Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with writers

TIME FOR MORE STORIES

yeoja — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:49:10 -0800

Last night, I spent an hour reading the crazy, hilarious stories posted here. One hour was not enough. I need more davesecretaryatwork - or at least, more like him. Rarely do I laugh so hard at things I read, let alone things I read online. A chuckle or giggle, yes, but not the kind of laughter brought on by random stories of kyle, camping trips gone wrong, floating hoo-has and tawny cougars.

The stories ended far too soon, and according to the comments, davesecretary has moved to China with no new stories to be found. Sadly, my Google searches also found nothing new.

Where can I find more awesome, hilarious writers, bloggers or other material online like davesecretary? Not necessarily ones with the exact same writing style (though that would be great), but any that make you really, REALLY laugh out loud. I realize humor is subjective, but I'd love to hear any suggestions. The only writers I can think of are Dave Barry or Douglas Adams, but to me their styles are merely humorous than outright BUAHAHAHA awesome.

:)

Women writing SciFi: Your Picks?

taz — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 04:52:55 -0800

In your opinion, who are the best female science fiction authors? What are the best scifi books written by women? Interpret the genre as broadly as you wish - "Hard" SciFi, Space Opera, Fantasy, Time Travel, Alternate History/Universe - it matters not! I especially love Steampunk, Cyberpunk, and New Weird, and am probably least interested in romances that just seem to have an incidental scifi setting and extremely politicized writing, but the most important criterion is overall quality - as long as the work is superior, I'm interested. I am asking for women writers because while I've read a fair amount of scifi, I realize I've only read a handful by women writers (most of which I've liked very, very much), and would like to read more.

I understand that I can go to any anthology of female scifi writers to get a list of names, but I'm asking for Mefites' personal recommendations for excellent women writers in this genre as well as specific books that stand out to you. I don't care if the author is not well-known or widely recognized - or, on the other hand, if the name is so obvious that everyone knows it.

Looking for additional Mystery Writers

rmhsinc — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:13:53 -0800

I have just about exhausted the collections of my favorite mystery writers--looking for other mystery/crime writers that meet my preferences. I have been reading mysteries for over twenty years, and with increasing frequency since retirement. I have exhausted the writings of Ian Rankin and Henning Mankell ( my favorites ) as well Michael Connelly, John Conolly, Ridley Pearson, Peter Robinson, Ruth Rendell, Martha Grimes, Minnette Walters, John Lesroart, Linda Laplante, James White, Johnathon Kellerman, Dennis Lehane,and Robert Crais. The things which I find most compelling are character development and ones that are embedded in the place (Edinburgh, LA, Boston, England, Ystad Sweden etc). I prefer moody protaganists with all to human flaws and a rich interplay between the characters. I could care less if the protagonist is male or female.

I do not like Patterson, Parker, Evanovich, Lee Child or Woods. I am not at all drawn to characters with excessive "machismo or machisma". I strongly prefer mysteries that are contemporary, non historical and non cutesy. SO help me--I know there are similar questions but I am looking for a particular style and genre. If you are familiar with Rankin, Mankell or Connelly you know what I mean. Many thanks

I strongly believe in this question.

transona5 — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:19:00 -0800

"Ann Coulter doesn't even believe anything she says!" Really? Are there any cases of a writer or pundit who turned out not to believe the positions s/he took? This claim never rings true to me -- I don't think it's satisfying for most people to argue passionately for causes they don't really believe in. But perhaps this really does happen sometimes. I'm not talking about something like the Sokal Hoax, or a writer who tries to defuse a controversy by claiming, "It's just a satire." I'm looking for cases where someone strongly advocated positions s/he didn't believe for financial gain, publicity, or some other similar motive. (Although I suppose it would be hard to know for sure; the writer's later denials might be false.)

Best book publication methods?

jdroth — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:56:35 -0800

I have a web site. I want to write a book based on the topic. I have publishers/agents asking to talk to me, but I don't know if I'm ready. For one thing, I'm not convinced traditional publication is best — I'm intrigued by self-publishing and e-books. I'm looking for general advice: What are the pros and cons of each method? It seems that unless I'm lucky, traditional publishing offers the lowest dollar return. But are there other, intangible benefits I'm missing? Exposure? Having somebody who knows what they're doing guide me along? And how do I approach a discussion with agents/publishers so as to get the best deal? I'd love some hard numbers from real e-books. Have you published one? How many did you sell? How much did you make? Would you do it again? Same with self-publishing. John Reed has a great book with detailed information about the economics of self-publishing, but I'd like to know more.

What are the advantages of traditional publication? How much can a first-time author expect to earn, both in advance and in sales? Is my web site large enough to give me negotiating leverage? (42,000 subscribers, close to 750k monthly pageviews)

My current thought is that self-publishing in some fashion (probably an e-book) would grant me complete control over the design, layout, and content of the book. If that did well, I could still promote it to a traditional publisher. Is this an acceptable approach?

Basically, I'm looking for anecdotes and advice from people who have done this sort of thing before.

I'm sure I'll have more "how do I write a book?" questions in the next few months.

How do I find authors the same age as me?

aclevername — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 17:33:08 -0800

Is there any resource online that lists fiction (and possibly non-fiction) authors by age? I'm looking to find and read books by authors of a similar age to me (I'm 29). Similar to the idea that Douglas Coupland, being of Generation X, had a age-based cultural type of writing, I'm curious to read any of "my" generation (whatever that may be).

Really what I'd like is some way to search a list of authors by age or birthdate. Nothing turns up on google. Nothing I want, anyway. My searches have only turned up listings of authors by historical "age" (e.g. Elizabethan, etc).

Short of looking up individual biographies of authors, is there any way to do this?

Why are TV studios and sports teams allowed to colluded in labor negotiations?

mullacc — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:20:55 -0800

Question about the Writer's Guild strike and comparable situations in other industries: why are the studios allowed to negotiate as a single entity, the AMPTP? How does this situation compare to the various US sports leagues and the auto and airline industries? I'm having trouble connecting the dots across the various things I've read.

Here's what I think I know:
1. The AMPTP represents the studios in their negotiations with the WGA. This will likely result in a CBA that determines royalty rates for the entire industry.
2. The various sports leagues have similar arrangements, e.g., the MLBPA negotiates with the MLB, a collective representing all the teams. The MLB has an anti-trust exemption, but that just allows it to fight off competitive leagues. Other US sports leagues have no such exemptions. But all the sports leagues allow things like player trades, which I can't imagine going over too well in other industries.
3. In the auto and airline industries, each individual company negotiates directly with the various unions.

Situations 1 & 2 seem like collusion to me. Just as obvious as if Pepsi and Coke formed a collective entity to negotiate aluminum prices. So why are the studio/sports collectives allowed to negotiate against the unions? Is there a legal principle that makes my analogy inappropriate? Of course, I'm glossing over the fact that unions are themselves a form of collusion among workers, but that's a collusion blessed by law.

And, finally, is there reason that the airline and auto industries couldn't adopt the same strategy as the studio/sports collectives?

It's all here in writing

freston — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:17:22 -0800

Smallish bunch of creative writer-types (who've met up in person a couple of times) would like somewhere to hang out online: please suggest what kind of website might suit us best. So we'd like to publicise future meetings, provide links to individual websites, publish our work and receive criticism from other members. Needs to be set up such that any member can contribute, possibly membership by invitation only. Are we talking some sort of blog? Google group? Forums? Suggest away.

Movies about female writers

HSWilson — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 10:39:09 -0800

What movies are about real female writers? (Sylvia, etc.) Thanks.

Does WWE employ union writers?

macdara — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 04:24:02 -0800

Has WWE programming been affected by the WGA writers' strike? I've read conflicting information about whether or not the writers employed to script promos and flesh out storylines on Raw and SmackDown! are members the Writers Guild.

Most of the news on wrestling 'news' sites is unconfirmed rumour, speculation or supposition, so I can't really trust their majority assertion that WWE's writers are non-union, even though many of the writers have a background in writing for soaps and other shows.

The content of Monday's Raw broadcast, to me, is strong evidence that the writers are indeed on the picket line. Over the course of 2 hours, only two main storylines were featured, which could easily have been handled by the wrestlers and bookers themselves (which was the done thing before writers were brought in a decade ago).

But that's just guesswork on my part. Can anyone here confirm either way?

One-sitting reads?

jbickers — Fri, 04 May 2007 21:50:37 -0800

What are some great books that aren't hideously long? I'm in the throes of a major book lust phase, but find that most of the things I'm drawn to are 600+ pages long. Which just kinda wears me out. So I'm looking for really great, amazing, get-out-your-highlighter-oh-my-god-this-is-incredible works of fiction that are less than 200 pages. 100 pages or thereabouts would be ideal, as that represents a "one-sitting reading."

I'm a big fan of Paul Auster, Steve Erickson, David Mitchell, that kind of thing. I've recently purchased "The Crying of Lot 49" by Pynchon and "The Body Artist" by Don Delilo, and a bunch of older stuff by Auster, who has always been good about word economy. But what next? What are some great novels that don't meander about, something that can be absorbed in a day or two rather than a month or two?

Mainstream slumming on the sci fi side of the street?

nanojath — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 12:02:51 -0800

I just found out that the dystopian/futuristic movie Children of Men is based on a novel by P.D. James. It made me think of the excellent short story The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster. It made me wonder: are other examples of mainstream authors experimenting with speculative fiction? I'm particularly interested in the case where the author is primarily known for mainstream, literature, or a different genre fiction - I thought of the example of Margaret Atwood (who's entry in Wikipedia, incidentally, has singlehandedly destroyed what marginal faith I had in that "reference") but she's really crossed that line several times in more than one fashion.

The Nameless Anarchist

scratch — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:31:43 -0800

Help me remember the name of an anarchist. I'm pretty sure he emigrated from Italy to the United States in the 1930s or 1940s. Though it might have been the 1920s, and no, it's not Sacco or Vanzetti. He was known as a prolific or at least an influential writer--possibly a journalist? The only concrete thing about him that I can dredge up is that there's a photo online somewhere that is allegedly the only extant picture of him.

How do I develop a friendship with my favorite writer?

dfreire — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 03:06:42 -0800

Recently I've met my favorite writer in a book presentation. He is considered one of the best living writers. In 2006 he won several prizes. His name is sometimes mentioned as a Nobel candidate. I was lucky enough to cause an impression on him, and I suggested him to visit my blog. He did, and then he sent me a short e-mail about it. Now, how do I keep things moving forward? How do I develop this contact into a friendship, without turning this into a worship, without causing a wrong impression that I could be using his name to my personal benefit? Essentially: how do I maintain and develop this relation, instead of killing it?

Non Fiction Women No Longer

Xurando — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 10:39:58 -0800

Help me to let go of my bias against women's fiction. What fiction books written by women would a "real" man like? A friend of mine recently suggested a thriller written by a woman and actually took it out of the library for me. I read the first page and got no further, the bias had set in.
I can't describe it, but I find offsetting, something in general about how women write fiction. This does not necessarily apply to non-fiction though it does apply to memoirs as well. One exception to this was Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan.

If pushed to describe it, I would say that women's fiction wanders from outside narrative to the interior feeling state far too easily. I like the story line to be present throughout despite being eclectic, whimsical, funny, or what have you. I like thrillers, travel writing, current life.

My friend now calls me the misogynist. Is there hope for me? Any suggestions for authors I might like?

Recommend a mailorder book club with no extra to buy?

vanoakenfold — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 06:45:56 -0800

I greatly enjoy the Writers' Digest new-member offers I get every so often. Are there any other book-club (or CD, etc) memberships that don't have a processing charge? With Writers' Digest Book Club, you can buy all of the required purchases at the very start, and you know what to pay at the very beginning including shipping (like 4 books for ~$20) without nothing else to buy ever. I always let the membership expire so I can get a new membership in 9 months or whatever the limit is until you can do it again. What other clubs are like this?

BMG usually has a mysterious processing charge and you don't get the bill until later down the line -- I'm not looking for those.

Jay Bees

jimfl — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 09:57:30 -0800

One of my favorite writers is Edmund Jabés. However, I have never heard anyone pronounce his name. I usually assume standard French pronunciation, which would render it as "zha-BAYES," but the stress could come on the first syllable as well.

What is the correct pronunciation?

Teaching an older blogger new tricks (or how to train a writer over 60 to make their posts sparkle)

BigBrownBear — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 07:06:32 -0800

Teaching an older blogger new tricks (or how to train a writer over 60 to make their posts sparkle) I am the host of a group blog with about 10 different writers. One of the writers comes up with some great material, but his posts aren't very well done. In fact, he mainly just copies and pastes text from the page. I tell him to save the posts as drafts and I combine several together, add pictures, format the hyperlinks, etc...

Unfortunately, this is rather time consuming and I wish he could do this on his own. The problem is that he is fairly old (at least in his late 60s), and not very tech savvy. I really like his contributions, and don't want to scare him off from particating, but I would like to find a way to show him how to do more work on his own.

I'd love to hear some ideas on how I might be able to delicately do this.

Best places to write in Venice, CA?

np312 — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 12:26:52 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations on best places to write in Venice, CA. Mostly in the realm of coffee shops or writer-friendly cafes, libraries, or anything else that comes to mind. I've just moved to Venice, CA from Brooklyn to work on a major writing project for the next few months. I don't like to write from home, and would prefer to walk to places on Abbott Kinney or Main Street to spend a few hours writing on my laptop. (So outlets are necessary.)

Free Wifi is nice, but mostly I'm looking for places with a cool vibe, other writers working there too, etc, where you can park yourself for a few hours without having people giving you the hairy eyeball. (I always buy a lot of coffee, but I don't want to feel like I'm being timed.)

Any suggestions? Thanks to all!

Writing Here To Avoid Writing

thinkpiece — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 10:34:29 -0800

How can I unblock and get to work? I took on a freelance writing job that came to me from a friend/colleague with whom I've worked very successfully in the past. He pitched me to his team, we had some meetings, I got a retainer and ... was offered a different full-time, demanding job which I could not turn down. I thought I could bang out Freelance Job during my weeks before starting Real Job and now I'm stuck ... I'm supposed to be the expert, so when I submitted a first draft and my friend told me it was 'the wrong direction' I was shocked into being blocked (I've never come up against such a wholesale No on a project).

I'm over deadline, clueless as to how to jump start a new plan of attack, not-so-motivated anymore, and also, legitimately busy at my new gig. My friend is no expert (I'm supposed to be) and he is very busy and isn't sure what direction I should take anyway -- just thinks the one I've submitted is wrong. Of course, it would suck to have to return the retainer. Help.

Is there a social networking site for writers?

kingtaj — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 12:03:17 -0800

Is there a social networking site for writers? There are lots of general social networking sites, like myspace, linkedin, etc. I have also seen some more specialized sites like dogster. Is there something along these lines for writers?

Recommendations to fresh new thinking

dropkick — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 19:31:49 -0800

Who are the writers and philosophers of today who are grounded and realistic but think outside the linear, relentless and monotonous data stream consciousness that pervades the internet and society at large? I want to open up a window in my mind and let some fresh air in.

Dinner with some nerd idols; what would you ask?

TochterAusElysium — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 12:54:22 -0800

How can I make the most of my dinner with Greg Bear, Neal Stephenson, George Dyson, and Donna Shirley? I'm attending an event with those luminaries, and I'm sort of at a loss as to what kinds of intelligent questions to ask (if I have the courage to ask - I'm pretty shy around well-known people).

I've read most of Stephenson's books (though I never could get through the Baroque Cycle); I know a little about George Dyson (more about his father), have read many of Greg Bear's books, and know very little about Donna Shirley.

My question(s): what would you ask in this situation? What are some good resources on these folks that I might look at before the event? I feel like this a special opportunity and I don't want to waste it by asking something stupid. Thanks, MeFi!

Books on Writers and Alcohol?

Gnostic Novelist — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 11:39:08 -0800

I'm looking for books dealing with writers and alcohol, or writers writing about alcohol. I own four books on the subject: The Thirsty Muse: Alcohol and the American Writer Alcohol and the Writer A Drinking Companion: Alcohol and Writers' Lives The Muse in the Bottle: Great Writers on the Joy of Drinking

Famous Writing Habits?

Gnostic Novelist — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 13:46:38 -0800

Famous Writing Habits? I come across sites dealing with a few here and there but there is no great collection I can find. Common examples: Hemingway's habit/belief of 500 words per day, Faulkner drinking whiskey whilst writing, Balzac drinking 10+ espressos a day, Thomas Wolfe's habit of writing standing up and his prolixity (so much so that Max Perkins had to substantially edit his work). Certain writers lived philosophies on first drafts/revisions, words/hours per day, etc etc. I have no problem locating famous quotes, but I'm more interested in info about actual behaviors. Hope that sounds right. Thank You in advance.