Blog Wrap Up: Snowy Branches Edition

This is the tree outside my window. In case you forgot, this is what it used to look like.

Yes, winter has finally stopped deciding to play with Chicago's heart and just show up already. This is fine with me, for two reasons: 1) the husband's flight last night to West Virginia was cancelled, allowing us to enjoy an evening of 30 Rock and red velvet cake ice cream, and 2) I am a writer, and can choose not to leave my apartment for days.

I predict a weekend filled with Snuggies, Netflix, and sooooup....

But first!

There was a bumper crop of great links this week (maybe a lot of resolutions were "update the damn blog"?). Here are my favorites:

Author Elizabeth Fama talks about location and setting, and why it's important to visit the place you're trying to write about

Author Stina Lindenblatt on Querytracker gives some tips on using foreign language in your writing, and how to avoid completely butchering the slang

Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles has a great interview with Marie Lu, author of Legend, with a giveaway of her book

More end of the year stat posts from agents, as well as another "What I'd Like to See in 2012" post:

Stats from Jennifer Jackson of Donald Maas Literary Agency

Stats from Kristin Nelson of Nelson Literary Agency
A wishlist from Kate Testerman, aka Daphne Unfeasible, from kt literary
Stats from Lauren Ruth at BookEnds, LLC
Via Galleycat, London-based Andrew Lownie Literary Agency asked 20 editors what they want in 2012

The New York Times looked at authors and social media, asking Why Do Authors Tweet?

Kristin Nelson plays a game with her friends called "Read a random page from a famous novel and decide whether you'd represent the author" (working title). She also tells authors to avoid putting big reveals and plot twists solely in the characters' dialogues.

Agent Rachelle Gardner has some tips for dealing with deadlines, as well as an explanation of what happens when agents pitch editors

This lovely, wonderful video has been making the blog rounds lately (I found it on swiss-miss): The Joy of Books

Ash Krafton at Querytracker has a great basic guide on the business side of getting published, including an important section detailing publishing rights

From NPR, an interview with self-publishing wunderkind Amanda Hocking, who just became the 12th author to cross the 1 million mark in books sold on Amazon

Jessica at BookEnds Literary Agency discusses how to figure out your book's genre and where it would be shelved in a bookstore (hint: go to a bookstore)

Via author Holly Black, applications for the 2012 Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop at UC San Diego are now being accepted. This year, Black will teach alongside several great sff writers, including Cassandra Clare

From Kate Testerman/Daphne Unfeasible: on writing with and choosing a pen name