Tuesday may be your good news day?

How to Silence Negative Voices by Josh Irby at The Positive Writer (h/t to John R)

glipho, a blogging network (h/t to Mim L)

Ha! Fun! Automatic plot generator. Who knows; perhaps brilliance will emerge? (h/t to Peter B)

...along the same lines, a delightful list of generators. Goes along with this very nicely. (h/t to Veda L)

Calls for submissions (h/t to Veda L)

Tuesday, Tuesday—can't trust that day

• Ten rules for writing fiction, from The Guardian (h/t to Kyle J)
• Obituary for sci-fi author and writers' advocate A.C. Crispin. Crispin was part of Writer Beware and in addition to her literary legacy leaves behind a community of writers smarter and cannier than before they ran across Writer Beware. She'll be missed, and not just in sci-fi circles. (h/t to Steven G)
• From Nick's Writing Blog: Going Plot-Fishing (h/t to John R)
• Three things to keep in mind while brainstorming, from the Office of Letters and Light (h/t to Darlene R)
• Speculation about movie ratings, "censorship," and adaptations (h/t to Steven G)

Tuesday, Tuesday. Sometimes things just work out that way. Hope everyone's having a great week.

It must be Tuesday!

Managing Critique in Writing Workshops (h/t to Jane H)
Guest Writers for Monkey Pickles (h/t to Veda L)
Poets & Writers (h/t to Darlene R)
Stephen King on Writing and More (h/t to Adrienne H M)

Sorry for the lack of commentary. Fearless Leader Cassandra is about to keel over from lack of sleep. Zzz. Thanks for sharing, guys!

Tuesday Link Round Up

A day late and more than a dollar short, I apologize whole heartedly for the delay of this week's link round up. I intended to do it as soon as I was done with a meeting, and we all know the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and unfortunately I ended up taking a three hour nap on the floor with the dog.

So, without further ado, here are the links for this week. Ya'll were busy.

First up, Dave Farland offers five strategies to get writing for when we need a kick in the pants but the motivation isn't there. (Thanks John for posting that, I certainly need to read that through)

Next, we have The Five Biggest Fiction Writing Mistakes and how to fix them posted by the Writer's Digest and shared with the group by Mim.

Jane shared an inspiring 9 Famous Authors Rejected by Publishers reminding us that even when we face rejection we're in some really amazing company.

John also shared with us a free essay on Amazon on How to Write a New York Best Seller in 10 Easy Steps

Next up, we have Steve sharing The Big 6 Tv Writing Fellowships via A TV Calling.

Kyle shared with us a game that we should all play at the NaNo Kick off party. The Novelist, The Game Hopefully it includes "trolling on Tumblr", and "Posting cute kitten pictures on facebook' options.

And finally, Kyle shared a New York Times article with us on Writers on Writing a great essay peppered with advice.

That's all until next week everyone! Thanks for being so amazing!


Shelly.

You've been busy monkeys, posting all the links

The lack of official write-ins this month isn't slowing anybody down, I see. Excellent.

• Kyle J. concedes we NaNo-addled writers might, occasionally, have a point. From the blog of author Tobias Buckell. (Thanks, Kyle!)
• A Chuck Palahniuk on "thought" verbs. Abstraction, intangibility, and weaning oneself from "CHARACTER THOUGHT THIS THOUGHT, WHILE OTHER CHARACTER BELIEVED IN HER HEART HER BELIEFS WERE BELIEVED." (h/t to Jane H)
• Exclusively for Everyone, eh? WriteOnCon 2013. (h/t to Darlene R)
• Pithy nuggets of advice from famous authors, from Buzzfeed. (h/t to Jane H)
• The argument could probably be made that this belongs in a "self-promotion Saturday" post, but whatever: too cool to sit on. Knit your own Plot Bunny! Or crochet one! Whoa-em-gee! (More than a hat tip goes to Darlene R—she didn't just link us to this pattern. She created it.)
• 8 Signs That You Were Meant to Be a Writer (h/t to Chris W by way of Darlene R)
• Hee hee, cute: Dr. Seuss-inspired recipes. (h/t to Darlene R)
• Dramarama: "Gwyneth Paltrow Draws Outrage From Authors After 'Hijacking' Literary Event" (h/t to Linda S)
• Calculate Less. (h/t to John R)
• Jamie Chavez stalks the elusive Secret Fiction Rule Book. (h/t to John R)

Whew! I think that's it. But please, if I overlooked anything? Share it in the comments. Thanks for contributing so much, guys, and it's definitely not just links. Love seeing everyone coming to the group for mutual support/ass-kicking/et cetera.

Oh dear. It's been a while. (And it is Tuesday, isn't it?)

• Five legal issues all writers need to be aware of (h/t to Kyle J)
• A collection of graphics with handy writing tips (h/t to Sarah H)

...these were all I could find from what I have to admit was a cursory scroll-back through the Facebook page. Sorry for missing a few weeks; I just started a new job and everything is chaotic. (Excuses, excuses. Now sit back and listen to all my excuses for losing July's Camp NaNoWriMo! Much more exciting than the little I did manage to get written in July, at any rate.)

Congratulations to everyone who won Camp, and here's to me not forgetting to update this blog. 

If I overlooked any linky goodness, comment on this post with the good stuff. If you're interested in Self-Promotion Saturday, please send me and Shelly a message via the book of faces. 

Keep writing; we're seeing tons of posts on Facebook updating us about progress made on first drafts and revisions, and it's heartwarming. Keep writing. (Self, are you listening?)

Mellow midsummer linkery

What the heck. How is it even Tuesday again already? I call shenanigans. But on to the links:

First of all, beloved Sockmonkey founder and leader emerita Darlene R shared a fragrant bouquet of links:

Themes and Variations
Random Name Generator
Refdesk
Grammarnow
Common Errors in English
11 Rules of Writing, Grammar, and Punctuation

Thanks for looking out for us, Darlene!

A wonderful visual from the NYT, courtesy Kyle J. I seriously love this and should probably print it out and pin it above my computer monitor. Gracias, Kyle.

Other than that I don't think we've shared too many external links this week, but scrolling back through the FB page I do see a whole lot of Sockmonkeys reaching out for feedback on story ideas, writing techniques, research, et cetera. Plenty of people-helping-people and it's just right on. Right on, Sockmonkeys.

Happy Tuesday

• On outsmarting oneself with fancy words (h/t to Jon M)
• The Bookshelf Muse, a blog (h/t to John R)
• Calling the Muse, by Toni Rakestraw (h/t to Kristina B)

Dudes, I am sleepy and despondent and stressed out. So if nothing else you've almost certainly accomplished more this week than I have. Celebrate your accomplishments! Possibly with cool, refreshing iced tea or some nice fruit? I don't know. Something like that.

Gimme a D, gimme an A, gimme an R, and so on

Hey, look! It's Self-Promotion Saturday, this time featuring a beloved former NaNoWriMo municipal liaison and Sockmonkey Founder & Leader Emerita. I yield the floor to Darlene:

1,001 Plots to Get You Started by Darlene Reilley is for all the writers in my life. People have asked me for years where I get ideas from. Here is my answer: a peek inside my writing file!
1,001 Plot Ideas to Get You Started is your key to unlocking unimagined stories! Perfect for the new writer or for advanced writers looking to branch out. Grab your writer's notebook and favorite pen and get writing with inspiration!

kindle edition

paperback

Thanks for sharing, Darlene, and thank you for all you've done and continue to do to support this ragtag band of ragamuffins and ne'er-do-wells. 

It must be Tuesday

Because we have some links:

• "Don't let your own masterpieces go unwritten." Advice from David Farland on process, developing one's gifts, and hard work. (h/t to John R)
• Dark Crystal author quest, you say? Looks like Penguin Young Readers Group and the Jim Henson Company are sponsoring a contest to find the author of a new series of novels based on the movie. Visit http://www.darkcrystal.com/authorquest/  for background information and rules. Submissions are accepted beginning October first and must be in no later than January first. (h/t to Emma M)
• The Setup, the first in a series on story structure from Rakestraw Book Design. (h/t to Kristina B)

Thanks for the good stuff, folks. I assume everyone (but me) is getting lots of writing done during our cold, dreary Juneuary downpours?

L I N K S

What do we have here?

• 201 Ways to Arouse Your Creativity, from a site called Write to Done that seems to collect articles on writing. (h/t to John R) 
• On Monetizing Serialized Fiction, a guest post at Lindsay Buroker's blog by Zachary Bonelli. (h/t to Anna K)
• An essay about tropes and stereotypes in science fiction and fantasy over at SF Signal. Lots of thoughtful input from lots of authors; good stuff. (h/t to John R)
• Joss Whedon's tips on being prolific (h/t to John R)
• Six tips for finishing a novel from The Creative Penn (h/t to Anna K)

It's been a great couple weeks in Sockmonkeylandia. Had a couple write-ins, swapped some interesting links via the book of faces, bid a fond farewell to Chris, and I know at least one Sockmonkey just celebrated her graduation from high school (by making me feel old.) Hope everyone is enjoying a splendid Tuesday. Keep sharing the good stuff you find out there on the internet.

Here are your lynx for the week! (...blame the pun on my visit to the zoo this afternoon)

• "Benedict Cumberbatch, Neil Gaiman, and Guy Hasson Walk Into a Bar..." (h/t to Kyle J)
• "Keep it simple, simpleton" (h/t to Kyle J)
• Another Terrible Minds flash fiction challenge: ABC meets XYZ! What happens when pop culture properies collide at random? Hilarity, I assume. (h/t to John R)
• Shouts and Murmurs! Eight Rules for Writing Fiction, by Teddy Wayne (h/t to Jon M)

Day late, dollar short

• From The Creative Penn: Ten Tips For Transitioning To Full-Time In The Job You Love (h/t to Anna K)
• A Q&A with writer J. Michael Straczynski, from the Southwestern College Sun (h/t to John R)

Sorry these are late, folks. Apologies!

Menagerie of links

Lots of fun and interesting things afoot this week. You guys have been busy:

• The Great Starship Battle, via The Collaborative Writing Project at SciFi Wiki. In which nerds gather to create a story, with each author contributing a paragraph at a time. Involves the TARDIS. (h/t to John R)
• A letter from EB White to the schoolchildren of Troy, NY. Libraries are magical. Via John Fugelsang's Twitter feed. (Cassandra)
• An announcement about Amazon's Kindle Worlds, which sparked a lively and ongoing (as of Tuesday 5/28) discussion among the Sockmonkeys who write or are otherwise interested in fan fiction. Additional link to a post at John Scalzi's blog: Amazon's Kindle Worlds: Instant Thoughts. (h/t to Tatiana M and Amanda C)
• An essay on "survivorship bias" from author Tobias S. Buckell (h/t to Kyle J)

Hope everyone's staying dry out there. What with the perpetual downpour and all. <3 Washington, amirite?

What have the Sockmonkeys shared with each other this week?

• Diana Gabaldon shares tips on writing effective sex scenes (h/t to Georgia M)
• Buzzfeed list: 27 Pieces of Advice for Writers from Famous Authors (I dig #10) (h/t to Jennifer T, Kyle J, and possibly John R!) 
• On the subject of research for historical fiction, a Tumblr post with links to some reference material appropriate for 1920s crime fiction (h/t to John R)

Hot links, getcher hot links here

Happy Tuesday!

• A post at Writer Beware Blogs! which links to the Writer Beware Small Press Page, a resource to help authors evaluate a small press; things to know before you trust them with your beloved manuscript (Cassandra)
• PaperRater, for grammar and spelling and other checks. Looks like it's geared toward students, using algorithms and perhaps sorcery to evaluate a paper based on criteria such as word choice (h/t to John R)
• The Review Review, a compendium of literary journals, including reviews of issues. Cool! (h/t to Elizabeth H)
• Flash Fiction Challenge: Smashing Sub-Genres, a call to flex your most creative muscles by randomly combining two sub-genres from a list. From Terrible Minds, the blog of author Chuck Wendig. Official deadline is Friday, May 17; participants are invited to post links to their +/- 1000-word stories in the comments to the original post. We'd love it if any participating Sockmonkeys decided to link in the comments here, too. Good-time fun. Now let's see those Southern Gothic Techno-Thrillers, people. One thousand words. You can do it. (Cassandra)

I think that's it for this week. As always, if I overlooked something please drop a link in the comments. Happy writing.

Happy Tuesday, folks. Here's a list of the goodies we've been sharing with each other via the Face Booook:

• From false beginnings to info dumps, here are some things a lot of literary agents dislike from Writer Unboxed, a site dedicated to "the craft and business of fiction" (Cassandra)
• Writer Beware blogs! "Shining a bright light into the dark corners of the shadow-world of literary scams, schemes, and pitfalls." Associated with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. (Cassandra)
• Magnetism and Madness, by Maria Popova. Looking at the question of why writers are compelled to write. (h/t Jane H)

As always, if I overlooked something please feel free to add it in the comments section.

A round of applause please and a warm Sockmonkey welcome to our own beloved Sarah Jayne Carr, author of--well, I'll let Sarah tell you:

Conspiracy theories? Undesirable super powers? Murder? Lies? Betrayal?

A conversation with a stranger changes Amelia Hamilton's life forever. When she learns her grandfather faked his own death, normalcy slips from Amelia's grasp. To make matters worse, he is coming for her in less than seven days. What she hasn't determined is why.

Join the Insurance Agency and the Physician Coalition in their fight for dominance. Be careful. You, too, might be subjected to JackRabbit7 if you don't heed the warnings within the pages.

"The openness and honesty of Carr's storytelling marks her as a writer of truly noble character. She isn't afraid to cut herself and bleed over the pages for the sake of breathing life into the story." - Hannah Whalen

Buy Links:
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Paperback

How to Stalk the Author:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorsarahjcarr
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@sarahjcarr1
Author Central: amazon.com/author/sarahjcarr
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/SarahJCarr
Publisher: http://www.crushingheartsandblackbutterfly.com
Website: www.sarahjcarr.com

Thank you, Sarah! Enjoy your Saturdays, everyone. The weather's supposed to be, like, nice or something?

If something happens twice, it's a tradition. Right?

I think these are all from John R!

• Ask Correia #13: Ripping Off Ideas
  I liked this excerpt:
  "Stories are more than one particular idea. They are a whole bunch of ideas and characters and situations crammed together into one book. Sometimes you will have ideas that are very similar to one particular other creation, but which are totally different in other ways. Once again, that’s fine, because it is all about the personal spin you put on it."
• Two YouTube videos of lectures from Brandon Sanderson, on Ebook vs Traditional Contracts and Getting a Good Agent
• A notice on Writer's Digest that literary agent Kimiko Nakamura is seeking new clients

Thanks for the good stuff, John. And now I'm off to see if I can meet my April Camp NaNoWriMo goal. (It's not looking good.)

Self-Promotion Saturday, featuring Chris Weigand

The first in what Shelly and I plan to be a series of self-promotion posts. We contacted Chris because her YA novel, The Palace of the Twelve Pillars, was just released by MuseItUp publishing. Chris is also one of the founders of the Sockmonkeys and NaNoWriMo Municipal Liaison Emerita. We <3 Chris. Here's what she submitted:

The Peace Summit was in shambles, the prince kidnapped.
When the rival king realizes he kidnapped the wrong prince, hostilities escalate. Loyalties to each other and country are tested for the twin princes of Crato, Joachim and Brandan.
Joachim, captive of King Waldrom, faces deception and betrayal as he struggles to find his way home. Brandan, at home with a father focused on rescuing Joachim, wrestles with his own demons as he searches for his place in the world and the favor of his father.
Torn from the safety and peace of their childhood, they are thrust into a world where bonds of family, brotherhood and roles as heirs to Crato are tested. Through war, spiritual journeys, death and marriage, will they choose the path of good or evil? Who can be trusted, as the world they know slips into a whirlpool of chaos?

Buy Link
Blog: http://www.weigandchris.com
email: palaceofthetwelvepillars@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/caweigand.
Twitter: @CAWeigand --
Christina Weigand

Thanks, Chris, and congratulations. Happy Saturday, everybody.

A Menagerie of Links

Sockmonkeys share many links with each other via Facebook but, of course, things shared to FB have a tendency to disappear into the aether. So here's a list of links shared with the group between April 15 and April 23, 2013:

• The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
  Wretched Writers Welcome...to submit their loveliest sentences (h/t to John R)
• Mars 2023: Inhabitants Wanted
  Posted as a (sci-fi?) writing prompt (h/t to Darlene R)
• 24 Tips for Writers
  Nineteen-minute video reviewing many of those grammatical issues we all need to revisit from time to time (h/t to John R)
• 30 things to tell a book snob
  In honor of World Book Night, author Matt Haig politely tells haters to shove it (Cassandra)

Shelly and I want to make this a weekly round-up, so each Tuesday one of us will sift through the week's FB postings for all the great links Sockmonkeys share with each other.

Also, a while ago Darlene invited the Sockmonkeys to share writers' events in the region so I thought I'd add those too:

• Chuckanut Writers Conference - http://chuckanutwritersconference.com/ (h/t to Jane H)
• Cascade Writers Workshop - http://cascadewriters.com/ (h/t to Tara S)
• Oregon Christian Writers Cascade Writing Contest & Conference - http://oregonchristianwriters.org/ocw-cascade-writing-contest/ (h/t to Melissa I)

From the general chatter on FB it looks like the Sockmonkeys are, on the whole, enjoying a productive and inspirational week. To any Sockmonkeys who happen to be reading this, I'd love to know what's inspiring you these days. 

An inaugural post

We'd been talking about establishing a blog that could act as something of a clearinghouse for information related to the Sockmonkey Writers group. Facebook is handy for event planning and sharing information in a quick and casual way, but can be ephemeral.

We want a central place to keep track of members' blogs/websites, maybe share book recommendations, relevant writerly events in the area, et cetera. Mostly, what this blog needs to be is whatever the group needs it to be. So we'll see what that turns out to be, and where we're going with this thing. 

("We" being Cassandra and Shelly.) 

Excelsior!

Now to figure out how Blogger works.