Welcome to the first Top Picks Thursday of May! It’s a shorter link list this week, but that just means you have more time to savor each entry.
The writing world can be cutthroat. Nora Roberts is suing the Brazilian writer who allegedly plagiarized her work, while Victoria Strauss warns writers to beware of award profiteers and how we can avoid them.
CRAFT
If you write personal essays, check out Tammy Delatorre’s article on how she won her third essay contest.
Plot, character, and voice all weave together to pull the reader into your story. Bridget McNulty has 4 ways to create tension in your story, Jami Gold examines the power of character arcs, and Dan Brotzel shares 9 ways to bring the funny in your fiction.
Once we get the words on the page, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Jami Gold wonders if it is better for the learning curve to revise or start fresh, Lisa Bubert discusses leaving your critique group, and Janet Reid has insight into the editorial letters from publishers.
Productivity is the holy grail of writing these days—getting more quality work out in less time. Meg Elison tells us how to write a book in 10 days, Kristina Adams explores what “write what you know” really means, Dave Tile explains how to write like an expert even when you’re not, and Diana Kelly Levey advises us to stop being a perfectionist—it’s hurting your freelance career.
BUSINESS
Productivity can make or break our career, but why is it so hard to achieve? Ruth Harris delves into the good news about the psychology of procrastination—and it’s not what we might think. Kristen Lamb joins in with 3 ways we sabotage our own success and how to change that.
We talk a lot about fiction on this blog, but what about non-fiction? Jami Gold helps us find our non-fiction voice, and once we’ve found it Janet Reid discusses querying for non-fiction.
In the digital world, David Kudler revisits all the online ebook conversion programs and rates them, while Ari Meghlen explains what the newest Facebook and Instagram changes mean for authors.
THE UNIQUE SHELF
We all sometimes suffer from reading burnout. Laura Marie tackles reading fatigue and reminds us that not every minute needs to be productive.
Looking for ways to help the people devastated by the California wildfires? Jason Boog follows one author who collected donations to help rebuild libraries in Paradise, California. The effort is ongoing, details in the article.
That’s it for this week’s Top Picks Thursday! Join us next week for more writerly links!
The Author Chronicles 
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