Linktopia, Vapors Edition

Surfing the best of the writers' blogs so you don't have to.

REMINDER: tomorrow we post Part Two of our interview with editor/writer Victoria Holmes, who will answer your questions about the YA market, publishing demands for this market, and, for fans of the popular WARRIORS series, clues about upcoming releases. You won't want to miss this terrific opportunity.

Also, please keep sending your thoughts and prayers to Melly, who is still in Israel enduring another horrific round of bombs. Melly, we're still praying for an end to this bloodshed and your safe return.

Last night I broke my self-imposed rule of early-to-bed, early-to-rise-and-write-damnit! to watch who Tim Gunn would kick off Project Runway for breaking the rules. Gunn layed down the LAW in his butter-cream voice: "Rules are rules." I was hyperventilating. Let's just say it was worth missing my 5 a.m. wakeup. It's a dirty addiction.

Speaking of reality t.v. tilting the planet on a new apex, the writers at America's Next Top Model (you didn't think those shows were unscripted, did you?) are on strike for stuff like insurance, a living wage, and residual rights, which could really keep them off the bread line as ANTM is shown 24/7 on VH1 these days. Writer Dan J. Blau lays out their case on Television Without Pity.

We second Stephen King's and John Irving's plea to JK Rowling . . . . the Alphabet Girls share 10 lessons they learned at the massive RWA conference this weekend . . . . acquiring editor Jason Pinter wonders why agents still haven't learned he switched publishing houses five months ago, and a shudder rocks through every writer who reads his rant . . . . I don't know if I could do this (ht Slushpile) . . . . Conversations with Famous Writers interviews Sarah Mlynowski . . . . How Not to Piss off an Editor (ht Paperback Writer) . . . . Eric's come up with a genius idea (I don't trot out the genius adjective lightly, either): shower crayons.

More after the jump.

Miss Snark points out that there is such a thing as too low a word count. And that Mel Gibson's an idiot . . . . Ray shares some goodies on characterization . . . . Ernest Hemingway's cats tangle with the law . . . . Nienke posts 10 rules for writers . . . . Random Reader reads an early Ellen Kushner and shares the compelling hook . . . . the August forecasts are up at Astrology for Writers.

The planets are aligned. Write on.