The Newest in Writing Tools

Welcome all you wonderful writers, 

Cara Grandle here.

If you would like to listen to this post instead of reading it, here is my podcast link with a little more information and some sass. Life Caraphrased.

 

Today’s Seekerville post will add to your resource pile. I would like to introduce you to several up and coming or newly-released craft tools. Some are books and some are moooooore than books.

If you don't have access to the podcast through iTunes above, here is a link. Life Caraphrased-Seekerville Edition. 

First of all, hats off to Julie Lessman who let me blog in her place. To say thank you, I’d like to give a shout out to her Non-fiction book, Romance-ology 101.

 

Julie will teach you how to keep the careful balance between the gas pedal and the brakes when writing the passion in your romance.

And now on to our next introduction.

Did you know that Karen Ball and Erin Taylor Young have put their heads and experience together and wrote a new non-fiction series? The first short book in the series, Finding and Working with an Editor will release on March 15, 2018. Available for pre-order now. Here is a blurb:

Finding the right editor can be daunting. And the wrong editor? Devastating! How do you know who (or whom) to trust? Easy. Use the insider information, tested tips, and wealth of worksheets shared by a seasoned editor to guide you.

 

 

And for a straight up grammar, punctuation, usage craft book, how about checking our Joyce K Ellis’s Writing with Excellence 201. 

 

 

She adds a clever charm to all the gritty craft layers. Joyce has kindly offered to provide a GIVE AWAY!!!  ANYONE who leaves a comment will be added into the drawing.

And if you soak up all you can from those, then you will love adding Melissa Jagears’s new writers life hack.

Seriously, this non-fiction tool is a must. If you haven’t met Melissa yet, let me tell you she is one sharp cookie. She’s managed to use some of the engineering-math-y type tools that are hidden behind the scenes inside both WORD, OPEN OFFICE and SCRIVENER to make a search-and-destroy-weasel-words cheat that will save you loads of time in your editing process. 

 

Seekerville people can download the templates or macro code for free using coupon "SEEKERVILLE" until the end of February. Here is a blurb about her craft tool and a link:

Weasel Words

Self-edit better with software you already own!

Whether you’re a writer editing your first novel or a seasoned author wanting to provide your editor with cleaner copy, searching out particular words in your manuscript can help you self-edit with confidence. Weasel words aren’t just words that have weaseled their way into your writing and need to be tossed back out; many can alert you to places where rewriting will help keep readers enthralled.

If you don’t have the luxury of having a writing expert point out your mistakes, Word, Open Office, and Scrivener can be taught to highlight your weasel words with just one click of a button. And with the clear instructions and examples in this book, you’ll know what to do with each and every weasel word you encounter.

Inside this self-editing mini-workshop for novelists, you’ll learn how to set up your writing software to catch everything from grammar flubs to writing craft problems. You’ll be certain you’ve never used a single your or you’re incorrectly, you’ll find places where you’ve told instead of shown, and much more.

Understanding weasel words can help writers at every stage improve their writing without the hefty cost of extra editing.

And after all that goodness I want to make sure you've heard about The Christian Writers Institute.

CWI is an online resource for writers. Think conference caliber teachers and speakers at your fingertips, in your preferred style of learning. Video courses, Audio classes, PDFs, and a place to find all there is on writing craft books. The best-of-the-best teaching you in the comfort of your own home, on your own terms.

If you sign up for the newsletter you can receive a free ebook on how to write a proposal written by Steve Laube of the Steve Laube Agency himself. Talk about learning from the source of proposal wisdom.

And!

Yes. There is more. I hope I don’t sound to used-car sales-ish, but I can’t help it. These new tools are cool.

Did you notice that The Christian Writer’s Market Guide has been revised for 2018.

 

This is the book for you, if you are looking for where to send short stories and articles for possible publication.

Childrens stories, poems, interviews and soul-enriching real stories are all being requested. If you want to see who-is-who for publishing houses, editors, and agents, the CWMG is a staple.

Annnnnnd, they now have a continuously updated subscription version that you can pay for monthly ($5.99 per month), Semi-annually ($3.00 per month), or Annually ($2.09 per month.) You pay for this and no more dead leads. How cool is that? Thank you Steve Laube! Here is the link.

It’s always easier if you have the write tools for the job. Haha. Yes, a corny joke. I couldn’t help myself.

Craft tools can help stir the pot on the sticky parts of your WIP. You can never have too many.

Thank you for letting me show you what’s new. Never stop learning, my Seekerville friends, never stop learning.

Have you heard of these? Are any of these interesting to you? What is your favorite craft help? Any new craft helps or hacks that you want to let the Seekerville crew know about? Don’t forget all commenters will be added into the giveaway, a copy of Joyce's "Write With Excellence 201".