links - mostly on writing

But there's also this.
I'm not entirely certain it's appropriate for a church . . . but it seems appropriate for a wedding, and where should a wedding be but in a church? (Actually, on further thought, it seems to me that it would be most appropriate if they did it going out of the church rather than in - concentrate on the joyful solemnity on the way in, and party at the accomplished fact on the way out! Either way, it's a great video.)

(And yes, I know I show my true nerdiness in that I can't just enjoy the film, I have to enjoy it and then think about it.)

Then there's this fascinating post on having 1000 True Fans. The author points out that to make a living as an artist, you don't necessarily need to be the platinum-selling artist; instead, you need a certain, finite number of true fans, people who to whom your art has an absolute appeal, people who will buy everything you make. It made me wonder if I was anyone's true fan, and I was surprised to find that I was. I'll buy any of Caedmon's Call's cds, Carla Kelly's Regencies, and anything Lois McMaster Bujold cares to write about Miles Vorkosigan. I also thought about artists of whom I'm a sort of secondary fan - I won't go out of my way to buy their stuff, but if it falls in my path, I'll always pick it up and read it/listen to it/watch it.

This also led to the sad reflection that many of the people of whom I am a True Fan are dead: Rich Mullins, Dorothy Sayers, Anthony Trollope, Essie Summers etc.

I think my new goal as an artist is to keep making True Fans after I die. :)

I could be wrong, but I think this next link might be interesting to readers as well as writers, because it reveals one of the tricks of the trade: how to reveal your character's backstory without a huge info-dump in the first chapter. You know, "Joe was desperately attracted to Mindy. Sadly, he couldn't marry her because she had cheated his brother in a business deal. But what Joe didn't know is that Mindy was forced into this dastardly dead by her wicked uncle who had been holding her beloved poodle Butterscotch hostage. Thus, the lovers were star-crossed. Commence story." Ever read a book that started like that? Theresa Stevens reveals that you can avoid that boring info-dump by turning it into conflict! Neat trick.

Finally, an unlikely pairing: Writer's Digest interviews Stephen King and Jerry Jenkins together. I'll admit, I've never read any of King's work, but I'm always impressed when I read his interviews.

Enjoy your weekend!

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell