Justine Musk's Blog, page 48

Tyler Durden's Rules for Writing in the Zone, part 2

Part 1 is here, for those who are so inclined.

"I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say…Let's evolve, let the chips fall where they may."

Perfection is static.

Perfection is a finished state.

Writing fiction is a messy enterprise. It is a process. Like people, like life, it involves growth and change.

One of the requirements for entering the zone is having clear goals that are properly aligned with your skillset. Goals should be challenging but achievable.

Striving for too...

Tyler Durden's Rules For Writing In The Zone, part 1

"How much can you know about yourself, you've never been in a fight? I don't wanna die without any scars." (all quotes in bold from the character Tyler Durden in the movie FIGHT CLUB)

We know 'the zone' as a state of higher mental consciousness in which we focus so completely on the task at hand that we become one with it. The task itself flows as effortlessly as water.

I think of this as "deep writing" (taking the term from Eric Maisel's book of the same name). People in the zone are...

who will own your audience: thoughts on the future of publishing

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We are all publishers now.

Content is everywhere. We are drowning in content.

When the supply of content exceeds the demand, publishing futurist Mike Shatzkin (and thanks to the excellent Jane Friedman for drawing my attention to this post) asks "What is the new scarce item that will attract the dollars?"

Welcome to the Attention Economy.

Whoever controls the eyeballs, controls the world.

The publishers who win the game – and change the game – will be those, says Shatzkin, "who use the content...

your voice is your brand, and a question about fiction

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Your Voice is Your Brand (Developing Your Author Platform Even if You're Not Published Yet, Part 4) is posted at Tribal Writer.

As well as a few other things, including a piece about battling the demons of creative procrastination that I took from this LJ and revised.

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And while I'm at it, may I ask you: Why is fiction important?

I used to be involved with someone who didn't think fiction was particularly important. I knew of course that he was wrong (and is still wrong). I've been thinking...

your voice is your brand (developing your author platform even if you're not published yet, part four)

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The purpose of an author platform isn't to sell books. Selling books is like happiness: it comes as a side benefit of doing other things.

What you really want to do is call your tribe. Gather them to you.

Attract the readers you click with and turn them into fans…and then, if you're lucky (and very good at what you do), True Fans.

Then you can sell them your books.

As Chris Brogan points out, it's best to have the community before the sale.

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Attracting readers, seducing them, and making them...

BOOK FACE-OFF: LOVE JUNKIE vs A VINDICATION OF LOVE

cross-posted to Tribal Writer



Two books marked my brain this year because of how they balanced and countered one another.





The first is Rachel Resnick's LOVE JUNKIE. I've raved about it on my blog and given away copies. It is fearless and intelligent writing about a dimension of human experience we tend not to understand and aren't supposed to talk about in polite (or not so polite) company.

I came across it when I was researching sex/love addiction for my novel-in-progress THE DECADENTS, flopped...

5 Principles To Remember As You Battle The Demons of Creative Procrastination

cross-posted to Storytellers Unplugged

I've been practicing my starts. And I'm not talking about the opening paragraphs.

I mean, the actual act of sitting down and starting.

There's a reason why people say that half the battle is showing up. People who want to write can be divided into two groups: those who actually do it, and everybody else.

I fight on a regular basis to stay in the first category.

These are some of the things I've learned in my ongoing battle with procrastination:

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Talk nice...

obsession can be good for you

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Went to a party last night hosted by Sylvie (pseudonym), a heiress and philanthropist and her friend X, a performer/house DJ famous throughout Europe.

Sylvie is leasing a loft in Venice, off Abbot Kinney. I found myself resonating with the sights and sounds of Venice in a way that makes me think I might want to live there. There's a cool, edgy, artsy, urban vibe to Venice that its continuing gentrification hasn't managed to kill.

Sylvie and I bonded over footwear. Women do this. She was wear...

best reading experience of 2009: LOVE JUNKIE vs A VINDICATION OF LOVE

#Best09

(This is The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. It's kind of awesome. If you have a blog you should check it out.)

What book – fiction or non – touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?

Two books marked my brain this year because of how they balanced and countered one another.

The first is Rachel Resnick's LOVE JUNKIE. I've raved about it on my blog and given away copies. It is fearless and intelligent writing about a dimension of human...

mapping the space between us

cross-posted from The Decadence

One of the ideas I became interested in and want to explore in my novel-in-progress THE DECADENTS is, to paraphrase a character from one of my favorite novels of all time, WHAT I LOVED (Siri Husvedt):

"mapping the space between us, where one person ends and another person begins."

This is the concept of personal boundaries, and when you're fleshing out your characters it's useful to think of how healthy — or not — their boundaries are.

If I have boundaries with...