Three Links 87/2020
Loleta Abi
Writing:
1. https://stevelaube.com/another-publisher-makes-changes/ “It is easy to forget that traditional publishing is a business. And businesses are run by people doing a variety of tasks. Sometimes those people change tasks … and even change companies.
Our agency keeps a living document in a shared folder that allows us to keep up with the various editorial changes in our industry. There are times when we make adjustments every week.
I continue to produce the annual print edition of The Christian Writers Market Guide (preorder the 2021 edition) but also maintain the online edition that captures changes throughout the year.
This past week I was asked by an author about a particular well-known imprint at a major publisher. They thought the imprint was still in place and acquiring new books, not knowing that it had undergone multiple management changes and been all but shuttered.
We also recently discovered that a long-time marketing director had taken a job at a new publisher. A long-time senior editor at a major house had taken the job as head of an entire division at a new publisher. Two editors we know received major promotions within their companies, which meant there were changes at the top of their respective organizations.”
2. https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/misconceptions-about-being-a-writer/ “Like any good story, the writing life is a tale of deceptive depth. At first glance, it offers up a shiny, artsy, fun cover. Become a Writer! its title beckons, and its first chapters lure us in by fulfilling all these initial promises. But the deeper we get, the further we go, the more we realize there’s more to this story than meets the eye. There’s more adventure, more conflict, more drama, and more comedy than we could ever have realized. In short, there are many different misconceptions about being a writer.
At the beginning of the year, I started re-reading my old journals, starting from when I was fourteen (because at some point I got embarrassed and burnt everything prior to that). It’s been fascinating to revisit my young self for many reasons, but one of the most interesting is remembering what it was like to be that young writer just starting out—the one who didn’t even know they made books that taught you how to write. I’d all but forgotten what it was like at the beginning of the journey—to be on the very first page of my own personalized version of Become a Writer!
Certainly for me so far, the adventure has been full of” I agree with K.M., the writing journey is unique to all of us and yet, there is a point, where we can all identify with the journeys we go through.
3. https://jamigold.com/2020/08/writing-conflict-love-work-and-office-romance-guest-angela-ackerman/ “As I announced a few weeks ago, the dynamic duo of Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi recently released their latest entry into their Thesaurus series: The Occupation Thesaurus. Like their popular Emotion Thesaurus and other Thesaurus books, the lists in The Occupation Thesaurus include many writing tips.
For example, each occupation listed in this latest release offers ideas for how we can twist the stereotypes for their job:
- Should our character have different motivations than usual?
- Should they have an opposite personality from what’s expected?
- Should they have acquired their skills or knowledge in an unusual way?
Each occupation also lists potential sources of friction within the job, and as we all know, conflict is important in our stories. However, beyond job-specific friction, some types of conflict can be found with any job, such as if our story features an office—or any type of workplace—romance.” I find Angela’s and Becca’s site gold for writers—OneStopforWriters.com.
Research & Fun Bits:
1. https://coldhandboyack.wordpress.com/2020/08/08/how-i-spent-my-day/ “I started off setting up the old Mac, now that my work PC has been replaced by a laptop. The laptop gives me more versatility, and I have my desk back.
After the inevitable upgrades, I spent some time letting my email program catch up. All of that took a few hours. They weren’t wasted hours, we played ball with the dogs and did more regular things.
Then I knuckled down and put HMS Lanternfish through Amazon’s grist mill. This led me to adding the series data to Voyage of the Lanternfish, which I managed to screw up. It probably doesn’t amount to a hill of beans, but I wanted to call it the Lanternfish Trilogy, and wound up submitting as the Lanternfish Series.
I decided to go with it at that point. It was that or wait a day, change book one again, then take a stab at book two. If I need to, I’ll change them later.”
2. https://franceandvincent.com/2020/08/08/dreaming-stones-the-circle-of-the-seers/
3. https://franceandvincent.com/2020/08/07/the-house-that-fish-built-very-white/
Some Things More Serious:
1. https://marciamearawrites.com/2020/08/07/special-items-paranormal/ “Okay, you folks who love writing fantasy, paranormal, and sci-fi: Craig Boyack has a wonderful post on Story Empire today, filled with good tips on using “special items.” I took notes, and you might want to as well. I highly recommend you check out his post, and then pass it along, if you can, so others can pick up some ideas, too. Thanks, and thanks to Craig, as well. Loved this one!
Hi Gang. Craig with you again today and I’m about to bite off more than I can chew. I write what I call speculative fiction. This is the stuff that requires a suspension of disbelief from your reader to enjoy the story. It’s a broad area that encompasses science fiction, fantasy, paranormal/supernatural, horror – and those are just the broad categories.”
2. https://legendsofwindemere.com/2020/08/07/questions-3-do-you-play-well-with-others/ “As I said on Monday, I haven’t really tried to write with another author. The few attempts I did make was long ago and failed miserably with the exception of a project in high school. This means, I’m not an expert and can only talk through what I think can help instead of what I know. May have just negated my entire Wednesday post, but that’s the truth. Now, I open the floor to those who might know a few things and be able to lend a hand.
- Have you ever co-authored a book or tried to do so? Why or why not?
- What do you think is the biggest challenge to co-authoring a book?
- What advice would you give to an author partnership?” Haven’t tried it yet but who knows?
3A.
Teaser Fiction & Poetry:
1. https://colleenchesebro.com/2020/08/06/blog-update-8-6-2020-cantaloupe-haiku/
2. https://charmedchaos.com/2020/08/07/no-accident/
3. https://www.djranch.org/2020/08/07/haiku-confidant/
Book Reviews, Cover Reveals, & Author Interviews:
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A Dash of Words with Loleta Abi Romance Author 
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