Interesting Links

Writing

I'll admit that I'm still on the periphery of the romance industry, so maybe everyone else already knows this, but I found the following blog post an eye opener to how Romance Writers of America runs their conference and the potential issues/gains of a larger electronic publishing presence:
http://www.courtneymilan.com/ramblings/2009/06/28/breaking-down-rwa-eligibility/

A description of how not to respond to a review, and a reminder that the Internet is a public space:
http://www.switched.com/2009/06/30/author-snipes-critic-on-twitter-over-negative-review/
http://gawker.com/5304168/alice-hoffmans-non+apology-apology-for-her-bout-of-twitter-rage
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/author-apologizes-for-twitter-outburst-about-a-bad-review/

And for those who might not know about it, I work on a free ezine for writers that has a lot of useful articles. Even more, Zette is doing a series on how writers thing about various things that has garnered responses from an interesting mix of authors:
http://lazette.net/vision/

A little writing fun with an edge:
http://www.willwriteforchocolate.com/2006/09/13/mimi-finishes-her-book/

And another that should resonate...at least with me.
http://www.inkygirl.com/wp-content/themes/thesis_151/rotator/AutumnProcrastination_002.jpg

For those still under the delusion that writing is all about a wooden desk and a sniffer full of brandy...
http://www.deadlinedames.com/?p=1261

Another round of publishing definitions. Each one seems to bring another word to the table or slightly different definitions. I find the variations interestings, but this is aimed at beginning writers who may not know the basic terms:
http://chipmacgregor.typepad.com/main/2009/07/basic-basic-basic-questions.html


Social

I'm not a Californian anymore, but I have friends and family down here. That's not why I'm linking to the following video though. I think there's a bigger implication here, and it's a wonderful one. Maybe through tools like YouTube, Twitter, etc., the American public will start to wake up more to what it means to be in a democracy (okay a republic :p), and step up in the political arena so that we/they are less stepped on. Our representatives can only represent what they know.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjmgk1xQmPQ

Fun coupon offers for those who live in big cities:
http://groupon.thepoint.com/

Science

What happened to familiarity breeds contempt? Or is that only in the human animal? Ants, it seems, think in different ways.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8127000/8127519.stm

Interesting Links...to come

I'm on the wrong computer and besides it's after midnight. I spent the day enjoying a county fair, not on the computer, so I'll be late. That said, here's a link for you that seems appropriate :).

http://www.willwriteforchocolate.com/2008/11/30/11302008/

And you thought I'd forgotten. I don't know whether I'll be posting one this upcoming Friday as I'll be away and may not be doing much online reading, but we'll see.

Science

This article has particular meaning to me because, as a young girl, I roamed the actual Acropolis before it was closed. I share the memories of that section of Greece with the international dog star Benji, and I intend to go back and re-experience the modern face some day.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/17/international/i135805D59.DTL&tsp=1

Writing

While I haven't quite made up my mind on the whole digital vs. print publishing for my own books, reading breakdowns like this one definitely make a person think:
http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2009/06/21/digital-publishing-and-the-alternative-economic-model/

Query tip from Daphne Unfeasible:
http://ktliterary.com/2009/06/are-you-sure-you-want-to-say-that/

And as a follow-up, we all need reminders that pros didn't start out that way:
http://teresamedeiros.blogspot.com/2006/03/teresa-shares-her-secret-to-success.html

Indie Bookstores: a good breakdown of why supporting them is a good thing, along with some ways to do so.
http://youngbooksellers.blogspot.com/2009/06/be-friend-to-indies.html

Reading

An interesting analysis of the urban fantasy genre in terms of its social implications and explorations.
http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2009/06/23/vampire_fiction/index1.html

Friday's Interesting Links

I'm afraid I don't have much to offer in the way of interesting links this week. It's been a short week for me and then I was condemned to watch TV for a whole day and a half without my laptop by my youngest (who determined brain melt as the perfect cure for a cold ;)). Oddly enough, I did improve significantly, so maybe he's right.

Science

One of the things I like the most about scientific fact is that it isn't. There is no more adamant an evangelist than a scientist who has bought into a particular line of scientific thought as Truth with a capital T. That's why an article like this one is going to catch my eye where the scientific community has ignored obvious problems in favor of what they've chosen as fact. The difference between faith and science though, is that eventually the evidence catches up on the evangelical scientists :).
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/090610_dinosaur

Social

Now this is scary. I wouldn't want my employment eligibility to be held against my password protection, but no way would I fill in the form explained below. Just what purpose does it serve for the City of Bozeman, Montana to have the ability to post on my sites? The article is shocking for two reasons: 1) apparently the policy was not known by leading officials and 2) there's no distinction between being able to view the information and revealing the password which would allow posting and modification of the information. Personally, viewing is bad enough, but the password is insane.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/JobClub/story?id=7879939&page=1

Writing

Breakdown on types of heros for the various Harlequin and Mills & Boon lines:
http://www.iheartpresents.com/2009/06/mills-boon-editors-hero-checklist/

Friday's Interesting Links

It's still Friday, so I made it. This has been a crazy week with a major software release as my highest priority. Everything else fell by the wayside. Not sure where the time to find links came from, but they're in my file, so I guess I did:).

Writing

A wonderful summation of the writer life. Be sure to read the linked posts as well as they are also illuminating.
http://www.deadlinedames.com/?p=1118

A Publishing Dictionary that highlights common terms and offers clear definitions.
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2009/06/publishing-dictionary-expanded.html

Holly Lisle has put out a new non-fiction series on dialogue that has a lot of useful tips. Check it out here:
Holly Lisle's The Writing Craft: Dialogue and Subtext

Top 10 querying mistakes. These probably aren't all new, and some are a matter of opinion, but it's a nice summation. It hurts that I'm already violating the one on length, but sometimes the book requires. And yes, it is edited down as low as I can go, even with help :D.
http://www.wsherman.com/blog/2009/06/top-ten-querying-mistakes.html

Advice about agents from a RWA panel:
http://www.johnsonliterary.com/blog/2009/6/9/advice-for-writers-from-the-nyc-rwa-panel.html

Stephen King's suggestions on how to be a published writer. Two interesting things came out of this essay. First of all, the site where I discovered it (creative commons license so available for reprint) is not the site I'm linking below. Why? Because the background color was too dark and too little contrast with the text color so I had to highlight to read it. But the content was good enough to search out another posting. And a word of warning about essays like these: times change. In 1988, his comment about when to get an agent was spot on. Now, the waters are much more muddied. Several agents have recently commented about preferring manuscripts that have not been shopped around to publishers because then the field is wide open, and more publishers are closed to non-agented submissions than in 1988.
http://mikeshea.net/Everything_You_Need_to_Kn.html

Science

I have an odd feeling a rammed earth structure might show up in a story of mine some day. Who knew all those years spent kneeling on the beach were actually research :D.
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/090604-sandcastle

Twistable memory chips. Fascinating. We're not so far from the SF concept of monitoring people in the field so we know when the aliens have eaten them!
http://www.livescience.com/common/media/video/player.php?videoRef=LS_090603_bendable-memory

Is this science, social, or what? Not sure, but a fascinating case. Spain is making a historical artifact argument against a shipwreck recovered in international waters, claiming prior ownership. This opens a huge kettle of worms and takes the financial incentive out of both treasure hunting and archeological exploration, something that has (despite controversies) often replaced limited funding for such expeditions. Who took all the risks, both physical and financial, to recover these historical artifacts? Hmm, I guess I'm starting to come down on a side :D. Whoever you think has the claim though, for certain finds to be exempt from long-standing salvage precedents is going to shake things up for sure.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=treasure-hunter-odyssey-ordered-to-2009-06-08

Social

Why yes, I am a Trekkie. How did you guess? Oh, I can't say that until AFTER you read the link ;).
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/06/passing-the-phaser-10-tips-for-turning-your-kids-into-trekkies/

Friday's Interesting Links

Would you look at that? Friday links posted on...FRIDAY???? ;)

Social

I'm with Michelle Obama on the local foods front, but sadly it seems we share something else in common...a dislike of cooking. This is a good article about the social impact of that fact, along with some strong suggestions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/opinion/31hesser.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

I haven't finished reading through this site, but travelling in just a backpack used to be a skill of mine, one I've apparently lost. So you bet I'll be reading this carefully :).
http://www.onebag.com/

I'm a firm believer in helping where you can, but I have mixed feelings about people having to dress up to enable helping. I adored that movie about passing along help if someone helps you and getting the whole community caught up in a working together mentality. Whether superheroes help or harm that level of "anyone can be a hero" I don't know. I do know that I lived on superhero comics as a kid and that, along with Arthurian tales and Robin Hood, informed my outlook toward helping people.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/06/04/real.life.superheroes/index.html

Writing

For those writing YA novels, some tips from teen bloggers:
http://community.livejournal.com/10_ers/153021.html

I started reading this essay because of the concept that stories have genders. Neil Gaiman doesn't so much explain what he means by that as state that they do. However, it evolved (devolved?) into an interesting glimpse into his process while writing American Gods.
http://www.neilgaiman.com/p/Cool_Stuff/Essays/Essays_By_Neil/All_Books_Have_Genders

Just a reminder for all us blog writers. And no, I didn't see the referenced meltdown either. I'm hideously behind in my blog reading :p.
http://varkat.livejournal.com/95521.html

BTW, this isn't a specific link but rather a project by Holly Lisle. She's taking small samples offered by volunteers in her Thinking Sideways class and critiquing them live. The videos are short and creative in format, and the information is solid. Even when I might not agree with the specific choices, I've agreed with the problems and the suggestions on how to target them. They also make good content to exercise to at the end of the day :).
http://writercrashtest.com/

Tongue in cheek guidelines for how to get by in conversations about SF/Fantasy classics you haven't read. This is especially amusing for me coming from having a literature degree that focused on minority and women's lit so I haven't read most of the dead white guys either.
http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=30351

Janet Reid gives a good baseline for deciding when to start querying your novel here:
http://jetreidliterary2.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-soon-is-too-soon.html

A wonderful breakdown of how to analyze your novel to find its weaknesses. The premise was after a reject, but I see no reason not to take advantage of this advice before you send it out.
http://fivescribes.blogspot.com/2009/06/can-this-manuscript-be-saved.html

Marketing

This is a cautionary post on book promotion services with suggestions for doing some things yourself:
http://acrossthepond-storyheart.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-promote-your-book-on-budget-part.html

Interesting discussion on the impact of distribution on a novel's success. Read the comments as well to get multiple perspectives:
http://allisonwinnscotch.blogspot.com/2009/06/its-all-about-distribution.html

Science

Rhino baby at play. Just so cute and adorable with none of the strike terror in the hearts of men that an adult in full charge inspires :).
http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2009/06/tokyos-ueno-zoo-boisterous-rhino-baby.html

A promise for the future. I sure hope the kids today get the promised space advances because I still feel gypped.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-537--RJb80

Friday's Interesting Links (on Saturday)

What? You mean it isn't Friday? Maybe I need to rename this :D.

Puzzling

Picked up this tip from http://www.puzzlewrightpress.com/. A series of web tools for helping with things, including providing a list of words that fit with your partial on a crossword puzzle:
http://www58.wolframalpha.com/

Writing

A breakdown of the advance/royalties/foreign rights earnings that will make it all too clear why most writers cannot support themselves:
http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2009/05/and-you-thought-royalty-involved-crown.html

I may not agree with every one of these steps, but here are some solid suggestions for making progress even on non-deadlined projects:
http://procrastinatingwritersblog.com/2009/05/08/staying-on-track-for-non-deadlined-projects/

I just started reading Jim Baen's Universe and clicked on the below Mike Resnick editorial. He says so eloquently (and with examples) what I believe to be absolute truth about the submission process: never give up.
http://baens-universe.com/articles/Last_Impressions

For those of us looking to Twitter to see the human faces of agents, Agent Query has provided an exhaustive list. I only follow a portion because too many and I'd be unable to keep up.
http://agentquery.leveragesoftware.com/group_discussion.aspx?DiscussionID=d696c822a8e24febb2b621e8974219df

Reading

Angela James, who is an avid e-book reader as well as the Executive Editor for Samhain Publishing, discusses her recent experience with buying a group of e-books. It's an interesting look into what's important in the production and sale of e-books.
http://nicemommy-evileditor.com/blog/?p=2415

Science

I showed this article to my older son, and his comment was that designer babies are just around the corner. Me, I just thought it was cool.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/05/glowing-monkeys-make-more-glowing-monkeys-the-old-fashioned-way/

Ida made such a big splash that some scientists are questioning not only her connection to human evolution, but the media circus which hailed her announcement:
http://www.livescience.com/animals/090520-fossil-reactions.html

Marketing

I'm in the process of redoing my bipolar (literally) website into a more traditional writing one with the programming side of Left Brain/Right Brain just linked. Therefore, I've been reading website building tips and this one makes a lot of sense.
http://writetodone.com/2009/05/18/five-tips-and-a-bonus-on-how-to-write-a-fantastic-about-page/

BayCon Report and Friday's Interesting Links (on Tuesday????)

I know, I know, Friday used to mean a particular day, but... I left for BayCon (an annual Bay Area science fiction convention) on Thursday and I ran out of time to prepare things. There aren't as many links as there have been because I didn't spend much time reading as I scrambled to get everything set.

The convention was wonderful as usual.

I presented on a panel about future laws and was surprised to discover that I'd thought about this topic quite a bit in my writing :). I do have a question to ponder and/or research if I have a moment though: Have I ever written anything from the position of the law keeper? I have characters who become law abiding citizens, or who aid the law in their own, off-the-wall ways, and even a few who become law keepers by the end, but I cannot think of a single one who starts out that way. Maybe as I edit some of the myriad short stories and novels that have yet to see a red pen, I'll find buried in there a law keeper or two. This is very odd considering I grew up always taking the role of the knight and as a firm believer in chivalric code.

My other two panels were a source of some terror for me as it was the first time ever that I was selected to moderate in real life. I have two teenagers, I've been in management--even of teams composed of strong individuals--I've herded the two-legged cats more often than I can count, and I moderate on line, but in person? Yes, I was quaking in my boots. I went to the "How to Moderate a Panel" discussion to prepare, and I would really recommend it to anyone with the slightest interest in maybe, possibly, doing so in the future, as well as us already under a ticking clock. The presenters were funny, entertaining, and had a lot of good tips that could help in much broader circumstances than just at a convention.

My second panel was on world building, and specifically when and what to research. It ended up rather balanced between those who work ahead and those, like me, who start out with a framework and identify research points as they go. The audience seemed to enjoy what we had to offer, and some discussions continued out the door, which as far as I'm concerned is the best sign.

My third was on rejection letters, though we segued a bit into submission methodology in general. Once again no awkward silences (my greatest fear especially since on that one I actually used all of the 5 questions I'd prepared to keep the discussion rolling ;)), and I know at least one audience member found it helpful.

BTW, if you did go (to any convention) and enjoyed specific panels, drop a note to programming so they can add your feedback to the available information when considering what to offer next year. Deciding the programming for the next con is a huge job and I can only imagine a vacuum would make it even more difficult. At the con, you can always drop by and say that you really appreciated X topic, too, even if it won't be helpful for you next year. There are always new people coming on board.

Besides my panels, I went to quite a few others, probably too many to mention. The Birds of Prey panel (though I missed the beginning) was very interesting and I got to see another raptor with the white at the base of its body whereas before I'd thought only harriers had that. Though I'm still pretty sure the birds by my house are harriers, now I have to wonder :). I also went to my first Birds of a Feather (connection a coincidence) meeting only to discover it's a casual chat where we did manage to discuss a little Joss Whedon, some programming/electronics, and Wicked of all things.

Which brings me to the most successful part of the con for me. I talked to strangers :). Now that may sound strange all things considered, but however I appear online, in person I need a framework on which to cling before I'm comfortable. Speaking on a panel is okay because there are rules of engagement. Hall chatting, on the other hand, is a dark, complex world of rules in smoke that blow away just when you think you've got them down. But maybe I now know enough people thanks to panels leaking out the door when we ran past time to escape that next year. I look forward to crossing paths again with all of them and seeing what changed in that year. I also hope to cross paths with the folks I already knew a bit more.

I managed to miss out on all but a glimpse of filking this year, only got to the regency dancing once instead of twice, and didn't touch base with some people I had been hoping to see. That said, though I regret the missed opportunities, I can't regret a moment of the con I did have, though I swear I won't go into it exhausted next time. I did, however, get the opportunity to prove beyond a doubt that caffeine is useless in keeping me up ;). Three to four cups of I-hop drip coffee, and I barely made it into bed before I was dead to the world :D.

And now for the links I failed to post:

Writing/Creativity

On evaluating your Internet promotion efforts and whether they're meeting your goals:
http://www.romancingtheblog.com/blog/2009/05/19/taming-the-internet-promotion-monster/

Eight tips for restarting your creativity. It's for photographers, but the concepts are sound for everyone.
http://kkhphotos.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/8-ways-to-crank-up-your-creativity/

Social

This is just funny, but if you like my blog, you'll probably get it real quick ;):
http://comics.com/off_the_mark/2009-05-19/

Scroll down and then read for a heartwarming, tear-causing narrative of parenthood:
http://meanderingsandmuses.blogspot.com/2009/05/toni-mcgee-causey-dear-god-stick-turned.html

Science

Discovery of an incredibly well-preserved early primate skeleton raises compelling questions about evolution:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8057465.stm