Stuff for writers

I recently discovered a new toy online: Wordle, which generates nifty “word clouds” from text that you provide on its web site. Input your text or a URL, and you’ll see where your passions lie: The largest words in your cloud are the ones that appear more frequently in your source text. Here’s the word cloud created from my blog:

And speaking of discovering your passions, Poets & Writers has listed its Top Ten Topics for Writers, a compilation of the most important issues for writers today. The list includes literary magazines, publishing a book, literary agents, vanity presses, writing contests, book publicity, and copyright, among others. Check it out — and even better, support P&W and subscribe.

You may have heard the sad news about the end of Andrew’s Book Club, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy all its fabulous content, from more than a year’s worth of short-story picks to author interviews to author dialogues, like this conversation between Tracy Winn and Robin Black, to name just one. Visit the ABC web site to enjoy the archival treasure.

I liked this NYT article about wandering minds, which finds “daydreaming to be remarkably common — and often quite useful.” As you already know if you’re a writer, sometimes the best ideas come to us when our minds are wandering, and it’s always reassuring to have an expert like Jonathan Schooler of the University of California, Santa Barbara, tell us that “for creativity you need your mind to wander.” Thank you, Dr. Schooler.

For pure enjoyment (as well as what not to do if you’re looking for an agent), check out Slush Pile Hell, a hilarious blog by a “grumpy literary agent” who answers writers’ questions as well as posts some of her weirder author queries. A sampling of the helpful tips: do not send agents shirtless photos, demands for seven-figure deals, or tell them how God helped you write your manuscript. A sampling of actual letters received: “Greetings agent. I have written the most important book on earth”; “Readers of Eat, Pray, Love; Twilight; Tuesdays with Morrie;  and The Da Vinci Code will love my book” [correct usage of semicolons added by me]; and “After reading my manuscript I think you’ll agree that I may be the next generation’s greatest author.”

Equally amusing is this post about writing “a lot” as “alot,” which has always been one of my pet peeves, along with “alright.” (Two words, people. Two words.) Anyway, this inventive grammarian created an imaginary creature “to help me deal with my compulsive need to correct other people’s grammar.” I love it and feel a lot less peevish already. (And thanks to my writing buddy Sean A. for sending the link!)

And finally, to leave you with a writing exercise, check out One Word, a beautifully simple web site that offers a one-word writing prompt with the instructions, “Don’t think. Just write.” Enjoy.