Writerly Life » News http://www.writerlylife.com With daily writing exercises, tips and techniques, and thoughts on the writing life, Writerly Life is for the writer in all of us. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:38:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Buzz: The Thinkerbot http://www.writerlylife.com/2012/01/buzz-the-thinkerbot/ http://www.writerlylife.com/2012/01/buzz-the-thinkerbot/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:55:58 +0000 BLH http://www.writerlylife.com/?p=3354 I’ve just learned about an intriguing new way to get inspiration for your writing or for other creative projects, and it uses all of the internet as a kind of collective brain. It’s The Thinkerbot, created by the folks at NAIL. In an elegant interface, you can choose to click on an image, a video, or a scrap of audio — and you’ll be presented with a random sample from just about anywhere online. Some of the photos and videos I’ve gotten have been surprisingly thought-provoking. You can even click a timer that will give you a new random prompt every thirty seconds, for an excellent speed-writing exercise. If you’re looking for a good way to randomize your inspiration, the Thinkerbot is an intriguing new choice.

]]> http://www.writerlylife.com/2012/01/buzz-the-thinkerbot/feed/ 1 Happy Thanksgiving http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/11/happy-thanksgiving-4/ http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/11/happy-thanksgiving-4/#comments Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:00:23 +0000 BLH http://www.writerlylife.com/?p=3249

 Thanks, Wikipedia, for the image.

Happy turkey day, writers! Writerly Life will be taking a quick break this weekend so that I can enjoy some family time this Thanksgiving (and maybe even focus on my novel a bit). I hope you are planning a family-oriented holiday, and with that in mind, I’d like to direct you to some great posts from Writerly Life’s past about capturing family and family holidays well in fiction.

Capturing Thanksgiving: Some tips on getting all the tension and family drama of the holiday truthfully on the page.

Bring a family together: tips for drawing out the conflict in reuniting a family and capturing the subtle clashes or skeletons in the closet.

What was your grown-up moment? Wondering about the natural process of growing up and when you first realized that you were becoming an adult.

Give thanks to your writing mentors: Finally, in the spirit of the holiday, a heartfelt thanks to all of the people who encouraged me in my writing. Who will you give thanks for?

]]> http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/11/happy-thanksgiving-4/feed/ 1 Subscribe to Writerly Life! http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/11/subscribe-to-writerly-life-2/ http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/11/subscribe-to-writerly-life-2/#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:11:47 +0000 BLH http://www.writerlylife.com/?p=3226 I’d like to remind you to subscribe to Writerly Life’s free RSS feed. By subscribing, you can read all of Writerly Life’s great content in the reader of your choice, including Yahoo, Google Reader, NetNewsWire, and any number of others. Subscribe to Writerly Life, and you can access to it on your mobile phones, on your home page, and just about anywhere else! So spread the word, readers — get subscribing now.

You can also subscribe to Writerly Life’s free email newsletter. Once a month, you’ll receive exclusive thoughts on the writing life, highlights of the best posts that month, sneak previews of upcoming posts, and an inspirational writing exercise. Why not join today?

]]> http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/11/subscribe-to-writerly-life-2/feed/ 0 Links to Make You Think http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/10/links-to-make-you-think-9/ http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/10/links-to-make-you-think-9/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:07:50 +0000 BLH http://www.writerlylife.com/?p=3169 It’s time for this week’s literary reader. Have you been reading writerly articles around the web this past week? If not, it’s time to catch up and keep your finger on the pulse of the writing world.

Love this:a beatnik dictionary that’s anything but squaresville.

Interesting: To Kill a Mockingbird is Britain’s favorite book. I thought it was a particularly American phenomenon!

More beatniks: When Kerouac met Kesey.

Great interview with Jeffrey Eugenides about his new novel.

A new online distraction-free writing environment.

Lovely, creative video: 29 Ways to Stay Creative, many of which have appeared here at Writerly Life.

Till next time, cool writer cats.

]]> http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/10/links-to-make-you-think-9/feed/ 0 Links to Make You Think http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/09/links-to-make-you-think-8/ http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/09/links-to-make-you-think-8/#comments Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:40:46 +0000 BLH http://www.writerlylife.com/?p=3156 It’s back to Wednesday and time for more thoughts on what I’ve seen around the web lately. Do you gravitate toward literary links as well? If you’ve found interesting reading on the web this week, feel free to leave links in the comments.

Vladimir Nabokov’s psychology was way ahead of his time.

What is the hardest question for a writer to answer?

The New Yorker has a new article about shoplifting. Subscribers only, sadly.

Someone has been leaving beautiful book sculptures in Scotland’s libraries.

Kurt Vonnegut’s take on the shape of stories.

Enjoy, readers, and see you tomorrow!


]]> http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/09/links-to-make-you-think-8/feed/ 0 Links to Make You Think http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/09/links-to-make-you-think-7/ http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/09/links-to-make-you-think-7/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:00:56 +0000 BLH http://www.writerlylife.com/?p=3150 It’s another Wednesday and time for another roundup of literary links, folks. Here are some choice ones to get you thinking about the state of the literary world today.

I’m excited: an excerpt from Haruki Murakami’s latest novel.

And while we’re on Murakami, if you like him on Facebook you’ll get exclusive access to Chapter One of “IQ84″.

Poets and Writers’ MFA program rankings. Take it with a grain of salt, but it might be helpful if you’re shopping for MFA programs.

This one gets pretty addictive: watch Wikipedia getting updated, live, around the world.

A little failure is good for all of us: should it be part of our children’s education?

And, info on how Will Shortz creates his crossword puzzles for the Times.

]]> http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/09/links-to-make-you-think-7/feed/ 0 Links to Make You Think http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/09/links-to-make-you-think-6/ http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/09/links-to-make-you-think-6/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:00:47 +0000 BLH http://www.writerlylife.com/?p=3111 This week’s edition of links to make you think is full of helpful posts about getting published or honing your craft. What will you take from your stroll through the writing corner of the internet today?

22 Things a writers learned from submitting writing to magazines.

Gotta love this: A sighting of a “hipster lit” section in a bookstore. Some highlights: George Saunders, Roberto Bolano, and Richard Price.

An essay in the Atlantic: John Barth’s anxiety about unoriginality.

From Electric Literature: tips from great writers about fighting distraction, some of which have been mentioned here at the site.

For anyone digging Spotify lately: Galleycat has a spotify playlist of songs mentioned in Murakami’s novels.

Should we just admit it? Is Shakespeare simply too difficult to understand on the fly? (Can’t say I agree)

Some teachers of mine on tour: A great reading that didn’t include much reading with Darin Strauss and David Lipsky.

One writer’s ideal writing space?A green room in Gujarat.

See you tomorrow, readers and writers!

]]> http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/09/links-to-make-you-think-6/feed/ 2 Concentration Exercises Now Available http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/09/concentration-exercises-now-available/ http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/09/concentration-exercises-now-available/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:18:42 +0000 BLH http://www.writerlylife.com/?p=3109 I’ve just noticed that my “concentration exercises” post from yesterday wasn’t working. I’ve now fixed the problem, so head on over and don’t miss my tips, including how to build your story as if it were a house, brick by brick; how to become a walking eyeball; and how to ask just one compelling question and answer it. Don’t miss out — go on over and read the post!

]]> http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/09/concentration-exercises-now-available/feed/ 0 Buzz: “How to Start a Blog” Course http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/08/buzz-how-to-start-a-blog-course/ http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/08/buzz-how-to-start-a-blog-course/#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:00:02 +0000 BLH http://www.writerlylife.com/?p=3081 I’ve just received some information about an interesting course that might be a good match for many of the readers in my audience.  If you’re looking to start a new blog or jumpstart an older one, this new course from the New York Times Information Network might be right for you.  Here’s the press release I was sent:

Some people start a blog to amuse family and friends; others want to create a local news and information site for their community. Some want to share opinions on music, books, films or politics. No matter where the inspiration comes from, how do you start a blog effectively?

 

Now, a new course from The New York Times Knowledge Network is available to teach participants how to get a blog off the ground successfully. Taught by Jeremy Zilar, who manages all of the blogs on nytimes.com, the course will provide collegial assistance and fresh ideas, including:

 

  • Fine-tune your concept and make sure it works
  • Find the right design and tone of voice
  • Understand and use the available blogging platforms and tools
  • Get your blog started and learn to manage it at the right pace
  • Add basic audio and visuals
  • Use social tools to promote and grow your blog

 

In addition to the daily self-paced lessons, online discussion forums and resources, there will be scheduled live online sessions with the instructor. Live sessions will be archived for future viewing.

 

How to Start a Blog will run as a facilitated, scheduled course from September 12 – 25 and may also be taken in a self-paced version. The New York Times Dining Editor Kathleen O. McElroy will also be featured in the self-paced version of the course. To register for this new online course or for more information, please visit: http://www.nytimesknownow.com/index.php/how-to-start-a-blog/.

 

This Program of Study course is part of The New York Times Knowledge Network, which is open to consumers nationwide. Programs of Study courses, developed and taught by New York Times journalists or professional staff, cover a variety of topics and are delivered online. Students can select any number of these courses: to stand alone, or be taken as a sequence.

]]> http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/08/buzz-how-to-start-a-blog-course/feed/ 0 Links to Make You Think http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/07/links-to-make-you-think-5/ http://www.writerlylife.com/2011/07/links-to-make-you-think-5/#comments Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:00:15 +0000 BLH http://www.writerlylife.com/?p=2998 This Wednesday I’ve got a new crop of writerly links to keep you updated on what’s happening in the writing world these days. So without further ado:

A new size and format for books makes them easier to carry — and turns them into flipbooks.

A thorough and surprising article on the online dating phenomenon.

These photographs of old dogs are touching — and full of dignity.

An interview with crossword puzzle master editor Will Shortz.

Seven significant places for Salman Rushdie.

Fascinating portraits on girls trying out for the new production of “Annie.”

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