Rarely Likable

I think I've found November's procrastination tool.

Thanks, mtvmusic.com!

Want to do some good, and be in a story?

On November 15, I'll be participating in the Dzanc Books Write-A-Thon. Dzanc is a small press that puts out great books and runs a series of programs benefitting writers of all kinds. At the same time, I'll also be participating in National Novel Writing Month. Goal: 1670 words a day, for 30 days. This will be my sixth year. I've only won once, but every year I come away with at least a solid short story.

In the interest of keeping the grand tally honest, on the morning of the 15th, Dzanc will be posting a prompt for participants to use that day. Given the scope of my planned novel (a series of letters written between the years 2012-2019) I'm pretty confident that I'll be spending the day working on an installment that will be self-contained.

So, here's my offer: Sponsor me for Dzanc, and I'll include your name (or the name of your choice) in that installment. I'll use it for good or evil, it's up to you. I'll send you a copy of what I write, and Dzanc may also be posting a participant anthology.

You can either sponsor with a flat amount, or per word. If you do decide to be awesome, PLEASE PLEASE send me an email at gnomeloaf(at)gmail(dot)com. I will thank you profusely, and make sure I know what name/faction you want me to use.

Research question. Can you help?

I'm gearing up for You Know What. I'm going to be writing about someone who works as a people smuggler, a la the Underground Railroad, and (less so) about the people who are helped. Unfortunately, this is a relatively recent development and I'm not going to have the time I'd like to dig in and research, sooo...hopefully, that's where you come in.

I'm looking for narratives, books, stories, whatever, about similar scenarios. People who are hiding other people from the government, or are helping them move from one place to another. I've already got Miep Gies/Anne Frank more or less covered -- that's what I've spent my limited time on -- but if you know of good literature about the same era I'd love to hear about it.

My protagonist is more of a scam artist than an altruist, so anything with that sensibility gets bonus points.

Thanks in advance. In the interest of paying it forward, I'll spend some procrastination time in the research topics section of the NaNo forums next month. Surely there will be someone who wants to know about James Connolly, Catholic school in the 1970s, EverQuest when it was cool, or insulin-dependent gestational diabetes.

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout would not take the linkbucket out.

This month's Poets and Writers has plenty about The MFA Experience, and even some about the Post MFA Experience (sadly, not posted online). They're looking for tales of post MFA life from their readers, send some in! P&W also has a writing workspace slideshow now.

Anyone who visits this blog should go to Emerging Writers Network first, of course. But I'm going to be particularly insistent today because Dan's doing interviews with small press folks, and they're terrific. Also must mention this again: Dzanc's Write-A-Thon.

28 agents who want to see your work. (via Lee)

Journals that accept email submissions.

Keyhole has an exceptionally cool contest going on.

"Everyone thinks the MFA is this huge step, but only when they don’t have an MFA." I've been enjoying this blog of post-MFAers a lot. Somewhat related and also interesting: What an MFA Program Does to Your Writing Life.

Matt Bell travels back in time. (I was around in 2001.)

David Gates on Lolita. (via the entertaining HTMLGIANT)

Tayari's tips on conducting an email interview.

I'll say it again: Tod's signings need to be a television show.

The National Book Award finalists, Millions-style.

Neil Gaiman reads his new book, and other interesting things.

Meghan confirms what I've suspected.

I always look forward to Cliff's posts about The New Yorker's short stories each week. This week it's a Roddy Doyle one.

Hope for old geniuses! (via)

FAIL is this year's lolcats.

Columbia College's database of literary journal information, The Publishing Lab. (via and discussed at Bookfox)

I was going to look for the new Geoff Ryman at Borders. Yeah, not so much. (What's especially interesting to me about this is that Geoff Ryman is my litmus test for bookstores. If they've got his work on the shelf, I feel like it's worth having a prolonged look around.)

And finally...a thread somewhere over at Metafilter led me to a recipe for bacon and chocolate chip cookies. Are we going to make them? I live with a scientist and an eight year old who worships Calvin and Hobbes and buys fart bombs with her allowance. What do YOU think?

In the pipeline

Today will be another quiet day here, as I need to download fiction from my brain. Here's what's coming that vaguely relates to the blog:

-- A linkbucket, for my feedreader is overflowing.
-- More information about America's Next Top Online Magazine, The Northville Review. (Inquiries of all kinds can go to northvillereview(at)gmail(dot)com.)
-- National Novel Writing Month, in which the Dzanc Books Write-A-Thon also takes place. A few days of mulling it over and now I have an idea. I generally don't participate in the NaNo forums, but I usually end up commiserating with my NaNo writing buddies. Here's my profile, if you want to have a look and/or buddy me.
-- Some posts about books. Honest.

Another reason it's been quiet.

After months of thinking about it, I've decided that there will be a new online litmag in January 2009.

I'll share more details on the blog soon. In the meantime, if you have an interest in reading for, submitting to or otherwise inquiring about this venture? Please feel free to drop me a line or IM.

Please. Seriously. I think the same three people are getting really sick of hearing about it.