Links and Stuff

I completely forgot about “Links and Stuff” last week. I’m probably the only one who noticed, but in the event someone was disappointed, sorry about that! To the stuff…

We have a couple of cats who live outdoors, and we often leave cat food for them. During certain times of the year, we also get visits from opossums (opossa?) that like to eat the food we leave out. But a few weeks ago, we were surprised to see raccoons!

Raccoon_1

Awww! Isn’t he cute? Or she. It’s hard to tell from this angle. And s/he’d probably rip your eyes out if you try to find out. Anyway, I can’t say I’d ever seen a raccoon up-close-and-personal like this, so it was a first for me. Here s/he is with a paw full of cat food:

Raccoon_2

This week, our landlord informed us that he intends to sell our house, so we are currently looking for somewhere to live. We’re not out on the street–we’ve got at least 30 days to move. We’ve had enough of renting, so we’re shopping for digs, and at the moment we’re looking at places online. The kids have found our “dream home”–it’s not far from us, and would easily accommodate all eight of us, plus my books, and probably a small village. It’s also more than twice what I can afford, but I’m relishing the moment. It’s not often all six kids agree on something. We plan to start working with a realtor (“estate agent” in the UK) soon so we can go look at places (including “The Castle,” as it is now known). Please pray for wisdom, and that we find something suitable at a suitable price. I’ll keep you posted on progress.

Now to some links…

Here’s a post by literary agent Jessica Faust on the distinction between a “writer” and an “author.” The terms are often used interchangeably, but it’s both helpful, and challenging to consider the difference–especially if you’re a writer who aspires to be an author. What do my writer/author friends think about this?

The Brexit vote a few weeks ago may, at first, seem to affect only the UK and Europe, but many US companies have interests in the UK (and vice versa) that could be affected. Not least are publishing companies. This Bookseller article considers the challenges faced by the publishing industry in light of the Brexit vote, and how it plans to ride the rough seas ahead.

And finally, another Brexit link, but this time it’s an interview by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour with British MEP (Member of the European Parliament) and Brexit supporter, Daniel Hannan. I have to say, sometimes I cringe watching interviews, especially when I think the interviewer is being unfair, asking leading questions, or obviously digging for a soundbite and not listening to the person they are interviewing. Regardless of your thoughts on Brexit, you have to hand it to Mr. Hannan for not letting Ms. Amanpour get away with anything. Please don’t assume I agree or disagree with Mr. Hannan–I simply like the way he stood up for himself in this interviewWarning: The video starts when you click the link.

How have things been with you these last few weeks?

cds

Colin D. Smith, writer of blogs and fiction of various sizes.

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12 Responses

  1. I still think an author is someone who’s published a book (self-published, or traditionally published), and a writer is someone who’s working toward it. Just having that constant urge to write doesn’t make you an author, but it helps you get there… usually.

    • cds says:

      Yes, I agree, Silver Fox, and I think it’s helpful to make that distinction. I think what Jessica said is a good challenge for those of us who aspire to be authors. I don’t think she meant to say *only* authors have that urge to write, but this is a characteristic she has recognized among authors. Indeed, if you don’t write, you’re not a writer, and you can never hope to be an author if you aren’t first a writer.

  2. Of course we missed you! Thanks for sharing Jessica Faust’s view. There are definitely times when I’ve wanted to do something else, but I work hard at treating my writing as a profession. I think the author/writer distinction is directly related to the professional/hobbyist perception. Professionals publish, even if it isn’t novel-length. They work hard to get those bylines to build their credibility. They are too stubborn to quit!

    • cds says:

      Thank you, Micki!! 🙂 That’s how I tend to think of the writer/author distinction: amateur vs. professional. And as with athletes, amateur doesn’t mean uncommitted. Far from it. Most amateur athletes, especially those aspiring to turn professional, sweat blood and tears to be the best. The difference is simply one of profession–whether or not this is what they do for a living. But maybe, to Jessica’s point, when you’re an amateur, it takes determination to keep at it, especially since you still have the option to drop it and do something else. Once it becomes your means of livelihood, that extra incentive makes it a little easier to bite the bullet and write even when you don’t feel like it. I could be wrong–I’m just speculating since I’m still only a writer. 🙂

  3. Best of luck Colin, in the househunt. I looked and bought last year and I have to say, I am really enjoying being an owner (it’s been 20 years) even though it’s my money and/or my time that’s fixing the chimney leak, the a/c, the leak from the water main…. etc! That’d be so cool if the castle works out for you and your family.

    • cds says:

      Thanks, Lisa. I must say, for all the times my wife and I have thought about moving, and even gone to look at places, but never actually done the deed, it seems strange–even a little scary–to think that by the end of the summer, we’ll be homeowners!

  4. Diane says:

    I disagree with Jessica Faust’s distinction between the terms author and writer because: “author’ is a word with clear definitions. Not one definition has anything to do with publication – traditional or self.

    My first novel has not (yet) been published, but it HAS been authored – it has been conceived, crafted (drafted), created, completed. It has been authored. I authored it.

    Even if I’m never published in my lifetime or at all: I accomplished something few ever do. I originated a manuscript. I was inspired to do it, researched it, birthed, it polished it. Nobody else did it.

    I am an author. Nobody can take that from me.

    • cds says:

      I understand your perspective, Diane. There is a difference between me saying I’m a pianist in that I play the piano, and saying I’m a Pianist, in that I play professionally. That’s the sense I think Jessica meant by the term “author.” Clearly, from a purely linguistic point of view, if you author something, you are the author of that work. The noun derives from the related verb (or vice versa). I don’t think the intention is to take that away from you, but merely to distinguish one who is professional from one who is amateur and aspiring to be professional.

      • Diane says:

        I found that post when it went up and it just came off … really, there’s no other word but snobby. I left it uncommented, but seeing the discussion here – I’m not being petty and I’m not resting on semantics. I’m an author. Call me unpublished, that would not be a lie, but I am an author. The fact that I need a day job in no way takes away from the accomplishment of having created a manuscript. The fact that I may not even publish traditionally doesn’t either. Heck, the possibility I may *never* publish doesn’t.

        I’m an author. It’s black and white, there are no ranks and there isn’t a heirarchy. To place one upon it smacks of a class system, and that is distasteful to me. Likewise, I don’t think a sci-fi author bows to a literary author and so on.

        It just feels like people place “published” on some sort of pedestal. Aspiring to it is great, it gets us somewhere AS authors. But to make “published” the marker of whether someone is “really” an author is simply incorrect. I have in my live known many *great* musicians who do not make a point of selling their work – entirely because it is so intimate to them that to commercialize it does not appeal; it is an act of love. Are they, then, not musicians? Come to it, I know writers who aren’t especially interested in selling their work, who are sublime in their expression and emotional impact.

        Reserving “author” only for those who’ve met some sort of professional standard which has nothing to do with the actual meaning of the word cultivates a culture of betters which also has nothing to do with the meaning of the word. It’s ugly.

        And you can see why I refrained from comment on Jessica’s blog. I find her absolutely lovely as a general rule, witty and intelligent, and a professional, in her own right, I’d be privileged to work with if my work were anything like her catalog (it is not). But this: no. An author doesn’t have to be anything but someone who has originated and completed a work.

        • cds says:

          I hear you, Diane. And I hope I don’t come off as ranking “authors” above “writers” in either ability or dedication. And, if pushed, I don’t know that Jessica would either. I agree with you, she’s a nice person and those who have her as an agent are blessed indeed. Maybe I missed something, but I think the point of her article was to encourage writers to persevere and keep writing, because that’s what the “pros” do. And if you aspire to be a professional writer, you need to have that dedication to the craft. You can certainly disagree with her choice of words, but I believe that was her intent.

  5. Ian Smith says:

    You’re moving?! Mum didn’t mention this!

    • cds says:

      Yes, we are! Any time you feel like calling or something, I’d be more than happy to keep you as well-informed as Mum is. 😉

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