Sunday, May 26, 2013

Sunday Surfing

Congratulations to this year's Nebula Award winners!

Donna Hosie interviews Andrew Brown, her trilogy's cover designer

60 Rules for Short SF (and Fantasy)

Some of you fan fiction writers might find this interesting.

The Bridport Prize is hosting a competition. (Poetry, short and flash fiction categories.)

Not sure I'm willing to subscribe, but this Visual Thesaurus is definitely cool.

New Smashwords Survey Helps Authors Sell More eBooks

One of several such graphs from the Smashwords article

Rachelle Gardner's All the Publishing Information You Ever Wanted

And for a laugh, check out the Top Ten Things You Could Say to Make Someone Think You're a Psycho Stalker

Speaking of laughter, 22 Things Happy People Do Differently


As many of you know, I purchased the Windows version of Scrivener this week. I really do like it. There are a few things I'd love to see added, but for $40, it's a bargain.

This in no way means development of my Magic Muse software is coming to an end. But seeing as how I'm putting the final polish on The Bonding and now drafting its sequel, The Awakening, it seemed a logical time to give it a shot. Besides, when the day comes that Magic Muse is release-ready, it'll likely be free.

26 comments:

  1. Thanks, Jeff. I'm honoured to make your surfing list.

    I've heard great things about Scrivener. When I have time, I'm going to check it out.

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  2. Glad you're enjoying Scrivener. I've read the tutorials and it's far more program than I'd ever need.
    Longer books maybe, but not too long. Anything over 120,000 words probably needs some trimming.

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    1. It is a lot of program and definitely well-suited for longer (or more complex) books.

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  3. Personally I don't care how long a book is as long as it is well written and holds my interest. Wheel of Time Books are a good example.

    JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE

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    1. I have to admit that when purchasing books, I feel a little cheated if they're too short. But at the same time, I don't want to wade through a lot of added bloat just so they'd hit a certain threshold.

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  4. I'd come across the Smashwords article by its owner a short while back. It contains some interesting thoughts and observations.

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  5. I really enjoyed reading that interview about the cover design process. And oh, that psycho stalker link was such a riot! Definitely gave me a much-needed chuckle. :)

    I've heard of Scrivener before, but never tried it myself. Glad to hear you're enjoying it!

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    1. Yeah, the stalker post was funny. I always need a good chuckle.

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  6. I enjoy Scrivener. It's more program than I really need but I like how it's set up. It works with my style. Though I'll love to try Magic Muse when it's ready.

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    1. When Magic Muse is ready, I'll give you a yell! ;-)

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  7. Wow, I didn't know about this Smashwords survey. Thanks for pointing it out!

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    1. There were several interesting items in that article. You're welcome.

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  8. Thanks for sharing yet another set of useful links Jeff.

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  9. Scrivener seems to be gaining popularity. I'm a Word girl from way back though.

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    1. The long, single document has never really worked well with my style. I admire those who can do it.

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  10. I have Rachelle's post bookmarked-- chock-full of great information to reread.

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    1. Very full indeed. It's a good one to bookmark.

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  11. Great links, Jeff! Thanks for the info! Glad you're enjoying scrivener. I also bought it recently but I've been so busy I haven't even finished the tutorial yet! Hopefully I can get up to speed and down to business this week! :D

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    1. I took my time going through the tutorial. It's always best to truly master the fundamentals so everything else makes better sense down the road. I'd be interested in hearing what you think of it.

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  12. I'll have to check them out! Interesting about the book length. I've never been scared off by a long read! I feel like I am getting my money's worth ;)

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    1. I'm with you on the book length. I like to get my money's worth even if it does hit me in the "book count" category. :)

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  13. Hey Jeff,

    Forgive me for taking so long to get to your posting. I'm a "happy people". And here I was thinking that a "Thesaurus" was some of those crazy critters from "Jurassic Park." I can handle reading a long book if it's actually interesting. Great post! Thanks for sharing! LOL

    Gary :)

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    1. You're forgiven, Gary. I fully understand the rigors of promoting Bloghops Anonymous 10-step recovery program to freedom of self-expression. It's a worthy cause that will save millions, making them happy people too. ;-)

      Always a delight when you stop by. Take care. And watch out for those other "aurus" creatures!

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