Last week, Mediawatch* talked about “mummy bloggers” – women who’ve had children and blog about it. Technically I am one. Unsurprisingly, as I cut down on writing and spend way more time with bodily fluids, my list of blogs that I read is switching from predominantly literary blogs to predominantly parenting blogs. Here are fourContinue reading “Mummy (and Daddy) blogs”
Category Archives: Writing Advice
Less and More
From next week, I’ll be reducing this blog to two days a week – Miscellaneous Mondays (anything from a rant on equal rights to a picture of a cat) and Louisette Wednesdays. I’m hoping this will result in an increase in quality. Either way, I’ve been blogging faithfully for many years as I wait forContinue reading “Less and More”
The changing face of publishing
Here is quite a long and thorough article on how publishing is changing. I picked the bits I found most interesting about the present. . . Indeed, the problem for readers is that regardless of which side you agree with in theory, in practice you probably love the idea of buying books for under $5.00Continue reading “The changing face of publishing”
The long, long road
I know better than most how long it takes for publishers to make a decision on a book that is reasonably well-written and therefore difficult to reject. Right now I have books at two of Australia’s big publishers. One has been there for almost a year; the other has been there for literally years. EvenContinue reading “The long, long road”
Making your book look like a book
In order to get published, some people get their book made up all pretty-like, with binding and cover and all. According to Lyn Price’s article here, those people are just dumb. Well, dumb and annoying. (Okay, I might be making it slightly clearer than she does – she is more well-mannered than I, but herContinue reading “Making your book look like a book”
Should I work for free?
Writing is something that looks super easy from the outside, so a LOT of people give it a try. Many of them get to a certain point and realise they need outside help. That is when they approach professionals in the biz and ask, “Would you mind just. . . . looking at my firstContinue reading “Should I work for free?”
Handy International Resource
This site has a LOT of publishers, and is searchable by genre. It’s somewhat skewed towards the USA and UK, but us antipodeans often publish overseas (for the moolah) anyway.
Don’t be an idiot (warning: some swearing)
The real title here is: Don’t be a shit. If you want to be a professional writer, be polite. No matter what. This article by Chuck Wendig (who has a potty mouth with occasional vivid sexual references – but he sure is worth listening to) is worth reading and obeying. Here’s a bit: Editors andContinue reading “Don’t be an idiot (warning: some swearing)”
Ebooks
Ebooks are a huge deal, it’s true, but in my opinion the appeal of the “Hah! Take THAT, traditional publishing!” story leads to misinformation and exaggeration. Here’s a collection of articles on ebooks. http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2011/01/importance-of-context-part-1.html – ebook reality vs hype AND http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/12/will-you-ever-buy-mostly-e-books.html AND http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/11/top-10-myths-about-e-books.html AND (which I think is an example of some of the extremely rareContinue reading “Ebooks”
The Imaginary Self
Here‘s an article by John Scalzi about the odd experience of being famous. Any published writer is, a little bit, public property (ditto any parent of a baby). “I think she’s essentially correct when she notes that the fictional version people have of you in their heads in more about them than it is aboutContinue reading “The Imaginary Self”
Facebook and regional cultures
[I’m posting this somewhat early due to the fact that my ceiling is being replaced on real-Monday. Just pretend I posted it then, okay?] Here is an article about facebook photos from different parts of the world. Can you guess the results before you read it? I’m sure there’s an article on the culturalContinue reading “Facebook and regional cultures”
Self-Publishing
I’m toying with the idea of self-publishing one of my books online, and I’d welcome your thoughts. It needs to be one that is good, but has been rejected by at least six publishers (sadly, that still gives me a choice of book). Realistically, self-publishing is just a new kind of slushpile, with an evenContinue reading “Self-Publishing”
Making money as a writer
Someone on a writing forum said they “need” to finish their novel, both because the story won’t let them go and because they need the money. This is some of what I said, which clearly not enough people are saying: First rule of writing is never ever write for money. Here’s some reasons, as brieflyContinue reading “Making money as a writer”
Are you almost there?
A lot of writers laugh indulgently at the pile of rambling grammatical errors that is their first book, and try hard not to think too hard about whether or not their current work in progress will be just as eye-rollingly embarrassing a little while down the track. For those who’ve been around the traps forContinue reading “Are you almost there?”
That First Chapter
Chuck Wendig at his blog says: . . . the first chapter serves as an emblem of the whole. It’s got to have a bit of everything. It needs to be representative of the story you’re telling — other chapters deeper in the fat layers and muscle tissue of the story may stray from this,Continue reading “That First Chapter”
Tell a dream, lose a reader
Today’s article is by intern and author Hilary Smith. It’s a fact of life that writers love dreams (especially during National Novel Writing Month, or any other time a lot of words need to appear fast), and readers hate them. Hilary writes three excellent reasons why dreams tend to be rubbish. One thing she forgetsContinue reading “Tell a dream, lose a reader”
Grab them fast
This article is all about your first paragraph. You really should read it all – it’s brilliant, and the lady is speaking from the harrowing experience of having just read over 1500 first paragraphs – most of which were rubbish (she said so, but more politely). Here’s a sentence I particularly liked: If you doContinue reading “Grab them fast”
You’re Not Special
You ARE special, actually, but those long-held dreams of becoming a *gasp* published author? That is not not not unique. In fact it’s common as dirt. I can say this clearer than most, because I’m not actually in the editing/agenting/publishing biz myself, and I therefore have the leeway to be more honest. I am, in short,Continue reading “You’re Not Special”
I disagree
I’ve written elsewhere how much I love the Australian blog Call My Agent! In fact I dreamed about meeting the blogger last night. But today I have some fightin’ instead of flatterin’ to do. Here’s a question Agent Sydney received, with the first bit of the answer: There are publishers now who don’t give advances orContinue reading “I disagree”
Jump on that Bandwagon: My Kindle Epiphany
There is a whole lot of hoohah about e-readers. Some of it is the usual rhetoric about the demise of traditional publishing, which is an emotionally appealing but fictional tale, to which I roll my eyes. People who use e-readers tend to use paper books as well, and the vast majority of readers, including myself,Continue reading “Jump on that Bandwagon: My Kindle Epiphany”