More Online Resources

Last week Colleen shared some of the online resources that she uses and I want to continue that theme this week. These links are about the basic, nuts and bolts of writing. I don't know about you, but when I'm stuck in the hell of writers block, I start back at the beginning. Many times, reading about the basics of writing will un-stick my brain and let me get back to business.

Writing World - giant resource of how-to writing articles

Caro Clark -  this author wrote a series of articles for the online publication NovelAdvice

Randy Ingermanson - a physicist and author with a unique voice and lots of information. He has a second page called the snowflake method which showcases his writing method.

Brenda Coulter - she is a romance author and therefore her tips are skewed toward the genre, but I think there is something here for everyone

Writing Tips article - this article is long but has some good advice

Wild Rose Press - a publisher of romance but the writing articles could be for any genre

Liz Fielding - a romance author with some great tips

and, if you are still stuck - or if you are more of a visual person - take a look at this page.

Inspiring pictures - you are guaranteed to find something here that will inspire your writing


What are your online resources? Websites? Blogs? References? Tell us why you like it and how it's helped you. Don't forget to add a link.

Autographed book giveaway

A few weeks back we gave away an autographed copy of Mistress By Mistake by Susan Gee Heino (see my review of the book here )  and today I have another copy of the book to give away to some lucky follower this week.


Also, if you would like to learn more about the author, see my 3-part interview The Writing Life.

Contest rules are posted on our home page.

Good Luck to everyone!

5:00 A.M.? Must Be Time To Write…

When I first had the idea for this post, I thought I would simply go out to the web and poke around into writer’s routines. I wanted to excavate what specific daily agenda they set for themselves in order to be productive, get published, and be successful. What I discovered, however, was something entirely different. You see, no such formula exists. Finding time for writing is something that most writers must consciously create. Much like the way in which we devise our stories, plots and characters, we must purposefully work to carve out that precious slice of time from our daily lives to practice the number one tenet of writing: BIC (butt in chair).

Thomas Hardy worked in architecture and wrote from 6:00 p.m. to midnight; Kafka’s government position left little time for writing or for family, and he often began writing at 11:00 p.m., sometimes working through the night until 6:00 a.m. and heading back to the job by 8:30; attorney John Grisham could only write from 5:30 a.m. until he had to hustle off to the courthouse; both Alice Monro and Toni Morrison wrote while raising young children (the most demanding job of all!)

The flip side to all of this are those authors who have risen to the level of “full time” writer: William Styron, Stephen King and Roald Dahl are all examples of those blessed to be able to pursue this profession as their official occupation. Then there is Emily Post, who would lounge, writing, in bed until noon or later.

As for me, I will continue to daydream about the time when I get to spend my days and nights doing the one thing I love most – writing. Until then, I will continue to steal snippets from the stopwatch at irregular intervals – and enjoying every single second of it.

 So what about you?
What would your ideal writing day look like?

Beth Zellner

http://www.bethnbijoux.blogspot.com/

Contest Results Announced

Tuesday's winner is.......Marjorie. Congratulations. I'll send you an email with instructions on how to claim your book. Happy Writing!

Friday Book Review: The Outer Banks House by Diann Ducharme

Being a long-time vacationer on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and an American history buff, I thoroughly enjoyed Diann Ducharme's debut novel, The Outer Banks House. 

The story is set in 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War.  Abigail Sinclair, a seventeen year old daughter of a North Carolina plantation owner, moves to her family's new summer cottage on the beach at Nags Head on the Outer Banks.  She's lived a privileged, sheltered life, despite the fact that the war has taken its toll on the family's plantation.  Abigail's mother is distant and aloof, her father is a man's man, consumed with hunting, fishing, and unbeknownst to Abigail, involved in a manhunt motivated by racism and revenge.

As a favor to his hunting guide, Ben Whimble, Abigail's father insists that she teach him to write and read each afternoon after the day's hunt has concluded.  Ben, who is dirt poor, filthy, and unrefined, disgusts Abigail at first.  Eventually, however, Ben's down-to-earth sensibility, kindness, and broader view of the world wins Abigail's affections.  Abigail's parents approve of and encourage a match for their daughter not with Ben, but rather with Hector, a medical student from their hometown of Edenton.  Hector turns Abigail off since he is interested only in having an attractive wife to compliment his future career in medicine.  Social and familial pressures cause Abigail to maintain her relationship with Hector, despite her distaste for him.  Abigail finds herself sneaking out to spend time with Ben, though she knows her parents would disapprove. 

Meanwhile, Ben is assisting Abigail's father with more than just hunting and fishing.  Though he is angry with himself for doing it, Ben helps Abigail's father locate a runaway former slave of a plantation owner associated with Mr. Sinclair.  Roanoke Island is home to a large number of freed slaves, and Ben, being intimately familiar with the land and the people of the Outer Banks,  is the best person to infiltrate the colony of freed slaves to locate the subject of the manhunt.  The act of helping Abigail's father with the manhunt goes against Ben's nature, but he's been promised a good paying job building the Hatteras lighthouse in return for the assistance.

Abigail soon becomes intertwined with the Roanoke Island colony by teaching former slaves to read and write.  She is unaware of the clandestine activities of both her father and Ben, but the ugly truth eventually reveals itself, forcing Abigail out of her innocence.

I appreciated the descriptions of the land and the historical accuracy that Ducharme lovingly weaved throughout the story.  For anyone familiar with the Outer Banks, the author hit all the major historical draws of the area including the wild horses, life-saving stations, Jockey's Ridge, and the rich heritage of Roanoke Island with the Lost Colony and the Freedman's Colony.  Of course, the Wright Brothers' first flight did not take place until a few decades later. 

I also enjoyed the exploration of racism and race relations in the post Civil-War era.  In some respects, freed slaves had a more difficult way in life than before the war, without the benefit of education, business networks, and established communities.  The book is told from the points of view of both Abigail and Ben.  Ben's voice, in particular, is very strong, reminding me a bit of an older Huck Finn.  The plot line itself was solid, but the layering of setting, history, and social issues made the novel that much more rich. 

Check back with Fiction Flurry in the coming weeks for an interview with the author, Diann Ducharme!

Writers Conferences

I am in the process of preparing for the ACFW National conference to be held this September in Indianapolis. Each year I try to set aside time to attend at least one writing conference. As I have been preparing, I have thought about the many benefits I have received by attending a writing conference. I've settled on my top three to share with you.

* The opportunity to meet with editors and literary agents. Many of the conferences offer one-on-one appointments, giving you fifteen minutes to sit down and start making those necessary networking contacts.

* The opportunity to meet and form friendships with other writers. Let's face it, writing is a lonely business, and many of our closest friends and family, (although we love them) glaze over when we start talking about writing. This gives you an opportunity to meet with other crazy people...I mean writers.

* The opportunity to improve in your craft. I love the classes I have taken. Each class helps me bring more dimension to my writing, and improve. My favorite class was taught by James Scott Bell entitled, How To Write A Novel They Won't Put Down. The class was extremely helpful, and the instructor shared so much information that I'm taking another one of his classes this year.

I know conferences can be costly, but I have always found them to be worth the investment.

Online Resources for Writers

It seems there are endless websites, blogs, and online communities to assist writers in getting their work published.  Many Fiction Flurry Followers have very helpful blogs of their own that you might want to browse.  Magazines like Writer's Digest regularly publish feature articles highlighting the best websites for writers.

One drawback to the ease with which this vast amount of writerly information is available is that the web can suck you in, stealing time that should be used actually writing.  (I'm terribly guilty of this!)  Nonetheless, I'm going to offer up a few online sites that I find particularly useful, and I encourage all of you to do the same in the comment section.  What sites do you find useful to your writing?  Here are a few of my faves:

http://querytracker.net/
Query Tracker allows you to search for agents who are acquiring for the kind of manuscript you have written.  You can keep track of your queries and the responses (or lack thereof) from agents.

http://www.duotrope.com/index.aspx
Duotrope's Digest offers a free database of publishers of fiction and poetry.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/
National Novel Writing Month is November...get ready to write 50,000 words in one month.  Even if you don't get to 50K, you still get a lot more written than you would in a typical month. 

http://christinakatz.com/
This writer specializes in helping writers who are also moms (like me).  I'm thinking about taking one of her online classes.

http://community.writersdigest.com/
This is a place where you can find a group of people interested in your genre, you can get critiques of your writing, ask questions, establish relationships.  There are a bunch of great writing communities, but this is the one I've settled into.

What are your favorite writing websites?