Hello, writers. I'm still deep in revisionland. Have just finished a major hatchet-job and am now at the stage where my favorite scenes no longer fit and I hate the whole thing.
Which is to say right on schedule, but I got nothing.
Fortunately the best thing about Write On! is the commenters, so let's play this game...
You Might Be A Writer If...
(Here're mine. Please show us yours.)
- Most of the major crises in your life include a moment of you thinking "I wonder if I can use this?"
- You talk to yourself in public.
- You talk to yourself in private.
- You sleep with a notebook.
- You wake up with a pen sticking into your ear.
- Noisy characters keep you awake at night.
- You mean to take days off, but you keep forgetting.
- The last time you cleaned your house, Bush was president.
(Augh! Was Bush ever really president?) Anyway, looking forward to hearing yours...
Write On! will be a regular Thursday feature (8 pm ET) until it isn't. Be sure to check out other great lit'ry diaries like:
sarahnity's books by kossacks on Tuesdays
plf515's What Are You Reading? on Wednesday mornings.
cfk's Book Flurries on Wednesday nights.
Your happy writing links for the week:
The charming and erudite Pico is hosting a discussion of Ulysses (the Irish one, not the Greek one) beginning August 1st. Sign up here.
The current fuss in the publishing world is about the Wylie Agency's deal with amazon, which bypasses publishers.
Nicola Morgan offers a self-editing guide. My favorite: "If you can leave it out and retain the same meaning, do."
Rachelle Gardner on why persistence isn't always the answer.
Anne Mini dissects the as-you-know-Bob in all its dialogue-destroying horror.
Is your protagonist smart enough?
Problems with writing in the present tense.
Here's an article on niche marketing your book. Does it work? I don't know.
Also, The Intern on marketing your book.
The Rejectionist on maintaining your writerly self-esteem when the form rejections are pouring in.
Never, ever sign anything with any agent or publisher whom you haven't checked out at Writer Beware or Preditors and Editors. If you can't find anything on the publisher there, that's not good news.