I’ve discovered a few articles, loops and things that I wanted to mention. But first, a quote.
Life is a Gift
That is why it’s called the Present
On to the writing related stuff. Via a workshop on this loop I came across this interesting article and more importantly, list on character types. Antagonist, confidant, static character… definitely worth a read. The list is halfway down.
Here’s another loop that’s gotten quieter over time but they have an incredible line up this year. AskAnAuthorAll invites published authors to sign up and then lets you ask them questions. Seems like you could just email the author directly, right? But this allows for coverage of a specific topic, brainstorming questions and cross examination if you will. And just look at the lineup!
May 5-16: Jennifer Estep on “How to be a Shameless Hussy: Working
the Media Like A Pro”
June 2-13: Allison Brennan on “Breaking Rules to Break In or Break Out”
June 30-July 11: Cheryl Wilson on “Revisions & Aalysis of Plot &
Pacing”
Aug 4-15: Mary Buckham on “Guy Speak: Writing the Male POV”
Sep 1-12: Brenda Novak on “Emotion: The Heart of the Novel”
Oct 6-17: CJ Lyons on “Plotting for Pantsers”
Nov 3-14: Donna MacMeans on “Market Research: Where to Submit Your
Story”
Dec 1-12: Karen Sandler on “Query Letter Ins & Outs”
Yeah, that got your attention. Here’s the link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AskAnAuthorAll/
Another favorite group of mine is run by Shirley Jump. While it’s not romance centric, it has invaluable information.
Desiree Lee posts the occasional writing prompt to her myspace blog and I find them kind of fun. Short and they make you think. Always a good thing, right? blog.myspace.com/authordesireelee
Here’s a blog I’ve just begun visiting and I really like it a lot so far. I check it once a week or so and do some back reading: carolburnside.blogspot.com/ A big shout out to Carol for having such great posts on her blog. Good content is hard to find these days.
Which leads me to the question, what blogs do you find helpful? They can be written by anyone on any topic. I just want to know, where are the best blogs at? And if you say CataUniversity, yes, you get brownie points. *wink*
You might also be interested in:
- 2009 Goals Blogorama It’s that time of year again folks. Time to look back at the last 360-or-so days and ahead at the next 367…and it’s time to set some goals! If you attended Susan Meier’s Goal Setting Workshop in early December then you are R-E-A-D-Y! Post away! If not, stay tuned for...
- Promo Tips for your blog 1. Join in on Memes. Things like Wordless Wed. and Thursday Thirteen. People do click the links. This is a great way to have ready content for your blog and get links back to your blog. 2. Try Top 5 or Top 10 lists…. these are pretty easy to come...
- Publishers and blogging… I stumbled upon a post over at Booksquare today via my trusty Google Reader entitled Why Publishers Should Blog. Just as authors need to better market themselves and their books, so do publishers. While the audience for a publisher website is diverse – authors, booksellers, journalists, agents, readers, and...

Wow, thanks for the blog menton, Ally! :hug I’ve been trying to make an effort to blog more often. Of course, this month may not be too frequent, due to a certain (ahem!) challenge.
Speaking of…better get back to writing. I’ve finally gotten through a rather difficult scene and am making progress. :partyhat
Oh, I did want to mention that you have great content here too! :goodjob
Ally,
Nicola has a great blog series (I guess that’s what you’d call it). Anyway it’s ‘Cover to Cover’ Nicolas’s approach to writing a novel. She has a lot of great advice floating are her blog. http://nicolamarsh.blogspot.com .
Ally Blake is another one I visit a lot these articles by Ally are great http://allyblake.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html
There are more, but I best leave those till another time.
Hugs
Sandie
I now have written a total of twenty five hundred words; not bad for a couple of days work.