I have to interrupt today’s wonderful writing to drive to the city for a mammogram. This is just like stopping in the middle of a delicious bowl of macaroni and cheese to brush my teeth with cow dung. And yes, I know it is good for me. (The mammogram, not the cow dung.) That’s why I am doing it, even though I am whining about it.
Microblog – things I thought would never happen
My writing is going well. So well, I’m having a hard time sleeping. (This is a good thing.)
Amazon has stopped being the bookstore bully, for the time-being.
Blogosphere is having good and overdue discussions about telling the stories of all kids.
Wendy Glenn wrote a book about me. This feels very odd.
Back to writing.
Microblogging Amazon’s Shoving Match
I’ll make this fast.
Amazon is feuding with publishers. Reuters explains why.
Other people have written smart and funny blog entries about it. Like Deb Heiligman. And John Scalzi.
The Author’s Guild just started Who Moved My Buy Button?
The Buy button is missing from the hardcover version of SPEAK because it is published by FS&G, which is owned by Macmillan, one of the publishers that is standing up to the 800-pound gorilla. You can still buy it through Amazon resellers.
I’d rather you bought it from an independent bookseller, but that’s up to you.
What do you think about this? Does it change the way you think about buying books?
(I am sticking with my "20 minutes of writing earn 1 minute of internet time" rule, so I’ll check back here later tonight to see what you think.)
Microblog
Confused about Amazon vs. Macmillian and everyone else? Harkaway explains.
I double-dog dare you
Let’s see how short I can make this post….
I double-dog dare you to step away from the Internet for the month of February.
Don’t blog.
Don’t read blogs.
Loose track of the shenanigans of celebrities and politicians.
Do not update your status, your mood. Let your Farmville fall apart and your Cafe close.
Why do I suggest this?
Because so many of you are struggling to find time to write, or paint, or read, or do the other creative things that make you happy.
Did you participate in NaNoWriMo? Consider this NoNoBlog-o (thanks for that title, Harold). Blog-Free February. BFF.
Does going cold turkey sound impossible? Then try this: for every 20 minutes you write each day, you can spend 1 minute reading or writing blogs. ONE MINUTE. (That ratio was suggested by several editors I consulted, btw.)
If you are strong, you can use the Internet for research and critical email. But nothing else.
I can’t go cold turkey. But I am going to cut back on blogging and social networking dramatically, and try to keep all entries (except for this one) shorter than 140 characters.)
We’ll meet back here on March 1st to compare notes about how productive we were.
Go! Shoo! Scribble!
PS – I think you can do this. Really.