Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Wednesday Writing with 2 Felines

No Feline guests today. Only cool bloggy winners!


Do you have a favorite writing blog you go to or get their newsletter? I really like K.M. Weiland. I also like to listen to her podcasts when I'm working out. I bought her outlining book too and have used it well!

I took ALL this content off of Write to Done. I read their blog too!


Top 10 Blogs for Writers 2015 – The Winners


Top ten blogs for writers 2015
We’re delighted to announce the winners of our 9th annual Top 10 Blogs for Writers Competition!
It’s exciting to see such an array of excellent blogs for writers.
Make sure you visit all the ten blogs to get to know the new top crop of writing blogs.

How were the winners selected?

  • Initial qualification: A site must have been nominated more than once by multiple individuals. If someone nominated more than one blog, only the first nomination was counted. Valid nominations needed to include the URL and give a reason why the nominated blog should be considered.
  • Contest criteria: In order to be considered, a blog needed to be a writing blog. In order to qualify, at least 50% of posts needed to be about writing and not about freelancing, business, publishing, promotion etc.
  • Blog-based analysis: Reader involvement: Average comment numbers per post account for 15% of the total score. Number of nominations account for 15% of the total score. Average number of shares on social media per postaccount for 15%. These three blog-based factors make up 45% of the final score.
  • Quality of posts: Educational, useful, engaging and discussion-creating posts were rated higher than self-promoting posts. The quality of posts accounts for 55% of the final score.

And the 10 winners are …


Goins, Writer

The blogger behind this blog is Jeff Goins. He has created a vibrant place for writers to gather.
jeff goins

Positive Writer

Bryan Hutchinson has created a dynamic blog with a positive vibe and has built a substantial readership in a relatively short time.
positive Writer

Tara Lazar: Writing for Kids

Children’s fiction author Tara Lazar has turned her blog into a lively resource for picture book writers.
Tara Lazar

Helping Writers Become Authors

Katie Weiland’s blog is a great place for fiction writers. If you want to know how to write your novel, this is where you can find in-depth advice.

Weiland

The Write Practice

Created by Joe Bunting, the Write Practice is the place to go if you want to kick-start your writing practice.

The-Write-Practice-Logo2


 Live Write Thrive

This blog by C S Lakin is a haven for writers of fiction. If you’re looking for advice about plotting, or how to overcome tricky grammar problems, Susanne Lakin’s blog is the place to search.
live write thrive

Terrible Minds

Novelist Chuck Wendig’s blog is an excellent example of how to create an author platform. He’s created a lively blog with many useful tips for fiction writers.
terrible minds

The Write Life

The tagline of this blog is:  … helping writers create, connect and earn. This interesting site is run by Alexis Grant.

the write life

Jennifer Blanchard

This is a zesty blog with great information. Jennifer’s blog is focused on helping writers create novels.

Jennifer Blanchard

Fiction Notes

Experienced writing coach, author and publisher Darcy Pattison has created an appealing author platform with a blog for fiction writers.

Fiction Notes

There you have it:  the ten top blogs for writers in 2015.
Congratulations to all the winners!
I’m really excited about this line-up of writing blogs, aren’t you?
banner_top ten writers 2015_smallThe badge of distinction: If you’re a winner, please display the badge you see below on your site and link the badge back to this post.
Readers, be sure to check out these awesome blogs!
And please help spread the word. Click on the social media buttons to share this post with friends and fans.
We’ll be inviting the winners to guest post on WTD so that all our readers can get to know and enjoy these excellent bloggers.
Please add *your* congratulations in the comments.
About the author:
Mary Jaksch is Editor-in-Chief at Write to Done. Grab her FREE report How to Write Like an A-List Blogger. Mary has helped thousands of students successfully create outstanding and profitable blogs at  A-List Blogging and is the blogger behindGoodlife ZEN.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Wednesday Writing with 2 Felines



Not much going on in this scene. Cat sleeping. What happened before this picture? He chased a robin; got teased by a couple of magpies; ate a hot dog.





Set the scene. Break your story into scenes. Have arcs in your scene.
How do I write a scene??
Here are eleven steps to writing a scene.



Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Wednesday Writing with 2 Felines


The bigger the issue, the smaller you write. Remember that. You don't write about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid's burnt socks lying on the road. You pick the smallest manageable part of the big thing, and you work off the resonance. —Richard Price 

Wednesday Writing with 2 Felines

My sister-in-law gave us two kitties. She told us she thought they were females but they were so
young no one really knew. My twins, boy and girl, each got and named a cat.
My daughter named her cat Bella, after Twilight (we are not bashing that series or author here. My reluctant reader read all the books and I was proud of her). My son named his Crisco. Yes, after the shortening.
I took the cats to the vet to be "fixed" and found out they were indeed male cats. haha. The names were already stuck so we didn't change them. Until I accidentally ran over Bella. She walked with a limp for a few weeks but otherwise was fine. My husband renamed the cat Squish, for obvious reasons, and that name has stuck too.
Lately, we've started calling Bella Squish, Fat Cat, because he is! So many names, such a little creature.

Do you sometimes have problems coming up with a characters name? Nicknames? Or where they were born or work? Or how about their birthday, email address and password?
I found this fun site to help you fill out more of your character's backstory. You can choose gender, country, etc. It's random and intriguing and easy. It's pretty detailed too! Address, phone number, mother's maiden name, even blood type!
Just be warned! It's easy to get sucked in play for a long time. Not that I did or anything...


Here is a random one when I went and tried it just now:


Anabel A. Berger

3362 Saint Francis Way
Philadelphia, PA 19108
Curious what Anabel means? Click here to find out!
  • Phone:
  • 267-235-6867

  • Email Address:

  • Username:
  •   
  • Asted1960

  • Password:
  •   
  • Shai4wahk

  • Mother's Maiden name:
  •   
  • Hall

  • Birthday:
  • March 26, 1960 (54 years old)

  • Visa:
  • 4485 9387 8134 1018

  • Expires:
  • 1/2016

  • CVV2
  •   
  • 771

  • SSN:
  •  
  • 206-34-XXXX
    You should click here to find out if your SSN is online.

  • Favorite color:
  •   
  • Blue

  • Occupation:
  •   
  • Tilesetter

  • Company:
  •   
  • Herman's World of Sporting Goods

  • Website:
  • SoyStores.com

  • Vehicle:
  • 2006 Kia Sedona

  • UPS Tracking Number:
  • 1Z 691 7E5 12 4500 492 8

  • Blood type:
  • A+

  • Weight:
  • 230.1 pounds (104.6 kilograms)

  • Height:
  • 5' 3" (161 centimeters)

  • GUID:
  • 544cea15-f3a3-4393-a491-8253459b82da

  • Geo coordinates:
  • 40.05195, -75.057889

  • QR Code:
  • Click to view the QR code for this identity



Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Wednesday Writing with 2 Felines

No cats today. So sorry. Just an awesome line from an awesome movie said by an awesome actor. Awesome (too much?).
Every time I watch Dead Poets Society I want to read poetry again and be my better self and not send my kids to a private school.








Writer Website in A Weekend

Writer Website in A Weekend
Website