Winter harvested dormant wood is less prone to drying problems than summer growth wood with a naturally higher moisture content.

In all cases you must seal the endgrain to slow moisture loss as this is where it will evaporate most rapidly and cracks will start to propagate. On most timbers this is minutes not even hours after cutting let alone days.

In log form if you don't expect to use them within a few weeks then leave them in as long a length as possible, then any cracks that do form in each end will only be a small percentage of the log. If they are big enough diameter consider splitting them through the core and seal the ends, do not remove the bark or seal the split face.

If you intend to use the logs within a short period of time or are intending to rough turn them green to speed up the drying then cut them about 1/3 longer than the diameter to reduce risk from end cracks whilst awaiting turning, splitting them through the core and seal the ends will reduce risks, do not remove the bark or seal the split face.

If you cut the logs with a bandsaw to to form a Blank in a rough approximation of a bought item then you need to seal the whole of the periphery, to make sure you have got all the endgrain but not the faces. Don't leave the sealing until another day or even until after lunch if the wood is not partially seasoned.

Larger Logs can often be slabbed into 50 or 75 mm thick slabs to speed up drying, but be prepared to store with spacers between the slabs to allow air circulation but still maintaining a micro-climate around the stack to even out the moisture loss gradient from all surfaces.

The slower you can dry the wood the less likely to split, outside on a north facing or sun sheltered rack is good, don't be too worried about some rain getting on it, wetting the outer surface balances the slow migration of inner moisture reducing cracking. However do not leave Laburnum or Cherry exposed to the wet, the sapwood rots rapidly, dry under cover.

Basic need is to let the moisture leave the wood at an even rate all round.

If it dries too quickly from any given surface then the surface wood will shrink and split before inner moisture has a chance to migrate outwards to maintain a balance.
For smaller pieces storing in thick paper sacks can be an advantage as it creates an even moisture gradient around the wood and reduces rapid loss from individual surfaces.
Use caution if using Plastic Bags, retained moisture can rapidly introduce unwanted fungal growth and rot, weekly, even daily attention needed to turn bags inside out to shed accumulated moisture.

I have only a basic moisture meter but it's good enough for my needs to aid judgment of usability, I find home dried wood that has reached 14-12 % and bellow to be safe to turn without splitting or excessive distortion for bowls and the like, but wood  lower than I can measure (bellow 8%) still moves as stresses are released so close tolerance work needs care in selection and turning methods.