Friday Linkage

I'm playing with the idea of making Friday a day to strictly post links to sites and blogs I think would be of interest to my visitors. For some reason, Fridays never draw much traffic anyway, and it would provide some useful information for readers, as well as much deserved link-love to my online acquiantances, friends and blog-buddies.

Luckily, this week was a gold mine of information.

First off, I know I linked to a post by Erica Ridley over at Manuscript Mavens, but this whole week the gals at MM devoted their posts to criticism and critiques. All of the posts are well worth reading.

Next, I'll swing over to Diana Peterfreund, where all week she's been answering questions posed to her by her blog readers.

Another must-read in the blogosphere this week was Allison Brennan's post on Self-Editing 101 over at Murder She Writes.

I'd also like to send out a little link-love to a couple of new commenters: WordVixen from Quest to Write and Travis Erwin over at One Word, One Rung, One Day. Welcome to The Writing Spectacle guys. I'm glad you're around.

Also in blog news, the group blog I belong to - The Novel Racers - is growing by leaps and bounds. I've been remiss and haven't updated the links to all the competitors' sites here on my blog, but please take some time and wander through the list of contributors. (All their names are linked to their own blogs, and they're worth a good read.)

I know I'm missing a lot of good posts from this week, so if you'd be so kind, leave a good post from this week in the comment chain.

And I'm spent.

Okee Dokee

Well, the packet went out, and I took yesterday off. The only thing I worked on yesterday was reading the last of the unread Brennan's - The Prey. ('Bout time, if you ask me.) Unfortunately, I can't put Brennan's books down, so I was up way too late last night.

So, that's my life. I'll post something more witty when I've woken up and after I've finished The Prey. And a big thanks goes out to all the folks currently crossing their fingers for me. Just think, if the book sells, this blog will get a whole bunch more interesting. Yay!

(Oh, and since I've held it close to the vest for fear of jinxing myself... The publisher I just sent Caldera to is: Tor/Forge. May Tor have mercy on my soul - or at the very least, my manuscript.)

Crossing My Fingers

I just put the finishing touches on the publisher submission packet. It goes out tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and sending positive vibes along with it. (I'm not superstitious, but it can't hurt, can it?)

Just a reminder to all the hopefuls like me out there. Pay attention to submission guidelines. Please please please. Don't do what I did, and hope you remembered them right before you hit print, either. Or you could end up with 16 wasted pages printed at ink-sucking quality before you realize what you missed and have to stop the print job. Frack. Lucky for me, I found my snafu before I sent the damn thing out. And this particular publisher even says to follow their guidelines to the letter. Some places may make allowances for boneheads, but when someone tells you very specifically how they want to your submission to look, make damn sure it looks that way. Wouldn't it suck if you wrote truly amazing prose and got shit-canned because you weren't paying attention?

Don't throw yourself under a bus. Follow directions. It can only help, and when you're breaking into the show, you can use all the help you can get. (I know I can anyway.)

Lazy Linking

I'm not feeling quite inspired today, so I'm going to let other bloggers do the talking for me.

Manuscript Mavens' Erica Ridley has an excellent post on Criticism today.

Writer Beware's Victoria Strauss has one on Writers and Money.

Kristin Nelson over at her blog PubRants is doing a most excellent series on agent contracts.

In short, there are a whole bunch of insightful posts out there. Tell me, what have you seen lately?

(Just don't tell me about those darned cats. ;o) )

Big Research Link Post

Below is an ongoing list of helpful links for research. I'll be adding to it from time to time, so if there's anything you need help finding, stop by and check it out. And if you have anything you'd like to suggest, leave it in the comment chain.

I hope you find this helpful. (Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with any of these sites. If you see something there you don't like, let them know.)

English Reference:
The Encyclopedia Brittanica
The Cambridge Dictionaries Online
Dictionary.com
Merriam-Webster
Onlook Dictionary Search
List of Online Dictionaries
The American Heritage Dictionary
The Chicago Manual of Style
Wordsmyth
YourDictionary.com
OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue

For Poets:
The Online Rhyming Dictionary
The Oxford Book of English Verse

Quotes:
Database of Familiar Quotes
Famous Latin Quotations
Brainy Quote
American Veterans: Famous Quotes
Quoteland
The Quotations Page
The Quote Garden

Translations:
BabelFish Translations
FreeTranslations
WorldLingo

Folklore & Mythology:
Encyclopedia Mythica
Folklore and Mythology
Myth'ing Links
Mythography

Philosophy:
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Miscellaneous:
The American Colonists' Library
Biographical Dictionary
Biography
The Brain Injury Association of America
The Centers for Disease Control
Childrens' Literature Character Database
The Forensic Panel
The Gallup Organization
Gemstone Information
Google Scholar
Great Books Online
Index of the US Constitution
International Cocoa Organization
Invent Now
JunkScience
Los Alamos National Laboratory
The Mayo Clinic
Military History
Project Gutenberg
Research Tools at iTools
Science & Environmental Policy Project
Snopes: Urban Legend Reference Page
Wildlife Biology Info Page
WorldClock - TimeZones

Total Time Waster

Thanks to Kristin Painter, I just spent an hour flipping through funny pictures at I Can Has Cheezburger. Whatever you do, don't follow the link. (And if you have to, don't go to the next page. I was on page 50 when I stopped, and it didn't look like I was anywhere near the end.)

Writer Warning Labels

In the interest of keeping good relations with our fellow human beings, I have decided that writers should come with warning labels.

WARNING:

-Likely to change subjects mid-conversation.

-Prone to shouting out strange things in public.

-Liable to leave bed in the middle of the night when inspiration strikes.

-May become violent when interrupted, especially when the interruption was something that could have waited.

-May be familiar with various ingenious ways to kill you... AND get away with it.

-Particularly hazardous when mixed with credit cards and bookstores.

-Use extreme caution when corresponding--unless you want your emails, letters, receipts, etc. proofread.

-Keep away from sharp objects when in the presence of rejection letters.

-If caught talking to herself, do NOT call local mental institution.

-If taken with rejection letters, please call 1-800-HERSHEY for antidote.


If you had to make a warning label for yourself, what would yours say?

Piffle

Sorry I haven't been doing a daily post lately. I guess I could use reading as an excuse, but really reading is more like the thing I'm doing to fill up the time I haven't spent here. The reason I haven't been more prolific is I haven't really been able to think of anything profound to say.

Or, when I do get an idea, by the time I sit down the idea has gone 'piffle'. (Poof, if you like.)

Ack. I've really been an uncreative toad lately. Maybe I can blame the DVD player. (I finally broke down and bought one after all these years.) My daughter's been watching her own DVDs for a while now, but she watches on her computer upstairs. Now we can watch together. I talked her into buying Labyrinth - which we watched a couple days ago - and Down With Love. BTW, if you haven't seen Down With Love, it's a hoot.

All well and good, but not getting the job done. The only writerly thing I've done lately is that darned synopsis. *sigh* Well, maybe I can get off my lobes and give my brain a workout today.

How're things going for y'all? Seen any good movies lately? ;o)