What are your favorite blogs?

Everyone has a few favorite blogs. 

It's hard to keep this list short, but some of my favorites are:

Miss Snark's blog. This was the first writing blog I ever read. And I started reading after the anonymous, gin-guzzling, stiletto-wearing, Clooney-loving agent stopped blogging. The archives are great. I learned so much about the writing industry, and the query and hook contests helped me understand how to craft my own. When I finish my novel. Which is now up for another round of revisions.

But I digress.

Query Shark. This is run by Janet Reid, who critiques real live queries. The results aren't always pretty, but they are instructive.

Editorial Anonymous. Great site for children's writers. Again, the archives are worth reading through, and the occasional slushpile contribution makes me believe that I do have a shot at being published. 

Oh! And then there's Nicola Morgan's site. The posts are a tad technicolor, but what else would you expect from someone who owns turquoise boots? This Scottish author of more than 90 published books has tons of good advice. And it's fun to Google the random Brittish terms that pop up now and then... crisps, crabbit. Good stuff.

So tell me. What are your favorite writing blogs? I'd love to find more good ones. 

It's not like I should be writing or anything...

Favorite Words

This is a little fun thing inspired by one of Tess Hilmo's tips about keeping a word journal. I've just started compiling my own for inspiration. So, let's share our favorite words. Here's the first few on my list:

clutch (n.)
twine (v.)
scrabble (v.)
skirl (n. or v....I like them both)

I have oodles more (oodles is one of them), but I'll leave it at that for now. What are some of your favorite words?

I really wish I'd thought of that...

Hey folks!  Tess Hilmo is hosting a great, get to know your writing game over at her blog. You should check it out!

My Little Experiment

I recently conducted a little experiment (in the least scientific way possible). I wanted to see how much something being in print (like, book form) influenced the way I read a text; namely, how critical I am?

Let’s face it, we don’t read books the same way we read submissions from our critique group. When I pick up a book, I assume it’s good. After all, it’s been published, right? (Don’t even go there…that’s another blog post.) When I pick up a Slushie submission, I assume it needs work. That’s what the critique group is for.

But what if I were to pick up a book and read it with the same critical eye that I read our submissions? Yup, that’s right, they all need work.

The Phantom Tollbooth—a little more descriptive narrative when he goes through the tollbooth, please.

Eragon—Maybe it would be better if the main character didn’t go unconscious every other chapter…just a thought.

Harry Potter—watch those adverbs.

The Secret Garden—I’m just a teensy bit unclear about what’s happening here.

Yes, even The Secret Garden, a book I adore, could be improved (in my humble opinion). I read one chapter as I would read a Slushie submission, and though I found little to comment on, there were a few places where the meaning was unclear or someone appeared out of nowhere.

All this leads me to say that a book is not an equation with a definite answer. Plots can always be tightened, characters fleshed out, and words tinkered with. But you have to stop somewhere.

It also makes me realize that we Slushies are a tough set of gals; we don’t let anything get by. So the next time I’m overwhelmed by the amount of feedback on my chapter or all the suggestions for change, I’ll just remember that we would have done the same to Harry Potter.