Thinking Crafty Links...

I’m out and about visiting the other hemisphere...while I’m away from my usual haunts I thought you might like to take a look at good links on different subjects.

Ten links to get you thinking on CRAFT

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2012/01/hooks-loglines-and-pitches-what-every.html?spref=tw

http://www.wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/does-your-story-need-subplots.html

http://kidlit.com/2012/04/25/change-of-heart/

http://www.darcypattison.com/revision/11-revision-questions/

http://www.yaindie.com/2012/04/10-ways-to-increase-your-daily-word.html?spref=tw

http://thescribblerscove.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/emotional-structure-in-your-novel.html?spref=tw

http://writerunboxed.com/2012/01/24/on-quirky-character-names/

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2012/01/leave-breadcrumbs-behind-are-you-asking.html

http://jamigold.com/2012/02/how-to-use-the-save-the-cat-beat-sheet/

http://ollinmorales.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/lifegrammar/

http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/why-your-hero-needs-yappy-sidekick.html

http://storyfix.com/hunger-games-9-the-entire-story-in-nine-sentences

http://storyfix.com/your-structure-is-off-what-does-that-even-mean

So now you know I can’t count...hehehe

Hot of the press links for you

Craft - Another look at the heroes journey in time for NaNoWriMo

Chuck on why writers must beware quacks at conferences.

How to use Amazon to sell more books

Enjoy,

Maureen

Tripping Around The World

Today the Twitter feed is full of what people are talking about at Storyworld, the big conference in Hollywood (happening as I write this) which is a mix of writers, gamers and publishers...directly taking aim at the transmedia market. If you want to follow the conversation...everything from Disney’s new grant program for storytellers to whether transmedia is a Noun or a Verb...(It’s a verb!) Follow along using #SWC12 in the Twitter search box.

Also just appearing in blogs is the roundup of Frankfurt Book Fair and what came out of it. Laura Hazard Owen of Paid Content rolls over the new startups that got the buzz as well as the HUGE market in books on mobile phones...and the publishers cashing in on self pubbed authors.

Mike Shatzkin commented that Frankfurt opened his eyes...to the use of ‘Platform’ in children’s publishing by Gatekeepers and the immense power this has for sales and the future in publishing. There is so much to ponder in this post... take some time to absorb it.

New Zealand was guest of Honour at Frankfurt this year and our contribution was to send NZ’s *literary* platform of Chefs, Winemakers, Film Producers along with Poets and some great Kiwi authors. The Fair Special Focus of Children and Young Adult literature featured a *small* stellar group of NZ Children’s Authors. Authors had to compete on the other side of a curtain with the multimedia experience in the guest pavilion hall, where the unwary could fall into the pools of water while staring at the reflected stars. We have great writers here...wish they all could have been there....

Coming up in the next few weeks... Halloween and NaNoWriMo....

Last year there was discussion among YA authors about handing out scary books to kids who come trick or treating...and a lot of authors went to the second hand bookshops and stocked up on Goosebumps. This year the campaign is more organised and Neil Gaiman is fronting it. Check out this great video on the All Hallows Read website. (Neil Gaiman thinks the fact that I sing in graveyards is pretty cool...however no one is getting murdered while I do it...not like this video...heheheh)

Scrivener is coming to the halloween party in time for NaNoWriMo with a free trial of their writing software. There are authors who swear by this programme so if you are interested or gearing up for NaNoWriMo this year check it out.

The Amazing team behind Emotional Thesaurus have written a breakdown of how they took a blog idea into a non fiction book for writers and then out to the world to sell over 10,000 copies in few short months. This is a great meaty read with what they learned this year. Angela and Becky have always impressed me (they live in two different countries) and after reading this breakdown...they are now up there with GODDESSES!

Copyblogger has a great post on negotiations and how to do them for freelance writers...this is one of those print it out and stick it on the wall by the telephone posts.

Joanna Penn, in London, offers the definitive breakdown to why your books aren’t selling and what to do about it. This is great information...and a handy checklist.

Jane Friedman (now in Virginia) has been busy this week with two great posts on Author website checklists and a very detailed Q and A with a copyright attorney...do you need to register your MS in the US if you live outside it?

VQR has a thought provoking post on Small Press and Self Publishers...are they enemies or half siblings...among the ideas in here is whether it is legit for small presses to ask authors for money to publish...Sean says yes.

In the craft list of great links...

The use of cliff hangers by unscrupulous writers.

How to get through reading your work out loud.

Dialogue spacing and why you need to pay attention to it! (Agent Mary Kole hot on the warpath)

7 tricks to add variety to your dialogue.

Kristen Lamb on getting primal with structure, part of her new writing series.

Writing to music? thewritepractice says you should and why...(nifty article to have your characters singing into the hairbrush...)

In the interesting tech ideas...

Inkygirl has been trying out a $4.99 App for the iPad that makes animated book trailers...easily.

Joel Friedman (The Book Designer) has 3 ways to use google search more effectively...you will never look at the search box the same way...brilliant.

If you love to get into typefaces...Joel also has a look at a new typeface  for dyslexics.

To Finish,

Derek Haines has published a blog post on why he is going back to Smashwords from being a KDP Select programme for the last year. He weighs up the benefits and the costs of both distributors. This is a good snapshot of the indie industry today.

In Breaking News the latest stats on publishing first half of 2012...Children's pub stats up 41%...and it's digital...

I’ll be out and about over the next few weeks in a different hemisphere so I’m cooking up some special focus posts for you...they will be chock full of links as per usual...

maureen....off to pack bags...