sinclair_furie

Very Short Stories, in Wired Magazine. All the exciting SF&F and horror writers produce... six word stories. The above link will take you to the text of all the stories. The picture takes you to the illustrated ones. :)

Oh, and I watched the first episode of Torchwood. It looks potentially promising, but I think the BBC is trying a little too hard to be edgy.

nhw  links to various different "rules for writing historical fiction."

1) The Top Ten Rules for Writing Prehistoric Fiction
10. While prehistoric men will be permitted to have more than one wife, for women adultery is a charge punishable by death. The hero is the one male of the tribe who believes in monogamy.

2) Official Rules for Writing “Feminist Re-Imagings & Re-Imaginings” Historical Novels
15. No heroine in a feministly-reimaged historical novel ever does anything bad, because women are inherently gentle and nurturing, dedicated to peace, harmony, the Great Chain of Being, Oneness, and the Circle of Life.
15a. This is why you probably won’t see feministly-reimaged historical novels about
i. Catherine de Medici or
ii. The Empress Wu or
iii. Ranavalona of Madagascar
anytime soon.

( More Rules... )

The Feminist Reimagings is particularly funny.

What Kind of Novel Should I Write?
brought to you by Quizilla

I'd be careful with that quiz, though. It told Charlie Stross he should be writing Chicklit. CHARLIE STROSS.

Well, Crystal has asked for my advice, and now that my muse is officially one of my multiple personalities, I thought I'd let her speak...

Being a muse is hard work. Mostly it involves telling people what they should already know, that inspiration can come from pretty much anywhere. This should be self evident, but instead I have to chase self-righteous artists convinced their problem is unique, covinced that nothing is good enough, especially not for them. Haughty things.
Anyhow, if you are an artist starved fo inspiration, listen, young padawan. Wracking your brain for ideas? Finding that everything you write/draw/photograph/etc comes out wrong? Maybe you just need a break.
Not from your work, of course, but try changing media. If you draw people, try doing an abstract. If you write long novels, do an experimental sketch of a minor character. If you photograph, stop for a moment and think about a random thing you've photographed. Write about it. That girl in that picture, what's her favourite color? What's her story?
Talk to interesting people. Shamelessly steal their cleverness and their charm and put it into your work. Try remaking an old piece from a different point of view, in a different media, in a different color scheme to get warmed up. Look around and capture random objects, people, situations, settings... This will get you started, and then, well, you'll be so far gone it won't matter anymore. If you're trying to do something specific, look at it from the point of view of someone else. Does it interest you because it's specific to your life? Because it's beautiful? Because it would shock your parents? Take things apart and find out what makes them tick.
And if you can't get it right, leave it alone, at least for a while. Nit pickers are the most annoying people. Ever.*
If you're still at a loss you're either very very stupid or very very bored. Schedule a special appointment with me, but remember that I require good tea and cake. And comfy chairs. Biscuits are good too.
*Except homophobes, fundamentalists and bratty children, who are annoying but also fill you with great violence.

If you can figure this out, please let me know. The link is to a short story with a puzzle behind it, and I've read it some five times and it's driving me... sloowly... insane.
And check out this rendition of Usher's "Yeah." Priceless.