On this lovely Monday we're having a mismash of items. Up first, some writing tips and helps.

I was directed to two articles geared for SF/F writers, but which could be useful for other writers are well. First up are some brief tips on writing battle scenes. Much of this advice can be applied to a simple little fist fight, or a large scale gun war, as easily as the sword battle used in the article.

Then, from the same site, if you have problems building backstory for your characters, try using a gaming character sheet. It can be helpful to keep a list of your character's strengths and weaknesses, and why those exist, even if your character's traits are more prosaic than walking on air or talking to animals. (No, you don't have to take up Dungeons and Dragons to try it.)

Our second item is an update on who's working where and what they're up to:

Knopf: Senior editor Ashbel Green is retiring at the end of year.

The Nation: Adam Shatz is leaving to join the London Review of Books. John Palatella will take Shatz’s position as literary editor, responsible for books in particular and the arts in general.

Dutton: Congrats to Erika Imranyi for her promotion to associate editor. She has worked at Dutton since 2003.