, young adults, and new adults. We are also a purveyor of anthologies thereof. We provide our authors with a flexible array of quality premium services, marketing support, and technical know-how, while ensuring that these literary marauders are truly the cream of the crop through a highly selective acquisition process.

Curiosity Quills is now taking submissions.  The following announcement is taken from their site:

We’re Looking For
Thought-provoking, mind-twisting rollercoasters – challenge our mind, turn our world upside down, and make us question. Those are the makings of a true literary marauder.
Serialization Potential - If your work was made with serialization in mind, we want to hear from you. If not – that’s okay! We still want to hear from you.
Agented submission are not required, but will receive precedence over unagented ones.
Length Guidelines: Keep in mind, these are just guidelines – we DO make exceptions.
Novellas: 15k-45k words
Young Adult: 45k to 75k words
New Adult / Upper YA Novels: 60k-100k words
Adult Novels: 70k-120k words

Instructions
To submit a manuscript for consideration, please send an email to editor@curiosityquills.com with the following:

A one-page query letter containing your genre, title, wordcount, and a brief blurb about the book.
The first five (5) double-spaced pages
For serialized works, please include information about update frequency, update length, and projected series duration.
Established authors are welcome to query with a standard proposal package of three chapters, a synopsis, and a query.
PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE ANY PERSONAL WRITING CREDENTIALS, AWARDS, REVIEWS, OR PROMOTIONAL LINKS

Format Requirements
If your manuscript is requested, please make sure to format it according to the following:

RTF files only
12 pt Times New Roman font
double-spaced
.5″ indents
Note: Unless we request a revise and resubmit, full manuscript rejections are final.

Note: In addition to published works, we are also interested in blogger contributions to our literary portal.

Good Luck!
http://curiosityquills.com/submission-guidelines/author-submissions/

Google+ cheat sheet

Google+ seems to be gaining a foothold in the ever changing game of social media.  The clean and tidy stream page is a needed contrast to facebook's ever growing clutter.  Add this to the many uses of huddles and hangouts, places you can set up to chat (video, voice, or text...or any combination of the three) and you have a dream site.  Writers should have no problems finding many uses for all these new toys.  I can already see the great fun of writing groups for this November and Nanowrimo.