Kelly McCullough's Blog, page 103

The (Little) Squid on the Mantel

Okay, so the title of this post is a bit of an inside-joke, and blatantly stolen from fellow WSer Lyda Morehouse. It's our equivalent of the old theater saw that says if you put a gun on the mantelpiece in Act I, it better damn well go off before the end of the play. We just use a squid because, well, because we do.

Still, it seemed as good of a way as any to introduce the topic of reader expectation, and how we as writers should be aware of it.

Now, there are some pretty obvious types of reade...

Question and a picture

First, the question -- I've run out of "newbie questions" to answer for my Tate blog and I was wondering if anyone out here has questions they might wanted answered by me or anyone else at Wyrdsmiths.

Second, I wanted to show off the cool fort my son Mason and I have been building during his winter break.

Kelly's Marscon Schedule, March 5–7

Saturday

Villainy for Dummies

Krushenko's Lounge (13th Floor) — Saturday 11:00 am

So one day you look around and realize that YOU are the bad guy and that twerp whose father you murdered a decade ago might turn out to be the hero. Now what? Tips on surviving beyond the last page of the book (or the credits of the movie)...at least through a couple of sequels.

With: Naomi Kritzer, mod.; Kelly McCullough, Lyda Morehouse

Unraveling the Mystery: Big Bang Theory

Krushenko's Lounge (13th Floor) —...

Kelly's Marscon Schedule March 5-7

Saturday:

Villainy for Dummies

Krushenko's Lounge (13th Floor) — Saturday 11:00 am

So one day you look around and realize that YOU are the bad guy and that twerp whose father you murdered a decade ago might turn out to be the hero. Now what? Tips on surviving beyond the last page of the book (or the credits of the movie)...at least through a couple of sequels.

With: Naomi Kritzer, mod.; Kelly McCullough, Lyda Morehouse

Unraveling the Mystery: Big Bang Theory

Krushenko's Lounge...

The Five Types of Author Photos

Smart Things

On becoming an editor. (I think I snerched this from Charlie Stross)

Kristin Nelson is rocking on ebooks and contract this week. Redefining net receipts. Also, ebooks and royalty statements. And, ebooks and bonus clauses.

Scalzi, being funny and smart while pointing to the Stross publishing series I linked last go round.

In a related post. Scalzi: writers creating jobs.

Carole Baron at Huffpost, talking about things that editors do regardless of publication medium.

Friday Cat Blogging

I'm not looking at you.



Stitch bit me!



Hold very still, there is a bug on your head. I will kill it now.



Oh yeah.



No, I'm really quite comfortable. Why do you ask?

Smart Things and Some That Are Merely Cool

David Coe over at SFNovlists talking about loving the work.

Jim Hines also at SFNovelists saying funny things about publishing terminology.

Charlie Stross saying smart things about the ways in which publishing is not like people think it is. Publishing misconceptions, the first in a series. With a very nice assist in comments from C.E. Petit. Ooh, and episode two came in before I posted: How books are made.

And on a related topic, C.E. Petit has a long discussion on copyright and book editions. ...

Smart Things and Some That are Merely Cool

David Coe over at SFNovlists talking about loving the work.

Jim Hines also at SFNovelists saying funny things about publishing terminology.

Charlie Stross saying smart things about the ways in which publishing is not like people think it is. Publishing misconceptions, the first in a series. With a very nice assist in comments from C.E. Petit. Ooh, and episode two came in before I posted: How books are made.

And on a related topic, C.E. Petit has a long discussion on copyright and book editions. ...

Writing Book Recommendation

A friend of mine is getting a submission package ready for an agent, and it occurs to me that I should share the book recommendation I gave her to everyone:

YOUR NOVEL PROPOSAL: From Creation to Contract by Blythe Camenson and Marshall J. Cook.

Every time I sit down to write a proposal I review this book's chapter six: synopses (which, since much of the other information gets out-of-date quickly, is worth the price of the book). The book gives sample synopses, talks about what needs to be in a ...