I haven’t given my book enough attention this week. In between struggling with Chapter One, I’ve been working on a few freelance pieces since, well, they pay the bills and right now the book doesn’t.
I’ve got this great travel piece about Madagascar’s parks, a how-to-go-there-yourself article I began writing months ago and am finally getting around to selling. Only thing is, Madagascar’s had a political uprising since I was there before Christmas. I doubt the country is terribly unsafe, but I do believe it’s going to be difficult now to sell this piece to a magazine. Readers might be wary of visiting a country that just suffered a coup.
Anyway, I’ve been distracted this week with feeding my bank account, but I’ve still got a few links for you:
- Memoirs: The McCourt Effect. From the New York Times.
- On her blog, Get Known Before the Book Deal (which also is the name of her book), Christina Katz explains why knowing how to write articles is important for authors.
- Thinking of starting a blog? Maria Schneider suggests 10 Cool WordPress Themes for Writers.
- The Happiness Project is my new favorite blog. It has little to do with writing but everything to do with living a good life. I like these Nine Tips for Having a Good Bad Day.
- Editorial Ass offers some pointers on How to make your book famous if it’s underestimated by your publisher.
I’ll be out of town this weekend for a family reunion. See you Monday!
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
As always – great links.
I just read Christina’s book and it has some great points in it.
Incidentally, I know it’s a classic, but have you read “Writing Down the Bones”, by Natalie Goldberg?
I haven’t — But it’s on my to-read list!
Do you still have any contacts in Madagastcar? If so, maybe you could add an update from him or her as a sidebar or something to keep the article current. Enjoyed the links.
Good suggestion — I’m also tinkering with the story, considering turning it into a story about Madagascar even if it’s not a visit-the-place-on-your-own story.
Thanks for the links. Especially the one on writing articles. It’s something I’m beginning to concentrate on, and, quite frankly, it’s got me a little intimidated. Just because I’m so wordy! But my blogs have been good practice. And thank you for pointing the way to The Happiness Project. Lord knows I’ve needed that one this week!
Happy Friday,
Jen
Have fun, this weekend, Alexis. Take your running gear.
Best Regards, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog</a
Thanks, Alexis!
Have fun with the reunion….
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
The tips from the Happiness Project are great. I love to play tennis and whenever I play, I can turn all bad thoughts around and feel happy afterwards.
Bargain with the Devil