A great post on Scrivener

I love Scrivener. I find it amazingly useful and very friendly to use. I love how I can write different scenes and then move them around. It has features that just simply just make writing so much fun.

But it can be an intimidating program to use at first. So, I loved this post on how-to for those curious about Scrivener.

https://writersinthestormblog.com/2019/03/scrivener-split-screen-magic/

It’s in the site: Writers in the Storm, a great site for writers anywhere with great articles. If you’re at all interested in writing, check it out.

For authors

I spotted some really great resources for authors and I had to share them. Here they are, with a tiny explanation as to why they’re awesome.

1. How to query. This one is from Heather Webb an editor and writer herself, from Romance University. She tells you what to do and what to avoid in those so-important queries.
2. If you’re writing a query, you must start by finding an agent. You can look everywhere, or you can go to Agent Query. Truly the best site on the web for such a search. It’s not only the largest online but the most up to date.
3. If point number one only ended up terrifying you (which happened to me), then hang on and read these posts on the Fear of Writing from Kelly Leiter or try this one from the Tiny Buddha on how to transform Self-Criticism into Self-Appreciation!
4. Finally, if you’re shouting, great links, Taylor but I want more! Here’s a great resource site from Tina Hunter with tons of links. Her site rocks! Just check out this page filled with reviewers by genre!

Yeey links!

 

For writers

This one is for the writers out there. I’ve been in a writing slump for a while now and nothing helps me more than sending out a little love. I’ve collected some links that I hope will be helpful and written a bit about them so you can make that decision without too much effort. Hope you enjoy them.

1. Scrivener – This link is from Writers in the Storm and has 10 great features from this writing tool just for writers.

2. Scams – The web is a wonderful place but it can be dangerous too. Chris the Story Reading Ape (an incredible resource for writers) has this great reblog of sharks out there looking for unsuspecting writers. Check it out and avoid the scams.

3. Contests – If you’re running a contest Chris McMullen will give you free promotion as long as you let him know about it. And if you’re looking for a contest, look no further.

4. Pricing – Deciding on the best price for your book can be a nail-biting puzzle. You want to make a profit but you want it to sell. Is too cheap off-putting? What is the right price for you? The Sprint Shack has a great article on that subject with options pros and cons.

5. Self-Publishing – If you’re ready to self-publish, check out this post by Jeremiah Kleckner with tips for that very important step with thoughts, insight and great links.

6. Book Marketing – A huge thanks to Nicholas C. Rossis for doing the research so we don’t have to. In his awesome post, he lists the best places to promote your book.

Finally, a little humour to make you smile.

(credit: lebomokoena99.wordpress.com)

Those tempting blog stats

When I started blogging, I joined WordPress without knowing the difference between a blog and a website or what a header was. I found WordPress very user-friendly and it didn’t take me long to start posting my little thoughts to the world. It was awesome.

Then I found the stats page.

WordPress presents the amount of people that visit a blog in a neat graph with all sorts of stats from what country they came from to what post they liked. Any and all activities get recorded and counted as they happen. It’s not only incredibly informative, it’s very precise.

As a math nerd, I loved the stats page on sight. I went on the page over and over until it became an obsession. I knew checking that page over and over wasn’t a great idea but the temptation of knowing how many people had visited was too great and back to the graph I went.

I’ve always wanted to write for me, for the joy of it and because I enjoy it. The blog was an extension of that idea and checking those stats over and over changed that focus for me. I don’t want to write with the sole purpose of trying to generate traffic. I want to do it for the joy of sharing my two cents with the world.

So, I’m trying to stop.

I’m a big believer in ‘baby steps’, so I started by only checking the stats page once a week. A few months later and those graphs have already lost a lot of their attraction. I post but I don’t find out how ‘successful’ the post is until the weekend. By then, I’ve posted other things or I’m thinking about next week’s post and, slowly, my focus is changing.

How about you? Do those stats tempt you? Do you check them often or can you resist?

Posts I loved this week

This was a phenomenal week online. Everywhere I looked there was another outstanding post. As a result, this post is a little on the long side. Don’t look at me. You guys are the ones who produced these amazing gems! 🙂

A Writer’s Path has a great post on what to do if you’re stuck (like me) and have trouble writing (or editing). I found this post (and blog) via Steve Vernon who reblogged it, so he deserves the credit because the post is awesome. Check out this Writer’s Toolbox and see why.

A wonderfully uplifting post, Think Positive reminded me of just how difficult writing is for everyone, including the Greats. A huge thank you to Callum Mclaughlin for that wonderful post!

Much is said about trolls online. Here’s a wonderful post with confessions from a former troll with tips on how to deal with them and maintain your serenity. Learn from one who has been there on the fantastic blog 99u.

A huge congrats to Natacha Guyot for the release of her book ‘A Galaxy of Possibilities – Representation and Storytelling in Star Wars’. Long awaited, it looks awesome!

A wonderful blog with great writing and beautiful initiatives, Part Time Monster is one of my favourite blogs for good reason. Check out this post and see why.

A very exciting blog, Sourcerer now has new contributors and features. I, for one, never miss a post on this blog. And while you’re there, check out this book review by  Rebecca Bradley. Its the first of a series. Isn’t it awesome?

Sick of hearing bad news? Try this incredible true story by Suzie81 Speaks. And while you’re there, check out these hilarious posts: How to know when you’re a teacher and 21 ways to annoy your teacher or these blogging tips. This blog is awesome!!

Writeonsisters has a great post with tips for Authors on their site. And while you’re there, check out another amazing post this time on editing. Another incredible site!!

This one is reading at its best. I found Compassion in Action from The Qwiet Muse via Sourcerer in Twitter and I can’t thank him enough. What a lovely post and a wonderful blog! I love this quote: “sometimes we choose what to write, sometimes we write what chooses us.” I will definitely follow this one!

If you’re wondering about joining #1000Speak, check out this incredible post on the subject by Drifting through My Open Mind. Beautifully written, it’s inspirational. A huge thank you to Drifting Through for that wonderful post! And that’s not all on this wonderful project, Melissa Barker-Simpson has started these Monday Posts that are an amazing way to lead up to Feb 20th. And EVEN more great news, check out the blog that was born out of this idea, #1000Speak for Compassion. What an amazing demonstration of the goodness in humanity!

A huge congratulations to Crystin Goodwin for that awesome cover for her second book, Fire Blessed. I’m so pumped for this book!

For a laugh and sheer enjoyment, try this post by Inside The Life Of Moi. I laugh so hard at the posts on this blog!

Finally, a little quote from someone you might recognize.

(credit: viacharacterblog.org)

About Amy’s Courage

The second book of my series already has a title. Unfortunately, it has little else.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve written the book. But it’s a first draft and like all first drafts, it’s ugly. Really ugly.

I’ve been struggling with the editing. Really struggling. I kept opening up the draft, shuddering with horror and basically closing it again. I thought about settling and just doing a mediocre job but I hated doing that.

Then I read D. Emery’s excellent post Good News and Bad News, and I felt so validated. D. Emery writes about being stuck writing his second book, Darkness Revealed. He puts eloquently into words exactly what I feel.

“Darkness Revealed is much more obvious about the philosophy aspects, and that takes a lot of thinking to get right. I need to craft philosophical ways of thinking and explaining the situation behind the Darkening, and they need to be logically sound.

And I don’t have the mental capacity (and barely the time) to do that right now.

…I realize that’s a disappointment for the people eager to read the sequel, but as I said with my retrospective post, quality is first, quantity will come with time.”

He could go ahead and write a mediocre book but his integrity won’t let him and I admire that in him. In fact, that’s what I want for my book too.

D. Emery’s post gives me hope. I hope that, like he wrote, ‘quality first, quantity will come with time’. For a beginning writer like myself, hope is a wonderful thing.

A little break

I’ve been debating this for a while. I’ve thought of taking some time away from the blog during the holidays but then felt badly and changed my mind. Finally, today I finally decided to go and do it. Not easy to leave a blog even if it’s only for a couple of weeks because I like mucking about on it and chatting with people online (the people I’ve met are really, really nice).

Uncomfortable as it may be, this is something that might help me write more and certainly replenish my blogging batteries. Besides, it’s always good to try new things and experiment. So I’m taking the risk and doing it.

Wish me luck! (I hope I don’t cave and run back here crying like a four year old) And I’ll see you back on January 6th!

Weekend Edition – At the Intersection of Words and Life plus Good Reads and Writing Tips

A fantastic blog, Live to Write – Write to Live has great weekly posts and the Saturday version includes some awesome links!

Live to Write - Write to Live

At the Intersection of Words and Life

A winter landscape that provided the perfect backdrop for my writerly reflection.

I’ve noticed a theme emerging in my last few weekend edition posts. For whatever reason – where I am in my own writing journey, the usual end-of-year reflections, the muted desperation that seems to pervade the news these days – I find myself wanting to better understand how this writing thing fits into my life. I want to explore the “why” as much as the “how” and the “what.”

I am not questioning whether or not I should write. No matter what happens, I will always write. It is too much a part of who I am and too deeply embedded in how I experience the world. I may as well lose my sense of sight or hearing as lose my ability to write. Putting words down is how I give…

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Balance

I just read this wonderfully honest post by Crystin Goodwin and it really hit me, I spend more time working on my blog than I do on my WIP. Hm…

There’s a good possibility that the reason I’m not working on my book is not that my blog takes up my time. I could find more time for my WIP but I’m procrastinating because it’s editing and to quote a friend, my first draft is ‘eye searing’ bad. Reading it is actually painful.

But Crystin’s post brings up a great question, how do you balance writing on your book vs. writing on your blog? Should we post every day? Should we only post when we have high-quality posts? Should we write first and then blog?

I’d love to hear what works for you.

Posts I loved this week

A fantastic week for posts! From Banned Books Week to inspiration for more writing, here are some of the posts that I absolutely loved reading.

A great idea to free that inspirational muse in your mind, The Magic of Free Writing sounds like a wonderful exercise. A great post from The Write Practice.

A huge thank you to Winter Bayne for these inspirational posts on the very important topic of Banned Books Week. And to Part Time Monster for this very moving post on that same topic.

If you’re looking for witty, intelligent writing, I can’t recommend this blog highly enough. I Am Not The Batman is surprisingly insightful while keeping a great sense of humour. At the same time, it’s so well written, I couldn’t pick between the great choices of posts.

Along the same lines, inspiring you, Robin LaFevers advocates for doing nothing in her post: The Surprising Importance of Doing Nothing from Writer Unboxed.

A fantastic review site, Room With Books has moved here.

For some amazing photography, check out this post from That Montreal Girl.

Maggie Toussaint talks about pacing in her post: Pacing can Make or Break your Story in Romance University and while you’re there, check out this post by Maria McKenzie: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: The Art of Writing Dialogue.

A lovely recap of Episode 3 of Outlander, this post on Penny Dreadful Book Reviews made me sigh. What a lovely series!

If We Were Having Coffee are hands down some of my favourite posts. Sensitive, gentle and intimate, they let me see what someone else’s week has been like. Here’s a lovely example of one of these great posts by Gene’O.

15 Terms every Indie Author Should Know had a few I didn’t know and is a great reference. A great post in Wise Ink.

Showing Settings through the Eyes of Your Characters got my interest because I love colouring the story through the eyes of my characters. It was a great post from Live Write Thrive.

Finally, check out this other list of awesome links at Natacha Guyot!