It's all about the Networking, People!

Hey Everyone. Sorry, I've been MIA lately. I've had some personal stuff that needed tending to, but now that things have settled down a bit, I figured it would be a good time to blog and get my mind off the other stuff. So the topic De Jour is Networking. *cue the awe-inspiring music* Yup that's right people - because for those of us who are planning on getting published, getting your name out there is a big part of the game. I recently came across this site...

It brings together other woman bloggers from across the net and gives them a place to bond over (and commiserate) the world of blogging. Sites like this are amazingly handy for networking purposes. It’s all about finding support for you as an author and your work! For one thing, when querying agents and publishers - they are looking to see if people will care about buying your book. And if you have a well established, grass roots "fan" base prior too publication, it’s a good sign for what will happen after you're published. Another good reason for Networking is that writers now-a-days (wow did that just make me feel old) need to establish a strong online presence and sites like Lady Bloggers Society, SheWrites, Facebook, Twitter, Livejournal, Tumbler, etc have become a standard part of that. Getting our names known through these online outlets make you more marketable! So what are your favorite places to network?

Tuesday

I think this is a pretty appropriate song given the state of things. :)





For those that can't see it click here. That should work.

It's a Monday

And this is the perfect song to go along with it.

When it rains it pours

It seems that way lately. Between the civil skirmishes in Egypt and Libya, the natural and man-made disasters in Japan, and some personal bad news to boot, it’s been a really bad couple of months. So I’m thinking everyone needs a hug and a smile.

Here's the hug...




And Here's the smile...


So how do you pull yourselves out of a bluesy funk?

Man Alive

I know that this is my writer's blog but I really needed to say - Man Alive this is seriously freaky.

The poor people in Japan have been completely wolloped not only by the 5th largest earthquake (and subsequent aftershocks) to rock the world in the last hundred years but also a 23 foot high Tsunami on top of that!

I mean damn was that really necessary?

Anyway, my thoughts and prayers are with the people over there. I hope if any of you have any loved ones over there that they are safe and you will hear from them soon.

Today

I know this is one has been out for a while but it is still one of my all time favorites. :)

Crazy

I don't usually like "cover songs" but this one is especially good. Its Gnarls Barkley's Crazy covered by Ray Lamontagne

Inspiration for your day (okay well evening)

Sorry i've been so radio silent this week. Life has gone into all out chaos mode. One hubby...Two kids...and a hundred billion things to do for them. Anyway I thought I would post an IFYD to fill the silence.

This particular one is a wee bit more dramatic then what I usually post but I think this song is particularly moving so I thought I would share.



P.S. Sam this is the one I thought of when I read the snippet of Before Ever After. What did you think?

Sunday night Inspiration

Just because...

IFTD

This one is dedicated to my bestie because she introduced me to Saving Jane and well she's my bestie! :)
Hope all of you have a friend just as great.

Escape Route

Ever have one of those writing moments when you’ve been sitting in front of your computer monitor for a couple hours or more and you’ve accomplished nothing? You keep trying to get this scene out but everything you write is just wrong so you end up just staring at that last punctuation mark without knowing how exactly to move on?

That’s the point when I need to take a step back and let my mind escape for an evening because if I keep pushing it I’ll just drive myself mad. So this is usually the point when I do one of a million other hobbies I dabbling in to pass the time. Scrapbooking, quilting, or if I just feel like vegging out – reading, watching tv, or surfing the Internet.

Anyway, last night, I while surfing aimlessly without finding something engaging on the web, I was wondering what the rest of you guys do when you need a night away from the Word document?

Family

Today, I'm curious about your family's reaction to your aspirations of becoming an author. Mine was more than a little confuse to begin with (too say the very least) but they were always supportive.

My mom thought it was just going to be another hobby, but when I told her that I wanted to get published she was unsure of what to say other than, "if you want me to look at it I will". My hubby didn't get how I could pour all that time and effort into something that I had no way of knowing if it would even be picked up by a publishing house or not - let alone writing it without having an agent under my belt. I had to explain that's just how it works.

Aspiring to be a published author is a hard thing to explain to people on the outside. Having that drive to weave a story into fruition no matter how hard or complicated it is, is something damn near impossible to put into words. I guess the easiest thing to say is "Its for the love of it." Thats it.

We love writing...We love creating stories in all forms. That is why we do it!.

So how did your loved ones first react when you told them?

IFTD - "Stand in the Rain" by Superchick. This one makes me cry every time. :)