Nick Mamatas wrote a post on Facebook today about how writers can go about finding an agent. As someone who will hopefully start shopping a book around soon, this was a godsend. Straightforward, no nonsense. With Mr. Mamatas's permission, here is the post as he wrote it. This is *one* method of finding a literary … Continue reading Nick Mamatas’s Simple Guide to Finding a Literary Agent
I saw the following on Toni Morrison's Facebook page. She's explaining where she finds time to write. "Very, very early in the morning, before they got up. I'm not very good at night. I don't generate much. But I'm a very early riser, so I did that, and I did it on weekends. In the … Continue reading Toni Morrison on Finding Time to Write
I don't remember what the first story I read by Michael Swanwick is. But I do remember the feeling I got as I read it. It's the same feeling I got when I first read stories by Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link and Lucius Shepard. That amazing, wow-this-is-talent feeling. Michael Swanwick is one of many authors … Continue reading The Wonderful World of Michael Swanwick
Cartoonist Chris Riddell illustrated some things Neil Gaiman said in a lecture about libraries, and they are just awesome. Neil Gaiman's love of libraries is well known and it is great to see Chris Riddell make them a source of inspiration. I saw these when Mr. Gaiman was sharing them on Facebook and thought they … Continue reading Illustrated Neil Gaiman Quotes About Librarians (and Einstein)
There is an author you may not have heard of who is about to go really big. (Ok, if you are reading this blog you are actually somewhat likely to have heard of her). I speak, of course, of Victoria Schwab, author of A Darker Shade of Magic This is one of my favorite books … Continue reading This Author is About to Become Famous. Read Her Books Now and Impress Your Friends
You know those times when you read something fantastic and afterwards you are in a bit of a daze? That just happened to me, as I finished George Saunders short story collection, Tenth of December. It was named one of the best books of the year by a few places you may recognize: People • … Continue reading 11 Quotes on Fiction and Writing | George Saunders
"Sometimes the environment shapes the story. I know it's that way with me. This part of East Texas is thick with trees, damp with water, humid with sweat and the smell of rain-wet low lands. It's got snakes and gators and stickers and flies, mosquitoes and ticks, chiggers and lice. It's got the moon through … Continue reading Joe Lansdale on Where His Stories Come From
Recently, some dust was thrown up regarding why women-only prizes should be a thing. While I think it unfair that the need for a separate women's prize in literature exists, I think the prize itself is a good thing. Also, the more literary prizes, the better, right? I don't choose books based on the gender of a … Continue reading 5 Magical Books by Women
In recent months I've interviewed a few writers. There's a certain question I try remember to ask them all, since it is something I wonder a lot about when it comes to choosing which books I read in an attempt to become a better writer. Here is the magical question: Authors Dan Simmons and Stephen … Continue reading Should Writers Read Classics or Trash? Four Writers Answer
Yesterday I started reading Charles Dicken's Hard Times. I'm at chapter 6 now and I have already read more great writing in it than in the last six books I've read combined. This may be a matter of taste (I am of the opinion that Dickens is a genius) so I think I'll put it … Continue reading Really Really Ridiculously Good Writing
