Justine Manzano I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted something brand new that hasn’t been a rehash or a blog hop, but I’ve been a happily busy girl. Between two publication notifications last month, the release of Volume 3 of Sucker Literary, entering contests and revising my novel, there has been a whole lot going on.
For today, here’s another link collection entry, complete with some that are very personal to my work.
– If you haven’t already, please check out my flash fiction, “Tunneling”.
– Sucker Literary, Volume 3 is out now! For where to buy and behind the scenes info, check out Sucker’s website!
– I’ve decided to share my playlists for the books I’m working on with you. So, here is The Order of The Key Playlist. Feel free to check it out. Some are songs whose messages inspire, some are perfect for the characters, some inspired random story ideas for no real reasons. Some contain similar themes. All are songs I listen to while brainstorming. Enjoy.
– While we’re doing playlists, here are the playlists I’ve created for my other works in progress:
The Broken Hearts Club
Soul Sight
Legally Insane
– This blog post, written by badass YA writer and my friend, Zoraida Cordova, discusses diversity in YA literature and is both funny and incredibly wise. My family, my dearest friends, are pretty much every color, culture, and sexual orientation that exists. It is very sad to watch someone celebrate wholeheartedly because they actually got some representation in literature. This should be routine, not shocking.
– This is a great list of what makes your short story fail with a lit mag.
– This is a great little set of tips for how to co-author a book series. Ismael and I had plans to try something like this at some point in our careers (although that may have fallen by the wayside), so I’ve done some research into the process and this is an interesting view of it. It also doesn’t hurt that it involves my favorite author, Kelley Armstrong, and her sometimes writing partner Melissa Marr.
– Though I’m not always a gigantic fan of Cassandra Clare (I have a love/hate relationship with her, for sure), this is a fantastic (if maybe a little overly-defensive) response to a constant internal debate I have – how much should your personal beliefs get in the way of your ability to draft real, compelling characters and plotlines. I think Cassandra comes up with a great explanation of this here, although it may be difficult to really understand if you have never read either of her Shadowhunter series’.
– Avoiding Twitter? Here are some great things you can do with Twitter as a writer. And here’s part two of that article with more great ideas.
– We’ve all heard plenty of writing advice. Here’s why some of the old favorite bits of advice aren’t really that great.
– This is a great blog post on the best ways to classify your story when searching for agents and publishers.
I think that little collection of links redeems me for my absence, what do you think? Don’t forget to come back at the end of the month, so I can elevator pitch my novels to you. See you then!