Where I'm at...

I've added a few more sites to my sidebar for you to check out. Most of them have links to other sites that are also helpful. Sometimes I suffer from information overload... There's so much good stuff out there that it can be overwhelming. I've been taking some notes from these blog posts for future reference. Fortunately, most of the agents/writers blogs are nicely indexed.

Have you ever noticed that when you buy a car it seems like there are suddenly millions just like it on the highway? When you are focused on something, you see it everywhere! I was watching a movie tonight with Ali and Papaw, Labor Pains with Lindsay Lohan. Guess what business she's in? Yep. She ends up representing an author with a pregnancy book, and ends up pushing it in stores and on TV. It wasn't extremely educational, but it did get some wheels turning.

I realize that I cannot devote the time I need to my book right now. In less than a month, Ali will be back home for school. My writing will again become a daily priority. But for now, I'll settle for making a few notes, and maybe tweaking my outline. There's too much pulling me away...

Leaps & Bounds!

I have passed through a doorway! Just days ago, I stumbled on a blog with lots of helpful information for writers and wanna-bees. I clicked to follow it, and through that I have found several more helpful sites. Plus, I already have several blogs I follow that are written by free-lance writers.

Blogville has become an invaluable tool for me. Help is just a click away. I'm no longer trying to filter through pages of unrelated articles because of the labels picked up by search engines! So many have been where I am now, and are willing to share their knowledge and experience. It's wonderful how nice people can be.

When I get a little time to do more research, I will post with links to the most helpful sites for those of you that are in the same boat. For now, please browse through the list of blogs I follow in the sidebar. Many of them are writers, publishers, agents... Good luck!

Oh no! Not another blog to read...

I love starting my e-day with blogs. I've made so many wonderful friends in Blogville! Some blogs I follow have stunning photography and art. A couple feature their homemade crafts. But mostly it's the daily life thing... I feel like I know some of you in a face-to-face kind of way. I read about your heartaches and the high points. You share photos of your new grand baby and your pets. I find snippets of humor to lighten my load. There are so many reasons I read what you write.

I've posted before about how it's hard to find time to write and keeping up with all the blogs just might be making it harder. OK, it's not a 'might' thing... It's a 'does' thing. I need to start speed-reading. I leave comments on most (but not all) of the blogs I read. I could probably save myself a lot of time by skipping the comments once in a while. I can't do it everywhere though. Some of the blogs I follow are people needing feedback. Some have very few followers and need encouragement. I can't fail them. I believe in them! What's a girl to do?

I keep promising myself to stop collecting blogs to follow. I even stopped following a bunch. It's not that they weren't interesting. (OK, maybe a couple.) I follow everyone that follows me. It's the right thing to do. If I expect them to spend their time on my blog, I should return the favor. After all, they are here because they want people to read and comment on what they write. Right?

So that brings me to today... I was catching up on all the blogs that posted since last night (whew!) and happened to stumble on a link: Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent. It made my day! I know there's probably a gazillion similar blogs out there, but I found this one first. I follow some published writers and some hoping to be published; I figure I'll learn from them. But some of them are right where I am... trying to figure out where to go next. This blog is a road map! On his sidebar he has links to almost everything you wanted to know about the process of writing, editing, queries, etc. It's an encyclopedia for people like me!

I didn't spend much time there, but I did learn a few important things:

1. You can not edit too much!
2. I'm no where near sending a query.
3. I need to read about them anyway. (It gave me ideas to get my feet wet locally. My query should show I've got a little something under my belt.)

If you are like me, working on a project that you desire to publish, I encourage you to visit his blog and set aside some time to research the topics listed in the sidebar. You can never be too prepared! Good luck, and meet you in the bookstores...

fun in research...

I wouldn't want to write this book without the internet. When I mention places in my novel, I research the area. I study maps to choose the routes; I locate restaurants in which my characters will dine. Now I have to drive to Covington, KY to eat at Chez Nora! It sounds delicious and the sisters in my book loved it! But they warned me to get there early...