Your Health!

Welcome to Slàinte Sundays where I give a toast to those posts I enjoyed during the week.

Before we get to the link love, I wanted to let you all know I’m adjusting my blog schedule from three days a week to two days. With the family and day job schedules picking up, and NaNoWriMo looming, (not to mention the holidays are comin’ up hot) I have less and less time for my novel and blogging. I’ve made the decision to cut back on blogging, because, let’s face it, my novel is much more important! J

Anyhoo…For the time being, I will incorporate my Slàinte Sundays with my Rudan Thursdays. I truly enjoy sharing my cyber finds with all of you and am not willing to cut them. So while I won’t be able to share every week, there will still be plenty of link love goin’ around ;)

Ok, let’s get to it…

On craft…

Jenny Hansen shares Writing Lessons From The Late Great Stephen J. Cannell.

Kristen Lamb continues her series on Structure with Part 3 – Introducing the Opposition.

Jody Hedlund guest posts over at Jenny Hansen’s blog, talking about plot ideas and structure, very helpful with NaNoWriMo coming up.

Amber West has some great NaNoWriMo tips for all of those pantsers out there. Check this out.

On publishing…

Bob Mayer offers a tribute to the reader in his post, Readers Rule: The Ultimate Gatekeepers Publishing and The Rise of the Author.

Kait Nolan shares her Open Letter to Barnes & Noble about PubIt!

On motivation…

Jenny Hansen offers great tips on critique partners or groups via Dan Rockwell over at Leadership Freak. And I swear I’m not stalking Jenny, she just has so many awesome posts, how can I not share them?? ;)

Sonia Medeiros says ‘let there be blogs’ in her post on blogging and blog fatigue. Did she write this just for me?

Kristen Lamb reminds us to keep our heads in the game, and breathes new life into that blog fatigue by sharing boring statistical information on blogging and its benefits.

Lyn Midnight is a girl after my own heart in her guest post on spiraling out of control, over at David N. Walker’s blog. No, Lyn, you are most definitely not alone.

On networking and social media…

Jen Talty, via Bob Mayer’s blog, talks about the importance of branding.

Techy Tips

Carrie Spencer – finally! – shares much-needed information on ping backs, via her pal Woodie, cause he knows WordPress. I’ve been waiting for so long! ;p

Just for fun!

Shéa MacLeod shares creepy crawly stories in her post, The Queen of Fire and Darkness Meets the Scorpion King.

Jenny Hansen talks about her undies fetish, interest, um, ok, she’s talkin’ about g-strings people. You gotta go check it out.

Piper Bayard and Kristen Lamb need your help with campaign slogans. They’ve got awesome options to choose from, go cast your vote! Piper/Lamb 2012!

Natalie Hartford brings us the compliment to the tow-hitch stripper pole: The Tow Hitch TV!

Gene Lempp teaches us about the Ancient Silk Route in his latest post from Designing from Bones.

Marcia Richards tells a true story of ‘sweet revenge,’ a family’s quest for justice, and making a difference the American way. I got chills reading this. Amazing post!

Jess Witkins offers an interesting post on Sleep Paralysis. Pretty scary, actually. My husband has this happen sometimes.

To Jenny, Kristen, Jody, Amber, Bob, Kait, Sonia, Lyn, Jen, Carrie, Shéa, Piper, Natalie, Gene, Marcia, and Jess…

Slàinte…your health!

Your Health!

Welcome to Slàinte Sundays where I give a toast to those posts I enjoyed during the week.

It seems like this week’s theme was overcoming fear, which I appreciated since I’ve been struggling with that. (If you’re a writer, than you have too – so read up and kick fear’s a$$!) We have quite a bit on craft as well, and a TON that’s just for fun! Enjoy!

On craft…

David N. Walker continues his series on character outlining. This week’s post is about those other guys, the supporting characters.

Kristen Lamb begins her series on novel structure with Structure Matters. A must read.

Elizabeth Spann discusses outlining and its benefits in her post, Changing Our Book’s Game Plan.

Annalise Green gives her take on outlining in her post, That Outlining Thing, Or No Pants!

On publishing…

Bob Mayer stresses the importance of team building in his post, Reamde, Pottermore, Hyperion and other mistakes from publishing “experts.”

On motivation…

D.A. Watts at Writers On The Storm Blog continues their series on identifying and overcoming fear. These are excellent posts and I strongly suggest you read the other posts if you haven’t already.

Jenny Hansen follows it up with her post at Writers On The Storm Blog asking Do You Fear Your Dreams? These posts are so inspiring. Fear is the noose around a writer’s neck and these ladies are shoving it into the spotlight so we can all face it together. Totally awesome!

Kait Nolan inspires us in her post on facing and overcoming fear, Explore Your Ragged Edge.

Pam Hawley visits David N. Walker and shares her views on facing fears in her post, Sticking Our Necks Out.

Gary Gauthier is hanging out with Marcia Richards and talking about ways to beat procrastination in his post, How To Turn Your Goal Into A Reality. Great post, Gary!

Marcia Richards puts in her two cents on fear in her post she shares on Sonia Medeiros’s blog, Fear Not.

On Social Media and Networking…

Jenny Hansen offers 8 excellent tips for expanding your network with social media.

Kristen Lamb gives us a much-needed refresher on tips for branding our names and building our platforms.

Roni Loren talks about how she built her author platform and what she would do differently in her interview with Laura Barnes in her latest Savvy Sensation segment. Very insightful!

Techy Stuff…

Carrie Spencer, via her good buddy Woodie, shows us how to add HTML code in our blogs on WP in this segment from Woodie Knows WordPress.

For Fun!

Jenny Hansen asks Do I Have A Dirty Mind? Uh…yeah, Jenny, you do…and I dig it! :p

Steena Holmes announces a new release in the new Bandit Creek Series! 33 Books + 32 Writers + Multi-Genre = Awesomeness!

Piper Bayard announces her running mate for the 2012 Presidential Election…the Dream Team! Ok, seriously, how can we make this actually happen, ‘cause I’m so in!

Annalise Green offers a fun post on the dark side of Mermaids.

Gene Lempp gives yet another thrilling post from his Zoo Arcane with Slayer Spirits and the Unredeemed…muahahahahahaaa!!!

Jess Witkins shares her freaky and appropriate post, I See Dead People. (Cue spooky music)

Mums the word topic in this sweet post from Jillian Dodd, Is Bigger Really Better? (Get your filthy minds out of the gutter!)

I absolutely could not do this post without mentioning; yeah you guessed it, invisible porn! Piper Bayard opens her store and her heart in her post, Invisible Art? That’s Nothing. We’ve Got Invisible Porn. Bust out the credit card, you are not going to want to miss out!

Elena Aitken asks Fashion Forward, Or Totally Backward? in her post about models in magazines, and how ridiculous they all look.

Natalie Hartford shares the Urban Word of the week: Webtrovert.

Shéa MacLeod dishes on some of the sexiest paranormal studs around in her post, Zombies, Vampires, and the Delicious Mr. Spock.

Diana Murdock points out that tattoos aren’t just for gang members or street thugs…they can be inspirational, personal expressions of our inner selves. Awesome post!

Carrie Spencer shares a very cool video on pumpkin carving in her post, Get The Chainsaw Honey, Let’s Carve A Pumpkin!

And there you have it.

To David, Kristen, Elizabeth, Annalise, Bob, Deb, Jenny, Kait, Pam, Gary, Marcia, Roni, Carrie, Steena, Piper, Gene, Jess, Jillian, Elena, Natalie, Shéa, and Diana…  *takes a breath*

Slàinte…your health!

Your Health!

Welcome to Slàinte Sundays where I give a toast to those posts I enjoyed during the week. Without further ado:

Quite a lot on craft this week…

David N. Walker describes how important the antagonist is and how varied he, she or it can be. Very helpful and informative.

Jami Gold visited Writers in the Storm and explained the key elements in evolving your story from a simple thought or idea into a real, honest-to-goodness novel. A really awesome post!

Cate Woods shows us how we need to dig a little deeper to find our own hidden gems. Sometimes all it takes is a little, or a lot, of pruning – or ok, maybe bust out the weed wacker – to see the truly fantastic parts of our stories and how to nurture them and help them grow. Thought provoking, a must read.

Kristen Lamb never fails to deliver and this time is no exception. In this post, Kristen explains how we can add dimension to our settings, and how our settings can help show the story. Marvelous as always, I suggest subscribing if you haven’t already.

Tiffany Lawson Inman a.k.a. Naked Editor visited Jenny Hansen’s blog and offered great insight and analysis on Voice. Definitely a must read…right now. Tiffany also taught the many aspects of writing action, and broke it down so even I could follow. Read this one right after the other one…now.

James Killick asks Are you writing for the right medium? A question we should all take a moment to ask ourselves, and then evaluate our answers. Very interesting post.

Sharla Rae at Writers in the Storm gave valuable tips and advice on researching your historical novel. I found this information very useful, and don’t worry – there’s a link to Part 1 in the post. Or you can go here. ;)

Elena Aitken offers wonderful advice on time management – highly useful! Great post.

Whew! Ok, let’s see what other gems I found this week.

On publishing…

Steena Holmes offers great tips and advice on self-publishing – part 1 and part 2.

Kait Nolan explains why it’s so important for authors to publish on as many platforms as possible. Very informative!

On networking…

When I think of networking, the very first person to pop in my head is Kristen Lamb. Did you know she’s not only a writer, but also a teacher and a doctor? In her series, Dr. Twuth, she prescribes the perfect remedies for our ailing platforms. Check out her latest post here.

Again, Kristen Lamb gives us, pretty much on a silver plate, everything we need to know to build the most successful author platform. Another must read right now.

Roni Loren, the Fiction Groupie, asks a question that immediately depressed and frustrated me. Is blogging dead? After all the hard work I’ve been putting into this, it damn well better not be! LOL What are your thoughts on this?

Kait Nolan informs us of the pros and cons of The Back Matter Swap.

On life…

Marion Spicher talks about the power of positive thinking.

Piper Bayard asks quite the thought, and discussion, provoking question – Which one are you?

Diana Murdock shares very deep and personal insights in her post about forgiveness.

Jillian Dodd‘s post makes you think twice when she asks, Is it ok to lie to your love?

Bridgette Booth reminds us of the clues we girls can sometimes leave when we’re in over our heads and head over heels for those boys, in talking about Sense and Sensibility by the incomparable, Jane Austen.

…and here’s a few fun ones for ya!

Carrie Spencer shows us that there really are people out there who are crazier than the Crazy Cat Lady.

Natalie Hartford found yet another super cool and useful toy – one you should never leave the campsite without.

Gene Lempp describes the ancient island of Cyprus, from “its humble beginnings to its richly layered culture built by conquest and strife.” Fascinating!

Elena Aitken reminds us that, when it comes to parenting, we’re SO not alone…and thank god for that!

Shea MacLeod offers a clip from Ancient Aliens. Really cool, check it out.

In honor of my husband, who’s obsessed with Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, I had to share this awesome post by my pal Barbara McDowell. Journey back to the time of flannel shirts, torn jeans, doc martens and moody, angry teens…those were the good old days…

Ok…yeah…I think that’ll do it. ;)

To everyone in this post (because there are just too many people on here to list, and I’ve got a wip to work on)…

Slàinte…your health!

Your Health!

Welcome to Slàinte Sundays where I give a toast to those posts I enjoyed during the week. Without further ado:

On craft and the technical side of things…

Sonia Medeiros shares her lessons learned on the way to becoming a writer – valuable information.

Bob Mayer introduces us to Natalie C. Markey, a pro when it comes to the fine art of balancing writing and family.

Kristen Lamb reminds us not to treat the writer like a moron in her post, “Deadly Sin of Writing #7.”

Piper Bayard, the Pale Writer of the Apocalypse, shares her story of trials and tribulations on her way to becoming a writer…it’s an awesome reminder that we are all in this together.

What do you know about widgets? Take a quick and painless lesson from Woodie a.k.a. Carrie Spencer with Woodie Knows WordPress.

For fun…

Get ready for an awesome adventure in reading! 33 books…one series…all genres! Steena Holmes has all the deets.

Check out Carrie Spencer’s crafty side here – jewelry, t-shirts, and more!

Natalie Hartford delivers yet again in this hysterical post about the hottest new party trend…you gotta read this!

Come take a look in an ancient kitchen and learn the history of cooking from Gene Lempp.

On diversity…

Kait Nolan makes some great points about how certain traits in a character should not be written out, and about how important it is to give readers characters they can relate to.

Cate Woods talks about allowing kids to feel free to be themselves, and how they can relate to diverse characters in books…a thought-provoking post.

On life lessons…

YOU are the only one responsible for YOU! A must read from Marcia Richards.

A great point: Change doesn’t have to be painful. An excellent post from Diana Murdock.

To Sonia, Bob, Kristen, Piper, Carrie, Steena, Natalie, Gene, Kait, Cate (ok, how many of us are there?? LOL), Marcia, and Diana…

Slàinte…your health!