They interrupt narrative and disrupt plot – no wonder novelists have been slow to warm to mobile phones. But a new generation is putting technology at the heart of their workWhat do you call a phone when it rings in a fictional world? “Mobile” and “cell” are old, “smartphone” is almost a tautology and “phone” is so intrusive that the word seems to ring out shrilly from the page the instant you type it. This may be because we read fiction partly to escape our phones, or it may be that phones, even fictional ones, seem to demand too much of our attention. Telephones, of the kind we all keep handy, are so much a part of daily life we touch them as often as our faces. But phones in fiction require a sleight of hand: if characters use them as realism dictates, they will feel as interruptive on the page as they do at the dinner table. How can authors navigate this challenge?Like bathrooms and paid employment, it is amazing how often phones are dispensed with by many otherwise realist fiction writers. JM Coetzee famously wrote to Paul Auster (in Here and Now, the 2013 selection of their letters) that he was not prepared “to write novels in which people go around with personal electronic devices”. Because, if “everyone has access to more or less everyone else, what becomes of all that plotting?” He also lamented the impact of mobile technology on the “novel of adultery”, though surely Sally Rooney has proved there was nothing to fear. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-07-22 10:00:09 UTC ]
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This year’s Nielsen table shows 12 months of growth among the UK’s leading creative agencies, albeit on a smaller scale than in 2021 and not spread evenly across the board Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2023-03-23 14:34:42 UTC ]
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Writers, publishers and agents pay tribute to a warm, generous figure, author of more than 50 books ranging from SFF to crime to children’s literatureEric Brown, a prolific, award-winning author who published more than 50 novels, children’s books and short story collections, and who was the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-03-23 13:58:10 UTC ]
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From sweeping epics of ancient history to stories set in the 1990s, here are 20 beautiful Chinese historical fiction books to read now. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-03-16 10:31:00 UTC ]
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I first connected with Jennifer Rosner as fellow debut authors in early 2020 (you might recall what happened next). Historical fiction authors trip upon, excavate and fictionalize stories from the past that in turn inspire each other. I loved Jennifer’s brilliant debut The Yellow Bird Sings and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-16 08:52:55 UTC ]
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This exciting mix of new science fiction and fantasy novels out in March 2023 will help you finish off the worst of the winter. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-03-09 11:34:00 UTC ]
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It is one thing to treat AI as a tool when it has no scope for emotion. It is quite another when AI has a full suite of emotional responses. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2023-03-05 19:19:51 UTC ]
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In a test of planetary defense capabilities, NASA and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory crashed a spacecraft to alter an object’s orbit. NASA is No. 17 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2023. Explore the full list of companies that are reshaping... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2023-03-02 07:00:00 UTC ]
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Though the adult fiction segment was the only category to post a sales increase over 2022 last week, its 12% gain was enough to increase total sales of print books by 0.6%. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Science Fiction Tried to Warn Us about AI. Or Did It?, by Tom Gammarino Essay [email protected] Wed, 03/01/2023 - 03:46 Photo by NASA / Unsplash “All our AI Frankenstein stories,” the author writes, “warn us that AI will destroy us, but far... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-03-01 09:46:57 UTC ]
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Unpublished authors in their 60s, 70s and 80s are now at a premium in the book world – with radical, edgy women in high demandThe literary world is often accused of an obsession with youth, from multiple awards targeted at authors under 40 to publishers who hunt for new voices exclusively among... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-02-25 07:00:46 UTC ]
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Take a trip back in time without leaving your seat with 25 of the best historical fiction books of the past 10 years! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-02-21 11:34:00 UTC ]
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In a case of life (or something) imitating art, an award-winning publisher of science fiction says it’s being overrun with AI-generated work. Clarkesworld Magazine is no stranger to tales of artificial intelligence impacting society, but in a sad and wild case of life imitating art, the Hugo... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2023-02-21 09:59:00 UTC ]
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What is it about campus novels that makes us love them so? The campus has inspired many novelists over the years: Michael Chabon, Kazuo Ishiguro, Curtis Sittenfeld, Elif Batuman, Nabokov, to name just a few. Readers love these stories, too; “the campus novel” has become its own literary... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-14 09:53:34 UTC ]
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The Women’s Prize Trust hopes to make the first award in 2024, after research showed female writers were far less likely than men to be reviewed or win prizes The Women’s prize is to launch a non-fiction award to sit alongside its long-running fiction prize, in response to research that found... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-02-08 08:00:10 UTC ]
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Prince Harry's 'Spare' sold more than 195,000 copies in its second week on sale, helping to lift print book sales 1.2% last week over 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-25 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Immerse yourself in sapphic historical fiction with these 20 must-read books like Mademoiselle Revolution and Notes of a Crocodile. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-01-23 11:37:00 UTC ]
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Having written and taught short stories for many years, I’ve become increasingly interested in writers who are pushing the edge of how “story” is defined. While “flash fiction” and “micro fiction” are buzzy terms, writing extremely short pieces is nothing new—as I tell my students, Poe did it,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-20 09:53:22 UTC ]
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I assume that at some point I must’ve told Dan Kois what to do. During the years he worked for me at the grand old Bull’s Head Bookshop on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus somewhere in the late ‘90s. I must’ve said, at least once, “Shelve. Show that customer to the cookbooks. Shut up.” If so, […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-17 09:54:33 UTC ]
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Dark academia isn't just for mysteries and thrillers-- you can find all the dark academia vibes you crave in science fiction and fantasy too! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-01-12 11:38:00 UTC ]
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Goodreads has released a list of its most anticipated science fiction and fantasy releases for 2023. Get your TBRs ready! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-01-11 18:35:26 UTC ]
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