This Week on Books Direct -
16 September 2018
Here's a list of some great articles you may have missed this week. Enjoy!
To Restore Civil Society, Start With the Library by Eric Klinenberg for The New York Times
This crucial institution is being neglected just when we need it the most.
The Chef's Murder Was A Mystery. Then Portland Police Arrested His Romance Novelist Wife by Shane Dixon Kavanaugh for Oregon Live
Years before Nancy Crampton Brophy was accused of gunning down her chef husband in a Portland kitchen, the novelist penned a handy treatise on offing one's spouse.
Marketing Strategies And Cover Love by Jacquie Biggar for Sisterhood of Suspense
There’s a lot more to creating a successful marketing plan than writing the book. And your book cover is a big part of it.
Visit Wuthering Heights: Classic Novels Transformed Into Vintage Travel Posters by Tamara Hardingham-Gill for CNN Travel
The posters, which took several months to design, have been devised as part of the The Great American Read, an eight-part TV series and multiplatform reading initiative that looks at America's 100 best-loved novels.
2018 National Book Awards Longlists by National Book Foundation
The 2018 National Book Awards Longlists have been announced. Winners will be announced in November.
Non-Designer Graphic Design Tools & Resources for Marketing by Lillian De Jesus for Stencil Blog
There are hundreds of graphic design tools that run from free to pricey and sloppy to distinguished. Which ones are the best for non-designers?
Using Young Adult Novels to Make Sense of #MeToo by Julia Jacobs for The New York Times
Laurie Halse Anderson, the author of Speak, was one of the first young adult fiction writers to deal with issues of rape and sexual assault.
How To Give Your Readers Unforgettable Moments by James Scott Bell
The legendary movie director John Huston once remarked that a great movie is comprised of “three great scenes, and no weak ones.” Not bad advice that. We don’t want any weak scenes in our fiction. But we also want those moments that reach deep into the reader’s heart. How can we apply this to our writing?
And … Action! Applying TV Lessons to Chapter Hooks by Jami Gold for Writers Helping Writers
What can we learn for our writing by looking at how TV shows build hooks into the end of every act?
Pantsing Toward An Outline: A Hybrid Approach by P. H. Solomon for Story Empire Blog
Have you ever pantsed and outlined your novel at the same time?
When To Leave Out The “That” by Kathy Servian for Romance University
If you want to tighten your writing, try leaving out “that”.
10 Building Blocks Of A Psychopath by Sue Coletta, Crime Writer
Let’s look at 10 building blocks of a psychopath and discuss the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath.
Top 10 Book Ideas by Joe Bunting for The Write Practice
You want to write, but when you sit down to get started, you realize you don’t have a book idea. Here are ten questions to help you get started finding your book idea. Use them as writing prompts or to make your current idea better.
Are You Making This Character Flaw Mistake? by Janice Hardy for Fiction University
“Give your characters flaws” is one of the more common pieces of writing advice out there. It’s good advice, as flaws make characters more human and relatable, and the fatal flaw is a critical part of any character arc, but many writers make an easy mistake when creating them. They think flaws have to be negative traits.
Bob Woodward's Fear Sells More Than 750,000 In First Day by Alison Flood for The Guardian
Fear, the veteran Washington reporter’s unflattering portrait of Trump White House gets ninth printing to meet extraordinary demand from the US and beyond.
If you enjoyed this blog post, please visit the other This Week posts for links to more great articles.
