Friday Links 091016

For a while now, I have been using twitter for my link dumps. But, searching for something in twitter isn’t exactly easy. So here is a summary of this week’s links –

Junot Díaz at Oprah on trying, and failing, to write his novel every day for five years (via @allvishal):

a writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, because everything she does is golden. In my view a writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway

Books are not babies – a great read on revising a novel over.

My three main tools at the moment, as I work through the rewrites, are: a synopsis; a chapter-by-chapter breakdown; and a page of character notes. I have found them all unbelievably helpful for keeping me focused.

And if you like the little word counter on her blog, you can get it at Writeropia. Copy paste into the template and fill in the appropriate numbers. Thanks @impossiblecat.)

A hilarious read at the New Yorker on the current state of book publicity (via @adropofwisdom):

We use CopyBuoy via Hoster Broaster, because it streams really easily into a Plaxo/LinkedIn yak-fest meld. When you register, click “Endless,” and under “Contacts” just list everyone you’ve ever met.

Neil Gaiman is Crowdsourcing a Story via Twitter. How cool is that! (via @prathambooks)

This talk is fantastic. Chimamanda Adichie talks on Tedtalks about the danger of a single story . A balanced view on how we are all influenced by stereotypes. (via @spotjogger)