Bernice L. McFadden, author extraordinaire (see Sugar and Glorious)writes about the marginalization of African American writers:

Walk through your local chain bookstore and you will not see sections tagged British Literature, White American Literature, Korean Literature, Pakistani Literature and so on. None of these ethnicities are singled out or objectified the way African American writers are.

I’m a long time advocate of doing away with “Black Interests” and other ghettoizing schemes by bookstores and publishers. At the same time, we as authors, publishers and editors have to do our part and demand this change. Begging for scraps won’t solve the problem. All too often we are reactionary and really, self-defeating.

Self-publishing and micro-publishing is one method to defeat this nefarious practice. We can market and promote the way we want to without dictates from the major publishers. Of course, we’ll have to work harder and can anticipate smaller paydays. In the long-run however, we’ll have a greater chance at longevity. It sounds counter-intuitive, but I’ve witnessed the opposite: author makes a big splash, garners an even bigger payday. Sales don’t match the hype and they’re never heard from again.

It all boils down to whether or not you’re comfortable with others handling your work. First-time authors won’t have much say, but anyone with even a small body of work needs to be in charge of their own destiny. Publishers won’t relinquish power, so authors must demand a say in every aspect of the publishing process.

Well, writing about sex. Or more concisely, writing sex scenes:

The best sex scenes are the ones that deepen and reveal the characters or forward the plot.  What’s the key to writing good sex scenes?  It’s the same standard as any scenes in fiction:  Story logic (don’t ram them in, so to speak), emotional honesty and attention to detail.  I also try to walk a line between being too clinical and too coarse.

I wonder if the genre and writer makes a difference. The collection that I’m working on comprises quite a bit of sexualities and frank scenes of getting down and dirty. Does the above sage advice hold true for all types of writers?

The Guardian’s (UK) Ten Rules For Writing Fiction offers up several good, timeless tips for writers. I love the mix of writers and the advice, especially since so much of it is the same: read lots, edit often, have stick-to-it-ness, etc. This bit from the brilliant  Jeanette Winterson is one that I adhere to wholeheartedly:

Don’t hold on to poor work. If it was bad when it went in the drawer it will be just as bad when it comes out.

In fact, I did just that with some pretty old, rambling short stories of mine. I only saved two to reuse/recycle the salvageable bits for a collection that I decided to start over the weekend. Among the writers offering advice at the above link are Zadie Smith, Ian Rankin, Colm Tóibín, and Rose Tremain.