Thursday Blogroll—May 10, 2012

I'm going to be trying something new.  Each week, I read really cool things; things that come across my google reader, things that other people tweet, interesting posts by authors and agents I follow. I could retweet them, but 140 characters usually isn't enough for me to explain why they struck me, or why I think they're important to share. So...I'm going to start rounding them up on Thursdays, so that I can share them enmasse. Welcome to my Thursday blogroll, and enjoy!

FAQ about Royalties and Book Advances (Writer Unboxed)

When I was a book publishing peon, it was my job to calculate the royalties twice a year. Thus, I know a lot about them, and often forget that others aren't privy to the same level of knowledge. This is a great rundown of how money operates for commercially published authors.

How to Keep Writing When the Shit Hits the Fan (Nathan Bransford)

I found this fascinating, because at times I find myself in a bit of a slump emotionally, and it drains into my writing in the worst way. But perhaps even more useful right now was a post linked to this one, How to Begin Writing Again After a Break. Of course, I can't find it again to link it, so I apologize for sending you into the wonderful, informative, but incredibly time-sucking breach that is Advice from Nathan Bransford (TM) to find it.

You may note that I am actively engaged in the "start with less scary writing. Blog posts. Forum posts"  stage...

Does Every Scene Need a Goal? (Jami Gold)

It's one thing to say that every scene needs to move the story forward; it's quite another to explain how. Jami explores some ideas from a great writing book I already love, Techniques of the Selling Writer, but I think Jami really accessibly breaks down the structure of scenes even beyond what Swain does in the book. Plus, I found it personally useful in getting through a block on the WIP this week. Thanks, Jami!