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)

Earlier in the week, I asked for websites where I could order t-shirts online in India. Thanks all for responding. Here is the consolidated list:

Inkfruit
Pringoo
Scopial
Bluebustees
Dilsebol
Craft my gift
iTasveer
Tantra

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I would love to agree with CNN’s Lou Dobbs that by exporting jobs to India, greedy American corporations are killing independent businesses. I could say this is exactly what happened to me, that it explains why I lost my father’s life savings, my company, $4 million and my entrepreneurial American dream. I could take comfort in the fact that outsourcing swept me away in its capitalistic tide, and that there was nothing I could do about it. But this is not what I believe. And these are not the lessons I learned.

The article doesn’t feature any life changing lessons, but it is a well-written personal story with the right perspective on the dynamics of the changing world, which is often so hard to have when you are in the thick of things.

Clarinda was founded in Iowa when it served publishers in New York and Chicago because the technology of the day — trains and trucks, telephones and fax machines — allowed Midwestern states to be the outsourcing outposts of their day. At the time, the big cities were mourning the loss of their “printers’ rows.” Much of the desolation that was SoHo in New York was caused by manufacturing leaving the city for the hinterlands.

Somehow, made me think of the movie Babel – I know, there is no obvious similarity – except that everyone involved are basically good guys and yet, there is no happy ending.

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Bidding started at $2,000, with the winning bid…hitting $2,125.

…That’s what one bidder got by purchasing someone’s MySpace.com account for more than two grand late last month. The seller claims to have more than 100,000 friends on his or her MySpace profile

More at News.com

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1. Adios, Friends!