(a.k.a. “We like it when statistical analysis results in us receiving serendipitous recommendations for books by people we know and like”.)
Congratulations, Farah! 
[ Having heard a good chunk of Farah's proposed taxonomy via Brian Stableford at last year's Masterclass, I can say with certainty that this will be a book well worth reading for anyone who likes to dissassemble their reading matter and find out what makes it tick. So maybe you should order a copy, hmm? ]
Posted by Paul Raven @ 16-04-2007 in Uncategorized •
Just in case you needed further proof that every now and then the internet will deliver you something to make you smile, try this:
You’re going through your RSS feeds, just the same as always, when you suddenly discover that a writer you greatly admire has accidentally stumbled upon and liked some music by a band from your local area, who you’re also rather fond of.
Gave me a little warm glow, that’s for sure. So go and have a listen to the music of The Strange Death of Liberal England - as endorsed by Warren Ellis.
I read a lot of author blogs, in the hope that I’ll absorb something useful. Whether I have or not remains to be seen! But one thing I have heard mentioned a number of times is that sometimes, in a bizarre and synchronous way, you’ll hear or read about something that almost seems designed to be dropped into whatever you’re working on at the moment.
Today, that happened to me, when I saw William Gillis had linked to a story about … well, they’re rent-a-mobs. Literally. You pay them, they’ll go out and wave placards and chant anything you want for however many hours you’ve ponied up for:
“Erento.com stresses that no protester needs to offer their services to a cause they object to, and therefore many may genuinely believe in the protest they are joining.”
That’s just plain weird, like something Douglas Adams might have thought up. It also fits right into my story, which I’m still struggling to finish:
At least I’m over halfway through! I’m coming to understand the ‘finish what you start’ thing, now. I’m at a point where I know that the actual writing I’ve laid down so far is terrible, and the plot needs serious structural work. But I’ve also realised that if I go back and try to fix it now, I’ll keep finding excuses not to get to the end … ugh. This is the start of that learning curve they talk about, I guess.
