Net Life

Question of the day – Should you trust writing advice from a writer whose books you dislike?

Posted by Frank Cote on July 13, 2012
Posted in: Net Life, Writing. Tagged: , , , , , .

It’s not news to anyone in the know that I’m a writing blog/writing book junkie.    My surfing list is long and stuffed with them, my kindle is loaded and my bedside table is groaning with magazines and books such as Orson Scott Card’s “Character and Development”.

Despite the fact that I read as much as I can, I can’t always read the actual BOOKS that these writing gurus put out.  I’ve made an effort recently to add them to my reading list however and I’ve found something disturbing.

I really don’t enjoy a lot of these books.

Should I trust their advice?  Have you ever run into this?

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Today’s Writing Group Day!

Posted by Frank Cote on July 24, 2011
Posted in: business of writing, Life, Net Life, Writing. Tagged: , , , .

Well I’ve cracked 32K which means only 18K to go by Saturday midnight!  Piece of cake!   Officially, the July Camp NaNoWriMo session gives the 31st as the end date of the challenge, but again, I’m following the 50K in 30 days I’m used to.  I plan to finish Saturday and rest one day before starting again for the final leg of the marathon.

Today’s the first meeting of my writing group.  I’m excited!  I’m hoping it will go well and does what I intend and imagine it will do. The writers coming are people who’s writing and opinions I respect as well as good friends, so no matter what, it’s all good.

I’m off to get some word count down before Anna gets up.  She’s been off her normal sleep patterns last couple of days and it’s made those days rather challenging.

Some non-writing related podcast stuff

Posted by Frank Cote on May 10, 2011
Posted in: Net Life. Tagged: , , , .

A favorite podcast of mine that ISN’T related to writing is trying to increase its listener base and I wanted to do my part and post about it here!

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe is a weekly podcast created by the New England Skeptical Society and is dedicated to promoting critical thinking, reason, and the public understanding of science.

Weekly episodes usually feature current science news items, interviews and the fact or fiction game segment as well as segments on critical thinking (“Spot the logical fallacy” is my favorite).   There is a particular focus on combating the proliferation of pseudoscience, quackery and snake oil salesmen and the promotion of evidence based medicine.  The show has close ties to the James Randi Education Foundation and Phil Plait (The Bad Astronomer) both of which figure prominently in the series.

Personally I think it’s a thought provoking podcast that allows me to stay somewhat current with scientific events as well as helping hone my critical thinking skills (something that I find is sadly lacking encouragement in today’s society).   The podcast is very positive, lighthearted and fun while still being very educational.

Check it out!

More interesting e-book stuff from the ‘net

Posted by Frank Cote on April 21, 2011
Posted in: business of writing, e-books, Net Life. Tagged: , , , , , .

I was recently referred to Nathan Brandford’s great blog by the I Should Be Writing podcast and this gem caught my eye because of the subject matter in this post.

One of my biggest pet peeves about e-books is the price.  I’ve always cringed at paying the same price (or worse, MORE) than the physical book.  I’ve never understood why this is and frankly, I’ve always suspected that publishers are pricing e-books this way to protect their physical media markets and making the same mistakes that the music industry has been doing online for a decade now.

Nathan’s post gives a ‘behind the scenes’ look at e-book pricing that really clears things up for me.  I’m still not happy about it, but I understand a lot better what’s going on now.

I still don’t like it, but for different reasons than a nebulous conspiracy theory…although I really like a good conspiracy theory.

I urge you to go over and read “Why some e-books cost more than the hardcover” over at Nathan Brandsford’s blog!

And while you’re there, check out “Social Media, there’s no such thing as too early” which is giving wannabe writers like me a reason to blog!

How odd? Yes. Let’s go with odd.

Posted by Frank Cote on April 19, 2011
Posted in: Net Life, news and views. Tagged: , .

The WordPress dashboard has neat little utilities for site traffic statistics.   One such utility which amuses me shows the google search terms that have lead people to this site (and hopefully those people enjoy it and come back for more).

Today’s top search is currently listed as this:

“my basement office, would you like me to use the handcuffs on you wink”

How odd.

It was worth a giggle.

The Basement Office presents – procrastination links!

Posted by Frank Cote on March 1, 2011
Posted in: links, Net Life, news and views. Tagged: , , .

It’s a slow, unmotivated day and while I should be writing, I’ve stumbled upon a few really great articles out there on the net!

You writers out there will know exactly what I mean.

So, since misery loves company, please forgive me for giving you ammunition for your own delinquincy.

Check out these fine posts!

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