WHITE BIRD
1885 … If miners see white birds about the gearing of mine-shafts they consider them to be harbingers of disaster.
– A Dictionary of Superstitions edited by Iona Opie and Moira Tatem.
Blog Archives
The ferry on Amalgam’s river Tee
was built of wood from one white maple tree.
The owners of the tree and boat are kin,
and rats replaced the squirrels that dwelt within.
It has been a while since I posted an article on “background,” the little news items that touch on subjects that inspire my fiction. Unfortunately, this time around it’s not an archaeological discovery piquing my interest, but the controversy over a new board game about the brutal conflict between colonists and Native Americans known as King Philip’s War.
I’ll be upfront about my views, and leave the rest of the reporting to the linked article. Continue reading
As my own contribution to this week’s writer talk, I have recently discovered a new species of the writer’s block bug against which I have no adequate literary immune response: I dislike one of the characters in The Crow and the Kinnebeck so badly that I can’t write conversation with him in it.
The prescription? I’m probably going to create a throw-away scene in which the guy is killed or otherwise gets what’s coming to him, and see if that makes it easier to listen to him talk.
In the meantime, I am anxiously awaiting some inspirational texts I recently ordered from The Devil Amazon.com: The Mammoth Book of Pulp Fiction and The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps. Good old Vitamin P! Nothing like the classics to get your Write Blood Cells in fighting trim!
Now, on to the (other) writers’ links:
Jade Smith painfully digs out her first novel attempt (I know how that feels!) while ellanbethia at On Not Being Able To Write asks “Do You Encourage Other Writers?”
Juliette Wade discusses how to write about a culture from both an insider and outsider perspective., while Becky Levine dives into her Author Appreciation week. So far: Heidi R. Kling, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Terry Pratchett.
Finally, Dana Cameron talks a bit about novels and short stories, comparing them to sprints and marathons. But, the other way around. (I just thought the short-term-then-long-term rhythm sounded better in both cases.)
Enjoy!
Okay, let’s kick out some links from publishing and editing professionals. It’s my slimmest category of link soups, but this week’s ingredients are tasty indeed.
For example, there’s a bit of hope for authors having a hard time breaking into the industry: Eric at Pimp My Novel is wondering if print-on-demand is the future of print, while Alan Rinzler at The Book Deal explains how self-publishing can lead to a real book deal.
Moonrat at Editorial Ass explains what the standard submission process is like, and the Moby Lives blog tackles a slew of publishing issues: the new ISBN format, the trouble with iPad’s text-reading functionality, and 21st Century information overload.
almoner. One who dispenses alms to the poor on behalf of a monarch.
– The Continuum Dictionary of Religion edited by Michael Pye.
A man with guilty laughter in his hand
was poaching in Amalgam’s hunting land;
he had no legal right to keep the kill,
but fed his guilty hunger with it still.
We are back around into the lit agent arc of my new link soup cycle. (Those of you who missed the big three-way split … psht! There’s an RSS button in the sidebar now. No excuse!)
Have fun; and if you know of a fantastic lit agent writing a blog I’m missing, let me know!
Jessica at BookEnds tells us how to submit a partial, and how to find agents and publishers. She also published an updated version of her publishing dictionary, which reminds me that I have to keep mine updated.
Jennifer Jackson responds to reader questions about queries that don’t follow her agency’s guidelines, Kristin Nelson rants about the agency commission model for ebooks, and Rachelle Gardner says, “Let’s Hear It For Old Fashioned Books!”
Finally, Lucienne Diver wraps up her Debut Week series of guest blogs (which I featured in my last writer link soup) with an agent’s perspective.
Enjoy!
Booyah! I am thrilled to be on to my second round of publisher/editor links. Splitting up the authors, agents, and publishing house professionals was such a good idea!
Editor Alan Rinzler tells writers how to use a voice journal for character development, while Melville House‘s “Moby Lives” blog celebrates the fact that books outnumber games on iTunes.
The Editorial Ass answers questions about writing in your favorite genre, why he became a book editor, and how book deal advances are divided up.
Finally, Eric at Pimp My Novel has punched out some good stuff, including: the face of the publishing industry, how to read an ISBN, and the four things it takes to succeed as a writer.
Enjoy!
gesta: Deeds or tales of adventure, as in the fourteenth-century Gest Historiale of the Destruction of Troy. One of the most famous medieval collections of tales was the Gesta Romanorum (Deeds of the Romans).
– Literary Terms : A Dictionary by Karl Beckson and Arthur Ganz.