Category: Blogging

7X7… An Award!

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My blog received an award! Coolness!

The deal with the 7X7 Award is to share seven past blog articles that fit the superlative given. Then you, lovely reader, get to go and check out those posts, if you’re so inclined. I’m also supposed to share the award with seven other bloggers.

First, thank you so much to Alicia Gregoire for passing this award on to me. She’s adorable and her blog is all kinds of fun (and funny!). Definitely check it out if you’re not already a member of her Lurkdom.

And, without further delay, I present you with my 7 blog posts…

Most Beautiful: This is a hard one! I’m going with my entry for Campaign Challenge #1 – Last Kiss, a piece of flash fiction I’m pretty proud of.

Most Helpful: Probably my hints On Querying or To Plot or Not to Plot, in which I discussed my views on (duh) plotting.

Most Popular: My How I Got an Agent story… I always love to read these too! Good news, good news, GOOD NEWS!

Most Controversial: Hmm… I’m not really a controversial kind of gal, but I last year I did a post on some Bad Advice I heard at a local writing event. You may or may not agree with my thoughts.

Most Surprisingly Successful: Ha! It’s Cookie Day! My readers love their treats. 🙂

Most Underrated: Probably a Tales From the Trenches post entitled To Be, or Not to Be, which is chock-full of fantastic questions writers might ask an agent during The Call. I spent a good, long while compiling those questions!

Most Prideworthy: An oldie but a goodie: A brief but enlightening conversation about publishing…  And a new post about inspiration, plagiarism, and Making It Yours.

And I’d like to share the 7X7 Award with the following fantastic bloggers:

Katharine Owens
Lindsay Currie
Erin Schneider 
Tracey Neithercott
Rebecca Behrens
Chantele Sedgwick
Kirsten Lopresti

Hope you girls have fun with the 7X7 Award!

The Campaign

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I recently learned about a very cool blogging opportunity from my friend Alison Miller. It’s the Writers’ Platform Building Campaign, hosted by Rach Writes. The Campaign is cool way for writers and active bloggers to reach out and network with other like-minded people, thus building our own platforms and helping others to build theirs.

The Campaign will run from August 22nd to October 31st and will include three Campaigner Challenges:

  1. First Campaigner Challenge – Monday, September 5
  2. Second Campaigner Challenge – Thursday, September 22
  3. Third Campaigner Challenge – Monday, October 17

If you’re interested in finding out more about this opportunity, visit Platform Building Campaign THIS WEEK for more detailed information.

RTW: *Mistakes are the portals of discovery…

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the ladies at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: What’s the biggest writing/querying/publishing mistake you’ve made so far?

I’ve yet to do anything colossally stupid or embarrassing (I’m sure my time will come), though I have made mistakes that have slowed my progress. I’ve neglected to research (which explains why my first YA manuscript [a tragically low-concept contemporary] clocked in at approximately 130,000 words). I’ve queried too soon (yes, that same first manuscript), and I’ve entertained the wildly unproductive belief that I am the exception. But my biggest mistake, the one I’ve since remedied and will never, ever make again, is trying to make it as a writer all by myself.


Good news: That first manuscript? The tragically low-concept contemporary? It somehow snagged me a critique partner (the amazingly talented Heather Howland), who tore it up in the kindest of ways . In the process, she taught me all about voice, word choice, and plot, and also hooked me up with some of her writing friends (including my other two amazingly talented critique partners Jus Accardo and AE Rought).

In the interest of inserting myself further into the YA writing community, I started blogging and tweeting and interacting with all kinds of fantastic people (both online and local). Can you guess what happened next? I’ll tell you: Writing became easier. And more fun. I felt less crazy. Less alone. I also learned a lot, and my writing improved in the process.

I’m not sure what I would do without the YA community, and I’m not sure how my sanity survived that first manuscript without my critique partners and writing friends. (My husband might say it didn’t survive. Hmm…).

For more, check in Friday. I’ll share some of my favorite online writing communities. Also, stop by YA Highway to see how other participants answered this question.

Do tell… what’s the biggest writing/querying/publishing mistake you’ve made so far?

*The wise words of James Joyce.

Help, Harry, and Hiatus…

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First and most importantly, the lovely Kate Hart is heading up an effort to help tornado victims in the south.
 
From the Help Write Now site: Over the past two weeks, record-breaking storms have killed over 300 people and destroyed countless homes, neighborhoods, and towns. Tornadoes tore across the south, fires raged across Texas and Oklahoma, and flooding continues to affect communities all over the country. The writing community has rallied before to raise funds for many worthwhile causes, and we’re hoping you’ll show your support for the areas affected by one of the worst weeks in national weather history.

 
Starting today, you can bid on signed books, manuscript and query critiques, swag, web design, custom art, and more. Please do check it out!
 
On a lighter note, my vacation is coming to a close. We’re headed home today, and while I’m ready to sleep in my own bed again, this trip has been wonderful. My husband’s graduation from Ranger School was amazing. Ft. Benning, Georgia–and the South as a whole–is beautiful. Orlando was fantastic. We met all the Princesses on my daughter’s list, and got to see Hogsmeade. What could be better?!
 

Me at Hog’s Head, with Butter Beer. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, for the record, is GLORIOUS!

On the subject of vacations, I’ve decided to take a brief break from blogging… I will be spending the next few weeks soaking up lots of time with my husband and daughter. And, the rest of May and the first few weeks of June will be spent writing the first draft of Bus WIP!!! While I may post a few times during the next several weeks, I intend to be back in my multiple-posts-a-week routine by mid-June. Until then, Happy Writing/Reading/Blogging to you!


And try not to miss me too much. 🙂

The Versatile Blogger :)

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Yay! The lovely Sophia Richardson (of My Fleet-Footed Self) has passed The Versatile Blogger award to me. I’m honored and excited–my very first blog award! 🙂 Thanks so much, Sophia!

Here are the rules of the award:
1. Thank the person who gave you this award (of course!).
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 10 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason.
4. Contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the award.

So, um… seven things about myself. Why do I feel so much pressure to be entertaining?!

1. I started out a reluctant blogger. Basically, my critique partners applied some gentle pressure (okay, they may have hounded me) to which I finally succumbed. That was about a year ago. Somehow, I’ve morphed into an enthusiastic blogger–so much so that sometimes I’m blogging when I should be writing.

2. I’m an unapologetic Disney-aholic. I’ve passed on my love of the parks, the characters, and the movies to my daughter. Now, we’re a team capable of hounding my husband into watching Princess movies on Friday nights and taking multiple trips to Disney World when he swore he’d only go once a decade.  Yeah, right.

3. I’m a country music freak, and I absolutely love going to concerts. There’s nothing better than seeing Kenny Chesney or Tim McGraw or Sugarland perform live. My obsession began when we lived near Nashville, and has only grown since. Next on my must-see list? Zac Brown Band.

4. I’m most inspired by the writing and storytelling of Jandy Nelson, Melina Marchetta, Gayle Forman, Judy Blume, JK Rowling, Curtis Sittenfield and Ken Follett.

5. Michael C. Hall is, in my humble opinion, the best actor EVER. Loved him as David on Six Feet Under, adore him as Dexter.

6. I’m reluctant to the most trivial kinds of change. I eat the exact same breakfast every day. I drive the original route I learned to get someplace, even if I later learn a quicker or easier way. I hate starting new books and getting to know new characters . I plan my days, weeks, and months in advance as carefully as possible. I’ve always been this way, but I think my “condition” has been exacerbated by my constantly changing Army wife lifestyle. When your husband gets shipped out on a moment’s notice and you’re forced to move every two or three years, you learn to grasp on to the little things you can control.

7. I used to teach fifth grade. At the time, I loved it and poured everything I had into it. Now, I have absolutely no desire to go back. Ever since my daughter was born, I’ve stopped caring about other people’s children. Is that terrible?

And ten fantastic bloggers I’d like to share this award with:

Heather Howland
Jessica Love
Katharine Owens
Amie Kaufman
Caroline Tung Richmond
Tracey Neithercott
Erin Bowman
Rebecca Behrens
June Goodwin
Brenda Drake

That’s “YAmore” Blogfest

The lovely ladies at Oasis for YA are hosting a blogfest that’s so fabulous I’m thrilled to be a participant.

Here’s the gist, straight from the Oasis for YA That’s YAmore Blogfest page:

We love blogfests.  And we love good YA romance.  So we decided to combine the two in our first annual That’s YAmore Blogfest.

Starting the Friday before Valentine’s Day (that’s February 11th), we invite you to post 250 romantic, swoon-worthy words from your YA WIP.  Then check out the entries from some of the other participants.  (Just be sure you have a fan and/or a cold glass of water on hand.)  We know your Valentine will appreciate you getting yourself in a romantic state of mind…

Can’t wait to hop blogs and read all the steamy posts… If you’re interested, sign up to participate at: That’s YAmore Blogfest

Friday Five – What’s awesome this week?

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It’s a random Friday. I’m knee-deep in WIP, and therefore not reading a lot or watching much TV. But, I have gotten out a little and here are the things that make my awesome list this week. 🙂

1) Okay, movies first. I saw two last weekend and they both rocked (the Munchkin slept over at Mimi and Baba’s and my husband and I pulled a double feature!).

The Social Network – Fast paced, funny, and completely relevant. I was in college when Napster came out (I may or may not have had a few free songs downloaded on my computer. Shhh…) and have had Facebook for a few years now. The Social Network is a story of friendship, money and betrayal, and the impact of technology on masses of people. There’s really no good guy in this movie; at times, I was sympathetic to all of the main characters. The Social Network is proof that good ideas are a dime a dozen. Actually being able to execute them WELL is what’s important.

 

AND It’s Kind of a Funny Story –  Based on a YA novel, It’s Kind of a Funny Story reminded me of Little Miss Sunshine, a movie I adore. It’s a little bit dark, a little bit funny, and a lot heartfelt. The actors are adorable, and the movie focuses on a realistic teen with realistic problems (pressure at school, unrequited love, feelings of isolation). At times, it’s a little heavy-handed on its lesson (things are never as bad as they seem), but I still loved it.

2) I found a local independent new/used bookstore! A Good Book Cafe in Sumner, Washington might just be my new favorite place to buy books. They have a huge selection of all genres and are willing to special order anything they don’t stock. Plus, they took two huge boxes of old books off my hands in exchange for discounts and store credit. Yay! 

3) Vampire Diaries – I know it’s aimed at teens, blah, blah, blah, but I think Vampire Diaries is one of the best shows on TV. It’s steamy, with super sharp dialogue, new twists and turns in every episode, and a freakishly attractive cast. If you’re not watching, start with Season One. Too much goes on in each and every scene to jump in mid-Season Two. But do watch–definitely!

4) I found the perfect actor to play the romantic interest in the movie of my WIP, Where Poppies Bloom (hey, a girl can dream!). Meet Alex Pettyfer. Yeah. I know.

5) Last but not least, I have found my new favorite non-writing/non-publishing blog ever – www.whatclaudiawore.com. I have to admit, I was intensely fanatical about The Baby-Sitters Club when I was a kid. Not only did I read every. Single. Book, but, I owned most of the too. Silly as they seem now, I was an uberfan. My favorite character was Claudia Kishi, the Asian American girl with the almond-shaped eyes. So what if she sucked at school and had an insane candy addiction? She was arty and unique and she wore–seriously–the coolest clothes ever.  Somehow I’ve managed to stumble across a blog written by a twenty-something who shares in my previously dormant  Claudia obsession. Her posts are snarky and fun, featuring the way-too detailed descriptions of Claud’s outfits straight from the books’ text, with her witty commentary laced it. Lately, she’s been doing her take on the book covers too, which are nothing short of hilarious. Yep. Check it out! 🙂  

(Kristy pic from http://incredulouskristy.tumblr.com/, also worth checking out!)