I got diverted this week by the.. twitteriness.. of Twitter. It is, after all a social network. So as well as posting writing links, I found myself engaging in a feud about cats and hats, and ultimately cats in hats. Along the way I came up with reasons why writing is like sex, and posted far too many altogether uninteresting progress reports on my daily wordcount target.
All this digression may have been influenced by reading Grace Dent’s excellent and very funny book about the network (How to Leave Twitter).
I have also just embarked on one of my periodic US trips, so the writing-related links might be a little more sparse this time round.
some tough love from Alex Epstein (Crafty TV Writing – recommended) in response to an unsolicited request for advice.Nina Badzin’s Twitter basics: “No pictures of your cat”. *sigh* my cat is so much better looking than I am. I did change my cat avatar – a controversial decision as it turned out. In taking new cat photographs I invoked the spirit of Mrs Slocombe but don’t watch the video if you’re not a fan of infantile innuendo
Moving from cats to dogs: Chris Dolley had me at ‘Zaphod’, but this tale of a dog’s life is lovely enough without the hook. Zaphod’s Last Run
Some found graffitti, which suggests just because you know how to write doesn’t always mean you should. Still, possibly the name of my new band. If I could sing or play an instrument.
Charles Stross in Q&A at session at Apple HQ (videos).
An Anne Patchett piece on writing became available in Kindle format, discussed at LATimes’ Jacket Coy
Log your activities, and find time to write you didn’t know you had: quickwritingtips – #writing
“You can learn a lot of things from a great first page (also from a bad first page…)” – Maggie Stiefvater
Formula for a compelling plot. With examples. RT @CDaleyAuthor: On the blog: The Plot Skeleton.
I have no attention span. But upped my writing sprints – – from 10 to 15 minutes. Seems to be working #amwriting
less fun alone? over too fast? overexposed? sometimes messy? MT @Chindu: How #Writing is Like Sex | Psychology Today
Neil Gaiman quotes Gene Woolf: “You never learn how to write a novel… You only learn to write the novel you’re on.”
How do you keep conflict alive when you’re only going to meet the nemesis at the end? GITS on True Grit
I'm still laughing. I love infantile innuendo. It is entirely my cup of tea.
just dropped by from the campaign. I'll be back.
Hi, Matt.
Thanks for commenting over at my blog.
Ah, the diversionary tactics of the tiny blue bird that is Twitter. Thus far, I've not heeded it's siren song … and am hoping to maintain this gig called writing without doing so (if at all possible).
Looking forward to reading you along the campaign trail!
p.s. – please let me know if there's a way to "follow" you w/o said blue bird.
Hi,
I'm a fellow campaigner just dropping by to say 'Hello' and say I found your post entertaining.
Hello Sandwiched Writer!
I know what you mean about Twitter. I used to do a writing links round up in this blog every week, and more recently I've found it convenient to tweet the interesting stuff I find, and then paste them into a round up here. Helps that I'm a coder, actually, because I was able to create a neat little script to semi-automate the digest process.
Thanks for comments Maria and Jan — a slightly embarrassing post to be the standard bearer for the blog, but there you go!