Category Archives: Friday Links

Link Envy

It’s that time of week again and if these links were margaritas, we’d all be in rehab by now.

Restless Lori:
Everyday Fiction
This online magazine specializes in bringing you fine fiction in bite-size doses. Every day, they publish a new short story of 1000 words or fewer that can be read during your lunch hour, on transit, or even over breakfast. This is a great way to get some publishing credits. And to keep things interesting, readers vote for stories (although nobody is voted off the site).

The Good Greatsby
Here I thought I’d discovered the greatest humour writer and I see that Ironic Mom already has dibs on him. Dammit! Go and read about the things he carries in his pocket for the sole purpose of confusing the police in the event of his untimely death.

Restless Maria:
Online Etymology Dictionary
This website draws on classic sources such as the “Oxford English Dictionary” (OED) and “The Dictionary of American Slang.”

A Writer’s Guide
Check out the word origins posts, like a recent one for the origins of the word April.

The Grammarphobia Blog
The authors respond to questions about the origins of words and phrases, like “the cat’s pajamas.”

Restless Bjas:
EcoPressed
Kinda loving this new portal highlighting the best environmental blogging across the WordPress community.

TreeHugger
On the green theme this week. Check out TreeHugger’s up-to-the-minute blog dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. Check out BookHugger while you’re there!

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Link Envy

Here’s this week’s catalogue of blogs, websites, resources and other things that make our socks roll up and down.

Restless Lori:

Lori is on hiatus this week, and will be back next week, after she has eaten her weight in guacamole.

Restless Maria:

If you write short stories or essays, you get that literary journals are important as a place to break through as a writer. There are so many journals in North America that writers can submit to and enjoy. Here are three Canadian journals that are on my reading pile right now. To learn more, consult the current Writer’s Market, or read the featured profile in Writer’s Digest.

The Antigonish Review
Founded in 1970 and supported by St. Francis Xavier University, this “eclectic review” features poetry, fiction and book reviews. Also watch for their annual poetry and fiction contests.

Descant
Descant is a highly acclaimed quarterly journal, founded in 1970 and published out of Toronto. Watch for book news, launches, contests, and even intern opportunities.

On Spec
I’ve been a subscriber to this “Canadian magazine of the fantastic” for years. On Spec is the perfect mix of stories, artwork and interviews.

Restless Bjas:

New Scientist
This mag is an obsession of mine. If you write any kind of sci-fi, check this out. It will inspire the heck out of you!

Literary Rambles
If you’re writing Middle Grade (MG) or Young Adult (YA) fiction, you may already know about this site. If not, you totally should! Casey McCormick is an aspiring author, agent intern, blogger, wife, and mom. She’s an awesome part of the kidlit community and a founding member of WriteOnCon. Best part about her site is the popular Agent Spotlight series.

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Link Envy

It’s that time again! Our weekly round-up of links that make us green in a good way.

Restless Lori:

Write For Kids
I’m hopping on the kidlit train with BJas! A children’s book has been percolating in my brain for a few months and now it’s ready to get on the page. This is a great blog run by Jon Bard and Laura Backes full of fantastic information about the industry, trends, etc.

Living a Life of Writing
I think Maria and Beckie will really enjoy this site – it’s all about the many ways to live the life of a writer. Plus, there are helpful topics like, “How to Not Lose Your Mind Writing.”


Restless Bjas:

Adventures in Children’s Publishing
Happy Birthday to these ladies and their awesome blog for kidlit writers. They have some great Blogiversary Giveaways for Writers! And a fab “First Chapter Critique Giveaway” with Literary Agent, Natalie Fischer.

Write to Done
I’m a fan of this site and their “unmissable articles on writing.” It’s run by Leo Babauta, better known for his Zen Habits blog. Write To Done is his way to share learnings as a writer, with new (and experienced) writers looking to improve their craft and their art.

Miss Write
A blog full of literary swagger to help you write like a rock star! Miss Write is armed with a solid foundation of writing tips & advice and delivers them with her trademark sassy attitude. She does a great writin’ round-up too!

Restless Maria:

Okay, I’ll admit, most jokes about current events fly right over my head. I’m not up to speed on which celebrity is dating which athlete, and I would be the first one to say “I don’t get it” if the punchline is Charlie Sheen. But if you’re looking to share a great hyphen-related giggle, I’m your gal. Here are some sites I’m loving for keeping me in grammatical hysterics.

English Whirled Wide
Check out the Twitter account or the Facebook page for the best of Engrish from around the world. The best posts are when native English speakers get it wrong.

EditEditEdit
This tweep is inspired to share funny typos, thanks to an English teacher. I am inspired to enjoy them, thanks to my dad who always pointed out when the newspaper confused “its” and “it’s.”

Why we need hyphens (from the Grammar Monkeys)
The fab Grammar Monkeys from the Wichita Eagle’s copy desk tweet about how to avoid making embarrassing grammatical errors. I’m all for it, but if everyone knew how to handle hyphens, I would be deprived of my favourite source of amusement.

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Link Envy

It’s that time again! Our weekly round-up of links that caught our eye this week. Check ’em out.

Restless Lori:

This week I’d like to shine a light on some ladies who make me laugh, cry and think (sometimes in the same post):

Ad Hoc Mom – Okay, technically this is three sassy chicks, but each of them contribute fantastic posts on a variety of subjects. Here is just one example, but check them all out.

The Colie Chronicles – Colie is a child protection social worker and yet she brings the funny (hard!) on her blog. Little gems like this keep me coming back: “I had a crush on Boy George. This still concerns me.”

Molly on the Money – I can’t get enough of this lady. She inspires me with her tale of erasing some major debt without driving herself off a cliff, plus she’s just started a series on making your own toothpaste and lip balm. No, I haven’t done any of it yet, but I know where to go when I’m ready.

Smitten Kitchen – I love reading cooking blogs, probably because I kinda suck at it. Deb does more in her tiny New York galley kitchen than I could manage on Top Chef set. She’s made healthy(ish) pop tarts and oreos from scratch, people! This week? Goldfish crackers.

Restless Bjas:

Guide to Literary Agents Editor’s Blog
Love love love Editor, Chuck Sambuchino’s Guide to Literary Agents blog, especially when he features “How I Got My Agent” blog, because well, I am searching for an agent for three different manuscripts.

Men With Pens
Great site for help and advice about better blogging strategies for writers. These guys just rock.

Discovery’s Final Launch
Because I am a bit of a geek and am envious of the rare opportunity these passengers had—to be able to watch Discovery’s final launch as it embarked on STS-133. The end of discovery is just the beginning!

Restless Maria:

I am obsessed with coworking. I am also obsessed with coworking sites–funky, loft-style sanctuaries/communities for writers, designers, developers and other freelance or remote workers who work independently but don’t always want to work alone. These spaces (with lots of coffee, artwork and a creative tingle in the air) are popping up all over North America, and they are perfect for the restless writer on the run. Here are a few that I’ve looked into and dreamed of working in. This is just a small list, so Google “coworking” for sites close to you.

The Creative Space (Barrie, Ontario)
Camaraderie (Toronto, Ontario)
CoWorkative (Richmond Hill, Ontario)
The Network Hub (Vancouver, British Columbia)
Paragraph (New York, NY)
San Francisco Writers’ Grotto (San Francisco, CA)
Cohere (Fort Collins, CO)

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Links We Like

Inspired by the sassy dames over at AdHoc Mom, we’ve decided to give you a weekly roundup of links that caught our eye. Some will be related to writing, some will be entertaining and some will be slightly kooky. So without further ado…

Restless Lori:

So Am I an Author Yet?
The third post on writer C-C Lester’s blog was Freshly Pressed and in it she ponders when she can legitimately (in her mind) put “author” on her immigration forms at the airport. I suspect that time is now.

The Literal Hen House
Morgan is one of those rare mommy bloggers who is also a fantastic writer. And now she has chickens. In her backyard. In the city. I find this utterly fascinating.

Watch the 150 Greatest Movie Lines
I am a freak for the Academy Awards – everybody who knows me will not bother trying to call me after four o’clock eastern on Sunday night. Around this time of year, great little retrospectives like this one come out and remind me all over again why I love the movies.

Restless Bjas:Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1)

Beth Revis (Across the Universe)
Beth writes science fiction and fantasy novels for teens. Her debut novel, Across the Universe is pretty awesome, and so is she. I have spent a lot of time on her site lately as she has some kick-butt resources and advice for writers–even links to her query (that rocked!). The best Q & A from the site:

Q: I wrote a book! I’ve queried it! But no one cares, and I don’t have an agent yet. What should I do next?

A: Write another book. I’ve never heard a fellow writer say, “I wish I hadn’t written a second book,” but I’ve heard more than one say, “I wish I hadn’t wasted so much time on the first one.”                       ~Beth

Quick Brown Fox
If you’re in Ontario, this is a great blog with creative writing course and workshops for writers. I check it frequently as Brian does a terrific job of posting Literary Agents (and new agents on the scene) who are looking for “stuff.”

The Orangutan and Hound
Well, because if you like animals you will love this video. Humans are not the only beings with interspecies friends.

Restless Maria:

Reorbit
Think you could animate a historical or literary figure, write a play based on that person’s actual or imagined life, and tweet it as live social media theatre? That’s what the good folks at @reorbitproject are up to. (My dear friend Nicola Danby is tweeting as the Who’s notorious drummer, Keith Moon.) This is the flashiest of flash fiction!

Wordle
This is the most beautiful way to art-ify your writing. I’m thinking of applying it to my story about Eleanor the Assistant Copyeditor to see what happens. Try it out!

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