Friday Links: The Spring Fever Edition

Welcome to Friday! I have a readathon this weekend, which has me very excited, although a part of me questions how this is different than just about any other weekend. It’s just a more formal version of my favorite way to spend the weekend, with added on permission to ignore the laundry until the readathon is complete.

So what do you all have planned for your weekend? Spring keeps coming and going in various parts of the country so I find it hard to know who can escape outdoors and who is going to be curling up with a book and hot chocolate. But it still feels like time for spring fever, that twitchiness that makes you want to romp and play.

Whatever you have on your schedule, I hope you pencil in a bit of writing time. Maybe peek at those goals for your year and chip away at something. Regardless, have a good one and enjoy!

Chorus Lines – One writer explains how his experiences in the theater made him a better writer.

The Secret History of Jane Eyre: Charlotte Brontë’s Private Fantasy Stories – In honor of the anniversary of the author’s birth, a look at the fantastical stories she wrote in private before she became published.

Stephen King Used These 8 Writing Strategies to Sell 350 Million Books – A great cheat sheet for the key points King mentions in his book, On Writing. I recommend the entire book, but these are also a wonderful reference for daily use.

Structure: What Writers Can Learn from Visual Artists – An interesting approach to filling in the blanks of your story.

One-Sitting Books Perfect for a Readathon – Or for anyone pressed for time. Some great picks here, and I actually read a couple during previous readathons.

Opportunities for Writers: May and June 2016 – A list of places to submit or enter your work with deadlines coming up in the next couple of months.

2016 Pulitzer Prize Winners – A list of winners in all of this year’s categories. If you haven’t read the Kathryn Schultz piece for The New Yorker, I recommend it.

Modern Retellings of Shakespeare for Every Reader – In honor of the anniversary of the playwright’s death, a fun collection of works inspired by his plays.

Friday Links

I was tempted to make this the first-day-of-spring edition, but none of the links I have are particularly spring-like, and also it’s only spring for half the planet, so… I’ll just be happy for Friday and call it a day.

It’s one of those jam-packed, work-filled weekends for me. I’m on vacation week after next, which means I have a longer-than-usual laundry list (in addition to actual laundry) and never enough time. But I hope you all have some fun plans for the next couple of days, whether you’re getting into the swing of slightly better weather, gearing up for fall, or shoveling yet more snow. Reading and writing are excellent activities no matter it’s doing outside, so be sure to squeeze some of those in as well.

But first, I have links! I hope they inspire and entertain. Enjoy!

Stephen King to Share Writing Tips in New Short Story Collection – Each story will feature details about how he wrote it, where the idea came from, etc.

Small Batch Edition: On Loving Romance with Sarah Wendell – Some romance chat and recommendations by way of NPR.

Potter DIY: Marauder’s Map – A fun weekend project for children of all ages.

Publication Opportunities for Writers: April and May 2015 – Calls for work etc. with deadlines in the next couple of months.

Five Ways Being a Writer and a Professional Skateboarder Are the Same – Proof that writing about what you know can sometimes lead to something fun and different.

Friday Links

Happy Friday! It’s the first weekend since fall officially arrived (in the northern hemisphere), and I’m looking forward to some cooler days ahead. Er… relatively speaking. I am still in Southern California.

But regardless, fall brings to mind reading and writing, books and shiny school supplies. It’s deeply imbedded in my psyche at this point. All I have to do is eyeball the enormous stack of books that has made its way into my apartment this month to know it’s pointless to fight my compulsion. So I plan to spend my weekend reading. First some submissions, and then some books with covers.

However, right now I’ve got links to share! I hope they inspire you to some creative endeavor this weekend, or send you scrambling for a good read. Enjoy!

An African Reading List – Great roundup of suggested titles/authors listed by country in Africa, with more suggestions in the comments. Especially handy for anyone looking to diversify their reading by adding in authors of color, women, or writers of different backgrounds.

The Longing of the Collector – A look at the book Curiosity’s Cats: Writers on Research, which collects a series of essays by different kinds of writers on their research habits and experiences.

How Stephen King Teaches Writing – Some words of wisdom from the prolific author with great information on his approach to both writing and teaching writing.

Romance Unlaced: Beyond Britain’s Shores – A look at historical romance novels and why, exactly, they tend to take place in England and Scotland, plus how some have broken the pattern.

Teju Cole’s Rules on Writing – A list of wonderful tips and things to consider, some familiar but worth repeating, and others a little different.

Friday Links

Another Friday. I’m honestly not sure where the week went. But I do have a good collection of links to distract you today and through the weekend. A few in particular I’m hoping will inspire you to get some writing time in between your chores and barbecues and other weekend-ish activities. Enjoy, and happy writing!

Will Social Media Kill Writers’ Diaries? – An interesting question regarding the way tech has changed the writer’s habit of journaling and sending letters.

Mass-Market Marathon – This series at Slate follows one reader as he attempts to plow through a stack (23) of mass-market paperbacks during his week-long beach vacation. I’ll admit to envying him time for his experiment.

30 Indispensable Tips from Famous Authors – A fun collection with some excellent advice, as well as proof that sometimes it’s necessary to do what works for you.

Stephen King’s Family Business – A look at how many writers you can squeeze into one family.

Disneyland’s Steampunk Land that Almost Was – For you steampunk fans, a look back at plans for a Steampunk portion of Disneyland that never got off the ground. Includes great pictures of the original plans, etc.

Friday Links

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you had a lovely week. Personally, I’m not quite sure where it went.

A quick reminder: I am temporarily closing to new submissions starting tomorrow, June 1st. You can find all the details in my announcement post from earlier this week. This does not mean I’m no longer seeking new clients, but simply that I have a pretty serious backlog of submissions in the queue and I really have to work my way through them without more piling up as I go. I’ll reopen to submissions again as soon as things are a bit more under control.

But you’re all here for Friday links, so let’s get to them. Quite a few this week, so I hope there’s something for everyone. Enjoy, and have a fabulous weekend. Happy writing!

How to Get Permission to Use Song Lyrics in Your Book – You know those quotes you like to insert? Not so fast. A nice guest post regarding permissions.

A Rare Interview with Master Storyteller Stephen King – Not sure how rare these really are, but it’s a good interview, and he addresses why he chose to go paper (and audio) only with his new book — no digital.

Work in Progress: How to Read a Novelist – Preview of a book on author profiles, focusing on Jeffrey Eugenides.

Inspired Cincinnati: The Library that Never Closes – Put up your own mini lending library and share books with your neighbors. (Thanks to Susan for the link.)

Vintage Typewriters Find New Life – I know several people who collect old manual typewriters, so I found this article charming.

SummerFest 2013 – Writing software company Literature and Latte (makers of Scrivener) have a sale going on until June 14th. Get 20% off their popular software offerings, including Scrivener and the new Scrapple — a mind-mapping program. Great deal. (No, I have no affiliation, I’m just a fan of the programs.)

Linkage Love

Happy Friday! Hope you’ve all had a terrific week and will have a bit of time to relax this weekend. As for me, I’ve pretty much been reading client work all week, and I’m staring down a weekend of submissions. The in-box is calling my name!

For those of you looking for inspiration or amusement or just something to help you kill a few hours before quitting time, I offer up an assortment of links. Enjoy!

The Top 10 Books Lost to Time — An interesting list of works we know (or are pretty sure) existed, but have somehow vanished over the years.

Man Jailed for Theft of Manuscripts — The motivation behind this is fascinating.

Post-40 Bloomers: Yvvette Edwards and A Cupboard Full of Coats – The first installment of great new column at The Millions featuring writers who published their first book when they were over 40 (because why should those under-30 authors get all the hype?).

Stephen King Reads — Listen to a chapter of his upcoming sequel to THE SHINING, DOCTOR SLEEP.