I’ve been gratified to see how many people have emailed me to say, “We don’t pay you and we love the show, so update whenever the heck you want.”

Of course, I’m paraphrasing. But I’m still very pleased.

I came across another link that I think is quite important to people who listen to this podcast: Jeff Vandermeer (or rather, his doppleganger, Evil Monkey) posted the introduction to the book The Evil Monkey Guide to Creative Writing. Essentially it says most writing advice is crap… and this is the intro to a writing book. I’m interested to see what else he has to say in the book.

But what I got out of it is to take any writing advice with a grain of salt. Writing - like any art - is so damn personal that there really isn’t a right way to do it. You do what works for you; what matters is getting the words on the paper. Sure, if you hear advice, and it works, then that’s excellent. BUT if it doesn’t, you have to realize that perhaps nothing is wrong with you. You just don’t jive with the advice given.

I have a bad habit of reading blogs through RSS, starring something to read later, and never getting back to it. So now I’m going through all the saved blog posts since July and linking the best writing ones:

• Writer Beware Blog: Write in November, Get Scammed in December…
• Slushpile.net: Pile Up Pages While Not Peeing
• Neil Gaiman via Boing Boing: HOWTO Create a Literary Will
• Beetlegrass via Lifehacker: Seventeen Things Every Freelancer Should Know
• Pub Rants: Reading the Fine Print
• Writer Beware: Some Writing Problems To Avoid
• Writer Beware: A Little-Known Resource for Agent-Hunters
• John Scalzi: Some Perspective on being a “New” Writer

There. That should keep you busy till January. Happy New Year!

I wanted to post a podcast letting you know what was up with me, my podcasts, and my life. Why the podcast has been spotty and my plans for 2007.

So I did.

• My novel is done! Now I begin my agent search.
• 2007’s early months will be dedicated to finishing Hell for Geek Fu.
• Interviews with podiobook authors coming soon on ISBW.
• Apologies for the infrequencies of podcasts…. and we’ve been sick.
• I have a cult! www.mursbitches.com (thanks to JC Hutchins, Chris Miller and Tee Morris)
• I was interviewed on Lipstick Aliens. I appear in Mister Adventure. And I sold Merry Christmas from the Heartbreakers to Escape Pod.
• Christmas report: stories about the Wii are all true…

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

x-posted to Geek Fu Action Grip

 

 Meta Podcast: State of the Mur, 12/06 [20:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (449)

In October I spoke with Nancy Kress about her books, professionalism, the muse, and NaNoWrimo. Skype had some hiccups near the end that clipped off some of our conversation. This is Skype - not clumsy editing. I didn’t edit anything from this interview. And the dog is barking in the background…

Me? I’m so tired of this novel that I’m boring myself when I complain about it. Thus, I am putting a hold on stuff until it’s done. This includes podcasting.

I mention Ze Frank’s video podcast.

Promos: Jim Kelly’s Free Reads, Matt Selznick’s Five Minute Memoirs

 

 ISBW #56 - Nancy Kress Interview [35:08m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (497)

I’m back after being gone and then ill. Thank goodness for antibiotics.

• I failed at NaNoWriMo, but congrats to the winners! I did finish part three of Hell.
• Main topic: how I got my freelance career started.
• Hub will launch in the UK on December 8.

 

 ISBW #55 - Freelance Work [21:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (478)

Reject me.

I can take it. Really.

I’m serious.

I’m sick of sending writing into the void and having nothing happen to it. Every single thing I’ve sent to NPR has fallen into a black hole. The other night I talked with a friend of mine who is a freelance writer as his full time day job and he asked me how a certain market I write for pays. I told him that it was my highest paying market and he said, “We need to get you into better markets.”

I remembered why I don’t query other markets: the queries fall into a hole and are never heard from again. The Writer. Writer’s Digest. Bust.

Rejection makes me feel like a writer. It’s a sick sort of validation. Bear with me here: a rejection says more than “I don’t want to buy this work.” It says “Dear writer, I don’t want to buy this work.” When you get nothing at all, you’re not even noticed. You’re a gnat.

Last year I was invited to contribute to a book of essays. I was excited, so I wrote something I figured was fitting. I then got a request for a rewrite. I rewrote. *crickets chirp* Now I’m at the end of the year money-chasing phase and I look to see if the book is out, and lo, it is. I search the TOC on Amazon and I’m not even in there.

No rejection. Nothing.

Damn it.

I can take rejection. Really. I prefer it to being ignored.

I swear that it was only when I started podcasting that I got colds that took away my voice. Oh, I can talk, you just don’t want to hear me. If you want a hint of how I sound, listen to Pseudopod’s intro this week.

So holidays and illness has destroyed my podcasting. I do have shows planned out whenever I can talk without great effort - freelancing, interviews with Nancy Kress and others, it’s all set up. As soon as I get better.

NaNoWriMo was a bust - I stumbled and realized I wanted to concentrate on the novel edits more. I’m at page 248 now. Congrats to all the ISBW listeners who won NaNo!