Writing Abound

Like most bloggers, I have a desire to one day get published. In some form or another.

Whether it's winning a writing contest, getting a short in a compliation book, or a novel, I would love to have something I, Lauren in Seattle, has written. Since, I have such a curiosity about writing, how to get published, what sells, etc. I thought I would share a few interesting articles I read today while I was supposed to be, ahem, working.

This opinoin article states that although it's the 21st century, You Still Can't Write About Muhammad .

I found this article interesting because it's about censorship and the fact that even this day and age, books are sometimes viewed as weapons of evil and mass destruction instead of tools that inspire and educate. I was particularly interested because the book in question was written by a Washington resident, Sherry Jones.

Here's an excerpt from the article, "Starting in 2002, Spokane, Wash., journalist Sherry Jones toiled weekends on a racy historical novel about Aisha, the young wife of the prophet Muhammad. Ms. Jones learned Arabic, studied scholarly works about Aisha's life, and came to admire her protagonist as a woman of courage. When Random House bought her novel last year in a $100,000, two-book deal, she was ecstatic. This past spring, she began plans for an eight-city book tour after the Aug. 12 publication date of "The Jewel of Medina" -- a tale of lust, love and intrigue in the prophet's harem."

The article appears on The Wall Street Journal. For more articles, you can google Jewel of Medina.

The other article I read today while I've been working is about the Ten Dirty Words that an agent will use to take note during the reading a submitted manuscript.

It was an enlighting article on how NOT to describe your writing work. I found the adjectives interesting as well as the explanation.

My favorite?

1. PRETENTIOUS.