Google Street View

If you haven't used Google Street View yet, take a look. To check it out, click on Maps on Google's main page, then click Street View. You will see a map of the U.S. covered in cameras. Everywhere you see a camera you'll find Street Views available for those cities. The streets photographed are outlined in blue.

You can drive up and down the streets and click around for a 360 degree view. It's a terrific writing aid. Right now, I'm working on a novella that's set in West Hollywood. I visited there numerous times when my son lived there, but that doesn't mean I remember street names or where the nearest LAPD station is located (it's on Wilcox) or where there's a Money Mart, for example, but between Google's search engine and the street views, everything is easy to find (and thus describe).

Thank you Google!

About Writer's Contests

In the course of researching pressess, I've run across a number of contests for writers. Short story contests, first novel contests, best novel contests. I'll start a list here of those that do NOT require a fee. If you know of others, post a comment and I'll add those to the list.

1. The Nero Wolfe novella contest (ends May 31): http://www.nerowolfe.org/htm/neroaward/black_orchid_award/BO_award_proc.htm
2. Idaho magazine fiction writing contest (current contest ended Jan. 31)
http://idahomagazine.com/news_fiction.asp