Two years worth of writing links

I've added quite a lot of writing links to this blog over the past 2 years and thought it would be a good idea to put them all in the same place (mostly so I can find them!) but thought some of my more recent readers might find them useful too so...here you are...

The writing links I've found most useful

1. Plot

i) What to do if your plot gets stuck - http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2009/01/05/jwam-reader-request-no-3-how-to-get-unstuck/

ii) Creating a plot outline - http://hollylisle.com/pdf/Lisle-Plot-Outline.pdf

iii) The 3 Act Structure - http://www.musik-therapie.at/PederHill/Structure&Plot.htm

iv) Narrative tension - http://ezinearticles.com/?Creating-Narrative-Tension-in-a-Novel&id=88160

v) Tips for adding tension to your novel - http://www.fictionfactor.com/guests/tension.html

vi) The Hero’s journey - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth

vii) How powerful is your novel? - http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2007/07/vw3-turn-up-wattage-story-power.html


2. Writing encouragement

i) The secret of writing success - http://sallyquilfordblog.co.uk/2008/12/new-year-message-and-writing-secret-of.html

ii) Even hugely successful chicklit authors like Jennifer Weiner have been rejected - http://jenniferweiner.com/forwriters.htm

iii) Jasper Fforde, rejected 76 times over 10 years - http://writerunboxed.com/2007/06/22/author-interview-a-conversation-with-jasper-fforde/

iv) Write as though you’ve got a gun to your head - http://spreadtheword.org.uk/index.php?id=miscellaneous&text=1053


3. Agents/Editors

i) What they want - http://writeblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2008/09/road-ahead.html

ii) When should you fire your agent? - http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2008/06/when-to-cut-ties-with-your-agent.html

iii) When agents ask for revisions but don’t offer representation - http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2008/05/revisions-before-representation.html

iv) Do agents look at wannabe author’s websites? - http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2008/03/talking-websites.html

v) BBC website on how to lay out a novel for submission to an agent/editor - http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scriptsmart/novel.pdf


4. Characters

i) Body language cues to emotion (useful for show vs tell) - http://www.joannawaugh.com/Craft.html

ii) Create images of your characters - http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/t4/microsites/M/makingfaces/yourface_createMate.html

iii) What makes a sympathetic character? - http://www.sff.net/people/alicia/artsympathy.htm

iv) What makes a compelling character? - http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2008/06/character-and-plot-inseparable.html

v) Matching a character’s name to their age - http://babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/lnv0105.html


5. Gadgets & software

i) WRITE or your computer will bleep at you! - http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html

ii) Free writing software - http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter.html

iii) Create a ‘word cloud’ of your novel or short story - http://wordle.net/create

iv) Semi-colon quiz - http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/skills/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_44.htm

v) Do you write like woman or a man? - http://bookblog.net/gender/genie.php

vi) Get your computer to read out your novel/story for you - http://www.naturalreaders.com/

vii) Online editing software - http://www.autocrit.com/


6. Writers block

i) http://www.copyblogger.com/writers-block/

ii) Writers block vs chronic procrastination - http://www.slate.com/id/2191312


7. Publishing

i) How do you get your book into the supermarkets? - http://www.danutakean.com/blog/?p=245#more-245

ii) Don’t expect to earn loads of money - http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/2008/02/not-just-singin.html

iii) “Things I’ve learned since my first book was published” - http://cmpriest.livejournal.com/879864.html

iv) Author tries to promote his first book - http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/fiction/article2151594.ece

v) Snowbooks publishers – “How We Choose What We Publish” - http://www.snowbooks.com/weblog/2007/06/how_we_choose_what_to_publish.html#more


8. General advice for writers

i) 35 traps writers fall into - http://www.rachelsimon.com/wg_common.htm

ii) Writing a novel - http://www.fictionfactor.com/novel.html

iii) Really informative videos on writing and getting published - http://www.videojug.com/tag/writing-and-publishing

iv) BBC GetWriting site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/getwriting/minicourse

v) Writing fiction for 8-12 year olds - http://www.ianbone.com.au/pdfs/NovelsYoung_IanBone.pdf

vi) Writing tips - http://www.lisagardner.com/tricks/index.htm

vii) Writing advice - http://www.caroclarke.com/writing.html


9. Random stuff

i) Have a nose at other writer’s rooms - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7754115.stm

ii) Guardian newspaper ‘How to write’ articles - http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/howtowrite

iii) The Book Show on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=TheBookShow

iv) Test your vocab and help charity at the same time - http://www.freerice.com/

v) Are you right-brained or left-brained? - http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,22492511-5005375,00.html

vi) What drives writers to write? - http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article2615414.ece


10. Editing

i) Kill your darlings - http://brendacoulter.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-kill-your-darlings-without.html

ii) Rewriting a novel - http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/?p=890

iii) 3 steps to edit your novel - http://www.autocrit.com/pdfFiles/ThreeStepstoEditingYourNovel.pdf

iv) Editing - http://www.caroclarke.com/rewriting.html

v) Revision Toolkit - http://theresefowler.blogspot.com/2007/07/revision-tool-kit.html