Tuesday, April 03, 2012

For Writers - Close Your Eyes and Breathe

Spring sprang while we were in AZ, and painted my neighborhood in emeralds
and golds for our return. The flowers at the garden centers have started to call to me, daring me to thumb my nose at the last frost date and bring them home. I might cave if it weren't for the weeds I have to wrestle from the beds before I can even think about planting. Or the deer who have returned to grace my yard just in time to munch on my hosta. Or the lawn mower that refuses start because I forgot to get it tuned up in the fall. My grass is so long, my dog has to hop around the yard like a bunny or she'll get lost in it. Still, the spring sunshine beckons me outside. The lilacs have begun to perfume the air, so that when I close my eyes and breathe, I forget I have things to do.

In short, I've been away from my desk more than usual and have no writing tip to offer this week, BUT I do have a long list of links to share. Enjoy!

Show vs. Tell from CS Lewis (Letters of Note) Brilliant

Showing and Telling Emotion in Fiction (Writer Unboxed)

Read Your Way to Better Writing (Write it Sideways)

Subtext of Character Growth (The Science of Story)

Two Types of Key Questions (The Science of Story)

Query Letter Anatomy - What to Include (Writers' Relief)

Mixing the 36 Dramatic Situations to Find Something Fresh (Adventures in YA Publishing)

Conflict and Its Importance (Utterances of a Overcrowded Mind) Writing for Success series

True Grit as a Writer (Write it Forward - Bob Mayer) Strategic Goals

Voice - the Key to Literary Magic, Part 1 (Kristin Lamb)
Voice - Spark Literary Magic, Part 2 (Kristin Lamb)

Permission to Use Quotes in Your Writing (Bookends, LLC)

Making Depressing Characters Likable (Sharp Angles)

How to Fix a Flat Novel in Three Easy Steps (Between the Margins)

3 Deep Characteristics About Dialog (AmWriting.org)

5 Ways to Liven up a Description (DIY MFA)

Description vs Exposition (DIY MFA)

Romancing Remuneration (Jane Friedman)

Searching for a Scene (Fiction Notes)

How to Plot without Plotting (Writability)

Which Comes First: Character, World, or Plot? (Paranormal POV)

Advanced Write Tight (Writers in the Storm)

This is your Brain on Metaphors (The Creativity Post)

Writing the Other Scene (Moody Blog)

Why You Should Kill Your Darlings (Wordplay)

Now go enjoy the day... and write!