The Shack: 21/04/2010

How to save money and time with professional editors

http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/2009/06/22/HowToSaveTimeAndMoneyWithProfessionalEditors.aspx

Should you hire a professional editor?

http://writerunboxed.com/2010/03/19/should-you-hire-a-professional-editor/

To plot or not to plot

http://www.snowbooks.com/weblog/2008/02/post_14.html

Does having a room of your own improve your writing?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2010/mar/12/room-of-ones-own-novel

If you love SCRIVENER (The best writing software in the world) then these additional tips will help you get more out of this great software

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/videos/index.html

http://gwenhernandez.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/make-scrivener-work-for-you/

http://gwenhernandez.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/tech-tuesday-project-replace-in-scrivener/

http://gwenhernandez.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/tech-tuesday-word-frequency-in-scrivener/

http://gwenhernandez.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/tech-tuesday-tracking-progress-in-scrivener/

For more visit www.nikeshmurali.net

The Shack: 04/04/10

The ten rules of writing fiction from some of the top writers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one

The writing advice industry

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/books/the-writing-advice-industry/article1480041/

Good novels don't have to be a hard slog

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203706604574377163804387216.html

A hilarious examination of ghostwriting by bestselling author Scott Westerfield

http://www.bscreview.com/2009/03/on-ghostwriting-by-scott-westerfeld/

More at http://www.nikeshmurali.net/

The Shack 23/02/2010

John Grisham on writing

http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/241

Heart warming tale of writers helping writers

http://www.bookpatrol.net/2010/02/writers-helping-writers-or-not-cheever.html

These Mills and Boon authors are word demons

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/15/insider-guide-writing-mills-boon

For more visit www.nikeshmurali.net

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THE SHACK: 08/02/10

Cassandra Clare's ALL YOU WILL EVER NEED writing resources
http://www.cassandraclare.com/cms/writing#howlong

Charlaine Harris - TRUE TALENT

The Shack 31/12/09

&

Stephenie Meyer on writing TWILIGHT

http://www.oprah.com/media/20091113-orig-stephenie-meyer-twilight-video

Rachel Swirsky on why bad publishing credits won't help you

http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/2009/12/07/bad-credits-wont-help-publish/

A novel in a year - a column on the art of fiction

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3649184/A-novel-in-a-year.html

for more visit www.nikeshmurali.net

THE SHACK: 27/10/09

Miguel Syjuco's Writing Life
http://goodbooksguide.blogspot.com/2008/10/writing-life-miguel-syjuco.html

Should you self publish???
http://pattyjansen.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/should-i-self-publish/

Index card plotting
http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Write-a-Novel-in-Six-Months--Week-3--Index-Cards-Are-My-Friends
http://hollylisle.com/fm/Workshops/notecard_plotting.html

For more visit www.nikeshmurali.net

THE SHACK: 17/10/09

Principles of Short Story by Raymond Carver
http://www.theshortstory.org.uk/features/prospect.php4

Ten Guidelines for Structuring a Short Story Collection
http://www.thejohnfox.com/bookfox/2009/07/how-to-structure-a-short-story-collection.html#more

The reason why all the shorts you sent to The New Yorker got rejected
http://www.redroom.com/blog/andyross/copy-editing-the-new-yorker-magazine-an-interview-with-mary-norris

For more visit www.nikeshmurali.net

THE SHACK: 26/09/09

Famous rejections
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/aug/30/robert-mccrum-on-books

Margaret Atwood on writing
http://www.margaretatwood.ca/negotiating_with_the_dead.html

A video on what to expect from your literary agent


For more visit www.nikeshmurali.net

THE SHACK: 14/09/09

Elmore Leonard Masterclass
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9QbTQpiDsM
http://www.kabedford.com/archives/000013.html

Joyce Carol Oates on Writing Characters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgJ809QKmas

For more visit http://www.nikeshmurali.net/

THE SHACK: 25/08/09

Why Stephen Elliot writes
http://therumpus.net/2009/08/why-i-write-2/

Habitat for writers
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/realestate/12habi.html?_r=2&ref=books

Guardian Writer's Rooms updated (Now with composers)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/writersrooms

For more visit www.nikeshmurali.net

THE SHACK: 10/07/09

What you musn't do when someone gives your work a bad review
http://gawker.com/5303534/alice-hoffman-trashes-literary-critic-on-twitter

Masterclass with Tobias Wolff
http://www.salon.com/dec96/interview2961216.html
http://fora.tv/2008/04/01/Tobias_Wolff_in_Conversation#fullprogram

Here's a fine sample of how merciless Gordon Lish was when it came to editing Raymond Carver
http://www.newyorker.com/online/2007/12/24/071224on_onlineonly_carver

For more visit www.nikeshmurali.net

THE SHACK: 19/06/09

Laurell is a true battler
http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/laurell.html

Read this one carefully (especially good for people who nurture fantasies of becoming writers without spending too much time hunched over a keyboard and who also believe they need to go through an initial phase were none of the basic tenets of the craft apply to them)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jun/20/jenny-diski-author-author

Penguin T.V. one suspects
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishersoffice/index.html

Harry Potter and dumbing down of literature. (What do you think? Let us know using the comment link)
http://wrt-brooke.syr.edu/courses/205.03/bloom.html

More at www.nikeshmurali.net

THE SHACK: 26/06/09

This week is all about watching and learning from the Masters. So I present to you:

http://www.granta.com/Online-Only/Lahiri-Gallant
Jhumpa Lahiri and Mavis Gallant

http://www.granta.com/Online-Only/Paul-Auster
Paul Auster




For more go to www.nikeshmurali.net

THE SHACK: 19/06/09

You could make money from your novels this way
http://www.catherynnemvalente.com/fairyland/

But before you get all excited and post your novel online for gold coin donations, you might want to avoid the 38 most common mistakes made by writers of fiction


More at www.nikeshmurali.net

Writers and rejection
http://jim-murdoch.blogspot.com/2009/06/writers-and-rejection.htm

The most heart-warming publishing story i have read in recent times
http://www.bluemoonrising.nl/interview1.html

More at www.nikeshmurali.net

THE SHACK: 05/06/09

A new way to sell your short fiction
http://www.novelr.com/2009/05/23/the-variant-short-story

How to become a GENIUS?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/opinion/01brooks.html?_r=2

Meet the Kings: How to cope in a family of writers?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/06/AR2008040602325.html

regards
Nikesh Murali
www.nikeshmurali.net

THE SHACK:29/05/09

What is Phase Plotting? and how can you use it to construct your outline
http://fmwriters.com/Visionback/Issue%2015/phase.htm

Notes on narrative: one of the best pieces on the craft that I have come across online
http://www.powells.com/blog/?p=3504

A great essay on Mr. McCarthy and his titles so far
http://quarterlyconversation.com/cormac-mccarthy-paradox-of-choice

Books that changed authors' lives
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/may/26/hay-festival-book-changed-life

regards
Nikesh Murali
www.nikeshmurali.net

THE SHACK:24/05/09

For the uninitiated, the previous recommendations from yours truly (all 273 of them) can be found here:http://www.quicktopic.com/41/H/35gWgPprk6mEQ and was an integral part of http://www.nikeshmurali.net/

That being said, The Shack is happy to be moving into its new home. So tune in every Sunday for -


Interviews you must listen and view, many times over
http://www.authormagazine.org/interviews/Deaver_Interview.mov
http://www.authormagazine.org/interviews/C...obert_Interview.mov
http://www.authormagazine.org/interviews/Lehane_Interview.mov

regards
Nikesh Murali
www.nikeshmurali.net