Writing Links

“Start your story in the middle of something important happening in [your protagonist’s] life that will reveal his living situation, his immediate problems and concerns, his work and lifestyle, his deepest hopes and dreams and fears.”
The 6 Necessary Elements in Your Novel’s Opening Chapters :: C. S. Lakin: Live Write Thrive

“Unquestionably, this experience has been a reality check. When I dig deep, when I ask the critical question I posed to myself multiple times during the writing process: ‘Who am I kidding? What I’m really feeling is…’ The conclusion to that question is: I want to be relevant. To be noticed. To matter. When I allow the number of reviews—or the sales numbers I get from my publisher—to determine my relevance, then that’s a problem.”
Post Book Launch Depression is a Thing :: Jane Friedman

I often think about the freedom limitations bring to my writing, so I found this article especially interesting. “I believe completely that formal (or otherwise) constraints paradoxically produce creative freedom. Obviously this isn’t a new idea in literature. Poets have used strict formal constraints—from sonnets to haiku—to inspire work for centuries. (Fiction writers are more reluctant to think in this way for some reason. The idea of the novel as a form that’s necessarily unconstrained, that can take any shape and constantly shifts, is part of the core appeal.)”
Invisible Architecture :: Counter Craft

“It’s dangerous to bind your happiness as a writer and as a person to outcomes like finding an agent, building a sustainable writing career, finding traditional publication, or hitting a bestseller list. You can do every single thing correctly to the best of your ability and still fall short of one or all those goals. That’s just how the artistic cookie crumbles.”
Try to separate process and outcomes :: Nathan Bransford

In almost fifteen years of reading blogs about writing, nothing has spoken to me as this post has. I’ve shared it with countless aspiring authors and writing friends, and I keep my own printed copy to re-read when needed. Recently, I discovered the old link I’d been using was broken. Marion Dane Bauer has kindly updated and reposted. Please take a moment and read this one.
The Deepest Gift :: Marion Dane Bauer

“…scientists have a pretty good guess what’s causing our collective creativity to tank. Scientists blame our ‘hurried, over-scheduled lives’ and ‘ever increasing amounts of (time) interacting with electronic entertainment devices’…In short, we’re too busy and entertained for creativity to blossom.
Research Suggests We’re All Getting Less Creative and Scientists Think They Know Why :: Inc.