Twitterific

I’m back! I missed everybody! Hope everyone has had a good last week and a half. :) I’ll start back with a double-edition of Twitterific—below are all my tweets from the last two weeks. Hope you’ll enter this month’s WKB giveaway for a chance to win Donald Maass’ excellent Writing the Breakout Novel, from our friends at Writer’s Digest. Enter the drawing by signing up for the WKB newsletter.

Finger Lickin’ Dead released June 7th. Hope you’ll consider it if you enjoy mysteries, or know someone who does.Download it on Kindle: http://amzn.to/kh7MAp Mass market paperback: http://amzn.to/lfUE2N ($6.99)

Re-querying: http://bit.ly/oylg9i

Ten Tools for Author Success: #3, Build Your Platforms: http://bit.ly/mShfRa

10 Reasons Writers Might Drink: http://bit.ly/q8uoKi @elspethwrites

“The Help” – A Happy Ending? (A story deconstruction): http://bit.ly/qQvaqo

Voice tips from the pros: http://bit.ly/o2GAk3 @AngelaAckerman

Foyles Bookstore, 105-Yrs-Young, Seeks Partner for Long Walks, Fun, Int’l Expansion: http://bit.ly/piokD2

We Retreat To Advance: http://bit.ly/qe9pkn

Finding balance while juggling life: http://bit.ly/pnTg87

To Hyphenate or Not To Hyphenate? http://bit.ly/mVvSoj @authorterryo

Business Writing: What Is It Exactly? http://bit.ly/p3RngW

Letting Go to Help Our Book-Babies Grow: http://bit.ly/pWoCpe @WriteAngleBlog

How 1 writer makes a living writing online: http://bit.ly/niLQ07

For writing quotes and inspiration: Advice to Writers: http://bit.ly/kaOOvq @AdviceToWriters

Introduction to BSP: http://bit.ly/nVapmQ

From Scratch or Script: Writing vs. Acting: http://bit.ly/ntDwfq @BTMargins

How to Use Speech Recognition Software – 5 Tips for Writers: http://bit.ly/nxTzIN

Are comfortable, middle-class people no longer a legitimate subject for serious fiction? (Guardian): http://bit.ly/oXluY6

5 writing lessons 1 writer learned from dating: http://bit.ly/q0xeD1

Why are our superlatives so boring? (Chicago Tribune): http://bit.ly/prGbK2

Finding the Threads (or: How to Eat an Elephant): http://bit.ly/oJzgF4 @CherylRWrites

Chat with 5 New York Published Authors Gone Indie: http://bit.ly/pmdrz9 @HowToWriteShop

Online Marketing for the Middle Grade Audience: http://bit.ly/otz9Bz

What makes a villain? Hero in villain's clothing: http://bit.ly/oHiT2Y

Brave New E World: http://bit.ly/n35FVG

One illustrator's process: http://bit.ly/mYx9cc

The Life List Club: http://bit.ly/qoZvYc @jhansenwrites

Stories Are How We Make Sense of Life: http://bit.ly/rukLcx

3 Tips from "Guys and Dolls": http://bit.ly/oVahMG @LauraPauling

10 great sites for writers: http://bit.ly/nJlDpZ @AJackWriting

When to name your characters: http://bit.ly/pqw3UE @elspethwrites

The secret bookshop: http://bit.ly/quVS1J

Sign up for the monthly WKB newsletter for the web's best links and interviews: http://bit.ly/gx7hg1

Finding A Character's Perfect Match: http://bit.ly/qaWS0o

Finding Confidence In Yourself: http://bit.ly/nZCJHM

Lessons on a Set: http://bit.ly/qSZcsn

How to turn your iPad into a writing machine: http://bit.ly/q6xkkW

An explanation of earning back your advance: http://bit.ly/ortO1n @aswinn

Book publicity isn't a sprint--it's a marathon: http://bit.ly/op0vpD @spunkonastick

How To Avoid Barriers That Weaken Your Headlines: http://bit.ly/n5I4GE @

"Onlooker" characters: http://bit.ly/nksVJF @mkinberg

Tips for writing unsympathetic characters that readers will like: http://bit.ly/pCc1uI

The 4 Steps of a Writer’s Journey: http://bit.ly/o0OR1B

Search my tweets-- http://dld.bz/KPgS

Want to start a book club? 7 questions to get you started: http://bit.ly/ou5Hf9

5 Ways NOT to Use Twitter for Freelancers: http://bit.ly/nItfaM

How to keep your creativity alive during your summer vacation: http://bit.ly/nGYQOW

Ebook Buyer’s Guide: Know When to Buy an eReader and When to Wait: http://bit.ly/ob1njv

Building Coherent Scene Transitions: http://bit.ly/p3vQMr

Do You Write 750 Words Per Day? http://bit.ly/pClEGv @marianschembari

Deus Ex Machina: Latin for “Don’t Do This in Your Story” : http://bit.ly/ntOVaa @KMWeiland

Why every novelist is holding out for a hero (Guardian): http://bit.ly/qOI7Ex

An agent answers questions on writing picture books: http://bit.ly/n9X2X7

4 qualities of a good title: http://bit.ly/pZwJYr

Joe Konrath on the potential Borders liquidation: http://bit.ly/oYj8LK

Emotional and Psychological Dynamics: http://bit.ly/pvT0Ro

A helpful thesaurus for settings, emotions, symbolism, & weather--now with character traits: http://bit.ly/eIGRMO @AngelaAckerman

Squeezing Writing In Around Life: http://bit.ly/oIlPra

Make Life Simple: Consolidate Your Sites: http://bit.ly/qSQklM

5 Lessons 1 Writer Learned from a Best-Selling Author: http://bit.ly/qUzaLO @tglong

Top 15 Books On Writing: http://bit.ly/qPH9HK

Promo Tool for Writers--Google Keyword Tool: http://bit.ly/p1jxSn

Advice for aspiring writers: http://bit.ly/ncpxI3

The Death of Print, Part Whatever: http://bit.ly/qwnAME

Unofficial partnerships in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/nuWUll @mkinberg

5 Telltale Signs of an Amateur Writer: http://bit.ly/mrvcQQ @tglong

An agent with a rebuttal on a recent Slate article bashing YA: http://bit.ly/rdSL71 @LitAgentMarini

Fiction as Metaphor: http://bit.ly/qz0AQf

Don’t Drive Your Blog Distracted: http://bit.ly/pQYGn7

A nice roundup of writing help on a variety of topics: http://bit.ly/oustrq

Writers' conferences are more than just giant writing classes: http://bit.ly/p2UjR3 @tonyeldridge

33 Must-Read Tips & Tutorials for Bloggers: http://bit.ly/q668PX

Replacing “Show, Don’t Tell” With Observe and Report + Examples: http://bit.ly/pY4xeG

15 Excellent Tips for Writing a Book (The Atlantic): http://bit.ly/nM60sm

When readers trust an author: http://bit.ly/oCJhFv @JulieMusil

Will My Social Media Presence Help My Book Proposal? http://bit.ly/obKVuK

Google+ in 15 Minutes a Day: http://mz.cm/p8VWSJ

Now with over 9000 links to help #writers find resources: http://bit.ly/dYRayA

Casting About for Ideas: Writing Short Stories: http://bit.ly/q51FLV

Productive Arguing: http://bit.ly/qPlvOP

Libraries and ebooks: http://bit.ly/nQhydH

Tuning out the Greek chorus: http://bit.ly/odoUQW

The Comparison Trap: http://bit.ly/oNT5d2

4 internet research tools for writers: http://bit.ly/nmcDo0

How Self-Publishing Changes the Bond Between Readers and Writers: http://bit.ly/nWccGh

5 Steps to Building a Platform When You Hate Selling Yourself: http://bit.ly/n0SNn3

Examples of long-buried secrets in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/oX28pe @mkinberg

3 Ways to Have More Energy to Follow Your Dreams: http://bit.ly/oFFQ9z

Are You Good Enough to Write Professionally? http://bit.ly/n5WyBX

The Creative Personality: Ambition and Envy: http://bit.ly/pSaOK2

6 Online Dating Tactics to Improve Your Facebook Fan Page: http://bit.ly/rg5LXr

7 Simple Ways to Ease Your Writing Stress: http://bit.ly/nt6xrH

Villains as Mirrors: http://bit.ly/poQPCH

4 Tips for Researching Nonfiction for Kids: http://bit.ly/pmZ0Ft @SmackDabBlog

Revisiting your writing goals for the year: http://bit.ly/o0Jp35

Creating a Visual Character Map: http://bit.ly/qM9DeU @TheCreativePenn

Not Starting with the Action: http://bit.ly/pmlTfX @NovelRocket

Self-Publishing, Yes and No: http://bit.ly/o0waZQ @JFbookman

Examples on subtext: http://bit.ly/n01WRy

Making the Case for Fee-based Reviews of Self-published Books: http://bit.ly/nBj8iI @pubperspectives

Inspiration from authors' quotations: @Quotes4Writers

How to K.O. Your Writing Doubts: http://bit.ly/pI4fj0

On Finding The Right Writer’s Group For You: http://bit.ly/o3S26O

Simplify the entire internet: http://bit.ly/o6oB8h

Identifying Your Writing Strengths, step 1: http://bit.ly/qyb4ui

How to promote your books on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/ooXUDl @HowToWriteShop

Barking-Dog Days of the Writing Life: http://bit.ly/rgWZaZ @JodyHedlund

Writing humor in fiction: http://bit.ly/qlrFqW

2 tips for making life easier: http://bit.ly/rjimwN @KatieGanshert

Surfing the fantasy network online: http://bit.ly/o1jV9U

Basics of writing--creating minor characters: http://bit.ly/o8YOzm

Writing a novel on the iPad: http://bit.ly/puLt4D @AnneLyle

What’s Your Blogging Style? http://bit.ly/qHjPx1 @JamiGold

Who's Got the Time to Write? http://bit.ly/ootn1A @YAHighway

Do Telemarketing Tactics Build Readership? http://bit.ly/qnjn1H @jillkemerer

Writing the 2nd Book in a Trilogy: http://bit.ly/q4VDla @LTWFblog

Writing the 2nd Book in a Trilogy: http://bit.ly/oSHnP1 @LTWFblog

Synopsis Writing Tips: http://bit.ly/qrCKP2 @AlanOrloff @CricketMcRae

Metaphor is the process, not the product: http://bit.ly/qW9sDJ @TheresaStevens

8 Ways to Defeat Writers Block http://bit.ly/p70y7m @joanswan

An agent with tips for pitching your novel: http://bit.ly/pTVPLt @rachellegardner

What killed Borders? Hint: It wasn't the Internet (Slate): http://slate.me/pnu1GW

Tips for Writing the Back-Cover Blurb: http://bit.ly/njBDtP @WriteAngleBlog

45 rookie writing mistakes to avoid: http://bit.ly/r8FxG5 @p2p_editor

Abuse Your Muse: http://bit.ly/oHZxNn

Books-A-Million Makes Bid for Up To 35 Borders Stores: http://bit.ly/qoAmjg @GalleyCat

Tips for writing literary love stories: http://bit.ly/pcVnBC @EDFsChronicles

6 Killer Writing Tips from a Great-Grandmother of a Copy Editor: http://bit.ly/obeXlg

Literary or Mainstream? The Two Boxes of Fiction: http://bit.ly/nOhuPv @EDFsChronicles

How to write a press release: http://bit.ly/rkB7D6

Indie, Big 6, or Small Press Publishing: Why Not Try All Three? http://bit.ly/posSCW @AnneRAllen

A writer's thoughts on the perils of pitching: http://bit.ly/qMZAJv

The Business of Character Engagement: http://bit.ly/rkXQPu @jhansenwrites

How 1 newbie writer sold 3 novels in 3 different genres: http://bit.ly/mZfnbO @jennybent

7 things 1 writer has learned so far: http://bit.ly/mVKPQ1

Creative types are full of themselves, study confirms (MSNBC): http://on.msnbc.com/oq5R90

How the Art of Screenwriting Can Make You a Better Web Writer: http://bit.ly/of4PdK

The #1 Thing to remember when crafting narrative flow: http://t.co/0zWT3Hn @RavenRequiem13

Why 1 Writer Wouldn't Recommend an MFA to Most Aspiring Writers: http://bit.ly/rnwdbQ @iggiandgabi

An agent answers random questions: http://bit.ly/oSKEL2

Author Intrusion: 12 Pitfalls To Avoid: http://bit.ly/p7QtEt @RoniLoren

Testing the Idea–Is It Strong Enough to Make a Novel? http://bit.ly/oCpS83

Incorporating setting in natural ways: http://bit.ly/o45wDI

Creativity Tweets of the Week — 7/22/11: http://bit.ly/qbkuXK @on_creativity

Looking at Typos from a Different Angle: http://bit.ly/qRSLvs

An Agent Says: Don't Throw In The Towel: E-pub/Self-Pub is Not The Easy Fix: http://bit.ly/nE7q0g

Thoughts on story endings: http://bit.ly/pO899B @JulietteWade

Why good novels get rejected: http://bit.ly/pEOjgs

Blog Traffic Secret: Woo the Groupies: http://bit.ly/ofYoZY

10 Tips for Blogging Awesomeness: http://bit.ly/neunJr @KristenLambTX

A writer blogs that social media doesn't sell books--and a comment discussion ensues: http://bit.ly/nt9q1M @murdershewrites

What Is a Blogger’s Role in Responding to Comments? http://bit.ly/nRgJ4I @JodyHedlund

For the over-cautious writer--9 Reasons Why Failure Is Not Fatal: http://bit.ly/pi0QBp @the99percent

Using the Emotional State of Your Characters to Craft Better Scenes: http://bit.ly/rdnejp @Janice_Hardy

The Myth of the Lone Ranger Author http://shar.es/Hyz1k @RachelleGardner

Selecting the Proper Hook: http://bit.ly/qHmTQk?

Nice site of writing prompts for teachers & writers looking for inspiration: http://bit.ly/fxp2iY @WritePrompts

5 Common Myths People Have About Finding Their Passion: http://bit.ly/pWzlju @ollinmorales

You Are Not Your Book? http://bit.ly/qLpONU

Domain Names, Traffic, and a New Kind of Pun: http://bit.ly/plBiUK @GeoffreyCubbage

A writer says KidLit Con holds special merit: http://bit.ly/oMeRQ8

Flipping the Switch from “Introvert” to “Extrovert”: http://bit.ly/nXG6cy @RLLaFevers

5 Creative Flaws That Will Expose Your Lack of Storytelling Experience: http://bit.ly/rjbgXn

An agent with some querying red flags: http://bit.ly/p1oivy

Digesting the Revision Letter, a pep talk: http://bit.ly/osGcb3 @LTWFblog

Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for my top tweets & a chance to win Don Maass' book: http://bit.ly/gx7hg1

It Was Just a Dream: Why Dream Endings Are an Anathema to Flash Fiction: http://bit.ly/oAgSOj @EDFsChronicles

Critique feedback--to whom should you listen? http://bit.ly/qGPUGY

Nice list of flash fiction markets and links to articles on flash fiction: http://bit.ly/n7HxG2

5 Reasons Your Online Marketing Doesn’t Work: http://bit.ly/r2YcVQ @JaneFriedman

10 steps to a clean submission: http://bit.ly/nX32s0

You Say Potato, Your Character Says Potahto: http://bit.ly/oOGHHR @RLLaFevers

Character and Plot—One and The Same Thing? http://bit.ly/rpACQi

3 Fiction Writing Lessons from a Mock Wedding: http://bit.ly/qssxDs @writeitsideways

Best Articles This Week for Writers 7/24/11: http://bit.ly/pWy8Vy @4kidlit

Writing Romance When Your Marriage fails: http://bit.ly/n8kStL

Uncovering YA Covers: How Dark Are They? http://bit.ly/rbfnhu

A look at theme in Harry Potter: http://bit.ly/re8QCG

Mind Your Promises: http://bit.ly/n1YZF9 @EDFsChronicles

When you need to break up with your agent: http://bit.ly/o5nH4c @LAGilman

1 writer hates similes: http://bit.ly/rhUebx

How To Drive Yourself Crazy, Writer Style: http://bit.ly/ncN7fB @dawnmetcalf

Looking Into the Future of Bookstores: 4 Angles: http://bit.ly/oqrSTD @JaneFriedman

How to Have a Writers’ Hangout in Google+: http://bit.ly/ohIaRY

Top 7 Reasons Blogs Fail and What to Do About It: http://bit.ly/oLvOyR

Finding time for writing: http://bit.ly/r4AI88

How to write a novel--characters: http://bit.ly/qva1Zd

10 Things You Can Do Right Now to Grow Your Email List: http://bit.ly/pFKDQ5

Class distinctions in publishing? http://bit.ly/nOoQu0 @raelynbarclay

Borders Dies of Self-Inflicted Wounds, But How Many Publishers (And Writers) Will Follow? http://bit.ly/qEV7st @ChandlerWrites

A look at character development, using the Harry Potter series as an example: http://bit.ly/n092RW

Awoke? Awaked? Forsooth, I Have Woken Up! http://bit.ly/q6hGPx @Grammar_Diva

The Power of a Conversation About Your WIP: http://bit.ly/pgdfNp @joanswan

The Ins and Outs of a Sexy Book Cover: http://bit.ly/rtDcjj

Why Many MFA Programs are Imperfect: http://bit.ly/oXNyjo @iggiandgabi

10 Common but Totally Unrealistic Romance Storylines: http://bit.ly/nmMWNN

Links between physical and social in worldbuilding: http://bit.ly/p07H33 @JulietteWade

Start on Page 30: Kicking off your novel: http://bit.ly/qiWrgt

The Pros of Prologues: http://bit.ly/nzxgMz

The Writer As Observer: http://bit.ly/nVg7x7 @BTMargins

Just because you can self-pub, doesn't mean you should: http://bit.ly/q414jI @greyhausagency

The Worst Reasons to Become a Novelist: http://bit.ly/o4Pr9s

9 Immediate Tips To Stay Focused on Your Goals: http://bit.ly/ppYulG

Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for my top tweets & a chance to win Don Maass' book: http://bit.ly/gx7hg1

Ideas for increasing book sales: http://bit.ly/oONLkY

Using trademarked names in your book: http://bit.ly/rfg9qu

Supporting the crazy writer: http://bit.ly/nzvpTy

You’re only as good as your collaborators: http://bit.ly/q21bnH @michellerafter

Priorities in this Brave New World: http://bit.ly/r8SYy0 @DeanWesleySmith

The (Low) Cost of Reading: http://bit.ly/pejxoX @BTMargins

From Concept to Copy: http://bit.ly/r9Q5in @annerooney

My tweets are archived and searchable here: http://bit.ly/dYRayA

Writing A Series: http://bit.ly/r5ZL4N

How to Style Numbers: http://bit.ly/qiTX7S

Personal vs. Platform: Where Is the Line? http://bit.ly/qLN0DF

How To Leave 'Em Wanting More! The Wonderful World of Potter: http://bit.ly/pTllEu @lisagailgreen

Identifying Your Writing Strengths, step 2: http://bit.ly/nIQimU @msforster

Time Management - Calendars: http://bit.ly/pRukkB

Deciding When to Show and When to Tell: http://bit.ly/oLFuSK @4KidLit

How To Establish A Ritual Of Writing: http://bit.ly/pWMUwm

How Querying Is Just Like Dating: http://bit.ly/pSIyzu

Melodrama: http://bit.ly/o2YXOm

2 Rules for Online Self Promotion: http://bit.ly/oq4UpO

Writing a Quality Medical Scene: http://bit.ly/pCqrRe

Neil Gaiman's 8 Good Writing Practices: http://bit.ly/n1v73B

Mind mapping for authors: http://bit.ly/qkOTHc

Thoughts on Creating Magic Systems: http://bit.ly/nwJdcB

4 Great Things I Learned from the MFA: http://bit.ly/n68UsL @iggiandgabi

Why Borders Failed While Barnes & Noble Survived (NPR): http://n.pr/rdTzfw

6 Ways to Build Your Brand Using LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/qcWgpC

Can your character change? http://bit.ly/om7Mrs

When your agent says no to your new project: http://bit.ly/nhjddY

Melodrama isn't a 4 letter word: http://bit.ly/rnikQv

Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for my top tweets & a chance to win Don Maass' book: http://bit.ly/gx7hg1

7 Reasons Why Joining a Book Club Will Help Your Writing: http://bit.ly/r8Wxxm

4 Ways To Deepen Romance Relationships in Any Type of Story: http://bit.ly/rh6dt9

Improving description: http://bit.ly/osXttG @FantasyFaction

Why Nathan Bransford’s self promotion fell flat – and why you should take note: http://bit.ly/pEDWZJ @LauraPauling

Goals--Are You Making Them Too Obvious? http://bit.ly/ohSCcd @JaniceHardy

An Author’s Guide to Book Birthers, Book Shepherds and other Consultants: http://bit.ly/paJw6c

Paying attention to your dreams: http://bit.ly/pTbkmS

Resources For Young Writers: http://bit.ly/oDBbBD @TheCreativePenn

How a Novel in Verse Amps Up Emotional Insight: http://bit.ly/npocZi

How To Make Your Own Book Trailer: http://bit.ly/n5ki1y @BubbleCow

What to Do When Your Blog Growth Plateaus: http://bit.ly/nODXWi

An Agent Says--If You Want To Be A Better Writer, Take The Time To Learn: http://bit.ly/n9blog

Build Diversity Into Your Online Presence: http://bit.ly/r1Pusu @janefriedman

Choosing POV for our manuscript: http://bit.ly/ogY3LO

7 Types of Euphemism: http://bit.ly/nquhdF

Crafting your elevator pitch: http://bit.ly/qfjDox

5 Steps to Create a New Habit: http://bit.ly/okY9rS

A publisher addresses a variety of topics: http://bit.ly/qEu05H

Fantasy subgenres: http://bit.ly/rgt9ED

A writer says that book clubs keeps books alive: http://bit.ly/riAxnH

Lawrence Block explains why he loves John Locke and Russell Blake: http://bit.ly/pH9dSe @LawrenceBlock

Self publishers should mind their manners: http://bit.ly/nguo5S

Writing fight scenes: http://bit.ly/q73Rru

Character Development Through Hobbies: http://bit.ly/r9UOdi @CherylRWrites

An agent reminds us that conflict is key: http://bit.ly/rroLHN

4 Free Tools to Help You Socially Monitor Your Brand: http://bit.ly/qamA0Z

How Do We Maintain Believability in Our Work? http://bit.ly/mZoNCy

7 Steps Towards Better Villainy: How To Make ‘em So Bad, They Are Good: http://bit.ly/nklW5V @BTMargins

8 Steps to Better Characters: http://bit.ly/r2Cv1g

9 steps for planning your novel: http://bit.ly/nL1q8X @LindaKSienkwicz

Getting Short Story Credits is Getting Easier (Sort Of): http://bit.ly/oOn2L3

Prologue Tips: http://bit.ly/oSPUgS

How to write critiques that don't kill: http://bit.ly/pODTnX @jammer0501

Tips for parents of young writers: http://bit.ly/nk6Nrf @mollybackes

So, You Want to Sell More Books at Amazon… [Part 2: Tags]: http://bit.ly/mSMUkg

10 Edgy Stereotypes Which Will Not Actually Make Your Characters Edgier: http://bit.ly/mXro6s @YAHighway

Make the Most of Product Reviews on Your Facebook Page: http://bit.ly/nbTqQE

Janice Hardy gives a real-life diagnostic on a ms that may need more action: http://bit.ly/oeeU1H

A Substantive Editor Is a Writer’s Coach: http://bit.ly/pssCzq

Why 1 writer turned down 2 contracts: http://bit.ly/oi7QtA

Revision tips--the scenic route: http://bit.ly/qtgDnS

My tweets are archived and searchable: http://bit.ly/dYRayA

Presenting a Writing Workshop: Lessons Learned: http://bit.ly/n2Nu4X @keligwyn

Balancing your backstory: http://bit.ly/oi7rgl @Mommy_Authors

Reigniting the flame after a writing conf: http://bit.ly/oyPhzW

Meg Cabot Thinks Vampire Novels Need New Blood (WSJ): http://on.wsj.com/rhLXqQ

Microsoft Word tips and tricks: http://bit.ly/nj50u9 @jhansenwrites

Should Authors Use Twitter Auto-Unfollow? http://bit.ly/oEX1DD @sarahketley

Freelancers--When to Ask Editors About Pay Rates for Your Articles: http://bit.ly/ridsKk

Top 5 ways to hook your reader: http://bit.ly/qeraPq @Kerrie_Flanagan

10 Rules For Manuscript Evaluations: http://bit.ly/qLz1Gp

How to Hire a Copyeditor: http://bit.ly/ngOt9h

Writing Exercises to Remove Writers Block: http://bit.ly/qTAJRg @JoanSwan

Why there’s still a place in the world for literary readings (Ntl. Post): http://natpo.st/q6A2Fn

6 tips for your book's market analysis: http://bit.ly/osfY63

Fantasy, imagination, and the hero: http://bit.ly/o8Cjwn

Managing a State Writers' Organization: http://bit.ly/pfFo2s @HopeClark

Can’t Decide on Your Blog’s Focus? Tips for Baffled Bloggers: http://bit.ly/ozPjBU

Being a Working Writer: http://bit.ly/nynaxU

How to Become a Twitter Search Ninja: http://bit.ly/nVl5Fz

E-Booking the Backlist: Who and How: http://bit.ly/n9qPqa

6 Reasons Every Serious Blogger Should Blog for the Big Dogs: http://bit.ly/nNwhds

It's Over: Getting Readers to the Ending, and Making Them Glad They Came: http://bit.ly/pcuXAB

Fun sites for writing tools: http://bit.ly/ofBs3N

10 Simple Website Changes that Will Increase Your Freelance Sales: http://bit.ly/rb1IAx

5 tips for writing every day: http://bit.ly/nBP85v

Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Off, Start All Over Again: http://bit.ly/qBvTBm

Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing: You Can’t Make Money Writing Fiction: http://bit.ly/otXl1J @DeanWesleySmith

Great Character Descriptions from Science Fiction and Fantasy Books: http://on.io9.com/mYVnhY

Creating the most engaging environment--working the "container" of your story: http://bit.ly/nvuOEM

How to Be a Good Guest Post Host: http://bit.ly/pTPEQa

9 Reasons Not to Stop Yourself from Starting: http://bit.ly/otwIMD

How Books Work: The Hunger Games (Part 2) : http://bit.ly/nejVVk

A Short Break

Hi everyone! This is the time of year when I take a short blogcation in order to catch up with family, host guests, etc. I’m also spending some time revising that book that I wrote five years ago. I also have some pass pages to proof and a new book to start (May deadline, but may as well get cracking!)

I'm going to leave you with links to some of my most popular posts on the blog, courtesy of Google Analytics. :) I'll be back in a week and a half.

Writing Worksheets and Other Tools Tips for Restless Writers

Choosing Our Story

Making a Transition

Answering a Few Questions about the Search Engine

Promote Yourself, Not Your Book

See you soon!

A Story Within a Story by Cricket McRae

Thanks for hosting me here at Mystery Writing is Murder, Elizabeth!

My recently released Home Crafting Mystery, Wined and Died, is the fifth in the series. All of my contemporary cozies feature colonial home crafts as the backdrop to the murder mystery, and in this one, it's mead making.

Once I decide on the home craft, the rest of the story comes out of that. Then the subplots emerge as a matter of course. In Wined and Died, Sophie Mae Ambrose and her husband are caring for their housemate's precocious twelve-year-old daughter, Erin Bly. Her subplot does more than flavor the rest of the story. It starts the whole thing, cycles throughout, and ends the book as well.

See, Erin is writing a novel.

I'm not sure how that happened, but when it cropped up in Chapter One, I went with it. It fit with her character, offered opportunities for both conflict and humor, allowed her to be involved in the amateur investigation more than usual, drove Sophie Mae batty, and in the end her jottings afforded a piece of critical information at the right time.

Throughout Wined and Died she follows everyone, writing down what they say and making notes, all the while trying to decide what she's going to write her book about. Sophie Mae gives her plenty of terrible writing advice because Sophie Mae hasn't a clue about how to write a novel.

At the end of the story, I felt Erin needed to share what she had decided to write about, and that meant coming up with a short synopsis that could reasonably be connected to what the reader had just experienced in Wined and Died.

What fun! I sat down, tuned into my inner twelve-year-old, and drew a right-brain-inspired chart full of free associations from events and random details in the book. A YA fantasy plot gradually emerged. It showed how Erin might have creatively interpreted the various scribblings in her notebook, though to literal-minded Sophie Mae the youngster's story has nothing to do with any of their recent adventures.

Mise en abyme is the French term for self-reflexive embeddings in artwork. It refers to the idea of two mirrors facing each other and can be visual, written, or--as in Hamlet--the famous play within a play. I didn't really think about how I was using this age-old device, only that it functioned well. And I sure wasn't thinking about actually writing a YA novel. But now that thought is fluttering at the back of my mind as the result of working out that mystery subplot.

Writers get ideas from everywhere, it seems. Have you ever gotten a different story idea from a story you're writing? In honor of the recent release of Wined and Died, you can enter to win a FREE Author Website ($900 value!) from the creative folks at Bizango Websites for Writers until July 29, 2011. For more details and information on how to enter, please visit my blog at www.hearthcricket.com. For more information about me or the Home Crafting Mystery Series, check out www.cricketmcrae.com.

A former resident of the Pacific Northwest where her novels are set, Cricket McRae has always dabbled in the kind of practical home crafts that were once necessary to everyday life. The magical chemistry of making soap, the satisfaction of canning garden produce, and the sensuout side of fiber arts like spinning an knitting are just a few of the reasons these activities have fascinated her since childhood. As a girl she was as much a fan of Nancy Drew as of Laura Ingalls Wilder, so it's no surprise that her contemporary cozy series features a soap maker with a nose for investigation. For more information about Cricket or the Home Crafting Mystery Series, check out http://www.cricketmcrae.com/.

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Thanks so much for your post today, Cricket! You've got me looking forward to trying a story-within-a-story, myself! Looks tricky...but fun. :)

Productivity

I’ve been thinking a lot about productivity lately.

This is probably because it’s summertime and my schedule is pretty much non-existent.

I’m getting work done every day, but it’s not at the same times of day as when the kids were in school. And it’s frequently really early.

I read this interesting article called Creative Kryptonite and the Death of Productivity.

Jonathan Fields talks about what happens when we get distracted by social media during our day. There were 2 things in particular that he focused on. One was that we receive “intermittent reinforcement” whenever we get an email, Twitter, or Facebook alert—an actual Dopamine squirt that gets us hooked.

The second thing he mentioned in his post was the Zeigarnik Effect. As Jonathan put it:

Every time we begin a conversation by text, email, twitter, Facebook or Google+, it’s like we’re opening a new loop. One that, until completed, compels us to want to finish the conversation. To keep checking and responding until the loop has been closed.

Problem is, in a hyperconnected world…the loops never close.

Of course, we all enjoy what we’re doing. I know I do. If I had it my way, large portions of my day would be spent catching up with everyone on their blogs, reading tweets, and looking at friends’ status updates.

But….I sure wouldn’t get anything done!

My solution to this is usually pretty extreme:

Close all my computer windows except for Word.

Put my phone across the room where I can hear it if it rings, but can’t check emails, Twitter, etc. on it.

Leave the house with my laptop and go to a place that doesn’t have wi-fi (increasingly more difficult to find.)

Write in a notebook (a real notebook) until I meet my goal.

And then I give myself a reward. :) I have to perform for treats.

How you y’all get things done with all the temptations of social media?

Finding Balance While Juggling Life—by Karen Walker

Please join me in welcoming my friend Karen Walker to the blog.

I love visiting Karen’s blog, Following the Whispers, because it’s a quiet oasis in my busy day. She helps me to think about life in a new light—and I appreciate her perspective. I’ve read her memoir and found it truly inspirational. Thanks for coming by today, Karen!

I became a mom in 1973. We’d been through the Civil Rights Movement, the Womens’ movement, the Viet Nam War. And the Mommy Wars--which, unfortunately, still exist--although it doesn’t seem to be as much of an issue as it was back then.

When I gave birth, I was 24 years old chronologically, but not in maturity. I didn’t have a sense of self, so trying to juggle my own needs with that of a baby and a husband and friends, etc. wasn’t even in my consciousness. I was pretty much on auto-pilot, trying to keep my head above water.

Today, it is common for women to either work outside the home, or, as writers do, work at home, while raising our children, caring for our husbands, and maintaining a household.

The key to juggling all of the above is balance. They tell you when you are on an airplane to put your own oxygen on first, before helping anyone else. There is a reason for this. If you become unconscious, you are of no use to anyone. We must put our own well-being first. I wish I’d known this years ago--it would have saved me years of misery.

When we have kids, this can be most challenging, because we all know, if a child needs something, we drop everything to deal with it. So it becomes a matter of priorities. And the ages of our children and what they can manage on their own versus what needs our immediate attention.

The way I find balance is to only have a few key things I want to accomplish each day. That way, I don’t overwhelm myself and can feel successful, rather than a failure because I didn’t do what I wanted to do. I make priorities of those few things. On some days, only one or two things get done. The next day, the priorities shift so I can focus on what didn’t get done the day before.

Another key to finding and keeping balance is learning to say no. Even to our husbands. And yes, even to our children. Because saying no to someone else is saying yes to ourselves. This is not selfish, as we may have been taught. It is crucial to inner peace and well-being.

To summarize, get clear about what is important to you. Make the time to do it. Say no to non-crisis distractions. And learn to balance your priorities so that you feel successful.

Elizabeth, you seem to juggle your life beautifully. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to blog here about such an important issue.

Blessings,

Karen Karen Walker is a writer who has published essays in newspapers and magazines, as well as an anthology series. After a 30+ year career in marketing and public relations, she went back to college to complete a Bachelor's degree and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2005 from the University of New Mexico's University Studies program with a major emphasis in Creative Writing. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her husband, Gary, and their dog, Buddy. When she’s not writing, you can find her doing international folk dancing, singing at retirement communities with her trio, Sugartime, hiking, reading, or hanging out with friends.

You can find Following the Whispers: at:

Amazon

Smashwords

Twitterific

Below are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter in the past week. Hope you’ll enter this month’s WKB giveaway for a chance to win Donald Maass’ excellent Writing the Breakout Novel, from our friends at Writer’s Digest. Enter the drawing by signing up for the WKB newsletter.

Finger Lickin’ Dead released June 7th. Hope you’ll consider it if you enjoy mysteries, or know someone who does.Download it on Kindle: http://amzn.to/kh7MAp Mass market paperback: http://amzn.to/lfUE2N ($6.99) Tomorrow I'm looking forward to hosting Karen Walker on Mystery Writing is Murder. Hope you'll come by!

Making Time to Write Despite the Never Ending To Do List: http://bit.ly/rfpixb

Digital lit: How new ways to read mean new ways to write (Globe and Mail): http://bit.ly/nEz6bY

The Kings Speech - Why is this such a Great Bad Movie? http://bit.ly/r49QZc @StoryMeBad

Why So Few Men Join Book Groups: http://bit.ly/oyHqI2

How some famous crime fiction sleuths got into the business: http://bit.ly/n1J2rX @mkinberg

The Writer as Detective (NY Times): http://nyti.ms/pYkGpe

An overlooked form of marketing--volunteerism: http://bit.ly/ot1c1y @MariaZannini

Best practices for the professional writer: http://bit.ly/nSRjhB @JourneytoFree

Writing for the reluctant teen reader: http://bit.ly/ounoG3

Writing urban fantasy vs. steampunk: http://bit.ly/qhLJNB

Stop Procrastinating By Thinking of Your Future Self: http://bit.ly/puZPqP

10 Ways to Keep a Long-Term Character From Being Hated: http://on.io9.com/rsJ7GD

Roving body parts: http://bit.ly/pnXOHw @authorterryo

Why gratitude is vital for writers: http://bit.ly/nQoe25

7 Tips for Writing a Film Review: http://bit.ly/pXr6Df

Why 1 writer/artist loves Google+ & her tips for newbies: http://bit.ly/obIcU5 @inkyelbows

6 tips for helping writers suspend reader disbelief: http://bit.ly/oRLqjv @damesofdialogue

A nice how-to on creating an ebook: http://bit.ly/oEBpVg

Censoring Books for Kids: http://bit.ly/rcb2Pn @jemifraser

Nice link roundup by 2 historical writers: http://bit.ly/o7I6J4 @2nerdyhistgirls

Fluffing up a flat character: http://bit.ly/olUF17

Fast and Easy Guide to Writing Characters of the Opposite Gender: http://bit.ly/r2QpJh @KMWeiland

Why Your Creativity Is Stuck On Shuffle And You’re Not Hearing A Single Song: http://bit.ly/okpcHT

Magical Rooms in Fiction: http://bit.ly/qXfcpR @AwfullyBigBlog

Everything You Wanted to Know About Digital Publishing But Were Afraid to Ask: http://bit.ly/pCKrr8 @DearAuthor

Sex and the Novel: http://bit.ly/oYSkW7 @Sarafurlong

How Much Should an Author’s Ebook Royalty Be? Some number crunching: http://bit.ly/pvfEl9 @kellymcclymer

Metafiction: The Forgotten Transformer: http://bit.ly/nOFFl1 @yaHighway

9 Tips For The Perfect Pitch: http://bit.ly/njpYCp

Lessons from the Movies--Planting and Returning Images to Create a Satisfying Ending: http://bit.ly/nhDO8D

Tips for getting in the writing zone: http://bit.ly/oltcpS @SarahKetley

Improving Creativity: The Connect Brainset: http://bit.ly/qkVl8p @lkblackburne

6 great heroes of epic fantasy: Part 1: http://bit.ly/oUhkZj and 2: http://bit.ly/oXQoba

Things not to do as a writer--the rush to publish: http://bit.ly/o9bOfr @LisaKilian

The truth is out there: sci-fi doesn't have to be stupid (Brisbane Times): http://bit.ly/p6nFP3 @brisbanetimes

Writers and Doubt: http://bit.ly/p81WwQ

The real Secret Garden (Telegraph): http://tgr.ph/ozKGuh

The writer takes a walk: http://bit.ly/oVSlRz

The Best Way to Embrace a Negative Review: http://bit.ly/qqqpJ5

Write what you know...or not: http://bit.ly/qsZhma

When writing is hard, write in a herd: http://bit.ly/nIjjBP @BWBODRasch

Tips for crime writers for avoiding "Cabot Cove Syndrome": http://bit.ly/ncGFG4 @authorterryo

5 Steps to Writing a Killer First Chapter – How to Wow Readers: http://bit.ly/nqMNW8

3 protagonists walk into a bar: http://bit.ly/nJGPAI

Tips for writing action well: http://bit.ly/rs165T @Juliemusil @lisagailgreen

Using tarot cards to develop your story: http://bit.ly/qmwgyd @joanswan

The Importance of Knowing & Writing For Our Target Readers: http://bit.ly/poiYUs @JodyHedlund

Identifying the specific reason behind procrastination and making steps to work through it: http://bit.ly/mRqawn

Personalized publishing advice--where to get it? http://bit.ly/q37dES

One writer's 10 favorite writing lessons: http://bit.ly/nGgPxv @jhansenwrites

Handling Content Edits: http://bit.ly/pyNrIe @KatieGanshert

Hands-on plotting: http://bit.ly/pmDER9

A former D&D gamer offers us 10 types of character quirks: http://bit.ly/r1PX4Q @CherylRWrites

An agent on what to do when you get an offer: http://bit.ly/nSXb5N

How to Write a Non-Fiction Query Letter: http://bit.ly/qAkoyT

5 Tips for Making a YouTube Promo Video: http://bit.ly/phhjSz

Writing Historical Fiction: Daring to Own an Icon: http://bit.ly/pDySEm @BTMargins

Getting started with Google+: http://bit.ly/mWYERp

Basics of writing--keeping it fresh: http://bit.ly/rnAkBP

When artificial intelligences start using contractions: http://bit.ly/ph9Phq

Don't lie in query letters: http://bit.ly/qKUDKk

How writing is like ironing linen: http://bit.ly/oDo4Cl

Stop talking about writing and write: http://bit.ly/rjz3AH

3 Ways to Sell Yourself as an Online Writer: http://bit.ly/ph5hmY

Legacy Publishing vs Self-Publishing: Can You Do Both? http://bit.ly/qzwi5f @AJackWriting

Union & Guild Resources for Writers: http://bit.ly/nKX8Kh @galleycat

Why You Can't Buy Creativity: http://bit.ly/qQI0Ka

How *not* to support local bookstores and coffeehouses: http://bit.ly/odNIqF @NinaBadzin

How flexible are you? http://bit.ly/o8PC53 @JodyHedlund

10 Ways to Reach Your Word Count Goals: http://bit.ly/pbpk9e @elspethwrites

How to break your book into chapters: http://bit.ly/oiNSLl @PublishingGuru

A primer on your publishing options: http://bit.ly/r18AkX @HartJohnson

Agents as Publishers: http://bit.ly/nYd7gH @LauraPauling

3 types of mushy book middles: http://bit.ly/q3rutw @FantasyFaction

Dialogue and The Telephone: http://bit.ly/p34RGh

Self-editing checklist--externals: http://bit.ly/rgcc3t

YA vs. Romance Sex Scenes: http://bit.ly/pjJJT5 @yaHighway

3 mistakes 1 writer observed a newbie make at a recent convention: http://bit.ly/pcj7Jz

Why you should become more flexible as a writer: http://bit.ly/pQ717U

How to Throw A Book Party That Rocks: http://bit.ly/o1Uj5o @BTMargins

Editing-Meet the Novel-Killer: http://bit.ly/oog4yk

Taking the “Spookiness” Out of Ghostwriting: http://bit.ly/oMH5p7

Writing A Linked Series - An Agent on Why some work and some don't: http://bit.ly/qBtpIF

6 tips for growing characters: http://bit.ly/qSFsyp @WriteAngleBlog

A Guide to Colloquial Contractions: http://bit.ly/qtnkeI

Why Small Ebook Presses are Thriving And How You Could Join Them: http://bit.ly/ng4YEa @thecreativepenn

Performing plot CPR: http://bit.ly/nitE59 @JulieMusil

Do authors have to be attractive in this business? And mine their personal history for promo? http://bit.ly/ocWQpo @nicolamorgan

How writing and driving are similar: http://bit.ly/osQdvt @LesaHolstine @ThomasKaufman,

5 simple math skills every writer should know: http://bit.ly/qIcO7K @

Cross-marketing your books--locating alternative markets: http://bit.ly/qY4BhP

12 Ways to Turn Your Old, Dusty Blog Archive into Cold, Hard Cash: http://bit.ly/pqCAer

Article Revision Using the Pointings System: http://bit.ly/qC2bTz

How authors can benefit from using YouTube: http://bit.ly/n8IFVn

WordPress Plugins that Make Your Blog Comments Social: http://bit.ly/oLPYJA

Book writing is agony, with little reward. Why is it still pursued? NY Times: http://ow.ly/5DO9y RT @JaneFriedman

Agents are no longer relevant to authors? An agent says no: http://bit.ly/pSNkje

Tyranny of “The Numbers”: http://bit.ly/nnEOnK

Dear Young Writer: Advice to Your Younger Self: http://bit.ly/q0ZRXL

The Death of the Publishing IT Department? http://bit.ly/pjspJS @pubperspectives

Google+ Hangouts for Writing Groups: http://bit.ly/q5JdMb @galleycat

4 Elements of a Great Book Signing: http://bit.ly/nHxZno @PimpMyNovel

The 7 Stages of Writing a Sequel: http://bit.ly/nZGbos

How To Sell Songs Inside Your eBook: http://bit.ly/rgm59B @GalleyCat

7 Sound Techniques for Effective Writing: http://bit.ly/oS0bpp

Twitter tools for authors--Twellow and Grader: http://bit.ly/qU2Q6e

Why your reader is your co-writer and 6 tips for letting readers fill in the blanks: http://bit.ly/nWJw4x @KMWeiland

A deep editing analysis that demonstrates the power of cadence and specificity in writing: http://bit.ly/neyG9z @jhansenwrites

16 Ways Fiction is Usually Different than Reality: http://bit.ly/qT7kuu

2 PIs explain white collar crime to crime writers and give tips for writing it: http://bit.ly/nshtCX

How to work theme into your novels: http://bit.ly/qbjrfQ @DirtyWhiteCandy

Making Critical Character Traits Part of Your Plot: http://bit.ly/qVL6AW

What Readers WON’T Miss about Corporate Book Publishers When They’re Gone: http://bit.ly/ot0uVm @AnneRAllen

Tips for writing your 1st scenes: http://bit.ly/n7msBR

The dreaded flashback: http://bit.ly/noGjYG

How to speak publisher - C is for Cover: http://bit.ly/nccNZs

Managing Your Time as a Writer: http://bit.ly/qqYeqj

The art of rocking out your identity crisis so you can go on to rule the world: http://bit.ly/oAOY2a

How much description? http://bit.ly/p11bQL @JulietteWade

Tips for providing value on Twitter: http://bit.ly/pv1dsQ

World Building-Part 2: Social and Cultural Aspects: http://bit.ly/nrUPAb

5 must-do publicity tips: http://bit.ly/qpQ0no

The Surprising Key to Becoming an Authority: http://bit.ly/q0mOEX

7 Reasons Creative People Don’t Talk about Money: http://bit.ly/qNWNnv

Tips for bringing scenes to life: http://bit.ly/qE1F0J @4kidlit

Have white-board, will plot: http://bit.ly/px9XJT @yaHighway

The Lies Screenwriters Tell (Themselves): http://bit.ly/p4wdzQ

10 public speaking tips: http://bit.ly/pDL9yx @katiewardwriter

Who has authority online? @JaneFriedman with answers: http://bit.ly/qaHqRQ

Is your book's middle saggy? Losing motivation halfway through? Don't give up! Some tips: http://bit.ly/o425Ct @jhansenwrites

The 7 Deadly Sins of Writing: http://bit.ly/pH42sy

Self-Publishing is Like Playing Baseball: http://bit.ly/pNjO82

5 Reasons Why Your Writing Matters (Even if No-One Will Take You Seriously): http://bit.ly/ofMVip

A Google+ cheat sheet: http://bit.ly/npVzr6

12 Easy Steps to The Making of a Book Trailer: http://bit.ly/kP5jpk

Fixing Problem Pacing: http://bit.ly/qHO7Fb

Genre Interruptus: http://bit.ly/ofT0Io

Why copywriting is the secret to building a popular blog: http://bit.ly/pA6m8Y

How to Delete Half Your Facebook "Friends": http://bit.ly/qfdRkb

10 Greatest Unintentionally Hilarious Lines from SF&F: http://on.io9.com/q8cnA9

10 Fantasy and Science Fiction Copycats that Actually Improved on the Original: http://on.io9.com/nHam8t

Getting ISBNs in Canada: http://bit.ly/oUblTz @JustusRStone

Keeping Your Promises To Readers: http://bit.ly/pTnwq6 @ajackwriting

An Agent Answers a Writer's Question on Collaborative Writing: http://bit.ly/nST1u1

How to Cure Writer’s Block and Stay Productive: http://bit.ly/nHX6rb

A Writer’s Must-Read List: http://bit.ly/nh2uSk @on_creativity

Tips for formatting your manuscript: http://bit.ly/oPlX6i

On rejections: http://bit.ly/nCaoc1

That book was edited? http://bit.ly/qHeIBm

Keeping the Vision in Revision: http://bit.ly/owbtIy @BTMargins

Creating Cover Art: Down & Dirty Tips: http://bit.ly/pnYzC1

Making Marketing More About Them & Less About Us: http://bit.ly/npT2Ha @JodyHedlund

Manipulating Your Reader for Better Plots: http://bit.ly/q1HNP4

An e-publisher says not to query them if you won't blog or tweet: http://bit.ly/nFcXAa

Why We Practice Our Writing

I mentioned last week that I was preparing two books to e-publish. I wrote one of the books three years ago. The other is a book I wrote five years ago.

The book that I wrote three years ago was definitely easier for me to edit. I did remove some ‘telling’ references and created a deeper POV for the story.

The book that I wrote five years ago? It’s taking me forever to edit it.

The problem with the book I wrote five years ago isn’t a mechanical problem or grammatical problem.

It’s definitely that it’s just not a very mature book. I’ll read along a little bit and think, “Why would this character do that?” or “Why did I spell out that this character was getting into their car and driving across town? Why not just start the scene across town?”

There’s something on every page that I’m deleting, adding, or completely rewording. The only thing that seems really solid is my voice. I’m thankful that’s intact or else I’d have to write the book over from scratch.

I’m lucky that I’ve got a few weeks where I’m not really under any pressing deadlines (except to read my pass pages for the next Memphis book…coming out in November.) So I think I’ll just spend some time updating this book and hopefully raising the writing bar to at least my current level of ability.

Sometimes I wonder if showing up every day to write is doing anything for me. Am I actually getting better?

But then, looking back over stuff I’ve written 3-5 years ago, there’s no question of the improvement. Every day you open up that laptop or notebook…..no matter what your goal is—a weekly goal, a monthly goal, whatever…you’re improving your craft.

Have you got any old manuscripts? Can you see a difference in your writing from long ago?

Fixing Book Middles and Staying Motivated to Finish Our Book

Today I’m at the Writers in the Storm blog (a great resource for writers, if you haven’t visited), talking a little about book middles.

Middles can be tough—not only is it where our plots might start getting a little saggy, they’re also where we might lose motivation to finish our book…and when Shiny New Idea syndrome is most likely to strike.

Hope you’ll join me there!

The Black Heart of White-Collar Crime by Colleen Collins & Shaun Kaufman

In 1939 sociologist Edwin Sutherland coined the term “white collar crime.” He wrote, "White collar crime is crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation." It was a radical redefinition in criminal law as Sutherland was making distinctions not on the basis of an act or intent, but according to the status of the accused. Unlike Edwin Sutherland's definition, the U.S. Department of Justice’s formal definition of white-collar crime disregards class or economic status. However, government prosecutors are far more likely to indict the "upper-class" businessman who works for a major corporation than the middle-class grandmother who buys counterfeit medications from Canada. The general components of white-collar crime: • It is a non-violent, illegal act that principally involves deception, deceit, concealment, manipulation, breach of trust, subterfuge or illegal circumvention. • It is typically committed by a business person or public official • Its evidence usually involves a “paper trail” that investigators use to prosecute the case. There are numerous types of white-collar crime, including antitrust violations, bankruptcy fraud, cell phone fraud, credit card fraud, counterfeiting, credit card fraud, environment schemes, healthcare fraud and insider trading. PIs Who Specialize in White-Collar Crime As with any crime, there are investigative procedures, then there’s the creativity, experience, tenacity and intellect of the investigator. That last one – intellect – is key for an investigator who specializes in white-collar crimes. A homicide detective we know claims that all homicides are easy. He claims that unless they’re strategized by organized crime (for example), they’re typically cases whose clues are easily followed. Alternatively, criminals who practice white-collar crime are smart. They are usually highly educated, savvy and familiar with how to manipulate the inner workings of business. A PI who investigates a white-collar crime case has to match wits with these criminals to uncover the crime. Plus, the practice of private investigations is just as much an art as it is a science, so a successful investigator always thinks outside of the box while also applying concepts and procedures. Next, let’s analyze one of our white-collar crime cases by looking at our investigation goals, tasks, unforeseen glitches and end result. Case Example: The Case of the Disappearing Money Investigation Goal An attorney who specializes in probate, elder law, and estate planning/administration asked our investigations agency to investigate what had happened to the money that disappeared from a family's trust fund. The family already suspected a specific member. Investigation Tasks Our investigations on the suspected family member included the following tasks: • Researching public records for significant purchases for land, cars and other high-price-tag items. • Researching purchases made by the suspect’s daughter and son-in-law. Our investigation revealed that the son-in-law had come unexpectedly into large amounts of money that he had used to fund large purchases, one being a new home. • Checking records in the assessor’s and clerk of recorder’s offices. We learned the suspected family member had acquired an interest in a pricey downtown condo. • Surveilling the suspected family member. Although she claimed to be unemployed, we discovered she suddenly had sufficient amounts of money to attend a university full time. • Investigating suspected family’s member’s claim that she occasionally babysat for another family member to earn some money. Our investigations, including surveillance, showed she never conducted any babysitting, and that the children in question were enrolled in a daycare that the suspected family member had no ties to. Unforeseen Glitches The object of our investigations learned from another family member that private investigators were watching. Therefore, the suspect became cautious, and spent a lot of time looking around the corner whenever they left the house. Too bad that they left so much evidence in public records regarding their acquisitions using family money. End Result The lawyer applied for a court order forfeiting the ill-gotten property back to the deceased person’s estate. In other words, the pricey downtown condo was taken over by the family members who had been ripped off. Writing a Sleuth Who Specializes in White-Collar Crime? If so, think about these character attributes: • Does she have a background in business or accounting? Is he a former nurse or health care professional? In other words, does your sleuth have training or expertise ancillary to the white-collar crime? • How identity theft often dovetails with other white-collar crimes. For example, criminals conducting health care fraud often also need to know how to obtain, or buy, personal information such as people’s SSNs. Therefore, it’s beneficial for a sleuth to have contacts/informants in the identify-theft community. • Does your fictional sleuth have inside contacts in hospitals, insurance companies, doctors’ offices who can provide intelligence? Thank you to Elizabeth Craig for hosting us today as guests at “Writing Is Murder”! We’re giving away a gift Kindle version of How to Write a Dick to one of today’s readers who posts a comment/question (name will be randomly picked before midnight today – please be sure to leave your email address for notification). If you don’t have a Kindle, there are free downloadable Kindle apps for PCs and Macs (we use the downloadable app at home, and it’s great). Colleen Collins and Shaun Kaufman are co-owners of Highlands Investigations in Denver, Colorado. Their ebook How to Write a Dick: A Guide to Writing Fictional Sleuths from a Couple of Real-Life Sleuths, is available on Kindle and Nook. Colleen Collins is a co-owner of Highlands Investigations in Denver, Colorado. Her articles on private investigations have appeared on various Internet sites as well as in PI Magazine, Romance Writers Report, Pursuit Magazine, PInow.com and other publications. She is an active member of the Private Eye Writers of America and the Mystery Writers of America. She has written 20 novels for both Harlequin and Dorchester, several of which have placed in the finals for national competitions, including the prestigious Holt Medallion and RITA awards.

Shaun Kaufman, co-owner of Highlands Investigations, has worked in and around the criminal justice field for more than 30 years, as a former trial attorney and a current legal investigator. He has published articles in PI magazine, the Denver Law Review, as well as authored numerous briefs for the Colorado Court of Appeals, Colorado Supreme Court and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. As a trial attorney, Shaun hired and managed private investigators, training them on such issues as ethics, death penalty litigation, homicide and gang evidence, and search and seizure techniques.

Quotes

“Forget Google and Bing. When you need to research PI work, go to the experts, Colleen Collins and Shaun Kaufman: they live it, they teach it, they write it. How to Write a Dick is the best work of its kind I’ve ever come across because it covers the whole spectrum in an entertaining style that will appeal to layman and lawmen alike. This will be the industry standard for years to come.” - Reed Farrel Coleman, three-time Shamus Award winner for Best PI Novel of the Year and author of Hurt Machine

"If you want authenticity in creating a fictional private investigator for your stories, then this is a must-have reference book. Its authors, Colleen and Shaun, are living, breathing PIs with years of actual experience in the PI game."

- R.T. Lawton, 25 years on the street as a federal special agent and author of 4 series in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine