Ramblings, Reflections and a Blog Roundup

I really appreciate this post by Suzannah at Write It Sideways. Most of what she said matches my situation exactly, right down to putting God first and family second (despite Michael Hyatt's post below). I often look at other freelance writers, at the huge amounts of time they seem to spend writing, and feel like a slacker for only stealing moments here and there when church and family allow. This year, though, I realized that, if God and family come before my writing, I have to act like it! Her post is an important reminder to me to keep my priorities straight and not be ashamed for putting my faith and family before any extra income I might earn from writing.

Write it Sideways -- Getting Your Life & Writing Priorities in Order


I can identify with the village idiot metaphor In Davey Jank's guest post on the Rants and Ramblings blog. In fact, what I felt interning with a translation team in Namibia often seems nothing compared to how I feel trying to learn my way around the publishing field. It seems like it should be easier because I at least know the language...right? Personally, I can't wait to find a copy of the Janks' book.

Rants and Ramblings -- The Migration of the Village Idiots


Nathan Bransford's posts have been getting shorter, but he pulled through today with a great post on the striving nature of the writing life.

Writing, Striving and THE GREAT GATSBY


Jessica from Bookends, LLC tells authors about where subjectivity starts and ends when an agent reads your work.

It's All Subjective...to a Point


Over at KidLit.com, Mary's talking about the role tense plays in successful writing. Does it matter? And why does it make us so...tense?

So Tense About Tense!


I posted this one on Facebook, but it's worth sharing here. It's Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt's take on why leaders, especially, (but maybe everyone?) should place themselves second on their priority list. (That's right after God and in lieu of last place, in case you were wondering.)

Where Do You Put Yourself in Your List of Priorities?


T.L.Cooper delves into her inner psyche with her post on using memories--even bad ones--to write strong fiction.

Avoidance, Memories and Fiction


Finally, a post from a writer who isn't new to the blog scene but is new to my RSS feed. Laura Campbell lays open the process of becoming a writer in her honest and compelling look at her own journey as a fiction writer.

Writing Unleashed -- A Punch in the Face: Rewrites Are a Bitch


With so many good blogs by writers, agents and publishers, I know I missed some gems. I hope you enjoy these offerings from my own Google reader, though. Until next week, happy reading and joyful writing!

Ramblings, Reflections and a Blog Roundup

This week has been unproductive for me. Not a total loss. I managed to fight off the pregnancy hormones and insomnia long enough to draft another picture book idea, send a query for a list article and draft a post outline for my Shadowland blog.

All in all, though, my creativity has felt something lacking. Oh, that’s right. Sleep.

That’s the long way of saying I have no earth-shattering news. I have, however, found several great blog posts that fellow writers might find interesting.

The first up is Christina Katz’s post, Write for the Joy of It. As I read Christina's thoughts, I realized I don't write for the joy of it. I used to, but somewhere along the way I switched to writing for publication. Now, there's nothing wrong with wanting to see our work published. At the same time, the change in mindset has robbed me of much of the satisfaction I used to get from writing.

The moments in my life when I've felt most alive have been when writing fiction, yet I've sidelined much of my fiction for more immediately "practical" work. I'd already begun feeling that this was wrong. Christina's thought's helped me confirm that. Check it out at:

Write for the Joy of It, Not for Overnight Success

The second post comes from Jane Friedman's blog, There Are No Rules. Guest blogger Michelle Ward asked the question, Are You a Renaissance Soul? I find, to my delight, that I am. If you can't settle on one project for long, if you move from interest to interest...you're probably a Renaissance soul, too.

While I think most writers can identify with Ward's post, it applies to many creative types. The wonderful thing about Ward's advice is that she gives us permission to be ourselves and to use seeming weaknesses as strengths. You can read more here:

Are You a Renaissance Soul? Use It to Your Advantage

Finally, I read two different posts about what writers do--or should do--when agents request revisions. Both are on agents' blogs, but while one was from the agent viewpoint, another was written by a client. I didn't find either overtly biased. For me, they provided food for thought as I look ahead to when I will (hopefully) be in a position to deal with the issue.

Check out the thoughts of Rachelle Gardner's guest blogger, writer Keli Gwyn, in The Revision Decision. Follow it up with the agent's view from BookEnds, LLC as Jessica Faust explores More on Author-Agent Relationship.

Until next week, happy reading and joyful writing!

Infrequent Posts

I've been feeling guilty about how long it's been since I posted anything here, and now I'm doubly convicted by Rachelle Gardner's latest post, "Blogs We Don't Like."

I know I'm guilty of at least two of her bullet points:

→ A writer whose blog has irregular and infrequent posts.
→ A blog that is really unfocused and doesn't know what it's about.

Some days I wonder if I should even have a blog. I have the best intentions about keeping up with it (and you know what they say about those), but paying work or my daughter always seems to slip in and come between me and regular posts. Plus, I can't believe I actually have a significant following waiting for my every word. (Actually, I have Google Analytics, so I know I don't.) And, finally, I don't feel I have anything earth-shattering to say that isn't being said better on a dozen other blogs.

Some of these are valid points. Some may be my own insecurities working against me. Here are a couple of questions, though.

1. How much does it bug you when writers don't post regularly or frequently?
2. What other blog faux pas irritate you?

And, most importantly,

3. What can I do to improve this blog? What topics would you like to see, and with what frequency would you like to see them?

Drop me some comments!

Rejections from an Agent's POV

For those writers who are seeking agents, this is a wonderful blog post by literary agent Rachelle Gardner. No, it's not an inside track to an acceptance. (I know you were hoping!) And no, maybe it won't make those rejections feel any better. At least now you know there's (probably) a human being behind that rejection letter. Keep that in mind and don't let it ruin your day!

Here's the link:

http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/11/rejection-isnt-fun-for-us-either.html