Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

ANOTHER TAKE ON THE MOST CRITICAL THING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WRITING A NOVEL

By: Larry Brooks @storyfix

You’ve read this here before, and it bears repeating because the entire enchilada of effective storytelling is embraced in these few lines:

A great novel is not just ABOUT something… a theme, a time, a setting, a situation, or even a character. That’s a great start, but it’s rarely a great novel if that’s the sole purpose and focus of the narrative.

A great novel is about something HAPPENING.  About a hero who DOES something.  Who takes ACTION, which can manifest in infinite ways.

At the end of the day, what HAPPENS is the vehicle that transports theme, character, setting and emotional resonance into the consciousness of the reader.

As novelists, we’re not writing diaries or documentaries or journalism. The life story of a fictional character is not likely to get you published. We are writing about need and resolution through action, whether subtle or on-the-nose.

The less episodic (in favor of a core dramatic arc), the better. I think this is the deal maker, and the deal breaker of storytelling truisms.  The longer I do this, the more stories I coach, the more I believe this to be true.

To read the rest of the post, click here.

~*~

If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again: 

1. Create a Cool Facebook Profile Picture & Cover Photo Timeline for your Page or Profile (Dec 2012) http://ow.ly/ryomd
2. Another Take on The Most Critical Thing You Need to Know about Writing a Novel http://ow.ly/ryMoi @storyfix
3. Should You Revise & Republish Some of Your Earlier Books? http://t.co/YBVcrU5KLX @JodieRennerEd RT @elizabethscraig:
4. 10 Concentration Apps That Will Help You Get Down to Business http://ow.ly/ryPqa
5. Dialogue special part 2: dialogue is more than talking | Nail Your Novel http://ow.ly/ryRuM
6. The Forgotten Fifth Sense: Are You Making Use Of ALL The Senses In Your Writing? - Writer's Relief, Inc. http://ow.ly/ryRDZ
7. Boxed Set Bargains Rocking the Charts at Amazon | Lindsay Buroker http://ow.ly/ryRKu
8. Getting Maximum "Bang" for Your Book Description Buck: an SEO/ Author's Perspective | The Creative Penn http://ow.ly/ryRRY
9. Should Unpublished Novelists Build Platforms? - Books & Such Literary Management : Books & Such Literary Management http://ow.ly/ryS8w
10. Blogging, and Twitter, and Readers…Oh My! : @ProBlogger http://ow.ly/rySf8
11. 7 Different Types of Readers: Which Do You Write For? | Creative Writing with the Crimson League http://ow.ly/rySwv
12. Why Writers Must Be Readers | Creative Writing with the Crimson League http://ow.ly/rySEi
13. Writer Unboxed » Getting Ready for Book Clubs http://ow.ly/rySJN
14. Fear, Guilt, Shame, Self-Loathing, and Doubt - Anybody Up for Writing a Novel? http://ow.ly/rySMS
15. 5 Writing Tips: Paul Harding http://ow.ly/ryWCd
16. RT @elizabethscraig: Tips for creating a fictional town: http://t.co/yhK1Q0LOd2 @KimWattersAZ
17. 90% of People Prefer Emails with HTML http://bit.ly/1cewKyn via @SusanGilbert #marketing
18. W.I.P. It: M. Pax: Top Five Highs and Lows of Publishing http://ow.ly/rziAR
19. How to Work Faster in Microsoft Word With Hidden Features http://ow.ly/rziKo
20. The top 3 rules of social media for authors - BookBaby Blog http://ow.ly/rziIE
21. 5 Tips for Trying to Write When the Kids Are Home - Weblogbetter - Blog Tips http://ow.ly/rziEI
22. Anakina.blog: Giveaway and mailing list: how to take care of your readers http://ow.ly/rziQc

Happy writing & running, Kathy