literary

Tag Archives: literary

What’s J Been Reading? [RFK’s Birthday, 20 Nov 11]

Posted on 20 Nov 11 by Editor

Yes, this photo is meant to be self-deprecating. Thank you.

I know you guys (the writers … guys and gals, technically) love yourselves some good query advice. So, here’s something I read at Hey There’s A Dead Guy: Benjamin LeRoy‘s “Three Tips for Querying! (Because everybody loves a list).” And, yeah, we do love a list. Also at Dead Guy is an interesting piece about that unfortunate dust-up over FridayReads.

GalleyCat discusses the movement to create a Literature category at YouTube. I’m all for it! And… as if the Quentin Rowan scandal wasn’t bad enough, Melville House reveals yet another case of blatant plagiarism in publishing. Continue reading →

Who Sees What When Cultures Collide?

Posted on 11 Aug 11 by Editor

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.”

* Taking Mark Twain’s advice. Sans editors.

Category: Blogroll | Tags: anthropology, fantasy fiction, historical fiction, juliette wade, literary, mark twain, publishing, science fiction, sociology, talk to youniverse, writing

Pulling Science Fiction Writing Ideas From The News

Posted on 08 Jul 10 by Editor

During conservation work at Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate, built in the 1500s by Suleiman the Magnificent, workers discovered a 100-year old Turkish hand grenade in the core of the wall.

Israeli antiquities experts believe that someone stashed the grenade in the middle of the wall through some broken stone during the last years of the Ottoman Empire.

But, what if there were another explanation? What if someone from our near future slipped back in time to visit the Grand Sultan during the height of Ottoman rule, making a pit stop in the Empire during World War I to pick up supplies and weapons?

Perhaps the grenade ended up in the wall as it was being built. A good writer could really build a story around that.