Link Roundup 7/25/2013

A huge, huge list of writing resources. It just keeps going and going.

http://cannonbarrage.tumblr.com/post/56442195378/massive-writing-resource-database

What comics freelancers got paid in the 70’s. This may make you feel better . . . or worse. I’m not sure wish.

https://twitter.com/JimZub/status/360407411703566336/photo/1

What is known – and unknown – about XBox Indie development. Lots of unknowns, I’m afraid, but it’s not entirely dismal.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/196948/What_we_know_and_dont_know_about_Xbox_One_selfpublishing.php

A book on Superman’s creators sounds like a great read for comics, fans, writers, and historians. May be worth picking up.

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/173240-super-boys-by-brad-ricca/

Skillbridge is trying to be a freelancing site for serious high-level stuff. This should be interesting to watch – and may provide some opportunities, or start a crash of pay rates.

http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/25/skillbridge-dorm-room-fund/

Facebook stock surges. By 25%. I certainly didn’t see this coming.

http://mashable.com/2013/07/25/facebook-stock-ipo-price/

Blackberry lays off 250 people. It may be time to give up. Finally. Again.

http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/25/blackberry-lays-off-250-employees-from-its-new-product-testing-and-rd-department/

For you makers, a dress made from a book.

http://boingboing.net/2013/07/25/dress-made-from-a-book.html

– Steven Savage

More Link Roundup!

Bryan Cranston cosplayed as himself at ComicCon and wasn’t recognized.

http://www.businessinsider.com/bryan-cranston-heisenberg-mask-2013-7

Then it got weird…

Hugh Jackman did, too, and got criticism.  “Too tall.”

http://www.businessinsider.com/hugh-jackman-wolverine-comic-con-2013-7

Spat between CBS, Time Warner Cable may see New York, LA, and Dallas subscribers losing the network and its subsidiaries (incl. Showtime).

http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/cbs-chief-moonves-time-warner-cable-can-afford-to-pay-us-more-1200566843/

Twitter uses real users for fake tweets to promote new ad platform; gets caught.

http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2013/07/23/twitter-fakes-real-users-tweets-to-promote-ad-platform/

Want to write?  Draw!

http://mathiex.blogspot.com/2013/07/wri-draw-your-story.html

Sketching out characters, settings help keep details straight and in an easy to reference manner.

Conservative MP wants “opt in” for online porn for Canadians, mirroring similar legislation in the UK.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2013/07/23/mb-joy-smith-anti-porn-bill-winnipeg.html

Joy Smith, Member of Parliament for Kildonan-St. Paul (north part of Winnepeg) hasn’t been following the fall-out from PM Cameron’s idea. It’s not going to fly here.  (Well, it’s not flying in the UK, either.)

Yet another Sharknado article.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2013/07/absurd-sharknado-triggers-feeding-frenzy-for-schlock-movie-fans.html

For $1 million dollars and a cheese fest of a movie, The Asylum is getting a lot of press.  Sure, only a million people saw it on SyFy, but is there any other movie getting this much attention this summer?  The Atlantic Wire has a graph of the tweets (http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2013/07/sharknado-was-only-thing-worth-talking-about-last-night/67109/); fittingly, it looks like a dorsal fin.  Marketing departments at other studios must be wondering, “WTF?”

Five Writing Exercises That Will Make You More Creative

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-writing-exercises-that-will-make-you-more-creative/

– Steven

Right On Script, Everything’s Going To Be Terrible

For awhile, we here at MuseHack have been discussing the checklist issue of films, how films all seem alike and follow the same beats. We’re concerned what that means for Hollywood, writers, and media. We’re also feeling just a wee bit justified now that such concerns are mainstream and in fact may be traced back to one book and writing concept, Save the Cat.

(Serdar has more to say on “Save the Cat” in his own erudite way.)

Read more