alanajoli made me A lolcat for me. Isn't it adorable? :-)

lnhammer posts his dogmatic writing advice manifesto.

kporterbooks asks are we listening to teens, or just hearing them? (Via revisionnotes.)

Publisher's Weekly reports a new Madeleine L'Engle novel.

msagara on how being a mother is like being a writer.

tammy212 on why she's a feminist.

msagara again, on why we can't all simply choose to write bestsellers, but also on the choices writers can make.

coppervale says: "...never give up what you want the most, for what you want most at that moment." Along with other wise things about the business of being a writer.

( Plus a couple St. Louis links )

Billy Collins wrote the best poem about critique groups and workshops ever--I reread it regularly.

kateelliott says dogmatic things about writing I can actually get behind. :-)

shanna_s on finding a legitimate agent.

Cute fuzzy and not-so-fuzzy animals at the Reykjavík zoo. Just because.

In Britain, home libraries are more popular than home theaters. Why do I suspect the same isn't true here in the States?

On the problem of Men Who Explain Things. I'd not articulated it quite as well as this writer had, but yeah. That. How many women haven't been on the receiving end of this sort of conversation?

One more reason books matter: a girl reports the molestation of herself and her siblings after reading a book about it. (Via slwhitman.)

Summary of episodes of Woops!, a short-lived post-apocalytpic comedy on Fox. The only real question may be, just how early did this "post-apocalyptic Gilligan's Island" jump the shark?

Revising the number of missing children downwards: According to the Justice Department, there are only about 115 such incidents each year. (Via kate_nepveu.)

Related to the above: Why I let my 9-year-old ride the subway alone. (Via lnhammer.) (ETA: The author of the article has also started a blog, Free Range Kids.)

In the Steampunk Star Wars universe, Han Solo is still hot, but C3PO gains a few extra levels of cool, too.

jeannineatkins in praise of uncertainty.

haikujaguar on how our successes are not our identity.

msagara talks to jimhines about being a bookseller.

msagara in her own journal on why you shouldn't believe writers when they tell you they're writing garbage, and why the fact that most writers at some point think they are doesn't mean they don't care about their work.

Someone had to write this headline. I'm glad the Onion was up for the task.

Best penguin nature documentary ever. (Via sartorias and stephanieburgis)

cindachima's love note to librarians.

jennifer_j_s on one of the many ways in which you must not be afraid to make a fool of yourself if you want to write for children.

cynleitchsmith interviews Susan Beth Pfeffer. Some quotable bits:

... I hadn't realized I'd written speculative fiction (or sci fi for that matter) until people started writing about Life As We Knew It. I just thought of it as a problem novel with a very big problem.

And:

My career has always gone like that, smooth and easy and then tough and nasty, followed by smooth and easy. I would assume most freelancers have something of the same career history ...

... careers change, good times turn bad and bad times turn good. So when the times are good, maybe it might be wise Not To Spend All That Money! And when the times are bad, just hold on, do what you can, and expect changes to come. Because somehow or another, they always do.

It's always valuable to me when folks talk about the ups and downs of building a career. Sometimes I think we don't talk about that part enough, at least not in public. If we're in this for the long term, chances are there'll be some ebb and flow, and that's normal. It's so easy to forget that, though, especially during ebb times.

... but not necessarily in that order.

Giant starfish discovered in Antarctica. (Seriously. How often do you get to use that header?)

rosefox on the narrowing gulf between YA and adult fiction.

Congratulations to sarah_ann_g on publication of her first short story in Strange Stories of Sand and Sea.

Article debunking the notion that the Prius and other hybrid cars actually harm the environment more than other cars. (Via kate_nepveu.)

Speaking of the environment, a campaign to think outside the water bottle.

saraharonson discusses sex in YA novels, and asks readers about their "first times" reading about sex. (Via cynleitichsmith.)

helenhemphill discusses violence in YA. (Also via cynleitichsmith.)

And finally, a report from the International Association of Time Travelers: Members' Forum. Because of course time travelers have their own forums. (Via lnhammer.)

From the Girls Horse Club, Horses: My One Safe Place. Something about this essay reminded me of what it felt like to retreat to my own childhood escape places--to my own magical horse (imaginary, in my case), my notebooks, my private corner of the basement, and especially my stories.

Horses won’t tell my secrets, won’t yell at me, and obviously can’t ground me. I feel safe and taken care of with them. I know I can trust them. Horses are my safe haven. I know that they understand.

Speaking of the Girls Horse Club, my perfect horse is Silver Cloud Dancer. (Only shows up if you allow popups.) Who's yours?

darcypattison suggests ten things to do while waiting for a response to a requested revision.

jillsbooks on how to impress an editor. (Via cynsations.)

From azang, My Muse Runs With Scissors and other products for your muse and your writing.

Best student study guide question ever, for the sequel to Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It:

How do characters change or learn throughout the dead and the gone? What events caused these changes? Have you or someone you know experienced the same thing?

Because somewhere out there there's a kid whose world has been changed forever by an asteroid hitting the moon, and we want to reach that kid.

Jane Yolen says some lovely things about Bones of Faerie in her blog (back on February 26). :-)

From djaddasaga, snow-covered waterfalls and lava fields.

From icelandeyes, another evocative Iceland winter photo.

mswagner on Lifehacker's 11 tips for getting things done.

Via makinglight, Videofilk of the llama song! (And if you don't call it videofilk, what do you call it?)

Via gwendabond, a fascinating article on Kids and lying.

Also fascinating, discussion on Roger Sutton's Horn Book Blog about whether children's and YA books (or any books) are sufficient fare for grownups.

darcypattison on why she believes in simultaneous submissions. (I used to believe pretty strong in submitting singly myself, but these days I believe just as strongly in targeted simultaneous submissions--all while making sure the editors in question know you're simulsubbing, of course.)

Via cynleitichsmith, liz_scanlon talks about dealing with professional jealousy as a writer. Applies to other sorts of professional jealousy as well, I think.

From kmessner, the sight and sound of ice breaking up on Lake Champlain.

msagara on self-promotion: Do I want my books to sell? Well, yes. Do I want people to love them? Of course I do. But I suppose at this point in my life, with almost 30 years of watching the bookstore shelves, I don't feel as if I'm betraying the book by putting most of my effort ... into working on the next book.

Darcy Pattison on the 2010 Newbery Award winner: Somehow, s/he must survive the next two years. Make money somehow to pay the bills, survive the uncertainties of starting a new project, survive the uncertainties of the reviewers... For two years, the [2010] award winner will agonize over his/her career.

From darcypattison, Sarah Lewis Holmes on about looking for ourselves in the characters we read about: I don't need you to be me.

cindachima on tips for dealing with writers' block/getting unstuck.

ETA: From willshetterly, Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results of 2008 Election Early.

Via sartorias, agent nephele on what she's looking for and why books get rejected.

This process is hard. I get that. It's frustrating and soul destroying and can make you miserable. And my honest advice is, if you can't handle it with grace and just pick up and move to the next submission or write your next book, if you can't just keep your eye on your goals and enjoy the process of storytelling in the meantime, then get out of this business. Because there are always going to be many, many more talented writers than there are places for their books.

Via lnhammer and tvtropes: Beware of Death by Newbery Medal.

Speaking of death and young adult fiction, rachelmanija has been hosting the YA agony awards! In which she asks readers to vote for the most agonizing of many depressing YA storylines (note--voting has already closed on all but the final round):

Round One - Round Two - Round Three - Semi-Finalists
And the Winner Is ... (Hint: It's not the one where the dog dies.)

Via several places on my reading list: white stag spotted in Scotland.

Via klwilliams, xkcd weighs in on girls and boys and math.

And via sartorias again, the elves defend themselves against questions we mortals blithely toss about on con panels. I especially like Maglor's response to the notion that elves are excessively cool/prone to showing off:

Shall we then hide our powers of hand and mind, lest others measure themselves against us? Shall the Ent cut off his legs, that the Dwarf may not feel his lack of stature? Shall the harper break his fingers, that the one who cannot play may not feel his want of skill? It would be a strange forbearance.

Besides, none of your kindred for many ages have known the Eldar in the flesh — or if they did, we took care that they should not know it. Few of us remain, and we are a secret people. If some Men tell tales of the Eldar that are gone, and other Men hear the tales and feel diminished, is that then the fault of the Eldar?

jennifer_j_s's Close Encounters of a Third World Kind has been nominated for Connecticut's Nutmeg Award, yaaay!

halseanderson just threw out the last third of her novel. It's always heartening to me to be reminded that other writers also change vast swathes of the story in rewrite, and have characters who decide to take different paths than originally intended.

Nancy Ethchemendy on writers and depression. (Via cynleitichsmith.)

More from rosefox on negative reviews.

lauramanivong on how in writing as in art, if the brush strokes get in the way of the subject matter, the painting loses some meaning.

darcypattison on the many shapes a writing career can take.

An article on World War II studies about the effects of starvation. Where starvation is defined as eating 1600 calories a day--more than many weight loss diets now prescribe. Some pretty strong and striking evidence here that dieting simply isn't good for us. (Via fjm.)

In honor of tomorrow's Newbery announcement: davidlubar's award-season service for writers.

kateelliott on those moments when you realize you have to go back and rework the story: It’s not about efficiency or expediency. It’s about getting it right."

From susanwrites: Shrinking Violet Promotions: Marketing for Introverts

Lots of folks on my friends list have already linked to rosefox's excellent series on the business of writing and editing book reviews. I especially like that she defends the fact that all review need not be positive. I often hear writers wondering why anyone would take the time to give negative reviews, save out of meanness--but I think there are other reasons not all reviews should be positive, too, and it's good to hear someone being articulate about the fact.

haikujaguar on being physically active in general and fencing in particular: This is a fierceness of joy I wish I'd known about as a teenage girl, when I misspent my youth's most resilient years hiding in dark libraries, thinking that flesh was a cage I had to rise above in order to reach more spiritual aims. How I wish I could go back and tell myself that you can't rise above your body by ignoring it.

And to kris_reisz's post to fangs_fur_fey I can only say: Oh, good, it's not just me.

Still working on revisions, round two, which means you all have more interesting things to say that I do:

Via papersky, perkinwarbeck2 explains why Mill on the Floss would be improved by an alien invasion.

From beth_bernobich, In the beginning, story version.

Via kristine_smith, kaigou on writing realistic street smart characters. (This one noted so I can go back to it and do more than skim myself.)

Every so often, when lnhammer wants to remind me he loves me, he sends me links like this one. Truly, our love is a glorious thing.

Also via lnhammer, an(other) article about effort mattering more than innate talent, and the disservice we do kids by teaching them they have--or don't have--natural gifts instead of teaching them they know how to learn things.

From icelandeyes, this picture of an Icelandic palm tree made me smile.

ETA: And papersky has just posted the relentlessly cheerful Ragnarok Song. With things like this on livejournal, is it any wonder I'm spending too much time online today?

Thanks all for the good thoughts about Tia-cat yesterday. They made us smile and were a comfort.

susanwrites on feeling safe enough to write the truth.

"You can write as powerfully as you talk. If you are safe enough."

Via davidlubar, cute_n_cranky on envy and jealousy among writers.

Luck or chance or the gentle rain of blessings from God -- something beyond our control does play a part in the publishing game, just as it does in life. ... We aren't standing in a nice neat que where we just wait patiently for our turn, and we need to get rid of that mentality because that's part of what makes us crazy when it feels like someone "cut" in line.

stephanieburgis on what makes Indiana Jones a great hero.

Indiana Jones makes mistakes - not generically stupid mistakes (which are bad and make us worry about the intelligence of a hero) but mistakes that ring beautifully true to his character.

fjm linked to this article on a columnist's failed attempt to give up gossip. Which made me indignant in many ways (the columnist seems pretty determined to believe the entire world is as shallow as her particular corner of it), but the part that truly offended me came toward the end:

A life without gossip is an admirable quest but one that is probably as unlikely as pledging to live a life without telling lies.

Speaking as someone who's been making a conscious effort these past few years to be as truthful as possible in my speech and actions, because the words we speak matter ... I find the casual dismissal of doing so as an impossibility pretty troubling.

Via literaticat, Meg Cabot interprets Little Women: ( Video behind the cut )

ETA: How can I forget the annual link to Buy Nothing Day? I'm actually not opposed to some degree of carefully thought out consumption throughout the year--but the feeding frenzy of the day after Thanksgiving here in the States turns my stomach. As does the whole emphasis on "show you care for your loved ones by buying them lots of stuff" that will follow us from Thanksgiving through to Christmas.

octopedingenue has offered to write crossover fic involving Princess Tutu and, well, anybody. Just to prove it can be done.

Sometimes, Dear Abby sounds just like the setup for a young adult novel. (Second letter on the page.)

Other times, of course, it sounds more like the setup for a middle grade novel.

tightropegirl on why the WGA strike is necessary.

Photos illustrating why why BMI weight categories make no sense.

Because no day of the week alliterates with "linkiness" anyway. :-)

Via endicottstudio, Vienna Teng deals with the voices in her head by writing songs about them. (And a video clip of her singing "My Medea.")

davidlubar on the Law Against Inconsiderate Achievement Complaints (LAIAC).

saraharonson's daughter on the binding of Isaac, a story I've struggled with a fair amount myself through the years: It’s like they were both daring the other and neither one of them would back down.

By way of christymarx, Battlestar Galactica's producer talks about why the screenwriters' strike is necessary.

davidlubar again on why he predicts victory for the screenwriters.

Article in which I am interviewed for reasons that have nothing to do with writing.

tamnonlinear's "Seven Things That Never Happened to Tam Lin."

Via endicott_redux, Veronica Schanoes' "How to Bring Someone Back From the Dead."

"I pledge allegiance to the flag and my constitutional rights with which it comes. And to the diversity, in which our nation stands, one nation, part of one planet, with liberty, freedom, choice and justice for all." (via fjm.)

Things I've learned since my first book got published. (From cmpriest.)

Warning signs from around the world. I'm especially fond of Beware of Invisible Cows, myself. (Via me.)

It's Talk Like a Pirate Day, and Filk Radio is celebrating with a pirate-themed playlist today. (ETA: They seem to be done now, alas.)

There are about a zillion pirate name generators out there. This one says my pirate name is Sweet Margaret Le Grande; while this one dubs me Mad Dog Maude the Despicable. Arrrrrrrrrr ... can't decide.

Maybe I'll just stick with the Viking Name Generator, which tells me that from this day forward I shall be known as Sigríðr the Foolhardy.

cynleitichsmith gives a roundup of the children's track of this weekend's Wrangling with Writing conference. Said account includes a really nice list of middle grade writing resources from her talk on Imagining the Middle Grades.

... but needed to know: today is the 101st anniversary of Gandhi's first non-violence campaign.

(With thanks to agoodworld for pointing this out.)