Bestselling Cozy Mystery Author
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com The advice to build your author platform can feel overwhelming when you re naturally private or introverted. Constant social media presence, networking events, and personal sharing might seem like a personality transplant more than a career strategy. But there s more than one way to show up for readers. Focusing on Work [ ] The post Building an…
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig After 16 years, I m winding down my daily link curation for writers. August 8th was the last day and this is the final LitLinks. My first roundup, Links for Writers, went up on March 7, 2010. By the end of that month I d renamed it Twitterific, and it ran [ ] The post LitLinks appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig .
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com It s easy sometimes to feel like time away from writing is wasted time. But pushing yourself leads to diminishing returns, and eventually burnout. Resting isn t laziness. It s a necessary part of the creative process, and it actually makes our writing better. Your Brain Keeps Working While You Rest Some [ ] The post Rest Isn t the Enemy of…
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig LitLinks are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 70,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you re there, check out the Writer s Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer. Have you visited the [ ] The post LitLinks…
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com It s tempting to look at successful books in your genre and try to write something similar. But the thing that actually makes readers remember your work isn t how well you fit the mold—it s the quirky details and perspectives that only you would think to include. Pay Attention to What You [ ] The post Your Weird Is Your Superpower appeared first on…
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com Most writers default to the obvious emotions—happiness, sadness, anger, fear. But readers connect more deeply with stories that explore the subtle, complex feelings that fill real life. When you tap into emotions like embarrassment, nostalgia, or quiet satisfaction, you create moments that feel genuinely human. Include the Smaller, Everyday [ ] The…
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com When you see other writers posting about their daily word counts or announcing their latest book deals, it s easy to feel like you re falling behind some invisible timeline. But there s no universal schedule for writing success, and trying to catch up to some imaginary standard is a fast track to [ ] The post You re Not Behind—You re Right Where You…
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com It s so easy to get stuck in revision limbo, convincing yourself the manuscript needs just one more pass. But sometimes all that extra polishing actually makes things worse instead of better. Recognize When You re Making Sideways Changes You know you re probably in sideways-change territory when you find yourself switching between [ ] The post When…
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com When you re deep in a manuscript, every word feels precious and every plot decision seems brilliant. This closeness to your work makes writing possible, but it also makes effective editing nearly impossible. Learning to step back and view your writing objectively is one of the most valuable skills you can [ ] The post Stepping Back From Your Own Work…
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com When something feels overwhelming or intimidating, our natural response is often to avoid it entirely. But that just makes the task loom larger in our minds. The antidote isn t tackling everything at once—it s showing up consistently with small, manageable efforts every single day. Break Down the Intimidation Factor Big projects [ ] The post…