Sterling Editing » Blog http://sterlingediting.com Editing, mentoring and coaching for writers Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:03:16 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Written on the internet http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-108/ http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-108/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:07:16 +0000 Kelley http://sterlingediting.com/?p=3525 Our weekly roundup of links we hope you’ll find interesting and useful:

  • From publishing expert Jane Friedman, here are 5 attitudes writers should avoid.
  • Want to take your social media game to the next level? Check out this course offering from social media expert (and Friend of Sterling Editing) Alexis Grant.
  • From author Chuck Wendig, 25 things you should know about story structure.
  • Want to run a successful Goodreads campaign? Check out these 11 tips from author Emlyn Chand.
  • And also from Novel Publicity, getting major publications to review your book: strategies from authors Shelli Johnson and Alice J. Wisler.
  • From author John Scalzi, a look at when we can and should call ourselves writer, professional, good.
  • And we leave you with this thoughtful and passionate post by author Mary Sojourner on why it matters that we write.

    • Enjoy your weekend. Write something wonderful!

    ]]>     http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-108/feed/ 0     Written on the internet http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-107/ http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-107/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:19:42 +0000 Kelley http://sterlingediting.com/?p=3516 Our weekly roundup of links we hope you’ll find interesting and useful:

  • Fascinating look at how readers mentally simulate your story. This is exactly why we believe that narrative grammar is so important…
  • … and why it’s important to make sure that all elements of your story are pulling in the same direction.
  • Have a question about how to kill off that character? Find your answer at the Writer’s Forensics Blog
  • Here’s a roundup of links to brief articles on formatting.
  • Why should you care about metadata? Take a look at how it impacts your sales (if you’re in a hurry, the summary is on page 10).
  • Here are many good suggestions for how to not be annoying on social media.
  • And we leave you with this loving look at libraries from Ohio’s Greene County Public Library. Buildings of books are a marvelous thing. Go hug a librarian!

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    Enjoy your weekend. Write something wonderful!

    ]]>     http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-107/feed/ 0     Written on the internet http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-106/ http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-106/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:11:50 +0000 Kelley http://sterlingediting.com/?p=3508 Our weekly roundup of links we hope you’ll find interesting and useful:

  • Writers, start doing these 25 things…
  • … but don’t behave badly online (check out the comment conversation for the perspectives of writers, readers and bloggers).
  • Why reading novels is good for business.
  • Editor Lynn Price covers the basics of manuscript formatting.
  • From Writer’s Digest, the 18 most popular articles of 2011.
  • And we leave you with writer Elissa Bassist’s writing lessons learned from improv class.

    • Enjoy your weekend. Write something wonderful!

    ]]>     http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-106/feed/ 0     Written on the internet http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-105/ http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-105/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:22:53 +0000 Kelley http://sterlingediting.com/?p=3509 Our weekly roundup of links we hope you’ll find informative and interesting:

  • From Harvard’s Nieman Foundation, a free PDF of more than 30 essays about e-publishing. Great resource!
  • Author Emlyn Chand on six kinds of writer’s block.
  • More answers from the Editor in the Basement: acquisitions, agency pricing, e-book errors, and more.
  • Author Anne R. Allen offers guidance on hooks, loglines and pitches.
  • Not just for superheroes: how to make a boring character interesting.
  • And we leave you with a list to take to heart: writer Tanner Christensen’s rules of a creative life.

    • Enjoy your weekend. Write something wonderful!

    ]]>     http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-105/feed/ 1     Written on the internet http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-104/ http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-104/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:09:49 +0000 Kelley http://sterlingediting.com/?p=3496 Happy 2012, and welcome to the first roundup of the year. We hope you find these links informative and interesting.

  • Do you want to write, market, and promote in 2012 and still have a life? Media and publishing expert Jane Friedman tells you how to do it…
  • …and how to avoid procrastinating about it.
  • The Editor in the Basement answers more writer questions about contracts, flame wars, and sloppy writing.
  • Author Daniel Abraham shares a private letter from genre to literature. We hope those two crazy kids can work it out…
  • Don’t be afraid, we won’t bite…editor Alan Rinzler addresses fear of editors.
  • And we leave you with screenwriter and producer Scott Myers wishes for you in 2012. Not just for screenwriters: for all of us.

    • Your Editors wish you a marvelous 2012. Write something wonderful!

    ]]>     http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-104/feed/ 0     Happy holidays http://sterlingediting.com/happy-holidays/ http://sterlingediting.com/happy-holidays/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:40:37 +0000 Kelley http://sterlingediting.com/?p=3494 No links today. We’re turning our attention toward the holidays and the end of the year. We’ll resume the weekly roundups on January 6.

    Thank you very much to our wonderful clients — we love working with you, and we’re honored by your trust in us. It’s a privilege to edit your work, coach you, and cheer you on as you dig into your writing. We’re writers too, and we know the joy that comes packaged with all that hard work. We wish you a boatload of both in 2012.

    Thank you to all the writers, editors and publishing professionals who share your ideas and expertise online to help writers, and to help create the writing community. We’re all in this together. Let’s take care of each other as best we can.

    And thanks to all of you who visit here. We’ll look forward to seeing you in 2012.

    Enjoy your holidays. Write something wonderful!

    Kelley and Nicola

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  • Heads up, writers! Facebook moves to its Timeline system on December 22. GalleyCat is here to help with tips for editing your Timeline.
  • Join the conversation at author Nathan Bransford’s blog about Amazon.com and independent bookstores, and at Your Editor Nicola’s blog about showrooming and book spaces. Be sure to follow all the links in both posts: they’ll lead you to an interesting spectrum of ideas and opinions on these changing times for booksellers.
  • Author Chuck Wendig offers 25 things you should know about rejection (Your Editor Kelley’s personal favorite today: Number 25. Cue Tina Turner!)
  • Part two of author Anne R. Allen’s very useful Beginning Blogging for Authors series: what not to do.
  • Are you shy about promoting yourself? Book publicity expert Paula Margulies talks co-promotion.
  • And we leave you with the perfect tool to stay on track with all the important aspects of the writing life:
     

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    Enjoy your weekend. Write something wonderful!

    ]]>     http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-103/feed/ 1     Written on the internet http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-102/ http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-102/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:32:41 +0000 Kelley http://sterlingediting.com/?p=3464 Our weekly roundup of links we hope you’ll find interesting and useful:

  • Earning and keeping a reader’s trust: a three-part series from The King of Elfland’s Second Cousin. Part 1 focuses on cultural touchstones and narrative precision; Part 2 on world-building and story structure; and Part 3 on character/narrator consistency.
  • Self-published author Chuck Wendig describes many good reasons not to self-publish, and and so does author Edan Lepucki. Check out the comment conversations on both posts for a variety of smart and thoughtful perspectives.
  • If you do self-publish, you may be interested in Amazon.com’s new KDP Select Program…
  • …but make sure to read the fine print.
  • Author Anne R. Allen has a great Beginner’s Guide to Blogging for authors.
  • Author Rick Daley offers a helpful FAQ on SEO.
  • Creativity expert Michael Michalko with 12 things about creative thinking they don’t teach in school.

    • Enjoy your weekend. Write something wonderful!

    ]]>     http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-102/feed/ 0     Written on the internet http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-101/ http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-101/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:56:01 +0000 Kelley http://sterlingediting.com/?p=3438 Our weekly roundup of links we hope you’ll find interesting and useful:

  • Not just for screenwriters! Fiction writers, take note of these 10 ways to bore your readers.
  • And this too… no matter what kind of stories we write, we live in the world of the story.
  • Writer’s Digest collects 90 top secrets of bestselling authors.
  • A great list of literary fiction blogs and websites from former publishing exec Jane Friedman.
  • Victoria Strauss at Writer Beware examines the statistics of finding an agent and a commercial publishing deal.
  • And we leave you with… well, please just don’t ever write this book, okay?

    • Congratulations to all of you NaNoWriMo survivors!

    Enjoy your weekend. Write something wonderful!

    ]]>     http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-101/feed/ 1     Written on the internet http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-100/ http://sterlingediting.com/written-on-the-internet-100/#comments Fri, 25 Nov 2011 13:38:44 +0000 Kelley http://sterlingediting.com/?p=3422 Our weekly roundup of links we hope you’ll find interesting and useful:

  • Every writer brave enough to risk rejection is in good company: 50 Iconic Writers Who Were Repeatedly Rejected (via Go Into The Story — hop over there to leave your own definition of rejection in the comment conversation).
  • Having trouble finishing that draft? Motivational psychologist Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson describes nine things successful people do to reach their goals.
  • Author Anne Beattie tells 7 truths about writers.
  • Editor Kyra Freestar examines the relationship between self-publishing and editing.
  • Author Kristine Kathryn Rusch does the math on how traditional publishers are making money, and why writers should care.
  • Author Nathan Bransford turns writing doctor and diagnoses several writing maladies: here’s Part 1 and Part 2.
  • Author Anne Allen has great, specific advice on Amazon reader reviews. Email the link to all your reader friends!
  • Author John Scalzi talks about his joy in writing.
  • And we leave you with more joy: go read about how a little red sketchbook raised a lot of money to build libraries where they are really needed. Be sure to watch the video.

    • Enjoy your weekend. Write something wonderful!

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