So Far Behind

In among all my writing and reading, I still scour the web for writing information which sparks a light in me and allows me to move further forward in my journey in mastering the craft. As is my way, I like to share these little bits of priceless information with you, my readers, so you, in turn don't have to search everywhere I've already been.

To this end, I usually post up a link salad, but I haven't been keeping up with the great stuff I read and my posting of those links to you, so this may turn into more of a salad farm.

Lately my stories have been getting edgier. Sex has never been something I've been afraid to write about, but it always had to be a natural progression of the plot rather than gratuitous. There are two posts over at 'The Mystery Man On Film' blog which covers all you'll ever need to know about writing about sex. It is superb advice.

More great advice is still finding it's way to the 'Net via Alex Sokoloff's blog 'The Dark Salon'. She is also about to do some reorganisation to make all this information easier to access. Stay tuned for a book version as well.

As I'm so far behind, how I end up at some of these new places with great, or in some cases, funny, information is lost to the ages. If you follow the blogs on my sidebar, you'll have seen some of this already. If you are responsible for throwing up the links to begin with, then feel free to claim credit for it in the comments section and I'll update it as required.

101 Reasons To Stop Writing is a funny sight and has some great tongue in cheek stuff to brighten your day.

Query Tracker has some great little contests for you to participate in. There's another blog I read at home which has some great info on it which is connected with Query Tracker somehow (I think), but I don't have the link here. I'll update when I get home...

The wonderfully talented Natalie L Sin has been singing the praises of The Funky Werepig blog radio show for sometime, and I finally got around to checking it out. And now, so should you. Very funny and very educational. You'll even hear about others who haunt this area of the blog-o-sphere so you'll feel somewhat intimate as well.

Marty Young, Mr AHWA President himself, has thrown up this post about the upcoming anthology by Tasmaniac Publications titled Festive Fear. Every Australian writer of dark fiction should know about this one by now and should either have submitted, or be just about to (that would be me for the second time), a piece for consideration.

Timely information from super agent Kristen Nelson (yes I plan to send her my manuscript AKL when it's done).

Over at Sex Scenes At Starbucks there is an interesting list of reasons people should be writing short stories you could be interested in. I was...er...am, I mean, I am! Go read.

This post over at Alan Baxter's blog is just funny and a great example of how you write one thing, but a reader sees something else. It is also a good example that your blog is not just a place to reel off any old thing in any old manner, you are a writer who is presenting their talents every time you use the written word to convey something. A blog is just practise for you - so use it wisely. Personally, I think Alan handles the situation quite well.

With a nod to TestWhimsy (Rebecca) for the link, this is a great article. But it strangely doesn't offer the advice which immediately sprang to my mind on the foot steps of going back to the source (ask Flick - that was my advice to her as well recently). Why wasn't this guy advised to query his manuscripts to other agents? It's obviously not working overly well with his current agent who also seems to have a bleak outlook on his future fortunes. That cannot be a healthy working relationship. I'd be sowing those oats a little wider if I was this chap, or at the very least, having a long chat with his current agent on where they see this current working relationship going.

Well that's enough from me.

Hope some of this is useful.