paperbackgirl.

Apr 25

Fun writing tool of the day: Grow a Face

Laughing Squid says, “Grow a Face is a random face generator that offers a lineup of faces to choose from—when the user selects a face, the generator creates a new lineup of faces based on the selection (and so on). Grow a Face was developed by German writer and programmer Philipp Lenssen.”

We say this is a fun tool for writers who are feeling stumped on what their characters should look like - the visual equivalent of a random name generator. Or, what about this - generate a set of faces then write a story for them? Check it out here.

Apr 23

The next time someone asks how my book is coming along I’m going to show them this.

Apr 18

[video]

prolixcorpuslibris:

Book Spine Poetry! LOVE IT!

…people waste and want everything…

I love this idea. Going to make one when I get home for sure.

Apr 17

“Let me underscore the obvious here: Reading fiction is important. It is a vital means of imagining a life other than our own, which in turn makes us more empathetic beings. Following complex story lines stretches our brains beyond the 140 characters of sound-bite thinking, and staying within the world of a novel gives us the ability to be quiet and alone, two skills that are disappearing faster than the polar icecaps. … The Pulitzer Prize is our best chance as writers and readers and booksellers to celebrate fiction. This was the year we all lost.” — Ann Patchett, on the no-prize fiction Pulitzer in “And the Winner Isn’t” (via irisblasi)

Apr 16

Pulitzers were announced today and they chose not to award a fiction winner for the first time since 1977.

The nominees were Karen Russell for Swamplandia!, David Foster Wallace for The Pale King, and Denis Johnson for Train Dreams. Three stellar novels and writers and zero winners. Why the snub?

Apr 13

The Sisters Brothers pairs well with Brooklyn Lager on a Friday.

Apr 12

E-book pricing lawsuit. -

Confused about the e-book pricing lawsuit? Me too. This blog post finally cleared up the tangle of different news threads for me.

Apr 11

Heft.

If you’re looking for a good book, I heartily recommend Liz Moore’s Heft. The plot revolves around two narrators, the first being Arthur Opp, who at 58 years of age and 400 pounds has lived like a hermit in his inherited Brooklyn brownstone for over a decade. His single lifeline to the outside world in the 10 year timespan has been intermittent letters from Charlene, a former student and girlfriend of his. Charlene’s son Kel is the second narrator of Heft, and while on the surface it may seem like an eighteen year old baseball star would have little in common with an obese shut-in, Kel has isolated himself emotionally from his friends. Kel’s mother is an alcoholic and their family is poor, things he hides from his classmates in order to blend in more at a high school consisting of kids from wealthy, “normal,” families.

All in all, Heft is a thoughtfully written book about the need for human connection and the attainability of redemption, illustrating through Arthur and Kel that it’s never too late to evolve into being a better person no matter how far you’ve dug yourself into a hole. Parts of the story had me yearning that the characters would get what they wanted to the extent that I found myself worrying about the outcome throughout the day as if these were real people in my life.

I can’t recommend Heft highly enough! Check it out and let me know what you think.

Apr 02

Heft.

I started reading Heft by Liz Moore last night and OH MY GOD it is good.