Hello there
Thanks so much for all the lovely feedback after last week's newsletter.
One thing I didn't say was that I plan to make these introductions shorter. I've always got exciting links to share, but often find myself dilly-dallying over what to say in these paragraphs you're reading right now.
So from now on, if I have something to share, I'll do it in a blog post and link to it here in the newsletter. Which is quite a neat idea, given that the newsletter archive is also on my website too.
Anyway. Above you can enjoy a picture of AAA-author Haruki Murakami keeping it real in his beachwear. It's from an important piece on Lit Hub about your favourite author's best beach looks. And I got to that from the excellent Prolifiko newsletter for writers.
That's it. Enjoy the links below.
Iain
Every issue I collect and share the best advice, apps and other shenanigans that I find on my internet travels. Find something useful? Forward to a friend or subscribe for free.
Listnr – High quality text to speech
Now this is a fascinating bit of kit. It's an app or service marketed at podcasters. But really, anyone can throw some text in and have a fancy AI voice read it back at you. And those voices are actually pretty good! So yeah, you could use it to turn your writing into a podcast if you don't want to do it yourself. But you could also use it create an audiobook. Or to simply hear your writing read out loud so you can listen for problems. Good stuff. Try the demo.
How Much Do Authors Earn? Here's the Answer No One Likes.
This is a spot on from Jane Friedman over on her blog. It's a good overview of the reality writers face if they want to make a career out of their writing. In fact, that's not quite right. For the vast, vast majority of authors, actual writing makes up a small percentage of their income. As I have said before, it can feel like little more than a sexy hobby. Even if you're 'successful'.
What is a Short Story? Definitions and Examples
This is on the Reedsy blog and it gives you a handy overview of all the different types of short story in the world. Personally, I'm a big fan of the microstory – the moments and fragments of lives captured in a sentence or two. I'm always jotting stuff like that down.