research

Links for Friday

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, everyone! I am buried under tons of client reading right now, but I’ve still got some fun and educational links to share. Hope you enjoy them, and that you all have a terrific weekend!

London Bookshops Do Not Disappoint – A great look at some fabulous bookstores across London. These make me want to hop a plane…

Pub Sprawl – How various publishers are adapting for the new tablet market.

New York City Portrayed Online in 870,000 Images – Great resource for anyone researching NYC.

Sites We Like: Paper and Salt – A look at a website that celebrates and attempts to recreate the food described in literature, from diaries and letters to works of fiction.

The Ongoing Problem of Race in YA – An excellent article, and a good follow-up to my post earlier this week of Chimamanda Adichie’s Ted Talk.

Links for Friday

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, everyone! My weekend is fair on bursting with work and obligations of all sorts, but I’m happy to say that I have my usual link round up for you all. Whether you’re having a leisurely couple of days or on the run already, I hope you have a few minutes to check these out. Either way, have a lovely weekend. Enjoy!

Write like Jane Austen – Get modern words translated into period-appropriate Jane-Austen speak.

Regency Place Name Generator – An excellent companion to the link above.

Yale Introduces Another 7 Free Online Courses – Looking to expand your mind? Free online university courses might be the ticket.

Slush Pile Hell – Next time you’re cursing literary agents, remember that we see this stuff every day. In multiples.

Neil Gaiman Interviews Stephen King – Just what it says.

Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, everyone! Not sure where the week went. Not sure where the month went, to be honest. Time just keeps flying along. So, here’s wishing you all a lovely weekend, productive or restful or whatever makes you smile. Meanwhile, I’ve a few fun and informative links for you to check out. Enjoy!

An Attempt at a Definition of a “MFA Story” – What people mean when they throw around this term.

Writing Advice from Anne Lamott – Some wisdom from the author of BIRD BY BIRD and other favorites.

Do We Need Stories? – I suspect you know my answer, but Tim Parks has some interesting thoughts.

Rethinking the Literature Classroom – A look at how we approach the teaching of books.

Ghosts Are Real, At Least in Publishing – In response to the recent discussion of the use of ghost writers for celebrity cookbooks, one ghost writer talks about the various levels of assistance these writers provide.

Literary Style: 15 Writers’ Bedrooms – A fun range of decor and authors both. I’m partial to Hemingway’s bed…

Deb Marlowe on Regency Gardens – Some lovely photos as well as information — great for anyone who reads or writes Regency-era historical novels.

Links to End the Week

Nephele Tempest

Technically these are also links to end the year, but I don’t feel like they’re quite that earth shattering, so I’ll be back tomorrow with a final post for 2011. In the meantime, I hope you’re all enjoying these last few days before 2012 rolls into town, and that the holiday season has treated you well.

Writers participating in my challenge for December, bravo to all of you for your progress. Even if you missed a few days here and there, it sounds as if many of you accomplished far more this month than you might have otherwise, which was just what I was hoping to inspire. Check back in January for additional pep talks to keep you going when your motivation feels a bit sluggish.

Without further ado, some links for your entertainment. Enjoy!

7 Creepiest Abandoned Zoos on Earth – Not particularly related to writing, but these images are just too intriguing not to share. And who knows, they might spark some writing inspiration!

Outlining Ghostbusters – An interesting look at the story structure of the film, much of which applies to any type of narrative.

Graphic Novel App Brings Dickensian London to Life – As a big lit dork, I find this fascinating.

The Best Books of 2011 You Haven’t Read – Some interesting, different reading suggestions.

 

Weekend Reading

Nephele Tempest

I’m heavily into my submissions pile right now. Between the approaching hurricane and the approaching holiday weekend, things in the New York publishing world are a little bit quiet at the moment, and I’m taking advantage to try and clear out my inbox. So it’s safe to say that my weekend reading plans revolve primarily around unpublished materials, though if I can find time and energy to steal from that particular project, I might stick my nose into a book with a cover. Not certain what yet; something from one of the teetering to-read piles littering my apartment. I’ve promised myself personal reading time over Labor Day, however, so there’s less sense of urgency than there is regarding the submissions.

“Caught up” is something of a mythical state of being for an agent. The reality is that you can only find yourself somewhat less behind, with fewer manuscripts awaiting your immediate attention. They never all go away. I suppose if I stopped taking submissions for a period of time and just read what I have right now, I could technically get to the bottom of the pile, but that’s never going to happen. Why would I risk missing out on something fabulous that a writer is off polishing right this very minute? The goal is to discover those fabulous works, the next talented writer, and so I continue to accept submissions, anything that sounds like it will push my buttons–like it might be the next manuscript to keep me glued to my seat for an entire day, unable to stop reading.

So that’s what I’m reading this weekend. Partial and full manuscripts, with my fingers crossed. But I do have some links for you, some fun things you might like to check out or read, ranging from whimsy to food for thought. Enjoy, and happy weekend! East coasters, stay safely out of the hurricane’s path, and those of you in my neck of the woods (heatwave central), stay cool!

Jorges Luis Borges Gets a Google Doodle – This made me smile. Google honored the author’s 112th birthday this week.

Revaluing the Book – A great interview with Richard Nash, former head of Soft Skull Press, who now heads up Cursor, the social media platform for writers, as well as its new imprint Red Lemonade.

Mapping London’s underground rivers – Just fun, but also a potentially useful research tool.

Shutting the Drawer: What Happens When a Book Doesn’t Sell? – A great essay from Edan Lepucki over at The Millions on how to handle it when your manuscript ends up back in that bottom drawer.

Fall Books – A fun list from The Huffington Post, including some highly anticipated titles for kids.

20 Celebrities with Stunning Home Libraries – I love this. I will say that my favorites are Nigella Lawson’s (whose book stacks looking shockingly similar to my own) and Keith Richards’s (I covet his lovely chaise).