Friday, 18 of May of 2012
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I moved Pop Culture Curmudgeon to WordPress last week so that I could compare the two services.
So far, I like the design of wordpress and the built-in stats tools. But, Blogger offers more functionality, with the ability to use javascript widgets. I know that wordpress.org and hosted WordPress blogs offer more functionality, but as far a free blog tools go, I’m leaning toward Blogger for now.
Which do you use? And, why?
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
As writers, we must also be voracious readers, right?
Those of us who focus on horror/supernatural/paranormal themes (as I do in my paranormal romance writing) might want to participate in this reading challenge. The gist is that over the course of the year you have to read six different books the fall under six different categories and you must read at least six different authors. The books can overlap categories, so tracking is manageable.
I’m adding my reading list to my sidebar so I can track it over the year.
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
Last year, I wrote a short story and asked a good friend to read it. I chose her because she likes vampires and romance and all of that fun stuff.
The story contained the first sex scene I’d ever written, so I was a little nervous sharing it. She gave me her feedback about the plot and the writing–mainly positive–and suggested some parts that needed to be fleshed out. A few weeks later, she confessed that she had let her husband read it and that I should feel free to send any similar stories her way because they had the best sex ever. I was a little embarrassed and a little proud.
After that, I realized that the story was actually part of a much bigger story, and it became the first chapter in my current WIP. As I worked to capture the rest of the story, I forgot about our conversation until a couple months later, when my friend announced that she was nine weeks pregnant.
She and her husband have been trying to get pregnant since they got married three years ago. One of the biggest obstacles was finding time for sex–they work different schedules, so the weekends are the only time they are both awake and raring to go at the same time. I am glad that I gave them a little inspiration to reach their goal. But still a little embarrassed.
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
Glamour has announced a birthday special of $1.50 for a year-long subscription. Will more magazines try to beef up their subscriptions by offering rock-bottom prices? They have to do something to ensure that advertisers see the value of their pages.
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
E-reads: Penetrating the Mystery of E-book Pricing
Ever wonder why e-books are priced the way they are? Wonder no more. This article provides an interesting look at pricing models and their basis in print pricing models.
IPod Touch, iPhone Join Kindle’s Book Club
The Kindle store is becoming slightly more inclusive by offering a free app for iPod Touch and iPhone. Will this move keep Apple from developing their own ebook reader?
Genachowski Named to Head FCC
The new FCC head has a long history in tech and is supportive of net neutrality and expansion of broadband service. What does that mean for our industry?
Ask the Editor: Should I Self-Publish?
Self-publishing has a bit of a stigma among writers, but this post gives some good reasons it might be the right choice for a particular writer or project.
Beta Readers: Are They Useful?
L.J. Sellers shares her experience with beta readers. She has had some good and some bad. Have you used beta readers? Do you have any tips to make the experience successful?
Forward Motion for Writers
SF writer Holly Lisle has provided some tips and tricks for fledgling writers in this sub-section of her website.
How to Drum Up Motivation When You Don’t Feel Like Writing
Just do it.
Special Focus on #queryfail
Did you follow queryfail on Twitter last week? If not, you can go back and view the tweets by searching for #queryfail at twitter.com. And read these stories about the good and the bad opinions of the exercise.
Happy Monday. Let’s all have a great week writing!
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
This is way exciting!
(I’m not normally one for the exclamation points, but I think it’s understandable in this case.)
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
Last weekend, The Guild creator Felicia Day tweeted that her dad had bought her a Kindle. Yay, now she can buy all the novels she was embarrassed to be seen reading.
That made me think about book cover art. Romances are huge in e-books, and I firmly believe cover art is a big reason why. I posted a while back about how put off I am by some book covers. I may enjoy reading the books, but I don’t enjoy people seeing me on my lunch hour reading from a novel with a cheesy romantic coupling or typical male sex symbol on the cover. It’s just not my style–I like a little more subtlety.
Some romance readers and writers spend a lot of time justifying their chosen genre. Would they have to justify so much if the covers were less, dare I say, cheesy? Do the covers appeal widely to romance readers? Would romance readers buy a book that had a more subtle cover?
Let me know if you love your Fabio-style covers. I’m always willing to hear that I’m full of it.
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
I have spent way too much time lately either staring at my WIP and wishing I was typing or surfing, twittering, and facebooking as a means of procrastinating. Here are a few ideas that have helped me get back into actually writing–BICHOK only works if the keys are being pressed.
I hope these tips help you when the blank page is mocking you. If you have other ideas, I’d love to hear them, too.
Categories: Uncategorized, writing
Looking Forward While Keeping Your Feet in the Present
Actress/director/writer Amber Benson posted a nice piece about staying true to yourself in a field that always wants to change you to fit their mold. Add it to your inspiration file–you never know when you need to read a quick pick-me-up.
Is Immediacy a Good Thing for Writers?
Jennifer Mattern explores the rise in immediate reporting (Twittering an event). Does it mean better coverage or just more? As a serious Twitter addict, I think it can be good in some cases, but also an incredible time-sucker. (Wednesday, I’ll talk a little more about that.)
Reader Expectations
After you get your first book published, your readers will likely approach your subsequent books with certain expectations. This discussion began with a column about sex in books, but the lessons apply to all genres. And this sort of discussion is what led me to question whether I need pseudonyms for my different types of books. The jury is still out on that one–let me know if you have ideas. Rachel Vincent shared her thoughts on her blog.
Writer Mama Success Rhythms: February 2009
A good reminder that you have the ultimate control in whether you are successful or not. Christina Katz never fails in providing good insight into the career of writing.
Magazines See Some Bright Spots for Second Quarter
This is good news for those of us trying to pitch articles to magazines. If ad spending increases, there is more chance that mags will need freelance stories to fill pages.
Confident or Delusional?
I come across agents who have posted their bad queries, and it makes me think that JA Konrath is on the right track here. A lot of writers are a bit delusional.
If You Want Something, Make It Easy for Me to Get It to You
Speaking mainly to publicists, Yen Cheow reminds people to include contact information when they expect a response. This blog is a good resource for publicity ideas that could help you (a) land an agent, (b) land a deal, and (c) sell copies.
Happy writing!
Categories: Uncategorized, writing