Up All Night
Posted: May 5, 2012 Filed under: Just One Thing, Writers Write | Tags: all-nighter, books, Nora Roberts 1 Comment »
I did it again. Pulled an all-nighter. I wasn’t partying or working or studying. I was reading a Nora Roberts novel. It’s a compulsion. When the pub dates are posted, I mark my calendar.
This time, it was The Last Boyfriend, the second installment of The Inn Boonsboro Trilogy. A few weeks ago, it was the big stand-alone, The Witness. I read so fast; I read them twice. After all, I don’t want to miss anything.
Why all night? Why Nora Roberts? She makes me turn the page.
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Go Read This Now
Posted: May 2, 2012 Filed under: Just One Thing, Writers Write | Tags: Amazon, Apple, B&N, books, Kristen Lamb, Publishing Leave a comment »
While I don’t disagree with everything she says, I’m a fan of the big six. Kristen Lamb identifies digital technology as the elephant in the room. We were early adopters of e-readers at our house. My kids both have Kindles instead of hand held video games. We don’t own record albums anymore, and while we continue to love our paper books, we aren’t buying as many.
Her view of Microsoft’s investment in Barnes & Noble is a must read. Click over here to see it. Her book, We Are Not Alone: The Writers Guide to Social Media is available here.
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Alone in Twitterocity
Posted: May 1, 2012 Filed under: Writers Write | Tags: books, news coverage, Publishing, Twitter, writers 10 Comments »
In a local newscast last week, the anchor reported a car accident and a hail storm. The traffic mishap was in China. The hail storm was in North Carolina. The newscast originated in San Antonio, Texas.
I’m not sure whether the talking head ripped a page from a wire service or the conglomerate that owns the TV station delivered the same local stories nationwide. Surely, San Antonio hasn’t run out of drive-by shooters and child pornographers. Those stories are still out there. Why report the traffic in Shanghai?
I’ve been on Twitter lately. I went to a publishing seminar that emphasized networking. I’m finding it hard to put myself out there. I can join, but I can’t engage. So much of it seems like the cool kids table in the school cafeteria. People tweet who they know, and it makes sense. For a new kid in school, twitter is like reading the back of a cereal box. I read because it’s in front of me. It’s easy. Hit View conversation and the line of lols and @s expands ad nauseum. But, I don’t know what to say.
“I like Harry Potter.” Who doesn’t?
“#amwriting” Not if I’m staring at Twitter.
“Now available on Kindle for .99 cents.” I hope not.
I’ve started following whoever is suggested, but I feel like I’m watching the news in China from my living room in Texas, and it isn’t as gripping as Tiananmen Square or the earthquake in Chengdu. I’m disconnected. So, what’s a want-to-be-published novelist to do?
If you’re also out there alone among the Twitterocity, look me up. I’m @crisplyspoken. Just say hey or talk about the weather in the Outer Banks. I’m good with that. Maybe, we’ll start our own lunch bunch.
