Things Smart and Interesting

Kristin Nelson doing Q&A: parts one and two.

The ever fabulous Jackie Kessler on never giving up.

S.C. Butler on writing what you don't know.

Justine Larbalestier on bad advice on getting published.

Ruthanne Reid on the secret to getting published, which references Lilith Saintcrow on never knowing if something is good enough. While I think these are both smart posts for many writers they both make me want to point out that you actually don't have to be insecure about your writing either to get better or to succeed. It's perfectly possible to know that something is not as good as you could make it in ten years when you're a better writer and to still feel that that's okay.

Put another way: today, I will write the best book I can write. When it is finished I will send it out and keep working so that tomorrow's book will be better. I like writing. I think that it is fun. I like most of what I write even while I'm writing it, and I often like it more when it's done and I'm getting ready to send it out. I even usually like it when I look back on it ten years later, though I almost always find that it's not nearly as good as what I'm doing now. That's because despite being content with what I'm writing, I'm also constantly striving to get better. So far the system has produced more than 20 stories and 5 novels that have found professional publication. It's okay to like your work and be confident in it, really and truly.

And, just because it's bizarre: The Star Wars story as Icelandic Saga.