𝚁𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝙲𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚛

What's worse than spending his winter break at his Grandpa's farm? Gavin is about to find out.. Read "Grandpa's Farm" on Wattpad now. go.russellcordner.com/grandpa #yahorror #horror #BookTwitter

@kat_maryb What's leftover bacon?

What do you do with leftover bacon?

You don't need advice from editors on rejected manuscripts.  My short story “Ender's Game” was rejected by Ben Bova at Analog back when that was the top market for a sci-fi story. Ben gave me feedback. He thought the title should be “Professional Soldier” and he said to “cut it in half.” But I knew he was wrong on both points and submitted it to Jim Baen at Galaxy. He sat on it for a year, and responded to my query with a rejection. There was some kind of explanation, but I don't remember what it was. I concluded at the time that Baen's comments showed that he had barely glanced at the story. So … I got feedback both times, but it was not helpful. I looked at Ben's rejection again. What was it about the story that made him think it should, let alone COULD, be cut in half? Apparently it FELT long. What made it feel long? Now, post-Harry Potter, I would call it the quidditch problem. I had too many battles in which the details became tedious. So I cut two battles entirely, merely reporting the outcomes, and shortened another. In retyping the whole manuscript (pre-word-processor, that was the only way to get a clean manuscript), I added new point-of-view material to the point that I had cut only one page in length. So much for “in half.” But I already knew that my manuscripts did not need cutting — if it wasn't needed, it wouldn't be there in the first place. Even the battles were still there, but instead of showing them, I merely told what happened (so much for the usually asinine advice “show don't tell”), which kept the pace going. Those changes made, I sent it to Ben again. I did not remind him of what he had advised me to do. I merely told him I liked my title, and said, “I have addressed your other concerns,” which was true. I figured he wouldn't remember what his exact words had been. My answer was a check. That revised story was the basis for my winning the Campbell Award for best new writer. Did Ben's feedback help? Yes — but his specific advice was not right, and I knew it. On my next two submissions, Ben hated my endings, and I revised as suggested. The fourth submission he rejected outright, and the fifth, and I thought, Am I a one-story writer? I went back to Ender's Game and tried to analyze why it worked. Then, deliberately imitating myself, I wrote “Mikal's Songbird.” Ben bought it, and it received favorable mentions. I was afraid then that I had consigned myself to writing stories about children in jeopardy. But in fact I was writing character stories rather than idea stories. And THAT was how I built a career, not by self-imitation, and not by following editorial suggestions. I did get wise counsel from David Hartwell on my novel Wyrms, but that was on a book that was already under contract, and it was story feedback, not style. I got wise counsel from Beth Meacham, too, on various books over the years — but again, only on books that were under contract. I also received appallingly stupid advice from the editor of my novel Saints, which temporarily destroyed the book's marketability; after that, I was allowed to go back to my original structure and save the book — now it's one of my best. Editors don't know more than you about your story. They especially don't know why they decide to accept or reject stories. YOU have to know what your story needs to be, and take only advice that you believe in. Your best counselor on a story nobody bought is TIME. Let some time pass and then reread the story. Don't even think about why it Didn't Work. Instead, think about what DOES work, and then write it again, a complete rewrite, keeping nothing from the previous draft. Find the right protagonist and begin at the beginning — the point where the protagonist first gets involved with the events of the story. Be inventive — the failed first draft no longer exists, so you're not bound by any of your earlier decisions. THAT is how you resurrect a good idea you did not succeed with on your first try.

@otokyo__ Lisbeth Sander

Without using Google - Name ONE thing from Sweden

For anyone who used a computer between 1990 & 2005… what’s the one game you still think about?

@zachflipspages Definitely the greatest masterpiece I hate with a passion. 😂

This was probably the toughest and most brutal book I’ve ever read:

@BenGalley Possibly the least convincing email of all time. It ticked off several spam bingo phrases 😂

@jk_rowling @BaconRolypoly I wear hoodies AND scarves, but haven't ridden my skateboard in 20 years. 🤷‍♂️

@BaconRolypoly That’s what Neil says. ‘It keeps my neck warm.’ I said, ‘so wear a scarf,’ to which he replied indignantly, ‘I’m not FRENCH.’

I fear this might be my most controversial take ever, but I agreed to put it to a vote so here we are. Hoodies should only be worn by men young enough not to look silly carrying a skateboard.

@kiragriffoo A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

What’s a book you’ll never stop recommending.

@SophiaLiam25212 My high school Creative Writing teacher, when he wrote on my story: "You are a writer."

Authors and writers! What got you into writing in the first place?

@kyliebrant @Whitedale_U You should be able to just go File > Version History.

@Whitedale_U I’m using 2016 Word for Mac. I haven’t had that experience. Maybe there’s a trick I don’t know.

If you wrote your book, you shouldn't worry much about being accused of AI use, because, unlike a plagiarizing grifter, you can reproduce your voice & likely have your revisions, etc. in your word processor/notebook. So let's stop abetting people who are selling what's not theirs

Gee, this doesn't sound like the product of some vibe coded Ai prompt. Nope, not at all. 😂 And a lazy one at that, Dianna. #writerscam #aiscam #writerscommunity #DiannaTindra

@KyleLeeWriter Are the agent and editor catching any flack as well? This is ludicrous. And pathetic. And dispiriting. And not surprising at all.

This is a deep embarrassment to the entire publishing and writing industry. This book was already published in the UK? Where are the copy editors? Agents? I've read that ARC readers pounced all over this book and were frantically talking to the publisher about it, which is likely how this was found out. Our industry may be over, friends in the #writingcommunity, if this kinda shit is happening, I doubt it'll be the last one, and if people aren't paying enough attention, we're done for. Meanwhile some of us are spending our lives trying to make our books into undeniably great pieces of fiction just to get noticed by an agent, and these fuckers are just having AI write it for them and getting published. Fucking sickening.

@ParanormalJunk2 I got 20 reviews over 5 years with my first novel. 😂 a.co/d/0croWy0b

We need to support each other! If you’re an indie author, you should read other indie authors. And I have many many books to enjoy over the rest of the year, thanks to my call out for books with low reviews 🥰

@KalFulsom Free horror short story on Wattpad. go.russellcordner.com/grandpa

It's time for a #writerslift #AuthorsOfX #writers #authorsoftwitter #shamelessselfpromotionmonday ⭐️YOU FOLLOW, AND I REPOST⭐️ No follow, no repost. Nothing in life is free. Post your #Links #Books #Blogs #Art #WIP #URL #Poetry #Podcasts #audiobooks #Music RP, Share & Like #booklovers #WritingCommunity #ReadersCommunity #BookBoost #readersoftwitter #Support Please, no nudity or politics. And follow @KalFulsom, author of the SHIFTERS series.

Good morning! #WritingCommunity #5amwritersclub Who needs a #writerLift? Drop your #genre, #WIP, #book link, #website, #blog and #poetry down below. RT and support each other’s work by #following and #sharing. #writerslife #Indie #booklovers #Reading #writerslift

@KindlePromos The Story Can Save His Career. If It Doesn't Kill Him First amazon.com/dp/B095BJLZFM

It's Thursday and time for your daily #writerslift and to promote yourself! Post your links, websites, books, art, audiobooks, pages,#WhateverItTakes! #ShamelessSelfpromoThursday BUY A BOOK! Weekly pinned tweet promo spots a top 5 profiles open, DM for details :)

@DashBeeTaff @MarioNawfal And CJNG hires special forces from around the world. They're not just a bunch of gangbangers.

@MarioNawfal Wait until CJNG meets U.S. special forces operators. That meeting is no doubt coming.

🚨🇲🇽 INTERVIEW: THE KILLING OF THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN MEXICO, AND THE AFTERMATH The Mexican Government just did the unthinkable, killing a man who is seen to be more powerful than the President. The result? Mexico is in chaos, talks of civil war, and fears of U.S. military intervention Katarina Szulc says CJNG’s “El Mencho” is more powerful than the President, and the retaliation from his cartel could lead Mexico into a full blown civil war. She breaks down how CJNG has many members of the Government in their pocket (including the President), and that the U.S. is the reason they even dared to kill him. We also chat about Katarina’s experience covering cartels in Mexico, a country known to have record number of journalists killed yearly. She’s met cartel leaders, has received death threats, yet continues her coverage nonetheless. I think you’ll really enjoy my discussion with @KatarinaSzulc

@justfredimelda My short story on Vocal rings true more today than it did 5 years ago: vocal.media/fiction/the-ma… 30 min read. And free! 😁

Let’s have a #ShamelessSelfpromoFriday for the #WritingCommunity. Drop #Links to your #Books, #Blogs, #Art, #URL’s, #Poetry, #YouTube, #Podcasts, and #Music  Let’s support each other 🥰 #writing #amwriting #readingcommunity #author #writer #writerscommunity #FridayVibes