Archive for September, 2009
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Networking
Writing, as many of you know, is one of the most universally lonely art forms. Don’t believe me? Just ask Emily Dickinson. Of course, if Ms. Dickinson were alive today, she’d probably be tweeting like a fool. I can see it now: I’m Nobody says: “Because I overfilled my tweets,/They stopped following me./I only need [...]
14 Comments » - Posted in The Industry by Chris
Monday, September 28th, 2009
More of Your inFAQs Answered!
Because one post wasn’t big enough to answer all the questions you all asked of us a few weeks back.
Q: Can one actually make a living as a writer without acheiving a megalomaniac dream’s of fame?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Good question. But what is “a living”? And where? And how good? And … Really, this is a question [...]
6 Comments » - Posted in Announcements/Agency Biz, Choosing an Agent/Submitting, On Writing by Michael
Sunday, September 27th, 2009
Overheard #2: Signs
(Crow and Companion in kitchen before attending a wedding.)
Companion: Why in god’s name is there a painting of the cat above his food dish?
Crow: Well, obviously, so that he knows where to find his food. And that it’s his.
Companion: A sign would have been too simple?
Crow: Oh, come on—he’s a cat. He can’t read.
8 Comments » - Posted in Sweet Nonsense by Michael
Saturday, September 26th, 2009
Is This For Real?
[Update: Apparently Galleycat discussed this yesterday here.]
A letter that has gone out to authors from one of the smaller publishers:
Dear Authors:
I hope this e-mail finds you well. Recently we learned of a new policy being implemented by some of our major booksellers. In order for a book to be considered for purchase, a link to [...]
8 Comments » - Posted in The Industry by Michael
Thursday, September 24th, 2009
Er, Happy National Punctuation Day!?
(A silly fanvid of A Room with a View, which features in its opening moments, the question marks I mention in the post below. Certainly not worth watching in its entirety.)
Oh, parentheses—this is your day! And semi-colon? Your moment to shine in the spotlight! And oh, lowly em-dash—so overused (even by me), so misused, [...]
9 Comments » - Posted in Books We Love, Inspiration, Sweet Nonsense by Michael
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
What’s in Your Drawer?
It’s time to discuss “The Drawer.” Oh, don’t play coy. You know what I mean. I’m talking the drawer that should house your first baby steps in the writing world. This is the work that’s not quite ready for the light of day, the stories that should be put away and forgotten. It’s a test [...]
59 Comments » - Posted in On Writing, Sweet Nonsense by Chris
Monday, September 21st, 2009
Nonfiction Proposals: A Primer
Good morning, class! While most of our blog posts consist of fiction-related matters, we have at least a few nonfiction authors in our midst. For that reason, I’ll occasionally devote a blog post to the issues of writing and publishing nonfiction. As the title indicates, today’s lesson will serve as a basic nonfiction primer, and I’ll [...]
7 Comments » - Posted in On Writing, The Industry by Danielle
Sunday, September 20th, 2009
And the Winners…
The other day, I mused over which creature was the least likely to become the next vampire. There were some great guesses, including Lovecraftian Monster Gods, rabid hedgehogs, 17 year cicadas, and muppets, but after a lot of soul searching, I think my favorites have to be:
1. Intestinal bacteria: Although normally praised for their ability [...]
6 Comments » - Posted in Sweet Nonsense, The Industry by Chris
Saturday, September 19th, 2009
Books We Love: Jennifer Murdley’s Toad
(The post below is a rerun from my now in-stasis blog, As the World Stearns. But I wanted to begin an occasional series on Books We Love, and this seemed as good a launch pad as any. Full disclosure: I’ve edited books by Bruce Coville, so my love of this novel may be suspect. But [...]
13 Comments » - Posted in Books We Love, Inspiration by Michael
Friday, September 18th, 2009
**** are the New Vampires
We’ve all heard the speculation as to what sort of creature will become the next vampire or new “it” creature in books, film, TV shows, and ironic indie band names. Will it be werewolves? Zombies? Fallen angels? Romances featuring all these creatures are forthcoming in children’s lit, and they’ll be fighting, clawing, and howling for [...]
