What I’m reading
NaNo has started and I’ve got a lot going on so my reading has slowed down. That said, I’m currently taking in Fast Ships, Black Sails, a pirate-focused anthology that has some wonderful tales in it so far, some quite creepy, but still wonderful.
Submitting
I’ve varied between calling myself an optimistic realist and a realistic optimist most of my life with few segues into pessimism. Personally, this works for me. The world is a big, complicated place. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, and that overwhelmed feeling can quickly turn to negativity. Not only is this potentially damaging to the psyche, but in the modern world where communication is just a click away, it can also impact how other people see you, as in this post:
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-avoid-getting-agent.html
A couple weeks ago, I passed on one agent’s take on the perfect query letter. The week following, I added a few others, mainly because I wanted to point out how individual they were. I don’t know what has been happening of late, but there seems an underlying theme of pushing against so many hoops to jump through, and this post from Holly Root sums it all up nicely (in her opinion of course).
http://waxmanagency.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/with-a-boulder-of-salt/
And then Nathan Bransford chimed in:
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/11/get-big-stuff-right.html
An editor’s response to the concept that editors hold the power over writers’ dreams:
http://editorialanonymous.blogspot.com/2009/11/fragile-contains-dreams-please-do-not.html
Though a little scary to those of us who want to be able to write in a number of genres, even if some time in the distant future, this post talks about one writer’s experience, desperation, and that writers should stay focused on their goals rather than settling.
http://apparentlyaprilynne.blogspot.com/2009/10/firsts.html
A look at the optimum query length not as a set amount but rather as it relates to effectively conveying the book.
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2009/11/query-length.html
Give yourself the leeway to make, and learn from, mistakes. Risk avoidance is the best way to get nowhere. This post really speaks to me as I’ve decided to be less conservative in my querying approach. I’m still going to target specific agents, but I’m not going to limit the submissions and then wait years for responses as I have been in some cases. My book is ready. I’m sure of it. I just have to find the right agent, and that could take an eon if I’m so cautious.
http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2008/04/make-more-mistakes-not-fewer.html
A good list of questions to ask interested agents. Remember that this is a business partnership you want to be satisfied with. You want it to last:
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2009/05/questions-to-ask-agent.html
Keep a few pages handy at all times when you might bump into an agent, according to Janet Reid.
http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2007/11/forget-what-you-learned-in-kindergarten.html
Suggestions for interacting with agents and editors:
http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/following-the-rules-agents-and-editors/
One author’s take on why agents are critical:
http://www.staciakane.net/2009/11/12/yes-virginia-you-need-an-agent/
Writing
Tips on chapter endings from Gail Carson Levine:
http://gailcarsonlevine.blogspot.com/2009/11/end-of-chapter.html
Tips on ways to make your characters sound unique
http://io9.com/5379280/all-your-characters-talk-the-same–and-theyre-not-a-hivemind
Lovely flowchart on when to use an apostrophe (and even managed to get the “ends in ‘s'” part right:
http://apostrophe.me/
Can friendship become the new default relationship in books? New/old that is, since the trend to romantic love has not always been there.
http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=58252
Science
Wonderful Mars pictures, but warning heavy on images so slow loading.
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/11/martian_landscapes.html
For those of us disgruntled at the Pluto decision, here’s Pluto’s perspective on it.
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/culturelab/2009/11/pluto-im-a-planet-damn-it.php
This is especially interesting to me because I am smell sensitive the way some people are color and sound sensitive, with my wires crossed. The more we understand how these memories are stored, the closer we are to understanding me :).
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18132-why-smells-from-childhood-mean-so-much.html
Promoting
Suggestions for blog material:
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/11/05/12-types-of-stories-you-can-tell-on-your-blog/