Friday Fridge Clean-Out: Links for Writers -- April 7, 2017 Edition

> Can binge watching have a writing purpose? Reedsy editor (and novelist) Andrew Lowe thinks so, at least about a certain eight shows.

> Somewhat related: I learned about Belletrist, the young actor Emma Roberts's online book clue when she was on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Only mildly interested, I perked up when I arrived at her website to see she'd interviewed Joan Didion about her latest book, South and West: From a Notebook.

> Good listening: an episode of the #CNF podcast features Jennifer Niesslein, founder/editor of the online essay site, Full Grown People.

> Traveling? Or trying to organize a book promotion tour? Check out "The Best Bookstore in Every State," via Real Simple and Yelp.

> Find yourself torn between devoting time to writing, and making sure you are tending to business aspects of a writing life? At Catapult, Melissa Febos asks, "Do you want to be known for your writing or your swift email responses?"

>Speaking of Melissa Febos, I heard her read from her new memoir, Abandon Me, this week at Halfway There, a newish quarterly reading series in Montclair, NJ (my literary backyard), and was impressed by how, in the middle of what she explained was a weeks-long, cross-country book tour, she made the material sound new and fresh, even  (it seemed at least ) to herself. If I ever do readings from any book of mine, I'm going to find a video of her reading, and study it.

> Looking to get involved in behind-the-scenes work at an online literary journal? Hippocampus Magazine is in need of volunteers for several different posts.

> Every week, novelist Elizabeth S. Craig compiles a long juicy list of links to writing advice and writing-related articles and posts that appeared that week on the web.

> That collective groan you heard last weekend was thousands of essay, memoir, and other nonfiction writers upset over the demise of the Lives column which will, after 19 years, no longer appear in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. (And the scratching was all of us crossing it off our publication bucket list. Sigh.)

> Three cheers for these high school student journalists who understand the value and power of fact-checking.

> Finally, from the department of that-sounds-completely-crazy-but-it's-still-(alleged)plaigarism, comes this story about how cultish hip-hop musicians apparently stole a poet's work.

Have a great weekend!

Image: Flickr/CreativeCommons-Rusty_Clark

Friday Fridge Clean-Out: Links for Writers -- August 28, 2015 Edition

> Can I use that quote in my book or article? Do I need permission? What about paraphrasing? What is "Fair Use" anyway? Brad Frazer breaks it down at Jane Friedman's blog.

> I'm constantly asked where I find submission information. Here are just a few standards (all free): the Classifieds at Poets & Writers, at The Review Review, at New Pages, at Writing Career. Slightly more specialized: Calls for Submissions at Literary Mama. This is a good time of year to check these out, as many journals that have been closed over the summer will soon reopen to subs. 

> If you use Duotrope (another place to find submission calls and deadlines), you may have noticed that in celebration of their tenth anniversary, they recently rolled out some new features (member subscriber site).

> Have you heard of Patreon? A way to generate on-going monthly funding for artists of all kinds. Apparently already popular in Europe, this is perhaps of interest to writers who aren't looking to crowdfund just one specific project.

> Lots of folks are talking about Jill Talbot's new memoir, The Way We Weren't -- as I will in a future post; meanwhile, here's an interview with her at The Rumpus.

> What would you do if a (paid) researcher on Ariana Huffington's staff emailed you for the source of a study you quoted in an article, which his boss wants to use in an upcoming book? Would you explain that tracking down studies is part of a journalist's skill set, and therefore worth compensation? Journalist Laura Lipton did. 

> On occasion, I like to point readers to other blogs that also publish a link round-up. Electric Lit offers "Midweek Links: Literary Links From Around the Web."

Have a great weekend!

Image:  Flickr/Creative Commons - LucyFisher

Friday Fridge Clean-Out: Links for Writers - November 1, 2013 Edition

> Have I ever mentioned how much I love the How We Spend Our Days series over at Cynthia Newberry Martin's terrific Catching Days blog?  Well I do. In the newest one, novelist Rebecca Makkei explains how she gets the writing done in between the 70 other demands on her time -- and why a time out is a blessing.

> Good Housekeeping magazine is launching SheBooks, an ebook publishing venture, and they're on the lookout for memoir pieces on aspects of mothering, in the 3000 - 7500 word range.

> If you're writing about 1850 words a day during November  -- whether officially participating in NaNoWriMo or like me, doing your own variation on it (writing 50K words in a month on several projects) -- here's a simple word count meter you can slap up on your blog, tumbler or website. 

> Not a new list, but a potentially helpful one: Literary Magazines That Pay.

> So Amazon has published its first...literary journal, titled Day One, available by subscription in digital formats. Here's the spin  official info. Some cursory digging didn't yield an answer to whether it belongs on a list like the one mentioned just above. 

> Preserving writing time vs. building a social media presence. Laura Harrington weighs in on the modern author's struggle.

> Being interviewed (or conducting one), or recording a podcast over Skype? Mystery novelist Elizabeth Craig offers a checklist. 

> You know I love writing prompts. Here are enough to get you through a month.

> Finally: Before my husband and kids surprised me with a Nook HD+ (which I love!), I resisted an e-reader for reasons I no longer remember. Now, I keep trying to explain why I don't want, won't get, and enjoy not having, an iPhone. And while I do have a semi-smart phone (I can check email but that's about it), I still mostly agree with Mary McGrath's reasons for resisting. (But check back after Santa has his way with me.)

Have a great weekend!