Welcome to my not-so-regular feature, From the Haphazard Twitter Files of Ms. Bookish (and yes, the title is a tribute to a one of my favorite books, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsburg).
I recently discovered that the Tweetdeck iPhone app now lets me email tweets to myself without leaving the app – a real time-saver, and ever since I started using it, I’ve accumulated a lot of great links – kind of a method of bookmarking when I’m not on my computer, plus great for writing up this feature (so it might be a more regular one from now on!).
Because, as it turns out, my favorite time for going on Twitter is in the morning, when I’m relaxing with a cup of coffee and not quite ready to get up and start doing things.
I don’t know about you, but I find such great links through Twitter – things that I might never have caught sight of otherwise. I know some people think Twitter is all about tweeting personal, irrelevant stuff (“Just had a bowl of soup for lunch. Yum.”) but it’s not just about personal updates (although yes, I do enjoy a smattering of those, too – it humanizes the whole experience for me). It’s such a great place to find interesting links (of course, much depends on the people you’re following – but on the positive side, you’re fully in charge of that!).
Bookish Links
- Author Kate Scowen is looking for teens to interview for her upcoming book for and about teenagers. (Via @AnnickPress)
- This contest makes you work for it, and I’m not sure of the end date, but you can win these gorgeous Art + Design titles. (Via @ChronicleBooks)
- Watching the English, by Kate Fox and Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong, by Jean-Benoit Nadeau: two books I added to my wish list as a result of a Twitter conversation with Jackie of Farm Lane Books.
- Here’s something fun for younger kids – answer the question “can you think of an animal that would enjoy a story, and why might reading to them be difficult?” and be entered for a chance to win a signed, original sketch by illustrator Andrea Wayne von Königslöw. (Via @AnnickPress)
Writing Links
- Darcy Pattison’s tips on plot, plot layers and subplots. And the tips are helpful even if you write by the seat of your pants like I do! (Via @inkyelbows)
- I discovered the Procrastinating Writers blog and Twitter account via @WriteSuccess. Procrastinating Writers offers up some good posts on how to get your butt in the seat of that chair (which is really my one and only problem when it comes to writing) – for example, this post lead me to Nancy Rawlinson’s post about using start-up lists as a tool to get you started writing.
- Free novel-planning and novel-writing worksheets: Book in a Month worksheets! *Note: PDF file (Via ProcrastWriter)
- YALitChat Ning group – I’ve signed up but haven’t had a chance yet to browse through the site. At first glance, though, it looks like a great resource! (Via @galleysmith)
Other Fun and Interesting Stuff
- Seth Godin and Steven Pressfield on what’s really holding you back. (Via @MaureenCole)
- For iPhone lovers, here are the winners of the 2009 Best App Ever awards – find the “best” app in 56 categories. (Via @iPhoneLife)
- In case you’re hungry, this recipe for Parmesan-Herb popovers looks delicious. I’ve emailed this one to my husband and hope to be tasting this soon! (Via @AndrewsMcMeel)
- For those of you with kids learning about biology (or if you love biology yourself), you can download Immune Attack, an educational video game that introduces basic concepts of molecular and cellular biology to middle school, high school and entry-level college students, created by the Federation of American Scientists. Mashable writes about this game and Second Life in How Social Gaming is Improving Education. (Via @mashable)
Are you on Twitter? What do you like best about it? And here’s the link to my Twitter page!
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Great links! I’m checking out all of the writing ones – and the popovers sound yummy too :)
.-= Janel´s last blog ..Mind Shot: Short Stories =-.
Those worksheets look so good – I’m itching to try them. And I actually have the Book in a Month book somewhere on my writing books shelf (just never got around to reading it – that falls in the “so what else is new” category).
I’m hoping the popovers taste as good as they look!
Great links! I ‘m amazed at what I’ve found through Twitter too. I didn’t have a clue what it was all about when I signed up and am pleasantly surprised by the info you can find when using it :)
.-= Jemi Fraser´s last blog ..Tragedy & Hope =-.
Me too! I really miss it when I don’t have time to pop in – I find even just five or ten minutes usually nets me some interesting links.
What a wealth of information! I saved the BIAM worksheets, and plan to check out the other writing sites as well.
I have yet to get the hang of twitter :(
.-= Molly´s last blog ..Library Loot: 2.15.10 =-.
I just drop in whenever I have a moment, and that seems to work so well.
Also, if you follow people whose Twitter pages and updates look interesting, you end up seeing some interesting links in your Twitter stream, so one thing is to not stick to just book people and publishers. The more the merrier, I say :)
I can’t believe all you have found on twitter! Usually all I see are the “I’m having lunch, yum” statements! :–)
.-= rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..Black History Month: February 14, 1818 – Birthday of Frederick Douglass =-.
My Twitter motto is to follow well (broadly speaking) and follow wisely :) There are so many interesting people on Twitter – I never would have guessed!
Some of the lunches sound mighty yummy, I have to say!
I just recently began using Facebook and that was sort of under duress. I don’t have a cell phone, don’t use Twitter, hate the telephone (should have been born BEFORE Alexander Graham Bell), and don’t even listen to audio books. I read actual printed books – love the feel of them, the smell of them, the fonts, the occasional illustration, etc. So call me old-fashioned – it fits.
.-= Barbara´s last blog ..Reading While Olympics not Available =-.
Wonderful feature Belle. I am always running across great things I want to share, but don’t get the time. I like that tip about e-mailing yourself. I might have to try that out if I remember it.
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Ask Linus: Examining The Search Terms of Linus’s Blanket (1) =-.
I like the links you found for me. I’m still leery of messing around much with Twitter. Once I get on it is hours and hours before I look up again. Now I hardly ever get on.
.-= Margot´s last blog ..Wondrous Words #54 =-.
Loved this! I do love Twitter for just the reasons you say. I know it can be distracting, but that’s because it really is a great resource.
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Spotlight On . . . Judith Moffett =-.
What great links! I’ve saved my name on Twitter, but haven’t actually gone beyond that. I know I will at some point, I’m just not sure when. ;) Thanks!
.-= Dawn Simon´s last blog ..SCBWI Winter Conference 2010, Part 2 =-.
I love twitter too! I feel I have a much better idea of what is happening in the book world since I started watching it.
I hope you enjoy Watching the English – it will be interesting to see what someone from outside the country thinks about it.
.-= Jackie (Farm Lane Books)´s last blog ..Cutting for Stone – Abraham Verghese =-.