Writer's Groups: Newbie Writers.com

It's really nice to belong to something. Especially if it's a group of like-minded folks who think about writing more than is healthy. It is quite likely that your family and friends are tired of hearing you talk about your characters and plot, so why not find a group of people who can't wait to hear about it?

Enter the Newbie Writer website. This is a place for writers of all genres to gather, learn, and share with each other.

If you sign up for the free Newbie Writer Newsletter, you'll receive a free ebook, The Newbie Writer's Resource Guide.

The Forums page is where you might want to explore a little. Here, you'll find threads on all the topics writers are interested in: How To's, Calls for Submissions, Writing Prompts, Review, Q&A, and just writers talking about whatever topic they enjoy.

You may want to check out the Newbie Writer's Blog, which you can find here.

Dawn Copeman, who began the site, keeps an ever-changing list of writing prompts here.

In the Resource Section, you'll find reviews of writing books, and a list of online courses--several of them free.

On the Learn the Craft page, there are links to sixteen different articles for fiction and non-fiction writers.

And for you freelancers, the Jobs for Writers page has a great list of resources for you to find more writing jobs.

Agent Friday: Mary Kole

Just in case you haven't noticed, each of the literary agents I've highlighted so far happen to be agents who maintain a blog. Why? It doesn't mean that these agents are better or worse than a non-blogging agent. It's just that through blogging, an agent gives you a glimpse into their personality, likes & dislikes, and the way they think about the submissions they see.

Today's agent is Mary Kole, with the well-known Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She represents YA, middle grade, and unique picture books. Her blog is Kidlit.com, which was recently listed in the coveted Writers Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers.

Some of my favorite posts:

Giving yourself permission to try new things with your manuscript in Give Yourself License to Try.

Mary answers the question: Can you write about a particular "issue" if you haven't lived it yourself? Find out in If you Write About an Issue, Do It Justice.

Discover what Mary considers A Writer's Worst Enemy.

What Show, Don't Tell Really Means

And something all writers need to know: When To Cut Something out of Your Manuscript.

Would you like to learn a little more about Mary Kole? Here are some online interviews.

The Editorial Department

The Nanowrimo Blog

Guide to Literary Agents

Book Review: Techniques of the Selling Writer

It seems strange that I can learn so much from a book that was published the year I was born. But Dwight V. Swain's Techniques of the Selling Writer is still a top seller for writers today, listing on Amazon.com at #32 in its category.

Why? Listen to the first sentence:

You need to know only four things in order to write a solid story:

how to group words into motivation-reaction units;

how to group motivation-reaction units into scenes and sequels;

how to group scenes and sequels into story pattern;

how to create the kind of characters that give a story life.

And on that same first page, Swain lists the eight traps that slow writers down and hold them back from learning to write. Who wouldn't be hooked by a first page like that?

If you're not yet convinced that you need to read this book, here are a few links that distill some of Swain's ideas.

Randy Ingermanson (whose book Writing Fiction for Dummies was reviewed last week), explains Swain's concept of motivation-reaction units and scenes and sequels in his article Writing the Perfect Scene.

Author Camy Tang took the time to digest the entire book, and wrote eighteen articles detailing Swain's ideas. Read them all on this page.

Thanks to Randy and Camy for breaking it down for us!

Character Charts: The Best Way to Get to Know Your Main Character

You know how it is. You walk into a room full of strangers, and start off with small talk. If you're lucky, you discover something you both have in common that extends the conversation a little further. But to truly get to know someone, you'll have to spend quite a bit of time together. Sharing hobbies, shooting the breeze, and going through the ups and downs of life together help you understand another person intimately.

When you're writing a novel, you've got to spend considerable time getting to know your characters in order to make them seem three-dimensional to your readers. It's like writing a biography of a person you've just met.

That's where character charts come in. You build a file on each character. There are questions you probably never thought to ask your protagonist--like what he tends to do when he's nervous, or what is the secret she's never told anyone.

I've found quite a few character charts peppering the internet. Each one is a little different, and you might want to try out a few to see which ones work the best for your characters. Once you've decided on one (or more), sit down and have a cup of coffee with one of your characters. You might be surprised at what they share with you.

Character Charts to Check Out
For the visual oriented writers, here is a fascinating group of 29 pages(Pdf)--everything from character attributes, to the evolution of a character's arc through the story. While there are a few pages I'm not sure how to use, I will definitely print out an make use of several.

A comprehensive chart (you can click on the Pdf download or see it on the webpage), includes a link to an astrological chart for your character.

The folks at Creative-Writing-Solutions have a whole group of charts. If you write fantasy, you may need a chart to help you identify the details of a new race, or a particular creature. They've also got charts for pets, vehicles, buildings, and new lands. You can access all of them here.

Writer's Village University has a free Character Building Workshop, with online quizzes that help you narrow down your character's traits.

Sandra Miller has compiled a list of questions you can ask your character in her character exercises.

PoeWar offers a free character building course.

Agent Friday: Janet Reid

Today's agent is not only known as a top-notch literary agent. Janet Reid's alter ego is The Query Shark. In her shark capacity, she posts and critiques authors' queries, giving each of us an inside look into what works and doesn't work in the mysterious world of query writing.

Janet Reid is an agent with Fine Print Literary Management. Her blog has an interesting subtitle: Getting my attention is easy: write a book I want to read; write it well enough I want to tell others about it.


Reid's blog contains a great deal of information for writers preparing to query agents. I don't know how authors handled the query process before the internet came along. There is no longer any excuse for an author not to write a competent query. Numerous agents spell out their specifications, and articles and books can be found on the internet and at the library.

Some of Reid's blog articles that are not to be missed:

What you need before you query (different lists for fiction, non-fiction, and memoir)

A query letter checklist

What's NOT a query letter

How to get an instant rejection.

A couple of Janet Reid's articles online:

20 Tips on Query Letters

How to Trim your Query to 250 Words

If you'd like to learn more about query letters, check out Janet Reid's Query Shark blog. Whether you post your own for review or not, you'll find out more by the trial and error of others that a whole stack of books would provide.

Want to see the other agents I've highlighted? Click on the "Agent Friday" label on the right.

Free Resources from Holly Lisle

I love authors who give back. I've got a whole list of them. Authors who've reached their goal of publication, and despite the crazy schedule of promoting their books while writing new ones, still pass on vital information through their blogs, free courses, ebooks and workshops.


Holly Lisle is one of these. Yes, she offers some courses for a fee, but this author gives away a staggering amount of informations. Lisle is a fantasy, science fiction, and suspense writer, but she is an excellent teacher of writing. No matter what your genre, you'll learn something from this hard-working author.


Newsletter. Holly's free newsletter is full of information on the craft of writing. And when you sign up, she'll send you a free ebook called 396 Books and Other Resources Writers Recommend to Kickstart Your Writing, Stand your Thinking On Its Head, and Vastly Increase Your Ability to Write What You Know. Despite the incredibly long title, the list of books (and why they are helpful) is a great resource that I've referred to often.


Articles and Ebooks. Holly offers a long list of articles for authors to read.
Assess Your Novel-Writing Progress With These Four Questions 
Create, Complicate, Resolve: The Keys to Keeping Your Readers Interested
4 Thinking Barriers That Keep You From Writing...And Succeeding 
4 Steps To Finding Your Novel's Market 
Life, Passion... Deadline 
Planning A Heart-Stopping Story 
Interweaving Your Novel's Themes And Subthemes 
Dig Deeper With Your Novel's Subthemes 
Playing Chicken With Your Story 
Burying Your Novel's Message 
How To Find Your Novel's Pulse 
Does Your Novel Have A Heartbeat? 


Besides the free ebook that comes with Holly's newsletter, she has another free one called Mugging the Muse: Writing Fiction for Love AND Money. The same page has links to a great writer's forum called Forward Motion. In case you're curious about her writing, Holly has posted two of her novels free online.


Workshops and Courses. Are you having a hard time with writing dialogue? Holly offers a free Dialogue Workshop to help you finetune what your characters are saying. For writers in the middle of plotting their novel, check out Holly's free Professional Plot Outline Mini-Course. Writing fantasy? Do your characters speak a different language? Don't miss Holly's free Create a Language Clinic

Book Review: Writing Fiction for Dummies

I have quite a few writing books. They don't all fit on the top shelf next to my computer, so half of them live on the bookcase in another room.  I can tell which books are the best by where they reside. Writing Fiction for Dummies is a "top shelf" book.

I don't know about you, but I've seldom picked up many of the "Dummies" books. But I changed my mind when the fiction version came out, since it was coauthored by Randy Ingermanson (along with Peter Economy), whose blog and newsletter I've been reading for several years.

When I set out to write my first novel, I had no idea where to start. I wondered if I could possibly grow the initial seed of my story into a full novel. I discovered Randy's website, where he outlined a novel-writing process he calls the Snowflake Method. Within a few days of following his directions, I felt confident that I knew where my story was going.

Both the authors understand that one particular method will not work for everyone. Writing Fiction for Dummies outlines four different ways of approaching a novel (including the Snowflake Method), and explains how to decide which one is for you.

Besides packing the book with all that you need for writing the novel, Ingermanson and Economy lay out the details of editing and polishing your manuscript, as well as key information on how to sell your book.

Full of practical examples from well-known novels, and Randy's own brand of quirky humor, this book is one I refer to often.

Randy Ingermanson's blog (don't forget to sign up for his free newsletter).

Peter Economy's blog.

Pinkies Up: Writing Conference Etiquette

Have you ever attended a writing conference? In a span of two or three days, you can learn specific aspects of the craft of writing, meet agents, editors and authors, and network with writers from around the country.

If you're new to writing conferences, start with a small, regional conference. You won't feel lost in a crowd, and you'll get comfortable with the format of workshops and meals. Many conferences offer various levels of workshops, so whether you are a novice or a multi-published writer, you should find topics you'd like to sit in on.

While many conferences are general, you can also find conferences in your specific genre. Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Horror, Romance, Christian, Thriller, Children's . . . the list goes on. Many writing organizations host yearly conferences for their members.

If a conference offers meals, you'll find that usually a different conference faculty member sits at each table. Enjoying a meal together is a great low-stress way to get to know people in the business. But don't ignore your fellow attendees. I've made wonderful friends and contacts just by asking the question, "What do you write?"

Check to see if the conference you're attending offers critiques or agent/author/editor appointments. Critiques are usually offered for a fee, but they are invaluable if you need objective feedback from someone who is a professional in the business. Appointments with agents and editors are for writers with a finished novel or a non-fiction book to pitch. Make sure to practice your pitch in advance. Alternatively, you can meet with authors or publicists to ask questions specific to your manuscript.

If the cost of a conference is prohibitive, look at the conference website to see if they offer partial or full scholarships. Some organizations allow attendees to "work off" part of their conference fee by volunteering at the conference. The bonus for volunteering is getting to know conference organizers, and meeting the conference faculty (they all need a ride to the airport!).

I've collected some links to other posts about conference do's and don'ts. Check them out, and start planning.

Tips from QueryTracker

What if I'm not good enough?

Getting a critique at a conference.

Should you go?

What to bring.

Hot tips for conferences.

How to choose the best conference

In a Land Far, Far Away

Do you have a favorite "away" place to write? Sure, you can drop by the local coffee shop with the free wireless and the funky atmosphere. But is there a location that gives you "scope for the imagination", as Anne of Green Gables would say?

On Saturday, I was driving home from one of my monthly critique groups, when I had a revelation about one of my characters. It came out of the blue, this sudden knowledge. Turns out my likeable guy had a major disability that I was previously unaware of. It demanded to be written down.

 I happened to be driving past one of my favorite places in Colorado Springs--Garden of the Gods--so named by the Ute Indians. I pulled off at an overlook and pondered my new-found knowledge with the view, ending up writing a few pages about him.

There is something about a beautiful vista that makes the words flow far better than when I'm sitting in front of a computer screen (and it doesn't help that my writing room is windowless). Watching the color of the light on the rocks, the clouds shifting and changing, even feeling the air on my skin--gives me more sensory details than I would have come up with on my own.

My other favorite place to write, when I get the chance to visit, is Glen Eyrie, a retreat and conference center that happens to be right next door to Garden of the Gods. Their amazing property not only contains similar rock formations, but also boasts a beautiful castle. Perfect for writers of fairy tales, like me.

Next time you feel as if you're in a writing "dead end", try changing the scenery. Whether you go sit on a bench at the park and people-watch, or hike into the desert, a shift in your environment might be just the cure to get the words flowing.

Where is your favorite writing spot?