Links Around the Web

• The ever eloquent Sara Zarr has a wonderful post on how she is inspired by failure: In a way, “failure” is just another word for “the journey,” for not being there yet but on the way. It’s the road we walk on to get wherever it is we’re trying to go.
  
  
• Author Veronica Roth talks about how she writes out of order: The most common objection to writing out of order is that it will get too confusing. Understandable-- but not necessarily true.
  
  
• Agent Mary Kole answers the question many of us wonder, do fiction writers need platform? Fiction lives and dies by the manuscript itself, unless you’re famous.
  
  
• Author Kat Zhang gives us insights on how she makes time for writing in college: I figure out when I write best and try to free up those times.
  
  
• Does your story need a jump? Author Janice Hardy has an excellent post on the 4 ways to fix a stalled story: If you’re facing a stalled scene or story, ask yourself: 1. Are there plausible and strong motivations for your protag to be doing what the plot requires them to??
  
  
• Janice Hardy also details on making betrayals in story unpredictable: [Betrayal is] a great and unexpected thing to do. But lately, I’ve been seeing the unexpected betrayal everywhere. It’s gotten so bad it’s verging on cliché. Instead if surprising me, I’m playing the “I wonder which one of these allies will turn on the hero in the third act?” game. I know it’s gonna happen. And more times than not, it does.
  
  
• Slightly late (on my part), but if you're doing NaNo, it's worth it to check out this series of posts by author Alexandra Sokoloff.

I hope you find these links helpful. Happy Wednesday! Just two more days until Friday! :)

Links Around the Web

ON WRITING:

• Author Erin Bowman has a great post on the two different types of cliffhangers:
  
  
• Agent Mary Kole advises writers to keep a balance of action and information: Imagine scales in your head. On one end is action: what keeps plot driving forward and teaches us about character as our fictional people advance through the present moments of the story. On the other end is information: what gives us context about the fictional world and also fleshes out the characters we’ve created with need-to-know tidbits that exist outside the present moment.
  
  
• According to Marina, it can be very easy for authors to change too much of their manuscripts based on critiques, so it's important to maintain your voice and write something only you can write: It's such a fine line. Trusting yourself versus trusting what critique partners, or agents, or experts have to say.
  
  
• Keeping the reader reading is perhaps the most important function of writing fiction. Author Lydia Sharp has some great tips on engaging the reader: What is it that keeps you reading? That is one of the toughest questions to answer because everything about storytelling is highly subjective.
  
  
• To plot or not to plot is a great series of posts on plotting by Ingrid Sundberg.
  
  
• Adventures in Children's Publishing has a wonderful post on seven character types that build your story: A Foil: A human or non-human mirror used to reflect and illuminate specific aspects of another character's traits.
  
  
• Author Veronica Roth gives us a fascinating look into how she revised INSURGENT.

Links Around the Web

I apologize for the lack of Friday Fives last week. That was entirely my fault. Friday Fives will definitely be back this week -- with the topic: What are your top FIVE ideal writing locations? (Bonus points: if you include pictures!).

And here are some writing links for today:

• Have you wondered whether that one prologue in your manuscript should be there? Agent Mary Kole weighs in on prologues: A lot of writers lean on prologues because they don’t know how to otherwise make their beginnings exciting.
  
  
• What do you think is a writer's main objective? For Agent Mary Kole, it's to make your reader feel: Whenever I speak about queries at conferences, I always have one request: Make me care. This is the same idea. I want to feel my interest piqued with the query. I want to feel something, even if it’s just a stirring of feeling or concern or nervousness or longing. Most queries fail to elicit even one feeling (other than boredom).
  
  
• Two agents, Sarah Davies and Julia Churchill hosts a series of Q&A with great responses: Above all, I want to submit manuscripts that are well structured and satisfying, and a strong ending - whatever unique form it takes - will be part of that.
  
  
• Author Juliette Wade has a great post on how point of view and characterization means divorcing from yourself: Really I don't think characterization, point of view, and worldbuilding can be separated from one another. They are all deeply inter-related. Your character has to "come across" to readers in a particular way within the context of your world.
  
  
• Sometimes, by going out of their way to avoid certain words or phrases, writers can take things to the other end of the extreme. Janice Hardy has a fantastic post on the awkward things we do to avoid certain words: To avoid things we’ve been told not to do, we sometimes perform writing gymnastics that strain our creative muscles. Instead of making a sentence better, we mess it up. Adding words when we ought to be trimming them out.

Links Around the Web

On Writing

• R.L. LaFevers of Shrinking Violet Promotions has a 2-post series on the art of revisions: Macro and Micro Revisions.
  
  
• Ingrid Sundburg shares with us 14 fabulous and fun take-aways from SCBWI's 40th conference. My favorite is #10: “The number one element I see missing in manuscripts today is not enough interior monologue.” – Editor Krista Marino
  
  
• Writers are often told to trust your instincts. But how do you know if your instinct is right? Author Janice Hardy has a great blog post about it.
  
  
• Do your characters "realize" too much? Steph Sinkhorn has a few advice on how to avoid that trap.

On Publishing

• Do you dread the evil synopsis more than you do the novel itself? Yeah, me too. Sara Goldberg has a great post with tips on the evil synopsis.
  
  
• Does writing queries leave you anxious and scared? Agent Sarah Davies gives advice on query writing for the anxious.
  
  
• If you know a book is sold for 7 figures, do you read it with higher expectations? If publishers know this, why do they still disclose the advance level on PM? Alexandra Bracken has some great thoughts on this.

Do you have any awesome links you'd like to share? :)

Links Around the Web

Agent Mary Kole talks about writing the first line, one that needs to be both powerful and particular to your novel:

It’s a strong line, but is it your first line? A distinctive, specific first line that can only be the first line to your book and no other? That’s what I think you should be shooting for.

Are you guilty of the 4 writing crutches that insult the reader's intelligence, as mentioned by Kristen Lamb?

One of the reasons I am such a Nazi when it comes to adverbs it that they are notorious culprits for stating the obvious. “She smiled happily.” Um, yeah. “He yelled loudly.” As opposed to yelling softly? To be blunt, most adverbs are superfluous and weaken the writing. Find the strongest verb and then leave it alone.

Author Janice Hardy, who is always full of great advice, talks about manipulating your readers for better plot:

Just because we know what happens in a scene, doesn’t mean we can’t fake out the reader and make them think something else might happen.

Author Martha Anderson has a great series of videos on how to plot your book.

The INTERN analyzes how THE HUNGER GAMES works:

You can try this experiment yourself with any book you admire. What is the author DOING at any given moment? What purpose does each sentence achieve? Do any of the patterns suggested by this experiment hold true for other chapters in other books? Which other patterns can you find? What's the visual ratio of description to internal narrative to conflict?

How do you know when to show or tell? Martina has a wonderful post on balancing between the two:

"Show, don't tell" is probably the most common advice given to writers. But that's not the whole story.

Do you know what narrative distance is? Bluestocking has several great advice on how to reduce the distance:

Making sentences as active and immediate as possible, except when passive is appropriate (ex. when something is being done to my viewpoint character).

Agents are always on the look out for high concept novels, but what is "high concept"?

The purpose of a high concept is to succinctly deliver your ideas to an editor or agent, but what is it exactly? There are five central components to the high concept. 1) It’s different. 2) It’s universal. 3) It has instant emotional appeal. 4) You can immediately visualize the entire story. (This means inherent conflict) 5) It can be stated in one sentence.

Links Around the Web

ON WRITING:

How do you differentiate between Good Telling and Bad Telling? Agent Mary Kole has several examples:

Bad telling deals with you just stating a fact about your character and then taking all the fun out of reading for your audience. Good telling involves using story context and, more importantly, interiority, to paint a three-dimensional picture where you make your reader feel like a savvy part of the story experience, but you don’t exclude them from participating, either.

Self-editing is critically important. Author Alexis Grant details 10 ways to tighten your manuscript:

So watch for these 10 words and phrases as you edit your work. Get rid of them, and your copy will shine.

As always, the fabulous author Janice Hardy (seriously, if you aren't following her blog, you totally should!) has great advice on Actions vs Choices -- or how to craft better plots:

When plotting, we often know what happens, but if we look at it as a choice, we can shift the focus to something more plot advancing and suspenseful.

Author Jennifer Crusie has a great post on structure: linear vs. patterned:

The important thing about structure in storytelling is that you have one. It doesn’t really matter what plan you choose, just have a damn plan. Any plan.

ON PUBLISHING:

The first pages of your manuscript are even more important than the query. Agent Kate Schafer Testerman answers what turns her off the manuscript:

When I’m looking at the first couple of pages, I’m usually wary about rookie mistakes — main characters waking up, especially on their birthdays, looking in the mirror to describe themselves, complaining about how ordinary or boring their life is. If you’ve avoided that, I don’t so much as think about things that will get me to say no, as what can you show me to make me say yes.

Each agent's taste and preference are different. Agent Vicki Motter answers questions about what lead her to reject queries and partials:

Not always an instant deal breaker, however, using cliches aren't going to get you far. "Fateful night" is one that gets under my saddle and chaffs.

Links Around the Web

Revising can be difficult for a lot of writers. Agent Natalie Fischer posts on how to successfully revise:

Revision should be a RE-IMAGINING of your work as a whole - not individual bits and pieces. It isn't a process of "receive notes and execute," but rather a process of "receive notes, mull, brainstorm, tweak, and execute."

How do you make your first page shine? Ingrid Sundberg writes up a summary of bestselling author Rachel Cohn's 5 things to look for in your opening pages, with examples:

1) Voice 2) Tone 3) World 4) The Plot 5) Conflict

Do you have trouble identifying POV shifts in your manuscript? Author Janice Hardy gives examples of different POV shifts and how to avoid them:

A point of view shift is when a POV character conveys something to the reader the POVB character couldn’t possibly know.

Have you ever thought of your book's emotional point? Editor Cheryl Klein explains what emotional point and pattern are:

Actually, I think novels (literary fiction, anyway) should have both Thematic and Emotional Points -- a philosophical thought or idea or question driving the book (a question answered through its events), its intellectual heart; and then the emotional heart, which should be the Emotional Point.

The often touted advice is to Show, Don't Tell. However, sometimes, telling is necessary. Author Jody Hedlund gives advice on how to strike the balance between showing and telling:

Find a balance. Don't fall into the mistake of over-telling. But also, don't go to the opposite extreme of under-telling. Look for ways to make your book a book (not a movie), but a book that modern readers will enjoy.

The age-old question: Story vs. Craft. Which one's better? Agent Rachelle Gardner talks about both:

Of course, the two elements are intertwined, but it's helpful to artificially separate them, in order to understand why a book is either working—or not.

Links Around the Web

ON WRITING —

"Show, Don't Tell" is one of the most often touted writing advice. But it can be difficult to execute, because the line between the two can be very slippery. Agent Mary Kole gives examples of one method of telling that isn't apparent at first glance -- atmospheric telling:

Telling your readers about characters or atmosphere in your work is taking away their agency, their participation in the story. Plus, it’s just plain lazy. Really good writing is hard work, and telling is an instant shortcut, but it doesn’t fly with me.

Should you or should you not write a prologue? Agent Sarah LaPolla has a detailed post on why she dislikes prologues:

The necessity of prologues are greatly exaggerated. For each of the above intentions, there is an argument against them. Remember I speak only for myself on this blog, and not for all agents, or even my own agency. If you are 100% convinced that your prologue is necessary, then good for you for having confidence. Send it to every agent in the book. But, consider the following rebuttals before sending it to me...

Writers are often advised to begin a novel with action. However, Author Jodi Meadows believes that it's better to start with a change:

One of my very favorite pieces of writing advice is "start with a change." Since receiving that, writing beginnings has been a lot easier. I almost (almost) always know where to start the story. All I have to do (haha) is figure out which event knocks the entire story into motion.

Though I read for the story, beautiful sentences never fail to take my breath away. Kip Wilson Rechea says to zingers to your writing:

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got about writing came from the brilliant Markus Zusak, author of THE BOOK THIEF and THE MESSENGER. At a small SCBWI conference in Munich, Germany, he told the crowd: “Try to have a gem on every page.”

ON PUBLISHING —

"What's the trend?" is the question many writers ask publishing pros. Agent Mandy Hubbard has an epic post on the current trends in MG & YA:

The YA market is definitely competitive—a lot of really amazing material out there, and a lot of really talented writers. That said, it was really refreshing to hear the huge diversity in what is being published, and what editors want to see.

Most writers, published and unpublished, dream of receiving 6-figure advances. However, when broken down, those numbers are not as luxurious as you might have imagined. Agent Mandy Hubbard details how much an author would make in 4 years with a $500,000 / 3-book deal:

So here's how it looks at the end of the day, if you get a seemingly ENORMOUS $501,000 book deal:
Year of book deal: $120K net Year 2: 60K net Year 3: 60K net Year 4: 30k net.
It's good money, but with no stability, no health insurance, and no benefits.

Links Around the Web

On Writing —

Pacing can be one of the most difficult things to get right in a novel. Bestseller author Kiersten White has some advice on it:

Cut out the first chapter. I heard Cassie Clare talking about this on her book tour, and it's so true. The first chapter of the first draft is for the writer, not the reader. You're figuring out the voice and setting up the world/character for yourself. Most of the time (at least this was true with many of my early books) the story doesn't really start until chapter two.

This probably won't be of interest to anybody but me; however, if you're writing a time-travelling novel, here are some ways that won't make a physicist cringe:

3) You can’t kill your own grandfather.

Agent Kristin Nelson shares with us the top 10 writing mechanics problems she often sees in workshops:

1. Telling instead of showing. 2. Including unnecessary back story. 3. Loose sentence structure that could easily be tightened

On Publishing —

The query letter is one of the hardest things to get right. Agent Mary Kole shares with us the one right way to write a query... or not:

Here’s my take on it: the writing sample is so much more important than the query. The query is a 250 or so word cover letter that is meant to introduce the agent to a writer’s premise and qualifications in a snappy, enticing way. That’s all.

Many writers dream of receiving The Call. But what comes afterwards? What should you ask when talking to your dream agent? Agent Vickie Motter has some advice for writers:

Time Line: how long do you foresee edits taking and when are you expecting to be able to pitch?

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

Publishing Around the Web

Welcome to Wednesday's first edition of Publishing Around the Web, where we bring you selected tips from publishing industry pros scattered online. We hope you'll find them useful!

On Writing —

As writers, we are all aware of the importance of that critical first line. Former agent Nathan Bransford advises us to incorporate that great first line into the story:

In order for a pithy or clever first line to work for me, the most important thing is that it fits naturally into the flow of the opening. It's not a non sequitor, it's not out of step with what the main character is thinking or feeling at that moment, it doesn't just exist for the sake of being clever, it doesn't feel forced...

Do you write in first person? Agent Mary Kole warns against third person-style narration in first person:

Imagine you’re telling an anecdote to your friends. You’ve got them wrapped around your finger as you’re describing a scene, say, the last time you were thrown a surprise party. Do you say, about yourself, “My gaze shifted to the corner and my mouth dropped open to discover Uncle Eddie wearing a party hat”?

Agent Natalie Fischer weighs on the differences between Adult and YA:

What determines YA is VOICE.

On Querying & Agents —

Agent Mary Kole also gives us, from her boss, the best query quote/advice ever:

A query letter is like the perfect skirt: long enough to cover everything but short enough to be exciting.

Agent Rachelle Gardner has a excellent series of Myth Busting about getting published, agents, and marketing & more!

And the biggest myth of all: "Becoming a published author is a pipe-dream that will never come true."

On Publishing —

It's always a good thing to know about your book's rights -- and agent Sarah Davies gives us a great >seminar on rights:

When I look at a book, I see two things. 1) A story that is also a work of art. 2) A bundle of very diverse rights.

With the increasingly larger e-book market, former agent Nathan Bransford expounds on why some e-books cost more than hardcovers:

But the biggest problem, as that Reddit discussion illustrates, is that it creates a great deal of consumer confusion and angst. It doesn't make any intuitive sense for e-books to cost more than paper.

Also, the prompt for this week's Friday Flash Fiction is: In 300 words or less, write a story beginning with the cliche, "Another one bites the dust."

I hope you'll all join us this Friday. Happy writing!

—Emy