This Writing Life

Novellist Ian Hocking: accidentally best-selling since 2011

Month: September, 2009

Guide to Literary Agents – Word Count for Novels and Children’s Books: The Definitive Post

Via @BubbleCow, a site called guidetoliteraryagents.com has a few notes on word counts for novels. I don’t know what others think, but the numbers tally with my general impressions. Word count Comment 80,000 – 89,999 Totally cool 90,000 – 99,999 Generally safe 70,000 – 79,999 Might be too short; probably all right 100,000 – 109,999 [...]

★ How Not to Be a Dick

An article has passed my nose once or twice this week, tennis ball stylee. It’s by a man called Josh Olson, a screenwriter whose credits include the script for A History of Violence (itself based on the graphic novel of the same name). The article is entitled – and the easily offended might want to [...]

Spain? ‘La La La La’? Really?

This is hilariously sinister. Eurovision has decided to ban countries who disclose the identity of those who vote in the Eurovision Song Contest. According to the BBC: It comes after a number of people in Azerbaijan were questioned by police after voting for a song by neighbouring Armenia in this year’s contest. One bloke had [...]

★ The Fountain

The Fountain is a 2006 film by director and screenwriter Darren Aronofsky. Back in 2002, Aronofsky was about to begin filming when Brad Pitt, the film’s star, pulled out over creative differences. The sets were auctioned and the project shelved. Then, in 2005, Hugh Jackman came on board – bringing his box-office capital with him. [...]

This Just In

Regular readers – Dad, I’m talking to you – will have noticed that my blog disappeared for about two weeks last month. Well, it’s back. Apparently, somebody over at UK2.net tripped over a plug, bungled the muffin 1 or tried to force a square widget into a round doohickey. Why? Who can say. They’ve resurrected [...]