Devoted to publishing, publishers and to those who craft the written word

What if a writer actually celebrated his fan's efforts to imagine new installments of his work?

Karl Schroeder is urging his fans to share their role-playing game versions of his science fiction books. Check it out:

"I'm consumed with curiosity and want to know what your versions of Virga look like. So if you've been running a Virga campaign tell me all about it! If you've got maps, post 'em! ... I'm not going to sue anybody for stealing my 'intellectual property." Years of hanging around with Cory have cured me of any worries I might once have had on that subject." (Thanks Galleycat)

Why not use the software counterpart to these shared, open-source writing schemes?

Edward Champion recently rebuilt his laptop after a near-disaster that could have cost him years of work. In this post, he explains how he's using a slew of open source programs (including OpenOffice, GIIMPShop, Inkscape, and Audacity) instead of the major processing programs installed on his computer before the crash. Give these programs a try.

Finally, check out this bruising open-source debate raging between crime writers--arguing about the pros and cons of neo-noir (the writers who follow in the bloody footsteps of pulp fiction novelists). It starts with hardboiled web hero Kevin Burton Smith's essay and Sarah Weinman summed up the dramatic debate.