Unless you’re in retail, or one of Santa’s elves, business tends to slow down over the holidays, leaving you more time to spend reading. Throughout the rest of the month, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite downtime reading sites, starting with:
Arwen Bicknell: Wordsmith, hack, scribbler
Why read Arwen’s blog? First, because she’s hella entertaining (I know, I am an embarrassment to still be using “hella”. Arwen never would. That’s reason 1.a that you should read her.) Second, because she is working on publishing a novel and is sharing the ins and outs of that arduous task. There are really hundreds of reasons to visit her site, but I’ll let you find them in your freetime. Here’s a tiny sample:
Today I read an agent’s wish list on Facebook. And I started wondering about what I’m writing.
Part of the hard thing about writing fiction is that there are so many different avenues you can take with a story. I set out with a plot, a goal, a voice and an audience in mind.
And then I think, “But this story would be so much cooler if I could write it with some older, sexier, darker subtext. That guy should really WANT that girl, and not get her. Can I write that into middle-grade fiction? Pretty sure my kid doesn’t get the whole unrequited love concept. Nope, take it out. Or should I just start writing the other version? Can I write the same book twice, from two different perspectives?”
And then I think, “Bah. I can’t even get one book published. Why would I write two of the same thing?”
And then I think, “You know, this story would be so much more saleable if I say they are all vampires.”
And then I think, “Perhaps I should stop writing and go eat some cake. Like, forever.”
I am quite fortunate to be a personal friend of Jamie’s, the writer of A Dash of Domestic, which means I get to sample many of the delectable wares posted–you will only get drool over them, unless you use her recipes and make your own. From diet wrecking cake balls (falling off the wagon never tasted so good!) to homemade soap, Jamie recounts her successes and not-so-successful tries at all kinds of DIY home making. Plus, she’ll make you laugh while you’re reading.
And you have to check out author and television writer, Pamela Ribon’s site, Pamie
I started reading Pamie when she was writing for Television Without Pity, found her blog, and have been following faithfully ever since. She posts sporadically, so don’t expect daily updates, but with the treasure trove of archives, you can stay busy for a couple of weeks. Definitely worth wasting your time there!
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