December 15, 2010

In a newsletter yesterday, links were given to the eleven best and most popular 2010 articles from WritersDigest.com. They were retweeted on Twitter, e-mailed to friends and shared many times over the Internet. 

While many of us can’t afford to study for a masters degree  in children’s literature, we can all make good use of the free resources on the web.

Here are those eleven articles. They’re “meaty” articles. Read the ones that interest you. You may want to print some of them out and re-read them from time to time. It’s how we learn!

The Eleven Best

1. 17 Writing Secrets
2. Basics of a Solid 3-Paragraph Query
3. Your Novel Blueprint
4. What Agents Hate
5. 8 Basic Writing Blunders
6. Publish Your First Book After 50
7. 9 Questions to Ask Your Main Character
8. The Anatomy of a Writer’s Website
9. 10 Tips for Querying an Agent
10. Finish Your Novel in 4 Simple Steps
11. Steve Berry’s 8 Rules of Writing

This will keep you–and ME–busy for a while. Never stop learning and practicing your craft. One of the nicest by-products of study will be a rise in your confidence as a writer. Yes, writers write–but writers study too. Enjoy it!

October 16, 2009

A year ago, I urged you to sign up for the free Muse Online Writer’s Conference. It’s been running this week, October 12-18, and my brain is over-stuffed at the moment. (Next time I won’t sign up for 28 different workshops!)

I’ve attended lectures on voice, overcoming creative blocks, writing tight, plot points and tension, enjoyed Q & A with agents and editors, pitched my middle-grade novel to an agent and got a “go ahead,” and so much more. Forums contain lecture notes and assignments, plus postings of lessons with feedback. The handouts were especially good, and I have a small binder full.

It was also especially helpful to me this year for health reasons to be able to sit in my good office chair, sleep in my own bed, eat my own food, and get up and walk around when necessary. I Skyped with a writer friend a couple of times this week (who was also “attending” the conference via her computer.) Discussing some of the workshops was helpful.

Don’t Miss Out!

It’s been a full week, and admittedly I got behind on the assignments. Next year, if I’m lucky enough to get one of the 1,000+ spots available, I will have to be more selective. I was, admittedly, like a kid in a candy store–where the chocolate was all free!

There are so many wonderful things about the Muse conference, and directors Lea Schizas and Carolyn Howard-Johnson are to be commended for the tremendous amount of work they’ve done to give writers this chance.  I’ll let you know when it’s time to sign up for next year’s conference. You don’t want to miss this opportunity.

October 7, 2009

I attended a terrific writers’ conference last weekend in Austin, TX, and during the social time, we discussed various career challenges, the economic downturn, puny sales of well reviewed books, and other writer maladies common to us all.

Are there ways to get out of this slump? Yes! I found such a list of great ideas today on Janet Kobobel Grant’s post. (Janet is an agent with Books & Such, and we met at Mt. Hermon eighteen months ago.)

“Many of us have the misconception,” Janet writes, “that the toughest part of developing a writing career is finding a publisher. Nope. In actuality, most careers have a slump or two built into them. These often occur just when you think you’ve built up some momentum, such as when you’ve written and had published about six books. What kind of advice can an agent offer at this crucial moment in a career? Everyone’s situation is unique, of course, but here is a peek at some of the advice I’ve given.”

I thought Janet’s career advice was very helpful–and it’s given me some new ideas about a couple projects. Thanks, Janet!

September 9, 2009

“Blogs are like a box of chocolates…” Isn’t that how the saying goes? I love opening a new box of candy–the picking and choosing, the sampling, the enjoyment!

Well, in today’s blog, I’m offering you a box of chocolates from various blogs I read. Here are some of the best I’ve read lately. Pick and choose. See what looks good to you. Enjoy!

Take Your Pick

You’ll want to give yourself a whole weekend for this particular blog entry. It will take that long to check out the 100 Essential Tips and Tools for Writers of the Future. It covers marketing, creativity, niche writing, finding paying work, and much more.

How can you think outside the box and create a novel that is unusual and meaningful? In this hurry-hurry world, what can we do to unleash our hidden creativity? Author Gail Gaymer Martin gives you ten great ideas here.

When you land an agent, here’s how NOT to make your agent worry. Read Agent Wendy Lawton (Books and Such Literary Agency) on this subject.

If you’re hoping to write full-time, you need to do career planning. Here’s a realistic step-by-step guide from top literary agent, Chip MacGregor.

Time to Sample

Open your box of chocolates, settle back in  a comfy chair, and enjoy this sampling of some fine articles!

February 13, 2008

Do you ever wish you could ask an agent your “beginner” questions? Maybe something like these?

• “What do I need to know about creating a proposal for an agent? Is it like filling out a form, or do I create the story for them to see?”
• “Do you suggest a writer seek endorsements before approaching an agent?”
• “How extensive of a platform do you look for in a first-time novelist (as opposed to a new non-fiction writer)?”
• “What do you think about getting a copy of your book printed by LULU or some place like that, for the sole purpose of showing it to publishers during a pitch session?”
• “How has the huge influx and influence of blogging in recent years affected writing, writers, and the writing industry?”

Well, now you can find the answers to these questions. Agent Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary answers them for you here.