► Interesting reaction over on The Rumpus to David Shields’s new book Reality Hunger: A Manifesto, which asserts, among other ideas, that the lyric essay and memoir will be the prevailing literary forms, since – yawn (this again?) – the novel is dead and narrative is nothing special.
►Over at First Line Fiction, novelist Lori Ann Bloomfield mixes in frequent posts to spur stalled writers: prompts, exercises, and suggested first lines to use as story starters.
► Ever wonder what goes on inside a “content mill”? Here's an in-depth description of the editorial work flow at Demand Media. Read it and weep.
►The first Book Blogger Convention (to be held May 28 in NYC) has a list on their site of all attendees with links back to all of their blogs. Mighty useful to have on hand if you’ve got a book to promote and are thinking of a DIY book blog tour.
►What do those numbers and letters on an ISBN mean anyway?
►Mediashift takes a look at some of the less talked-about routes to, and outcomes from, self-publishing.
►Massachusetts writers may want to check out the very affordable Writer’s Day at Bay Path College, April 17.
►The Second Pass asked “voracious readers to recommend their favorite out-of-print book.”
►The Atlantic Wire’s Media Diet asks writers what media they consume daily and how, and what they’re currently reading. Anna Quindlen is the latest (and you’ll find links to Susan Orlean and others.)
►And finally, on-air reporters for Chicago’s WGN-AM radio station, owned by the financially teetering Tribune Company have been forbidden by the company’s CEO from uttering a list of 119 words/phrases he deems “newsspeak,” including( really): alleged, motorist, pedestrian, completely, youth, seek, at risk, campaign trail, reportedly. To be fair (which was also on the list), I did find a few I agreed with: fatal death, touch base. But really, Mr. CEO? Over at NPR, Ian Chillag used them all in one sentence.
2 comments:
Thanks for the mention Lisa! I love your blog by the way - I'll be stopping by again. Take Care!
Seriously about the 119 banned words on WGN? "To be fair", I "laud" any attempt to rid writing of trite phrasing, but people in Chicago have bigger things to worry about than "pedestrian" or "motorist".
"The fact of the matter" is that Chicago is the "Mother of all" corrupt cities, and to rid our airways of this "bad news" (and most of these words), we would have to dump our entire political system.
You see, "our top story" is often "marred" by some "reportedly" "plagued" politician "reeling" from "allegations" of "alleged" improprieties going on "behind closed doors" on the "campaign trail". "Informed sources say" the "perpetrators" have "literally" "fled on foot", sometimes resulting in a "manhunt" and a "clash with police". Though these "officials" are rarely involved in a "killing spree", the "aftermath" of their "legendary" exploits is often "incarceration", with years "behind bars."
"Everybody" knows that ridding our news of these words would put us "at risk" of dead air, as well as political and viewer "unrest". "Really", "folks", "stay tuned." "We'll be right back."
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