Friday’s Links
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Hot off the e-presses.
– The Chicago Tribune interviews Toni Morrison, whose Jazz I am currently reading/loving/jealous-of being.
– Ever wish that your word processor’s font mimicked your own handwriting? Well, okay.
– Ron Charles, our most favorite Totally Hip Book Reviewer, is interviewed at HuffPo. Click the link, and then go clean the house and mow the lawn while the #*(#^* page loads. (This site kills me)
Friday's Links
Hot off the e-presses.
– The Chicago Tribune interviews Toni Morrison, whose Jazz I am currently reading/loving/jealous-of being.
– Ever wish that your word processor’s font mimicked your own handwriting? Well, okay.
– Ron Charles, our most favorite Totally Hip Book Reviewer, is interviewed at HuffPo. Click the link, and then go clean the house and mow the lawn while the #*(#^* page loads. (This site kills me)
Possessed: Part I
When I first dreamed up Swithin Eliot, the would-be protagonist of my then unfinished novella, he was entirely mine. I would set aside four hours a day, call him to my side, and go about the work of committing him to the page. All of this was done according to my vision.
Several months into the project, something happened: an imperceptible shift occurred and suddenly, I belonged to Swithin. From then on, he sat beside me at the office and whispered prose in my ear. He tugged on my sleeve during conversations, rested on my knee at meals, and followed me into the shower (shocking, I know). Swithin, unceasing and unshakable, refused me even a moment’s peace and although my own creation, it felt those days like he held the cards.
This character I once possessed had taken possession of me.
Friday’s Links
– The results are in from the VQR audit: No bullying. Smells like some bully**** to me.
– Junot Diaz mentions a few “Run, Don’t Walk” books. (But don’t run for them until you’re done reading these links.)
– Slate examines the punctuation in Woody Allen’s movie titles. I guess it’s better than examining some of his actual movies …
– Our friend Marcos Velasquez posts his monthly This Month in Magazines column over at C4. (Did I really need to mention that it’s a monthly column?)
Friday's Links
– The results are in from the VQR audit: No bullying. Smells like some bully**** to me.
– Junot Diaz mentions a few “Run, Don’t Walk” books. (But don’t run for them until you’re done reading these links.)
– Slate examines the punctuation in Woody Allen’s movie titles. I guess it’s better than examining some of his actual movies …
– Our friend Marcos Velasquez posts his monthly This Month in Magazines column over at C4. (Did I really need to mention that it’s a monthly column?)
Texas Book Festival: Sunday
I feel like I must lead Sunday’s wrap-up with the most random sentence I’ve ever heard.
During a panel entitled “Big Stories, Small Towns,” Antonya Nelson told the audience that she only writes when she has something to say, and that she will sometimes go for months without writing a word. Another panelist asked her what she does when she’s not writing, and Nelson, after a spiel about cooking, said, “My husband and I own a ghost town, and we’re renovating the post office there.”
What? What?!
Texas Book Festival: Saturday
The 15th annual Texas Book Festival was the first annual for WBN, and we loved nearly every minute of it. Dozens of writers and panels, many tents-worth of exhibitors, free music, access to the beautiful Capitol Building. It was an excellent weekend, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s event.
But before getting too far ahead, first I must touch on some highlights from this year.
Friday’s Links
Some weekend reading for our loyal followers. You know who you are.
– The National Book Award finalists have been announced. Of the fiction finalists I’ve only read the Nicole Krauss, which is excellent. I assume the others are quite good, too, as I have nothing but admiration for Andrei Codrescu, one of the judges. His The Poetry Lesson is one of the best books of this year, just like The Posthuman Dada Guide was one of the best of 2009.
– Have you guys been keeping up with Ron Charles? I hope so. It’ll be on the quiz.
– A man throws a book at the Prez and is not arrested or charged. The lesson here? It’s okay to throw books at the Prez. Which I did not know.
Friday's Links
Some weekend reading for our loyal followers. You know who you are.
– The National Book Award finalists have been announced. Of the fiction finalists I’ve only read the Nicole Krauss, which is excellent. I assume the others are quite good, too, as I have nothing but admiration for Andrei Codrescu, one of the judges. His The Poetry Lesson is one of the best books of this year, just like The Posthuman Dada Guide was one of the best of 2009.
– Have you guys been keeping up with Ron Charles? I hope so. It’ll be on the quiz.
– A man throws a book at the Prez and is not arrested or charged. The lesson here? It’s okay to throw books at the Prez. Which I did not know.
The Importance of Being Adventurous
Writing fiction without trying new things in life is like … well, it’s like something. Something bad. It’s like wanting to start a blog post with an analogy, not being able to devise that analogy, and then beginning with the analogy anyway. You just shouldn’t do it. It is the duty of a fiction writer to rack up new experiences, explore new territory. To always be on the lookout for that next adventure.
Last weekend Justine and I were driving back to Austin after visiting our friend =ab in San Antonio when we began to see billboards advertising an amusement park called Wonder World. Neither of us had ever heard of Wonder World, and the billboards were a bit vague. Something about a cave, a petting zoo, maybe a miniature train ride. It sounded really and truly wonder-filled, and having no further obligations on that lazy Texas Saturday, we decided to drop by and see all this wonder for ourselves. Ironically, of course.
Friday’s Links
– Mario Vargas Llosa pulls down the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature. Plenty of roundups to choose from, but I enjoy the Literary Saloon.
– The Chamber Four Anthology is now available for free download. 25 of the best stories published on the web in the past year, as chosen by the C4 editors. Recommended.
– A piece from the Boston Phoenix about literary tattoos, featuring our friend Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich.
– This is pretty disgraceful.
Friday's Links
– Mario Vargas Llosa pulls down the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature. Plenty of roundups to choose from, but I enjoy the Literary Saloon.
– The Chamber Four Anthology is now available for free download. 25 of the best stories published on the web in the past year, as chosen by the C4 editors. Recommended.
– A piece from the Boston Phoenix about literary tattoos, featuring our friend Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich.
– This is pretty disgraceful.
WBN October Books
Below is a sampling of titles new this month to the WriteByNight library, available to our Austin members for immediate checkout. Stop by and browse during our Write Here hours.
Great House — Nicole Krauss
The Wake of Forgiveness — Bruce Machart
The Poetry Lesson — Andrei Codrescu
So Much to Write, So Little Time: Part IV
The three time-management strategies I’ve discussed in Parts I-III of this series—The Block Method, Scribble Method and Reading Method—are just fine and dandy, but they do require discipline. Discipline, it just so happens, is not only one of the most valuable traits a writer can possess, but one of the most difficult to acquire. So, although I feel a bit like a schoolmarm, let’s talk about discipline.
Friday’s Links
“Scouring the Internet for literary news so you don’t have to (even though you should anyway).”
– Think your novel is ready for publication? Ask a stranger to read page 99.
– In our last newsletter I linked to this essay from Elif Batuman about MFA programs. Here’s the best response I’ve read so far. What’s your take?
– This is a fun breakdown of some cliched author poses.
– A private company is buying up public libraries. Frightening? Tell us your thoughts: david@writebynight.net. Most interesting take wins free WBN swag.
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