The Friday Challenge - 4/23/10

This Week in The Friday Challenge

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Kersley Fitzgerald reports from the Pikes Peak Mountain of Authors conference. How do you find an agent? How do you get published? Is it worth thinking about self-publishing? A bevy of authors, agents, and publishers share their experiences and opinions. Join the discussion...

Henry Vogel starts out talking about his dedication to the novels of Dick Francis and ends up on the forest moon of Endor. Sure, it may be the first page that gets an agent or publisher to look at your book—but is it the beginning or the ending of your book that leaves your readers wanting to read more? Join the discussion...

Bruce Bethke bids a sad farewell to the hard drive of his favorite computer. Well, a tad drastic perhaps, but that's one way to deal with all the false starts that accumulate when you're suffering from a near-fatal case of writer's block. Join the discussion...

Splattering Guts for Fun & Profit starts out intending to launch a serious discussion of the logistics of warfare at sea but barely makes it out of sight of Ngeremlengui. Join the discussion...

Ultimate Geek Fu returns once again to the universe of Star Trek, to ask a question with monumental consequences: who are the two characters in all the time and space of Trek who never met, but really should have? Join the discussion...

Also, Kersley Fitzgerald explains how to deal neatly with a nearly insurmountable problem and the inmates discuss the view from their respective places in the asylum. Otherwise, it's been a quiet week here in The Friday Challenge—too quiet. Which leads to—

Is there PowerPoint in Hell?

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As of the deadline, we have received exactly no entries in the 4/16/10 Friday Challenge, "Is there PowerPoint in Hell?"

Hmm. Was this simply that uninspiring of a challenge, or is there some larger issue at work here? Are we doing something wrong, with the changes we have instituted in recent months, or is it possible that after five years of running The Friday Challenge in one form or another we simply have used up our quotient of appeal? Do we need to add a Twitter stream or a Facebook page? Please, God, not a Twitter stream.

Let's talk.

Return of The Son of The Deadline Reminder

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Rather than issue a lesser challenge this week, we'll just take this opportunity to remind you again that the deadline for the current greater Friday Challenge, Folks Tales of the Final Frontier, is Thursday, April 29. That's still plenty of time to write an entry, even if you haven't started yet!

Your thoughts, comments, and observations, s'il vous plait?