It’s been a couple of weeks since I did a link round-up. I’ve run across a bunch of sites and links lately, so for your pleasure (and to free up some of my bookmark space!) here are the best of the best.

Free Online Fiction

The Lifting of the Veil ~ By Chris Tejeda. Immediate disclaimer: Yes, I am indeed editing this novel of the apocalypse. And I’m loving every minute of it. It’s a great story, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

The Tale of Two Kingdoms ~ By MeiLin Miranda. See above disclaimer. This history of the Kingdom of Tremont is provocative and a fun read. Beware – it’s addicting.

Not free, but definitely worth the investment, West of Mars is the home of a fictional rock band whose adventures can be followed in ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes. I’ve picked up a copy and have enjoyed it immensely, and I recommend you do yourself a favor and pick up a copy, too. I have plans to corner Susan for an interview and a review to be posted in a future edition of WordWebbing.

This isn’t free fiction, but in less than a week your universe is going to be ROCKED, and rocked hard, by the release of The Warded Man (released in 2008 in the UK as “The Painted Man) by Peter V. Brett. I am so excited, as I’ve known Peat for a few years, and couldn’t be happier at his success. I’ll have a complete review and interview with Peat in a coming post.

Music for the Muse

Blip.fm is a site in which you can program your own internet radio station, searching for songs from a global database. There’s interaction with other “DJs” and an option to give “props” to a favorite DJ and their choices. You also have an option of “blipping” your own favorites directly to a Twitter feed.

Pandora is a music genome project. Plugging in a favorite artist matches their sound with other bands and artists with which you may or may not be familiar. There’s even a widget you can download to a desktop; however, with Windows Vista this caused some kind of bugaroo and I uninstalled it.

At JamsBio, you can write a memory corresponding to some of your most unforgettable music. It’s a really neat way to match memories to music; fascinating to compare to other people. There’s always something cracking over at JamsBio – it’s quite an innovative site. They have a lot going on right now – free music, lists, games, and news.

Writing Related

Unsent Letters – have you ever written one? Here’s a place for them. A paying gig.

The Hong Konger – the actual experiences of a young editor on the loose in Hong Kong. He’s funny, he’s crazy, and he has a problem with French squirrels. He has a video camera and is not afraid to use it.

Elizabeth Gilbert – an excellent lecture on creativity and a whole new way to look at genius. I’ve watched this over and over. It really struck home.

This Time article explores the question: Is genius learned behavior? Very interesting read.

What? I have to write another blog post? Here is some great information about how to keep coming up with fresh, innovative blog posts without pulling out your hair.

Freedom Freelance is a fabulous resource administered by one of the most fabulous people in freelancing I’ve met. Helpful, friendly, and sharp as a tack, Angie Haggstrom is all that AND a bag of chips. Keep your eye out for this rising star.

Timewasters

I know, who needs these, right? Well, we all have to blow off steam at some point. Set a timer so you don’t get sucked in to the time/space continuum and you be a’ight.

Oh, Boomshine! How you task me. But you’re so soothing, at the same time.

Who knew falling sand could be so mesmerizing? You can even leave it for a while and come back later. Very nice.

That’s the round-up for this edition. Hope you find somthing here that moves you, inspires you, or helps you waste a couple of hours with bubbles and sand. Heh.

I am  a Link Hound, a Research Ho, and I’m going to share with you some of the best links I’ve found on the ‘net the last couple of weeks. Hopefully, there’s something here that will inspire you, help you, or amuse you. If so, please leave a comment on the site you visit, or leave me one here . Enjoy!

Helpful:

A brand new forum of internet marketers, Simple Machines Forum promises to be THE place to be for all things related to getting your business off the ground and running. It’s in the early stages yet, but there’s the potential for a great meeting of the minds and an opportunity to get in on the ground floor. I’ll definitely be picking some brain cells here.

About Freelance Writing – Anne has a great website  for freelancers. She sends out a newsletter twice a week with the jobs she’s been able to scour from the ‘net. Definitely worth signing up, and I have never received any spam.

I advocate the use of social networking sites to get your brand and your name out there, and Twitter has been great for that. Using TweetDeck, an application that helps you manage your Twitter feeds, allows you to filter searches and connect with other people with similar interests. Of course, I must have my toys, and to make it easier for people to follow YOU, here are some free Twitter Buttons for your site and some free backgrounds to pimp up your Twitter profile.

Blogging Tips is a fabulous resource for bloggers. They have a cast of professionals publishing articles on everything from article marketing to how to set yourself up for 2009 looking for freelance work. Their newsletter is crammed with good information from some of the best in the business.

If you’re on FaceBook (if you’re not, you should be!) check out this freelancing group, where freelancers meet and share job links and information. There’s strength in numbers, and in the Wild World of Freelancing, we all have to stick together.

Insipiring:

Long Distance – I have been an admirer of this man’s work for some time, but this particular story tugged at my heart, and hard. I’m a lover of flash fiction, and this is actually the best I’ve read in a long time. Leave him some comment love if you have a mind — it’s really an excellent story. Flash can teach us a lot about writing in general, and to me, this is a brilliant gem.

Did you know most of H.P. Lovecraft’s work can be found online for free? Neither did I! Sure to steal at least a few nights of sleep, almost his entire body of work can be downloaded for your reading pleasure in a handy-dandy zip file. I am not responsible for the nightmares — enter and read at your own risk. (Thanks, Eric!)

I’ve loved this book since I read it in middle school. In my opinion, it should be required reading for every person. Here it is some thirty-some years later, and this story still resonates with me. That should tell you something (other than the obvious fact that I’m OLD. Like, O-L-D. *sigh*)

Amusing:

Let’s face it, we all spend a lot of time on the ‘net. A LOT. Every once in awhile, you have to let the brain cells rest, lest they overheat and cause a fire with smoke and flames. When I get to that point, I’ll meander over to Crazy Days and Nights for my celebrity-trash fix. The blogger is hysterical, pulls no punches, and it’s refreshing to read about people with money and fame that are worse of than I am, poor and unknown. Heh.

If that doesn’t blow your whistle, then I’d recommend getting a free reading from the Tarot. No, I don’t know what the hell it means either — I keep getting swords, and THAT can’t be good. Oye. You can earn Karma coins, although I’m not sure how, and I’m not getting that involved. I just like to peek in on the Universe and see what it’s up to.

Of course, one must have music to work. Open Pandora, and tweak to your heart’s content, creating a radio station that plays ONLY WHAT YOU WANT. How cool is that? If you’re all set with music, head on over to Jams Bio and read some spectacular memories other people have of the very same music you’ve heard. There’s plenty of inspiration there as well — it’s amazing to me how different, yet how similar, we all are.

Those are my top picks for this round. Leave me a comment if you’d like to see this as a regular feature, and I’ll make it so. Meanwhile, if you visit, don’t forget to leave a comment to thank those that put out such quality work. It encourages them to keep doing so, and we all benefit.

Karma, yanno.

A post on my private blog was the inspiration for this one — I was having a restless night, wrestling with the hamsters. You know, the rodents that run around in your head chasing each other, nibbling on their tails, chewing the furniture and pooping on the floor.

Yes, you know what I’m talking about. Don’t pretend.

Anyway, I logged on to the computer, plugging into my favorite musical playlist. Randomly (although I’m Very Suspicious of Random Events, aren’t you? I mean, I get the feeling some things are Not So Random, but I digress,) one of my favorite tuneages showed up, and I hunted down the video.

What It’s Like

Please go watch. I’ll wait.

****

Erik Schrody, the writer and performer (as Everlast) of this incredible story, is one of my personal heroes. He gets it, can you feel me. His music is raw and honest. This video contributed to the inspiration of my story, A Trip To WalMart.

The thing that strikes me in this video is, at the end when all the characters of the song are staring at the “perfect” American family through the glass, they are practicing the same kind of judgment the song preaches against. I can’t help but think of what I don’t see when I look through the glass — the struggles this family has seen, will see, is seeing … you don’t know, do you? They look happy, and perfect — but what’s under that table?

Yeah. That’s what I think. You see why the hamsters task me so? Is this what it is to be a writer, whether it be songs, stories, novels or poetry? To always wonder, or look to see what is really out there, what really is the truth? Or am I just a candidate for good medication and a rubber room?

Wait. Don’t answer that.

Here are the lyrics to this incredible story (told in a musical format.) And check out more of the music of Everlast. You won’t be disappointed, I promise, but he’ll haunt your heart for a long time.

“What Its Like”

We’ve all seen the man at the liquor store beggin’ for your change
The hair on his face is dirty, dread-locked, and full of mange
He asks a man for what he could spare, with shame in his eyes
“Get a job you fucking slob,” is all he replies
God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes
‘Cause then you really might know what it’s like to sing the blues

Then you really might know what it’s like
Then you really might know what it’s like
Yeah then you really might know what’s it like
To have the blues

Mary got pregnant from a kid named Tom that said he was in love
He said, “Don’t worry about a thing, baby doll
I’m the man you’ve been dreaming of.”
But 3 months later he say he won’t date her or return her calls
And she swear, “God damn, if I find that man I’m cuttin’ off his balls.”
And then she heads for the clinic and
she gets some static walking through the door
They call her a killer, and they call her a sinner
and they call her a whore
God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in her shoes
‘Cause then you really might know what it’s like to have to choose

Then you really might know what it’s like
Then you really might know what it’s like
Yeah then you really might know what’s it like
To have the blues

I’ve seen a rich man beg
I’ve seen a good man sin
I’ve seen a tough man cry
I’ve seen a loser win
And a sad man grin
I heard an honest man lie
I’ve seen the good side of bad
And the downside of up
And everything between
I licked the silver spoon
Drank from the golden cup
And smoked the finest green
I stroked the fattest dimes at least a couple of times
before I broke their heart
You know where it ends, yo, it usually depends on where you start

I knew this kid named Max
who used to get fat stacks out on the corner with drugs
He liked to hang out late
he liked to get shit-faced and keep the pace with thugs
Until late one night there was a big old fight and Max lost his head
He pulled out his chrome .45, talked some shit, and wound up dead
Now his wife and his kids are caught in the midst of all of this pain
You know it comes that way
at least that’s what they say when you play the game
God forbid you ever had to wake up to hear the news
‘Cause then you really might know what it’s like to have to lose

Then you really might know what it’s like
Then you really might know what it’s like
Yeah then you really might know what’s it like
To have the blues.

(c) Erik Schrody

For me, music and writing are intimately intertwined. I don’t always listen to music when I write, but I find some of my best work comes when listening to some of my favorite music. The piece I’m working on dictates the type of music I’ll listen to while typing along.

Music will spark ideas, ruminations and memories. Oh! The memories…

My momma was very active in the “little theater” when we lived in upstate New York. (When I say “upstate” in relation to New York, I mean Central New York, in the Fingerlakes region.) Not only did we listen to pop AM radio (Sly and the Family Stone, The Ray Coniff Singers, The Jackson Five, Three Dog Night) I was also exposed to musical theater – “Anything Goes”, “Guys and Dolls”, “Brigadoon” is just a small example. I learned to appreciate all genres and keep an open mind in regard to the various types of music. Rap, blues, country, classic rock, alternative, hard rock, one hit wonders, classical and pop – my collection is eclectic and I love it all.

Depending on what I’m working on, I’ll choose the type of music I think will facilitate the process, having set up several playlists for this purpose. For non-fiction articles, I’ll often listen to pop, dance or oldies. When I’m working on something a little more intense, I have a playlist of strictly instrumental music. Other times, I’m in the mood for some hip-hop or blues. Occasionally I want quiet.

Of course, writing isn’t the only corner of my life music occupies. It’s in my veins like hemoglobin, carrying oxygen to my heart, in more ways than one. Music is as much a part of me as my blues eyes and red hair, and I’m helpless to change it (well, okay, maybe the hair is easy to change.) Music bonds, illuminates and comforts. It’s a venting mechanism, a safe one.

Once a month or so, a dear friend of mine and I have a Battle of YouTube. On our private journals (yes, there is a difference between “blog” and “journal”, in my opinion and a future topic here) we’ll post back and forth videos of our favorite music for hours, and it’s a blast. I’ve discovered music I haven’t listened to before, remembered music I’d forgotten, and enjoyed myself immensely.

I’m always on the lookout for music I haven’t heard. I’ll take special note of something I hear that I like on one of the dancing shows, or “Don’t Forget The Lyrics”. My kids share their playlists, so I don’t become ossified in my perspective of music. Other friends and I exchange mixes of our favorites, opening musical doors to other musical universes. How cool is that?

What kind of music, if any, do you listen to when you write? Post a playlist and let me know what you consider essential to you, and why.

Here’s one of mine:

1. Allegria – From the Circ D’Soliel. Beautiful music, unusual to me and hopeful.

2. I’ll Follow You – Death Cab For Cutie. I love the video to this, and the message explains itself.

3. Sweet Jane – Cowboy Junkies. I know this song from Lou Reed, but I love this rendition.

4. Hanging By A Moment – Lifehouse. I’ve seen this band live twice, and they were amazing.

5. All Good Things (Come to an End) – Nelly Furtado. This reminds me bad things do come to an end, too.

6. Over and Over – Nelly feat. Tim McGraw. You’d think a pairing like this wouldn’t work, but it does.

7. Let My Love Open The Door – Peter Townsend. A legend. I prefer the slower version, but both are great.

8. The Way I Are – Timbaland feat. Keri Hillson and D.O.E. He is a genius of beat and rhythm. Boogie, baby.

9. Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve. That’s life. So he says, and so it is.

10. Woke Up This Morning – Alabama 3. Theme from The Sopranos. Reminds me of living in New York. Heh.

11. Closing Time – Semisonic. Reminds me of much younger years, in a good way.

12. Breathing – Lifehouse. Yes, they’re that good they deserve a second nod.

13. Big Girls Don’t Cry – Fergie. She was a surprise for me, coming from The Black-Eyed Peas. A pleasant one.

14. 1234 – Feist. Cute, charming and cheerful without being annoying. Yay!

That’s my playlist. Let’s see yours!

Image via Wikipedia

Unfortunately, my primary job has taken precedence over tweaking. This does not make me happy — as a matter of fact, it makes me rather crabby. At some point, something has got to make way.

In the meantime, JamsBio may be of some interest to you. I originally found the site in the early stages, when they were calling for writers to submit their “JamsBios”, or music memories. As a total music freak AND a writer, this was right up my alley.

The website is loaded with really cool features, including a widget you can post on your own blog. (if I haven’t posted mine yet, it’s in the works.) The memories run the gamut, covering every genre of music and the memories themselves are touching, funny, thought-provoking and…well, memorable.

Take a look. It’s a unique way to visit some of your favorite music, and maybe the Muse will sing to you and inspire you to share some of your favorites.

Today’s Quote:

“Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.” ~Gene Fowler

Quote courtesy of The Quote Garden .