“Infoquake” Publishers Weekly Review, Podcasts and More
It’s been a big month for my novel “Infoquake.” The Publishers Weekly review is out, plus new podcasts, plus advance praise from Kate Elliott and Tobias Buckell.
Writing
How Did You Get Your Novel Published? (Part 1)
Ever since I signed my book contract with Pyr in January of 2005, I’ve been getting the same question from friends and acquaintances: “How did you get your novel published?” (The unspoken corollary to this question is, of course, “How can I get my novel published too?”) Here’s the basic story of how “Infoquake” found its way into print.
Two New Exclusive Background Articles for “Infoquake”
Two new background articles for the world of “Infoquake” are available online: “On Dartguns and Disruptors,” and “On the Transportation System.”
Bad Creative Writing Advice
The Internet is full of bad advice for creative writers. Here’s just a small sampling of the nonsense you can find if you look for it. “Show, don’t tell.” News flash: writing is telling. It’s a completely linguistic art form. There’s no showing involved, unless you’re writing illustrated books like Dr. Seuss or graphic novels like Neil Gaiman. The real distinction to be made here is between writing descriptive language (e.g. when your character is … Read more
Who Do You Write For?
If you’re a novelist or short story writer or poet or any other kind of dabbler in the written word, who do you write for? Who is your audience? Keep in mind that your words are not immortal. Your words will eventually be forgotten. There will come a time — maybe in ten years, maybe in ten thousand — when everything you’ve ever written will be utterly forgotten. But don’t fret; you’re in august company. … Read more
Why Is Spelling and Grammer Importunt?
Why are proper spelling, punctuation and grammar important? Society values a complex system of spelling and grammar because it gives us an easy way to measure a person’s education.
Writing Has Killed My Desire to Read
I can’t tell you whether I prefer Ian McEwan’s recent novel Saturday to his prior effort, Atonement. I can’t comment on whether John Banville’s The Sea deserved the Booker Prize (though I can tell you that his older work The Book of Evidence was certainly Bookerworthy). I don’t know if The Plot Against America continues Philip Roth’s unprecedented streak of literary home runs that began with 1997’s American Pastoral. Why? Because I haven’t read any … Read more