Gnocchi

My heroine has just made gnocchi in the kitchen of her Deli - so being of a perfectionist nature, I had to make some for myself.
Potatoe gnocchi is not as difficult as you might think, cuts down on the wheat, and there are lots of recipes about , like this:
http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/cookingtechniques/ss/gnocchistep.htm

I simply microwaved some baking pots, mashed the cold flesh, added one egg, some dried herbs [ optional] and enough plain flour to make a soft but intact elastic dough, rolled into a sausage on a floured board and cut the gnocchi. Tested one to make sure it was not going to disintegrate back to flour. Worked well.

The gnocchi are now firming up on baking parchment waiting for a lunchtime bolognese sauce.
Now that is what I call research.

Book Videos

Just picked up a link from the excellent JURGEN WOLFF site on the new Simon and Shuster series of Book Videos where authors talk in their own homes and offices about their work.

Michelle Styles had a great TV interview this week - but this is something new, based I suspect on the surge in You Tube and MySpace entries from working writers.

Definitely something to look into for other publishers/self publish.
Wait a minute..my house?? Where's the Dyson?



http://blog.turnhere.com/bookvideos/2007/06/sandra_brown.html for the Sandra Brown talk - but there are lots more across the genres. Kathy Reichs was very interesting if you like crime.

http://www.timetowrite.blogs.com/ - Jurgen Wolff

RNA Conference Prep

Time to think about the RNA conference - next weekend!! Help!
Are there useful articles out there about how to get the best from Conferences? Silly question - I was exhausted by the second search.
Most relate to the RWA conference in the US where there seems to be a lot of time spent pitching to agents and editors. Having looked at articles like this:

http://www.gabrielleluthy.com/art_conferences.htm

there appears to huge pressure on delegates to perform. How stressful is that?
Having been to one RNA conference in Penrith last year, I can honestly say that I felt the format of the UK conference was much more balanced. Yes there were tons of networking opportunties and I met loads of well known published and unpublished authors with fantastic tips, but it never came across as a high pressure selling business meeting. And all of the workshops were useful for lateral thinking or directly relevant to my work.
Or perhaps I have the wrong impression about the RWA conference, not having been there myself? Quite possible. The internet must be selective by definition.

Advise from Agents on How to Get Published

I came across this link to the Folio Literary Agency through Romance Divas, and it is well worth reading the advice from these very experienced agents on both the content of submission letters and the general process on the route to publication, even though it is US biased.

http://www.foliolit.com/

then look under submissions and resources. Many of their clients are romance writers.

Myers-Brigg Personality Testing

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm
I first came across this type of personality testing when interviewing folks in a company I used to work for, since they were industry standard in matching job roles vs candidates, but I have never taken these tests seriously as a guide to character creation.
Bob Meyer thinks otherwise - I have been following the Jenny Cruisie/Bob Meyer writing course and finding it excellent for lateral thinking/ideas generation, but never followed up on the character profile work until now.
http://www.crusiemayer.com/workshop/syllabus
Oh dear.
I have just been through the questions. As me. And the resulting analysis is so close to the truth as to be embarrassing- and elucidating. Whodathoughtit?
It would drive me crazy asking each of my characters to go through the questions, but during initial development of the Hero and Heroine? And particularly the Antagonist. Why not? A definite resource.

Little Black Dress- Editors

I noticed this press release in today's Publishing News:

Headline promotions: As part of its commitment to building its fiction lists. Headline has made a number of promotions "designed to strengthen its commissioning power" and reflecting the strength of its year-old Little Black Dress imprint (see feature in this week's PN). Catherine Cobain becomes Senior Commissioning Editor, Headline and LBD; Sherise Hobbs Senior Commissioning Editor, Headline; Claire Baldwin, Commissioning Editor, LBD; and Leah Woodburn, Editor, Headline.

Time Management

Having created this blog in January, it is now time to start posting!

Ah, the joys of time management.

I am now in deep revision mode. working each of the four acts of this long contemp. rom com one at a time so it will be ready to send to the New Writers Scheme before I go to the conference next week - help ! Is it only next weekend?

Deep structure calls for focused effort and for me that means one thing.

Bring out the kitchen timer.

Maximum time = 60 minutes.

Focused writing time = 20 or 30 minute slots.

'Research has shown' that most folks can only study/revise/focus for 30 to 40 mins before the brain says enough and stops processing. This is certainly true for university students and the way my poor old brain cells work.

It also means that I get off my chair and leave the scene to day dream inside my head, while I potter/make tea/ecome a domestic goddess etc.

Back to the screen 15 mins later - and back in the zone.

I suspect I am not the only one who uses this method of 'writing to the clock/timer' and would recommend it when you need to go into the cave and scratch pictures of deers on walls with a burnt piece of stick.

Now - Earl Grey or English Breakfast?