Accidentally left Raymond Chandler‘s anthology, The Simple Art of Murder
So, hey! Remember yesterday when I pointed you to Juliette Wade‘s discussion of gender in fiction? She specifically talks about Ursula Le Guin‘s The Left Hand Of Darkness. What do you know, a rejection letter for The Left Hand Of Darkness is featured in Flavorwire‘s “Famous Authors’ Harshest Rejection Letters.” If you’ve ever gotten a rejection letter, it’s a fun read! Continue reading
After my brief detour through Charles Bukowski‘s Pulp
In science news, Jupiter’s moon Europa is believed to have shallow subsurface lakes that connect to the deeper moon-wide ocean. Hard sci-fi writers … On your mark! Get set!
On the writing front: Continue reading
In a damn* interesting piece yesterday at Talk To YoUniverse, Juliette Wade discusses how writers can navigate the differing perspectives of characters inside and outside a culture group.
She uses her own experience as a foreigner in Japan who speaks Japanese “too well,” but lays out a set of general principles writers can use to make the meeting of any two cultures seem more authentic, whether they are writing historical fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, a modern realist tale about culture clash, or even a story about the distinctive culture of a single family.
Enjoy “Insiders and Outsiders.”
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* Taking Mark Twain’s advice. Sans editors.
I am revamping my j.nelsonleith.com website — where I used to host a political blog — as the official home of Leith Literary. I will, of course, transfer all the content from here, and leave a sticky note. Updates to come!
And now, on to the writer links!
I have noticed a distinct gender imbalance to my writer links. Sure, I have Les and Scott and John and J on my list, but the overwhelming majority of writers on my regular rounds are women. In fact, all of the links I’ve roped up over the past week are from women writers.
Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with this, but I would like to get a few more dudes to provide more of a “guy’s take” on writing. Insofar as there is such a thing. Is there such a thing?
Okay, moving on. To the writer links! Continue reading
First, I want to wish Brittany Landgrebe get well soon!
Well, it is finally summertime! Do you have your summer reading list ready? Yeah, me neither. I have been considering re-reading The Lord of the Rings, and I do have a couple of non-fiction books from a used bookstore stacked up and awaiting my attention. But, no solid plans.
But, how about this idea: instead of committing to a few buzz-worthy novels, we could instead focus on reading a lot of short stories in magazines. Anyone up for this challenge?
And now, on to the links! Continue reading
Oh, Monday… with your false enthusiasm and wearisome clichés of toil resumed.
Prescription: coffee, with a healthy shot of cynicism and defiance!
The writer links this week are chock full of advice on characters and a writer’s personal approach to writing. On to the links! Continue reading
This week I have begun a variety of summer renewal projects. I have potted 10 new plants in my new place, and have begun a photo catalog of my bookshelves. (I may post these to the blog, if encouraged.)
I have also begun a targeted revision of The Ligan of the Disomus, and a related short story, The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die. Although I do not subscribe to the common wisdom that a work of art is “never finished, merely abandoned,” I am glad that Ligan had not been picked up for publication before I had a chance to sketch out and complete a few short stories in the Observer’s world, and thus work out some larger-scale plot and character development decisions.
But, enough about my writerly life! On to the links from other writers: Continue reading
Everyone having fun back at work after the long weekend?
A little spring cleaning note: I will begin going through my sidebar links and removing the ones that connect to blogs where there have not been any new postings for two months. The one exception will be Miss Snark, which shall remain as a memorial to one of the coolest literary blogs of all time.
Now to the writer links! Continue reading
It’s that time again in my three-part cycle of link soup.
Just like how, at the cafeteria where you work, the middle of the week means taco bar, the beginning of the Leith Literary soup cycle means links to stuff other writers are writing about! There’s no guac or salsa here, but there certainly is a lot of spicy goodness.
So, set your laptop somewhere it won’t overheat (the cooling vents are probably on the bottom!) and enjoy the following links offering advice and other neat stuff from writers. Continue reading
