[December 17th] Interview with Zoran Živković

I've stumbled upon on this brilliant, long and informative interview of Zoran Živković, which you can find on World Literature Today. I've managed to finish part one and so far it's revealed a lot about the literature in Europe, a field, which is quite murky to me. I hope you find some interesting tidbits for yourself as well. 

[December 7th] The Nature of Best-Of Lists and Having Your Voice Out There

 Books you consider to be the "best" should blow your mind, then implode and restructure your skull and brain in ways you have not anticipated, but you like. Great books hung and haunt your memory, perception and creativity. 

I'm participating in the proud tradition of Smugglivius hosted over the Book Smugglers' blog. It's a month long event with bloggers and authors sharing their very best picks from books and media for the past year, which is epic scale as far as The Best-Of lists and events are concerned. 

The concept of ranking books is ludicrous to me. I can't quantify joy. Joy cannot be measured and even if it could be, every book would be a source of different joy, unless you are reading in a very niche, niche subgenre [detective stories about the supernatural death of Lincoln with flying monkeys involved in some constant way throughout every novel]. It's why I don't quite like these lists, which seem to centre around a set of criteria as to how best rank certain books. 

  

When I ran Temple Library Reviews, I paid more attention to these best-of lists, because I sensed a certain trend among reviewers as to what rose to popularity in certain circles, which is more or less obvious given our nature to create a sort of mini societies, where ideas and recommendations are exchanged. I myself don't believe in the ranking itself; the system that determines, which is number one and why and why book "X" should switch position with book "Y". Should book "Z" even be on the list or is book "W" a better fit? 

I'm not sure whether or not these thoughts cross reviewers' minds during "Best-Of" seasonal preparations, but creating a list is not something someone with a love for their blog will consider lightly. Perhaps it's the cynic in me at the time, who whispered about the potential insincerity of others and the more marketing oriented motifs others had [more or less provoked by my too unhealthy drive for competing with others]. Perhaps there are bloggers, who pick books in order to secure more ARCs and review copies from hot new publishers. I'm not ruling that out. 

This year I'm freed from prejudices. I don't have a review site, I don't have a territory like I though I did, I can talk about books and review books without the numbers game shuffling in the back of my head [what I can say, it's one of my many failings] and see the good in the "Best-Of" lists as emphasis on books  enjoyed, words that have left an imprint and stories that have caused spiritual alterations. They are about managing to squeeze in your voice and try to persuade someone to discover and share your love for any given book on the list, because favourite books are no JUST the writer's intellectual property, they belong to the reader as well.

[October 13th] Debut on The World SF Blog

As you may have noticed on Twitter, links about a rather exciting horror duo S.L. Grey surfaced on the web [many thanks to @pornokitsch for the additional support and appreciation]. I've been on a very long on-and-off relationship with reviewing literature; starting and stopping, running my own site and then contributing. I do feel as if there are some conflicts of interest, considering that I want to become an author myself and will possibly find myself with the people I review, but at the same time I can't not discuss books, even if I'm not as vocal as some individuals.

A manifestation of my obsession [or masochism, as I really don't have the time for this, but I am doing it; because!] will be my semi-regular appearances on The World SF Blog. I really have to thank Lavie Tidhar for the gig.** I've never kept my involvement a secret per se, but I've never made an official statement either, which I do like to make from time to time.*

My debut involves S.L. Grey, who penned together the irresistible The Mall, which is a staple of modern horror, ill-versed as I am in these matters. You can find my review here and I've also had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah Lotz and Louis Greenberg, who shot back the answers in less time I took to writing and sending them. Extremely polite and professional people.

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* I do have a flare for drama
** You guessed it, Lavie, 'thank you'.

[July 12th] Slaves and Stories

I've had an amazing weekend, which involved the beach at day time and the beach at night time with drinks. Monday involved ironing, so no blog posts, but I do have things to share.

First, an article I wrote for Beyond Victoriana has gone live over the weekend. I discuss the creation of the fiercest Ottoman special ops division in their military, the enichari corps, which consisted of abducted Christian children brainwashed into loyal soldiers:

"Enichari Corps: Slaves in the Ottoman Empire"

When I agreed to write the series about Bulgaria under the Ottoman rule as a suitable stage for the steampunk genre, I underestimated the challenge these articles present. I want to deliver a portrayal of a complicated and cruel span of five centuries in Bulgarian history. At the same time I’m dealing with controversial and sensitive material, given that the Ottoman occupation has hindered Bulgaria’s access to Europe during the time of the Industrial Revolution.1

Even more so, given that this article deals with the cruelest tactic from the Ottoman empire to ensure its armies never lacked man power, while at the same time assured the assimilation of all conquered lands: the ‘enichari’ corps. 2. The word ‘enichar’ means ‘new soldier’ and refers to an Ottoman military class, which consists from non-Muslims. During the 14th century, the Ottoman conquests resulted in a sizeable amount of conquered territories and the aching need to expand the empire’s armies.

In other news, I'm back to submitting stories. "Hurricane Drunk" has been sent without alterations, but I tidied some moments in "Cosmic Love" before sending it out. At this point I'm not harboring any hopes to get both accepted, having no active hope is the best case scenario, when sending shorts in my opinion.

Monday, May 2nd: Tracking Wordcounts and Bulgarian Steampunk

Today's fantastic picture portrays the Punisher as a samurai; this is the cover for an issue of the "5 Ronin" mini-series that Marvel published not long ago. The series itself leaves things to be desired, but as a whole the re-imaginings were clever.

It’s my intention to write. Whenever there is a slight possibility to sit down and even write 50 words, I intend to use it. It’s a difficult concept for me to put in practice as I’ve accustomed myself to a leisurely, scholarly schedule. With the new office, I’ve graduated into reality and I see what time deficiency means in earnest. I’ve no idea how people can juggle responsibilities outside their day jobs and still find the energy to write. Perhaps, writing itself is not the real lesson [although I know that’s the core of it], but actually applying the butt-in-chair principle.

Some days I can afford to come home in the right mood [with the right energy level] to sit and create, but more often than not I’ve duties in the morning, duties at work and then duties after work [which when combined drain me]. Sadly, the solution is not coffee, people; I need a lot more of a punch than that.

Anyway, moving on. I’ve decided that I want an Excel Spreadsheet as a means to track down my progress – the spreadsheet love is a brand new work-spawned development – and so far it helps. I can see the shame of not having butt-in-chair on top of my priorities, which leads to more ‘write first, watch tantalizing moving pictures later.’

The newest project I’m working on is called “Dog Days are Over,” based on Florence + The Machine’s song of the same title, though the direction I’ve taken it is rather bizarre. There is sex, there are ghosts and there is Bulgaria. I’ve decided to try and base a story in Bulgaria, which more or less fits the type of female character [with the type of ‘morale’] I want to write. The issues I’m facing are pretty much on whether the sex I write is because I enjoy it or if it really belongs in there.

1791 / 4000 words. 45% done!

In other news, I’ve a sporadic article appear in Beyond Victoriana. It’s an opening for a whole series, about Bulgaria, its history during the Victorian era and the potential the time period has for Steampunk to branch in. Here is a small snippet:

It’s impossible to mention Bulgaria, look it through the prism of the past and not discuss war.

For Bulgarians know war in all of its forms. Back when the Bulgarian Empire existed, we conquered. Afterwards, we fought wars to defend what we’ve claimed. We fought once again to earn our freedom, when we fell under multiple slaveries. Once liberated, we fought to unite and even today we fight; small personal battles and wars against reality, against each other and, in private, ourselves.

Queen Victoria’s rule coincides with Bulgaria’s most turbulent historical period. During her 64 years on the throne, Bulgarians organized several major upheavals, created an organized resistance, fought wars for liberation and achieved their goals. Once transitioned from slaves to free people with a country, Bulgaria had to rebuild itself from scratch,write a constitution and catch up with the rest of the world.

My Culture Posts have inspired The Writer's International Culture Share

My cultural posts might bring the crowds that I hope, considering that I have taken a hiatus from blogging as it is, but I have managed to inspire one of the nicest and most in tune with worldbuilding authors I know, Juliette Wade to start a project of her own:

What if there were a place on the web where writers from all over the world - including the US - could share folklore, local culture, religious stories and details of daily life that would be difficult or nearly impossible to discover through ordinary web research avenues?

Welcome to The Writer's International Culture Share. Yeah, I am the muse, which inspired this project. The project will be hosted every Thursday. Right at the moment, Juliette is reposting my first cultural posts from this blog as well as her posts on Japan. Quite thrilling. We are expecting to have people tag along from all over the globe.

Open Anthology: Bloody Fabulous edited by Ekaterina Sedia

It's finally happened. Fashion has come forth and it shall rule! I know that this may seem a bit out of the blue, but I'm interested in couture fashion. Actually, the first attempts at writing fiction were more or less related to paragraphs of how the characters dressed or the infamous magic girl scenes of transformations [Sailor Moon style]. Of course, I have no actual knowledge of fashion. Just the appreciation of aesthetics that can be achieved. Nevertheless, I'm thrilled when a piece of clothing acquires power or importance.

This is why, upon hearing that Ekaterina Sedia will be editing an anthology, where fashion has to be on the forefront, I did a Mexican wave [which is surprisingly easy now that I have characters by the hundreds]. Here is the premise. I think that I will submit something.

“Bloody Fabulous:

Lace. Leather coats. Open collars over exquisite collarbones. A single red drop on paper-white cuffs. Each fiction genre has its sartorial signifiers, and urban fantasy is no exception – from the brocade extravagance of the Unseelie courts to the ubiquitous leather of supernatural detectives to the old-fashioned good taste of wealthy vampires, we are as familiar with them as we are with the supernatural attributes of the protagonists. However, despite the prominence of clothing in urban fantasy, fashion is usually a supporting actor. In this anthology, we want to give it a center stage (or a runway). Let the tales of tormented designers and well-dressed vampires strut into the light, and finally get the attention they deserve. BLOODY FABULOUS is a collection of urban fantasy tales, featuring vampires as well as other supernatural creatures, but focusing on the world of fashion and its intersection with the uncanny. Get ready, get set, get fabulous!”

In which I blog everywhere else, but here

Busy week. University started and I'm getting in a rhythm with what I can accomplish in which of the time slots, while at the same time dealing with end of the month and the beginning of the other family dynamics. So that's that. On to the links.

First, I was fortunate enough to have submitted 500 words to Juliette Wade's Wednesday Worldbuilding Workshop, who breaks down the text to its smallest particles and examines setting, magic and the interaction between the people. The result is a deep analysis that certainly shed light on the story I excerpted from. I do suggest that you submit and see for yourselves. Here is what she said about "Crimson Cacophony":

First, I'd like to thank Harry for submitting this piece. I found it dramatic and interesting. I think that the blending of the worlds, i.e. modern/gritty real world and fantasy magic system, is well done. The two seem not to struggle against one another; I can accept that a night-based magic system exists in this world.

Next, I continue with my ramblings on Jules Verne, though this time I cover the characterization in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "The Mysterious Island" with commentary on the Victorian morality. The post is hosted at Beyond Victoriana and would like to hear some input on it. So far it has one tiny comment. Here is an excerpt from my piece:

Did Verne create “steampunk” characters in his novels? Though I cannot define Verne as being a steampunk writer, I can say that Verne’s works, while written in a cut and dry cataloguing style, nonetheless emphasizes moral and social qualities as much as it does scientific ones. Given these circumstances, I will consider what are considered important values that a person should have according to the characters in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 1 and The Mysterious Island. 2 Moreover, by investigating the value systems these characters hold, we can compare how they hold up to the characters in today’s modern steampunk books.

I also happened to review Pan's Labyrinth for the Monster Awareness Month, in which I raise the point that monsters take on a positive role, in order to contrast with the monstrosity of the humans during the post-Civil War clashes in Spain:

Celebrating the monsters in cinema can’t be complete without mentioning the monsters in our mythology. Pan’s Labyrinth is the perfect example of how the monstrous in our folklore can be assimilated in the cinematic format, creating a modern, dark fairy tale for adults. Unlike a lot of the entries in the Monster Awareness Month, Pan’s Labyrinth is far from being a horror, while at the same time it displays a horrifying reality that has nothing to do with cheap scares.

Last, but not least in importance is my contribution to the Pornokitsch team with a long review of Kaaron Warren's collection "Dead Sea Fruit." Needless to say I loved it, because this is Kaaron Warren that we are talking about. She's inspiring. Here is a snippet:

Kaaron Warren makes the reader feel. Her stories are emotionally tactile and its through these sensatory assaults that I had to stop and process my response as well as think about what I’d just read. In Dead Sea Fruit as a whole, Kaaron Warren deconstructs blood ties, love and friendship and shines light on what happens when they mutate, when goodness dies and the human spark flickers out. Her stories follow the death of the soul, while the body’s still living, and the life of the soul after its body’s death. Her endings are usually the end for the lone, unfortunate people who populate her tales.

My Reviews hit the Web

I'm a bit silent, because I've spent the week working on an analysis on Jules Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea" and the sequel "The Mysterious Island". I'm happy to announce that I've completed the beast at 3,400 words, which are a lot harder to achieve, when non-fiction is involved. I hope that I won't be needed to administer heavy edits, because I want to focus on my novel, which suffered from extreme lack of attention.

Anyway, I hit the web hard on Monday, posting two Valentine's-Day-appropriate reviews.

First stop is "Cthulhurotica" edited by Carrie Cuinn, over which I gushed at Rise Reviews:

What you, as the reader, must know about “Cthulhurotica” is the anthology’s conviction. I’ve never read an anthology so sure in its identity, with a such a strong voice or as consistent in its theme. From concept to execution, I couldn’t find a fault within these pages. The covert art, the internal illustrations, the content, everything fits. Honestly, “Cthulhurotica” is also the first book I’ve read to justify its existence and then give an intimate confession about its secrets. I’m talking about the essays at the back of the anthology.

Then I also comment on a second anthology with monstrous affections, namely "Rigor Amortis," edited by Jaym Gates and Erika Holt. I review the anthology at Innsmouth Free Press.

Rigor Amortis is a thing of beauty. Robert Nixon provides a simple, yet arousing and fitting cover, which sets the tone for the anthology. Galen Dara and Miranda Jean ensure the booklet, if I may call Rigor Amortis that for its 134 pages, has sufficient interior illustrations. Those I found most spectacular grace the four alliterative sections: Romance, Revenge, Risk, and the kinky Raunch. The creators aim for consistency in tone and establishing a forbidden sort of sensuality.

Both anthologies challenge sexuality and gender politics. I'd recommend both, personally.

CALL FOR DONATIONS:

On an unrelated note, Innsmouth Free Press is having a fundraiser to keep it going and so far it barely crossed 1/3 of the desired sum. I'd love it, if you could spare some to donate. What Silvia Moreno-Garcia is doing with the website is exceptional. Innsmouth Free Press has gathered all these wonderfully weird people [yes, I include myself in the number] and the work that we put into it is quality oriented.

Death of Geek Culture, Can it die?

I'm chasing deadlines on the moment, so I'll feed you some grub from my RSS feed. I found this article on the Orbit Books blog. This is actually a response by Robert Jackson Bennett on the essay written by Patton Oswalt [[his essay is here] btw I still have not read the essay, since I'm chasing the said deadlines]. Here is an interesting snipped from this response:

In the escape hatch, we’re familiar with such an enormous litany of well-established tastes that all you have to do is reference them one after the other, playing each cherished obscurity like the keys of a xylophone, in order induce the groundswell of support we all so desire. Slap a superhero or a zombie with any underground mythology, like Thundercats or Transformers, and it pretty much writes itself.

Patton thinks that’s cross-pollination. It is, in a way, but it’s within one small field, and it’s among only a handful of flowers. And I don’t think it’s as self-destructive as he presumes. We’re human. We like the familiar. We like the routine. And we don’t like challenge. But that encourages repetition, and sloth, and becomes akin to a terminal patient pressing that morphine button over and over again. It does not engage in the limitless array of culture, and art, and thought that is available in the wide world. And this is what’s necessary to produce a healthy sense of art, of purpose, and of self-awareness.

Honestly, I wanted to copy paste the whole article, but I somehow managed to restrict myself. I think it's well worth reading [but I think it'd be better to read the essay, aka not do like me, but I have deadlines people, ahem].

To a degree I think that the majority of accusations about said cross pollination are addressed to the movie industry. The constant re-makes and re-boots as well as regurgitation of the same old ideas. Also, how the Internet seems to have made things a bit worse.

I think Geek culture is changing. I mean, everything is changing. What was, may not be the very same thing that someone loves and I think the original essay is more of a nostalgic rant [yeah, I skimmed the original essay] rather than a very objective look on Geek culture. The Internet has changed everything by accelerating the exchange of data and Geek culture will definitely morph as the Internet evolves as well.

Where this will lead, I have no idea. I just know that nothing is ever truly dead as far as culture goes, be it dead or otherwise. There are only ups and downs. Currently, the constant remakes, movie novelizations and movies based on books and comics and the cross-overs and then the movie-based games are a low. [I'm biased, I know. Hate re-makes and re-boots].

Paul Cornell on E-Books & Illegal Downloading

Paul Cornell has a wonderfully detailed post on e-books and then illegal downloading. Illustrates a rather interesting development. Here is an excerpt:

It's hard, these days, to tell people they've done a minor wrong. Because one is now either a saint (or whatever the atheist version of that is) or a pedophile. Illegal download sites look perfectly normal, and ominous orchestral tones don't strike up when you visit one. 'Everybody' does it, and people who do are often quite surprised at the thought that they're doing something wrong. But they are. A small thing. They're each stealing small sums of money from creators. But put those minor wrongs together, and they become an enormous problem. Vilifying these people rather than educating or preventing them will just convince them that their minor wrong is cool and rebellious. A lot of them tell themselves that already. They're sticking it to the man. The trouble is, the man in question is me. And those like me.

The rest is [HERE] It's eye opening.

The Terry Pratchett Contest

The mighty Sir, Terry Pratchett is hosting a contest, the winner of which will have a book out and about.

Sir Terry Pratchett had this to say:

Anywhere but here, anywhen but now. Which means we are after stories set on Earth, although it may be an Earth that might have been, or might yet be, one that has gone down a different leg of the famous trousers of time (see the illustration in almost every book about quantum theory).

We will be looking for books set at any time, perhaps today, perhaps in the Rome of today but in a world where 2000 years ago the crowd shouted for Jesus Christ to be spared, or where in 1962, John F Kennedy's game of chicken with the Russians went horribly wrong. It might be one day in the life of an ordinary person. It could be a love story, an old story, a war story, a story set in a world where Leonardo da Vinci turned out to be a lot better at Aeronautics. But it won't be a story about being in an alternate Earth because the people in an alternate Earth don't know that they are; after all, you don't.

But this might just be the start. The wonderful Peter Dickinson once wrote a book that could convince you that flying dragons might have existed on Earth. Perhaps in the seething mass of alternate worlds humanity didn't survive, or never evolved -- but other things did, and they would have seen the world in a different way. The possibilities are literally endless, but remember, it's all on Earth. Maybe the continents will be different and the climate unfamiliar, but the physics will be the same as ours. What goes up must come down, ants are ant-sized because if they were any bigger their legs wouldn't carry them. In short, the story must be theoretically possible on some version of the past, present or future of a planet Earth.

Details [HERE]

Angry Robot Books to conquer Podcasts

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Oh boy, just when I was wondering what to blog about [more like finding the time to stretch my ideas fully] and Lee Harris pops this announcement in the e-mail.

Exciting times!

Beginning in July 2010, Angry Robot will be broadcasting a new podcast series. Broadcast monthly, the 30-minute podcast will take the form of a joint interview with two Angry Robot authors or staff, along with genre and publishing news and a monthly competition to win Angry Robot titles.

The host and interviewer is Mur Lafferty. Mur is one of the world’s best-known and best-loved podcasters, and the co-author of the book Tricks of the Podcasting Masters. As well as hosting her own immensely popular podcast for wannabe writers I Should Be Writing, she was also recently announced as the new editor of Escape Pod – the world’s most popular short fiction podcast.

Mur commented: “One of the things I love most about podcasting is the chance to talk to so many talented authors. I’m thrilled to get the chance to chat with Angry Robot authors; it’s an honor to be producing a show for one of the newest and most exciting SF publishers around.”

The podcasts will be broadcast from the Angry Robot website, and will be downloadable as a subscription through iTunes. The first podcast interview will feature Angry Robot Publishing Director Marc Gascoigne and Editor Lee Harris, talking about the history of the imprint, the move to new partners Osprey, and the future. August’s guests are Angry Robot authors Lauren Beukes and Kaaron Warren – and you can believe that’s going to be an interview worth tuning in for!

I’m absolutely thrilled to have Mur onboard – along with my writing group, I’ve been listening to I Should Be Writing for years!

Now, I am not a great fan of podcasting per se, I generally don't have the time and my tendency to space out at all times makes it pointless a pastime for me to listen to podcasts. But as this is Angry Robot we are talking about, I am most interested in experimenting with the format.

Soon-to-be Mega Star Author Showcase [Pimping]

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While I am drawing time tables and figuring how to invent a time machine in order to achieve more in a day, I have something wonderful to announce. Karen Mahoney has finally left her cozy corner in the Internet [her faithful LiveJournal] and is rocking a brand new green [emphasis] domain. I know Karen from the time she was writing her book and watched her submit, hook up with a dream agent and she is soon to have her debut 'The Iron Witch' released in early 2011.

She is brimming with enthusiasm and insight and I can definitely foresee a long and healthy career in front of her.

Editor Interview Goodness

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As I am trying to install order [I have decided I want to do way too many things, so chaos is not going to cut it], I will direct to author Mark Charan Newton. He has posted an excellent interview with his editor Julie Crisp from Tor UK. It is informative and shows an angle not every person can glimpse so easily.

Here is a minor clip:

It gets asked all the time: “What are editors looking for in a submission?” But what writers might not realise is that every editor is in fact a different human being. What does Julie Crisp look for in a submission, and what’s the best bit of advice for a writer?

Editors are all different and we all have varying tastes but I think the one thing we all look for – no matter what the genre – is someone who can tell a story.

At heart, I’m a fan first and foremost, so I look for books that I’d read for pleasure and that I’d want to recommend to other people. We also have to be quite pragmatic about it though, and keep an eye on what’s doing well in the marketplace. It’s no good being a huge enthusiast of, oh I don’t know, dwarven adventures with magic ponies, if there’s a demonstrated sales record that proves this doesn’t work. So it’s a balancing act between passion and business.

Tuesday Linkage: 01.12.2009

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1) Mark Charan Newton announced that his debut "Nights of Villjamur" will debut [sorry for that word play] on a new scene namely the ebook world and has some questions he wants readers to ask. The comment section is where to look at people.

2) Editorial Ass is hosting a sweet writing contest, where participants are encouraged to create a tribute or whip a good assassination for a person to shape your writing path. Details can be found here and the prize "Mentors, Monsters & Muses" is super sweet and totally worth the effort.

3) Author Todd Newton has a stab on the worldwide behavior of writers to write about writing and usually revealing how they do things to other writers, which in general just creates competition. I will definitely address the topic in a longer post. [LINK]

4) Eric at Pimp My Novel has reposted a very helpful vocabulary from inside the publishing industry so that you may talk the talk without feeling confused at hearing these words.

5) Catie Murphy over at Magical Words has posted a really good essay on the ages old debate Series vs. Stand-Alone.

6) Okay, so back to what editors and the Top Ten reasons they don't love what the critique group loves. Thanks to edittorrent.

Links and Things

Since in my original blog posting blue print I have link-ups on Tuesday, it's best to continue with the tradition and here I present you the juicier and helpful articles I have read courtesy of Google Reader.

1) Time is pressing you and which writer hasn't experienced the pressure to do so many things. So Devon Monk calls for professional attitude and reorganization of priorities in order to make writing a profession rather than a hobby in her post "Bring me that Mountain". I chide with her that writing happens only when the writer is dead serious and sees his writing as a self employed entrepreneurship.

2) Over at Ecstatic Days guest blogger Kameron Hurley has let words loose and has crafted a rather long post about writing, which I find highly interesting just to compare to one's own path into writerhood.

3) John Scalzi has had something to say [that man usually does have to say something about anything so I am not at all surprised] about self-publishing [which makes total sense and has to be preached so that prejudices may be dispelled at a certain level] and then discusses the Harlequin situation, which I admit has been stirring everybody's cauldron as of late.

4) Mark Newton discusses the 7 things that make agents drop your work immediately at the very first chapter, for which I am most thankful for they all discuss the opening of the novel. Then he lists the things he doesn't like about writing and I found myself agreeing to almost everything.

5) Nathan Bradford lists the Top 10 Myths about e-books.

6) Over at StoryFix Larry Brooks discusses how to infuse your work with emotion and heart.

Link-Up Tuesday on Wednesday

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Tuesday caught me on the down and unproductive side, so I decided to immerse myself in TV shows and get a break from the whole Internet buzz. Monday I was super busy, so I missed on my post. Today I will try to post a writing post after this link-up post.

Let's check what the Internet has as useful advice for writers.

~ Book View Cafe has posted a very informative post about Ways to Ruin Your Career and has backed up the claim with a very detailed example, which should teach us why manners are oh-so-important and always in style.

~ Mark Charan Newton has started posts on how to get a Novel deal speaking solely from his experience as a book speller. So far there are two instalments: Part 1 & Part 2

~ Over at the Deadline Dames there are two fresh posts that would be a news to people following the web. One is posted by Jackie Kessler on Agent Myths and the other is by Devon Monk and discusses what being a writer is and involves as side responsibilities.

Last, but not least I found this small gem on editing from Ask Nicola, co-founder of Sterling Editing. This video is invaluable to all those that keep struggling with dialogue:

Link-Up Tuesday: Start bookmarking

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Monday whizzed by like a flashflood and whisked me away on a journey outside the contains of the Internet, which left me with 150 more posts over at Google Reader, which I think have multiplied to 300 today.

I had a nice plan for a topic yesterday. Initially it was on novel beginnings, but then my mind stirred into different waters and I wanted to discuss either cover letters or on deadlines, since my sudden zeal to submit to anthologies involves an abundance of both. I was a bit bummed that I missed one deadline for a short story I had completed a week ago, but busy routine kept me from submitting. Clockwork punctuality is an asset I highly value as one of my strengths, but the free time I did manage to snag here and there was spent phoning my Internet provider to be informed that the servers for the whole city and region were down.

So I am moving along schedule and giving you Link-Up Tuesday, where I post what writing related posts caught my eye.

1. David Hewson speaks about the dreaded writer’s block in his post “Dealing with the so-called writer’s block”. I can full heartedly agree with the man. I would like to add that the majority of reasons behind calling in sick with the writer’s block is that you can’t always say the things you want to say the way you want them to sound. I find it quite vexing to have a spectacular visual and being able to relay it in its entirety, which results in a dwelling without much being written aka a writer’s block.

2. Nicola Morgan over at “Help! I need a Publisher” has been discussing lately why and how to benefit from the social networking as a means to create a sort of reason anybody using the World Wide Web should interested in you as a person and as a writer. This post is dedicated to the joys of Twitter.

3. Maria Schneider over at “Editor Unleashed” has posted a list of the top 10 blogs for writers to visit. So far I haven’t been able to investigate, but it’s bookmarked and will be read in great deal, when free time presents itself.

4. Last but not least “Literature Network” lists seven great tips for being a great writer. I have to say that there are some of the funniest advices that we all felt tempted to do and every single one has been argued logically enough to be believable and applicable for certain cases.

There is probably more, but I am looking at the very least 4 hours of battles with Google Reader. Next time I will have more for sure.