Publishers, Columnists, and Bloggers Argue Blogging; Seems a Tempest in a Teapot to Me

From Publishers Marketplace, links to Book Babes's look at "literary blogs" (although PM mentions they aren't sure where she got her list of "book blogs, since a lot of them, well, aren't"):

Poynter Online - Blogging for Books

and LA literary blogger Mark Sarva's response:

Publishers Marketplace: Obiter Dicta (A Supplement to The Elegant Variation)

Apparently the AP (this is also from Publishers Marketplace) has a piece today on authors who blog, including one of my favorites, Neil Gaiman, and quotes Farrar, Strauss and Giroux publisher Jonathan Galassi as saying, "Maybe we're behind the times. I just think there are too many words out there already. I hope our writers will be spending their time writing their books, not their blogs."

The link they give, however, is unfortunately dead, but if it is resurrected or merely revealed as incorrect I'll put it up.

I don’t know – I just look at Neil Gaiman's blog because he seems like a nice guy, he once helped me find out via email about the writer of a 1969 book I really wanted to find, and I want to see if he's ever coming to LA so I can go see him. Seems pretty harmless to me.

Thanks to Everyone Who Came Saturday!

That was a fun one - such good questions! I love it when folks are engaged. Anyway, if you didn't make it to that one, drop in at the tea at the Borders in Montclair, CA on Saturday, October 16 at 11 a.m. It will concentrate more on Shakespeare and Her Infinite Variety, and I've been asked for suggestions of "tie-in" foods. Hmm . . cakes and ale?

I told everyone at Borders Saturday what I tell you all here - a little regular writing (in my case, an hour a day) is what gets the job done!

Gig Today, Saturday, Sept. 25, at Borders

Just a reminder - I'll be talking and reading at Borders in Pasadena, 475 S. Lake Ave., 626-304-9773, today at 4:00 p.m. Will probably read from The Falling Nun and talk about both my books. Stop on by and say hi, I'd love to see you!

Alexander McCall Smith - a Successful Writer Tells How He Became One, in the Scotsman

Very humble and encouraging, in two parts:

Scotsman.com News - Features - How I became a writer

Scotsman.com News - Alexander McCall Smith - My life has been turned upside-down, and I owe it all to Mma Ramotswe

Tip: Writing, Like Exercise, Is Cumulative

Writing really is quite analogous to cardio - you know how they say you don't have to do all your exercise in one big chunk? That what counts is the little bits that add up throughout the day? Like taking the stairs, a five-minute walk after and before lunch, etc. Well, writing is like that, too.

I know it can be hard to find a big chunk of time to write. But if you can squeeze in even a couple of ten-minute sessions every day or so, you will be amazed at what you can get done. Hey, you can write a paragraph in ten minutes, right? Well, try that twice a day. At then end of the week you'll have ten to fourteen paragraphs - two to three pages. And the end of a few weeks, you'll have a short story or chapter draft.

Yes, sometimes we need some time to "psych" ourselves into writing - but you can do some of that mental work as you get ready for your ten (or five!) minute session - like while you're paying your bills or signing the kids' permission slips or making dinner. And the more you do this, the more easily you will find that you slip into that writing mode. It will go quicker each time.

The thing about this is that you can almost always kick-start yourself into doing it. A two-hour session with a big goal can be intimidating. Saying, "Just ten minutes, one paragraph," doesn't frighten us. I've done this, especially the last few weeks when I was a bit sick, to good results. And you sometimes you even find you've managed to do a bit more than you planned (but remember, you don't have to).

It's like when you don't want to lift weights but don't feel like it and you fool yourself into it by saying, "Okay, just my biceps." And then you do your triceps and delts too. And before you know it, you've got a routine done, and some solid work to show.

So good luck!

Not finding anything particularly juicy, insightful, or amusing to post among publishing gossip just now, but then I've been a bit out of it - I'll keep looking!

Sorry for the Long Gap, Was Feeling Poorly

But better now. However, I have some not-good news - someone is spoofing my email. I'm taking it up with Yahoo, but may have to change my email address. If so, I'll need to stop posting it on this blog, as that is probably where the address was harvested from. So sorry! One piece of scum ruining things for everyone. I read a comment in Wired magazine positing that on the Internet we'll all acting like we're still at Woodstock when in truth it's time to get the hell out of Altamont. Ah, well. If I need to abandon the email address I'll enable comments on most posts so at least there can still be some communication.

Meanwhile, if you've received spam that looks like it's from me and tracked me to this blog, my sincere apologies, it's not me, and I'm trying to get it sorted out.

And hey, the new Writer's Market books are all out and inhabiting end caps at Barnes and Noble, so pick yours up!

An Insightful DVD

I saw a movie recently on DVD that I recommend to any aspiring creative person, not just writers. It's Comedian, starring Jerry Seinfeld and directed by Christian Charles. It's a documentary about Seinfeld's post-Seinfeld-show efforts to go back to stand-up comedy, and it's amazing in the vulnerability it shows, not just of Seinfeld but of the other phenomenally successful comedians who are his friends - Chris Rock, Jay Leno, Gary Shandling, and on and on. If you ever thought that "real" or "successful" artists didn't have crippling insecurities, nerves, and blocks, just like the rest of us, this will show you different, but in a kind and gentle way - they get through it.

Also note Jerry's epiphany about spending time working on writing - he saw some construction workers going back to work after lunch, and he realized that if they could go back to that job after lunch when they didn't really feel like it, then he could damn well go back to writing after lunch.

But anyway, see the whole thing - you'll feel energized.