Friday, May 15, 2009

Pay it Forward Friday


In following with the theme of Pay it Forward Friday, I would like to suggest some of my favorite blogs for you to check out.

Let me begin by saying since I have been taking the blog book tour class I have discovered the wonderful world of blogging. I mean, I blogged before…sort of…on occasion…okay, I was really bad at doing it consistently. I focused more on my websites and, of course, my work in progress, and then I discovered social networks. I actually started making a list last night of the various social networks I have joined and discovered I really need to learn the art of moderation – does the Betty Ford clinic deal with social networking….? Just a thought… ANYway, my eyes have been opened to the wonderful world of blogging and I have discovered so many wonderful sites out there, I really would like to share some with you.

First up, I would like to suggest a blog that focuses on trends in the world of publication. It is penned by Nathan Bransford, a literary agent from the San Francisco office of the Curtis Brown Agency (New York based). Nathan says he is particularly in literary fiction, mysteries and suspense, historical fiction, narrative nonfiction, business, history, sports, politics, current events, young adult fiction, and science fiction. Of course, he tends to reiterate that sometimes it is hard to know exactly what will capture his attention until he begins to read it, but two things he does not represent are poetry and screenplays. His blog is humorous, and insightful. He offers a lot of great advice for breaking into the publishing world and keeping up with current trends.

Next, I would like to offer Desperately Searching for My Inner Mary Poppins Marybeth has a quirky, humorous outlook on life. She still has not found her own magic carpet bag that would solve all her problems, or learned to dance on the ceiling, but she will do her best to add a smile to your day. She describes her blog as writing about nothing, and everything and something on a regular basis.

I also like to check in from time to time with the One Minute Writer, not a blog, per se, but a way to jump start the creative juices with its writing prompts…and maybe inspire a blog topic or two! I love its tagline: “You have 1,440 minutes a day. Use one of them to write.” It’s a kind of brain calisthenics to get the writing day started! Why not? You exercise your body – why not your creative side too?


Like this post? Tweet it. Go ahead, you know you want to!

TweetIt from HubSpot

7 comments:

joe doaks-Author said...

Hi, Nancy, I, too, like the Bransford site, and, if I'm not mistaken, found it through you. Thanks. I visited, liked, and bookmarked the One Minute Writer site. Hey, any site that gives me a cow bell is doing some outside the box thinking. Not been to Marybeth's site yet, but, if you think it's good, it is.

Best Regards, Galen
http://www.galenkindley.com

Patricia Stoltey said...

Realizing we need help to fight our "addictions" is half the battle. If you find that perfect clinic, let me know. LOL

Patricia
http://patriciastoltey.blogspot.com

N A Sharpe said...

Hi Galen, Karen and Patricia~thanks for stopping by.

Galen - I really do like the Bransford site, have to admit, I even have that one emailed to me. I like Marybeth's site because it is often humorous and hey, anyone looking for an inner Mary Poppins is okay by me (fav film when I was a kid).

Karen - I love the idea of sharing these sites with others too and discovering new ones. I'm gonna need a bigger virtual book shelf though and and a bigger space for my blogroll, they are both expanding by leaps and bounds.

Patricia - I really need to find some sort of help in learning moderation - each of these new sites is a like a new playground, lots of fun but too easily eats the day away and then I don't get my own writing done (my website is a huge culprit of that as well...I just love playing there so much. It is like that house, Rose Red, where new rooms just keep appearing to play in...) I think I need help. That's the first step, recognizing it, right? Maybe a future blog on moderation...after I have learned it, of course.

Nancy
http://nasharpe.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Nice "pay it forward" idea for posting ... I do the same thing on Free Spirit. In fact it is also on Fridays - today I have another installment of what I call, "Following Friday Blogs."

N A Sharpe said...

Hey Marvin,

I saw the sharing going on in your blog last week and felt the love. It really is a great idea to introduce you to other blogs. (BTW, great post last night about the paths not taken and your beautiful bride :) )

Actually, this morning I had an email that I had a DM so I logged into Twitter first today (ain't technology grand) and saw the "Follow Friday" posts so I thought it was kind of like a Friday thing...forgive me, I lead a sheltered life.

Nancy
http://nasharpe.blogspot.com

Julie Lomoe said...

Thanks for the interesting suggestions, Nancy, and for your comments on my own site. Your blog looks great! I hate to admit this is the first time I've visited - I gave up early during the BAD challenge when your link wasn't working. But now that I've got it, I'll definitely be back!

N A Sharpe said...

Hi Julie!

I'm really glad you stopped by. Thank you so much for trying again. I definitely messed things up when I changed the url - finally got it straightened out though, I think!

Nancy
http://nasharpe.blogspot.com

 
Template by suckmylolly.com