The other night I went to hear David Levithan read from The Lover’s Dictionary at Annie Bloom’s Books. The Lover’s Dictionary is, as you may know, a novel in the form of dictionary definitions. It was an excellent reading from a concise and elegant book. The book is especially well-suited to readings, since each entry [...]
Writing
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I put out a call recently for good sources to aid in constructing myths & religion for invented worlds. This was inspired, among other things, by rereading the Earthsea books (backward starting from Tehanu — that experience may get its own post) and being impressed yet again with the density and richness of the world [...]
This may come as a shock, but many writers do not lead lives of adventure and peril. Years ago, I was in a workshop with Pat Murphy, excellent writer and teacher, co-founder of the Tiptree Awards. (And her Wikipedia entry includes the line “See also: Pataphysics.”) Here’s an audio interview wherein she talks, among other things, [...]
Whether or not I travel for the holidays, the end brings a jet-lag, new-time-zone feeling. It’s also a little like moving, since we tend to reconfigure the house significantly to accommodate festivity. My writing desk, for instance, was deployed as a beverage station. I got the desk on May 2, 2009. (I’m able to be this [...]
For a long time, the ideal of Being A Full-Time Writer shone in my head with a gem-like flame. And honestly, it still does to some extent. I dream of publishing more frequently, fear that my readers will forget me between books, lust for the writing time I think would suddenly stretch out before me [...]
So many people have written so well about querying agents that instead of saying “Have a wheel, I just invented it,” (h/t Nisi Shawl) I’m gonna make this one a linky post of linkness. Holly Lisle‘s How to query an agent is straightforward and clear. She reminds the querent to always keep in mind that You [...]
(Parts one and two, in case you missed them.) Convening, considered as an ing on the way to publishing, means attending conferences & conventions for those involved with books and writing in assorted capacities. Some examples with their primary audiences in parentheses: SCBWI (writers and illustrators for kids & teens), ALA (librarians), NCTE (teachers), KidLitCon [...]
(Here’s part one if you missed it.) Wait, you might be thinking. Doesn’t researching start way earlier, like, before finishing? Yes, if you mean research that informs your story. In this case, though, I’m talking about market research. And as I type, it occurs to me that in my first post I neglected to mention [...]
From the mailbag: “I was wondering if you could give me a few hints on how to put myself out there to get published. I feel like I’m bumbling around in the dark trying to figure out the next step to take, and any advice is greatly appreciated.” There are many ings involved along the way to publishing. [...]
I’ve turned in my revisions to the Bad Houses script. This may or may not be the last round of changes. I’m waiting to hear. I’m waiting as I write for Tamora Pierce’s flight to arrive. I always like to be early; knowing that I’m where I’m supposed to be. (Portlanders, do you have tickets [...]
