wordpangs

The Science Fiction Urinal

2007-06-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

I have been a soreheaded occupant of a file drawer labeled 'science fiction' ever since, and I would like out, particularly since so many serious critics regularly mistake the drawer for a urinal.
(Kurt Vonnegut)

literature, writing, fiction, writers, cynicism, scams, fraud

Communication Breakdown

2007-05-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

I’ve been known to e-mail people who were literally standing next to me, which I know sounds crazy, because at that distance I could easily call them on my cellphone.
(Dave Barry)

literature, writing, fiction, writers

The Writer's Refrain

2007-05-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

If a young writer can refrain from writing, he shouldn't hesitate to do so.
(Andre Gide)

literature, writing, fiction, writers, cynicism

Show Me The Money

2007-04-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

Worthy Of Hire? - Wordarts
Late last week, I had a phonecall from what sounded like a very nice young man who explained that he worked for Scottish Television. They were organising a...(more)

How Much Should You Be Paid for Freelance Work? - The Average Idea
If you’re just dipping into freelancing, or even if you’ve been at it for awhile, you could be grossly underpaid for what you do and not

The Literary Household

2007-04-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

Indeed, the literary household is held together, so to speak, by paper-fasteners, and how other people get along without them we are at a loss to imagine.
(H.G Wells)

literature, writing, fiction, writers, cynicism, scams, fraud

Kurt Vonnegut R.I.P.

2007-04-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

Kurt Vonnegut, Counterculture’s Novelist, Dies - New York Times

I consider anybody a twerp who hasn't read the greatest American short story, which is "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," by Ambrose Bierce. (Kurt Vonnegut)

Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college. (Kurt Vonnegut)

I think that novels

Writing For Money

2007-04-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Don't Quit Your Day Job - Intergalactic Medicine Show
When I attended Clarion West Writer’s Workshop in 1994, I was given two very specific pieces of writing advice from my teachers....(more)

Science Fiction Income - Whatever (Author John Scalzi)
Last year, in response to a question from the peanut gallery, I spilled the beans on how much I made in a year from my writing. This year I thought

The Misfortune Of Literary People

2007-03-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

It is the misfortune of literary people, that they have to write about something. There is no reason, of course, why they should, but the thing is so.
(H.G Wells)

literature, writing, fiction, writers, cynicism, scams, fraud

The Secret To Writing Well

2007-03-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

It is imperative, if you wish to write with any power and freshness at all, that you should utterly ruin your digestion.
(H.G Wells)

literature, writing, fiction, writers, cynicism, scams, fraud

The Surreptitious Proposals Of Literary Men

2007-03-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

This is a thing innocent girls exposed to the surreptitious proposals of literary men do not understand. They think it will be very fine to have photographs of themselves and their "cosy nooks" published in magazines, to illustrate the man's interviews, and the full horror of having this feral creature always about the house, and scarcely ever being able to do any little thing without his knowing