Sunday Surfing and a Hiatus

I almost didn't post this week's Sunday Surfing links. I'm still taking baby steps and haven't done any browsing lately, but a few worth sharing did come across my Facebook feed.

I ask for your patience and understanding while I try to establish a new routine. Virtually everything I've written lately is either to or about my wife. I still want to reveal covers, participate in blog tours and host others. I just don't anticipate publishing much in the way of self-written posts for a while.

I am healing, but I am also still grieving. Myra would haunt me if I abandoned writing and blogging, so this is only a hiatus, not a permanent cessation. I am most grateful for your continued prayers and support while I adapt to life without my wife.

Now, let the links begin:

Famous Self-Published Authors

Promotion: Is Ignorance Bliss?

Typesetting Your Book In Word

Social Media Secrets Part II

5 Ways to Write a Killer Plot Twist

Standard Pages for A Fiction Website

Why “Show, Don’t Tell” Is the Great Lie of Writing Workshops

Three Top Strategies to Guarantee Book Sales

The screenwriter's nitty-gritty for the better bad guy

Evolution of a Cover: MENTATS OF DUNE

A look at the latest Thor: The Dark World trailer.

Sunday Surfing and Deepest Gratitude

Happy Anniversary, Myra.

Please allow me to start this post by conveying my sincerest, deepest gratitude to everyone who has expressed their condolences, thoughts, prayers and sympathies to my family and me over the past two-and-a-half weeks.

You cannot know how much they have helped, especially with so many coming on the same day I had to pick up the death certificates. I'm so grateful to DL Hammonds, Alex Cavanaugh and Al Diaz for their respective roles in making the "Blitz" such a special blessing.

Today is August 4th, our anniversary, the 29-year milestone, and the first with us apart.

I picked up a card to celebrate just as I've always done. Within it, I spilled my heart just as I always have. I'm unable to hand it to her this year and I don't know Heaven's mailing address. I am therefore putting it on my blog. Surely Heaven has wi-fi.

Even through the ache of loss, my love for you remains.

(Click to enlarge)

Now, for the surfing.

Please note that as time progresses, I should be able to raise the quantity of links back up to their original level. I'm still taking baby steps for now. I'm way behind on my visiting, but I do plan to catch up soon.

Two Words Writers Should Avoid

"than I" and "than me"

10 Words That You've Probably Been Misusing

Author Brand in the Age of Indie (Indie Life)

More on Author Branding

Storytelling Across Platforms

Sunday Surfing

(Click to enlarge)

Market to Readers, Not Writers

Are rules made to be broken?

Daily Writing Tips

If Best Selling Authors were self-published.... (Funny!)

Reading, writing may help preserve memory in older age

Hashtags and Writers
 and
What the #Facebook #Hashtag Means for You

How To Co-Author A Novel--the Less Glamorous Version

100 Character Development Questions for Writers

Everyone has advice on things to watch for while editing a manuscript. Here are 5 from Writers Digest.

12 Ways People Use Words: more on dialogue

17 Phrases you're probably saying wrong (Yeah, I still say one of these and probably always will. You'll have to guess which.)

Sunday Surfing

The Big Comparison Of Google Reader RSS Feed Alternatives

What Not to Think About When You’re Writing

Writing with the ending in mind?

Tightening the Story

The Fantasy Novelist's Exam

Instincts

A Key to Creating Conflict in Fiction

IWSG: Have You Met THE WRITER'S TICKLE MONSTER???

The Book Marketing Maze: 22 Wrong Turns & How To Avoid Them (part 1)

Is Using a Free Ebook Still a Viable Strategy for Increasing Overall Sales on Amazon?

Sunday Surfing

Barnes & Noble Bows To Apple And Amazon; Exits Tablet Business

How Can the Average Writer Make Money Self-Publishing E-Books?

An Introduction to Author Services, Part 1 and Part 2

Considering Self-Publishing? Don't Bother, Unless You Follow Guy Kawasaki's Advice

High Fantasy Map Quiz!

14 Words That Are Their Own Opposites

Computer Desktop Encyclopedia

Captain Obvious

Lessons Yoda Has Taught Me About Writing

Think you're a nerd? Prove it! 21 Jokes Only Nerds Will Understand I got about 16 or 17 on the first read. I'm nerdy with a capital N. Of course, being a science-loving computer programmer helps.

I added the Feedly and Bloglovin widgets this weekend. I'd be grateful if someone can verify for me that they work properly.

I have been (and plan to continue) using Feedly as my blog surfing chauffeur. I've spent a good bit of time getting things organized the way that works best for me. I still have some tweaking to go, but am thus far satisfied.

Sunday Surfing

Foreign Rights Agents: Everything You Need To Know (& Why You May Want One!)

7 Ways Authors Waste Time "Building Platform" on Social Media

Creating Your Own Mythology  and Tools for Creating Your Own Mythology

Fun With Formatting: Making Ebooks Pretty

Using a Critique Checklist, or, How Not to Look Like a Twit

It's Okay to Freak Out Once in a While



Sir Jeff has been busy this week (surprise, surprise!) trying to complete a short story. I admittedly made no progress on it Saturday. My brother and I had a Game of Thrones season 3 marathon Saturday. Excellent show!

And my short story, The Watcher, appearing in Seers: Ten Tales of Clairvoyance is now available! I'll draft a decent post during the coming week, but if you'd like to read about the ten contributors, check out Carole Ann Moleti's post.

Sunday Surfing

WRiTE CLUB 2013 - Submissions Open

Checklist For Adding Suspence & Intrigue

Publishing Spotlight: Interview with John Pitts

Why Are We Stepping On Each Other's Toes?

Backup, Version Control, and Comparing Your Work

Gryphonwood Press: Open Submissions during June 2013

10 Things Your Opening Chapter Should Do: A Check-List for Self-Editing

Elizabeth Seckman's June IWSG post (query/response) is worth the read. Rejecting the Bible...An IWSG Post

50 Essential Epic Fantases (1-25) and 50 Essential Epic Fantasies (26-50)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Trailer Premieres!

Several of you are already aware, but we bade Sally Sue a final farewell last weekend. She will be missed. Thirteen years in our home. Forever in our hearts.

Sally Sue 2000-2013

Sunday Surfing

Literary Consolation Prizes

I apologize for the lack of links. I wrapped up my edits this week and a ten-hour "consistency check" proofing marathon today. I'm in the midst of drafting the last of my synopsis and hope to have it finished before sundown.

I believe I'm going to make my June 12th deadline after all. Then I'll be able to catch up on everything else--like visiting your blogs and maybe writing a new post for my own! LOL

Remember, write wisely!

Those %!@# Expletives

Guide for Authors and Editors

Penguin Random House, the “Following Four,” and the Future of Competition

22 Maps That Show How Americans Speak English Totally Differently From Each Other

For you Game of Thrones lovers:
Red Wedding: 14 People Who Now Hate George RR Martin After Latest Episode Of 'Game Of Thrones'
and Game of Desks - Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (YouTube)

Sunday Surfing

6 Reasons Google+ Beats Facebook for Author Platform Building

(All my commas say this)

The Lead, the Opening, the Hook?

On-Site Research

Mystery vs. Suspense: The 8 Keys

My Last, Best Hope for Mastering Structure

9 Huge Opportunities Even Smart Authors Miss

An Admonition for Self-Publishers. Ahem...

What Are the Real Costs of Self-Publishing? Wrong Question...

May your surfing be sensational, your Sunday super and you week wonderful.

Write wisely!

Sunday Surfing

Congratulations to this year's Nebula Award winners!

Donna Hosie interviews Andrew Brown, her trilogy's cover designer

60 Rules for Short SF (and Fantasy)

Some of you fan fiction writers might find this interesting.

The Bridport Prize is hosting a competition. (Poetry, short and flash fiction categories.)

Not sure I'm willing to subscribe, but this Visual Thesaurus is definitely cool.

New Smashwords Survey Helps Authors Sell More eBooks

One of several such graphs from the Smashwords article

Rachelle Gardner's All the Publishing Information You Ever Wanted

And for a laugh, check out the Top Ten Things You Could Say to Make Someone Think You're a Psycho Stalker

Speaking of laughter, 22 Things Happy People Do Differently

As many of you know, I purchased the Windows version of Scrivener this week. I really do like it. There are a few things I'd love to see added, but for $40, it's a bargain.

This in no way means development of my Magic Muse software is coming to an end. But seeing as how I'm putting the final polish on The Bonding and now drafting its sequel, The Awakening, it seemed a logical time to give it a shot. Besides, when the day comes that Magic Muse is release-ready, it'll likely be free.