52 Novels

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Hidey-ho, people!

Thanks for stopping by. Jamie was kind enough to link back to me, so I figured I should be kind enough to welcome his faithful.

I hope to have you back. But to make it less awkward for us all, just use my subscribe page to keep our new relationship alive.

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There seems to be quite a few of you. Pull up a chair. Pop some corn. Subscribe to the feed, maybe.

And thanks for the link back, Dave!

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I’ve got deadlines out the yingyang this week so I’m a day late on this week’s SOTB. My apologies to the handful of people who wait with bated breath.

Now that that’s out of the way, here’s a double scoop of links… specifically, it’s a half-dozen blogs from writers you probably don’t know. That was rude… who am I to say who you know and who you don’t?

Anyway, just read.

By the way, I listed these in no particular order.

Dave White’s Writing Block

I first came across Dave’s awesome blog a couple of years ago. At the time, he and Bryon Quertermous were engaged in a friendly writer’s contest, called Let’s See Who Can Finish A Novel First.

The blog isn’t so much about the contest as it is about Dave’s journey as a working writer.

It doesn’t hurt that he’s got a rapier-like wit. Over time, though, and like lots of bloggers, he’s evolved… especially as he’s gotten closer to releasing his book, WHEN ONE MAN DIES. It’s due September 25th and it’s gotten a great reviews.

Read all about Dave at Dave White’s Writing Block.

David Isaak’s Tomorrowville

David Isaak’s story intrigued me because he intentionally signed with a book imprint, Macmillan New Writing, that doesn’t give advances.

Seemed odd to me. I mean, come on, we’re all trying to get paid for writing stories and here’s a guy who didn’t take a dime up front. Then again, the imprint has a great model: find talented new writers in any genre, then release one book a month. That means they can take the time to grow an author almost organically.

Dave embraced the concept full on and he’s got some great posts about the process and why he thinks it was the right deal for him. He also gives some awesome snapshots into his writing process. His book, SHOCK AND AWE, is out now.

Check it all out at David Isaak’s Tomorrowville.

John August (a ton of useful information about screenwriting)

John August is probably the most well-known of this lot of writers. He’s the guy responsible for writing the screenplays for GO, BIG FISH, CHARLIE’S ANGELS, and a few more you know. He made his directorial debut with this summer’s THE NINES.

John’s been at the Hollywood thing for a number of years now, but his blog posts reveal a generous man who seems to give more than he gets (although, I’m sure he gets quite a lot). How many other Hollywood screenwriters let just any schlub ask questions about craft and the business? Better still, how many actually answer you back?

Be sure to check out his downloads page… you can get lost for hours there reading draft scripts and outlines and treatments. There’s also a stunning essay on how BIG FISH got written and made.

Read it all at John August (a ton of useful information about screenwriting).

Duane Swierczynski’s Secret Dead Blog

I came across Duane’s blog quite by accident… read about that here. Since then, I’ve made a point of checking out Secret Dead at least once a week.

By day, Duane’s the editor of the Philadelphia City Paper, the city’s alternative weekly, and the blog reflects that sort of sensibility. Duane’s cynical and funny and ever cracking wise. Plus, he’s got a finely tuned ear for dialog, and is super-quick with uncommon similes and metaphors. I don’t get jealous of other writers very often, but when it comes to this guy I’m as green as bucket full of peas.

Make sure you also check out his three highly acclaimed crime novels—SECRET DEAD MEN, THE WHEELMAN, and THE BLONDE—and a fourth on the way. Then go read more about Duane at Duane Swierczynski’s Secret Dead Blog.

Jamie Ford’s Bittersweet Blog

I can’t remember how I found Jamie’s blog, but, by gum, I’m awful glad I did. I know it was an accident and I know he hooked me with a little tagline in his banner: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet.

Turns out, that’s the name of his forthcoming novel. Clever, and it’s got a lot of automatic resonance.

But the great thing about Jamie’s blog is the diversity… it’s about writing, and sports, and movies, and books, and lots of other things Jamie loves. When I read his words, they seem effortless to me. I’m sure they aren’t, because they never are effortless. And he almost always has the perfect photo attached to the post.

Go read—and see—for yourself at Jamie Ford’s Bittersweet Blog.

The Letter D

Last up is, perhaps, the funniest blog I read. The Letter D is the home of Dwight Hamilton, a lawyer and humor columnist for Grand Rapids Magazine.

Who can resist post titles like, “Screw You, Neal Schweiber!,” “Ponytailed Lawyer Guy,” and “The Night I Saw Prince’s Penis”?

Definitely check out the “Best of D”… you’ll giggle so much people around you will wonder what’s so freaking funny.

The worst part about The Letter D? Dwight doesn’t post often enough.

Take a peek at The Letter D.

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Because, apparently, they do.

From GalleyCat:

James Frey Sells Novel to HarperCollins
“The press release went out just before 5:30: James Frey has sold a novel called BRIGHT SHINY MORNING to HarperCollins, with publisher Jonathan Burnham sealing the deal.”

I’m curious to see how the book-buying public responds when it’s released next summer. Will we remember Oprah? Will we care about that he made up a bunch of shit, passed it off as true, and then pocketed a dump truck full of cash? Or have we moved on?

I’d like to know what you think. Leave a comment and let’s bat this one around a little.

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God, what a mess, on the ladder of success, where you take one step and miss the whole first rung.”
The Replacements, from “Bastards of Young“

There’s an awesome discussion on tap over at Konrath’s blog about the definition of success. Konrath made a nice comparison using the parable of the ant and grasshopper.

“The grasshopper believed that all he had to do was write a good book, and his future was assured.

“The ant knew that writing a good book was only the beginning, and he had to make sure people knew about his book by building a brand and spreading name-recognition.”

On the one side of the discussion is Jude Hardin, a recently agented author looking for his first sale (unless I’m behind the curve and have missed some news). He’s contending that the ant is silly for taking such an interest in these things because, after all, the publishing world is fickle.

It’s not quite the same as the music world, a place where—as Chris Rock said—you’re here today and gone today. But the point remains: as Jude said, “the sad (and unfair, many times) fact is, publishers drop authors every day.”

I see his point. What’s wrong with just focusing on writing the best book you can and letting the market decide? It’s a tough world and the words should stand or fall on their own, right?

It is, as Jude said, one of the driving reasons we write. I can really get behind this. If I never land an agent or sell a book, I’ll have a lifetime of doing the thing I love, doing the thing I know I was meant to do.

On the other side of the discussion is Joe Himself. He’s famous as much for his self-promotion as he is for his books, if not moreso. Nobody—and I mean nobody—in the publishing biz works harder than he does.

Of course, his take is that it’s better to be the ant.

So, here I go, right out in the middle: I see Joe’s point, too.

What’s the sense in having the “published author/full-time novelist” goal if you do little or nothing to help ensure you remain so? Like my buddy Lou Schuler asks, “if your actions don’t support your stated goal, can you really call it a goal?”

In any case, there seems to be a divide between the two points. I don’t think these things have to mutually exclusive.

Besides, success is what we, as writers, define it to be and it’s always a moving target. What I’d call success today is considerably different than what I called it five years ago. I suspect I’ll say the same thing five years in the future.

Right now, I’m happy when I can get up and crank out five hundred or a thousand words of something. Is that what someone else considers success? I hope not. And, quite frankly, I don’t care whether or not they do.

At any rate, I’m eager to read what you think. Drop me a comment and let’s discuss.

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