Happy Mother’s Day, early!

The Author Chronicles is turning 1 year old on May 29^th! Stay tuned for details about our month-long celebration and giveaway contest in June!

In sad news, Where The Wild Things Are author Maurice Sendak died at age 83.

Did you know that Helen Keller was accused of plagiarism—at the age of 12? Mark Twain defends her with the argument that “the bulk of all human utterances is plagiarism.”

Teacher Librarian Bev Novak explores 10 things school libraries can learn from the Apple Store.

Jonathan Gottschall on how fiction shapes us for the better—and why.

And exciting news for friend of the blog Tiffany Schmidt! Her second book, Bright Before Sunrise, is due out from Walker-Bloomsbury in 2014!

CRAFT

Ever find yourself unable to stop revising? Even when the manuscript is finished and you are proofreading for print? There’s always one more phrase, one more word… Jen J. Danna talks about knowing when it’s time to let go, and Tim Kane advises to forget perfect and be content with good enough.

The little things matter in writing. Julie Glover makes the case for why grammar matters in your book, and Sherry Thomas explains the beauty in the details.

Stina Lindenblatt states that one of the most common reasons for manuscript rejection is that an agent cannot connect with the main character—and tells us how to fix that. Perhaps your main character’s actions are unfocused. Jami Gold wonders: Does every scene need a goal?

Sean D’Souza shares three core elements of storytelling; Brian A. Klems tells how to write a stand-alone novel with series potential; Rob Donoghue (although talking about RPGs) makes a great point about “leaving out the egg” in our stories; and Chuck Wendig gives us 25 things writers should know about creating mystery.

There are a lot of parallels between novel writing and script writing, while at the same time they are two very different media. Lydia Sharp lists 5 ways novelists can benefit from watching movies and TV shows; Jael McHenry tells us there are other things to do with our “darlings” than kill them; and James Moran shares 7 tips for new screenwriters.

A good writing process helps you avoid the dreaded writer’s block. James Moran explains his writing process; Rachelle Gardner lists 9 ways to beat writer’s block; and Leo Valiquette shares how he learned to stop worrying and love the blank page.

In this day and age, writers are immersed in technology. Jade Varden tells us how to put your ebook into print; Kait Nolan lets us in on the secret of how to change the editor font in Scrivner for Windows; and Shannon from Duolit enlightens us with 4 steps to making your own book trailer.

The Internet can spread ideas, and also fuel angst and debate. Jennifer Laughran, in light of the backlash from Orson Scott Card’s latest anti-gay screed, asks: How does the private life of an author/artist affect your opinion of their work? And, in a highly heated ongoing debate, Zoë Marriott explores the Bloggers/Reviewers vs. Authors angst.

Ever envision what your perfect mashup book would be? Tansy Rayner Roberts, Kat Howard, Andrew P. Mayer and other authors discuss their dream genre crossovers. While those are books that people wished were written, Chuck Wendig recommends four books to his readers, and asks his blog readers to recommend four of their own favorites in the comments.

Publishing may be in major flux, but there’s a lot of opportunity in the crazy for us writers. Kristen Lamb shares her vision of the future of publishing—teamwork, humility, and innovation. Victoria Mixon lists 7 reasons to be grateful you’re a writer, and Kirkus McGowan advises to not give in to fear, and write what you want to write.

In order to write what you want, you need to make time to write. Carolyn Arnold advises turning off the Internet completely to get more work done, while Tanya Dennis finds more writing time with less sleep.

Writing is a dream for many, and those that pursue it often give up something else (like sleep—see above paragraph). Donna Galanti shares how achieving her dream cost her the love of reading she had once had. Milli Thornton had lost her ability to daydream—until she learned to listen in order to free her subconscious. Rita Shulte finds that in many people, the drive to succeed steals their joy of writing. Alternately, Nathan Bransford finds that sometimes, writing when then s*** hits the fan can be a lifeline.

BUSINESS

This is both a good example of marketing and something that looks like fun – a contest from Misty Provencher: Win a FULL MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE, a copy of CORNERSTONE w/ author’s notes, an Addo-inspired cookie scarf & MORE.

Internet tools are a staple of writers’ marketing these days. Marcy Kennedy shares four little known factors that could destroy your blog’s chances of success; Jason Arnopp lists 10 reasons why Twitter is great for writers; and Jody Hedlund gives us 8 reasons not to quit social media when you’re burned out.

T. K. Richardson talks piracy, ebook theft, and copyright violations.

Roz Morris asks: Where will self-publishing get quality control?

Over at MiG Writers, they are interviewing their literary agents. Meet Carmella Van Vleet’s agent Marie Lamba of Jennifer Dechiara Literary, and Christina Farley’s agent Jeff Ourvan of Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency.

From Bookalicious, a photo of the ten most read books in the world.

THE UNIQUE SHELF

Elspeth Antonelli creates a pictorial essay of the writing game.

For your research needs: a fascinating hand-drawn map of Anglo-Saxon London ca. 500-1050CE.

Finally, a live map showing what books are being bought where in the world. WARNING: you may find yourself staring at this for hours. It’s really fun!

That’s it from us this week! Happy Mother’s Day to all moms out there!

The week before I’m scheduled to write the Tuesday blog post for Author Chronicles (once every five weeks), I mentally toss around a number of topic ideas and decide on one. Like any other writer, however, I continuously observe the people and events around me, and by the time I sit down to write, some serendipitous occurrence — or more than one, in this case — often leads me in another direction, and I rarely write on the planned topic.

From the title of this post, you can probably guess that the primary influence on this choice of topic was last weekend’s record-breaking opening of Marvel’s the Avengers. My husband and I have long enjoyed superhero movies, and when we saw the movie preview months ago, we put it on our worth-watching list. No, we haven’t seen it yet. We no longer feel the urgency to rush to get tickets for the opening day or weekend, but we will definitely make a trip to the theater to see the film … in a couple weeks.

This delay isn’t just because my husband and I prefer to avoid the crowds, however, but because my college-attending youngest son asked if we would see the movie with him and his girlfriend (who lives three hours away) when she comes to visit us. Whether it’s nurture or nature, we’ve raised three superhero fans. And the older two have gifted us with a son-in-law and daughter-in-law who also enjoy superhero movies. In fact, my daughter called Sunday evening to tell me that she and her husband had planned to take their kids to see Marvel’s the Avengers — my grandson is an avid superhero fan — but had been unable to get tickets because the movie theater had sold out, something unheard of in their small town.

So, the opening of the movie and the discussions of it with my children got me thinking about superheroes.

My children’s exposure to superheroes comes chiefly through movies and television. As for me, while I can’t claim to be a die-hard comic nerd (I’d fail miserably in any trivia contest), I did read a lot superhero comics books in high school. No matter how you become acquainted with them, however, there’s something about superheroes — Superman, Spiderman, the Fantastic Four, the Flash, the Green Lantern, Aquaman, and all the rest — that fascinates. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to fly or breath underwater or become invisible?

As I considered the allure of superheroes — evidently widespread, if superhero movie success is any indicator — I wondered whether the interest stems mainly from their super abilities. Imagine that you could become invisible. What fun it would be to slip in and out of places unseen, to overhear your children’s or coworkers’ conversations, to walk up to someone and suddenly appear. When you seriously imagine all the things you could do with the power of invisibility, you have to admit that the temptation to use it to annoy people or to spy on people or to steal would be powerful.

So, no, I don’t think superheroes are popular because of their special abilities. After all, superheroes’ opponents often have super powers as well. While the super abilities add zest to the action in a movie or comic, we really love superheroes because of the second part of that term — because they are heroes and because we can relate to their humanity.

Superheroes are people. People with extraordinary powers, yes, but still, at the core, people like us. Their spectacular abilities do not exempt them from having plugged up toilets, annoying bosses, or relationship problems (which their abilities often make more complicated). Many of our favorite superheroes were initially reluctant superheroes, as well. They gained their powers through some chance or accident and struggled with accepting these new abilities and learning what to do with them. Like supervillains, they could have succumbed to the temptation to use these abilities for personal gain or power, but they didn’t. They chose to aid their fellow human beings and to uphold the right. They took the path that made them heroes.

Human beings have always admired heroes, both fictional and flesh-and-blood. Our high regard for heroes, however, does not spring from admiration of their special abilities, though that certainly exists, but because of the choices they make — because they do something heroic with those abilities. Superheroes are fun, but deep down, we value them — and real-life heroes — because they make a choice that we hope (but are not sure) we would make in the same circumstances.

We often see examples in the news of ordinary people, and occasionally well-known people, who make the choice to do something heroic. One example that made the national news recently was when Newark, NJ’s mayor, Cory A. Booker, shook off his bodyguard — who tried to protect his life by keeping the mayor from doing something extremely dangerous — and rescued his neighbor from her burning house. When a reporter tried to label him a superhero, the mayor said, “I’m a neighbor who did what most neighbors would do, jump into action to help a friend.”

His response didn’t surprise me. We’ve all heard interviews with firefighters, police, military personnel and ordinary citizens who have pulled others from burning buildings or cars, jumped into rivers to rescue someone, or performed some other heroic feat. They tend to feel uncomfortable with the “hero” label because they don’t feel that they’ve done anything extraordinary; they merely did their job or did what anyone else would have done — what needed to be done under those circumstances.

Maybe so. Yet I think the rest of us revere our heroes, fictional and real-life, because we have a niggling doubt that we would have done the same.

Who are your heroes?

May 28 is Memorial Day, the time to honor the sacrifices of our real-life heroes. Please take time out during your trip to the shore or backyard barbecue to remember them.

The Author Chronicles gives a warm welcome to NY Times best-selling author Bob Mayer, co-founder of Who Dares Wins Publishing and the Write It Forward program.

In the US Army Ranger School you’re taught to do things you wouldn’t normally do.  One thing you are trained to deal with is getting ambushed.

Your patrol is walking along a trail and suddenly you are fired upon from the right. Your fear wants you to jump in the convenient ditch to the left—to avoid the ambush.

However, if the ambush is set up correctly—that ditch is mined and you’ll die if you do that. In life, avoiding problems by running from them doesn’t solve the problem.

Your next fear-driven instinct is to just hit the ground. Stay where you’re at and do nothing. Except you’re in the kill zone and if you stay there, well, you’ll get killed.  We all want to ignore problems.  Because that’s the inherent nature of a problem. But ignoring your greatest problem will keep you in the kill zone and the result is inevitable.

The third thing you want to do is run forward or back on the trail to get out of the kill zone—escape.

Except, if the ambush is done right, the heaviest weapons are firing on either end of the kill zone. And you’ll die.  We want to avoid problems by going back to the past or imaging it will get better in the future even if we don’t change anything.

The correct solution is the hardest choice because it requires courage: you must conquer your fear, turn right and assault into the ambushing force. It is the best way to not only survive, but win. To tackle problems, you must face them.

In my Write It Forward program, we focus on developing authors.  Most writing programs focus on the writing, but I believe it’s important to focus on the person producing the writing.  And, as Stephen King says:  “I believe fear is at the root of most bad writing.”

Here’s a question every writer has to answer:  “I’ll do whatever it takes to succeed except don’t ask me to do ?????.”

What that one thing is, is the one thing you must do to succeed.

Write what you know—maybe write what you are afraid to know. I see many writers who avoid writing what they should be writing because it would mean confronting their fears. Be curious about your fear—it’s a cave, but instead of a monster inside treasure could be inside.

Remember fear is an emotion. Action can occur even when your emotions are fighting it. Taking action is the key to conquering fear.  Attacking the ambush.

How do you expand your comfort zone by venturing into your courage zone?

Every day try to do something that you dislike doing, but need to do.

If you’re introverted, talk to a stranger every day.

If you’re a practical person, do something intuitive every day.

Do the opposite of your Myers-Briggs character.

Attack the ambush!

Bob Mayer is a NY Times Best-Selling multi-published author. He is a West Point graduate, served in the Infantry and Special Forces (Green Beret) commanding an A-Team and as a Special Forces operations officer, and was an instructor at Fort Bragg. He teaches Novel Writing, Warrior Writer and does keynote speeches. For more information on Bob visit his website.

On May 29^th, The Author Chronicles will celebrate its One Year Anniversary! To thank all of our readers who have made this first year so successful, we’ll be having a contest with some fantastic prizes, so stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

Librarian Sondra Eklund gives a peek into all the different ways librarians help people.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz advises what to do when your villain becomes a bore.

Roger Colby combed through J.R.R. Tolkien’s letters and culled 10 tips for writers.

Meanwhile, Elspeth Antonelli reminds us that taking time to relax will help our writing flow.

CRAFT

Sometimes, just getting started writing is the hardest part of the process. Liza Palmer shares 5 tips to starting (and finishing) your novel; Krissy Brady tells how to break through your busy schedule and get projects rolling; and Roni Loren lists the 6 pre-writing steps that work for her.

Mary Kole tells us how to know when you’ve started your novel in the right spot, and Roni Loren returns with 5 steps to testing your opening scene.

When you’ve finally gotten rolling and near the end of your manuscript, Therese Walsh brings us a roundup of Writer Unboxed advice about “the end.”

Writers’ Village tells how to craft a “real” fictional world, and Marcy Kennedy goes deeper by exploring the use of smell in novels.

L.B. Gale shares how to create distinctive character voices, while Orson Scott Card discusses the minor character’s role in our novels.

Broca’s Area brings us 10 writing mistakes, and since we all make mistakes, Merry Farmer shares how to be critiqued without breaking down into tears.

The final revisions of a novel can be painful. Rachelle Gardner tells us how to cut thousands of words without pain, and Gina Conroy lists some tips to remember before submitting the manuscript.

Clint Archer explains how to write a memoir short story; Electric Monkey discusses why female characters should be remembered for more than their love interests; and Brian A. Klems asks, “Can you ‘read’ and audiobook?”

Jami Gold shares her first pitching experience and asks what’s the hardest “first step” you’ve ever taken. Lara Schiffbauer reminds us that most pressure comes from within, and it can be either debilitating or energizing. Daphne Gray-Grant shares her writing manifesto, and Chuck Wendig talks writing revelations and leading a story-focused life.

BUSINESS

If, like Jane Dystel, you feel the DOJ settlement is unnecessarily onerous to publishers and bookstore, she talks about what you can do to soften the DOJ settlement terms.

Kristen Lamb contends that Big Six publishing is dead, and the future belongs to the Massive Three: Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft.

Speaking of Amazon and Microsoft: The Passive Voice addresses the ongoing battle between Amazon and the publishers, while Philip Elmer-DeWitt outlines how Amazon is throwing its weight around now. Publisher’s Weekly sketches out the new Barnes & Noble-Microsoft digital partnership.

And here’s a video of the Liars Club panel on publishing at 2011 Collingswood Book Festival, with insight into all things publishing.

If you’re going with a traditional publisher, you’ll likely need an agent to get a foot in the door. Michelle Krys’ YA/MG Agent series recently highlighted Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown. The Atlantic’s Jen Doll, meanwhile, attempted to define Young Adult and what makes it tick.

Query letters and manuscript submissions often give writers palpitations. Agent Jennifer Laughran gives her opinion on what font to use in manuscripts, and Carmen DeSousa shows how a small change in the right place can make the difference between acceptance and rejection.

And if you get that coveted publishing contract, be very, very clear about the reversion clauses. Victoria Strauss lays out what to look for in a reversion clause, especially in this age when ebooks can mean nothing ever goes “out of print.”

Whoever hold the right to the book, we’ve all got to market. Alison DeLuca lists what should be in an author’s press kit for book review submission, while Ash Krafton talks how to write a press release.

Jane Friedman gives us 2 questions to memorize for networking events; Tonya Kappes tells us how to keep your readers one series at a time; and Nick Thacker outlines how to find the perfect audience for your book, and sell it to them.

Everyone stresses social media as the silver bullet for marketing, but Stephanie Chandler lists the top 10 reasons why your social media marketing efforts aren’t working.

As to social media itself, Ariel Cummins explores Goodreads from a reader’s perspective; Steve Kovach lists 13 tips to make the most of LinkedIn, and Jody Hedlund discusses why writers need to seriously consider Pinterest.

The indie vs. traditional debate rages on, and Melissa Foster wonders what all the fuss is about: aren’t we all writers? Andrew Jack reminds us that it doesn’t matter how we’re published—we’re all self-promoted these days.

Terrence King tells us how to avoid a self-publishing nightmare, and Rachelle Gardner asks us all to seriously consider is we are really ready to face life as a published author.

THE UNIQUE SHELF

Charles Wheelan shares 10 things your commencement speaker won’t tell you (but are good to know).

Flavorwire brings us the incredible 10 gorgeous buildings made out of BOOKS!

And for those of you with a monkey obsession, the British Library brings you Monkeys in the Margins, while Mnemosyne shows us a monkey in the margin with a wax tablet.

That’s all for this first Thursday in May! Keep an eye out for our upcoming anniversary contest details!

The classic stereotype of a writer is a person holed up in a garret, isolated and alone, driven to madness by the lack of human contact. While I will not argue over the writer’s naturally crazy state, I believe the image of isolation is largely false. Perhaps there was a time that this was true—after all, stereotypes all grow out of some truth—but in this day and age I think this no longer the case.

The actual act of writing is still by its nature a solitary act. Even in a collaboration, only one person can write the actual words at any given moment. But many writers are now writing in public places—the writer in the coffeehouse stereotype is quickly supplanting that of the garret-imprisoned scribe. So even in the most solitary portion of the writing process, many are not alone.

The research that often precedes the writing of a novel is not solitary. Certainly, with the Internet, we can get much of our information without talking to another person. However, the Internet also lends itself to connecting to experts via email, and often leads to telephone or in-person interviews.

After our book has been written, a whole new coterie comes into play. We have critique groups, critique partners, alpha readers, beta readers, and editors from developmental editors to copyeditors. Their feedback is vital to our writing. This is very definitely not a solitary part of the writing process!

Two very different interactions made me start to think about this “solitary” vision of writers. The first was Keith Strunk’s dialogue workshop, where he told us about the very collaborative nature of writing plays and scripts. That got me thinking about how collaborative a process writing really is these days, even for novel writers.

The second interaction that got me wondering how solitary writers are was a blog post by Jami Gold called “Why Does Feedback Hurt So Much?” Although the post itself explored why criticism can be so painful for a writer, in the comments we got to talking about what to do when a) you have two ways of writing something and don’t know which is the better phrasing to use and b) what to do to perfect your pitch. Both of my answers involved having friends read and give input.

Am I unusual in wanting this level of input from people? Perhaps, but the Internet makes it so easy to exchange manuscripts, shoot off a quick email with a phrasing question, or post your query on a forum, that I suspect most writers are getting more feedback and having more dialogue about their work than ever before.

Which brings us to the recurring theme in this post: the Internet. Social media has made it easy (sometimes waaay too easy) for a lonely writer in her cave to reach out and connect with the outside world—to find help, support, and solidarity in the community of writers online. This contact, this connection, to a world of people who share your passion, who understand as non-writers never can, energizes writers. Anyone who has been to a writer’s conference (such as the Philadelphia Writer’s Conference) or any sort of high-quality writing course (like Jonathan Maberry’s Novel in Nine Months or Craftwriting by Kathryn Craft) can attest to the huge surge of creativity brought on by interacting with other writers in an imaginative environment.

I am lucky enough to be in a local community that has sprouted many writer’s groups where we can share business information, craft tips, and just have a general good time together, including the Liars Club’s Writer’s Coffeehouses and Lucas Mangum’s Awesome Reading Fests.

None of us could do this without the support of family and friends, whether they are writers or non-writers. Those support systems are vital to our well-being, and in the Internet age can spread across the entire world. The fact that we all have (and need) these networks is perhaps the best argument against the myth of the isolated writer.

We don’t live in a vacuum. We don’t write in a vaccum. We are solitary no longer.

The indie vs. traditional publishing wars broke out big time this year, with a lot of heel-digging and vitriol on both sides. Laura Drake and her fellow Writers In The Storm bloggers call for détente in the author wars.

World Book Night, where volunteers give away free books to people, was on April 23^rd. What’s not to love about free books?

The LA Times Festival of Books drew over 100,000 readers this year, proving that people still love books, no matter what the format!

CRAFT

Every writer has a different way of starting a writing project. Gabriela Pereira shares a unique view toward designing a story, while Helen Dring lays out several ways of planning your novel.

If your writing style includes using “difficult” or obscure words, Will Self leaps to your defense.

There’s a lot written about beginning a writing project, but C.S. Lakin talks about the emotional shifts that happen to writers when they reach the end of a writing project.

Everyone wants to write something fresh. Janice Hardy lists 4 ways to add a new twist to an old plot, while James Bruno touts verisimilitude as a way to make your work shine.

Allyson Marrs details the different formulas for showing literary love, and Natalia Gortova goes the other way by exploring how to revamp your fight scenes.

In the devil-is-in-the-details department, Constance Hale dissects make-or-break verbs, while Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty demystifies dashes, colons, and commas.

Nick Harkaway brings us two rules of writing; Libba Bray blogs about the joys of researching for historical novels; and Kassandra Lamb wonders if the real draw for mystery readers is not the crime, but the characters.

So what about those characters? Becca Puglisi explains how to create fascinating characters; Misty Massey explores the flawed villain; and C.S. Lakin reminds us that ordinary people are too boring to make good characters.

Kristin Lamb shares the key ingredient for dramatic tension—understanding the antagonist, while Tim Kane believes that the antagonist should define the protagonist.

Jody Hedlund shares two tests that can help writers sort through feedback, while Jami Gold wonders why feedback hurts so much.

Good news, writers! We live in the 21^st century, and there are lots of computer tools around to help us improve out writing. Kat Latham shares a few tools for trimming weak words from your writing, while Aeon Timeline, a tool for tracking character arcs, subplots, you name it, will be released soon.

Even the coolest app can’t give us more than 24 hours in a day, so Gabriela Pereira shows us 5 pockets of time you never knew you had. When you grab those precious minutes, you have to make them count. Chris Rosales shares 3 possibilities for defeating writer’s block, and Tonya Kappes tells us how to keep the creativity flowing when we need it.

All writers have times when we doubt ourselves. Marcy Kennedy talks about worrying that you won’t succeed as a writer, while The Bluestocking Blog explores that heart-breaking chasm between writing intentions and execution. When we’re feeling down about ourselves, Jennifer R. Hubbard reminds us of the importance of a writer’s friends in picking them back up.

BUSINESS

Peter Osnos takes a look at the ebook wars that will occur in the wake of the DOJ agency pricing lawsuit. Charlie Stross makes the case that dropping DRM will ultimately allow more competition in the marketplace. Macmillan seems to be thinking the same way, because Tor/Forge announced that their ebooks will soon be DRM-free.

Meanwhile, Boyd Morrison talks about his experience being rejected by the Big 6 after a three-book run with them, and why this rejection is no longer a death sentence for a book.

Queries and submissions cause outrageous angst among writers. QueryShark reiterates that queries must give the agent a sense of what’s at stake—what choices does your character face, and what are the consequences of each? Jennifer Laughran tells writers to relax and not overthink the font of your manuscript. Tim Kane relays what he’s learned from agents: literary agents are not only fine with simultaneous submissions, but want them.

Once you get that agent, Janet Kobobel Grant advises how to kill your agent relationship without really trying. And author/agent Marie Lamba talks about Why Writers Win in this new Age of the Author publishing world.

Agents and publishers are attracted to authors who already have a platform, so Laura Howard explains how to find what works to build your platform. Nick Thacker advises writing guest posts to sell more books, and Ezra Barany tells how to write and get great reviews, complete with example book review.

Guest blogs, book review, platform—that all adds up to one thing: social media. Rachelle Gardner warns to be professional and smart when on social media, a sentiment echoed by Nathan Bransford listing the top 5 social media blunders people make.

Jane Friedman shares 5 mistruths about social media that drive her crazy, and Ashley Barron shares a humorous but true view of the recent changes to Twitter.

Gary McLaren explains how you sign an ebook (you know you were wondering).

In genre-related posts, Bookalicious defines YA, although The Hub points out that YA can successfully depict strong families, instead of depending on the absent or abusive parent trope. Charlie Jane Anders lists science fiction and fantasy creators who became their own genres.

All this business stuff driving you crazy? Chuck Wendig maintains that insanity is part of the writer’s job description, and we should relish it.

THE UNIQUE SHELF

Writer’s Digest brings us 23 Timeless Quotes About Writing from famous authors.

The Examiner lists the 50 Best Author vs. Author Put-downs of All Time.

Bram Stoker died 100 years ago—here’s 10 facts about the author of DRACULA.

What authors can learn about engaging the audience from video games, from Moody Writing.

That’s it for us today!

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.   – Erich Fromm

When I gave up the bliss of ignorance to figure out how to be a better writer, I lost some of the joy I initially enjoyed when writing. Not a surprise, I knew my quest for knowledge would come with baggage.

It’s been a little while since I began my search and I haven’t figured things out perfectly, maybe not even close, but now that I’ve pushed past the first overwhelming confusion of trying to organize a million bits into something usable, it’s time to address my lingering discomfort.

Causes?

a)      Getting up to write earlier than my body approves of.

b)      Creativity and Uncertainty (discomfort), you can’t have one without the other…if you do, it’s called copying.

c)       Wanting to follow all of that good advice I’ve been reading and write the kind of great stories I find on the bookshelves.

Solutions?

I’ve decided that yoga may have ALL the answers, so I’ve made a list of helpful things I’ve learned in yoga class.

1

Set your intention.

Before beginning to write, decide what you want to achieve.

2                                                                                                     

When you fall out of a pose, find your balance and try again.

When you fall out of the habits that anchor your writing, start again.

3

It’s easier to get what you want if you don’t force things.

I find that force breeds resistance.

4

Consistent practice is more important than being perfect.

Need I say more?  Write.

5

Pay attention to the present moment.

Feel discomfort and breathe through it, but if it hurts, stop doing it.

6

There will always be a pose that you can’t do, and when you’ve mastered that pose, there will be another one, just out of reach.  It’s a process.

There’s always something new to learn.

7

It’s worth getting up at 5:45 AM to do it, but I won’t be on time, and I’d better not try it where I can lie down again.

It’s worth getting up at 5:45 AM to do it, but I won’t be on time, and I’d better not try it where I can lie down again.

Friend of the blog Donna Galanti has her official book launch April 21st at the Doylestown Bookstore. If you’re in the area, come and support the launch of A HUMAN ELEMENT, from 3-5:30 PM. We reviewed the book, and Donna stopped by on her blog tour with a guest post on telekinesis.

The ALA announces the Teens Top Ten Nominations.

Let’s hope the ALA doesn’t have the same issues as the Pulitzer Prize board, which did not award a fiction prize for the first time since 1977.

Since censorship is always a topic for writers to be concerned about, here are the Top 10 Books challenged in 2011.

Kids are the readers of the future, the ALA has a breakdown of the report from Accelerated Reader company Renaissance Learning entitled “What Kids Are Reading: The Book-Reading Habits of Students in American Schools.”; while Sara Ralph writes on how to raise a member of the Nerdy Book Club.

Writers love words, so Stan Carey bring us information about three language blogs: Ozwords, Lexico Loco, and A World of Englishes.

Attention all science fiction, fantasy, or horror writers! Strange Chemistry’s open door period, where they accept unagented completed YA manuscripts, has begun. Act quickly, the open door is only for two weeks.

CRAFT

C.N. James visits an age-old debate in defending the sci-fi genre, while Chuck Wendig discusses the future with 25 things you should know about transmedia storytelling.

Description can make or break a story. Janice Hardy lists 5 ways to bring your descriptions to life, and Jody Hedlund gives 7 setting basics to strengthen your story.

Lynette Labelle gives tips to avoid dialogue disasters; Michelle Diener talks about balancing the action/tension/emotion ratio in your novel; and Chuck Wendig investigates the meaning of show, don’t tell.

We all know how crucial the opening pages are to any book. Ready Write Go explores the opening pages of your novel, and Joe Bunting explains how to start your novel.

Beginnings often come easy, but the middle gets us stuck. Janice Hardy gives tips on what to do when you hit a wall in your story; and Janalyn Voigt gives 7 steps to writing a story in scenes.

Characters carry your story. Roni Loren explains how to create sympathetic characters, while Chuck Wendig lists 25 reasons he hates your main character. Hallie Ephron details how to write effective supporting characters, and Valerie Comer gives 10 questions for authors to ask their characters.

Getting feedback is a vital part of improving your craft. Ava Jae explains why tough critiques excite her, and Adventures in YA & Children’s Publishing discusses the Art of taking criticism.

Productivity and creativity are keys to writing success. Kristin Lamb suggests identifying and strengthening your weaknesses in order to be more productive; Jami Gold asks what stories “won’t” you write, which helps define your brand and style; Kevin Hanrahan explains what NOT to do when you’re writing a novel; and John Cleese lists 5 factors to make your life more creative.

Tim Kane describes how to make writing your number one priority, while Julie Butcher Fedynich lays out a 10 step program for more writing time.

Persistence is necessary for success in the publishing industry. Gina Conroy vows to persist until she succeeds; Jody Hedlund explains how to cling to hope when insecurities taunt us; Jill Kemerer urges us to always dream; but Julie A. Lindsey advises not to quit your day job prematurely.

BUSINESS

Of course, the big news is still the Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit against Apple and Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Group, HarperCollins and Macmillan. Writer Beware gives an overview of the lawsuit and settlement, while Maureen Johnson makes it simple for those confused by the whole thing. Apple’s reaction to the lawsuit was equally simple—just four sentences. Jason Boog at GalleyCat wonders if settling or fighting is the best strategy, while John Scalzi decries those consumers who over-simplify the debate into an “us vs. them” dilemma.

Agent Jane Dystel asks, “Is the DOJ’s suit good for authors?”, while Nathan Bransford ponders on what the book world will look like after the DOJ lawsuit. Charlie Stross talks about Amazon’s role in all of this, and the future of DRM on ebooks, while the New York Times wonders what happens if every major publisher pulls their books from Amazon.

The whole crux of this tangle is ebook pricing. Nathan Bransford details why ebooks costs so much; Keith DeCandido explains why they SHOULD cost so much; and Melissa Foster reveals that indie authors are debating if ebooks are too cheap at 99 cents.

Jane Friedman lists books, blogs, and posts to help envision the future of reading, and Chuck Wendig prepares for the publishing doomsday everyone keeps predicting.

Agents have been posting a great deal of good advice on many topics this week. Michael Bourret and Molly O’Neill wrap up their 3-part series “Everything you wanted to know about Middle Grade.” Agent Joe Monti on what diversity in YA means to him. Michelle Krys continues her YA/MG literary agent series with an interview of agent Hannah Bowman of Liza Dawson Associates Literary Agency and Kerry Sparks of Levine Greenberg. Michelle Wolfson advises how to bounce back from a bad first book, and Rachelle Gardner explains how to identify your novel’s genre.

Jane Friedman gives a primer on writing and publishing terminology; Writer’s Relief lists 10 ways to boost your odds of an acceptance; and Marcy Kennedy lets us in on 4 secrets about writer’s conference faculty.

Once your book is out, it’s all about the marketing—and in this age that means social media. Jan Bear describes 6 ways that novelists can use target marketing; Tonya Kappes advises on how to fall in love with your blog all over again; J.A. Bennett warns that big blog stats don’t always mean that you are connecting with the right people; and audio book powerhouse Audible rewards authors (with money!) for using social media to promote.

THE UNIQUE SHELF

Brent Cox explores the lives of 8 women writers from different times as they tried to make it in New York City—and what it cost them monetarily and otherwise.

Charts and lists can be fun! Brenna Clarke Gray wonders what would (insert YA heroine’s name here) do? in certain mundane “real life” situations (with flow charts), and io9.com has amassed charts of fictional characters’ birthdays. What fictional character do you share a birthday with?

The National Library of Ireland is publishing a major collection of James Joyce manuscripts on the web for free—but this is not without its controversy.

Meanwhile, the oldest book in Europe, the seventh century St. Cuthbert Gospel (so called because it was found in the Saint’s coffin in 1104), has been acquired by the British Library.

A young fan sends Roald Dahl an unusual gift—and his lovely response is reprinted in this post “Thank you for the dream you sent me.”

That’s the Top Picks for this week!

Whether it be books or movies, questioning the leaps of faith that we in the audience are asked to make if we are to be convinced that the storyline is realistic is inevitable.  It is certainly one of the most popular discussions of any book or movie when people are debating if a certain scene could have really happened or not.

It occurred to me that an author has to have a good balance regarding this topic.  One of my favorite authors, Dan Brown, always seems to have a couple of scenes in every book that are so fantastic or amazing that it stretches the imagination.  And it works.  In my opinion, his books are mini-movies, and the pages practically turn themselves.  A fantastic scene that stretches the imagination is acceptable to me as long as it isn’t over done throughout the book. 

The same thing goes for movies, although I think movies can feature a little more artistic license with regard to this topic.  The Indiana Jones movies are a perfect example of this.  It might be incredulous that Indiana Jones was able to do some of the feats that he did throughout those movies.  And yet we all love them as audience viewers.

I think it’s important to look for that fine line of balance as I look over the novel I’m writing.  Keeping it real and moving quickly while I’m looking for that opportunity to have something amazing happen.  Stretching the reader’s imagination isn’t a bad thing.  As long as it isn’t over done.

Another topic I’ve been thinking of recently is details.  Specifically, the details of the protagonist (and other characters) as they go through the book.  My favorite authors put me in the book, and I can experience what the protagonist is doing.  Even if they’re multitasking.  Kim Harrison does this in the Hollows Series with Rachel Morgan.  Rachel will be mixing a witch’s spell in her kitchen while either having a conversation with someone else or thinking to herself.  I can picture the kitchen like I’ve pictured my own, because Kim puts me there.  And the steps in mixing the spell are as detailed as if I’m making banana cake in my own kitchen.  So much so, that I wonder what baking recipe Kim was thinking about when she writes those scenes.  Conversations with other characters are a plus because she goes back and forth between mixing the individual ingredients of the spell and continuing the conversation.  These are characteristics I want in my writing.

Last, a topic I’ve thought about frequently is when the protagonist is in trouble so deeply that I as a reader get annoyed.  Like getting pushed around or bullied, or even just unfairly blamed for a crime they didn’t commit.  There have been times where that has been agonizing for me as a reader, and yet I notice that it’s an effective method to keep me turning those pages so I can see how it turns out.  I want to see that protagonist vindicated even a little bit.  This is hard to do as an author, but necessary to keep the characters real.

Congratulations to friend of the blog Jonathan Maberry on the release of his latest Joe Ledger novel, ASSASSIN’S CODE and on winning the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel for his YA novel DUST AND DECAY.

The 10 Greatest Lessons From Einstein.

Because it’s tax season, Andrew Chapman writes a 2-part post on being a tax-wise author/writer. 

Neil Gaiman interviews Stephen King. What more can you ask for?

CRAFT

Openings are crucial, and can drive a writer crazy. Adventures in YA & Children’s Publishing lists questions to ask when writing your opening to make things easier. But sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you end up with a false start that splutters dead before 10,000 words. Rusty Fischer explains why these “starter WIPs” are often gems in disguise.

Once we get writing, there are a ton of specific writing elements we need to deal with. Stina Lindenblatt talks about subtext; Brian A. Klems deals with flashback; Rayne Hall shows how a simple door can raise suspense; and Roseann Biederman explains how to write effective dialogue.

Then you have the characters. Marcy Kennedy shows how to make strong female characters likeable, while The Blue Stocking blog handles the many types of choices your characters face.

Kait Nolan explains what paranormal means, and what paranormal elements you can use to spice up any genre. And if you ever wanted to know how to cover up a murder, Brainz has the answer.

After you’ve mastered all those pesky story elements, the final edit awaits. Roz Morris tells what she looks for in her final edits, and asks what you look for in yours. Nicole Steinhaus reminds us to get rid of passive sentences. Many writers also edit for other people, so Nathan Bransford offers 10 Commandments for editing someone else’s work.

The writer’s life is a little nuts. We all know this. Yet we embrace it. C.S. Lakin asks “Am I crazy or what?” And we all know how hard this life can be, so Nick Thacker explains why it’s okay to be naïve. To prove that it can be done, Chuck Wendig tells us how to be a full-time writer.

Creativity is a prerequisite of writing. Ollin Morales lists 4 ways to hack into your mind and become more creative; Tim Kane shows how to trick writer’s block and get back to writing; Jennifer Chase gives tips for boosting creativity; and Chet Cunningham explain why every writer needs a read and critique group.

For those writers who write short, Kurt Vonnegat gives 8 essential tips for short story writing, and for those who write long, Elizabeth S. Craig advises how not to be overwhelmed by the long process of writing a book.

Kelly Jensen gives the run-down on YA books on the big screen, while Paul Anthony Shortt talks about what we can learn about book writing from movie writing.

The road to publication is full of highs and lows, and even getting published doesn’t put an end to the roller coaster. Tonya Kappes advises how to write through the emotional baggage, and Julie A. Lindsey gives us 5 reasons to celebrate rejection. Meanwhile, Julie Musil explores the connection between publication and “being enough,” and Jody Hedlund talks about what to do when you offend or disappoint a reader—because it’s impossible to please everyone.

Dear Editor answers the question: Can I query agents before my manuscript is done? Tim Kane warns against the urge to submit substandard work, and Jane Lebak tames the dreaded synopsis, often the companion of the equally dreaded query.

BUSINESS

Of course, all eyes are still on the Department of Justice investigation of collusion over agency pricing. The latest news is that the DOJ has settled with Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster. Aplle, Penguin, and Macmillan chose to fight on, and Macmillan CEO John Sargent explains why they are not settling. Meanwhile, Smashwords weighs in, saying agency pricing brings lower prices for consumers and higher income for authors.

Amazon is once again at odds with the Big 6 publishers. Laura Hazard Owens explains why some Big 6 publishers are not signing the new annual contract with Amazon. In the UK, Tim Waterstone blasts Amazon, warning that Amazon will destroy Britain’s book industry unless it can be made to play by the same rules as other book sellers.

Larsen Pomada Literary Agency has two new agents seeking submissions: Kat Salazar and Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, better known as YA blogger Bookalicious.

And if you choose to bypass the agent and self-publish, Publishing A Book is an Adventure has 5 steps to follow before self-publishing.

THE UNIQUE SHELF

A new trove of unedited German fairy tales shows just how much the Grimm brothers edited their tales to fit the moral (and very sexist) climate of their times.

The New York Public Library is going to digitize collections that include papers from George Washington, Henry David Thoreau, and Mark Twain, among others.

Medieval Illuminators is a website dedicated to reconstruction, study and practice of original techniques and technologies of medieval book art. Fascinating stuff!

That’s it for this week!