Angela Booth's Writing Blog

Sookie Ends, (Some) Fans Outraged

"I wrote the best book I could, and I'm confident I stayed true to the characters I'd been writing for so many years. It's disappointing to have people impugn my character in such a personal way, but I hope on the whole that many people are entertained by the book and find it a satisfying end to Sookie's adventures,"

via www.guardian.co.uk

I haven't read the Sookie Stackhouse books, and won't. The last vampire novel I read was King's Salem's Lot.

However, I've seen some of the drama unfold online... Whatever else she's feeling, I'm sure that Charlaine Harris is pleased with the reaction to the final book. She created characters people care about, and that's everything an author could want.

(Corrections made after generous tweet from Steve Tannuzzo ‏@BostonProWriter -- mental block, dislike all things vampire.)

(Giggle) Renowned Dan Brown, Prosperous Author

“Think of all the money you’ve made,” recommended the literary agent. That was true too. The thriving ink-slinger’s wealth had allowed him to indulge his passion for great art. Among his proudest purchases were a specially commissioned landscape by acclaimed painter Vincent van Gogh and a signed first edition by revered scriptwriter William Shakespeare.

via www.telegraph.co.uk

The funniest article I've read all week... :-)

Writing Fiction: Get Help - Team Up

Writers said they got more done in a week than they'd done in months, achieved goals they'd been trying to achieve for years, and found writing easier and much more fun.

Several writers told me that they'd finally gone full time. Others, who were job hunting, managed to make a full-time income from their writing.

In nine cases out of ten, they told me that their life turned around because of one small thing...

via www.writingchallenge.net

Here's your chance to get the help you need writing and selling fiction or nonfiction.

If You're a Writer Who Loves To Cook

You know you can make money writing, recipes, right?

Here’s a way to share your recipes, and cash in. This article, How to Create an iPad App to Share and Sell Your Recipes | Appifier Blog reports:

“With Appifier, you can easily create your very own full-featured iPad recipe app to share and sell your recipes. It’s so easy, you can get started in under 60 seconds and you won’t even need to write a line of code. “

via www.fabfreelancewriting.com

I know many writers are good cooks, so here's a way for you to not only get a little recognition, but perhaps make a little cash.

How to Get Ebook Reviews Without Slitting Your Wrists | Write a Book: Just Write A Book Blog

Study Goodreads’ reviewers carefully

I’ve just written an article about increasing ebook sales, in which I discussed Goodreads’ Author Program. Join Goodreads, and create your author profile.

Once that’s done, look for books which are similar to yours, and which sell well. For example, if you write contemporary romances, find hot-selling books in that genre on Goodreads. Choose the books which are most similar to yours – in plot and voice. Read the reviews.

via www.justwriteabook.com

Getting good reviews is a challenge. However, reviews sell books, so it's worth the effort.

The Last Tycoon: Watch This Movie Clip

BOXLEY: I don't think you people read things. The men... The men are dueling when this conversation takes place. At the end, one of them falls into a well and has to be hauled up...in a bucket.

STAHR: Would you write that in a book of your own?

BOXLEY: Of course I wouldn't. I inherited this absurd situation.

STAHR: Let me ask you, do you ever go to the movies?

BOXLEY: Rarely.

STAHR: Because people are always dueling and falling down wells?

BOXLEY: And talking a load of rubbish!

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Watch the movie clip at the end of this article.

Think about it.

It will improve your writing.

Writing a Book? Create a Daily Goal

Create a daily word count goal.

To do this, decide how long your book will be. These days, with digital publication, a book’s length no longer matters. It can be 10,000 words or less, or $300,000 words or more. As a rule of thumb, most novels come in somewhere between 70,000 and 100,000 words.

Let’s say you’re writing a thriller, and your total word count will be around 100,000 words. If you write a thousand words a day, it will take you over three months to write your book. Work out how many days off you want each week, and get out your calendar. Mark off your working days.

via www.justwriteabook.com

Goals are essential; they keep you writing.

Writing a Book? Publish It Yourself

Now it’s all about the money.

To hell with the story.

As he said, publishing companies are merging, big publishing companies are buying small companies, and small publishing companies are dying miserable deaths and going out of business.

The man behind the desk no longer cares about books. He cares about money.

He doesn’t read novels. He reads only the bottom line.

via venturegalleries.com

For most writers, the big advantage of traditional publishers over self-publishing has always been editors.

That advantage has gone, it seems. Publishers are cutting down on editors.

You might as well hire an editor and publish your book yourself.

Just Five Minutes Makes All the Difference

On the blog this week, I ran “Five-Minute Money: Ten Fast and Easy Cash Generators for Writers”.

The article discusses simple little things you can do which will be powerfully effective over time.

Jan, one of my students, called me to tell me about #5 — “5. Contact a Client to Catch up.”

She had five minutes, so she called one of her clients. She hasn’t spoken to him since last September. He not only gave her a big new project, but also give her the phone number of one of HIS clients. Just 24 hours later, she had three new gigs, which will make her a total of $8,450 over the next few weeks.

via www.fabfreelancewriting.com

This week on our freelance writing tips blog, we're running a series on blogging.

We kicked the week off with the "5-minute blogger."

Just five minutes can make all the difference in your writing life.

Accept What You Get, Every Day

If someone wants your very best version, that probably means that they're going to get the same version that you've done before, the same as the best version you produced a week ago. If you want the best, it also means that you're asking someone to repeat what's come before.

via sethgodin.typepad.com

Seth's a genius. Too many writers want polished performances each day.

Accept what you receive with each day's writing. Acceptance makes writing fun.

If you've been struggling, acceptance will end those struggles.

Don't Blame the Internet

The Internet is what we make of it. Luckily, I have never had a problem turning off the computer to read a long book or go on a long bike ride. I have learned to compartmentalize my digital self from my physical self. The Internet does not define me. It is a part of what I do and what makes me… me. But it is not the core of my existence.

via readwrite.com

Writers complain that the Internet is too distracting: they have no time to write.

My response: "Decide what's most important to YOU."

If email, online gaming, movies and Facebook are important, that's fine.

We all have the same number of hours available each day and week.

It's not the Internet's fault if you're not using some of your hours for writing. :-)

Imposter Syndrome: Do You Have It?

There is, of course, the Imposter Syndrome, a real syndrome psychiatrists diagnose many women–particularly successful women–with. According to Wikipedia, the Imposter Syndrome is: “a psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their accomplishments. Despite external evidence of their competence, those with the syndrome remain convinced that they are frauds and do not deserve the success they have achieved.

via www.publishingcrawl.com

Excellent article on Imposter Syndrome. It afflicts many writers.

If You've Thought Of Blogging As a Career

One of my friends is now a keen blogger. She calls her life a "permanent vacation". She blogs for 45 minutes after she's dropped her children off at school, then for another 40 minutes at a café, while she's having lunch. In the evening, she checks on her blogs before she goes to sleep…

She tells me that aside from an on-going income, the best gift her blogs have given her is the gift of time.

via lazyrichblogger.com

Get onto the blogging fast track. Check out this amazing offering: even the coaching is included. (However, it's time limited.)

Enjoy. :-)

How To Write a Book

Want to write a book?

Many people do, if my Inbox is any indication. I get at least ten email messages a week which start by saying either: “I want to write a book…” or “How do I write a book?”

If you’d like to write a book too, here’s what I tell my correspondents: GET STARTED.

Write one word, and another one. And another. Don’t stop.

Sooner or later, you’ll have a lot of writing that’s book length.

via www.justwriteabook.com

Write. And then write some more...

Say It Backwards: Seth Godin's Writing Tip

If your writing feels like nothing but easily defensible aphorisms, as if you're saying things that are obvious, it's entirely possible that no one is going to eagerly keep reading. Your real estate brochure or the ad copy you've written--if it's merely posturing or bragging, better to not say it at all. We already know you think you did something great.

via sethgodin.typepad.com

Sheer brilliance: read Seth's advice, and follow it.