Monday, January 19, 2015

Monday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts


By: Katharine Eliska Kimbriel

Writers think a lot about characters.

We think about them in the abstract, and we think about those individuals who rent an apartment in our subconscious and start rummaging around, looking for utility hookups and how to arrange forwarding on their mail. Sometimes they are just visiting for a few months or years.

Other times they move in and don’t check out until we do.

I ended up in the so-called genre areas for very specific reasons. The foremost of those reasons is that I read for interesting characters dealing with a plot that draws me into a world. It can be a version of our modern world, as when I read any of the excellent twists and turns on Sherlock Holmes (you can sample Laurie King, Carole Nelson Douglas, or Stephanie Osborn’s take on him just for starters.) It can be a left turn in our own worlds, contemporary or historical. My Night Calls fantasy novels set in North America circa 1810 could fall into this category. Laura Anne Gilman’s Retrievers or PUPI crime scene investigators are mystery-fantasies that are contemporary in nature. Her New York is not our New York (or is it?) but we recognize much about it.

I also prefer SF and fantasy because sometimes you can get people to think about important things if you introduce them to the idea in a fantastic story. There is subtlety and strength in metaphor.

Lately I have been thinking about new ways to build characters. I’m building a checklist of questions for your characters that I think might be a revealing place to start. In the meantime, David Mamet has come up with several questions that can help you narrow down why a character is in your story. I’m using them to help me with my next book.

The questions are:

. . .

Read the full article HERE!
~*~

If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:
  1. Fiction Writers: The Definition and Criteria of Concept | Storyfix.com http://ow.ly/HuZbp
  2. Craft of Writing: What Does Strong Mean to You? by Tracy Banghart http://ow.ly/HvDt6
  3. How to outline a short story for beginners - Writers Write http://ow.ly/HvDuN
  4. The Top 10 Reasons to Write Short Stories - Writers Write http://ow.ly/HvDEq
  5. Writer Unboxed » Beware: The Shady Side of New Publishing Opportunities http://ow.ly/HvDHq
  6. 10 Ways To Turn Your Real Life Experiences Into Science Fiction http://ow.ly/HvDJ8
  7. Alexandra Sokoloff: Nanowrimo Now What? Lessons from Musical Theater http://ow.ly/HvEbL
  8. Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Query question: repurposing your short story http://ow.ly/HvEeq
  9. Audiobooks, Author Earnings, Global Focus And More. 2014 RoundUp With Hugh McGuire | The Creative Penn http://ow.ly/HvECK
  10. Elements of Modern Storytelling–Characters | Book View Cafe Blog http://ow.ly/HvEQc
  11. How to Use a Scheduling Tool With Your Social Media - SFWA http://ow.ly/HvEUI
  12. Novel Rocket: The Need for Factual Fiction http://ow.ly/HvFzh
  13. The Kill Zone: Key Tips for Creating a Genderless Character for Villain Options http://ow.ly/HvFSC
  14. Should You Write a Memoir? | Writing Forward http://ow.ly/HvFWI
  15. W R I T E W O R L D http://ow.ly/HvGsr 5 Fast Ways to Write an eBook
  16. Reference For Writers, Writing More Diverse Characters-The TCI http://ow.ly/HvGBP
  17. Buddhapuss Ink : #WW Balancing Work, Life, and Writing http://ow.ly/HvGW5
  18. Fiction University: Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before Writing an Author Business Plan http://ow.ly/HvHfF
  19. Writing Questions Answered http://ow.ly/HvHrd  Guide: Post-Apocalyptic Clichés to Avoid
  20. Writing to Draw Readers in Emotionally | Emerging Writers Studio http://ow.ly/HvHMz
  21. Writing in multiple points of view http://ow.ly/HvI4Z
  22. 5 Steps for Crafting the Perfect Book Review Pitch: Tip #35 of 52 Ways to Market Your Book http://ow.ly/HvIXT
  23. Novel Publicity – Six Steps for Self-Marketing your eBook http://ow.ly/HvJjS
  24. Are You a Lone Ranger Writer? - Books & Such Literary Management : Books & Such Literary Management http://ow.ly/HvL4O
  25. Ultimate List of Hashtags for #Authors | Book Marketing Services http://ow.ly/HvPxn
Happy writing and running, Kathy 

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