Twitter, a collective

by Joan

At my true writing best, I am alone. Mind focused, hands on the keyboard, set off on my lone creative mission. And yet, I crave interaction with like-minded literary types. For me, this journey is more than a solitary endeavor. So I continue to seek out others, in person or online, to connect, to share, to commiserate, to celebrate. Sometimes I feel like I am part of the Borg, one drone in a collective we call 'writing community.' 

My collective encompasses my blog partners, author and other writer acquaintances, FaceBook friends, workshop participants and professors, to name a few. I like being part of this vast network. 

Dani Shapiro says "I am here, and you are there, and we are in this thing together."

I started scoping out Twitter about a year ago, but I’ve only recently begun connecting with people and following groups. My lone writing still comes first, but when it's time to catch up on the publishing world, I turn to Twitter as a first stop, craving my feed like a news junkie. And I find the compressed nature of the tweets actually saves me time. (How's that for justification!) 

On Twitter I see what books everyone is raving about, read reviews and essays I might not find on my own, learn about author readings and signings, get the scoop on what's going on with my favorite novelists and bloggers, and track treasures that museums and libraries are digging up from our literary and artistic past. Oh, and I stalk agents and publishing houses, too.

The list of whom I am following is still growing, but I thought I’d like to share a few I’ve found helpful and interesting.

Granta Magazine @GrantaMag

Ploughshares Literary Magazine @Pshares

The Paris Review @ParisReview

LA Review of Books @LAReviewofBooks

NY Review of Books @NYReviewofBooks

NY Times Books @NYTimesBooks

Kirkus Reviews @KirkusReviews

The British Library @BritishLibrary

The Bodleian Library (Oxford) @Bodleianlibs

Guardian Books @GuardianBooks

News and reviews from the other side of the pond

Powell’s Books @Powells

Politics & Prose  @Politics_Prose

Washington, D.C. independent book store

NPR Books @NPRBooks

Publishers Weekly @PublishersWkly 

Publisher's Lunch @PublishersLunch

Lit Chat @LitChat

An all book chat Twitter feed from author Carolyn Burns Bass

Goodreads @Goodreads

Galley Cat @GalleyCat

Book publishing news and tidbits

Writer Unboxed @WriterUnboxed

Wisdom about the craft and business of writing

The Rumpus  @The_Rumpus

Source for book reviews, interviews, and essays

And us, of course (those of us who tweet)!

What Women Write @WhatWomenWrite
Joan @JoanMoraWrites
Julie @JulieKibler
Kim @ KBullockAuthor
Pamela @PamelaTHammonds
Susan @SusanPoulos1

Who's in your collective?

As seen on the web

by Joan

We often grumble about how much time we fritter away surfing the internet or reading blogs (yes, like this one). Our minds are distracted, lured by words and pictures meaningful to us. We click on news feeds, writerly sites and online bookstores. Is this wasted time or research? A little of both, I suspect. 

For me, these tangents have inspired more than one story idea or plot twist. As I write this, my inbox shows ten emails from myself, chock full of gems forwarded from news apps or Twitter feeds. 

I find the BBC News feed fascinating. In addition to the expected categories, Top News, Business, The World, they run a Features and Analysis section with essays and articles on literature or cultures or lifestyles. Especially enlightening is the “10 things we didn’t know last week” column. 

Maybe you’re writing historical fiction set in fifteenth-century Britain and come across this:
 

“Richard III buried in hastily dug untidy grave." Hmmm, a story from the gravedigger's perspective sounds good to me!

Richard III - credit The Independent

Do you know about Flipboard? You can find this app on your phone, tablet or computer. It offers an array of magazine sources and a way to personalize your page. Do you like travel and art? Photography? Film? 

I'm a newbie to Twitter, but follow a few groups, such as Random House, LittleBrown, NY Review of Books, Writer’s Digest and Publisher’s Weekly.

Looking for the best new books from PW? 

How about an inspiring story about a Walmart employee in California who found a spiral-bound notebook containing almost two hundred handwritten rules in the parking lot. He decided to track down its owner after reading rule no. 154: “Protect this rule book.” Now Simon & Schuster is publishing the book, written by ten-year-old Isabelle Busath and eight-year-old Isabella Thordsen.

For all things literary, visit Literary Traveler. The top ribbon offers Articles, Tours, Travel, Gear, Hotels and, of course, Books. How about a tour of Thomas Hardy’s Dorset? Or a stay at this cool hotel? 

You might want to learn about (or visit) Britain’s The George, a famous literary pub that may or may not have served Chaucer, Shakespeare and Dickens.

Or read the review of author Pete Brown's Shakespeare’s Pub: A Barstool History of London as Seen Through the Windows of Its Oldest Pub—The George Inn (St. Martin’s Press).

Interested in H.G. Wells, spacetime, cosmic clocks, and timeless truths? Although I’m not a big sci-fi reader, time travel has always fascinated me (Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife anyone?). Perhaps if you’re going to tackle this in your plot, you might want to read a new book by theoretical physicist Lee Smolin about time and space: Time Reborn: From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

Writer’s Digest runs a column “Seven things I’ve learned so far,” featuring guest authors. And I always learn something from author Brian Klems’ The Writer’s Dig. 

And this post on writing historical fiction is a must-read for anyone about to embark on writing in that genre. The essayist is the Susan Sherman, author of The Little Russian, a book that I can’t wait to read.

What online treats have you found? Please share!

Starred Reviews

By Pamela

Hello, my name is Pamela and I'm an online shopper. Amazon is my biggest crush--books and movies, clothes and shoes, Luzianne family-sized green teabags and Wellness Ocean Core grain-free dog food. What's not to love? I could wax on about the convenience of shipping, the customer service and the fact that I can shop in my jammies, but I'm afraid an intervention might follow. Yes, I am Amazon-addicted. But in a good way, methinks.

My morning email box contained a couple notices asking for feedback on recent purchases, which led to my thinking about reviews. Yes, I read them and write them. And I'm aware of Amazon's recent push to oust those who give glowing reviews of books-by-friends-and-family in order to sway purchasers. There are even people who will review your book or product for a fee. I've never been paid for a review and wouldn't dream of it, but I wonder if I've ever been duped into a purchase by a false review. Maybe and maybe not.

Creative Commons, flickr.com

I also post reviews on GoodReads. While I'll rarely devote the time to write out a review, I do at least hit the star option and leave my opinion in a click. What I noticed is my proclivity for 4- and 5-star reviews. Do I love every book I read? No. But if I finish a book, then chances are I really liked or loved it. A book earning less than four stars by me likely got set aside in favor of another book waiting nearby. So there it languishes, on my virtual GoodReads 'currently reading' shelf, gathering virtual dust.

So, my challenge to you is to be fervent in your reviewing. Be fair, honest and kind. If you really liked or loved a book you read, take a moment and share your opinion in an online forum. You can even go a step further and let the author know (via her website or Facebook page) how much it meant to you. Didn't love it? If you post a negative review online, make sure you're judicious in the kindest way possible. Be a reviewer, but in a good way.

Your Writer Inbox

By Pamela

I've been pretty diligent lately at unsubscribing to some email lists. You know how it goes. You buy something online; you end up on their list. But some mailing lists I make sure I stay on and those are writing-related organizations I feel are helpful, informative and relevant.

Flickr image by JellyWatson

Before I share those, a quick word about email accounts. You might want to set up a separate email account  strictly for writing correspondence. That's a particularly a good idea if you're querying and your current email account features a quirky made-for-you name such as PartyGirl@yahoo.com or IHeartKitties@ymail.com--unless, of course, you're querying a book about cats. I'd suggest some version of your name as the prefix. And if your name is particularly tricky to spell, you might even consider an abbreviated version of it. The last thing you want is an agent or editor trying to reach you and misspelling your name.

Here are some writer-based organizations from which I receive regular emails:

• Writer's Digest--With Writer's Digest you can discover a wealth of information in one click. Get a weekly writing prompt; sign up for a class, webinar or tutorial; enter a writing contest and so much more. No membership required.
• The Writer's Center--Even without becoming a member of this organization, you can sign up to receive email alerts about upcoming classes being offered. I've not taken a class yet, but Joan did and found it extremely helpful, so I think I can recommend this source without hesitation.
• Publishers Marketplace--Every day I get PublishersLunch (and then on Wednesday LunchWeekly) in my inbox. Publishers Marketplace will send you these to keep you informed about the latest book deals and business changes in the ever-evolving publishing world at no charge. Pony up $20 a month to receive the deluxe version for even more insight. 
• The Writer--This is the online version of the magazine (and the only one I subscribe to) but you don't have to have a subscription to read a sampling of the content offered online. I always learn something useful here.
• Good Reads--While not a 'writer-based' site, GoodReads does keep me in tuned to what books are trending, what people are reading and what writers' blog posts I might be missing. And you can't be a good writer if you're not reading, so GoodReads can be considered a writer's tool, nonetheless. 
• WriterUnboxed--Writer Unboxed is an online community of writers, agents and others who write about the craft and business of fiction. On their home page, you'll find a bright green tab on the far left that reads: WU Extras. Click on it and a pull-down menu will appear. Then select the WU Monthly Newsletter to get signed up. Take a moment to check out their most-helpful blog while you're there. 

That's a quick roundup of my inbox. What do you find helpful in yours?