It’s been a huge month this month with some great posts celebrating Aussie Author Month. You can visit here for links to the weekly round ups of posts around the web related to Aussie Author month.
Onto the monthly round up (and don’t forget, all these links will be added to the masterlist, which you can find at the top of my blog).
Writing
In the style of Query Shark, and run by two literary agents, the idea is to submit the first 250 words of your manuscript for critique.
What the Fiction Editor Looks For Part 1
Literary agent Rachelle Gardner points out what an editor looks for in regards to characters. Some great points to keep in mind when revising your manuscript.
Checking for Plot Holes: Does Your Story Add Up
A list of questions to ask yourself to make sure you haven’t left any plot holes in you novel.
How to Make Your Most Ordinary Scene Interesting
How to recognise a boring scene and what to do about it.
10 Tips to Keep in Mind When Naming Your Character
Author Jody Hedlund gives some advice on naming characters.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Writers
Doing at least one of these can help improve your productivity as a writer.
10 Lies You Might Tell Yourself When Editing
Do you tell yourself these lies when editing? This list will either give you a laugh or make you hide your head in shame.
Top Ten Reasons You Should Rewrite That Scene
A literary agent intern’s guide to why a scene is not working in your manuscript and some tips on how to fix it.
We see a lot of posts on how to write spare or cut down the word count of a novel if the novel is too long, but I tend to write spare to begin with and often fall short on word count. This post has some tips on bolstering your word count (without padding it out with unnecessary words).
Standing Out in the Slushpile: Some Basic Tips
Some tips on increasing your chances of being picked from the slushpile as observed by an editor. Can be applied to short story submissions or novel length stories.
Your Book is Coming Out… Now What? – 5 Easy Things to Get You Started
Where to begin when promoting your book after it’s been published.
The 50 Things Every Graphic Design Student Should Know
I know this is aimed at graphic design students, but a lot of the points can equally be applied to writers. For example, “If your work doesn’t excite you, then it won’t excite anyone else. It’s hard to fake passion for mediocre work – scrap it.”
Picture Books
5 Rules for a Breakout Picture Book: A Quick and Dirty Guide
An editor gives 5 tips on making your picture book great.
5 Tips for Creating Characters for Kids
Character development is not just important for novel length manuscripts, it’s important to create fully developed characters for children’s stories and picture books as well.
Queries
The Call – Questions to Ask the Agent
An agent likes your manuscript and wants to offer you representation. Now what? A printable list of questions to ask when you get ‘The Call’.
Cover Art
Designing Your Cover – Part One: Concept Part Two: The Rough Draft Part Three: Revisions, Titles and Printing
This is a three part series for self-publishers on designing an effective cover for your book.
Social Networking
This list highlights the little things you can do to make your site more effective. It comes with a printable checklist.
Your Facebook Fan Page – 11 Tips to Captivate Your Audience
It’s sometimes hard to know what to do next once you’ve set up your author page on Facebook. This post gives some tips on how to attract and keep people on your page.
3 Reasons to Interview Other Authors on Your Blog
A self-explanatory title. The 3 reasons are very convincing.
Just for Aussies
What Makes Australian Authors Tick?
The up sides and down sides to being an Australian author.
Jo Hart - Author 
wow! what a great list. thanks for sharing.
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No problem, Julie!
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