Yo! Bring Out Your Inner Editor (aka More Text From the Work-In-Progress)

I had fun with the first round, so here ya go: more bite-sized text to edit. Click on the link and you'll get a piece of text from the draft of my new manuscript. This is from what I expect will be chapter three. Thank you in advance!

Oh: to answer a question posed in the comments section of the first entry on this subject: Yes, legally, this is okay. I'm only posting small chunks of a draft, which is akin to what I'd do if I were in a writer's group and posted my draft for critique from group members. So feel free; the editing/copyright police won't come get you.

In Which I Dive Into the Digital Age Deep End

The good folks at Book Oven are among those trying to figure out what "writing" and "books" mean in the twenty-first century. (The link takes you to the site's home page; once there, you can check out their blog, twitter link, etc.)

Among their other projects, they've created a site called Bite-Size Edits, where control freaks like me can throw caution to the wind and let you, the reader, help write/edit our books.

(Yes, I am a control freak. The very idea of turning my text loose, unedited, unfinished, unpolished is unnerving. But what's life for but to learn and grow?) So you are hereby invited to join the process.

It works like this: I post some text at the Bite-Size site. The site software spits it back out in small chunks (bytes/bites. Get it?) and you have at it. So go! Have fun! Here's the link

David Carr Nails the Value of Twitter

While I was out of town, I was computerless and so had a chance to get some distance from and therefore think about how, why, and when I use a computer and about my online life. Which made me think about Twitter and reminded me just how much I enjoy and value it as a tool for writing, communicating, and learning. I was trying (without much success) to explain Twitter to various family members: that I use it was a way to follow the thoughts/ideas of a slew of smart, talented people. And then I pick up today's New York Times --- and see that David Carr has said precisely what I was trying (and failing) to say. Here's the money-quote (or one of them):

By carefully curating the people you follow, Twitter becomes an always-on data stream from really bright people in their respective fields, whose tweets are often full of links to incredibly vital, timely information.

Yep, yep, yep. Soooo. If you're not yet using Twitter, and you're on the prowl for a new year's resolution, I can think of none better than to get a Twitter account and start connecting.

Tim Burton at MOMA

So, I managed to see the Tim Burton exhibit at MOMA last Friday. One word: astonishing. Well, maybe another word: Genius. The guy is a certified creative genius. (And, as my husband said, perhaps a bit crazy as well. Which is hardly surprising.)

I'm a serious Burton fan and the exhibit only confirmed my long-held belief that he is an artist of an extremely high caliber who just happens to use film as his major medium of expression.

The exhibit is fairly small: most of it is crammed into one large room on the third floor, but if you go, don't miss the small collection of drawings and photographs located on the lower level of the museum.

My only complaints about the retrospective (and it is just that: the earliest works date from his high school years): One, the catalog is underwhelming. Nice, but nothing like a full catalog of what's on display in the show. Two, the exhibit ignores his move to London and the city's effect on his career and work.

But those are minor quibbles. If you're going to be in NYC between now and late April, do yourself a favor and see the exhibit.

Tom Cizauskas' Twelve Books of Christmas

One of the few blogs I check regularly (no, I'm not a snob; I'm just busy to the point of being overwhelmed) is Yours for Good Fermentables, owned and operated by Tom Cizauskas.

I've been enjoying the heck out of a series he's running right now: "Twelve Books of Christmas," a collection of books he recommends for gift-giving. Unlike most lists, his is annotated, and that alone makes it worth a trip to his blog. You can see the entries so far here.

Anyway --- damn! I made the list. For that honor --- and I do consider it an honor --- I thank him. So if you're still wondering what to get for people on your list, head on over to Tom's blog and pick up some ideas.

2009 Yule Photo Contest Winners

Over at A Good Beer Blog, Alan McLeod has rolled out the winners of this year's photo contest. The "grand prize" winner (and, ahem, loser) are here. The other winners are here and here and here. Round of applause and a cup o' cheer, please, for Alan, who gets nothing out of this except the pleasure of sharing the photos with all of us.