MCM's Blog, page 44
April 6, 2010
What Are Editors Good For?
Let's not beat around the bush: book editors are obsolete.
Traditionally, editors have been an integral part of the publishing process. They were the gatekeepers, the shepherds of literary careers, and the sharp minds that polished great art into perfect streams of text. You could write a great book without one, in much the same way you can survive falling out of an airplane without parachute.
Editors have lost a lot of lustre over the years. Their gatekeeping functions have been largely...
April 1, 2010
A new direction
Some of you may have noticed that the site's been quiet recently. Rumor has it that MCM has been busy with several freelance programming gigs. That's actually a cover story. MCM has actually been rubbing elbows with the Canadian political elite. He's laying the groundwork for a campaign to be the next Prime Minister.
His MCMness keeps his strategy close to the vest. However, I've called in favors to find out what he's up to. I have reason to believe that he has these plans for the fine f...
March 15, 2010
It's Monday! Must be Tori's Row Day!
Good evening, you crazy kids! It's Monday, and you know what that means, right? It's time for another chapter of Tori's Row!
Last week, we found out that Tori was the victim of a terrible crime. But we also learned that the police suspect her of killing a man. How'd it happen? Read to find out!
Just a reminder: if you want to see how this ends before the rest, you can upgrade to the full version for only $1.99. Also, for you Kindlers out there, there's a full version coming in that...
March 8, 2010
New: Tori's Row! Also: site revamp and a newcomer
Welcome to the latest incarnation of 1889 Labs! MCM tells me that this is the 73rd version of the site. I'm not sure if he's exaggerating. The man can't stop coding. It may be unhealthy. Anyway, take a look around. If something is wonky or you can't find what you're looking for, drop us a line.
Also new today is our latest release, the paranormal thriller Tori's Row by Nancy Brauer (me!) and MCM. It's a serialized novel in three acts, with a new chapter published every Monday. Here's the...
February 20, 2010
Rules for Livewriting
I saw an article about rules for writing, and a lot of them kinda conflicted with my philosophy, so I wanted to lay this out for any other potential livewriters out there in the future. Keep in mind I am not an especially good writer, so you should not take most of this very seriously.
Make sure you have an internet connection while writing.Listen to what the audience is saying. They'll tell you if you're being too obvious. If you are, write something really confusing to throw them off the...February 16, 2010
Scarlet Lemming Recap and Voting (Day 1)
So the first day of The Scarlet Lemming went really well, and the world is a joyous place. Gare has been assigned his new case, sees a way out of the miserable existence he has been living for the past year…
… that is, if he can escape a scary man come to get him.
This is where YOU come in! For the last 12 hours, people have been suggesting how Gare can escape. I had my randomizer pick 3 entries, which are below. You have until 4PM (EST) today to vote for your favourite option, and that...
February 15, 2010
Livewriting How-To
Greetings, bipeds, and welcome to another fun adventure in livewriting! This week's story is The Scarlet Lemming, a comedic mystery novel about the world's worst private investigator. It's a sequel to Fission Chips, but since there's very little time to catch up, I'll make sure the one isn't dependent on the other.
I know a lot of you are wondering what this "livewriting" thing is, and how it works. While a lot of it is made up on the fly, there are some basic elements that rarely change:
...
February 3, 2010
Announcing The Scarlet Lemming!
This is for the benefit of the RSS readers out there: my next project, The Scarlet Lemming, will be kicking off on February 15! It's a livewritten Gare Marx mystery involving a rare artifact, and a murder. The trailer is below. Stay tuned for some really fun news about this project!
February 1, 2010
Topic Tag: Discourse
This Topic Tag is for @am_harte, who keeps forcing me to put things out of order with her DARES. Her topic? "Explain why Nutella is the greatest substance in the world" in 25 words.
"Nutella," said she, "I decree, is the greatest substance in the world."
I thought a moment…
… what to say?
"Ha!" said I, and walked away.
New Mystery Underway!
This is for the RSS folks out there: you may not know it, but a new Mystery is underway at 1889.ca! Last month, the hints led you towards The Man With the Improbable Leg… this month… it's different.
Visit the site and click on the package in the bottom left corner of the screen to see the progress, and get participating! It's the only way to unlock the hints!
