Got something ready to publish? Want to try to win a contest?
About.com has a running list of writing contests that end in May. Some end on the first so get those envelopes out soon!
Archive for April, 2009
My favorite living writer’s best book (well, one of my favorite) is going to HBO!!! Normally I’d be wringing my hands of the impending travesty, but HBO did Band of Brothers and Rome, so I trust their pedigree to make something appreciable. (IMHO obviously.) George RR Martin keeps up the action and romance in the novels, so HBO shouldnt have to ‘sex it up’ too much.
For those out the loop, A Game of Thrones is the first book in a seven book series (four are out currently) that follows the political intrigue, epic warriors, and arcane mysteries of Westeros. It’s epic fantasy, but it’s not hack and slash. Rather, it’s a dense, expansive, ‘old’ world, threatened as much by the animosities of its own history, as by any mythic beast or tyrannical king. (Although both exist…kind of.) Its also a world of magic, but not of visible magic. Superstition clouds any genuine arcane power and arguments and made and settled by words, swords, and poison. Altogether, George RR Martin continues the long and respected tradition of Chanson de Roland, La Morte de Arthur, and the Iliad.
A Game of Thrones has been one of my favorite books since I first read it, oh, nearly a decade ago and if you haven’t read it yet, better start now. Each of the four books are long. Think Harry Potter, but dense. They’re well worth the time spent though and I’m eagerly await both the next book in the series and now this HBO miniseries.
Awesome!
For a better review: SF Site: A Game of Thrones
I was recently made aware of AgentQuery.com, a resource for finding publishing agents. I haven’t used them myself (yet anyway. Book is almost half done!), but I like the tag line: Find the Agent that will find you a Publisher.
Quick! Someone write a sitcom in Montana!
On Saturday I saw MC Chris in concert in Albany. Great concert! It was a lot of fun.
For those who didn’t spend years watching Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Sealab 2021, MC Chris is a white nerd ‘rapper’ with a high pitched voice who sings about candy, starwars, and playing Resident Evil. He has a small, but dedicated fan base. This is the second time I’ve been to one of his shows…
No one seems to have any pictures up yet, so here’s MC Chris.com
Something tells me my landlord would not be too pleased if I had one of these installed, but then again, would he even know?
Today I’ve got nothing but a throwaway article of sorts. It’s a tech article I stashed away about a month ago about iPhone penetration in Japan, namely that they hate it. It’s an interesting bit of culture that a device considered fairly chic in America, is a lame duck once you cross the Pacific.
Unmasking The Face
Robert Drake on April 13, 2009 in Reading for Writers, Writing Tools/Advice No Comments »Another book review.
Unmasking the Face is part-text book, part-how to guide. I think one of the Amazon reviews describes it best: ‘A Must-Have Primer for Learning to Recognize Facial Expressions’. Unmasking the face demonstrates the science behind facial move and how emotion displays itself. No doubt useful for actors, salesmen, simiar professions, I’ve been finding it exceptionally useful for writing about character’s and how they react to events. There’s nothing quite as distracting as a character whose nose wrinkles in surprise, or brow furrows with happiness. Being able to describe ‘the white sclera of the eye made visible by the brow tense with fear’ makes all the difference.
Cheers!
Aside from hobby writing, I do some freelance web design. I recently made a page with Creekside Systems for MastrolePassing.com. Mastrole Passing provides football training camps for quarterbacks and receivers based out of Florida. Take a look!
Writers have used a number of technologies to create their works. Carving, handwriting, typing. Speech recognition is probably the next one…maybe.
Carving/Sculpture: a few thousand years.
Handwriting: a few thousand years.
Typing: 100 years+
Speaking: Not yet…
