“I felt literally no different writing history from what I felt writing a novel. The difference was where I got my material. In a novel, it came from my invention and mostly my memory. Now with a history I looked these things up and got them out of documents. But once I got them out of the documents, they were facts just like these other facts. Plot makes a story move under its own power. And to neglect plotting as a device of history is a serious mistake.” – Shelby Foote
The famed historian and novelist, Shelby Foote, recently passed away. Please take the time to read more about his life.
On a less somber note, I received new contracts in the mail yesterday: I’ve sold three more books in my Dirk & Steele series, as well as a novella that will be published in an anthology with Christine Feehan. I need to finish reading all the paperwork (and there is a lot of it). Legalese is mind-numbing. There is no good reason in the world why lawyers need to write that way – the sole purpose is to create a document that a) sounds important, b) is so convoluted that you don’t want to take the time to read it carefully, and c) to convince others that they really need a lawyer.
Anyway, I’ve got some interesting links to post:
The Knight Agency blog covers the topic of agents and why you should have one.
Sara Donati has posted an excerpt to her next novel, Queen of Swords. The prologue alone is one of the most gorgeous works of prose I’ve ever read.
Scott Westerfeld has some interesting thoughts on writing: finish everything and write your way out.
Meljean is one scary funny evil woman and oh, DC is missing out by not letting her write for them. Not for prudes or comic book canon freaks.
Okay, and as part of my regimen of bed rest, I watched Rhinestone today, starring Dolly Parton and Sly Stallone. Funniest Movie Evah. Those two had chemistry, man. And Stallone pretending to be country? Yee-haw! Ride ‘em, bad boy.