December 6, 2011

What this writer is reading

I've been diligently working on my WIP, Isn't She Lovely? (a poignant story of second chances that is sure to tug at your heartstrings), and not doing a whole lot of reading, but keeping up with my favorite blogs. Naturally, I read J.A. Konrath's blog, an absolute must read for any indie writer. Eventually I will list these on my Blogroll, but haven't had time yet). I thought I'd share some of the columns that caught my attention:

Over at Writer Unboxed, Juliet Marillier explains why NaNoWriMo didn't work for her. It's the same reason it didn't work for me. I'm too vested in quality to just churn out words, and I don't do first and second drafts. Instead, when I (finally) finish, I'm ready to polish and publish.

Also at Writer Unboxed is an interview with romance author Barbara Freethy, one of my she-roes. This established romance author published her considerable backlist with great success, and it sounds as if she is putting out some new material, as well as continuing to publish traditionally.

Ray Rhamey talks about the most efficient way to include dialogue tags in your writing, again at Writer Unboxed (lots of tips to be found on this blog).

I loved Dean Wesley Smith's blog about finally hearing from a publisher he'd queried...two years ago! Check out Dean's Think Like A Publisher series as well; lots of good information there.

Over at Marketing Tips, a site that hasn't been updated in quite some time, Dan McGirt gives valuable tips on marketing your novel the second time around (in eBook form).

Bob Mayer, at his blog Write It Forward, advises uncertain writers on What to Write.

Every Saturday (sometimes Monday), my buddy Patricia Woodside shares writer tidbits at her blog, Readin' and Writin'.

As odd as it sounds, there's much more to being a novelist than simply, well, writing. There's a wealth of information out there to assist us...take advantage of it!