Ten-Minute Blog Break - 25th June
Nicky Schmidt has been pretty quiet (by her standards) in recent months, but last week she unleashed two new articles in the same day - one on here about author brands and the other on her own blog. The latter post is a typically idiosyncratic take on the world of social networking and the need (or otherwise) to build an "author platform". As ever, Nicky's advice is refreshingly direct and pretty much boils down to "shut up and write the damned book".
Taking a writer (and a subject) close to my own heart, Space on the Bookshelf have a very special interview with Charlie Higson. Charlie talks boys' books, Young Bond and of course zombies!
Sam Zuppardi's blog posts are often very short illustration pieces, so I was pleased to see him talking at more length this week about his creative process. In presenting his sketch of a baby in a hat, Sam discusses the pros of cons of spontaneity in drawing and how he sometimes struggles to capture the spirit of his rough efforts in his finished drawings.
The award for bonkers post of the week must go to Meagan Monroe of The funeverse, whose invitation to go on an "imagination journey" is one you should accept forthwith. I think Meagan's blog post might actually be intended for children, but don't let that get in the way of your enjoyment as her hated maths teacher is carried away by a vampire bat (in lurid Technicolor).
Nick.
Read Nick's latest blog post, in which he's all out of ideas for blog posts! How can writers keep the ideas flowing when they're Running on Empty?
You know what they say, Nick: "The best minds are idiosyncratic and unpredictable as they follow the course of discovery." I'm going to be following up my own blog post with the reasons why I say what I do about social media - no doubt, I'll be every bit as direct! :-) Thanks for the share!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about running on empty, Nick. Sometimes the day job and real life just take over and the thought of coming up with sparkling blog ideas is scary. I'm currently fuelled on low calorie jelly and coffee, marking 2000 writing assessments for school and trying to think what to blog next. Maybe a jelly-based blog? Back to the grindstone, good luck with the ideas - I love your blogspot.
ReplyDeleteI like it when Nicky unleashes! Great round-up!
ReplyDeleteHi Nick,
ReplyDeleteLove this guide to good blogs to check out, always a great selection. Thanks for featuring the Charlie Higson Interview, and glad you liked it! I was a tad nervous doing the actual interview (didn't hlep I was writing all his responses long-hand - so need to invest in a Dictaphone!).
Sally you did a great job!
DeleteHi Nick, Thanks for this, and thanks to everyone for the blog posts. As a recently returned member I'm wondering where I should post information about my blog? I go by the name of Stargleam to distinguish myself from other Pippa Roberts's out there. (Anybody who googles pippa roberts and stargleam should find me.:)) I am on blogspot, but am building a wordpress site at present. (I lost most of my posts on blogspot, so am now going to keep two copies - one on each site.) Argh! Drowning in technology!
ReplyDelete