I was Mother-of-the-Bride last night: such a happy time! Needless to say, I’ve been just a bit preoccupied. Here, at least, are this week’s Sunday Sundries:

SundaeWeb

For writers …

• The only technique to learn something new. This applies to any passion, and especially to writing.

Write a Plot Outline: The Infographic. This is great.

• What makes authors dress up like clowns? Kathy L. Patrick’s Pulpwood Queens Author Extravaganza. So much fun.

Elevator Pitches. We all hate having to come up with a few sentences to convey the essence of the sprawling novel we’re writing, but I’m afraid it’s important. My agent recommended this CBC podcast, and I’m glad she did.

• What Makes a Hero: Joseph Cambell’s Seminal Monomyth Model for the Eleven Stages of the Hero’s Journey.

• Was this review helpful to you? Hahahaha. Although not so funny to authors. Even one one-star review drags down a book’s sales and upsets a book’s publisher.

For promoters …

• V is for Virtual Tour provides an informative description of a virtual (i.e. blog) tour from The Publishing Bones. (How to set up a blog tour is one of my most visited posts.)

For flâneurs through history …

In and Out of Jane Austen’s Window: people used to walk everywhere.

Screen-shot-2015-03-17-at-6.23.57-PM

Laughing at French Smiles and Dentures. This made me laugh!

The Cloister and Accounts Payable. In researching Mistress of the SunI learned that Cloister life was like a mini-world, and woman the capable managers.

For Napoleonistas …

• Pacino dreams of playing Napoleon. I’d love to see this.

Bonaparte: 1769 – 1802, by Patrice Gueniffey (translated by Steven Rendall): a translation of the first in a new, prize-winning two-book biography of Napoleon.

Tweetable Napoleon: a collection of his quotes: a page I’ve just set up on my website.

For readers …

• A memoir I’m relishing now: H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald. A woman falconer takes on the challenge of training a hawk as a way of overcoming grief. Fascinating, and beautifully written.