Today’s video depicts a writer pouncing on an editor or an agent at a writers conference.
Veteran editors are rarely surprised, but if you wait for it, “Success!”
Endorsements: How Important Are They?
How important are endorsements? (Those “blurbs” on the back of a book that exclaim, “A real masterpiece!”) Let me answer with a question. When browsing a book title, do you look at the endorsements or notice who wrote the foreword or the introduction? I suspect you do without realizing it. And if you are unfamiliar with the author but you know the endorser, then you are …
Fun Fridays – July 14, 2023
A classic song for a summer day. I grew up playing Alan Sherman’s album on our family record player! [If you cannot see the video in your newsletter feed, please click through to our site where you can view today’s fun.]
Everyone is a Critic
One of the burdens an artist must bear is the scrutiny of public opinion. It can either be exhilarating or devastating. At the risk of oversimplifying the issue, let’s look at some categories that define this topic. Opinion Everyone has an opinion. The problem for the author is to determine how much weight to give to those opinions. One mistake a writer will make is to ask someone or a group of …
Fun Fridays – July 7, 2023
Today’s fun Friday vividly expresses the writing life as you travel through twists, turns, highs, and lows. May your day be a great one! Turn up the volume to experience it fully. [If you cannot see the video in your newsletter feed, please visit our site where it can be enjoyed.]
A Long Weekend
Since tomorrow is a U.S. holiday, many people are taking today as a holiday, too, creating a four-day weekend. Enjoy.
Fun Fridays – June 30, 2023
Enjoy a fun sing-along today! [If you cannot view the video in your email, please go to our site where it can be seen.]
Old MacDonald Had Some Help – A.I. – A.I. – Oh!
There is all sorts of talk about artificial intelligence and the ease with which a computer can create content with a mere prompt from a user. For those of us who read science fiction it cuts too close to the famous H.A.L. scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey or the rise of the machines in Terminator or the autonomous military robots in Keith Laumer’s BOLO series. I dare say we are not there yet, but …
Fun Fridays – June 23, 2023
Enjoy these definitions of “biblio!” Care to add any more? Do so in the comments. From A Passion for Books by Harold Rabinowitz, Rob Kaplan How about these? Bibliogrumpypants – A literary agent Biblionope – A literary agent Biblioparasite – A literary agent
Handling Disappointment
I do not like to experience disappointment. I do not like rejection, even when it isn’t my personal project being turned down. I do not like to be the bearer of bad news. And yet I do experience disappointment, rejection, and the telling of bad news–every week. That is the nature of the arts. The arts (meaning music, writing, dance, and painting) are comprised of thousands of hours of …