Friday Fridge Clean-Out: Links for Writers -- April 11, 2014 Edition

> The Oxford (serial) comma: fan or foe? Or, no idea what the fuss is about? Check out  this short TEDed video. 

> Planning a blog tour (virtual book tour) to help publicize your book?  Dana Sitar lists nine useful tips.

> When author Jill Smolowe needed to help market her new memoir, Four Funerals and a Wedding, she quickly realized social media was not her forte. In a post at SheWrites, Smolowe describes how hewing to the skills and connection style that feels comfortable is delivering results (and peace of mind).

> But if you are working the social media PR angle, then it's handy to understand how time-0f-day posting affects response and interaction. Social Media Today has the details.

> Leslie Jamison, author of a new essay collection, The Empathy Exams, shares thoughts about writing the personal essay, over at Publisher's Weekly.

> Looking to expand your literary reading? At the Ploughshares blog, Steph Auteri lists some favorite literary mags, lit blogs, lit sites, online lit resources.

> Not a new piece, and not a quick read, but Debra Gwartney's excellent  "A Few Memoir Pitfalls, and some thoughts on how to avoid them," is well worth the time.

>Songwriters apparently sometimes suffer a form of writer's block too. Here's what Sting did and where he went to break out.

> Novelists grappling with timelines and time-related logistics in their unfolding plots, flashbacks, and backstory will appreciate Kathy Crowley's tips, insights, and systems.

> Finally, got a pet business-speak language peeve? Is it "reach out"? Then you might enjoy this, from ThinkMap.  And, what would a mash up of the Amtrak writers residency and an oddly named literary journal look like? 

Reminder:  If you're interested in *I Should Be Writing!* Boot Camp: Reclaim Your Writing Life, the final 2014 group class begins on Monday, 4/14.  

Image: Windell Oskay/Flickr, Creative Commons