Yes, it was actually posted a little later than November 3. And that’s my fault. It’s also a little skimpy, and that’s also my fault.

Even so, thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com. Please browse their blog posts, and share your own favorite posts from across the Internet for the next edition.

Enjoy!

Fiction and True Stories

American Boy presents Letter to my Ex: Karma posted at AdvancedScoop.com, saying, “Just wanted to get a little something off my chest. Enjoy!”

novaw0lf presents Fighting for Redemption posted at WriterWolven.com. [ed: Warning: adult content.]

Publishing and Marketing

Lindsay B presents Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 101 for Authors posted at Savvy Self-Publishing, saying, “No, it’s not the most exciting topic, but it can get more people to your site, people who might just go on to check out your books!”

AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form.

If you have trouble with the Carnival of Storytelling submission form, please contact me at www.JTimothyKing.com, select the “Carnival of Storytelling” category, and include a message with the link to the post and any remarks you’d like to include with the submission.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com. And thanks to all the bloggers who posted wonderful articles that I have hand-picked for the following list. Please browse their blog posts, and share your own favorite posts from across the Internet for the next edition.

Enjoy!

Writers

Terry C. Simpson posted Author Interview: Elaine Raco Chase at Ramblings of a Fantasy Author — “First, let me welcome you to the world of contemporary romance novels…”

Art and Craft

Belinda Kroll presents Determining a Character’s Big Goal posted at Worderella Writes, saying, “A short post about how an author can determine the difference between a mundane goal and the Big Goal that motivates them throughout the story.”

Harry Bingham presents Fixing your plot problems: How to get out of the one-third slump posted at Write Edit Seek Literary Agent — A guest post by Gary Gibson, the author of six science fiction novels for Pan Macmillan, the latest of which, Final Days, was published in August. “It occurred to me during this that all those seats-of-the-pants writers were being a touch disingenuous about their writing process. Either they did plan out their stories, but kept it all in their head, or their offices were filled with a vast number of unfinished stories and manuscripts. Both, I think, are true.”

Eliza Moonchild presents How To Make Your Fan Fiction a Poplular One posted at Rainy Day Teachings, saying, “How to write a popular and high quality fan fiction.”

Writing Life

Holly Lisle (re)posted Beating the Publishing Odds at her blog — One of my favorite contemporary midlist authors, now gone indie, reposts this inspiring piece that’s not actually about publishing, “because I keep hearing despair, and this is a time for challenge, and endeavor, and effort, and triumph.”

Talina Perkins posted Novice & Seasoned Writer, Who Do You Listen To? at Bookin’ It Reviews — … But let me back up a minute and tell a small tale of how much listening to the wrong advice hurt me in my journey towards building my writing career…

Shelli Johnson posted Writing Advice ~ Overcoming Fear at her blog — One reason people don’t follow their dreams: simple fear. Fear of opposition, yes. Fear of failure, sure. But also fear of success, fear of making the wrong decision, fear of other people’s opinions.

Kenn Crawford posted Why Do Writers Have to Justify Themselves? at his blog — “… or they continue their juvenile interrogation by asking if I just do it for fun or do I actually make a living at writing.” And I (Tim King) have an even better question: Why do writers have to write a certain number of books or gain a certain degree of fame or make a certain amount of money, before they can be deemed a “real” writer? If your writing touches just one soul, then you are a real writer, and don’t let anyone tell you differently. (But that’s a different blog post.)

Fiction and True Stories

American Boy presents Memories: A Beautiful Lie posted at AdvancedScoop.com — “Living in New York, seeing the bright lights, tall building and most importantly all the BEAUTIFUL WOMEN puts a smile on my face daily. At night I sit outside on my steps and look around at where I’m at and it’s unbelievable.”

American Boy presents Letter to the Young Men: First Love posted at AdvancedScoop.com — I want to talk to every young man out there who’s experiencing their “First Love”. Right now you’re probably having feelings that you’ve never felt before. You’re probably smiling a lot more, falling asleep on the phone, texting smiley faces during class and doing all types of things you said you’d never do. It’s cool, being in a relationship can be a beautiful thing. But unfortunately I didn’t write this to pen point all the great aspects of being in love…

Publishing and Marketing

Harry Bingham presents The Elevator Pitch posted at Write Edit Seek Literary Agent — Writing is a scary old business but of all the scary things about it, perhaps the scariest is getting the concept right.

Harry Bingham presents How to Meet Literary Agents posted at Write Edit Seek Literary Agent — Loads of new writers will be frustrated by the impersonal quality of the typical agent submission procedure. You send off your stuff – spend up to eight weeks waiting to hear something – then get back a preprinted, slightly cold rejection letter. It feels so dispiriting, so unconstructive.

Jon Bard presents Does the Ad Budget Make a Bestseller? posted at Children’s Writing Web Journal — Amidst news of declining book sales, the takeover of electronic publishing, and big publishers shuttering imprints…

Resources

Liz Shaw presents A new tool for writers posted at The Writing Reader, saying, “The collaborative writing site, Libboo, I’m using it to allow alpha readers to give me feedback on my writing.”

AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form.

If you have trouble with the Carnival of Storytelling submission form, please contact me at www.JTimothyKing.com, select the “Carnival of Storytelling” category, and include a message with the link to the post and any remarks you’d like to include with the submission.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Welcome to the Carnival of Storytelling.

Now that the summer break is over, to launch a new season, I’m catching up on editions of the Carnival of Storytelling. A lot of great links posted. And more coming up tomorrow and Thursday!

(UPDATE Oct 19: I didn’t understand how blogcarnival.com worked. After I posted this edition, it recomputed all the outstanding submissions into Thursday’s. So the next edition is on Thursday, and then we’re all caught up.)

Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com. And thanks to all the bloggers who posted wonderful articles, which I have hand-picked for the following list. Please browse their blog posts, and share your own favorite posts from across the Internet for the next edition.

Enjoy!

Writers

J. McManus presents Inside The Book of One Million Men and Me, with Kelly Starling Lyons posted at Inside The Books— One Million Men and Me, a great book for children 5-10, is Kelly’s first picture book but her second children’s book.

Ken Lange presents Writing Habits of Ian Fleming posted at Kenneth Lange— Most people know James Bond, but fewer people know Ian Fleming who wrote the Bond novels, and even fewer know the leisurely, yet effective, habits he followed when writing the novels about the secret agent.

J. McManus presents Inside The Book of The Septavalent Stone, with J.O. Jones posted at Inside The Books— J.O. Jones was born in Nigeria and like others around him he never knew he could be published and that people could read his stories. He just knew he wanted to write, especially after reading Prince Caspian by C S Lewis.

From MyMcBooks… An interview with Jacquitta A. McManus posted at Inside The Books.

Books etc.

kristinlately presents My Journey: Feeling, Healing, and Kneeling My Way to a Better Life: Black and White Insight posted at My Journey: Feeling, Healing, and Kneeling My Way to a Better Life, saying, “Reviews on books that have altered my journey…”

Julie Worthington presents Top 10 Children’s Must Read Classics – No Childhood is Complete Without These Favorites posted at Julie Worthington, saying, “Recommendations on good books to read.”

siobhan curious presents Word Jars and Grocery Lists: “Your Child’s Writing Life” by Pam Allyn posted at Siobhan Curious.

Art and Craft

Sally Apokedak presents Harry Potter, the Orphan posted at Whispers of Dawn ~, saying, “Harry seems like he’d be my kind of orphan— A kid who was abused. A smart, talented kid who was unappreciated. How could anyone read about the awful, narrow-minded, selfish, mean Dursleys and not feel for little Harry who lived in the closet under the stairs and who got a coat hanger and a pair of his uncle’s old socks for his eleventh birthday? And yet, I never think of Harry when I think of favorite characters in books. Why not?” [A discovery in character sympathy. -ed]

Zhu presents All About Blogging: Ten Tips To Be a Better Writer posted at Correr Es Mi Destino, saying, “How hard can writ­ing be? You just have to type what you’re thinking, right? Well, it doesn’t quite work like that, even if your spon­ta­neous thoughts and obser­va­tions can be a good start­ing point. When you’re writ­ing for an audi­ence, a few basic tips apply.”

Writing Life

kristinlately presents Surrendering: Piece for Peace posted at My Journey: Feeling, Healing, and Kneeling My Way to a Better Life, saying, “This article is about how blogging has helped me along my journey.”

Joel Friedlander presents 7 Distraction-Free Writing Environments for Authors — The Book Designer posted at Joel Friedlander.

Nicole Pyles presents Overcoming Fear (and some thoughts from the middle of the night) posted at The World of My Imagination.

Fiction and True Stories

Damilola Amele presents My Encounter With a Nudist posted at DAMI AMELE.

Forrest presents Books always start on the first page. posted at Twisted Yet Magical!, saying, “A brand new Blog that serves as the personal journal for the elvish mage Raze. following him through out his journeys and studies.”

Kayla Allen presents My Dream about Blogging! posted at Young Mothers Diary.

Ken Lange presents Being Skilled is Not Enough posted at Kenneth Lange.

Leah Bulacan presents the alcoholic posted at deranged damsel.

T.L. Mertens presents A Bony Birth posted at Monsters & Mustaches, saying, “The first chapter in a series about a boy born with no skin who slowly discovers that his father was a superhero.”

Leif GS Notae presents Flash Fiction: Omega Recall posted at Leif G.S. Notae— The Omega Series: Conclusion.

RKJ presents Jodie Fostered posted at Attack Bunnies.

Publishing and Marketing

Dragana presents Fantasy or Science Fiction? posted at Mystic Treehouse, saying, “Not writing tips per se, more a reflection on the distinction between the genres of Fantasy and Science Fiction that some beginner writers have trouble with.”

Lindsay presents Authors, Why You Should Start a Newsletter posted at The Irreverent Introvert, saying, “Once you have your first book out, it’s time to get serious about marketing. Here are a few reasons why you should start a newsletter.”

Anna Farmery presents Show – 350 How to Promote your Book posted at The Engaging Brand.

Lindsay B presents How to Get Book Reviews posted at Savvy Self-Publishing, saying, “Tips for getting those first few book reviews at Amazon, from an indie author who’s ‘been there, done that.’”

Jennifer Saksa presents Bringing A Comic To Life With Photo Slideshow Software posted at NCH Software Blog— Bringing life and dimension to a story as a YouTube video clip.

RebeccaExpertmom presents How to Get a Book Published posted at Book Nerd – High Quality Book Reviews— You love to read books but your biggest dream is that others will read yours. If you have a manuscript for a book you can get it published in several ways.

AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form.

If you have trouble with the Carnival of Storytelling submission form, please contact me at www.JTimothyKing.com, select the “Carnival of Storytelling” category, and include a message with the link to the post and any remarks you’d like to include with the submission.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com. And thanks to all the bloggers who posted wonderful articles, which I have hand-picked for the following list. Please browse their blog posts, and share your own favorite posts from across the Internet for the next edition.

Enjoy!

Writers

JMcManus presents Inside The Book of The Septavalent Stone w/ J.O. Jones by JMcManus posted at Inside The Books.

JMcManus presents MyMcBook interview w/ Jacquitta A. McManus posted at Inside The Books.

Art and Craft

Joel Friedlander presents 7 Distraction-Free Writing Environments for Authors posted at The Book Designer.

Writing Life

Nicole Pyles presents Overcoming Fear (and some thoughts from the middle of the night) posted at The World of My Imagination.

Fiction and True Stories

Jen Knox (author of Musical Chairs) has published Types of Circus in fwriction : review – A short, literary, character story of a person who made an unexpected difference. Never underestimate the impact you have on others.

T.L. Mertens presents 1. A Bony Birth posted at Monsters & Mustaches, saying, “The first chapter in a series about a boy born with no skin who slowly discovers that his father was a superhero.”

Leif GS Notae presents Omega Recall posted at Leif G.S. Notae, saying, “Flash fiction piece finishing the Omega Series.”

Publishing and Marketing

RebeccaExpertmom presents How to get a Book Published posted at Book Nerd – High Quality Book Reviews, saying, “This is an article about how to get a book published.” (ed: a brief precis for the absolute beginner)

AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form.

If you have trouble with the Carnival of Storytelling submission form, please contact me at www.JTimothyKing.com, select the “Carnival of Storytelling” category, and include a message with the link to the post and any remarks you’d like to include with the submission.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com. And thanks to all the bloggers who posted wonderful articles, which I have hand-picked for the following list. Please browse their blog posts, and share your own favorite posts from across the Internet for the next edition.

Enjoy!

Writers

Jo Bryant presents Francesco Petrarca and the Petrarchan Sonnet posted at Chronicles of Illusions.

Art and Craft

Bryan Keithley presents When to Ignore What School Taught Us posted at Ascentive, saying, “I find that when my writing is not jumping off the proverbial page, it’s fun to think back to all those draconian rules about good writing—and then blow them up and create my own. Do you know when to forget what English class has taught you?”

Writing Life

Charlotte Abel presents The Journey From Writer to Author posted at Charlotte Abel’s blog: ‘This is a major milestone for me and I’m excited to share the news. I’ve been a writer for several decades and a “real” writer for a little over three years, but now I’m officially an author. BIG difference.’

Publishing and Marketing

Evelyn Lafont posted Indie Authors: Love What You Do and How You Do It at Duolit – A disturbing trend among some self-published, indie authors: many of them seem to be unhappy about their decision to self-publish. Self-publishing is not going to fit everyone.

Juliet Jones presents The 8 Reasons Borders Went Bye-Bye posted at Business Insurance, saying, “All good stories must to come to an end, and Borders bookstore is no exception to this rule.”

Resources

Katie Gilbert presents 15 Insightful Blogs for Book Club Leaders posted at Best Online Colleges.com, saying, “Leading a book club can be hard work but very rewarding at the same time.”

AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form.

If you have trouble with the Carnival of Storytelling submission form, please contact me at www.JTimothyKing.com, select the “Carnival of Storytelling” category, and include a message with the link to the post and any remarks you’d like to include with the submission.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com. And thanks to all the bloggers who posted wonderful articles, which I have hand-picked for the following list. Please browse their blog posts, and share your own favorite posts from across the Internet for next week’s carnival.

Enjoy!

Writers

Lisa Hood presents The 10 Absolute Creepiest Moments in David Lynch’s Oeuvre posted at ZenCollegeLife. [David Lynch is not a "writer" in the sense that he's not a screenwriter. But as a director, his work informs us writers in general, because his vision helps form the creative process. -TimK]

Kevin Cullis posted A Blog, a Book and a Business: One Author’s Journey at ProBlogger – For someone who did not enjoy writing, writing provided an outlet he couldn’t resist, and an opportunity he couldn’t turn down.

Books etc.

Lori reviews One Summer (Shelter Bay, Book 2), by JoAnn Ross, at Book Binge – A crusty hero with a squishy marshmallow center, and a competent, smart, sexy heroine.

An anonymous blogger posted Today’s Book – The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton at Just Book Reading – “Faeries are not a staple of my fantasy reading but [after watching this book trailer] why can’t they be?”

Art and Craft

Bryan Keithley presents Borrowing Writing Tips from the Business World posted at Finally Fast, saying, “What’s better than being a writer? Being a well-paid writer. And if the business world has found some truisms for storytelling, maybe we had better sit up in our chairs and take notice.”

Seth Godin posted Writing naked (nakeder than Orwell) at Seth’s Blog – Revising Orwell’s rules of writing, according to the rules themselves. “The reason business writing is horrible is that people are afraid.” Yup. I’ve been there. Done that. Even got humiliated because I refused to give into that fear. (But that’s a different story.)

Writing Life

sokun presents Criticism posted at Abidings.com. [A short rumination on criticism. -TimK]

Hannah Eason presents Ain’t No Rest for the Greedy posted at Hannah, Writer, saying, “Thoughts on being greedy enough to get motivated to write a novel.”

Greg McFarlane posted Writing is Easy; Editing is Hard at ProBlogger – As soon as you say something insightful, poignant, and meaningful, people will start to hate you. That’s when you know you’re on the right track.

Fiction and True Stories

Byteful Travel presents Exploring Pier 39, Chinatown, & My Own Personal Parade in San Francisco, CA posted at Byteful Travel, saying, “Before I actually went and wandered the streets myself, I never realized how dynamic and incredible San Francisco can truly be. Today’s story is a retelling of my first visit to San Francisco on my epic West Coast Journey. And as it turned out, I’d picked just about the perfect day to begin my San Francisco explorations, and not just because it felt like a parade was thrown in my honor… but we’ll get to that.”

Publishing and Marketing

Patricia presents How to publish a book? posted at ePublishing a Book.

Jason Boog posted Twitter Profile Mistakes Writers Should Avoid at GalleyCat – Since I’m constantly following other authors on Twitter, I can attest: making these five mistakes is one of the simplest ways to keep me from following you.

Robin Sullivan posted The New Midlist: Self-published E-book Authors Who Earn a Living at Publishing Perspectives – As traditional, mass-market publishers have continued to devalue the mid-list of authors who continuously make a living writing books, self- and indie publishing has become a viable alternative.

Resources

PLEASE, over the following week, if you run across an interesting upcoming contest, call for submissions, list of agents or publishers, or any other resource that you think writers should have at their disposal, please submit the link for next week’s edition.

AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form.

If you have trouble with the Carnival of Storytelling submission form, please contact me at www.JTimothyKing.com, select the “Carnival of Storytelling” category, and include a message with the link to the post and any remarks you’d like to include with the submission.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com. Please browse their blog posts, and share your own favorite posts from your own writing blog for next week’s carnival.

Enjoy!

Writers

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Books etc.

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Art and Craft

Matthew Hyde presents Writer’s Block and how to overcome it through the medium of whining posted at Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth.

Writing Life

Matthew Hyde presents Human Rights and Hairy Cornflakes: How Aung San Suu Kyi unexpectedly has something in common with Dave Lee Travis posted at Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth, saying, “A post on how a BBC DJ helped a human rights icon and its implications for writers.”

Fiction and True Stories

Eirini H. presents A meeting in another dimension: in memory of my father posted at Ask your Dreams for Ideas.

An anonymous submitter presents Cold War Torture posted at Dear L.E.P., saying, “A metaphoric piece.”

Lynette Rash presents The Last Dance posted at Rooted in Atascocita, saying, “A beautifully inspiring story about life and love.”

Publishing and Marketing

Jennifer Saksa presents Record Your Own Audio Book posted at NCH Software Blog.

Joel Friedlander presents Book Design Language — The Book Designer posted at Joel Friedlander.

Resources

Erica Morgan presents 10 Unusual Sites to Visit for Quick Book Reviews posted at Internet Providers.

AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form.

If you have trouble with the Carnival of Storytelling submission form, please contact me at www.JTimothyKing.com, select the “Carnival of Storytelling” category, and include a message with the link to the post and any remarks you’d like to include with the submission.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com. Please browse their blog posts, and share your own favorite posts from your own writing blog for next week’s carnival.

Enjoy!

Writers

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Books etc.

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Art and Craft

Some links I pulled out of my own feed:

• Lara Zielin posts Novel Psychology at Help for Writers: a brief rumination on injecting psyche into our fictional characters.
• K.M. Weiland posts 3 Easy (or Easier) Ways to Build Suspense at Wordplay: A guest post by short story author Brayden Hirsch.
• Rachelle Gardner posts That Pesky Exclamation Point!!! (And Other Annoying Devices) at Rants & Ramblings: When to use exclamation points!!!, italics, boldface, and ALL CAPS in your published fiction. (Hint: It’s a simpler rule than you may think.)

Writing Life

FLeonard presents A Fork in the Road: Rebel Literacy posted at A Fork in the Road, saying, “When we talk about writing, it’s important to remember that we’re also talking about reading. In many countries literacy is a fundamental part of our education. In others, not so much…”

Matthew Hyde presents Pick Up Your Pen posted at Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth.

Fiction and True Stories

Peter Bourke presents Vodka, Rejection and Broken Toilet Seats posted at Drunken Tales and Sober Thoughts, saying, “A true and humorous story which presents a real insight into life as a young adult and all the irresponsible drinking and tomfoolery which accompanies it.”

Publishing and Marketing

Joel Friedlander presents The Completely Backwards Way to Amazing Self-Publishing Success — The Book Designer posted at Joel Friedlander.

Jacob D presents Free Publishing Your Book: Cover Design 101 posted at The Writer Tank Journal.

Resources

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AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form.

If you have trouble with the Carnival of Storytelling submission form, please contact me at www.JTimothyKing.com, select the “Carnival of Storytelling” category, and include a message with the link to the post and any remarks you’d like to include with the submission.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com. Please browse their blog posts, and share your own favorite posts from your own writing blog for next week’s carnival.

Enjoy!

Writers

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Books etc.

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Art and Craft

Jacob D presents several articles posted at The Writer Tank Journal:

• 7 Things That Can Stop Your Novel Dead!
• The 5 Amazing Secrets to Finishing Your Novel in 30 Days!
• 5 REALLY BASIC Ways to Help Your Book Succeed

Writing Life

Donna Cullen presents 10 Reasons to Date a Book Lover posted at Top Dating Sites.

O.C. Heaton presents Do words count? And if they do, should I be counting them? posted at A Rush of Green, saying, “Over the years I have become obsessed with what I have termed my ‘writing statistics.’ I religiously record the amount of words I write and the number of pages that these words equate to.”

O.C. Heaton also presents Are writers all “liars and thieves”?, saying, “Are we? Well, according to Nicholas Hardiment, the serial philanderer and highly successful author in the film Tamara Drewe, we are. After watching the film on Saturday night, I immediately dismissed the incendiary statement. What self-respecting writer wouldn’t? But alas, the words seem to have stuck with me and after five days I have made a U-turn.”

Fiction and True Stories

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Publishing and Marketing

Joel Friedlander presents What Niche Marketers Can Learn from Rachel Maddow — The Book Designer posted at Joel Friedlander.

Resources

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AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form.

If you have trouble with the Carnival of Storytelling submission form, please contact me at www.JTimothyKing.com, select the “Carnival of Storytelling” category, and include a message with the link to the post and any remarks you’d like to include with the submission.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com. Please browse their blog posts, and share your own favorite posts from your own writing blog for next week’s carnival.

Enjoy!

Writers

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Books etc.

Joe Manausa, MBA presents Defining Internet Squeeze posted at The Internet Squeeze, saying, “We have to continuously remind ourselves that we always have blinders on, and future solutions might not be found in a linear pattern from our current processes, rather a geometric growth might take us to the future in our industry. The Internet Squeeze is a book for the traditional brick and mortar business owner who needs to transition to a model that emphasizes interaction on the internet, and it is not too late for you.”

Art and Craft

Bryan Keithley presents The Setup-Payoff Model of Storytelling posted at Ascentive, saying, “In this week’s post we discuss Chekhov’s gun, the Setup-Payoff Model of storytelling, and how adhering to this model can make you a more satisfying storyteller.”

Whitney Carter presents Writing Fiction Reviews posted at Invisible Ink, saying, “This article is a guide to writing reviews on books of fiction.”

Writing Life

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Fiction and True Stories

Byteful Travel presents The Wonders of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (From McWay Falls to Cliffs of Insanity) posted at Byteful Travel, saying, “Have you ever seen life thrive while it clings to wind-torn rocks that tower high over the planet’s largest ocean? …Today, you will, for today I tell the story of my visit to the breathtaking McWay Falls. After making my way south down the gorgeous State Route 1, we finally arrived at the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park within California’s legendary Big Sur region. This park was famous for having one of the only two tidefalls in all of Big Sur. So after parking, I opted to head north first, down the Waterfall Trail to see McWay Falls in all its glory… (TONS of high quality photos included)”

Mikaela Cowles presents The Bachelor’s Lasagna (that a woman will want to make too) | Baguette Taste – Wonder Bread Budget posted at Baguette Taste – Wonder Bread Budget, saying, “I believe food and life are inextricably linked. Separating the two for me would be like leading a bipolar life, which is why I write about them together. Stories and recipes are combined on my blog for a bite of life.”

Publishing and Marketing

Joel Friedlander presents Top 10 Best Resource Guides for e-Book Authors — The Book Designer posted at Joel Friedlander.

Marie Manandise presents “Guy! I am sooo lucky!” posted at WeBlogInJapan.com.

Resources

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AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form.

If you have trouble with the Carnival of Storytelling submission form, please contact me at www.JTimothyKing.com, select the “Carnival of Storytelling” category, and include a message with the link to the post and any remarks you’d like to include with the submission.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

There was no carnival last week, because there weren’t enough links submitted.

In unrelated news, I’m now publicizing this Carnival more. My plan is to solicit bloggers for submissions, put together an email list for bloggers who want to submit regularly, and post a weekly call for submissions. You can help, too. Share the Carnival of Storytelling submit link with your writer-blogger friends, and ask them to submit their favorite writing posts.

And if you’ve had trouble with the submission form at BlogCarnival.com (or just would like an alternative), I’ve added instructions on how to submit via email. (Actually, via my contact form.) See the paragraphs at the bottom of this post for details.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com.

Enjoy!

Writers

Nicola Hans presents 15 Writers With Lives More Interesting Than Fiction posted at Bachelor’s Degree Online.

Books etc.

Nicola Hans presents The 20 Essential American Indian Novels posted at Bachelor’s Degree Online.

Art and Craft

O.C. Heaton presents Do you have a Memory Palace? posted at A Rush of Green, saying, “Here’s a question for all authors out there. Do you ever struggle to remember the characters in your books? What about those incidental characters, created on the hoof? Try creating a Memory Palace: a technique the ancient Greeks used as a simple mental technique of associating numbers, names or objects with vivid visual imagery in order to remember them more easily.”

Joel Friedlander presents How to Get A New Perspective; Move the Furniture — The Book Designer posted at Joel Friedlander.

Writing Life

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Fiction and True Stories

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Publishing and Marketing

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Resources

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AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form.

If you have trouble with the Carnival of Storytelling submission form, please contact me at www.JTimothyKing.com, select the “Carnival of Storytelling” category, and include a message with the link to the post and any remarks you’d like to include with the submission.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

This post is late again, backdated to the schedule date and time.

I spent the last week plus some putting up my Character Fiction 101 site. I’m still collecting beta-testers for the site, and smoothing out a rough edge or two. Even though I’m not promoting it in earnest yet, you’re welcome to check out the site. Then shoot me an email and let me know how it went.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com.

Enjoy!

Writers

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Books etc.

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Art and Craft

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Writing Life

Eldon Sarte presents Do Your Book One Hill at a Time posted at Braintropolis.com, saying, “I’m not daft enough to ruin a title like that with a lame, summarized description. ”

Fiction and True Stories

Eric Cummings presents Scrawling Words: My Poetry. posted at Trivial Galaxy.

Byteful Travel presents How a Nightmare Changed How I Look at “Productivity” & My Most Precious Gift posted at Byteful Travel, saying, “I died this morning. And yet… I didn’t. The last thing I remember was looking up in the sky and seeing three missiles coming through the clouds. And then? A blinding FLASH.”

Publishing and Marketing

Joel Friedlander presents Find Your Avatar: the Secret to Copy that Connects With Readers, Part 2 — The Book Designer posted at Joel Friedlander.

Lindsay presents What It Means to Be an Independent Author posted at The Irreverent Introvert, saying, “What I’ve learned from e-publishing my own novels. It might be worth a read for folks considering this path.”

Resources

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AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

I apologize for getting this carnival up late. (I’ve back-dated the post so it appears to have been put up on time, but it was late.) It’s been a crazy, crazy week, involving job interviews, sickness, and even the passing of an old friend’s loved one. (Seriously.)

Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com.

Enjoy!

Writers

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Books etc.

Madoline Hatter presents The Fascinating Histories Behind Your Favorite Fairy Tales posted at MatchACollege.com.

JHSEsq presents Book Review: Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress — Colloquium posted at Colloquium, saying, “It’s a controversial, but compelling story of a woman in an unhappy marriage who decided to engage in a brief fling with another man. But that fling developed into a five-year relationship that she describes as a real love affair with her soul mate. It only ended because her lover was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder and died shortly thereafter. Now author Megan van Eyck is determined to put a new face on infidelity because she says extramarital affairs can be true love affairs and, as in her case, manage to save a dying marriage. Through May 15, 2011, read the review and enter to win an autographed copy of the book.”

JHSEsq presents Book Review: Katie Up and Down the Hall posted at Colloquium, saying, “The cover photo is a bit deceiving because it could lead readers to believe that Katie Up and Down the Hall is just a story about a dog. It is so much more! It is the story of how the runt of the litter — a bow-legged, blonde little cocker spaniel who was never destined to be a show dog — won the hearts of a disparate group of New York City neighbors, herding them together and, ultimately, making them into a family. Dog lovers will relate. Readers who have never owned a dog may well find themselves at the local shelter looking to expand their family after reading Glenn Plaskin’s sweet, soulful memoir about the family of which he unexpectedly but grateful became a member.”

JHSEsq presents Book Review: Born Under a Lucky Moon posted at Colloquium, saying, “Born Under a Lucky Moon is the debut novel from a talented and very promising new author, Dana Precious. Based upon her own childhood spent in North Muskegon, Wisconsin, the story revolves around the wacky Thompson family, particularly daughter Jeannie. She wants to marry her handsome boyfriend, Aiden, but is afraid that introducing him to her family will scare him off. After all, that’s why she and her first husband, her hometown sweetheart Walker, broke up . . . isn’t it? Born Under a Lucky Moon is a hilarious, sweet, poignant story about loving home and the folks there no matter what because, after all, they are always going to love you right back.”

Art and Craft

Penny Zang presents 10 Tips for Writing a Book Review posted at Miss Good on Paper.

Joel Friedlander presents 7 Formats for Winning Blog Posts — The Book Designer posted at Joel Friedlander.

Writing Life

FLeonard presents The Top 10 Reasons Why I Took Six Years to Write My Book posted at A Fork in the Road.

Fiction and True Stories

Eric Cummings presents Private Detective Lance Spartan posted at Trivial Galaxy, saying, “Just a little short story, and not even the best one on the site.”

Publishing and Marketing

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Resources

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AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com.

Enjoy!

Writers

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Books etc.

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Art and Craft

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Writing Life

Simpsonsparadox presents Overheard in New York posted at Simpson’s Paradox. (A writer on a New York subway.)

Fiction and True Stories

Jacquitta McManus presents Talee?s World posted at Journey of a Storyteller.

Squire presents Seduce By A Woman | Bottles On You posted at Bottles On You.

Publishing and Marketing

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Resources

Andrea McDougal presents Word Nerds Rejoice: Top 25 Blogs For Editing Geeks posted at Masters in Project Management, saying, “From crossword enthusiasts to journalists, editing geeks can be found everywhere. Often known to correct others in a “who versus whom” situation while looking through a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, they can even be found in our own homes and workplaces.”

AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Another abbreviated carnival this week. Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com!

No handpicked links today, because it’s Passover, and I’m behind on Character Fiction 101. I’ve decided recently that I was wrong about writer’s block. I’ve said in the past that writer’s block didn’t actually exist. Well, it does. But sometimes you have to remind yourself that it’s only a passing phase; it doesn’t define you. Because if you allow writer’s block to define you, you’ll end up teaching yourself how not to write. Sometimes, you have to take a step back, remind yourself of all your successes, and jump off from them into a new series of successes.

Enjoy!

Writers

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Books etc.

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Art and Craft

Joel Friedlander presents OmmWriter Dana: My Second-Favorite Writing Program of All Time — The Book Designer posted at Joel Friedlander.

Writing Life

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Fiction and True Stories

Adam Blakeley presents My Life as a Ninja Turtle posted at A Hopefully Somewhat Interesting Blog, saying, “An anecdote of my life as a Ninja Turtle.”

Publishing and Marketing

Lindsay presents Can a “Normal” Author Make a Living E-publishing? posted at The Irreverent Introvert.

Resources

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AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

An abbreviated carnival this week. Thanks to everyone who submitted a link at BlogCarnival.com!

No handpicked links today, because it’s tax season, and I’ve gotta finish filing my extension to file.

Enjoy!

Writers

Maureen O’Danu presents Am I the Only One Dancing?: Fred’s Turn: An Interview of Maureen O’Danu, the Author of the Cat Confederation Stories posted at Am I the Only One Dancing?, saying, “It’s not often a writer gets interviewed by her own inner 14 year old”

Books etc.

(How lonely.)

Art and Craft

Phil Quayle presents Editing, welcome to my nightmare… posted at Ramblings of a grumpy old man, saying, “There is a second part coming when I consume sufficient red wine”

Joel Friedlander presents Find Your Avatar: the Secret to Copy that Connects With Readers — The Book Designer posted at Joel Friedlander.

Jacob D presents 4-Step Quick Character Development posted at The Writer Tank Journal.

Writing Life

Byteful Travel presents How Oneness, Honesty, & Surprise Will Save Earth posted at Byteful Travel, saying, “As a creative individual, what’s your mission? Does the concept of Oneness relate to travel? And why is Oneness important? As a travel writer, it’s my mission to provide you with enlightening new perspectives of this beautiful blue-green planet we call home. It really is a magical place, and too often we forget that as we sit in our man-made above-ground caves as beauty lurks outside. Life is so much more than our routines. It’s about discovery. It’s about growth. It’s about inspiration.”

Fiction and True Stories

Joshua Smith presents Argotte: Gangland posted at The Maelstrom-Spade Collective.

Joseph Charles Campbell presents Magician’s Last Stand – A Short Story posted at Psychedelic Arts and Musings.

Fred Tracy presents Only Respect Authority You Choose to Recognize posted at Personal Development, saying, “This story is about how a small town cop attempted to ruin my night, but actually taught me an important lesson.”

Kenny Hustle presents F*ckin’ Gypsies (adult language) posted at Fun Times, saying, “True story about a wild concert I went to in Hartford, CT.”

Publishing and Marketing

(Please submit a post in this category…)

Resources

(… for next week! )

AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Here are a number of recent blog posts for and by writers, some submitted at BlogCarnival.com, others handpicked by yours truly.

Submissions this week were slim. I spent as much time as I could digging up some interesting posts to fill in the gaps, but I didn’t really succeed.

Please submit your favorite post, even if you didn’t write it. I’m always interested to include posts selected by readers.

Enjoy!

Writers

In Conversation with David Baboulene by Elsa Neal posted at HearWriteNow — Please welcome David Baboulene, author of The Story Book, for an interesting email conversation about some points that his book raised.

Books etc.

The Importance of Subtext in Story – The Story Book by David Baboulene by Elsa Neal posted at The Blood-Red Pencil — “In The Story Book, David clears up the mystery of subtext in a few lines…”

Book Review: Save the Cat! Strikes Back by Helen Ginger posted at Straight From Hel — The third and last book in the Save the Cat! series by Blake Snyder. “The book is great, in my opinion, for both scriptwriters and bookwriters. Of course, a class with Blake Snyder would be fabulous and very intense, but we won’t get that opportunity since he passed away in 2009.”

Art and Craft

E is for Empathy by Sarah Allen posted at From Sarah, With Joy — The greatest purpose of art is to help us understand and appreciate the feelings, thoughts and attitudes of other human beings.

Writing Life

Don’t Take It Personally by Audra Harders posted at Seekerville — “I’d entered unpubbed contests for the better part of the last twelve years. Yes, my friends, that’s right. Twelve years. Many of those years spent in dismal depression when the finalist call didn’t come…”

Fiction and True Stories

Nicole Brugel presents Fleeting Notions – More For “Poor Big Rich Girl” posted at Fleeting Notions.

Nicole Brugel presents Fleeting Notions – Nightmares posted at Fleeting Notions.

Stephanie Abbott presents Fearful Symmetry posted at Stephanie Abbott’s Blog, saying, “I’m a writer of paranormal fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi. My first novel, FEARFUL SYMMETRY (Past Lives #1) will be published in September 2011″

Billie presents Charlie’s conspiracy theory posted at Billie Smith, saying, “A true, sad, funny little story about the city’s favourite hobo by Billie Smith.”

Publishing and Marketing

Resources

AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

I almost missed this week’s carnival, because my latest project schedule has crashed and burned, sopping all of my time and emotional energy.

I’m working on an ebook, Character Fiction 101: How to Write Fictional Characters and Character Stories, using content I’ve already written as a first draft. As it turns out, in revising this so-called “first” draft, I’m expanding the content, in some sections by an order of magnitude. So what I had was more like a zero-draft, and the book is going to take much longer to complete than the week I had originally planned for. Sorry.

And that’s also why I’ve been absent, because I’ve been working feverishly on this project. I’ll post some extracts of the new content next week, though.

For now, here are some recent blog posts for writers, some submitted at BlogCarnival.com, others handpicked by yours truly. Enjoy!

Writers

Edith Nesbit a thief? posted at Ketutar writing — Edith Nesbit has been accused of plagiarism… for a book she wrote 100 years ago.

Books etc.

Fred Hurr presents 1st Draft of Chapter 1 of 2nd Book ‘Light of the Holy’ posted at My Blog, saying, “comments please – even if you haven’t read my first book ‘Light of the Wicked’”

Maud Aaron presents The 80 Greatest Science Fiction Books for Kids posted at Online Colleges and Universities.

Art and Craft

Marisa Wikramanayake presents How to write a book: Part 1: Introduction posted at Marisa Wikramanayake. (And Part 2: And the number one secret for writing a book…)

50 Problem Words and Phrases by Mark Nichol posted at Daily Writing Tips — A list of 50 pairs of commonly confused and misused words and phrases. Go through this checklist the next time you line-edit your manuscript!

Writing Life

How Playing Darts Can Help Your Writing posted at Miss Good on Paper — Sometimes, there’s nothing to it but to do it. Breathe deeply, relax, and put your best foot forward, for better or for worse.

The Physical Life of a Writer by Sarah Allen posted at From Sarah, With Joy — Writing may not be a physically demanding occupation, but that doesn’t mean we should neglect its physical risks.

Fiction and True Stories

Stories Do Make A Difference by T. S. Bazelli posted at Ink Stained — “Do stories even matter when there’s so much trouble in the world? Yes. Emphatically YES.”

The Attacking Laundry Basket by Susan Helene Gottfried posted at West of Mars — “Sounds like something I’d put in my fiction, doesn’t it? Maybe a name for a new band? Laundry Basket Attacks. It’s not. It’s real life.”

Publishing and Marketing

Tony Eldridge presents Establishing An Author Presence on Social Networking Sites posted at Marketing Tips For Authors, saying, “Becoming an author is hard enough, but combine that with marketing your book, and it can paralyze many great writers. If you’re an author new to online book marketing, this post will give you resources to point you in the right direction.”

Author Marketing by Elizabeth Eulberg posted at CYNSATIONS — “I sometimes joke that I have 2.5 jobs: publicist, author and the .5 is social networking.”

Resources

Amy Dyslex presents Creative Writing Story Starters posted at Write a Writing, saying, “Hmmm, this is one is interesting. There are a few tips that have saved my vexed brain most of the times. For once, I have found that whenever you are confronting a problem and it just doesn’t seem to get fixed time to take a break. If that doesn’t seem to work then try out the following cheats.”

Thirteen Facts about Twins by Shelley Munro posted at Adventure into Romance — “Twin Trouble, my new release is out at Ellora’s Cave on 1 April. As the title suggests, my story features identical twins as the heroes. The Mitchell twins, Joe and Sly, inspired my topic this week.”

AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

We got a bunch of good submissions this week, plus Missy Frye sent me the submissions to the Just Write Blog Carnival that she didn’t get to publish.

So here they are!

Writers

Carl Andrews presents 20 Essential Irish Authors posted at Online Colleges and Universities.

Books etc.

JHS presents Book Review: Born Under a Lucky Moon and Book Review: Katie Up and Down the Hall posted at Colloquium.

Rachel presents Snowstorms, a book review, and James Joyce… (or, the post without an enlightening title) posted at Whispers of the Courageous Soul, saying, “A book review of Jeannette Walsh’s memoir and novel.”

Art and Craft

James presents How to Write Articles Quickly & Expertly posted at Online Marketing Strategies.

Molly Cunningham presents Where Do Writers Go For Inspiration? posted at Business Administration Degree.

Penny Zang presents Learning How to Write from Anthony Bourdain posted at Miss Good on Paper.

Laura A. Wright presents Writer! How Can You Relate to Web Design? posted at Masters in Computer Science.

Writing Life

Mandi Kang presents Preparation is Key to Controlling the Beast (Time Management for Writers, Part 2) posted at Profound Writers.

Penny Zang presents The 3 Things Every Writer Needs to Do posted at Miss Good on Paper.

Fred Tracy presents Enjoying the Creative Process posted at Personal Development, saying, “Enjoying the creative process is about not getting bogged down in details and formula, and instead choosing to follow the intuitive process of writing to wherever it takes you.”

Rachel presents “…My teeth and ambitions are bared/ be prepared.” posted at Whispers of the Courageous Soul.

Fiction and True Stories

Sonya Justice presents The Writer’s Block posted at Weird24Seven, saying, “Funny and encouraging story for writers struggling with writer’s block.”

Richard Tyler presents Looking Up posted at Live Your Way, saying, “This is an essay about looking up, something that we never do and should do a lot more!”

Publishing and Marketing

Analisse Reyes presents Judged by the Cover posted at Publishing 101.

Resources

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Late Limerick (Limerick-Off Monday writing prompt) posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog

AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

It’s been over 3 years since the last edition. I’m reactivating the Carnival of Storytelling, however, to continue the work done by the Just Write Blog Carnival, the last edition of which was published on March 4.

In future editions (as Missy did with the Just Write Blog Carnival), I’ll give away books or other prizes that writers might like to have. Let me know if you’d like to sponsor an edition of the Carnival of Storytelling by donating a giveaway item.

For now, I’m putting this revival edition together at the last minute. As Editor-in-Chief, I’ve selected a number of recent posts from around the blogosphere to fill out this edition. If you’d like me to feature other posts, there’s a simple way to get that to happen: just submit them at BlogCarnival.com.

Writers

R and C Bridgestock – Author Profile by Steven R. McEvoy posted at Book Reviews and More — Carol and Bob Bridgestock have combined over 50 years service in the West Yorkshire Police Service. Their first book was released in 2009 but has now been reprinted with a commitment to 2 more in a series focusing on Detective Jack Dylan.

Books etc.

‘I’d need to have a brain injury before I write for children’ by Sophie Masson posted at Writer Unboxed — Vamping off that quote by Martin Amis, Sophie Masson blasts some of the myths about Juvenile and YA books.

Art and Craft

Writing Event Story Prologues That Really Work by Johne Cook posted at AuthorCulture — How to write a prologue that doesn’t bore your reader to tears.

Plotting Is Easy by Laurie Alice Eakes posted at Novel Journey — Award-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes shares the 4-factor process she uses to pre-plan a plot.

The Essence of a Story by Camille LaGuire posted at The Daring Novelist — What core characteristic makes a “story”? Here are a couple thought-provoking definitions.

Writing Life

How To Become A Writer by Mark Nichol posted at Daily Writing Tips — In order to be able to call yourself a writer, all you have to do is write. But don’t go passing out business cards emblazoned with that word just yet.

Taking Leaps and Why by C. Hope Clark posted at C. Hope Clark’s blog — There’s something about big change that take us to task and forces us to perform. What do you fear to do that only an unforeseen push over the edge would make you do?

Fiction and True Stories

Writing Humor Isn’t Funny by Mad Kane posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog — A writer’s-block poem about writing humor when you don’t feel funny.

So, How Do YOU Research? posted at Be the Story (this blog) — Different authors research their topics differently, some more ballsy, others more tame.

Perhaps to Dream by J. Timothy King (yours truly) posted at J. Timothy King’s Stories — A high-powered female executive faces the reasons why she wanted a career in the first place.

Publishing and Marketing

Myth Busting by Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent posted at Rants & Ramblings (On Life as a Literary Agent) — Blasting some of the myths aspiring authors have of traditional publishing biz. Also: Part 2 and Part 3.

Are You Really Ready to Indie Publish? posted at Be the Story (this blog) — Since self-publishing and indie publishing are coming into their own now, we need a reality check on how difficult it actually is to indie publish. Also: Getting Published Ain’t So Great, Either. (If these two posts don’t completely discourage you from pursuing writing professionally, then you’re a real writer.)

Resources

Readers, Authors and Librarians Against DRM by Mark Coker posted at the official Smashwords blog — Artist Nina Paley has created a cool collection of images for those ready to rail against DRM. Plus: Five Reasons to Say No to DRM.

AND That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Storytelling using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.