Wednesday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

FINISH THAT DRAFT OF YOUR STORY NOW

By: Martha Alderson

You started 2014 with the best intentions to write / finish your novel, memoir, screenplay. Now you're faltering with serious doubts that all this time and effort is going to "pay off" (add your own personal pay off here). Rather than write, which makes you feel good about yourself and life at large when you do, you beat yourself up instead with words and a tone you'd never sling at anyone other than yourself.

Forget all that.  Instead, dig out that old story you threw in the bottom drawer of your filing cabinet, resuscitate an old story you never quite wrote all the way to the end or simply recommit to the one right in front of you you've been working on all year. Fast write. Finish up the draft you're writing now… in one week.

You can do this -- finish writing your story in a week. Slap words and ideas on the page. Forget perfection. That comes later. For now, all we're looking for is a draft from the beginning all the way through to the end.

Every December for the past six years, I've dedicated the Plot Whisperer blog to helping writers ready for a major revision and for those who simply wish to improve the plot of their stories. I am thrilled about the unveiling of the new and improved PlotWriMo next week. Now, rather than ask you to follow daily exercises to re"vision" and redefine the plot arc, character and meaning of your story, plus story concept and every word perfect during the busiest time of the year, you'll soon be able to revise your story anytime you wish. More about all that later. For now?

Write. Everyday. Not sure what comes next? Write anyway. Feeling so bored by your own story you can't bear the thought of sitting down and writing it? Twist the story in an entirely new direction. Be audacious. Have fun. Write. And finish. All the way to the end.

I'll talk you though this. For now, write.

. . .

Read the full article HERE!

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

1. A Tip for Avoiding Plot Holes | Elizabeth Spann Craig http://ow.ly/wMGbQ
2. An easy way to make your plot plausible – control your novel’s timeline | Nail Your Novel http://ow.ly/wMHb5
3. Not Getting Enough Attention From Your Literary Agent? Here’s What To Do - Writer's Relief, Inc. http://ow.ly/wMHyQ
4. How do self-published authors gain from blog tours? | Self-Publishing Advice http://ow.ly/wMHIn
5. 5 Self-Publishing Lessons I Learned Between Books #2 & #3 | Molly Greene: Writer http://ow.ly/wMHO2
6. Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers: Finish that Draft of Your Story Now http://ow.ly/wMIhd
7. What To Do When There’s Nothing More You Can Do. | Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations http://ow.ly/wMItc
8. 50 Attributes of a Great Copywriter - Jeffbullas's Blog http://ow.ly/wMIKU
9. Social Media - How to Create Perfect Posts for the Most Popular Social Platforms [Infographic] : MarketingProfs Article http://ow.ly/wMIUb
10. 12 Social Media Mistakes That Entrepreneurs Make | Entrepreneur.com http://ow.ly/wMJ9v
11. What Defines Blogging Success For You? : @ProBlogger http://ow.ly/wMJjC
12. Money, Writing And Life With Jane Friedman | The Creative Penn http://ow.ly/wMJM8
13. BookMarketingBuzzBlog: When Is The Best Time To Post On Social Media? http://ow.ly/wMJXf
14. How to Send a Message in Your Story... Without Preaching via @KMWeiland
15. http://t.co/njtXqR4acs
16. What’s Your Fatal Flaw? | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/wOkJm

Happy writing and running, Kathy