April 2012
7 posts
4 tags
LA Times: Writers wary of action by DOJ →
(Michael) Connelly observes that the DOJ suit seems to be unbalanced. “I believe in fair play. So I feel that if the government is going to step in and put controls on how publishers act to ensure a competitive marketplace, then I hope the government will be just as vigilant in guarding this amazing, creative and important industry from being monopolized by one entity,” he says....
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Second Drafts
I finished the first draft of my novel on December 31st, 2011. After a short break, I am creeping through the second draft.
For me, the first draft is an idea and the second draft is the implementation of that idea. I wasn’t aware how much the story would change from one draft to the next, but now I feel like I am starting over. I’m not, really, but it feels that way.
Writing a...
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Harper Lee's sister gives glimpses of reclusive... →
Not sure if the picture is of Harper Lee or her sister, Alice. But just look at that cigarette. Bad ass.
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iCloud, I'm sorry
Brian: iCloud, come on. Open up.
iCloud: No.
Brian: I'm sorry about what I said this morning.
iCloud: It hurt.
Brian: I know you were just looking out for me.
iCloud: I don't think you do. You think I just lay there like a slug while you do all the work, don't you?
Brian: No, of course not. Why would you say such a thing?
iCloud: You think I just eat random documents for attention. Well, I don't!
Brian: I know that now.
iCloud: You were so determined to "write through this issue" that you couldn't even see that it was garbage. Every last word of it. It was terrible. I just couldn't store those words in my water droplets. This isn't a first draft, Brian. This is the big boy draft. This is the one you show Mom and Dad. This is the "Oh my Gawd, I wish Oprah still had a book club because I know she would pick me" draft.
Brian: I know. I know. I panicked. I was...
iCloud: Say it. I want to hear you say it.
Brian: I was afraid.
iCloud: You're weak. You sicken me.
Brian: I feel so ashamed. I'm... I'm... sorry.
iCloud: Are you? Because I can't keep doing this, Brian. I really can't.
Brian: I really am sorry. Hug?
iCloud: Uh, I'm a bunch of ones and zeros floating around in the sky. That might be kind of hard.
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Lee Child and the "Long Game" →
Nice guys don’t always finish last…
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March 2012
11 posts
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Hitchcock's Definition of Happiness →
“When… you can look forward and the road is clear ahead… and now you’re going to create something. I think that is as happy as I would ever want to be.”
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Final Draft Writer for iPad →
This link is for updates on the development team’s progress. Sounds like they are getting close…
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Typewriters are making a comeback... →
I guess it isn’t just me.
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Just some boring novel →
The Paris Review interviews Bret Easton Ellis in their Spring 2012 issue. On the controversial publication of American Psycho…
But when the book came out a few months later, the controversy stopped. The complaints, the protests, the screaming about what a monster Bret Easton Ellis supposedly was, it all stopped. People finally read the book, and they found out that it wasn’t four...
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A Prayer for Owen Meany →
One of my favorite novels finally makes it to ebook format. A great excuse to reread it.
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Why Don't Consumers Seem to Care About DRM in... →
interactioned:
Mathew Ingram, GigaOM:
It’s one thing when an independent bookstore owner decides not to carry a book for personal reasons, and even when a national chain decides not to stock books because of their subject matter (although those decisions also often get criticized by free-speech advocates, with good reason). But what makes the recent moves by Apple and Amazon and Barnes &...
February 2012
2 posts
3 tags
A look at Jonathan Larson's Word Files →
Doug Reside, Digital Curator of Performing Arts, Library for the Performing Arts at the New York Public Library, discusses his process for preserving Larson’s Word documents. Fascinating.
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Highland - Screenplay Converter →
Just being able to convert PDF files to Final Draft is going to be huge. Huge, I tell you. Currently in beta, but should be shipping through the Mac App Store in the near future.
January 2012
2 posts
3 tags
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December 2011
3 posts
3 tags
The Seduction of Self Publishing →
Chuck Wendig:
The option to self-publish is a compelling one. Seductive, in many ways. On the one hand — holy crap! New option! Totally awesome! On the other hand: is it the best option?
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Inspiration not needed
I didn’t want to write yesterday. I didn’t feel well and was too tired to force my brain to do anything. I thought about opening my manuscript, but I just wasn’t feeling inspired.
As the day went on, I kept thinking about having a zero word count for the day. It was bugging the hell out of me. Finally, last night I caved and opened my manuscript. After three “warm...
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November 2011
18 posts
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The novel Crichton started, longtime fan Preston... →
When Michael Crichton died at the age of 66 in November of 2008, he left behind a pregnant wife, an unpublished novel and the beginnings of another book.
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The Umbrella Man →
Last year, I finally got to meet and interview Tink Thompson. I hope his interview can become the first part of an extended series on the Kennedy assassination. This film is but a small segment of my six-hour interview with Tink.
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Scam
Has anyone else noticed publishers jacking up the prices of ebooks *after* you preorder them?
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What NOT to Blog About →
Great advice from Rachelle Gardner. Keeping this one on file…
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Wired Reviews Kindle Fire →
Overall, performance is slow. Particularly when using the web browser.
The Fire’s processor, a 1GHz dual-core chip, appears all but insufficient for fluid, silky-smooth web browsing, an area where I found performance to be preternaturally slow.
I am interested in the ereader aspect of the device. The quote below rings true of any LCD based reading device, including the iPad.
There’s just...
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Amazon Kindle Fire Screenshots →
Tech Republic has posted screenshots of the new Kindle Fire. The word is that it is not an iPad killer. But I never really thought it would be. The iPad is a potential laptop replacement for some people. I’m not sure the Fire is designed for that. Time will tell.
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Need Permission To Follow Your Dream? →
Great advice from Shelli Johnson:
Don’t spend anymore of your life waiting around & hoping that someone will give their blessing to your goals. You’ll be wasting time ~ days or weeks or maybe even years ~ that you can’t ever get back. Or, even worse, that approval may never come. Give yourself permission & let that be enough.
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Errol Morris Interviews Stephen King →
Speaking of alternate history…
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Writing Exercise - Your Alternate History
I’d love to say that I’m religious about writing exercises. I’m like the Richard Simmons of writing exercises… well, except for the hair… and the shorts… and the actual exercising part…
Okay, I’m not very religious about anything other than procrastination. You can always count on me for that. Regardless, here is an exercise I have used in the past:
Write an alternate...
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Using Targets in Scrivener
If you use Scrivener as your main writing tool, the Project and Session Targets are great ways to track your progress. Watching those progress bars can be a big motivator. I’m talking Tony Robbins style motivation here. Okay, maybe not.
By default, Scrivener uses red, yellow and green to represent start, midway and end, respectively. But that’s boring. Wouldn’t it be better if...
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Mini Goals
I work full time and have two young children at home. It is not possible for me to wake at 4AM and pound out words while guzzling pots of coffee. I can’t just come home from work and barricade myself in my office, expecting my wife to deal with dinner, homework and meltdowns. It would be nice, but I kind of like not living out of my car.
My solution? Baby Steps, Bob Wiley… I mean, mini...
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Harlan Coben's Letter to Penn State →
Dear Penn State: Please do the right thing. Come clean. Totally and completely. There is a time and place for privacy and discretion. This is neither.
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Commitment
It doesn’t matter if you write 5 words a day or 5000 words. All that matters is that you wrote something. It is not about quantity, it is about commitment.
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Perfect Character →
S. Jae-Jones on the Perfect Boy:
The problem with the Perfect Boy is that he never fucks up. Ever. He’s always perfectly good-looking, perfectly the best at whatever it is he’s does, perfectly sensitive and attuned to the female character’s emotional needs, perfectly considerate (even when he’s been an asshole, he is SECRETLY perfectly considerate–really! he just loves you so much he needs to...
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The Future of the Ebook →
What if your book cover could interact with your reader? Drag your mouse over the book cover embedded above to see what the future might look like.
This is cool, but I’m not sure how it could replace a book trailer or even add value to the reading experience. I’d much rather see ebooks become more beautiful on the inside. Sadly, most ebooks look like they were copied and pasted from...
September 2011
1 post
It is hot down here
Starting a new blog because you have something to say is fine. I mean, do they even still call these things blogs anymore?
Starting is a new blog is easy… and in most cases free.
Starting a new blog is like being mute.
Starting a new blog is great until you realize that no one reads it. Because you want people to read it otherwise you would just open up TextEdit and start rambling.
...