Saturday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

HOW TO AVOID CLICHES (OR THE 4 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW BEFORE STARTING A NOVEL)

By: Melissa McPhail, @MelissaGMcPhail

A reader recently wrote to me and asked, how do you write a novel when every time you start (oh, so many times!) you get a few chapters in and suddenly become deluged with doubts? And how, when you’re so well-read in the genre that you’ve read it all and seen it all a hundred times…how can you possibly devise a story that’s not cliché?

Though asked of me in regards the writing of fantasy, these questions are ones every writer struggles with—because every writer is possessed of the same demons. These parasites of our insecurities don’t all whisper the same demoralizing words, but they all originate in the same hateful level of hell. Their entire purpose is to keep writers (and all artists) from creating, and it’s frightening how good they are at this task.

But here’s a truth those whispers obscure: Nothing can occur if you don’t start writing.

There are two mantras that have always guided me:  1) A writer writes.  2) You have to waste a lot of creation on the way to achieving a great story.

The more you write, the better you hone your craft. If you let your insecurities stop you from writing, you’ll never get far enough into anything to be able to do something about those things you consider so cliché. As to that point about wasting creation…

. . .

Read the full article HERE!

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If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:

1. Ask Amy: How do I get my Facebook friends on my profile to come over to my Facebook page? — Amy Porterfield http://ow.ly/B7FCv
2. Anne R. Allen's Blog: Writing Collaboration: Is it Right for You? http://ow.ly/B7FOM
3. 10 Ways to Annoy a Literary Agent - Books & Such Literary Management : Books & Such Literary Management http://ow.ly/B7FUI
4. “Write Drunk, Edit Sober” Is Bad Advice http://ow.ly/B7G36
5. Amina Gautier: Joy of Revision http://ow.ly/B7GbC
6. Are You Overlooking This Easy Way to Make Your Story More Interesting? - Helping Writers Become Authors http://ow.ly/B7GiI
7. 4 Steps to Creating an Eye-Catching Book Cover - Training Authors for Success http://ow.ly/B7GqV
8. Who’s Afraid of Very Cheap Books? | David Gaughran http://ow.ly/B7Gyd
9. 10 Things to Know About Speakers Bureaus - Books & Such Literary Management : Books & Such Literary Management http://ow.ly/B7GIm
10. How to be media friendly to sell more books - Build Book Buzz http://ow.ly/B7GQq
11. Finding Your Author Voice | Selling Books http://ow.ly/B7GVA
12. Online Editing Resources That You Must Try | Self-Publishing Review http://ow.ly/B7H5r
13. How Authors Can Build Their Audience on Instagram [Guest Post] — Self Publishing Team http://ow.ly/B7Hbv
14. Goodreads Giveaways: Don’t Do What You’re Told | Catherine, Caffeinated http://ow.ly/B7HmS
15. Anne Lamott reminds us why it's important to sit down and write--Right NOW! - WritingSpirit Blog http://ow.ly/B7JRK
16. One Recipe for Success | Marketing Christian Books http://ow.ly/B7JYV
17. 8 New Blogging Rules for Writers - Social Media Just for Writers http://ow.ly/B7K3l
18. How to Become a Morning Person: Infographic http://ow.ly/B7K7X
19. Writer Unboxed » Let it Go http://ow.ly/B7Kjx
20. How to Avoid Cliches (or The 4 Things You MUST Know Before Starting A Novel) | @MelissaGMcPhail http://ow.ly/B7MFW
21. How to Make Sure Readers Don’t Close the Book | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/B7SDK
22. There’s (Probably Going To Be) An App For That - Where Writers Win http://ow.ly/B8Wp0
23. How to Make Sure Readers Don’t Close the Book | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/B7SDK

Happy writing and running, Kathy