IWSG: November and Links!

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Insecure Writers Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Co-Hosts: Tonja Drecker, Diane Burton,  MJ Fifield, and Rebecca Douglass!

To NaNo, or not to NaNo? That is the question.

I'll not make the Bard roll any longer, but the question still stands. Tons of writers will join in the writing orgy that is November and the National Novel Writing Month. I'll be cheering them on, but I'll only be participating from the side. See, I know myself. To get obsessed with numbers of words drafted is a sure want to shut my production down. I've leaned to participate unofficially. I'm actually in the midst of a drafting stage, so I'll be putting down words. Only, I will not total them up. The words will still be drafted, but I will never know how many were added. That way, I can join the push without losing my way into the counting of words at the expense of writing them. Back in 2010, I wrote 22,000 new words using this method. (I see your question...how do I know how many there were that year? As a member of a group who posted our raw words to threads, the counting was done for me. See, no counting on my part. ;-) 

Let the word flood begin! And good luck of all of us toiling with story stuff this month. 

Links!

• First up, a bit on editing--what to find and replace: "Words and Phrases to Cut from Your Writing Right Now: The Definitive Test"
• We all hope we need this info: "So You Received an OFFER OF REPRESENTATION"
• We all need this one: "Setting Self Doubt On Fire"
• And if you're thinking about a small publisher, read this one: "What to Look for in a Small Publisher"
• "How to Vary Your Sentence Structure" is another good one.
• Dear Diary has a great post about why "Some People Will Hate Your Book and That's Okay"
• When everything goes splat, try this from Oprah and find your "Next Right Move"

Next Post: Why a great big list of Mini Book Reviews, of course! What did you expect?

My Gifts to My Fellow Writers

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It's the giving season and I've be remiss if I didn't share a few "gifts" with my fellow wordsmiths. So, check these out and enjoy the season, hug your family, friends, and significant others, and be filled with  Joy! I'll be back the first Wednesday of January.

• A Brief Letter to a Worried Writer--Take heart, you aren't over the hill if you're still hunting that agent and/or contract and there's no one place you should live.
• Finding Confidence--It's there for the taking if you look for it.
• The Two Minutes It Takes...--Just read it, already. ;-)
• Imposter Syndrome--You know you feel like this.
• How to Write Every Day--And be Zen about it. ;-)
• Controlling the Crazies--This isn't just for women, you know.
• And of course, you need books! Check out Hometown Reads.

Have a fabulous holiday season whatever your way of celebrating

Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

September Links

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Don't sneer at genre fiction. Let James Preston share Three Tools for Reading and Watching Genre Fiction with you.

Kate Moretti explains why we have genres at all in Does Genre Dumb it Down or Make it Rain?

There are Craft Books for Pantsers--that's what they say. I'm still on the fence. ;-)

And another post about thinking it through or getting it down. Join Kristin Hoffman in Making a House a Home (and What It Taught Me About Writing)

Next Week: All about the WFWA Retreat in Albuquerque!

July Links!

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Note to readers: My second cataract surgery is planned for tomorrow. I'll be back around as soon as my eye settles.

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I've got a bumper crop of links for you this month. Enjoy!

Inspiration:
Elissa Altman shares "Writing and the Permission to Succeed." We all need this one!

Craft:
Jacqueline Mitchard shares "8 Practical Tips to Avoid too Much Plot in Your Novel."

Donald Maass explains "What Makes Fiction Literary: Scenes versus Postcards."

Abby Geni has some tips on "Description" for us.

Marta Sprout has advice "On Writing Crime Scenes."

Katie Rose Guest Pryal shares how to "Write Around Your Dialogue."

Advice:
"So, How Do You Know If You're a Good Writer?" comes from Janet Reid of Query Shark fame.

Answers to Vexing Questions:
Ronovan shares some info graphics on "Why Readers Stop Reading" that are eye-opening.

Next Week: On Thursday, July 21, I'm presenting to a book club my take on "What Is Women's Fiction?".  I'll report on how it goes.

April Links! You Know You Want Them...

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I couldn't resist sharing a few wonderful links with y'all. I hope they are something that you can use or that inspires you. ;-)

Try Amy Sue Nathan's truth: "This week, while writing, I remembered that I actually do have to WRITE to figure out a story." in "The Writing Life #2"

Or do you want to hone your skills for writing a book blurb? BookBub has your cup of tea in "How to Improve Your Description Copy to Sell more Ebooks"

Need help with deep POV? Edie Melson offers up "Conquering Six Enemies of Deep POV"

David Corbett at Writer Unboxed takes us into a deeper understanding of Conflict in "Birth vs. Battle"

Cathy Lamb deciphers the Dreaded Inner Critic in "After Each Draft, the Writer's Voice Speaks Meanly"

And finally, Susan Defreitas offers up "The Ten Worst Pieces of Writing Advice You Will Ever Hear"

I hope you found a link that made you think or grin. I want your input on the "Link Worthiness" of these. Which one was the best?
Next Week: IWSG and "Jumping Off The Cliff." ;-)

New! Improved! Take a Look at the Shade!

The Shade has had a make over and I hope you'll enjoy it. All of the pages are have had a major renovation. Here's the guided tour.

• About--This page was serious, earnest, and (I'll admit it) a bit dull. Now it's got a bit of humor and a few photos. Though you might wish you didn't know some of those things about me. ;-)
• Blog--I'll go into more detail below.
• Books--Check them out. They're all there! ;-)
• Works in Progress--I've mapped out the Cherry Hill Trilogy. This is my main focus right now. When I get these three done, I'll let you in on what's coming next. 
• Contact Me!--I ditched the photo page and spread the photos throughout. (I promise the pups approved the use of their likenesses.) In the place of the photo page, you'll find the Contact Me! page that puts all the ways to connect with me in one place. 

So, take time to walk through the Shade and let me know what you think. ;-)

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And now, the most important part of the redo is the blog. I'll keep posting on Tuesdays, but  there will be a focused emphasis for each day of the month.

• First Tuesday--will be a snip of Friendly Fire, a poem, or other things I've written. I grave any feedback on these you want to share.
• Second Tuesday--will focus on the Nuts and Bolts of craft and will include nifty links, processes, and methods of creativity.
• Third Tuesday--will be the return of the Mini Book Reviews that so many of you enjoyed in the past. I hope I can share some good books for you to check out. 
• Fourth Tuesday--Author Interviews will start back with Elle Druskin on the fourth Tuesday of June. I promise her humorous contemporary romances are delightful. Many are set in the best little town of New Jersey--Liberty Heights
• Fifth Tuesday--When there's a fifth Tuesday (July!) I'll share whatever strikes my fancy. You'll just have to wait to see if it's the pups' latest escapades or new pictures of the garden. How do some of Laura Grace's recipes sound? Yum. ;-)

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The rest of May will be a surprise! I've got a few things you might be interested in. So, settle back in the Shade and enjoy your stay!