And In This Corner

When I first began writing, the idea of writing one’s self into a corner was, I thought at the time, a completely groundless fear. Any corner one might wander into, I assumed, ought to be escapable simply by writing in a door, a window or an attic escape ladder.

... and of course there was always the DELETE key, the RED pen, and the eraser

But, as time and experience have shown me, the real problem writers face is the fear of revision... of being willing to sacrifice a character or a setting or a particularly good set of lines because, regardless of how much one might be enamoured with them, they simply do not belong.

Do what's write [pun intended] and the corner turns into an field full of open possibilities.

I’ve also learned that one can indeed write a story into a premature ending. Thankfully, it's neither fatal nor does it have to be permanent.

... though admittedly, sometimes the story is all the better for it.


                                                             

Short Shorts

From the Wish I Would Have Said That department:
Watching the political scene these past weeks is giving me a migraine of epic proportions.
One would have thought that the old elephant wouldn't forget, but like a one-trick pony, the boys and girls are out there spouting the same old party rhetoric, making the same old empty promises to the public, and the same dirty deals in the back-room with the real brokers of power (Big Pharma, the banks and brokerage houses, and all the looters and polluters).
How quickly we forget the mess left by the last old elephant, and quickly we blame those who are cleaning it up for not doing it quickly enough.

Thomas Friedman at the New York Times has an excellent take on the economy in todays Opinion: Adults Only, Please.
Random Acts
In the I don't know Art, but I know what I like department:
If you're in London this week, stop by the Tate Museum: British artist Chris Ofili, best known for working with elephant dung, opens at Tate Britain today.
From the Writing Well:
Occasionally, a new writer comes along that simply dazzles me with their talent. Kate Quinn is one such writer.
In her forthcoming (release date 6 April) novel, Mistress of Rome, published by Berkeley Trade, she brings us a an intriguing story based on the life and death of one of Rome’s most depraved Emperors.
Kate takes us back to first century Rome: a world of depravity, blood, and secrets. The enigmatic Emperor Domitian watches over all, fearing murder from every side . . . except from the woman who fascinates him most.
In the end, the life of the brilliant and ruthless Domitian lies in the hands of one woman: a slave girl who has come to be called the Mistress of Rome.

... and finally, the Missing Links:
Erin Evans writes about on Writing a Shared-World Novel in her Being A Hack Column
... and Hayes Roberts on Invisible Alligators.

Friday Fish Wrap

Greg Mitchell, the former editor at Editor&Publisher, has a good piece over at Huff Post entitled How I lost My Job and Thanks for asking.

In reading the comments following his article, it made me realise just how wrong it was for a publisher like Duncan McIntosh to be the owner of E&P. It seems plain that what Mr. McIntosh wanted to buy for himself was a piece of history, much in the same way that people have purchased earldoms and dukedoms in the past.

Taking the journal in the direction he wishes to move in will turn it into E&P, which after awhile will make it no more important a publication than Boating World or FishRap News, both of which are niche market publications.  Until this acquisition I'd never heard of FishRap, and I honestly doubt I will ever spend a pence upon it or BW.

I'm not going to give up on E&P. It's too important an industry standard-bearer, but I'll be over reading Greg Mitchell & Paul Strupp at E&P In Exile and praying that I don't see  that graveyard picture (in my previous post) in the press again any time soon.

RESURRECTION

I am happy to report that the demise of Editor & Publisher, The Bible of the print media business since 1884, has been averted.

Sadly, editors Greg Mitchell and Joe Strupp will be missing from the masthead.

They will be missed, but not forgotten. You can still find them at E&P In Exile.

HELL IN HAITI

  Haiti is in shambles, the country's cities and infrastructure have collapsed and the process of getting food, safe drinking water and medical aid to the population is complicated by limited access.
MSF (Doctors Without Borders), already in position in Haiti, is doing all that it can and will continue to increase those services, but the people there need your help.  Please visit our site, read and see for yourself what is happening there, and please donate what you can.
Thanks.