From the New York Times article:

Arthur C. Clarke, a writer whose seamless blend of scientific expertise and poetic imagination helped usher in the space age, died early Wednesday in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he had lived since 1956. He was 90.

Rohan de Silva, an aide to Mr. Clarke, said the author died after suffering from breathing problems, The Associated Press reported.

From his detailed forecast of telecommunications satellites in 1945, more than a decade before the first orbital rocket flight, to his co-creation, with the director Stanley Kubrick, of the classic science fiction film “2001: A Space Odyssey,” Mr. Clarke was both prophet and promoter of the idea that humanity’s destiny lay beyond the confines of Earth.

Full story here.

A study released yesterday has some unexpected conclusions on the influence of the internet on journalism. David Bauder of the AP (via Wired News) writes:

It was believed at one point that the Net would democratize the media, offering many new voices, stories and perspectives. Yet the news agenda actually seems to be narrowing, with many Web sites primarily packaging news that is produced elsewhere, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism’s annual State of the News Media report.

A separate survey found journalists are, to a large degree, embracing the changes being thrust upon them. A majority say they like doing blogs and that they appreciate reader feedback on their stories. When they’re asked to do multimedia projects, most journalists find the experience enriching instead of feeling overworked, he said. The newsroom is increasingly being seen as the most experimental place in the business, the report found.

Most news Web sites are no longer final destinations. The report found that many users insist that the sites, and even individual pages, offer plenty of options to navigate elsewhere for more information, the project found. Rosenstiel said he’s even able to reach Washington Post stories through the New York Times’ Web site.

In another unexpected finding, citizen-created Web sites and blogs are actually far less welcoming to outside commentary than the so-called mainstream media, the report said.

Link

From The Onion:

The Novelists Guild of America strike, now entering its fourth month, has had no impact on the nation at all, sources reported Tuesday.

The strike, which scholars say could be the longest since 1951, when American novelists may or may not have voluntarily committed to a six-month work stoppage, has brought an immediate halt to all new novels, novellas, and novelettes from coast to coast, affecting no one.

You can read the full article here. For those who don’t know, I should probably note that The Onion is a parody newspaper - and, as such, the content is often halarious but not even a little bit factual.

SF blog io9 has a list of 8 rules for writing short stories (mostly from a science fiction perspective, but valuable for all short fiction writers).

World-building should be quick and merciless. In a novel, you can spend ten pages explaining how the 29th Galactic Congress established a Peacekeeping Force to regulate the use of interstitial jumpgates, and this Peacekeeping Force evolved over the course of a century to include A.I.s in its command structure, etc. etc. In a short story, you really need to hang your scenery as fast as possible. My friend and mentor d.g.k. goldberg always cited the Heinlein line: “The door dilated,” which tells you a lot about the surroundings in three words. Little oblique references to stuff your characters take for granted can go a long way.

Make us believe there’s a world beyond your characters’ surroundings. Even though you can’t spend tons of time on world-building, you have to include enough little touches to make us believe there’s stuff we’re not seeing. It’s like the difference between the fake house-fronts in a cowboy movie and actual houses. We should glimpse little bits of your universe, that don’t necessarily relate to your characters’ obsessions.

Link

From Guardian Unlimited:

The Tolkien community was in hysterics yesterday. At least that was the verdict on one of the leading Hobbit websites following the announcement in Los Angeles that Peter Jackson, director of the $3bn-plus trilogy The Lord of the Rings, had signed up to produce two films based on The Hobbit, expected to go into production in 2009.

Story here. The Hobbit will be split into two films, tentatively scheduled to release in 2010 and 201. No director has been chosen yet - Peter Jackson is too busy with other projects, according to an article in stuff.co.nz. Presumably, the leading website mentioned is TheOneRing.net.

Author and blogger Cory Doctorow has an excellent article in defense of fan fiction and the people who write it:

Many pros got their start with fanfic (and many of them still work at it in secret), and many fan-fic writers are happy to scratch their itch by working only with others’ universes, for the sheer joy of it. Some fanfic is great — there’s plenty of Buffy fanfic that trumps the official, licensed tie-in novels — and some is purely dreadful.

Two things are sure about all fanfic, though: first, that people who write and read fanfic are already avid readers of writers whose work they’re paying homage to; and second, that the people who write and read fanfic derive fantastic satisfaction from their labors. This is great news for writers.

Great because fans who are so bought into your fiction that they’ll make it their own are fans forever, fans who’ll evangelize your work to their friends, fans who’ll seek out your work however you publish it.

Our field is incredibly privileged to have such an active fanfic writing practice. Let’s stop treating them like thieves and start treating them like honored guests at a table that we laid just for them.

Link

For a change, schools are being encouraged to use comic books in their curriculums:

The state worked with Disney Publishing Worldwide and its educational division last year to develop a pilot project to put Mickey and Donald in eight third-grade classrooms. Disney took Maryland’s reading standards and created comics-based lesson plans, incorporating skills students needed to learn, such as how to understand plot and character.

The kids loved it, educators said.

Comic books and graphic novels should not replace other forms of literature, but they can be an entry point for some reluctant readers, Grasmick said.

Link to the Yahoo News article

Julie has an excellent essay about how to turn off writer’s block and just write.

No, pardon me, jot.  Or note.  Because here, you don’t do any “writing”.  You just take notes: on your surroundings, on your thoughts, on the stories you have in your mind.  Quality isn’t important - they’re just your own personal notes on whatever subject catches your fancy.
And after you have enough of these notes:

You need to switch gears and become an editor for a little bit.  Imagine that you got a promotion from being a typist to an editor. […]  The key here is to focus on what’s in front of you and ignore who typed it.  You have no attachment to this typist whatsoever.  I repeat: do not feel sympathy for the person who sent you these notes or care about how much time the person spent typing.

The number of things you reject may be large.  I’m here to tell you that it’s ok if you pass on 99% of the stuff.  The reason gems are called “gems” is because they’re not so easy to come by.  There will always be more.  Remember to detach yourself from this no-name typist and focus solely on the writing in front of you.  Just because you’re rejecting 99% of the drivel doesn’t mean the typist stinks.  In fact, the typist is incredibly bright and talented and one day, she may even become a writer.

In short:

Step 1: Carry a notebook with you at all times.  Record what you see, hear, and think.  Keep filling up your notebook until it’s time for step 2.

Step 2: Gather your notes, pick out worthwhile things, and assemble them into a coherent whole.

Oh, you’re still there with a skeptical look on your face. I know what that look means. Isn’t what I describe just a matter of semantics?  Aren’t I just splitting hairs on the meaning of “writing?”  Aren’t observing, transcribing, and revising called “writing?”  I knew it wouldn’t be easy to fool you.  Here’s the thing:  Semantics makes all the difference in the world, especially for something as gut-wrenching and emotionally-laden as writing.  Being a writer means baring your soul, leaving you naked and unprotected from scorn, ridicule, and humiliation.  Or worse: indifference.  If you write something and someone doesn’t like it, it means you’re a big, fat excuse for a writer, so pathetic that even the mule can do better.  Your soul is crushed, your ego bruised, your hopes smashed.  The minute I even begin to think about writing, I become paralyzed.  When I become paralyzed, I don’t write a single word, further underscoring just how unworthy I am of being a writer.  If I think I’m a typist doing some transcribing, it flows easily and naturally.  That is why I recommend shifting your perception about what it is that you’re doing.  It is all about perception.

So, if you want to become a writer, stop thinking like a writer and start thinking like a typist.  Got it?  Now go type!

Link (via kate blogs about writing)