Tag Archives: Writing Blogs

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Thank you so much to Rebecca Bradley for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. It feels undeserved but I’m really grateful. The truth is, very much like writing, I would still blog even without readers because I really enjoy it. The process helps me to order my thoughts, and I’m the kind of person who thinks through my writing, in other words the ideas come to me as I write. I find inspiration everywhere and I enjoy the interaction with other bloggers and hearing from readers. For me it is a really interactive community. So, thank you to Rebecca. You can find her Crime Writing Blog here.

 

Inspiring

The award comes with the following instructions :

  • Thank and link to the person who nominated you.
  • List the rules and display the award.
  • Share seven facts about yourself.
  • Nominate 15 other amazing blogs and comment on their posts to let them know they have been nominated.
  • Optional: display the award logo on your blog and follow the blogger who nominated you.

So, here are seven facts about me that you might not know:

  1. I love acoustic guitar and live concerts, and am seeing one of my favourite singers in Vienna LIVE tonight! (A FREE eBook of my novel or two of my short stories goes to anyone who can figure out who I’m going to see.)
  2. I live for a steaming hot coffee in the mornings. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee just makes my heart glad; a coffee shop is even better.
  3. I’ve flown in a helicopter. Yes, a chopper, and I really enjoyed it. I would go again in a flash. The fact that you can just lift off and fly at an angle, the openness and the view from them is awesome!
  4. I can windsurf and water ski. It’s hard to know which is more difficult, but I prefer the speed and the adrenalin rush of waterskiing.
  5. I shook hands with the Queen when she visited our home town. I was at primary school and we lined up outside Colchester Town Hall to see her.
  6. I never imagined being a writer or ever writing a book. I wanted to be a vet (until I discovered that you have to actually operate on animals). I then wanted to join the Police! I think there was a part of me that wanted to help people (or animals!)
  7.  I can play the piano, clarinet and guitar, but I spend more of my time singing.

Now to pass on the award to some inspiring bloggers who you might also want to follow:

Elizabeth Craig

Elaine Aldred

Avril Joy

Jen Harvey

Vicky Newham

Belinda Pollard

Ruth Hunt

Shirley Golden

Tania Hershman

Sarah Hilary 

Paul McVeigh

Susi Holliday

Natalie Bowers

Carys Bray

Vanessa Gebbie

 

 

What Can You Learn From Writing Blogs?

images (17)

There are many writing blogs with an array of articles on different aspects of the craft of writing. I read a range of them and have learned a great deal about writing, publishing, editing and much more. The writing blog WRITE TO DONE is searching for the Top 10 Blogs for Writers in 2013.  Edited by Mary Jaksch, Write to Done posts regular articles on writing fiction, copywriting, freelancing, blogging, creativity, and the art of writing. It is an invaluable resource for writers, so if you haven’t yet browsed their pages I would recommend having a look. It will be well worth your time. Their top 10 chosen blogs from previous years have led me to many new and useful blogs.
blog
Those of you who read this blog regularly know that there are a range of author interviews, book reviews, guest posts and writing posts, and despite advice from some bloggers not to blog about writing, they are precisely the posts which receive the highest number of hits on this blog. The difference between a post on writing and a book review, or a post on something less related to fiction is surprising. Many writers obviously read posts about writing, although some prefer not to, and readers are also curious to know about the inside workings of the craft of writing. Give me someone who loves Formula One racing who wouldn’t want to step inside a Ferrari or a Lotus, or a person who loves classical music who wouldn’t want to sit in an orchestra pit and watch the conductor at close range, and the bows of the string section moving in time to the conductor as he sets the tempo for the sound. Are you with me?
download (16) So, now is the time to vote for any writing blogs which have inspired you over the year. Here’s how you can nominate a blog:

How to Nominate Your Favorite Writing Blog:

→ Nominate your favorite blog in the comment section.
→ You have only one vote (only your first will be counted).
→ Please include the web address of the blog.
→ Explain why you think the blog is worthy of winning this year’s award.
To make the cut, a blog must be nominated more than once. Nominations must be received by 12th December, 2013.
The top 10 list will be incredibly helpful for other writers once it is compiled. Here is a brief list of some of the blogs which have inspired me.
http://annerallen.blogspot.co.uk which is written by Anne Allen and Ruth Harris. It is one of Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers and is full of honestly and humour, and is really informative.
http://writershelpingwriters.net which used to be http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.co.uk written by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.
http://www.jonathanpinnock.com This blog, Jonathan Pinnock’s Write Stuff has a great range of information and thoughts on writing and, again, is very honest. He also covers short stories, which keeps me happy.
http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.co.uk Written by Nicola Morgan, who has had 90 books published (!) and knows what she’s talking about. She also self-publishes.
http://www.claire-king.com/blog Claire’s advice and insights are to-the-point and given from the perspective of a writer who is rigorous and, again, honest. Do you see a theme emerging here?
Don’t forget to vote for your favourite writing blogs and do add any others in the comments.