Fellow Travelers

I ran across a blog a few days ago called A Novel Journey. In these past few days of monitoring it, I've seen such interesting and quality posts come across it that I wanted to share it with everyone. This looks to be a blog for Christian writers, and most notably, they seem to interview a published author nearly every day. They also post entries containing wonderful advice for aspiring writers, such as:

• Five Tips for Writing Mystery Novels - from an author with book #5 on the way
• Reading your Manuscript Aloud - from an author with 37 published short stories
• The Q Factor (learning a lesson from James Bond stories) - from an author on book #19

Though the accomplishments of these submitters are impressive if not intimidating, I've found the advice and interviews to be down-to-earth and practical. If it's something others really like, may I suggest we add it to the list of links?

Daily Promptings

A few days ago, I came across (through Lifehacker.com) a site called Plinky. Despite the strange name, it offers something wonderful to writers: a new topic--or "prompts"--every day. If you're stuck or just wanting something to stir your inspiration, check out the prompts. Here are the prompts for the last five days, to give you a taste:

• List five things to do before you die.
• Engineers are getting closer to the dream of the flying car. How would you sell one of these if you were an auto dealer?
• What gadget is at the top of your wish list?
• Hybrid Prius or Escalade with gold rims?
• What's the worst way you've ever dumped or been dumped by someone?

You can also view the answers others give on each prompt, which is wonderful for inspiration for a character.

Update: the newer posts give a much better idea of its eclectic nature:

• You have to give away a million dollars. How?
• Name a children's book that makes you nostalgic.
• Give us your unreasonable demands.
• What will you do when the zombies come?
  
  

Advice from Writer to Writer

I came across an interview with a published writer in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. I thought his advice (though we've all heard it before) carried some force given that it came from another writer. So, here it is:

BB: What advice do you give to fledgling writers?

LW: The same as everyone else's. Write. Apply seat to office chair and fill screen with words. Don't expect to be a master from the beginning. Your first drafts will always suck. That's what first drafts are meant to do. Once the story is down on paper (or magnetic media), you can re-write and revise until you've said what you meant to say. Get friends who write, or are discerning readers, to critique for you. Once you think the story is perfect, put it away in a drawer for about 3 months, and then look at it again. You'll be appalled at what you find, but that's usually the point where you can do a final draft and actually have something that's not an insult to an editor.

Do you think this guy is out in left field, or is his advice spot on? If he's got a point, how will you apply his advice to your writing?