Writers in the Storm

All of us at WITS try to stay abreast of the latest and greatest in the writing industry whether it's craft related, inspiration or Industry related. To start the new year off right, we're sharing some of our favorite websites, articles and blogs. Enjoy.

From Sharla Rae

What We’ll See In 2013 In Digital Media

5 Reasons Novelists Should Write Short Stories

Rethinking book marketing and its organization in the big houses

Agree or disagree, this site always lists some great articles on writing and the writing market so although we’ve posted it before, I’m listing it again: The Passive Voice

Here at WITS Orly just did a blog about Beta readers. The following blog is about Mathew Turner who wrote a book about women and how he used beta readers to aid his insight. Male Authors, Discover Your Feminine Side

Need edit help. Here’s a new one and it’s color coded! Plug in your writing. It shows adverbs, passive voice, sentences ending a preposition, misspelling, cliches and more! Edit Minion.

From Laura Drake

Tormented By Toothless Writing goals? Try These.

Amazon is Ripe for Disruption

Three Lessons From Writing A Thriller Heroine

From Fae Rowen

http://janefriedman.com/  A treasure trove website with tips for writers

www.StoryMastery.com  Michael Hauge's website with writing advice and special offers

http://storyfix.com  Larry Brooks's website with blogs, articles and tips for writers

From Orly Konig-Lopez

How to Write a Synopsis by Nathan Bransford

I'm still looking for the "debut" title, but this post by the Roni Loren, From Debut to Multi-Published: What I've Learned in My 1st Year as a Published Author, has great advice

The 7 Rules of Picking Names for Fictional Characters

Character Emotion: Is It Written All Over Their Face?

How Long Should You Keep Trying to Get Published?

From Jenny Hansen

If you are looking for a ton of great writing advice all in one spot, I highly recommend Gene Lempp's Saturday Blog Treasures and Reetta Raitanen's Link Feasts. These two are my undisputed king and queen of mash-ups. :-)

From the NaNoWriMo blog ~ How To Write the "Impossible"

Funniest breakdown of what's wrong in 50 Shades of Grey that I have EVER seen!

The Five Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes by Writers Write

And finally, J.A. Konrath's New Year's resolutions for writers fascinate me. He's got them lined up from 2006 to the present in this post. Watching the market progression from year to year is...WOW.

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Happy New Year, from all of us here at Writers In The Storm!

That's twenty-three links from us...What sites have made your writerly heart lately?

Posted by Orly Konig-Lopez

You finished your Work in Progress. Now what?

If you’re anything like me, you promptly get moody and restless. After all, we’ve just spent months living with our characters, immersed in their lives and talking to them more than family members think normal.

Suddenly we’re done. The End.

You turn on your computer and stare. You file away manuscript drafts and brainstorming notebooks and feel empty. You think about what to do next and it feels hopeless.

That, my friends, is Post Manuscript Syndrome.

You’ll get mixed advice on dealing with it:

Some will tell you to jump into a project immediately.

Others will say to give yourself a break from writing and catch up on that mountain of laundry or clean out your writing space or, here’s a fun little concept, start exercising again.

Yet another group of helpful writer types will suggest to go back to basics and read a book or two on craft or attend a workshop.

All good advice. And none works well for me. Why? Because I also suffer from Pre Manuscript Syndrome.

I’m just not patient enough to hang out and read and think and plan. I need a WIP. (Okay folks, crack the jokes now … ready to continue?)

So I lasso one of the ideas bouncing around in my head and try to tame it.

For me that usually means:

• A sentence or two for the preliminary elevator pitch
• What my main character’s internal and external conflicts are
• Twenty things that will have to happen to my main character during the book (it can be anything from getting a puppy to meeting a new neighbor to conquering a fear or discovering a life altering secret)

Some ideas are ready to be domesticated and the pieces come together easily. The moodiness quickly gives way to excitement and the restlessness settles into determination.

Others dodge every attempt and continue to flit around. Moodiness turns to crankiness. And that’s usually when my husband rolls his eyes and tosses my Writer’s Block sweatshirt at me.

If one idea won’t cooperate though, I’ll try another. I’ve been lucky so far. My Pre manuscript Syndrome episodes have all been short. And relatively painless (for me at least).

How do you transition from one writing project to another? And how do you get that next project moving?

Writers In The Storm welcomes back literary lawyer, Susan Spann with her next installment of her blog series on the author's business plan.

By Susan Spann

Thank you for joining me again on our trek through writing an author business plan!

Last month’s installment looked at The Three Stages of Author Marketing. Now, as 2012 draws to a close, we’re moving on to Competitive Analysis - the fourth section of the author business plan.

“Competitive Analysis” means examining your work and comparing it to similar books in the marketplace.

When comparing, look for your strengths and weaknesses. Once you’ve identified them (and all books do have both), brainstorm ways to enhance your strong points and minimize the reasons a buyer would bypass your book in favor of another.

Let’s talk about how to do it.

Step 1: Identify similar works.

As an author, you need to read widely, both within your genre and outside it. By the time you finish your book, you should know (and have read) many books by authors in your category or genre. Think about how your book compares to the others. Take notes.

Go to a bookstore. Where will your book be shelved? Look at the other books on and around that shelf (and in that section of the bookstore). Who wrote them? Do you know those works and their authors’ styles? If not, get a sampling and read. (Take a list to the library if you don’t want to buy.)

Look up those books on Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/) and other review sites. Learn what readers are saying about them – and why.

Step 2: Compare your book to comparable works.

Ask yourself: Why will (or should) readers want your book instead of or in addition to similar works? What might keep a reader from choosing your book instead of another one in the genre? Why might fans of a certain author like your books too?

You can see that it helps to be widely read. If you don’t know that James Rollins writes thrillers with a historical and/or supernatural twist, or that Laura Joh Rowland’s mystery novels feature a samurai policeman who solves crimes in medieval Edo (Tokyo), you won’t know how your work compares, or whether their fans might also enjoy your book.

Step 3: Analyze similar works to learn how and why they sell.

Word of mouth sells more novels than any other advertising method. Your fans are your greatest (and most important) resource. Never underestimate the importance – or the value and honor – of someone shelling out hard-earned money to read your work. That is a gift, and smart authors never forget it.

But you have to get the word out for readers to find you – and research helps here too. How do authors of similar works advertise their books and spread the word? Some may have advertising budgets and publisher support that you don’t have, but that’s no reason to despair. Pay attention to the ways effective authors use Twitter, Facebook, and public appearances. Go to their signings. See how they interact with people, and evaluate the effectiveness of those interactions.

Remember: Imitate only good behaviors, never nasty ones.

Step 4: Brainstorm strategies to maximize your advantages and minimize your weaknesses.

Some Ideas:

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  Interact on social media with other authors, industry professionals, bloggers and fans. This means real interaction – not automated tweets telling people to buy or advertising your book. Some advertising is OK, but taking an active part in conversations is FAR more effective. Stuck for ideas? Check the #amwriting hashtag and start encouraging other authors – you may be surprised how quickly friendships form!
  
  
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  Partner with other authors for signings, blogging, and other events. We are stronger in numbers than alone, and for many authors “nobody knows me” is the book’s biggest weakness.
  
  
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  Stay positive and encouraging – always – and don’t treat other people (or their efforts) with negativity or scorn. Everyone loves an encourager, but people shy away from criticism. A positive nature is an enormous strength!
  
  

Step 5: Keep track of your notes – and act on them!

Collect your notes in a binder or other place where you can find them for reference purposes. Cross-reference your ideas and analysis with your marketing plan. Remember: the best ideas only become effective when you use them!

Do you have other ideas about successfully overcoming weaknesses and using your strengths? Please let me know in the comments – it’s great to hear your thoughts!

About Susan

Susan Spann is a publishing attorney and author from Sacramento, California. Her debut mystery novel, CLAWS OF THE CAT (Thomas Dunne Books, July 2013), is the first in a series featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori. Susan blogs about writing, publishing law and seahorses at http://www.SusanSpann.com. Find her on Twitter @SusanSpann or on Facebook.