May 26, 2005
Postcards!
Woohoo, we get our new house tomorrow! We're going to turn part of the currently unfinished basement into my office. I'm pretty hyped, since it will be twice as big as my old office. More shelf space!
I probably haven't mentioned this before, but I love getting postcards, and plan to decorate part of my new home office with them. If you find yourself near a postcard rack in the near (or far) future, I'd be grateful if you'd consider sending one my way:
Debbie Ridpath Ohi
34 Eglinton Ave. W., POB 189
Toronto, ON
Canada M4R 2H6
Thanks. :-)
Posted by Debbie at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)
May 25, 2005
Lynn Viehl: writing quotes
Lynn Viehl has a blog entry about writers' quotes. One of my favourites:
"I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows." - Ernest Hemingway
Posted by Debbie at 09:43 AM | Comments (0)
May 24, 2005
Travel writers: Carl Parkes
Travel Writers: the travails of travel writing is the blog of award-winning travel writer Carl Parkes, whose guidebooks have been published by Avalon Travel and National Geographic. His blog includes tips for travel writers, travel writer workshops and book reviews, travel writing job openings, travel writer profiles, and other info of interest. His list of links include travel resources, travel blogs and news.
May 20, 2005
Going offline
Going offline for Victoria Day weekend, so no updates until next week.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Posted by Debbie at 09:40 AM | Comments (0)
A Writer's Life: Lee Goldberg & iUniverse stats
In his blog A Writer's Life, Lee Goldberg posts some Publisher's Weekly stats from iUniverse. "Out of 18,000 books iUniverse published in 2004, only 83 titles sold at least 500 copies and a mere 14 showed up on the shelves of Barnes & Noble. That's the reality, folks."
May 18, 2005
Poll results: Internet and productivity
I recently posted a poll asking how some of you managed your Internet time to stay productive. I've compiled answers in this Blatherings entry. Some of your solutions:
- Use a timer to keep track of how much time you spend surfing.
- Setting a work goal and only allowing non-work surfing when you reach that goal.
- Allow "fun" surfing only at the beginning and end of the day.
- Don't feel compelled to answer e-mails as they come in.
- Turn off Instant Messaging.
- Set your mail program to check mail for you every xxx minutes.
Do you have other tips on how to manage your online time? Please let me know and I'll add it to the list.
Posted by Debbie at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)
Weblog of the Week
Thanks to About.com's Sheila Coggins for choosing Inkygirl as a Weblog of the Week!
May 17, 2005
More ways to stay focused while writing
I've recently started a new category in Inkygirl called "Productivity & Writing Habits". I'm going to be adding a great blog post by Johnathon Williams (Keyboard Hack) called More ways to stay focused while writing, with particular attention on how to control one's Internet time.
The Road Less Traveled: Jessica Hayden
Jessica Hayden's The Road Less Traveled is subtitled: "A blog about life abroad, travel & writing." Hayden is a freelance writer who covers a range of issues including travel, politics, foreign affairs and law. Her work has appeared in publications such as Slate, Transitions Abroad and TravelMag. An interesting glimpse into the life of a travel/freelance writer, with some useful resource links.
Writer In Progress: Matt Shafer
Writer In Progress is the blog of 28-year-old journalist and freelance writer, Matt Shafer. His entries focus on writing, but with personal insight and honesty that gives you a glimpse into Shafer's personality and passion for his craft.
May 16, 2005
Haunting your characters
Unhappy with your characters? Consider haunting your major characters for stronger storytelling. From Ray Rhamey of "Flogging the Quill", who was inspired by a workshop by Robert McKee: "The idea from his course that has stuck with me and proved most useful is his notion that characters should have a "ghost." We're not talking about a haunt from Casper the Friendly Ghost, but a powerful, transformative event in a character's past that, whether consciously or not, affects his current behavior."
Bella Online: Markets for Writers
Bella Online's Danielle Hollister maintains a list of online market resources for writers. Lots of useful links here.
May 14, 2005
Debbie news: new nephew!
I have a new nephew! It doesn't matter how many times I've heard it; the first cry of a newborn is unforgettable. See my Blatherings today.
I've also updated my semi-autobiographical comic. See My Life In A Nutshell or scroll to the bottom of Inkygirl.
Posted by Debbie at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)
May 13, 2005
Suite101.com: Professional Writing
Suite101.com: Professional Writing Hub is maintained by Sara Webb Quest and offers interviews with bestselling authors, a free magazine for writing parents, a column about alternative writing, writing-related articles and links to related resources.
May 12, 2005
ePennyPress.com
I recently heard from Susan Molthrop, who used to run the Writer's Guidelines Database. She has a great site called ePennyPress.com, packed with useful articles (be sure to check Susan's own article archive), resources, and paying markets as well as a message board.
May 11, 2005
Google research tools
I've been using Google for a while, but haven't checked out other Google tools recently until my librarian friend Rand started talking about them. So I finally started really browsing Google's other services (yes, yet another way to procrastinate) and HOLY TOLEDO. Especially Scholar Search and some of the Special Searches...pretty exciting for those of us who tend to do a lot of online research in their writing.
Internet and productivity
My current Blathering is on productivity and Internet surfing. I'm going to experiment with the egg timer idea proposed in the article by Jennifer Gibbs about how not to get distracted when online.
Posted by Debbie at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)
May 10, 2005
Cartoon, just because I feel like it
A recycled cartoon, just because I feel like it:
Finding Work: Resources for Fledgling Writers
Finding Work: Resources for Fledgling Writers by Jennifer Gibbs is an excellent article outlining useful resources for new writers. "Each of them is free, although they may sell membership upgrades, subscriptions, etc. Fifteen of them focus on websites that are designed to help you find work, in the forms of writer's guidelines, contest rules, freelance job opportunities, calls for submission, etc. The final five deal more with the submission process, covering subjects like cover letters, query letters, proposals and more."
Travelfish writing contest
Someone from Travelfish sent me info on another travel writing competition. No entry fee, and the first prize is a 1 Gig Apple iPod Shuffle.
"The theme is 'Monsoon' (as the rains have just started in our part of the world) and the story needs to be set in Cambodia, Laos and/or Thailand and be of no more than 600 words total length.
There is no entry fee, although writers do need to be a member of the site to enter (membership is simple and 100% free). First prize is a 1 Gig Apple iPod Shuffle delivered to the winner's doorstep."
You can see more information about the contest here.
Please note that when you beome a member of Travelfish, you are giving them the non-exclusive, royalty-free and international license to use any of your posts any way they see fit. I did check to see what rights are involved for contest entries. The response:
"By entering the contest, the writer grants Travelfish exclusive electronic rights for the period of the competition (it finishes on August 31, 2005), so around 3-5 months depending on when they enter.
After the competition is over we plan to archive the stories within the Travelfish site, but will remove the story if the author requests us to.
Once the contest is over, the author can on-sell the piece to anyone on- or off-line. The author retains all other rights on the piece.
Our only requirement is that the piece is previously unpublished and is related to the topic/theme described on the competition page."
Posted by Debbie at 11:12 AM | Comments (0)
Dee's Writing Links
Dee's Writing Links is a list of online resources for writers, with a special section for Australian writers. These days I can always tell when a page of writing links is up-to-date because it links to Inkygirl rather than Inkspot :-)
My Life In A Nutshell updated
Updated My Life In A Nutshell. See bottom of this page.
Posted by Debbie at 09:08 AM | Comments (0)
May 09, 2005
Elemental Musings: Bev Walton-Porter
Bev Walton-Porter's Elemental Musings has a great entry about "creative daydreaming" and other possible sources of inspiration for writers. "In order to keep your creative side active and at the ready with ideas and inspiration, you must take daily doses of what I call 'Muse food.' These are small, fulfilling mini-breaks which serve as healing salve for the beatings you've taken in the real world during the day."
So You Wanna Be A Sitcom Writer?
So You Wanna Be A Sitcom Writer? addresses basic topics like payment, stability of the job (or lack thereof), preparing to write a sample sitcom. The site also links to other "So You Wanna" subjects such as how to pitch a TV Show, making a low-budget movie. Annoying pop-up ads but hey, the content is free. Geared toward beginners.
TOED: The Omnificent English Dictionary
From BoingBoing: The Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form is a project to write a definitional limerick for every single word in the English Dictionary. Those looking for new ways to procrastinate will be interested to know that TOED is always looking for new contributors, and they're currently working on words starting with "ba-."
Debbie writing news
Just got proofs in the mail for a short story I co-wrote with Michelle Sagara West for a fantasy anthology for DAW, coming out this September. More details in today's Blathering.
Posted by Debbie at 07:12 AM | Comments (0)
May 07, 2005
Greetingcardwriting.com
Ever wonder where those pithy, funny, and heartwarming sayings in greeting cards come from? Or more importantly, how to break into the greeting card writing market? Greetingcardwriting.com was created by greeting card writing veteran Sandra Miller Louden and is packed with useful tips and resources.
May 06, 2005
Keyboard Hack: Johnathon Williams
Not only is Keyboard Hack a great name for a writer's blog, but it's fascinating reading. Too fascinating...I spent more time than I planned surfing this blog by technical writer Johnathon Williams. Felt especially guilty when I came across this entry about frivolous surfing. I have SO found this to be true, and have started taking my laptop and working elsewhere (coffee shops, libraries, anywhere with a power outlet). I find my productivity level vastly increases when I have no online access. What I need to learn, of course, is the discipline to NOT go online even if I have access. Still working on that...
Backpack
So I've been playing around with a new online organizational tool called Backpack which combines To-Do lists, Notes, Files and Reminders all in one place. Simple, clean user interface, and it's FREE; you can pay for perks like more storage space. For those interested, I have a more detailed review in my Blatherings.
If anyone else out there has an online organizational system they like, I'd love to hear about it.
Posted by Debbie at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)
May 05, 2005
Toasted Cheese writing contest, no entry fee
(Please note that I only list writing contests with cash/equivalent prizes and no entry fee.)
A Midsummer Tale is a creative non-fiction contest sponsored by Toasted Cheese. The theme of the 2005 AMT contest is: Road Trip. The word limit is 3000 words. The deadline for submissions is June 21, 2005. No Entry Fee. Prizes: US$20 for 1st, $15 for 2nd, $10 for 3rd (Amazon gift certificates) and publication in the September 2005 issue of Toasted Cheese Literary Journal.
More Info & How to Enter
General contest rules
Theryn Fleming
Editor, Toasted Cheese
Writer's BBS
Back when Inkspot was around, I partnered with Writer's BBS to enable Inkspot members to have access to a message board community. Inkspot's gone, but Writer's BBS is still around, with a wide variety of discussion topics as well as a chat room. Basic access is free; $15 gets you into a special Members-only section.
Writer Beware
Writer Beware describes itself as "the public face of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's Committee on Writing Scams." Run by A.C. Crispin and Victoria Strauss, the site is regularly updated with the latest information on literary schemes and frauds, and the most up-to-date information on what writers can to to protect themselves.
The Young Writers' Club
The Young Writers' Club is a nonprofit online showcase for young people and aims to encourage children of all ages to enjoy writing as a creative pasttime by getting them to share their work and help each other improve their writing abilities. The club produces a monthly e-zine featuring members' work.
May 03, 2005
Nothing To Write Home About: Debra Broughton
Though Debra Broughton's blog is called "Nothing To Write Home About," I found that she seems to have a LOT of interesting things to write about, including writing. Debra is a British fiction writer living in Amsterdam. "I like to think that being an outsider adds something to my writing, but I can't say for sure."
I was also intrigued by her love of running, which I share (though I don't consider myself very good at it), and as she writes in this entry, I also find that physical exercise helps me with writing inspiration.
Posted by Debbie at 05:09 PM | Comments (0)
Writing.com
Someone pointed me to Writing.com, so I decided to sign up for one of the free accounts and check it out. Looks like a writers' and readers' community with a focus on critiquing; users are encouraged to post their writing for feedback.
I find the layout a bit too busy for easy navigation, though I'm sure it would become easier with constant use of the site. As encouraged in the "For New Users" section, I posted an intro in the General Discussion Forum...but my post was deleted. I only found out when I logged on today and went looking to see if anyone had responded to my message. Then discovered that my message was no longer there. Looking around, I found a message waiting in my Writing.com mailbox informing about the deletion but not giving a reason. :-( I spent about ten minutes looking around for a Community Posting Guidelines FAQ, couldn't find one, then saw the rule partway down a forum subject header page: "Advertisements for other Web sites, offsite businesses and offsite e-mails are not permitted in this forum."
Hm...I guess ANY mention of ANY Web site is interpreted as advertising, even in one's intro bio and even if the Web site is a free resource for writers. Have to admit this didn't make me feel too welcome as a newcomer; it would have been better if I had been warned when I tried to post my message rather than deleting it AFTER I had posted it, since the process was automated anyway.
Anyway, I'll keep checking out the site and will post more info at a future date.
Posted by Debbie at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)
Poets & Writers
Poets & Writers has been around for a while as a print publication, and its companion Web site is a useful resource for non-subscribers as well as subscribers. Content includes P&W's directory of American poets and fiction writers, a short FAQ addressing questions like "Do I need an agent" and "How do I publish my work?", a message forum and links to other resources. In addition, pays fees to writers giving readings or conducting workshops in New York, California, Chicago, Detroit, and Atlanta. "While our support is limited to events taking place in these five areas, writers from all states are eligible for P&W funding."
May 02, 2005
Freelancewriting.com
Another resource that bears mentioning again. Since I've started Inkygirl, I still find Freelancewriting.com one of the best free sources of paying contract work for freelance writers.
"Vanity" press - getting a bad rap?
Found this entry on Charles Deemer's blog thought-provoking, in which he addresses the double standard in the arts when it comes to self-publishing:
"There's a curious double-standard in the arts when it comes to the pejorative use of the term "vanity." I was reminded of this while listening to a rock band interviewed on NPR. They had just produced a CD on their own label. They were treated with dignity, as if they were, heaven forbid, musical artists. The interviewer never once mentioned 'vanity label.' Filmmakers who produce their own films, artists who open their own galleries -- these entrepreneurs are never put down for having a 'vanity prodco' or a 'vanity gallery.'"
Posted by Debbie at 03:42 PM | Comments (0)
Note re: telecommuting job listings
I've recently started receiving more requests from potential markets and employers about job listings, which is great, but I'm finding a number of these jobs are internships with no pay, or paying royalties or commission with no advance. Please note that Inkygirl only lists jobs which PAY CASH. Thanks.
Posted by Debbie at 03:20 PM | Comments (0)
Booklust: Patricia Storms
Dear lord, I'm enjoying Booklust SO much. Yes, I know I already mentioned her blog in Inkygirl before. I feel like raving about it again. Not only is this literary blog always interesting, but I LOVE it when Patricia Storms posts her artwork as well. If you haven't already, be sure to check out her comic strip, The Amazing Adventures of Lethem & Chabon.
writing rituals
Writing rituals. Most of us have them, from the special writing corner to background music and favourite time of day to write. I've recently started purposely shaking up my daily writing rituals, however, to keep myself from slipping into the habit of only being able to write under certain conditions ("It's too noisy to write! Too cold! I need my half-bagel and coffee first!" etc.). Reminds of me of my favourite Noel Coward quote: "What I adore is supreme professionalism. I'm bored by writers who can write only when it's raining."
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