Fandom welcome -- via Austenland.

Brief summary... 

Maybe you didn't expect this slant about fandom, but it's about you, about me, about friendship. And about Austenland. No knowledge of the book nor the movie required.  

Links at end of post.

Jane says:  "Okay, since we have to spend so much time rehearsing this thing... just....
Let's try not to annoy each other." 

Not looking at her, Mr. Nobley replies: "You don't annoy me.
You make me nervous." 

A few words from our sponsor--

The Internet.

Well, what did you THINK would sponsor an editor anyway?

Cat waxing for fun and profit and... urm.

This is actually to balance out Tuesday's sad news.  We lost Tanith Lee -- see Tor.com, help them keep hanging their poor overus'd site, why don't you.

She died this weekend.  I'll write more about her in the future.  Not today.  Already wrote up a short piece for NYRSF... a love letter to one of my very favorite authors.  Goodbye, Tan.  I wish I'd told you how much you meant to me and how you helped shape my life, mind, heart, soul.

But I didn't.  8(

Short break for Cabin Pressure.

Quotes in Tweets provided by the ever brilliant Cabin Pressure transcriber, Ariane Devere, over at the Cabin Pressure Fans site.

"This week, Abu Dhabi."

How long can a cat survive in an unheated hold at 34k feet? | I used to know this one. It’s always coming up in pub quizzes. #CabinPressure
— Anne Zanoni (@ninja_CE) September 29, 2014

Douglas: Now then, is it three hours and twenty-eight seconds, or is that a weasel in a submarine? #CabinPressure
— Anne Zanoni (@ninja_CE) September 29, 2014

Plot devices (and coupons).

There was a discussion about plot devices over at Daily Kos.  It's also stocked with many many handy links for writers and readers alike.

And if you haven't heard of plot devices, or plot coupons, then you need to read The Well-Tempered Plot Device.  Which is brilliant, clever, useful, and hilarious.  I shall never have any other nickname for LOTR than Nick's...

I think every sf/f reader should know about plot coupons.  And hey, the laughs help too. :D

A handful of links and a review.

Getting ideas for writing: Confession of a Museum Bunny

Guest post: deportment at panels.


The Inkpunks have a forum! Go check it out. :)


And because you could all use a laugh, here's one from Twitter.  If that wasn't enough, there's those times when the customer is not always right.  :D

Everything is fodder for the writer.

Speaking of that, I have got the best book about that very subject and many others.  From Apex Books, Nick Mamatas's Starve Better:  Surviving the Endless Horror of the Writing Life. 

Nick's book is brilliant.  You should read it.  Then pass it on to all your friends who write also. 

I mean that.  I love his book. 

A break for links.

Since I haven't done links in a while... have a short variety pack.  First, a funny from the ever-lovely Cracked.com, who have helped me with work research many times.

Really, they have.  You would be amazed at the serious links inside some of their funny essays.  Particularly for Hollywood physics.  


6 Classic Movies (That Narrowly Avoided Disaster)

Working on the Death Star

Antisocial Networking

Like Charlie, I managed to resist SNS for quite a while.  Then I got on Twitter.  I still complained about Twitter -- until I couldn't Tweet for a time, about a year ago.  And I realized that I missed Tweeting with my friends so much!

Because Twitter had become something that replaced the newsgroups and Mucks and BBSes.  The virtual hangout that filled a need in me.  :)

A few links of fun and fandom &c.

I popped onto LinkedIn and found this fascinating link: Amazon's markup of digital delivery to indie authors is ~129,000%

Holy--!

The Clarion Write-a-Thon began. You can join, or pledge [or both!]; my friend Daniel J. Hogan is taking part.

A great post from Mary Robinette Kowal about traveling with Scalzi [and his travel karma].

Did you ever read the Evil Overlord plot generator? No? Someone decided to see what the costs were for being an unbeatable Evil Overlord...


The very nice Saladin Ahmed, a Michigan author/editor I met at Penguicon, has requested aid -- and 24 hours later, gotten it! See Pulp Pastiche and a Plea for Patrons.

Erika Holt writes The Deep End: My Plunge Into the SFF Community over at Inkpunks. :)


The "lesser known editing marks" image, courtesy of the very fine Jeff Faria.