A survey by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg planning Dept

Got some opinions on how Charlotte is being developed? Tell the yokels in charge at the survey link to here.

Where is it?

Didn't someone have to versions of a poem and they were going to post both versions so we could see them?

Poking around on the blog of the Scalzi guy Ed linked to, (yes I have no life) I found this pretty interesting post entitled "10 Things Teenage Writers Should Know About Writing." I thought some people would find it interesting/useful.

Here ya go!

Accessible SF

I've read in quick succession recently two novels by an up and coming SF writer named John Scalzi. I've been reading this blog and he brought up an entry he made a while back concerning entry level SF. Specifically, SF for people that don't read science fiction. If any of you are not overwhelmed by schoolwork take a gander at his essay.

Personally I have always found good science fiction to be entry level science fiction. Every new science fiction (or fantasy) novel has to introduce readers to a new universe and a good writer should be able to do that for a long time SF reader and someone that has never picked up a SF book before. I think Cormac McCarthy's "The Road," Roth's "The Plot Against America" and Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" all straddle that line nicely.

SF Writers who blog

I do not remember if I have posted this before but a SF website out there has a list of SF writers who have blogs.

A writer

I've read some of China Mieville's short stories and they are excellent and just weird enough that he might appeal to some of you. He is coming out with a fantasy novel for younger readers and he discusses it here. If anyone picks up the novel, reads it and loves it I hope you give me due credit.

I really like his reason for writing a book for youngsters: "I've always wanted to write a children's book. No book that I read as an adult, no matter how much I love it, has an impact on me the way books did when I was a child, and I think there's something very inspiring about that absolute fervour and abandon with which children read. It's also because the kind of fairy-tale logic I can use in a YA book I could never get away with in an adult book, so there's a real narrative freedom."

Writing Contest

Just in case one of you has a near future science fiction story concerning successful space travel in our solar system stored either in your brain or on paper or on your hard drive there is contest posted here.

Oblivious Regurgitation

Ever mentally compose a tune, only to realize later on that you're just repeating something that you've already heard? Happens to me every once in a while.

I just realized that one piece of writing I came up with at a meeting, thinking that it was original, was almost an exact quote from somewhere else.

Damn you, xkcd, damn you!

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(Whee, blogger is letting me post again!)

Internet Goodness

Click on the open spaces of this test and when you are finished the website will display where you clicked and where everyone else clicked.

Way advanced purchase

I bet all you Harry Potter maniacs will be very interested in seeing what the current biggest selling book on Amazon.

If you want to get on the library's hold list you better do it now. It's already pushing 200.

What kind of reader are you?

I am a dedicated reader.

Q and A with the Chicago Manual of Style

This may be the nerdiest thing I have ever posted here and I've posted some pretty nerdy stuff.

Found this link via Robert Sawyer's website.