linktopia

back again

Sorry, guys. I didn’t mean to be away from here so long. I’m on an unplanned but much-needed sanity break from writing, and this blog got lumped into that category. Winter’s been much too long, spring is slow in coming, and I’m focusing my energies on other things for a bit.

It’s snowing right now. It’s like a bad bad April Fool’s day joke.

Just so that your stop here isn’t completely wasted today, have some links (please, they need to go from my browser to yours–I have too many tabs open!):

Via Jo Anderton, the tale of a novel that languished in a publisher’s slush pile for… well, read it to find out. And, also via Jo, a feel-good piece: 7 R’s of Positivity for Unpublished Writers

Eona, the sequel to Alice Goodman’s Eon, is coming out this month, with a GORGEOUS cover.

The Query Tracker blog has an, uh, interesting roundup of publishing news today. *grin*

I forget where I picked this up from, but this site has 360 degree panoramic city views. It’s a lot of fun. 🙂

How’re you all doing?

agent pitch contest

Agent Weronika Janczuk is judging a pitch contest on the QueryTracker.net blog for adult science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller or romance. Contest opens March 3rd (yes, it’s this Thursday) and runs for 24 hours. She’s looking for a one-line pitch and the first 100 words. Check out this post for more details.

on resolutions

Do you have resolutions for the New Year? I’m still working on mine. I don’t feel any need to rush this process along. Otherwise, I might end up with goals that are unrealistic (“Write five novels this year”), out of my control (“Win apple pie baking contest”) or just not that important to me (“Knit a pair of socks every month”).

In the meantime–while I’m thinking this through–here are some thought-provoking links on the topic of goal-setting:

Holly Lisle talks about figuring out the theme for your life, realizing what your philosophy, needs, wants and interests are, and fitting your goals to match those.

Here’s Juliette Wade on breaking down your goals into smaller, achievable targets. Figure out the logistics of reaching a goal. Thinking of writing a novel this year? How many words a day will you have to write? Where will you find the time to do so? What will you give up? What kind of planning do you need to do before you write? Research Beijing? Create a language? Write character dossiers? Sit down and come up with a strategy, or else you’ll be struggling pretty soon.

J. A. Konrath has a comprehensive list of resolutions for writers written over a number of years. Worth checking out for inspiration.