speculative fiction

Friday Links: Inspiration for a Month of Novel Writing

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, and welcome to the return of Friday Links! If Halloween wishes felt like a good reentry point for the blog, Friday Links makes the perfect follow up. Especially on a day when so many of you are firing up your computers and other writing instruments to get to work for NaNoWriMo.

Vintage-manual-typewriter

Despite my silence here on the blog, I never quite lost the habit of collecting interesting tidbits to share in these Friday posts. I’d clean the metaphorical house occasionally, but I saved quite a few tabs for my inevitable return to blogging. I’m so happy to share these great pages with you now. Especially since a fair few offer up writing advice that might be useful for NaNo. But whether you’re tackling 50,000 words in the next thirty days or just working away on your current project, I hope you find some inspiration. Enjoy, and happy writing!

This Week’s Links:

Putting Your Worst Foot Forward: Why You Should Play to Your Weaknesses as an Author. — Some excellent thoughts on why you shouldn’t only write the things you’re good at writing.

25 of the Best Literary and Book Podcasts for Book Lovers. – A nice round-up with something here for every taste.

George Saunders on the Best Writing Advice He’s Ever Received. – A few words of wisdom to keep in mind as you write.

Thank You for Calling the Writer Envy Helpline. – A little bit of humor but also an excellent reminder that you need to focus on your own page and not worry what that other guy is doing.

Who Needs an MFA When You Have This Literary Fiction Trope List? – More humor. I wouldn’t recommend using too many of these, but they make great filler inspiration when you’re having a tough NaNo day. (Just remember to edit, later.)

Is Line Editing a Lost Art? – A look at this important stage of the editorial process (and a good reason why you should hold onto anyone who has a knack for it).

Why Are Writers Particularly Drawn to Tarot? – Interesting as pertains to writers, but also something to think about when your characters are misbehaving on the page.

What’s the Worst that Could Happen? – Several authors discuss their contributions to an anthology of speculative fiction and what it’s like to write stories that look at the ways technologies and social change are affecting our world and near future.

 

Friday Links: Writing Inspiration Through Example

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, all! Apologies for the late post, but I was at the main Knight Agency office for a team meeting this week. As a result, I spent most of today on an airplane headed home, and then stuck in good old Friday afternoon Los Angeles traffic. That said, I do have links for you, and I hope you find them a good kick off for this holiday weekend here in the U.S. (Monday is President’s Day.) and the regular weekend everywhere else. There should be plenty of writing inspiration to get your creativity flowing. Due to the late hour — and the fact that I’m nearly ready to fall into bed — I’m just going to jump right to it. Enjoy, and happy writing!

The Perfect Notepads for Traveling Writers – Fun pads based  on literary/filmic hotels.

From ‘The Remains of the Day’ to ‘A Clockwork Orange,’ Bestselling Books Written in Six Weeks or Less – A bit of writerly inspiration.

The Speculative Fiction of UB Faculty Member Nnedi Okorafor – A look at the writer’s work and inspirations.

Writers to Watch Spring 2016: Anticipated Debut Fiction – A peek at some fabulous sounding new titles on the horizon.

Is it Worth Writing? – Thoughts on completing projects that might not sell, from author Jami Attenberg.

Shakespeare Solos – Video clips of some fantastic performances from a number of Shakespeare’s plays.

Ian McDonald Explores What it Takes to Develop a Society on the Moon – For sff fans, or anyone curious about the concept of inhabiting another planet.

Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

TGIF! I hope you all had a terrific week and made some excellent plans for the weekend! The weather appears to be doing strange things all over the country right now, so it might be a great weekend to stay inside with a good book and/or work on your current writing project. Whatever you’re up to, I hope you enjoy the links I’ve lined up for today. At the very least, they should make for some good Friday-afternoon distraction. Happy writing!

How Will I Live? Fame, Money, Day Jobs, and Fiction Writing – An interesting look at what makes the perfect day job for a writer.

Latino Spec Fiction, April 2015 – A wonderful roundup of new speculative fiction by Latino authors for those of you looking to broaden your horizons and/or diversify your to-read list.

Her Stinging Critiques Propel Young Adult Bestsellers – A profile of Julie Strauss-Gabel, an editor at Dutton Children’s Books and the power behind numerous recent successful YA titles.

Competitions for Writers, May and June 2015 – A list of upcoming contests, prizes, etc. for writers.

Vladimir Nabokov on What Makes a Good Reader – The author’s thoughts on how to get the most out of your reading.