'Annihilation' Author Jeff VanderMeer Shares the Secrets to Writing Great Imaginative Fiction
space.com – Wednesday July 4, 2018
Aspiring writers of "imaginative fiction" — whether science fiction, fantasy or other kinds — are in for a treat: a new update to the fiction-writing guide "Wonderbook," by Jeff VanderMeer (Abrams Image, 2018).
VanderMeer is a well-known author of some of the strangest fiction today (including the "Southern Reach" trilogy that the recent movie "Annihilation"draws from), and with "Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction," released today (July 3, 2018) he provides an equally strange (but effective) dive into the fundamentals of fiction writing, intermingling text and illustrations to explore the complexities of fiction. The book also includes perspectives from many authors, including Kim Stanley Robinson, Ursula K. Le Guin, George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman and more.
Find yourself a muse (preferably nude but clothed will do) – and 9 more writing tips
irishtimes.com – Monday July 2, 2018
1. If your writing’s not flowing, rip it up. For me, the most successful pieces are always the most free-flowing. If it’s a struggle, be aware that a reader will intuit that too, so pull the plug. After all, Robert Louis Stevenson started 393 works only to finish 27 of them. I honestly can’t think of any job other than writing that involves as much waste – it’s worse than working in an effluent plant!
2. Keep fuelling your brain as you write. As I write this, I’m eating Baked Beetroot & Golden Linseed Tortillas which masquerade as healthy, a bit like myself, but are probably as bad as Monster Munch. While my right hand clicks on the mouse, my left dips more industriously into the tortillas. Testifying to the fact that I’ve just given birth to a new play, I need to lose a few pounds which leads seamlessly into…
Don’t dip your pen in someone else’s blood: writers and ‘the other’
irishtimes.com – Sunday July 1, 2018
Was there ever any worse advice than write what you know? Who of the greats ever wrote what they knew? Did Charlotte Bronte live in a grand country house with a man called Edward Rochester who tried to commit bigamy with her before she wrote Jane Eyre? Was Gustave Flaubert a woman who committed adultery before he wrote Madame Bovary? And how many of us could write a good book if we only wrote what we know? I would have to write about a middle-aged woman who lives in a midlands town, visits Tesco and tends her garden. No story there. No bestseller. Because it’s not interesting. As writers we have to make things up if we want to spin a good yarn. We have to have a murder or two, a broken heart, a bank robbery, a ride in a spaceship.
Writers and publishers trade blows over plummeting author pay levels
theguardian.com – Saturday June 30, 2018
The Society of Authors has issued a sharply worded challenge to the UK’s biggest publishers after the chief executive of the Publishers Association questioned new figures revealing the plummeting incomes of writers, describing them as “unrecognisable”.
A survey of more than 5,500 professional writers for the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) revealed earlier this week that median earnings for professional authors had dropped by 42% since 2005 below £10,500 a year, with the average full-time writer earning just £5.73 an hour, well below the UK minimum wage for those over 25. The number of professional authors, defined as those who spend more than half their working hours writing, also fell, from 40% of all published authors in 2005 to 13.7% in 2018.
Getting In The Right Zone To Write
forbes.com – Saturday June 30, 2018
We’ve all been there. There’s a deadline looming and all you have is a blank page. Or a mess of scribbled notes. Or reams of writing that feels dull and uninspired. The clock is ticking, and you need a break-through, but it feels like you’re going in circles.
Well, it may seem counter-intuitive but the first thing to do is step away from your computer screen. Many people have got used to thinking and writing from a place of stress. But it doesn’t have to be that way. When you’re in the right energy zone and frame of mind, most tasks – including writing – can be done with flow and ease.
So, here are my top tips for getting in the right zone to write.
New Publisher Listing
firstwriter.com – Friday June 29, 2018
Publishes: Fiction; Nonfiction;
Markets: Adult
A traditional publisher that specialises in fiction and nonfiction work.
Publishers are paying writers a pittance, say bestselling authors
theguardian.com – Thursday June 28, 2018
Philip Pullman, Antony Beevor and Sally Gardner are calling on publishers to increase payments to authors, after a survey of more than 5,500 professional writers revealed a dramatic fall in the number able to make a living from their work.
The latest report by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), due to be published on Thursday, shows median earnings for professional writers have plummeted by 42% since 2005 to under £10,500 a year, well below the minimum annual income of £17,900 recommended by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Women fare worse, according to the survey, earning 75% of what their male counterparts do, a 3% drop since 2013 when the last ALCS survey was conducted.
Pick Up A Pen...It’s National Writing Day
voice-online.co.uk – Thursday June 28, 2018
THIS YEAR’S National Writing Day today (June 27) is being celebrated with a host of literary and writing workshops for adults and children across the UK.
National Writing Day is coordinated by literacy charity First Story and designed to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to get into writing.
Tor.com Publishing Opens to Novella Submissions
locusmag.com – Wednesday June 27, 2018
Tor.com Publishing will open to novella submissions for two weeks beginning July 30, 2018.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Wednesday June 27, 2018
Publishes: Poetry;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Literary
Publishes metrical poetry in modern English. See website for previous issues and full guidelines. Submit 3-5 poems by email during specific reading periods (August 15 - October 15; January 15 - March 15; and April 1 - June 15).
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