Writing Female Characters

Writer Greg Rucka on writing female characters. Very well put.

Fanfic Gaining Traction

This article on fan fiction has me wondering if the stigma might finally be coming off fanfic and what that will mean for the people who write it.

Fan Fiction is Really Not Like This

Well, a lot is. This is the sort of thing that gives fanfic a black eye. Fanfic, IMO, is fine; plagiarism is not.

Place Name Generators

A list compiled by Paperback Writer.

Why He Writes

Publishers Weekly has a nifty feature: "Why I Write..." which is written each issue by a different writer. They're short pieces, not even a full page. In the April 11, 2011 issue, which features articles on SFF. Harry Turtledove explained why he writes, which is basically that he can't not write. And he said this, too:

"Very often, when I'm working, I'm interested in finding out what happens next, because sometimes I don't know in advance. I'm not a writer who plans everything out before it goes down on paper. I usually know in broad terms where I'm going, but not how I'll get there. And getting there, as in so many things, is much of the fun."

He says other cool stuff, too, about wanting to entertain and about the joys of research, but this is what really resonated with me. I don't usually have the broad idea of where I'm going, at least, not until I've written 1/3 to 1/2 of the story and can see things starting to gel and unfold. And when I read things like this from successful writers, I want to take it and rub it into the faces of the people I interacted with on AOL's old Writers Club message boards, those people who insisted outlining in advance was the "right" way to do it.

Writing Process

This chart found on Boing Boing is funny yet rings true.

Another Author Flare-Up

I shouldn't be so amused and entertained by this sort of thing, but I am. A self-published author freaks out after a poor review on Amazon cites numerous typos, misspellings, and poor grammar. The entertainment factor kicks in by her response, which is full of... yup, you guessed it! Typos, misspellings, and poor grammar. I've got nothing against self-publishing. I actually admire folks who do it and succeed with it. But really, if you can't act like a professional, at least act like an adult.