Writtenwyrdd

Agents looking for authors

Helen Ginger kindly posted a link to a Writer's Digest article listing agents who are seeking writers.  Lots of good stuff here.  Go get 'em!

Shocked rats

Janet Reid has posted a great article over at Hey There's A Dead Guy In My Livingroom (see sidebar for link).  It mentions stress coping.  It mentions rats.  And, most idea-making for moi, it mentions that rats and people can cope with stress of regular shocks, but that, if you want to drive them bonkers, use random shocks.  I love that idea.  I know I can use that in a story someplace.

Also, a great talk about dealing with the shock of rejection. 

Agents' Chapter One Pet Peeves

A couple of worthy links from a cool site: The Guide to Literary Agents blog.

Part one of an article on agent's pet peeves in first chapter submissions. 

And part two is here. 

Worth reading and noting. 

Also, if I might recommend for some thought provocation, you might read Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schmidt.

Found while Googling "slush pile"

http://cbaybooks.blogspot.com/ - a list of where to give an elevator pitch, and, more importantly, where NOT to do so.  Also other informative posts, including a series on pitching.

http://www.slushpile.net/ where there is a lot of info about the publishing industry.

http://www.salon.com/ where there is a wonderful series on the slushpile.

http://www.writerunboxed.com which is a very informative site on writing industry topics--including this interesting interview with Joanna Denize, one of the founders of Slush Pile Reader.

http://www.slushpilereader.com/ - where the readers apparently read and vote on who gets published.  An interesting, if doomed to apathy, concept. 

http://www.writersdigest.com which has a lot of good info even if you are too cheap to subscribe, such as a series of articles on spec fic here, and this one about series and how they are born and sustained.

Links to writing industry blogs

Jill Myles at League of Reluctant Adults gives us a list of good writing industry sites.  Many are linked in the sidebar of this site.  Some are not.  Of particular interest is Query Tracker's Who Reps Who page.  Useful for knowing what agents might be susceptible to your query charms...