Author: deborahb
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How to write 80,000 words in a month
NANOWRIMO always sounded like such a fun idea, but I’m always too busy (& usually travelling) in November to take part. So for the last several years, January haws been my personal NANOWRIMO for one. My previous record was around 36,000 words in a month (NANOWRIMO aims for 50,000 words), so, I can’t claim to…
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Shirely Hazzard on Writing
If only I could write every day. I look back to the far-off time when I did so, mostly early morning and then late in the day. I do write in my head every day–I’m tempted to say all the time. One does instinctively reserve a part of oneself as the writing self, visiting it secretly while…
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Great Character Moments in Film #3: IN THE LAND OF WOMEN
(Spoiler alert.) IN THE LAND OF WOMEN is a great film with a title bad enough to be a novel title. Yeah, I’ve said it. Actually & tangentially, I once started putting together a list of ‘best movies with the worst titles, in history’ but it turned out to be mostly movies based on novels,…
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And the BAD POWER winner is…
Matthew Powell, for his answer to the question, “If you had a superpower, what would it be?”: I would like the power to write competition-winning entries just by blinking, because {blink}. Damn. What? It’s funny! Also ironic, because he did win. See? Email me your address, Matthew, for a signed copy of BAD POWER.…
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Final Reminder for the BAD POWER giveaway
Last reminder! Win a copy of BAD POWER today by answering the question: “If you had a superpower, what would it be – and why?” Answers in the comments or via email deborahb AT livejournal DOT com. Competition closes in about 24 hours! But if you prefer to buy your copies, BAD POWER is available via…
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Reminder re. the BAD POWER giveaway, this week only
A reminder that you, too, can win a copy of BAD POWER by answering the question: “If you had a superpower, what would it be – and why?” Answers in the comments or via email deborahb AT livejournal DOT com. Competition open until the end of the week! And if you prefer to buy your…
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More Book Business Links
I woke up to a Twitterverse full of book industry talk. a) “All sorts of middle-class folks agree with the billionaire owners of sports teams that the millionaire players make too much money.” Good point, Sherman Alexie. Some interesting questions raised here about the effect of the current eReader gold rush on culture, especially for…
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BAD POWER giveaway
A bunch of BAD POWER review copies arrived today & in celebration I’m giving away a copy to the best answer to the question: “If you had a superpower, what would it be – and why?” Answers in the comments or via email deborahb AT livejournal DOT com. Competition open until the end of the…
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Book Business links
Here’s a quick round-up of some of the articles I’ve been reading on the whole ‘book industry’ future panic that’s going on. Mostly as a result of Amazon’s move into publishing. Which is the kind of smart capitalist move that makes a worldwide centralised marketplace so worrying. What’s Amazon worth, again – about USD$88 billion,…
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Shirley Hazzard’s CLIFFS OF FALL
“Elizabeth got used to the sound of her own laughter, which she had at first found faintly improper.” (From “Cliffs of Fall”.) Ugh, I hate reviewing Shirley Hazzard’s CLIFFS OF FALL. What words can be used to describe such beautiful, lyrical, bittersweet, intelligent writing? Better, surely, to just read the words themselves. And I think…