deadlines
August 18, 2009
- August is the month in which Nothing Happens, generally speaking, in the publishing world, which is why I’ve been fairly silent on this blog lately. The other reason is that I’m taking advantage of the quiet and am writing, writing, writing. A few wintry days last week helped … and now that the sun is back, this means means Notebook in the Park instead of Sitting at Computer.A tip for ...
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August 13, 2009
- INTERNATIONAL NEWS"A newspaper produced entirely by women in rural India is among the winners of the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes this year." Another prize went to Tin Tua’s Literacy and Non-Formal Education Programme in eastern Burkina Faso.--from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural OrganizationCOVER CONTROVERSY"Proof of the power of the web: ...
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July 12, 2009
- This morning I discovered that I use the word "perhaps" far too much in my writing. So I deleted all of them.This morning I discovered that I could write the ending to a story whose middle I didn't know, and then the ending became another story, something that wasn't and now is.This morning I discovered that the middle of a story whose beginning and end I have only needed to be one ...
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July 2, 2009
- Phew! Manuscript is in the mail. Well, it's in the e-mail and sent of to my editors Arthur Levine and Cheryl Klein . . .It was crunch time last night to finish the second BOBBY book. And weird, since the first one's not even out yet. BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY)debuts in September . . .I've taken to working in the library. Though I love my office dearly, there are, um, a few distractions ...
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June 3, 2009
- Starting about two years ago I went through a period where I was late on every single project I had under contract. And not just a few days, or a few weeks, or even a few months late. We're talking really late, as in moving a book from one year to the next and a couple of publishers sending me "or else" letters.Being late had never been a problem for me. In fact, I believe I owe a great ...
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May 18, 2009
- It's very hot here today, a sharav or hamsin, a hot desert wind, so I am staying in. I shall retreat to my cool cellar/workroom shortly, even though it means navigating the heat of the garden. Wish me luck. In the meantime, fellow Salt author and blogger Elizabeth Baines has an excellent article about the short story in the Writers Guild magazine:...stories seem to me more like poetry than ...
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May 7, 2009
- I woke up this morning, back in Israel, with a heavy cold, and, inspired by a friend, said to the Universe: "Surprise and delight me!". And, what do you know? It did. I was utterly bowled over to discover that my flash story, Come Back Tomorrow, originally published in Dogzplot, has been selected by Darlin' Neal for Wigleaf's Top 50 Very Short Fictions of 2009 (stories under 1000 words ...
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May 1, 2009
- For a writer, sometimes getting started represents the hardest part of the writing process. Getting that first word or sentence out onto the paper or screen can feel like trying to give birth to a breach baby.For me, it’s the lead to an article or the first paragraph or two of an essay or of a chapter that feels the most difficult. Once I’ve got that part written, the rest of the piece simply ...
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March 5, 2009
- My deadline is nine months away, and I've written stuff already. That may not sound like big news to you, but it is to me. My usual travel book schedule goes something like this - sign contract, do nothing for a while as there's plenty of time, make up a reading list of sorts for research, send out some tentative e-mail enquiries. Then relax for a while, mess around on messageboards and Facebook ...
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February 19, 2009
- This is not going to be a funny post. I'm just warning you.My book deadline is bearing down on me, while at the same time, my day job is beyond crazy.I'm kind of screwed. At night, I try to write for at least an hour a night, but then I feel guilty because I'm not doing "work" work. But when I do work, I feel guilty for not writing.On top of that, I feel like I'm neglecting my husband ...
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