Archives
There's a lot of shockingly bad advice about how to get published online. Much of it comes from unpublished people who know nothing about the publishing industry and are bitter about their own inability to get published. ((Before you yell at me for this statement you should know that I spent twenty years trying to break into mainstream publishing. I know how it feels. Also very few of those unpublished writers are bitter about it and decide that the big publishers are evil. Most suck it up and keep trying.)) But some of it is from actual published writers with careers, who have a bug up their arse about the evil of agents, or small presses, or big presses, or ...
Posted by Justine at 16:44, March 14th, 2010 under New York City/USA, Publishing business, Ranting, Writing goals & milestones, Young Adult literature |
Due to
boring circumstances beyond my control, I will not be online much for awhile. Fortunately I’ve been able to line up a number of stellar guests to fill in for me. Most are writers, but I also thought it would be fun to get some publishing types to explain what it is they do, teach you some more about the industry, and answer your questions, as well as one or two bloggers.
Melina Marchetta is probably Australia's most popular YA writer and with good reason her books are deeply awesome. I just finished her latest, The Piper's Son and I think it's her best book to date. I was up reading it till 3AM and then I couldn't sleep ...
Posted by Justine at 17:30, March 10th, 2010 under Guest post, Ranting, Reading |
Due to boring circumstances beyond my control, I will not be online much in February. Fortunately I’ve been able to line up a number of stellar guests to fill in for me. Most are writers, but I also thought it would be fun to get some publishing types to explain what it is they do, teach you some more about the industry, and answer your questions, as well as one or two bloggers.
Today's guest blogger is
Baby Power Dyke whose blog I discovered last year and instantly fell in love with. She's rude, smart and funny. We have shared crushes on Rachel Maddow and Melissa Harris-Lacewell. So, clearly, she has excellent tase. She is my kind of a gal. ...
Posted by Justine at 0:00, February 25th, 2010 under Guest post, New York City/USA, Praising, Ranting, State of the World |
Due to boring circumstances beyond my control, I will not be online much in February. Fortunately I’ve been able to line up a number of stellar guests to fill in for me. Most are writers, but I also thought it would be fun to get some publishing types to explain what it is they do, teach you some more about the industry, and answer your questions, as well as one or two bloggers.
Doret Canton loves sport as much as I do. In fact, I
interviewed her about that very subject right here on this blog and she said many smart and sensible things. (Except about American Football not being boring.) The reviews on
her blog are amongst my ...
Posted by Justine at 0:01, February 15th, 2010 under Guest post, Ranting, Reading, Viewing, Young Adult literature |
Due to boring circumstances beyond my control, I will not be online much for the next week or so. Fortunately I've been able to line up a number of stellar guests to fill in for me. Most are writers, but I also thought it would be fun to get some publishing types to explain what it is they do, teach you some more about the industry, and answer your questions, as well as one or two bloggers.
Today we have Sarah Rees Brennan, who is quite mad, which is often quite an advantage for the writing of fine fiction, as you will discover if you read any of SRB's books. She was last here for
an interview where she revealed ...
Posted by Justine at 6:04, February 5th, 2010 under Feminism, Guest post, Ranting, Viewing |
My previous post on conducting interviews was largely addressed to inexperienced interviewers. Some of the comments on that post have me wondering what the point of conducting an interview is. For those who simply want to interview their favourite author and find out everything they always wanted to know then that's your point right there. But I get the impression from quite a few of these interviews that they existence because the blogger feels that that's what you should do on a blog about books. As you can imagine that does not usually make for a good interview.
I also wonder if people run interviews on their blog because they think it will increase traffic. ((Part of why I suspect ...
Posted by Justine at 19:44, January 13th, 2010 under Bloggery, Ranting |
As mentioned in
my previous post, I just finished Joan Schenkar's The Talented Miss Highsmith. I loved it so I was curious to take a squizz at what reviewers had made of it and came across
this one by Jonathan Lethem. Oh. Dear.
It is exactly the kind of
review that annoys me the most. The I-don't-like-this-kind-of-book-but-I'm-reviewing-it-anyway review. Editors seem to think it dreadfully clever to get the reviewer who hates feminism to review the feminist tome, the hater of romance to review Jennifer Crusie's latest, and those who are full of contempt for teenagers and books to review YA. It will generate conflict and controversy! Goodie!
No, it will generate annoyance and boredom. I know what people who ...
Posted by Justine at 0:02, January 7th, 2010 under Ranting, Reading |
Sarah Rees Brennan pointed me to
this article about Gone with the Wind by Elizabeth Meryment. It annoyed me. So prepare yourself for a rant. Basically Meryment argues that all criticism of Gone with the Wind (book and film) over the last few decades has been dreadfully unfair, especially from feminists, and why can't we all just enjoy such a women-centric book with its array of fabulous strong female characters. Now, I happen to agree that Gone with the Wind features many wonderful strong women. However, that being true does not contradict any of the criticisms made of both book and film.
Why do people find it so hard to love something and accept that it's flawed?
Gone with the ...
Posted by Justine at 12:50, December 1st, 2009 under Ranting, Reading, State of the World, Viewing |
I've been thinking a lot about the Roman Polanski case. I've read everything I can about it over the last few weeks including the original trial transcripts, which left me feeling sick to the stomach. But many people have already said what I feel about the case, including the most excellent
Lauren McLaughlin and
Jay Smooth.
What I'm really wondering is how all those Hollywood luminaries could have signed that petition. Do they really want the world at large to think they have no problem with the rape of a thirteen year old girl?
Did they sign because all their mates did and not know what they were signing? Perhaps, they thought, it's another save the whales or end ...
Posted by Justine at 18:01, October 12th, 2009 under Ranting, State of the World |
Disclaimer: I am writing about YA publishing in the USA. Although I'm Australian I know much more about the publishing industry in the US than I do about Australia. Or anywhere else for that matter.
I know that the title of this post is going to lead to some comments insisting that it's not true that white writers have any advantages and that many white people are just as oppressed as people of colour. I don't want to have that conversation. So I'm going to oppress the white people who make those comments by deleting them. I don't do it with any malice. I do it because I want to have a conversation about white privilege in publishing. We can have ...
Posted by Justine at 13:13, October 1st, 2009 under Publishing business, Ranting, State of the World, Whingeing, Writing life, Writing process |
Lately, I have heard several published white writers express their trepidation about the idea of writing non-white characters. Some of them have mentioned that they feel they'll get in trouble if they continue to write only white characters, but that they also feel they'll get into trouble if they write characters who aren't white cause they'll bugger it up.
Damned if you do, they say, damned if you don't.
To which I can only say, and I mean this nicely, "Please!"
What exactly are you risking? Who exactly is damning you? Which of your previously published novels have attracted no criticisms and no damnation? Cause that's amazing. You wrote a book no one critcised? Awesome. Please teach me that trick!
Every single book I've ...
Posted by Justine at 16:46, September 26th, 2009 under New York City/USA, Ranting, State of the World, Whingeing, Writing life, Writing process |
Why do so many people have an obsession with how old people are when they make art?
Hmmm. I think that sentence demands a bit more context. I keep seeing comments like, "OMG, Buffy is amazing and Joss Whedon was only in his early 30s when he first created it." Or Arthur Rimbaud was one of the most influential French poets ever and he quit writing when he was 19!"
There must be something wrong with me cause I think, "So what?"
Either the art is good or it isn't. Who cares how old the person was who created it? Doesn't make it any better.
Not to mention that there's an argument that the only reason people are still talking about ...
Posted by Justine at 15:23, September 25th, 2009 under Ranting, State of the World, Writing goals & milestones, Writing life |
Maybe I'm being unfair, but Dwight Garner's
New York TImes review of LeBron James' & Buzz Bissinger's Shooting Stars gave off the distinct reek of Eau de Condescension (via
Mitali Perkins):
“Shooting Stars,” a new collaboration between LeBron James, probably the greatest basketball player alive, and Buzz Bissinger, the author of “Friday Night Lights,” is a different kind of book. It avoids speaking about James’s professional career with the Cleveland Cavaliers (he was the National Basketball Association’s most valuable player last season) almost entirely. And since James skipped college, well, ixnay on that too.
"Ixnay"? Seriously?
“Shooting Stars” reads like a better-than-average young-adult novel, “Stand by Me” with breakaway dunks and long, arching three-pointers. I suspect it will find its best ...
Posted by Justine at 12:23, September 9th, 2009 under Ranting, Reading, Whingeing, Young Adult literature |
Because I have been talking about my love of Avatar quite a bit lately people have been asking me if I'm excited about the forthcoming live action version.
I am not.
One of the many things I adore about Avatar is how incredibly rich and complex the world of Avatar is. This is largely because it was based on various Asian cultures. None of the characters in Avatar are white.
Here's what the show's creators have to say about it in an
interview from 2005:
1. How did you come up with the Avatar?
We came up for the concept for "Avatar" 3 years ago. Nickelodeon wanted to make a "legends & lore" type of show with a kid hero. That’s a genre we ...
Posted by Justine at 14:54, July 20th, 2009 under Ranting, Viewing |
Yesterday Maureen Johnson posted most excellently on the topic of
judging yourself by numbers. She paraphrased a graduation speech by Bill Murray:
“Look, people thought I was going to be a huge failure, but then I got kind of lucky and made it. And I had and have lots of amazing friends, and we’ve seen each other’s careers go up and down. Take my advice: don’t go comparing yourself to other people. You will go insane. It’s pointless. Your fortunes may rise and fall, depending on all kinds of things you have no control over. Keep your friends. Never compare all the outward markers of success. Do what you love, because that’s all you really get and that’s all that ...
Posted by Justine at 11:01, July 17th, 2009 under Publishing business, Ranting, Writing life |
Posted by Justine at 12:02, July 9th, 2009 under Ranting, Young Adult literature |
Posted by Justine at 12:06, June 30th, 2009 under Bloggery, Publishing business, Ranting |
Posted by Justine at 14:54, June 29th, 2009 under Publishing business, Ranting |
Sometimes I think the best course of action for me is to simply not read anything in the New York Times
about books by women. I just wind up
cranky.
Today's piece by Janet Maslin on this summer's books by women was astonishing. On the one hand there's this:
The “Commencement” characters are savvy about, among other things, feminism and publishing. “When a woman writes a book that has anything to do with feelings or relationships, it’s either called chick lit or women’s fiction, right?” one of them asks. “But look at Updike, or Irving. Imagine if they’d been women. Just imagine. Someone would have slapped a pink cover onto ‘Rabbit at Rest,’ and poof, there goes the ...
Posted by Justine at 12:53, June 12th, 2009 under New York City/USA, Ranting, Reading |
Posted by Justine at 12:50, May 20th, 2009 under Publishing business, Ranting, Writing life, Young Adult literature |
Posted by Justine at 10:45, May 17th, 2009 under Ranting, Words & Language, Writing process |
Posted by Justine at 12:55, April 22nd, 2009 under Ranting, State of the World |
Some of you have been writing to ask me what I think of the
Australian Productivity Commission's draft report. I've been trying very hard to put my thoughts into words, but frankly I'm too depressed and angry. But now Michael Heyward of Text has a
most excellent opinion piece in The Age:
THERE'S a lot at stake in the world of books and writing and publishing. Our industry is blossoming. We're selling great books at home and exporting our writers in unprecedented numbers. We have a superb retail environment, with a dynamic independent sector, and a competitive printing industry that generates significant numbers of skilled jobs. There's never been a better time to be a writer or publisher ...
Posted by Justine at 0:44, March 27th, 2009 under Publishing business, Ranting, State of the World, Sydney/Australia |
We've worked our way through the first season of Mad Men and I didn't enjoy it. I can see that it's well written and acted. The costumes and sets are remarkable. It has a very shiny kind of verisimilitude. I can see why it wins awards. But it leaves me cold.
Actually, worse than that---it make me uncomfortable and unhappy. I watch with pursed lips and my arms crossed tight.
I don't feel like they're exploring the sexism and racism of the period I feel that they're skirting a line towards reproducing it. Why are there no black characters? The black cleaner or lift operator could easily have been major characters. Instead they're rarely seen and less often heard. There are many ...
Posted by Justine at 0:50, March 23rd, 2009 under New York City/USA, Ranting, Viewing |
Posted by Justine at 1:47, March 17th, 2009 under How To Ditch Your Fairy, Liar, Magic or Madness trilogy, Publishing business, Ranting, Writing process |
Posted by Justine at 15:23, March 13th, 2009 under Publishing business, Ranting |
I am no longer interested in hearing how lovely a particular person is in real life when they are a bully and a bigot and a troll online. I'll go further than that it no longer matters to me if I have met said nasty online person in real life and have found them perfectly charming. Behaving well in only one or two spheres of your life does not make you a good person. Treating people with contempt speaks volumes. Always.
The internet is real life. What you say and how you behave in the land of livejournal or facebook or myspace or wordpress blogs or elsewhere is real behaviour. Those words are real and have real affects even if you ...
Posted by Justine at 16:56, March 5th, 2009 under Ranting, State of the World |
Posted by Justine at 15:43, February 22nd, 2009 under 1930s NYC novel, Ranting, Viewing |
Posted by Justine at 1:17, February 16th, 2009 under Cricket, Ranting, Sport |
Last night I dreamed that I rang many credit card companies trying to get stolen credit cards replaced. I was even put on hold. There was muzak. Numbered options. To pay your bill press 1. If your card has been stolen press 2. To talk to an operator press 0.
It was the most boring dream in the history of dreams. I am still angry at the injustice of such wasted dream time!
Dear Subconscious,
Do that again and nastiness will ensue. I mean it.
As in you will be fired!
Do you understand?
Now, let us return to the dragons, mangosteens, and flying.
Thank you.
Yours in a snit,
Justine
I hope you're all having much better dreams. Though no need to tell me about them. All dreams ...
Posted by Justine at 0:00, February 9th, 2009 under Ranting |
Posted by Justine at 2:44, February 3rd, 2009 under Fashion, Ranting |
Posted by Justine at 0:25, December 14th, 2008 under Bloggery, Fans & readers, Praising, Ranting, Writing life |
One more thing that I think some wannabe published writers don't understand. Being a professional writer means having homework ALL THE TIME. (Thanks to Jennifer for
pointing this out.) And when your homework comes back covered in red you have to do it over. Sometimes you have to do it over multiple times. And then your homework gets checked again by several other people (copyeditor, proofreader) and then you have to look at it again.
It's like the worst homework ever. Homework that NEVER EVER ENDS.
I'm just saying . . .
Posted by Justine at 0:28, December 9th, 2008 under Bloggery, Publishing business, Ranting, Writing life |
A large part of being a writer---whether you're published or not---is working to improve, to perfect your craft. One of the biggest obstacles for many beginning writers doing that is that they sometimes get so obsessed with getting published that they forget about the writing.
It took me twenty years of striving to make my first professional fiction sale. I know how you feel---I felt it. I was desperate to get published and that's part of why it took me so long. I kept getting distracted from perfecting my craft. From writing and writing and writing and rewriting and rewriting and rewriting. From reading and studying the best (and worst) writers I could. I was more obsessed with seeing my name ...
Posted by Justine at 0:10, December 8th, 2008 under Ranting, Writing life, Writing process |
Posted by Justine at 13:44, December 7th, 2008 under Bloggery, Ranting, State of the World, Writing life |
Posted by Justine at 0:00, November 13th, 2008 under Ranting, Whingeing, Writing life |
Posted by Justine at 1:00, November 6th, 2008 under Praising, Ranting, Unicorns, Zombies |
One of the biggest culture shocks for me as an Australian living (some of the time) in the USA is
voting. Every election year I've been here there have been
voter intimidation and
fraud scandals. Maybe I missed it, but that does not happen at home. Not every single election.
Seems to me that the aim in the US is to make voting as difficult as possible. Why? I don't get it. I've had friends disallowed to vote because the official said they had the wrong ID. It didn't exactly match the name on the voter rolls. As in, their driver's license had their middle name spelled out in full, "Rachel", but the voter roll had just ...
Posted by Justine at 0:00, October 22nd, 2008 under New York City/USA, Praising, Ranting, State of the World, Sydney/Australia, Zombies |
Posted by Justine at 0:00, October 16th, 2008 under New York City/USA, Publishing business, Ranting, Reading, Sydney/Australia, Young Adult literature |
Posted by Justine at 0:00, September 26th, 2008 under 1930s NYC novel, New York City/USA, Ranting, State of the World, Zombies |
Posted by Justine at 0:00, September 4th, 2008 under Bloggery, Ranting, Writing life |
Posted by Justine at 17:38, August 31st, 2008 under Ranting, Reading |
I just read a book that's been getting rapturous reviews. It is every bit as beautifully written as advertised. There were whole paragraphs that were very WOW inducing. ((Imagine Stephanie Rice saying, "Wow!!!")) I loved parts of it and not just because they were about cricket. ((I just gave away what book I'm talking about, didn't I?)) But I did not enjoy this book.
I will break my usual procedure and name the book: Netherland by Joseph O'Neill. I'm naming it because it really is gorgeously written. Seriously, it's stunning. O'Neill deserves the reviews he's been getting. I think many people will love it. Hell, many people are loving it. I'm writing this to figure out why it didn't work for ...
Posted by Justine at 0:59, August 27th, 2008 under Ranting, Reading, Travelling |
Posted by Justine at 19:27, July 30th, 2008 under Ranting, Reading |
Posted by Justine at 20:00, July 28th, 2008 under Fans & readers, Ranting, Reading |
Posted by Justine at 0:00, July 28th, 2008 under Fans & readers, Ranting, Reading |
I just watched a hard fought game between the LA Sparks and Detroit Shock that ended in
a real fight. The ending was horrible with three players and one coach ejected and, I'm sure, lots of unwelcome attention from the press which ordinarily completely ignores the WNBA. Gosh, maybe now even the New York Times will cover a game.
I was most shocked by Detroit Assistant Coach Mahorn, who is male and well over 7ft tall 6ft 10inches, pushing over Lisa Leslie. He needs to be suspended for the rest of the season. You do not touch the opposing team's players ever. Under any circumstances.
But mostly I blame the referees. There were several incidents leading up to the fight between ...
Posted by Justine at 22:26, July 22nd, 2008 under Basketball, New York City/USA, Ranting, Sport, State of the World |
Posted by Justine at 0:32, July 22nd, 2008 under Ranting, Writing life |
Just when you're approaching the end of one book and you really must give that book all your time and all your brain, another one comes along and starts insisting you write it instead.
This is WRONG and must stop. IMMEDIATELY.
Bugger off, stupid new book. GO AWAY!
Posted by Justine at 12:08, July 17th, 2008 under Liar, Ranting, Whingeing |
Posted by Justine at 12:57, July 16th, 2008 under Bloggery, Liar, Ranting, Whingeing, Writing life |
