All About Writing » Resources for Writers

7 Simple Ways Writers Can Pay It Forward

Nicole Humphrey Cook — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:43:04 +0000

There has always been a camaraderie in networking with other authors and writers. I’ve been around a long time now, and it’s just common knowledge that we can all learn from each other. We’re all in this together, we’re all aiming for the same goal, and there is plenty of room for all of us. Right? That’s what I’ve always thought.

Until recently. Don’t get me wrong, I still think this way. Every day I look forward to networking and chatting with the other writers I’ve met on Twitter and on Triberr. (and quite occasionally on Facebook but I really, really hate FB now.) Networking with my friendly, fellow writers, is still very much a part of my day.

However, I’ve noticed something more recently. I had the unpleasant experience of congregating with a bunch of authors that don’t see it like I do at all. In fact, they come across as arrogant, self promoting, and with an in it for themselves only attitude. This makes me sad. Aren’t we all focused on the same goals and dreams? Aren’t we all looking for exactly the same outcome? Or at least similar outcomes? This post isn’t about this group of angry/self promoting authors though, this post is about how you can pay it forward, and keep helping others if that is what you really want from this too.

1. Retweet other writers. This is such an easy one. It requires a click of a button. Hit that retweet button and show the love. When you see a post that is helpful or just really good, go ahead, retweet it. It takes a second. I’m always surprised when someone I don’t even know RT’s my stuff, but I have made many a friend this way.

2. Shoutout their accomplishments. Don’t keep it to yourself when you are impressed with something. If you admire a writer or author or you are particularly proud of their accomplishment or maybe you just want to say hi, then for goodness sake, shout out to them. “Hey @irishwords, I am so proud of you, 1000 words on your WIP is simply awesome!” If you remember NOT to put their twitter id first, others will see this go through your stream and perhaps maybe that person will gain a new follower out of it. (Sorry Declan if you don’t get any new followers out of it! ha)

3. Talk about them. I swear, with as often as I talk about some of my great twitter friends, you’d think I meet with them several times a week and have coffee. My children know several of my twitter writer friends by name, because I talk about them so often. But I don’t have coffee with them, I have never even met most of them. But I talk about them anyway. Guess what happens when I do that? Friends and family get curious, want to know more, and often times wind up buying their book. Yes, it has happened several times.

4. Refer others. Yes, I know in some ways this is the same as #3, but it’s not. I’m talking about referring strangers. Example: Recently I was in B&N and there was a lady looking for a new book to read. She had just asked the store clerk if she had any recommendations. The store clerk gave her titles to big name books and went on her merry way. I made my way over to her and gave her several suggestions of some fantastic books, and assuring her I had read them and they were good.

She bought two from one author and one from another – based on MY suggestions. (@joannaslan – it’s easy to sell your books, they take place here and us locals like books that are … local. Plus they are just plain good.) (@sarahdessen – she said she’d already read one by you and picked up another, go figure – you’re an amazing author) … So see, I was able to sell three books to a stranger because I took the time to tell her about them. For the record, I talked about several authors, those are just the books she chose to get. I’ve done this on twitter and Facebook too, and definitely in person on many, many occasions. P.S. Results are not typical (I don’t ALWAYS get them to buy the books I suggest, I got super lucky that day)

5. Buy their books. If you are a writer, you have to be a reader. I know I tend to pick up books by my twitter friends, much more frequently than I pick up the newest New York Times Best Seller. I like supporting them. I like reading them. Plus, you can get books for fairly cheap on Amazon a good majority of the time. Support fellow authors, because I bet if you do that, they’ll support you right back.

6. Review them. If you read the book, review it. You can either write a short blurb on Amazon, Goodreads or even write a blog post about it. Or write a blog post about several recent books you read, offering a short review on each of them. But at any rate, write something about them, it gets others curious. Reviews are like gold to an author. Especially one just starting out.

7. Make friends. This seems like such a simple idea. The problem is, there are so many writers out there that are all about self promotion and not interested in making friends and networking. I think that is sad. So make friends, network with them, toss around ideas, learn from them. It’s not difficult. It’s so easy.

What do you do to spread the love and pay it forward?

60+ Favorite Twitter Hashtags for Writers (clickable list)

Nicole Humphrey Cook — Tue, 17 May 2011 19:57:21 +0000

The most popular post on my blog is from May of last year, titled 25+ Favorite Twitter Hashtags for Writers. A year later, not only have the hashtags exploded, but so has the need for writers to connect with more writers, so I have created a new, updated, much bigger list of Twitter hashtags. And I made them “clickable” again too. (oh, and if you leave any that are not listed, down in the comments, I will add them.)

In ALPHABETICAL order:

#ac
#amediting
#amrevising
#amwriting
#amwritingparty
#articles
#askagent
#askeditor
#askintern
#askpub
#authors
#copywriting
#editgoal
#examiner
#faithlitchat
#fiction
#fridayflash
#histfict
#journalchat
#journchat
#kidlitchat
#litchat
#memoir
#memoirchat
#micropoetry
#mommyswriting
#myWANA
#nanowrimo
#nonfiction
#oneshotwednesday
#pblitchat
#publishing
#pubtip
#pubwrite
#scifichat
#screenwriting
#scribechat
#scriptchat
#scriptfrenzy
#selfpublishing
#sixwords
#storycraft
#storystarters
#thepennydreadful
#TuesdaySerial
#weblit
#wip
#wordmongering
#writechat
#writegoal
#writetip
#writetips
#writer
#writers
#writers_life
#writerwednesday
#writing
#writingtips
#ya
#yalit
#yalitchat
#140poem
#3WW
#6WordStory

Feel free to add any that you know about that were forgotten, down in the comment field. It was not intentional.

Favorite Tweets for Writers – Week Ending 5/13/2011

Nicole Humphrey Cook — Sat, 14 May 2011 01:06:55 +0000

Right, so it’s been awhile since I’ve done this, mostly because I have had dozens of other projects taking up my time. I found extra time this week to do a bunch of blog hopping and pay more attention on twitter to what everyone is talking about. These are just a few of my very favorite tweets I have seen this week.

On Agents & Editors:

On Writing:

On Freelance Writing:

On Genre Specifics:

On Revision/Editing:

On Outlining & Plotting:

YA Author Julie Cross: How I Write

On Writing Related News:

5 Great iPod or iPhone Apps for Writers

Nicole Humphrey Cook — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 14:37:19 +0000

MyWritingNook – When I first downloaded this app, I just wanted something easy to use that I could take with me on the go. Well, this is the perfect app for writers. It goes hand in hand with the MWN Web app., which allows you to sync between the two. The app features an uncluttered writing environment, allows you to write in portrait or landscape mode, autosave, provides a word count feature, has a dictionary/thesaurus lookup, and syncs flawlessly with the web app. If you are using the iPod you just need to have wii-fi access to sync, but not to use the app. It’s perfect for writer’s on the go, or those participating in NaNoWriMo. Price: $2.99

WriteRoom – This little app is a nice, easy to use writing program to keep distractions at bay and just get it done. It is dubbed as a screen writing app, but it can be used for regular writing too. The one thing I can’t figure out, is why it is a five dollar app. when there are a few other programs out there that do the same thing, for less. It’s not a bad app, justs seems a little on the pricey side for what it offers – which incidentally is, a focused environment for writing, full screen edit mode, syncing capabilities and white on black. Price: $4.99

Writing Tool Kit – One of my favorite apps for writers. It has plot type explanations, writing definitions, prepositions lists, dialogue lists, hundreds of questions designed to move your creativity, and virtually infinite possibilities with the character and scenarios generators, plus more! One of the greatest apps ever designed for writers, so much power in one little app. The company that brings you this app (Socially Conscience Software), had several apps that would be useful to a writer or help with writer’s block, writing, etc. You should definitely check them out and at least try them out. Price: $3.99

DraftPad is a simple notepad application which is a lot like a single sheet of paper. You can use it to write a draft for emailing, blog posting/ commenting, Googling, noveling, or any other writing tasks which are hard to do within a small textbox on the iPhone or iPod. DraftPad is a free app, which are getting rare these days. There aren’t a lot of bells and whistles but if you are looking for free, and a place to simply write – here it is. There are few apps that have the simplicity this program offers, however I could find no syncing capabilities so what I noticed is that you would have to rewrite. Price: Free

100 Words to Make You Sound Smart is a great app for writers who wish to expand their vocabulary. What makes this app awesome, is that it isn’t full of crazy words that nobody knows, but rather chock full of words that increase your vocabulary, make you sound smart but are every day words that many people will understand. Price: $2.99

I have a huge list of more, and will be sharing them soon. But in the meantime, feel free to check out these great apps. Many of them that cost money also offer the option of a free edition, so be sure to check on that. Feel free to list your favorites in the comments and let me know what you think!

Literary Character Halloween Costumes – What Would That Character Be?

Nicole Humphrey Cook — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:29:39 +0000

I need a Halloween costume for this upcoming weekend. I don’t normally dress up, I leave that for my kids. The costume I would love to dress in, is more than $100 and I’m not sure I can justify purchasing it, unless I plan to use it every single year. So I started researching Halloween costume ideas for authors – as in Literary Chracter Halloween Costumes. I have come up with a bunch, but before I share those links – here’s a hilarious post about what your favorite Literary Characters would be if they decided to dress up for Halloween.

http://community.sparknotes.com/2010/10/15/what-literary-characters-would-be-for-halloween

I also found these cool ideas for actual Literary Halloween Costumes.

First, there is a costume contest taking place here.

Last year, there was this post naming some great literary costume ideas.

I found these cute ideas for kids, but figured adults could use them too.

This particular post has a few that I hadn’t seen anywhere else for some Book Character Costumes.

If you are part of a couple and looking for couples costume ideas, here are a few His and Hers Literary Halloween Costumes.

There are also these literary Halloween costumes from the New Yorker which are compiled from Flickr. Nice for visual ideas.

If you want to just buy a costume and not making something on your own, here are a bunch of Book and Movie character Halloween Costumes.

Here and Here are some more ideas for Book Character Costumes.

So, with all that out of the way – what are you going to be for Halloween? (it does not have to be Literary!) LOL

Oh, and one other question – what does the photo up there make you think of?

Is Your Title a Best Seller?

Nicole Humphrey Cook — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 15:47:44 +0000

My titles are very important to me, and I’m not completely sure why that is. Since most of the time when I am writing a novel, my title is a working title, I don’t give it as much consideration as I would if it was a completed manuscript. With that said, your title is important. It could be the one thing that grabs the reader. I know I have chosen a book based on it’s title before. (of course I have also chosen or not chosen a book because of its cover, so…)

How much weight do you put in your title while you are writing?

Curious to see if your title could become a best seller? For fun, try the Lulu Titlescorer to find out. http://www.lulu.com/titlescorer/index.php

You can also pit two titles against each other and see which is the better title. http://www.lulu.com/titlescorer/fight.php

So I ran my title from last year – and it had a 79.6% chance of becoming a best seller. That would be nice. Pretty good odds. lol

This years only has a 22.9% chance. That’s okay – it’s a working title. I can come up with something better, I’m sure of it.

So have you run your title through Lulu’s titlescorer? What’s your score?

Story Write – Publish Your Stories

Nicole Humphrey Cook — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:27:10 +0000

Have you checked out Story Write? It’s totally new to me, so I know very little about it so far, but if you like reading (and critiquing) other people’s stories, this might be a great site for you.

You can also post your own stories, though I am still learning how that all works. There is some kind of point system that I wish I could be clearer about, but its still a little unknown to me, but I plan to figure it all out.

The site encourages authors of all levels. You can post your stories and you retain the copyright to all of your work. You can join writing groups, participate in contests, and all of this for FREE.

There are other options for membership available too that have upgraded features, but it appears that a regular old FREE membership is actually all you need.

According to the site 3266 authors visited this week, and they read 23,008 stories.
There are 67,022 total authors with 197,125 stories and 937,162 comments! Not bad.

Are there other sites like this that are the same or better? Tell me about them. Are you a member of storywrite?

writeoncon for MC18

Nicole Humphrey Cook — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:02:25 +0000

I’m not sure why I haven’t posted about this before. I’ve been pretty excited about it for a short while now and cannot wait until it finally arrives. Are you a YA, Middle Grade or Children’s writer looking for a convention that works with your completely busy, no time for anything schedule? You found it.

What is writeoncon?

WriteOnCon is an Online Children’s Writers Conference (rated MC-18, for Main Characters under 18 only) created by writers, for writers.

When: Tuesday – Thursday, August 10 – 12, 2010

Where: http://www.writeoncon.com

Cost: Free!

Who: That’s the best part—it’s for EVERYONE!

The problem is, I have to wait until August. But registration begins July 1, 2010.

In the meantime, there’s a forum that you can utilize to get to know everyone – let’s liven the place up a bit over there.

Are you attending writeoncon?

Favorite Tweets for Writers June 14-20, 2010

Nicole Humphrey Cook — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 03:36:11 +0000

Thank you my wonderful followers for being so patient with me over the past two weeks. Mike is doing so much better, and we start his Cardiac Rehabilitation this upcoming week, so I have a feeling it is only uphill from here. Thank you so much for all the wonderful thoughts and prayers, we feel them surrounding us and I am so blessed to know such awesome people. Thank you.

I am enjoying this new format a lot for the Tweets for Writers. It makes it a lot easier to search for tweets and posts that are relevant to my writing friends. Is there a category I have forgotten to cover or a category you wish I had here? Let me know in the comments and I will add it next week.

If you are interested in older posts of Favorite Tweets for Writers you can either search the blog with the search box on the right or try looking under Tweets for Writers.

Agents/Querying/Submission

After you get the agent: revisions. Linda Sienkiewicz http://ht.ly/20wje
Literary agent who specializes in crime fiction shares query pitfalls - http://tinyurl.com/d5mat2
What 81% of agents expect on the first page http://dld.bz/hwgh
Finding the Power in Rejections – http://nataniabarron.com/2010/06/20/finding-the-power-in-rejection/
What I Learned From the Query Process – http://bit.ly/df5iF4

Blogging

Creating Your Author/Book Website: The How http://bit.ly/d6dHLo

Book Promotion

Book Marketing Simplified http://bit.ly/bk2AA
Following the book trailers http://dld.bz/hwfj
Are Book Bloggers Becoming Like the Radio DJs of the 50s and 60s? http://bit.ly/asZkR8

Character Development

How to Portray an Inspiring Leader – http://www.plottopunctuation.com/blog/show/86
How Do You Style a Character’s Thoughts in Writing? -http://bit.ly/cw7fmd
How NOT to WRITE Character EMOTIONS – http://bit.ly/aIlStm
“Who Said What? – Identifying Dialogue Speakers”http://tinyurl.com/36eaq72
A Checklist for Developing Your Hero and Heroine -http://tinyurl.com/2f3c668
Anne Tyler’s Tips on Writing Strong (yet Flawed) Characters http://bit.ly/9ToHrk
Why Stakes Work – http://www.plottopunctuation.com/blog/show/why-stakes-work
“Info Dumps Don’t Belong in Dialogue” http://tinyurl.com/rbfh86
“Do You Know What Your Character Wants? Part 2″http://tinyurl.com/m6dlyd
“Do You Know What Your Character Wants? Part 1″http://tinyurl.com/m6dlyd
A BETTER Way to INTERVIEW Characters? - http://bit.ly/cmLAWH

Copyright

Ask a Lawyer: Should I Copyright my Title? http://bit.ly/bMXkwj

Editing/Revision

My newest: “What a 12-Year-Old Kid Drawing Mazes Can Teach You about Fixing Rough Drafts”http://bit.ly/arrVRb
10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling – The Oatmeal http://bit.ly/5Y8rfE
Learn from “Jennifer stood there, quietly ovulating” and other terrible sentences ~ http://bit.ly/9n3OMY (that sentence made me literally laugh out loud.)
Vary the ending clauses in your sentences: http://dld.bz/hbbQ
Are you too close to your manuscript? http://ht.ly/20Gpw
Why I Don’t Care About Grammar (and Why You Should Stop Worrying) http://ow.ly/17Pd94

Freelance Writing

Writing is Sharing Your Expertise http://ow.ly/17LlGB
101 Essential Freelancing Resources | FreelanceSwitchhttp://su.pr/1Z49HL
How to Know What to Charge as a Freelance Writer http://ht.ly/17Mn5w
Can Writers Get Creative With Facts? http://dld.bz/hwfK
Interested in freelance writing? Here’s what you need to know, first:http://dld.bz/hAd7

Genre/Writing Type Specific

The Art of Memoir Writing … and Who Cares? http://bit.ly/9Q4ZlM
How Poeming is Like Dating - http://bit.ly/ckOG6r

Inspiration/Creativity/Organization

7 Wonderful Ways To Wake Up More Creative – A Big Creative Yes http://bit.ly/dwj5UF
8 Places to Find Inspiration http://dld.bz/hwuv
Double Dog Dare You – Writing Goals – http://briaspage.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/ddd/
Get Simple – Online Folders – http://briaspage.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/gs-folders/

Publishing

Are You Ready to Publish Your Novel? - http://nyti.ms/d81OUS
The end of publishing industry? THINK AGAIN!!! http://bit.ly/aB4ucs Watch until THE END. Great video!
5 Lies Unpublished Writers Tell Themselves (and the Truths That Can Get Them Published) http://ow.ly/17LrpG
Working in Publishing v. Writing http://ow.ly/1qC6kO
Basic Help with Contracts - http://ow.ly/2078M
Publishing moves in favour of the author http://dld.bz/hweZ
Victims of the Future http://bit.ly/9PnSd2

Resources/Apps for Writers

17 creative iPhone apps for writers and designers http://dld.bz/gJUb
One writer’s reasons for getting an iPad.http://bit.ly/9nng0s

Script Writing

Key Elements to Plot Structure http://ow.ly/1ZTJk

Self Publishing

Publishing journey from ebooks to Pbooks http://dld.bz/hwh7

Social Media and other Programs for Writers

Make time for your creative self. Writer’s retreat in Bali http://dld.bz/hx4F
Two helpful books if you believe that writing can be taught (blog post): http://is.gd/cTA6C
5 Fitness Tips for Writers– http://bit.ly/aasmW4
Reasons To Go to Conferences Part 1 – http://bit.ly/aDBzJy
Reasons to go to conferences part 2 – http://bit.ly/bwsW3O

Writing Process

50 Excellent Writing Activities to Cultivate Your Creativity and Craft http://goo.gl/fb/8MOR0
Writing realistic injuries http://su.pr/3VmeRq
The New Author: Silence or Noise http://bit.ly/aqQ68U
What is the FIRST thing you need to do when you decide to write a book? http://bit.ly/a1HdHs
Four Steps to Finding Your Ideal Writing Voice http://dld.bz/hwkf
Write your novel an hour a day http://dld.bz/gWcH
“Change Is Key to Powerful Story Arcs” http://tinyurl.com/29l49bs
The value of dedicated writing spacehttp://bit.ly/bBsA9t
The Writer’s Life: Getting In The Mood - http://ow.ly/1YMmF

Writing for Children/YA/Middle Grade

Kid Magazine Writers: Get the latest news, info and tips on writing for kids here - http://kidmagwriters.com/
YA Girls: The Case of Gender Fender Bender - http://emiliajoyce.blogspot.com/2010/06/ya-girls-case-of-gender-fender-bender.html

And just because this is my list, I am including:

Hilarious Stuff That Makes Me Giggle (and that I can almost relate to!)

Jen’s Parody of “I Got a Feeling” – Writers will love this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvXesHWBrGQ
Why Men and Women Shouldn’t Write Stories Together… http://tinyurl.com/m6dlyd

If you know of a tweet/post I might have missed this week, please feel free to leave the link in the comments. Next week’s will be even bigger – how do I know? I already have more on next week’s than I have all together on this weeks and it has only been two days!

Being a Writer: Lakeside Dedication

Nicole Humphrey Cook — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 16:16:41 +0000

We had the busiest day yesterday. We decided to go spend the day at Hurricane Harbor – the water park inside Six Flags. It was sunny, hot and now I’m sunburned, but it was loads of fun!

I had one of those “you know you’re a writer when…” moments last night though. We left Six Flags and decided to head out to the lake where my husband was fishing with a friend and just hang out for a bit before going home to crash.

I was sitting on the beach and was frustrated because I didn’t have my laptop or even a notebook to write with. So what does a writer, who has ideas swarming through her head, do in a situation like that?
She is suddenly thankful for good apps. and iPods.

So, my “you know you’re a writer when…” is this:

You know you’re a writer when you’re at the lake with your family, you suddenly want to write and there is no paper or laptop in sight, so you improvise. You pull out your iPod, that you installed the My Writing Nook app on a couple of days ago and then you proceed to type 812 words. That’s dedication. (oh, and can I just say how hard it is to type that many words on an iPod. lol)

Do you have any stories of somewhere you wrote that was a little odd, or something a bit less conventional writing surface wise? Would love to hear!

Oh, and if you are interested in the app. it is available for iPod or iPhone. It is also available for android and there is a web app. I’ve tried lots of apps for writer’s but this is by far my favorite one.