Warning! This site can be a timewaster. But it’s a great resource. Don Swaim’s Book Beat interviews. Listen and enjoy. Look especially for the interview with Kaylie Jones!
August 30, 2009
August 29, 2009
Let’s get started
So this is it. Day one.
Here’s how I’m hoping this blog will work.
One, we’ll share ideas about writing. Where do you get your inspiration? How do you craft your characters? How did you get representation? What are you reading, and what do you recommend. I just finished Yann Martel’s brilliant Life of Pi (yeah, I realize this isn’t exactly new fiction any more, but better late than never …).
Two, this can also be a clearinghouse for resources. What’s a good Web site? What’s a good reference book? And what are some useful writing exercises? A successful novelist friend once gave me a questionaire he uses to develop each of his characters. With his permission, I’ll be posting that. Anything you’ve got — what’s your Web site?
Three, I’m planning to do some journalism here. I have a few contacts in the industry, and I’ll be picking their brains and hopefully posting the interviews here. I’m hoping to announce these in advance, so I’ll be passing along your questions, as well.
And fourthly, let’s post some rants. It ain’t easy getting someone to take seriously this story you’ve poured your guts into. You’ve got the naysayers and the doubters to deal with — and sometimes they’re just the naysayers and doubters in your own skull.
Who knows what direction we’ll go?
