September 2016

Friday Links, Absent a Clever Subtitle, Because My Writer’s Brain Is on Strike

Nephele Tempest

In case it hasn’t been obvious from the unusual level of quiet around here, I’ve been having a bit of a nose-to-grindstone month. My apologies for the shortage of posts but there’s only so much brain power to go around and it’s being funneled into a few other things right now. I hope October will give me time to be a bit chattier.

However it is Friday, which means Friday Links, and I definitely have some of those to share. I think there’s a decidedly autumnal flavor this week, unsurprising given tomorrow is the first day of October. Think of it as the literary equivalent of pumpkins everywhere. Or maybe it’s just that ongoing back-to-school vibe. I’m still feeling the need to go buy new notebooks and pens. Maybe over the weekend.

So without further ado I’m going to get right to the links. Fair number of titles to plump up that TBR, among other things. Enjoy, and don’t forget to work a little writing time into your schedule. Happy weekend!

The Haunting of Shirley Jackson – On ghosts and literary traps.

Amor Towles, A Gentleman in Gramercy Park – A brief profile with some gorgeous photos of the author’s NYC apartment. His office will give you bookcase envy. Also, his debut novel, Rules of Civility, which came out a few years back, is one of the most beautifully written books I’ve read in years. I’m twitching to find time to read his latest.

Shakespeare Lives 2016 – The Globe in London streamed a live performance of their recent production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream a few weeks ago, and you can still view the video on the site.

Win a Writer’s Retreat in Iceland – Details on how to enter to win a free spot at the Iceland Writers Retreat.

The Time I Wrote a 150,000-Word Pulp Novel in a Month to Win a Bet – A fun tale with some interesting details about the pulp genre. Perhaps inspiration for anyone gearing up for NaNoWriMo in November.

Tana French’s Intimate Crime Fiction – A profile that looks at what French has brought to the genre with her popular Dublin Murder Squad series.

Hollywood’s 25 Most Powerful Authors 2016 – Mostly who you’d expect, though there are a few nice surprises. Still, an uncomfortably white selection of writers, though a fair number of women have managed to make the list.

 

Friday Links: Resources for Writers Getting Down to Basics

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, everyone! This week has simply flown by and I have a huge pile of things to get done today, particularly since my new iPhone is supposedly on the truck for delivery, which means I’m having a technology update sort of weekend. Not only does the phone need to be set up, but my new computer is sitting in a box on the floor staring at me, waiting patiently for me to take a day to sort through four years of file accumulation (and email!) and migrate what I want to keep to the new machine. So that’s my exciting weekend plan. Come Monday I will be thoroughly modern and up-to-date. At least until Apple releases the new OS.

I’ll admit the good thing about this plan, other than a phone battery that will hold a charge more than half a day and a computer that moves with a bit more pep, is that file migration takes time. Time during which I can lie on the couch and read. I have a stack of books I’m twitching to get to, so I’m hoping to tackle one or two this weekend as well. I never quite outgrew that feeling of September signaling that it’s time to head back to school, which means my brain really wants to crawl into study mode for the next few months. This is probably about as close as I can get.

Of course, I have Friday Links for all of you, so whatever plans you’ve got brewing this weekend, take a few minutes to check these out. There are some writing tips, places to submit your work, and of course a few reading recommendations because at the end of the day, it’s all about the great books. In particular, there are some terrific links for anyone just starting out or who is looking to get back to the basics with their writing. I hope you find some inspiration here. Wishing you a wonderful weekend, and happy writing!

Katie Khan on Choosing the Perfect Name for a Novel – On that pesky chore of deciding on a title for your book.

The Millions Quiz: The Best Political Fiction – Some great book recommendations for anyone who can’t get enough of the political scene, or maybe for anyone wanting to hide from the current U.S. campaign chaos.

The 7 Biggest Mistakes Personal Essay Writers Make – Great tips for anyone looking to master (or publish) this format.

Opportunities for Writers: October and November 2016 – A great list of contests, calls for work, and other places where you can submit your writing, with deadlines over the next couple of months.

How to Be a Writer: 10 Tips from Rebecca Solnit – Solnit offers excellent advice on various aspects of the writing career and process.

10 Books on the American Immigrant Experience – A wonderfully diverse list of titles featuring the experiences of immigrants in America.

Start Writing Fiction: A Free Online Course Starts 3 October – An online course on writing fiction, offered for free by Open University, kicks off October 3rd.

Friday Links: Make Writing (and Reading) a Priority

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s a crisp fall-like morning here in SoCal (though we’re definitely looking at summer temperatures by lunchtime), and it has me completely energized. Which is a great thing, given my laundry list of to-dos for the weekend. I have serious plans involving work-related reading, a library visit to donate books, a fun run on the calendar for Saturday morning, dust bunnies to battle, and if I’m very good, a bit of time with my personal TBR stack. Depending on the whims of the weather, I will try to spend at least part of my reading time outdoors, because this week was nose-to-grindstone and I’m feeling pale and confined.

So what do you all have plotted out for this weekend? Chores? Family jaunt? Time with a good book? I hope you have at least a little writing time scouted out. Remember that putting it on your official calendar/schedule/day-planner/whatever can be very helpful when it comes to maintaining that commitment to yourself. If it’s important to you, make it a priority. Don’t let the other responsibilities of life throw you off your goals.

While you’re busy scheduling your next couple of days, be sure to leave a little window of time for checking out this week’s links. I’ve got a great lineup and I hope you find them entertaining, edifying, and just plain inspirational. Enjoy, and happy writing!

21 Novels by Women to Add to Your TBR This Fall – Great list. I’m itching to read more than a few of these.

This Ebook Publisher Doesn’t Have Authors. It Has Writers’ Rooms – A peek at the concept and the people behind Serial Box.

Introducing: Bookselling in the 21st Century – A new series from Lithub about independent bookstores.

2016 National Book Awards Longlists – This year’s nominated books, by category. Yes, more things to add to your already topping TBR pile.

Craft Thoughts: Why You Should Edit As You Write – One theory on the writing/editing process from Lincoln Michel.

Roald Dahl: Long-lost poem recovered by Tyrone school – Yet more unknown work by an author of note coming to light after years. This seems to be a weekly occurrence, but I say keep them coming.

My Best Writing Tip by William Boyd, Jeanette Winterson, Amit Chaudhuri, and more – Pretty much as described. Nice round up, followed by a few additional tips from an agent and an editor.

How to Interview a Writer (and How to Be Interviewed) – Some helpful tips for any of you running blogs and/or podcasts, or who have been invited to guest on one by someone else.

Friday Links: Inspiration to Get Your Writer Brain in Gear

Nephele Tempest

Another Friday has arrived, and with it that sense that it’s time to get busy. The holidays are already in sight — if you judge by retailers, Halloween is moments away — and with them come all sorts of new distractions and obligations. So now is the time to set yourself in writing mode — whatever that means for your current project. Need to do some plotting? Have a list of research questions to tackle? Ready to pull something out of the drawer and get down to a serious edit? Or maybe you’ve been procrastinating getting those first sentences down on an empty first page. Whatever your goal, wherever you stand, it’s time to leap. Think how accomplished you will feel once you’ve made that next bit of progress.

This week’s links are rather a hodgepodge of different sorts of inspiration. Things to read, authors to admire, new ground to cover, and hints to help polish your work. In many ways, it’s my favorite sort of week because diverse links make for more connections with all of you, and also provide plenty of ways for you to stretch your writer brains. So take a look and see what strikes your fancy. Enjoy, and happy writing!

Planes Flying Over a Monster: The Writing Life in Mexico City – An armchair tour of the writing community in Mexico City.

6 Books that Get What It’s Like to Work Online – With more and more people working from home and using the internet as place of employment, these titles are relatable on many levels. Plus they’re just good reads.

Against Accessibility: On Robert Irwin, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Imbolo Mbue’s “Behold the Dreamers” – A commentary on the somewhat narrow selection of modern African fiction available to Western readers.

How non-English speakers are taught this crazy English grammar rule you know but have never heard of – Fascinating look at this more intuitive aspect of English grammar structure.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Final Unpublished Collection Set for Spring 2017 Release – Yet another “lost” work by a revered writer.

Lisa Lucas Wants to Make Reading Fun Again – An interview with the new(ish) director of the National Book Foundation, in which she discusses her goals and her attitude toward reading.

100 African Writers of SFF: Part One, Nairobi – Not just a list of authors and/or books, but information about the country and profiles that include background, influences, etc.

The Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Steps to a Successful Writing Habit with Simon Van Booy – Information about the author’s new self-paced writing course available on Skillshare.com, for anyone who wants a little kick in the pants.

Friday Links: Writing Inspiration for a Long Weekend

Nephele Tempest

This week I’m wondering not just how it got to be Friday, but how it got to be September. I swear, the earth is spinning just a little bit faster every year. If you haven’t already, you might want to take an hour or so to check in on your writing goals for 2016, and reassess your plan going forward. We’re officially two-thirds of the way through this year and I think it’s pretty clear that time waits for no one.

Here in the U.S., we’re heading into the long Labor Day weekend, which means final BBQs of the season, mad dashes to the beach, and just general enjoyment of the last unofficial gasps of summer. Whether you’re relaxing over the holiday or simply heading into a normal couple of days off, I hope you find some of the following links fun and inspirational. If you’re too busy playing beach volleyball to spend any time on the internet, well, they’ll be waiting for you a few days from now as well. Of course, if you plan to get in some writing time, they might come in handy. Enjoy!

A Writer’s Guide to Hacking the Reader’s Brain (in 5 Steps) – Thoughts on what makes a story really work for your reader.

The Lost Art of Custom Illustrating Your Favorite Books – Intriguing peek at a time when illustrated books were costly, so readers came up with less-pricy solutions.

How the Brontës Came Out as Women – All three sisters started out with masculine pen names; a look at when that changed.

An Illustrated Guide to Writing Scenes and Stories – Handy tips from writer Jeff VanderMeer, with some fun accompanying illustrations.

Langston Hughes’ Harlem Home May Get Its Own Renaissance — As an Art Center – Details pertaining to the recent effort to preserve the poet’s historic Harlem-area home.

6 Podcast Episodes that Will Make You a Better Writer – A nice assortment of podcasts that specifically address ways to improve your writing or provide excellent examples of a technique done well.

The Great Booksellers Fall 2016 Preview – A list of some of the most anticipated titles coming out over the next few months, touted by the people who know. I’m personally chomping at the bit for Amor Towles’ A Gentleman in Moscow.