Here are some shiny things that caught my eye recently:
♦ It’s still National Poetry Month, people! Are you reading and sharing poems?
The third poem in Tor.com’s series in honor of NPM is “The Ballad of Death and the Maid” by Roz Kaveney (April 15th).
Here’s another poem I like: “Remembrance” by Emily Brontë.
♦ Starved for a little decorating porn? Domythic Bliss had two posts this week focused on two of my favorite decorating styles, Victorian and the Arts & Crafts Movement. I don’t think either style is particularly well represented in my own house, but I love to look. Below is a teaser image from the Arts & Crafts post. Who wouldn’t want to curl up and read there?
♦ Book Nook.
Readers, take note: Night Shade Books is having a 50% off sale through April 19th.
You can read the first two chapters of Maggie Stiefvater’s upcoming novel, The Raven Boys. Why wouldn’t you, with that title and this cover?
Weird Fiction Review has an interesting essay on Shakespeare and horror fiction. Good stuff!
A (growing?) trend in New York City residential-building amenities is communal libraries. What a lovely idea.
Speaking of trends, Nathan Heller at The New Yorker asks, “Why are so many Americans living by themselves?” Why, indeed.
♦ I do love a good mash-up, and this one tickled me (via):
♦ Apparently I’m supposed to be glad I’m not a Vulcan. Jury’s still out on this one.
♦ My friend Zachary Jernigan has started a cool series of posts on his blog answering the question, “What if your writing were three bands?” The first three posts have been really excellent: Zack posted his own list, followed by Ian Withrow and Eric Del Carlo. I’m considering submitting my own list….
♦ Writers’ Corner.
Take note: the companion website to Booklife has been rebooted!
Chuck Wendig offers 25 reasons he hates your main character. Keep your main character out of the pterodactyl nest Wendig threatens to punt him or her into by reading this list! Wendig also offers a long look at “show, don’t tell.”
Nathan Bransford offers 10 commandments for editing someone’s work (some good reminders).
Neil Gaiman has excellent advice for those writers who, at some point, “feel terribly small and uncertain” about becoming writers. To combat that fear, Gaiman says,
You don’t lose sight of your goal.
Think of it as a mountain. Just make sure you’re walking towards the mountain, all the time….Big mountain. Small you. Just keep walking towards the mountain.
Looking for Funds for Writers? A nice resource for grants, contests, etc.
Theodora Goss has an interesting post about finding the energy to write (like her, teaching takes up so much of my energy—and time, too—I often don’t have much left over to give to my writing).
♦ Cameron posted a link to the official trailer for Looper on FB, but I have to post it again. This time-travel movie looks really, really cool.
♦ Although I don’t think anyone would describe as a minimalist in taste or action, I do enjoy minimalist art. To wit: 22 Batman characters in 40 seconds (via).
