Quick News & Notes:

Rules for Writing Writers have their own ways of doing (and not doing) their work. Here's an entertaining compilation of lists of writing rules by some well known and accomplished authors, from The Guardian. Worth a read.

Would you say something to Ink Byte's readers? Got any thoughts on writing that might help your fellow toilers in the vineyard of words? Ink Byte welcomes new articles and ideas for articles. Drop Steve Beisner or Melinda Palacio a note at editors@inkbyte.com. Or see our guidelines page.

Dialogue In Comedy February 25, 2010 (Mary Rose Betten) Funny woman and author, Mary Rose Betten started her literary career as a stand up comic. She provides insight into the stand up world, her transition from funny talk to funny words on paper, and how she learned to write comedic dialog. (complete article...)

Book Review: My Mother's Island (Marnie Mueller) February 4, 2010 (Reviewed by Sharon Dirlam) From Curbstone Press. Any woman who has ever had a love-hate relationship with her own mother will recognize truths, both painful and tender, in My Mother's Island, a novel about a grown daughter keeping watch over her mother's final days of life. (complete article...)

Taking the High Road for Poetry January 31, 2010 (Melinda Palacio) Last week, I was surprised, though I shouldn't have been, by a conversation I had with a literary agent who gave me some "free advice" and suggested I give up poetry and devote all of my creative energy to writing novels. As someone approaching the writing life from solely a monetary perspective, the literary agent just didn't seem to get it. I'm very proud of my poetry publications and could not imagine a literary life without poetry. True, I'm building a literary career without the assistance of an agent and I write what I want, be it fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Sometimes working with a small press is just the right therapy for a poetry-fearing world. (complete article...)

The Virtue of Focus, an Old Fashioned Strategy for Learning and Creativity January 23, 2010 (by Steve Beisner) An essay in which the author, an unabashed cheerleader for technology and especially computer culture, nevertheless argues for the utility of non-multitasked interaction of writers with their environment. (complete article...)

Funny, Music Man Tackles the Craft of Writing and Being Famous December 20, 2009 (Melinda Palacio) Billy Goodnick hasn't used up his nine lives yet, but he is on his third iteration of being. He's managed to make a name for himself as a musician, a green garden design architect, and most recently, he's putting it all together by blogging, the Garden Wise Guy, and freelancing and working on his new book, which he hopes will translate to a national speaking tour. (complete article...)

NOLA Writer: The Saints Are Marching December 11, 2009 (Steve Beisner) Every time I get back to my New Orleans home I feel like I've dropped a heavy backpack from my shoulders, reclined into an easy chair with a cold drink in my hand, and relaxed. In fact, that's often exactly what happens. Although New Orleans has a reputation for hard partying, it's also a place that encourages visitors and residents to slow down, de-stress, relax, and just muse about what it all means. Maybe that's why it's a good spot for writers. (complete article...)

The Importance of Making Book Cover Decisions December 7, 2009 (Diana M. Raab) The truth is, most of us do judge a book by its cover and this fact was magnified during the production of my latest poetry collection, The Guilt Gene. My publisher is a small press and typically with small and independent presses the author has some input in terms of book cover design. Not only does this stroke the author's ego, but it also assists the publisher in what can sometimes be a time-consuming and tenuous decision. (complete article...)

Social Networking and the Internet Take Over the Old Fashioned Book Tour October 18, 2009 (Melinda Palacio) Catherine Ryan Hyde has stepped up her production line. She had been accustomed to churning out one and a half adult books a year in the US. Her recent popularity in the UK has resulted in her productivity being contracted to one adult and one young adult book each year until 2012. These are the modern woes and joys of a working writer supporting herself by her pen. The extra responsibility means she must limit social visits. However, her revamped website and updates on social networking sites, such as twitter, facebook, and myspace, keep her in touch with fans, friends, and family. (complete article...)

Poet and Photographer Carol DeCanio Finds Companionship in Her Craft September 29, 2009 (Melinda Palacio and Carol DeCanio) Carol DeCanio says if she were stranded on a desert island, she would still write poetry- it being her natural response to our world. Her first memory of writing poetry was when she was 9 years old and showing a many stanza poem to her interested, if not concerned, father that included the words, "finding love in the bushes of sin". It's a leap like that, she says, that is possible, when something springs out in your writing that is very distant from what you are aware of. (complete article...)

Junot Diaz Wows Students at Tulane with Oscar Wao Required Reading September 13, 2009 (Melinda Palacio) Junot Díaz spoke to a group of eager first-year Tulane students. The event was open to the public and to high school students in a packed auditorium at Tulane University in New Orleans. Díaz set the tone by asking of his latest novel, "Is this required shit?" His intro allowed him to slip easily from his Hip Hop, potty-mouth speak, to a more academic tone. He spoke candidly and thoughtfully on a variety of subjects and managed to answer every question from the long line of anxious students in the center of the auditorium. From Colorism to the Platano Index, to unreliable and manipulative narrators, the Dominican-American author kept his message "real" as he explained his intention for his complex novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. (complete article...)

A Conversation with Reyna Grande September 4, 2009 (Interview by Atria Books, article edited by Steve Beisner) Reyna Grande is interviewed by Atria Books, the publisher of her latest novel, Dancing with Butterflies. This second novel by Ms Grande will be available in October. It has received a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly. (complete article...)

What Makes a New Orleans Literary Event? August 27, 2009 (Steve Beisner) "We do things a little different, here," a woman said to me as we crowded into the Latter Library. That pretty much sums up a lot of life in New Orleans, and certainly the One Book One New Orleans party provided evidence of that.   I've heard deeper thinkers than myself talk about New Orleans' penchant for celebration of the commons. Maybe that's it. In any case it was great to see so many people come out for a Wednesday afternoon library party. (complete article...)