Links Around the Web

On Writing —

Novels are made up of discrete units of scenes. How do you know when you need to rewrite a scene? The INTERN has 10 tips for you:

Your scene is not a scene if nothing has changed by the end of it.
Your scene is not a scene if there was no internal or external conflict, no matter how subtle...
Basically, your scene is not a scene.

Do you want to try outlining but don't know how? Author Aprilynne Pike has an excellent post on how to make a short outline for your novel:

1. Draw a big timeline long enough for 60 ticks.
2. Mark a tick about 5 ticks from the beginning for your inciting incident...

All artists are, in essence, stealers of ideas. Do you know how to steal like an artist?

Every artist gets asked the question, “Where do you get your ideas?”

The honest artist answers, “I steal them.”

Do you want to write but can never seem to make the time to? Author Erin Bow advises to just do it:

If writing is your dream, your passion, you will find the time. You will make it and then you will use it wisely. Because only you are in control of how you spend the time you carve out of your busy day. Only you are in control of your dreams.

Last but not least, Agent Donald Maass has been giving away writing prompts on on twitter, some of which are amazing (and all of which have been compiled here:

#1. What's the worst thing your MC does? Whom and how does that hurt? Now work backwards, set it up to hurt even more.

#18. Give your MC passionate feelings about something trivial: e.g., cappuccino, bowling, argyle socks. Write his/her rant. Add it.

#26. Whom is your MC afraid to let down? What is the sacred trust between them? What would cause your MC to break it? Break it.

I hope you find these links helpful!

—Emy