A higher level of difficulty

February 26, 2014February 25, 2014 ~ sharon ~ Leave a comment

Occasionally we read a story with a disabled character. The first one we meet may be Captain Hook. Ahab, another sailor, lost a leg to Moby Dick.

How does a disability – long-term or temporary (think “Rear Window”) – make a difference in a character’s behavior? What does he or she do to compensate? To overcome? To forget? What does he or she add to your story’s tone?

This piece points out some advantages to consider before you discount adding a disabled character.
Hiring Employees With Disabilities | Entrepreneur.com
http://m.entrepreneur.com/article/231731

The market for words

February 25, 2014February 24, 2014 ~ sharon ~ Leave a comment

Marketplace is the only business news I try to listen to, so when book publishing came up as a topic the other day, I had to listen. Here’s the transcript.

Meet Sylvia Day: The steamy baroness of book deals | Marketplace.org
http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/big-book/meet-sylvia-day-steamy-baroness-book-deals

Brain candy

February 24, 2014February 24, 2014 ~ sharon ~ Leave a comment

Think about this the next time you have “writer’s block.”
Or try talking fruit as a prompt.

The Neuroscience Of Imagination | Fast Company | Business + Innovation

http://m.fastcompany.com/3026510/dialed/the-neuroscience-of-imagination

We’re the ‘creative sector’

February 23, 2014February 24, 2014 ~ sharon ~ Leave a comment

If you’re freelancing while you write your book, you need these tips. If you’re “9-5,” you need them to plan your next career move.

5 Steps to Build a Creative Business from Scratch | Entrepreneur.com
http://m.entrepreneur.com/article/231560?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

Reading women’s words 10 + 3

February 22, 2014February 17, 2014 ~ sharon ~ Leave a comment

Here are three from me and ten from Julia Bell for a baker’s dozen options if, as she says happens, you haven’t read much by women. Mine aren’t as literary as hers, but each is imaginative and fun to read.
Sara Paretsky: Anything in her V.I. Warshawski series offers a gritty look at Chicago and environs from the perspective of a hard-nosed PI who loves opera. Breakdown isn’t the first, but if you only have time for one, this is a good one.
Anne McCaffrey: The Ship Who Sang is spaceship scifi with a twist, and the first in her “Ship” collection.
Laurie R. King: Sherlock Holmes is enjoying a revival in several visual formats (all good), but King gave the great detective a female partner — Mary Russell — long before Joan Watson walked into a grimy New York townhouse in Elementary. Start with The Beekeepers Apprentice and go from there.

And then there are hers:

writers’ hub – Ten Books by Women that Everyone Should Read – Julia Bell
http://www.writershub.co.uk/reviews-piece.php?pc=2336