Wednesday links

I love regularly reading tips and advice articles in certain subjects — particularly writing and publishing. I don’t always need the information right then, but I know that it’ll eventually come in handy. Or at least, I hope it will.

I know there are a lot of other people out there who feel the same way I do, but sometimes it can be difficult to find every useful advice article that’s out there. So I thought I’d bring you a few.

Here are the tips and advice articles that jumped out at me the most over the past week.

1. Moving Beyond Deadlines to Accomplish Your Big Writing Goals, from The Write Life: I know the title of this one says it’s for writing goals, but it could really apply to just about anything. Excerpt: “In the thick of daily to-dos, you need to make space for the speculative long term projects — the must-read articles, the books — that will make your career.”

2. Two Pages a Day, from Writer Unboxed: In a way, this touches on some of the same idea as the article above. Reaching a goal — in this case, writing a novel — can be done, even if you’re only taking small steps. Excerpt: “Then I had an epiphany: I would not tell myself I was writing a novel, a concept that made me feel like an ant balancing a grapefruit on its back. No, I broke down the task at hand into much more manageable chunks or bits.”

3. 4 Big Pitfalls in Story Openings, from Jane Friedman: Sometimes, the beginning of the novel can be the most criticized. Sometimes, a reader doesn’t even make it past the beginning. This article looks at some of the worst ways a novel can begin. Excerpt: “The beginning of a story is rather like a résumé. You flaunt your talents and skills and hope readers find what they’re looking for. Otherwise, you’re never going to make it off the bookstore shelf.”