Monday, November 24, 2008

The Reader and Writer Agreement

Any form of fiction is really an agreement between the writer and the reader. The writer says, I will tell you a story, and you will believe it while you are reading it.

The reader agrees that, as long as the story remains true to its own telling and is interesting, he will keep reading and believe what he is reading. This is often called suspension of disbelief.

The writer can create the most bizarre rules imaginable for the way his world works and have creatures that aren't possible in the real world, but there are two rules he can't break. He must have his humans behave as humans should, and he must not break his own rules. To do either ruins the story.

AGENT INTERVIEWS: Interview with Penguin editor Kristen Weber who oversees Obsidian, their mystery line.
http://www.ninc.com/blog/index.php/archives/meet-senior-editor-kristen-weber


Kristin Nelson blogs about what NY editors are looking for in children's fiction. No specific editors or lines are mentioned, unfortunately.
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/ November 20th.

PUBLISHER CLOSED TO SUBMISSIONS: Double Dragon Press, the largest ebook publisher of science fiction and fantasy, has closed submissions for the year. I'm not certain if this includes their erotica line.

THE WORD OF THE YEAR:

Oxford University Press' Word of the Year Awards http://blog.oup.com/2008/11/hypermiling/

THE WORD OF THE YEAR:

Oxford University Press' Word of the Year Awards http://blog.oup.com/2008/11/hypermiling/

WEBSTER'S NEW WORD OF THE YEAR

FINALISTS:

leisure sickness
overshare
cyberchondriac
selective ignorance
youthanasia

To see them defined and to vote on your favorite, see the youtube presentation here. http://newworldword.com/

*~*

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone who celebrates this day of food, family, and football!

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