Writing and Reading Links

As someone who offers critiques, this really resonated with me. Before hiring someone to read your work, it’s important to know why you’re reaching out in the first place.
Why my feedback has gotten more direct through time :: Nathan Bransford

“Like rivers, people change.” I love this.
The Mississippi River Paradox :: Seth Godin

“In order for your hero to experience substantial and rewarding growth your hero must be wrong about something when the novel begins. There must be some type of fatal flaw in their thinking or worldview. This belief must be so flawed that it is actively hurting them (and maybe even those around them). Worse still, this belief is keeping them from succeeding in their goal.”
Your hero has to be wrong: How every good character arc begins with the character lying to him/herself :: Erin Bowman

I’ve read three or four Louise Penny novels (and have three more I haven’t yet read that I found at a Little Free Library). This is an excellent post for Penny fans and new readers alike.
Your Louise Penny Starter Kit :: Modern Mrs. Darcy

“What else can your book be besides interesting?”
Big Swing at a Big Pitch :: Agents and Books

“‘Stopping anyway’ – stopping in the knowledge that for finite humans, the work is never done – reorients you to the depth of the present moment. It helps you stop ceaselessly chasing the imaginary future point at which everything will have been handled, so that life can really begin. It’s a reminder that life has already really begun: that this is it. And it permits you to sit back and receive life for an hour or two – to enjoy it confident in the knowledge that you did what you could today, and that when tomorrow rolls around, you’ll do what you can then, too.”
What would it mean to be done for the day? :: The Imperfectionist