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I found Judy Blume’s site from a twitter friend of mine.

Once I got on the site, I noticed her “On Writing” link so I clicked on it.

I enjoyed reading her advice to a fellow writer who told Judy she had read over 70 books on writiung but still felt she couldn’t write. Judy advised her to read those books she really enjoyed and that would give her more inspiration for her writing. For this writer to write the best she could.

While on this page, I noticed she had more links:

My Trusty Notebook – Judy writes down story ideas, characters, backgrounds, and dialogue in a notebook before she starts writing.

This is very interesting to me because I am about to begin writing a children book series and have not decided the best way for me to start. Perhaps this will work for me too but maybe not.

Writing from the inside – On this page, Judy discusses about being a writer because you have to not just because you want to write. She adds becoming emotionally involved. If you don’t care about your characters, your readers won’t either.

I write because I want to and have kept it “hidden” for too long. There is a lot joy for me when I write. And I do understand what she is talking about being invested in your characters. For my first book, I have chosen to make it loosely based upon a true story.

Write Your Own Style – She writes about there not being a perfect formula for writing. Find your own style of writing.

Immediately this gives me comfort. The fear of not being a perfect writer is what was stopping me from starting to write my first novel. Once I let go of this fear, I wrote 23,000 words in 30 days…WHOOHOO! I am so excited for this accomplishment. And you can do it too.

Rewriting – Here she shares that for her the rewriting process is the most creative part for her. She also recommends to read the draft out loud so you, the writer, can hear the flow of the story.

To tell you the truth, the rewriting process scares me a little bit because I am afraid by trying to rewrite the draft, I will get off track and then it may mess up my progress. I am aware that it will take three or four more rewrites until I get to the final draft.  I realize if I don’t move forward, I don’t go anywhere. So I will do the rewriting. I guess it is how you look at it. Look at as a way to make things better for the reader. There you go.

Love the idea of reading the draft out loud too. Will do Judy!

Rejection – Confesses for the first two years she received nothing but rejections. Also, get used to rejection because no writer has come through it without getting rejected at least once and most of time several times. Keep moving forward! Determination and hard work are just as important as a writer as the talent you possess.  Keep writing.

Noone enjoys getting rejected however, just like finding a mate, not everyone works for everyone else. You have to be a good fit for the other person and vice versa. Your book has to be a good match and the publisher has to be a good fit for your book. It is part of the process.  I will try and remember this upon receiving those rejections.

Teachers – Judy didn’t have the support as a young person to write however, she states writing came easy to her.  She encourages young writers to find support by teachers and other adults around their writing.

I believe this is one place where the internet helps writers because there is many places to receive encouragement, support and inspiration for writing.

Thanks Judy for having such great stuff on your site!

P.S. You can read her blog too. I recommend her latest post about losing her purse.

Today I woke up to breakfast being made for me by my lovely daugther. She made me coffee and a bagel with cream cheese. She is so amazing.

I am excited today because I have sent my first rough draft of my novel (I know there are many re-edits, rewrites and and drafts to go) to a few objective fellow writers and friends of mine.

Ok, well here are the picks for the Fab Five Friday:

1) Thanks to @dallaswoodburn for this tweet about Judy Blume’s website and the page for kids. I clicked on the writing a report link at the bottom of the page. A page comes up to reveal a page offering writing advice to kids along with Judy’s bio and info on Judy for kids doing a report about her.

2) Next thank you goes to @martinvarlow for sharing a tweet about Motown Writers Network, Michigan’s largest literary network for readers and writers. The post introducing Pam Perry (an Oprah guest) who shares publicity tips.

3) A new twitter friend of mine @wordywoman shared a post from the New York Times online about how Target is helping unknown authors become bestsellers through their new BookMarked Club. The post states “for each book selected as a Bookmarked Club Pick, the publisher produces a special edition, and the author writes a letter addressed to Target readers.” Sounds like a more expansion for authors into the main frame.

4) Another new twitter friend of mine @pwheeler_agent offered a tweet about Slate writer Farhad Manjoo writing about Amazon action of deleting ebooks from Kindle. Amazon stated that the titles were deleted because they were bootlegged copies of the famous books and it was only trying to protect author’s intellectual property. And for these Kindle customers’ who purchased these “bad” copies, they did get their money refunded. Farhad brings up a good point. When you go into a bookstore and purchase a book, the bookstore does not make you sign a contract stating you will have to give the book back if they say you can not read it. It is about the power Amazon has over Kindle customers and as such customers you don’t own the property even when you purchase the copy of the books or music you download. Thought provoking post!

5) Rounding out this Fab 5 Friday is @megandimarie with her tweet on her post from the Examiner listing some great Twitter chats for writers, authors and readers.

I wish you a wonderful day and weekend!

I have the distinct pleasure of sharing with you an interview with Author Christina Katz, author of Get Known before the Book Deal and Writer Mama.

When did you start writing?

I started writing in earnest when I entered graduate school at Columbia College Chicago in the fall of 1992. When you don’t write regularly, writing 1,000+ words a week is great habit to get into. In addition to a lot of other great lessons I learned in grad school, I started to find my writing rhythm. I’ve been writing pretty darn regularly ever since.

How long did it take you to write your “The Writer Mama” and “Get Known Before the Book Deal”?

I spent a year and a half on Writer Mama and one year on Get Known. Speaking of writing rhythms, I found my book-writing rhythm on Writer Mama, the hard way, but then was able to write Get Known quite a bit faster and with less energy wasted. Writing career success is all about finding your rhythm and then repeat, repeat, repeat.

Do you have a process for your writing? (ie. You write in the morning, you write for 2 hrs each day, you write 1000 words 3 times a week)

When I’m working on a book, I often get up very early in the morning to work. I love when everything is hushed and quiet. I can get a lot more done at this time of day than I can later when everyone’s up and about. But I don’t have a strict schedule because, as a nonfiction writer, deadlines typically dictate my writing schedule more than anything.

Both books are written with The Writer’s Digest, how did you become connected with them?

I pitched Writer Mama to Jane Friedman, then Acquisitions Editor, at the Willamette Writers Conference in August 2005. You can read the whole story here ( http://thewritermama.com/writermamastory.html). I think it’s always fun to hear how folks landed their first book deal. Over the years, Jane and I have become good friends.

Please share with the readers your top 3 tips for new writers just starting out?

Take classes from reputable teachers, find mentors who can work with you over time (because writing success takes time), and plan to work consistently hard for years if you want to see any kind of lasting results. My recommended order for writers to learn skills is: craft, pitching, professional development, then platform-building. But that’s just based on what I’ve seen work for writers I work with, everybody’s different and there is no fixed rule.

Do you have a few favorite books on writing you would recommend for writers?

Sure. The Beginning Writer’s Answer Book, edited by Jane Friedman will pretty much concisely any question you have about getting started as a writer. Then I suggest a book like Writer Mama that breaks the process of getting started as a publishing writer down into incremental steps. Then, once you are publishing with some regularity, I recommend, Kelly James Enger’s Ready, Aim, Specialize, and Wendy Burt Thomas’ The Writer Digest Guide to Query Letters. That’s just to get off to a good start.

What tips would you give to someone who has started to write a book, but is new to the internet regarding building a platform?

Well, I guess I would probably shock your readers by saying that I think that starting with a book when you haven’t been publishing regularly already is a mistake. I strongly recommend, regardless of what genre you write in, that you start by writing shorter pieces and submitting them for publication. This is part of platform-development and it also helps a writer build skills and confidence. When it’s time to handle a book deal and marketing a book, a writer is going to need both skills and confidence in abundance.

Besides your books, what other services (products) do you provide to writers?

I’ve been teaching writers for over eight years. Throughout that time, I have developed nonfiction writing classes that start with writing short pieces and extend all the way to landing a nonfiction book deal. I also have a few highly qualified teachers I recommend, who offer classes I don’t, like essay writing, poetry writing, and writing for the online markets.

Do you have plans to write any more books in the future? If so, please share a little bit about the your next book.

Oh, most definitely. I have a few ideas in the works right now but I purposely didn’t rush into my third book because writing books is can be physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausting. It makes good sense to pause once in awhile and refill the well and that’s what I’m doing this summer. Also because I’m not writing another book doesn’t mean I’m not working. I publish three e-zines, travel to speak around the country, host a local author series, create online events like The Writer Mama Back-to-School Giveaway and #platformchat on Twitter, and I participate in social networking. So, it’s not like there are many dull moments around here. I’m sure I’ll make a big announcement when I finally commit to a third book.

Please let the readers know where they can pick up your book(s)?

Both of my books, Writer Mama and Get Known, are available at booksellers everywhere. I’d love it if your readers would ask their local libraries to order copies because I’d love for them to be available to everyone.

Bio for Christina Katz

Author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform & Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids

Christina Katz is the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform (Writer’s Digest Books). She started her platform “for fun” seven years ago and ended up on “Good Morning America.” Christina teaches e-courses on platform development and writing nonfiction for publication. Her students are published in national magazines and land agents and book deals. Christina has been encouraging reluctant platform builders via her e-zines for five years, has written hundreds of articles for national, regional, and online publications, and is a monthly columnist for the Willamette Writer. A popular speaker at writing conferences, writing programs, libraries, and bookstores, she hosts the Northwest Author Series in Wilsonville, Oregon. She is also the author of Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids (Writer’s Digest Books).

As I was browsing on Twitter, I noticed tweets about favorite authors and books. So, I thought I would ask the question, writers, who is on your bookshelf?

What books do you have in your collection on writing?
Here are a few of mine:
You can write Children’s Books by Tracey E Dils
Beginning Writer’s Answer Book by Writers Digest, edited by Jane Friedman
Time to Write by Kelly L. Stone
The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Get Known before the Book Deal by Christina Katz

Who are some of your favorite authors?
As writers, most of us love to read. I am no exception.
Some of my favorite fiction authors:
Ed McBain, Tricks and Alice in Jeopardy
Terry McMillian, A Day Late and a Dollar Short and How Stella Got her Groove Back
Sophie Kinsella, Confessions of a Shopaholic

Some of my favorite nonfiction authors:
Dr. Wayne Dyer, Change your Thoughts, Change your Life
Jack Canfield, The Success Principles
Seth Godin, Meatball Sundae and Free Prize Inside
Jeffrey Gittomer The Little Black Book of Connections

Please share the authors you find helpful and/or fun to read.

Music can change your mood in just a few minutes. Sometimes it changes your mood in a matter of seconds. I really love music and many times I listen to music when I write. For me, music gives me what I need from it. Sometimes, it allows me to relax and others times it will pumps me out of a weird mood.

I wanted to share with fellow writers songs that I have found are inspirational to me about writing, passions, and dreams.

The first song I would like to share with you is “No Boundaries” sung by Kris Allen. Songwriters: Allan, Mitch; Dennis, Cathy; Dioguardi, Kara.

To be honest, when I first listened to this song, I wasn’t really impressed with it. However, once I heard it a couple more times, I started listened to the lyrics.

In this song, it speaks about keeping the fight going to get to your dreams. For writers, sometimes the struggle is more within ourselves than it is with anyone else.

Kris Allen – No Boundaries lyrics | LyricsMode.com

Please feel free to share with me your ideas about this song and lyrics if they helped you as a writer.

This week has been a pretty good. The virtual blog tour for Rajesh Setty’s book, Upbeat, continued this week.

I have continued my writing on various projects. I am excited to be working on a young adult series with my daughter Amanda. I am also working on doing a few ebooklets for my husband’s cleaning business. And my own novel. Writing, writing and more writing.

Since I have started the Fab Five Fridays (formerly the Weekly Roundup), each week there are such wonderful places on the internet I am happy to share with you.

Here are my finds for this week:

1) Book Tour.com – I found this site by reading a tweet regarding the discussion
blog post with Seth Godin about Chris Anderson’s new book, Free and how free is a part of our society. Book Tour.com allows authors to list their book tour events. You can also search to see the authors “touring” in your area.

2) Author Central on Amazon -If you are an author and sell your book on Amazon be sure to have your profile up on Author Central. I believe you can have your Book Tour.com event information linked to this author page.

3) The next resource for Fab Five Friday is an author whose book, Get Known Before the Book Deal, Christina Katz. I also found out this week (since I now follow her @thewritermama) she hosts a chat on Twitter called #platformchat. When you go to her site, you will find more neat things and resources…including her email classes and workshops.

4) Interesting article (tweet from @RebeccaWoodhead) from The Boston Globedescribes how The Northshire Bookstore in Vermont has decided to add a Espresso Book Machine (or as they call it “The Lurch” to their decor to allow customers to receive print on demand books in the store. Could this be the future of publishing?

5) I found an agent. Well, at least on twitter I did anyway. @RachelleGardner answered questions in her blog post, If you have written more than one book, who do you query first? She replied with an interesting question, why are you writing more than one book at the same time? Well, I have to say, I am guilty of this same thing at the moment. I am in the middle of writing a few things, however, they are in different genres. So I don’t believe I would be seeking out one agent for all of them anyway. However, I do see how if you are writing more than one romance novel, you may wish to pitch them to a agent in the genre.
(Also, please read the submission guidelines are Rachelle’s site before you just submit to her- thank you.)

I do hope you enjoy this Fab Five Friday. Have a wonderful memorable and celebratory weekend~Happy 4th of July!

Can you believe it? Half of 2009 is already over. Time does seem to be flying lately.

Have you accomplished some the goals you have set for yourself for 2009? Or at least on the road to completing them?

Sometimes you may have problems getting those things done by this time in the year.

Here are a few ideas to help you get back on track with the things you wish to complete by year end.

First, take a deep breath. Or perhaps take a few deep breathes. If you haven’t been able to finish or at least start of your 2009 goals, it isn’t the end of the world.

Many times when your goals get put off, there are other reasons and it isn’t laziness. You could be putting them off due to fear or self sabotage. Or you just need to find a better process in order to get those things done.

Next, review your goals list for 2009.

While reviewing the list, take the time to sit and give yourself credit for the things you have completed. You deserve it. Many times it is easier to knock yourself down for the things you don’t complete and don’t give any credit for accomplishments.

For those goals you haven’t completed yet, take stock again and access for each how important each goal is to get done.

Create a fresh goals list—in fact, create 2 lists.
One list for the goals you have accomplished. One list of goals you wish to accomplish by the end of the year. Place the completed list in front of you so you can see your accomplishments so you can focus on positive things.

With the “Goals to complete” remember to set realistic goals. This is not the time to beat yourself up for those things you haven’t completed. Today is a new start. You will start today toward these goals.

Enlist some help if needed. With the age of social media it is easier than ever to get other people to support you in your goals. Ask for help. Ask for an accountability partner where you each support the other in accomplishing your goals.

To show you about goals, I would like to share with you a few of mine:

Write a book by the end of 2009.
Still in process. I have started on this goal. In fact, I am in the middle of writing a few things. One is a book with my daughter for young adults. The other is a ebooklet for my husband’s business. When I initially wrote this goal, it was to write a business book or novel. This may or may not get fully completed by the end of 2009. But for me, the real goal here was to start writing and I am writing. I am proud of myself for starting and continuing on my writing journey.

Cook more from recipes.
At the beginning of the year, I was still buying a lot of fast and easy things from the grocery store. It was “easier” to do this even though, I really wanted to take the time to explore new recipes and make things myself.
In the spring I decided I wanted to make a real commitment to start taking a more active role in cooking. Take the time to research new recipes, get the ingredients and create new dishes. Cooking has been a great way to spend more time with my daughter and she is learning too. She has taken a liking more to baking but it is still in kitchen so it is great.

Get more involved in local networking.
Before getting out of the corporate world, I knew more of what was going on in my local area. Even then I wasn’t in any local networking groups. When I began my career shift to online mostly, I have stayed away from local and did all of my networking online. For 2009, I thought I would find at least one local group to join. In late 2008, a friend of mine introduced me to eWomen Network. I have been a member ever since. Also, in 2009, I have become a member of Florida Writers Association, a community which supports writers throughout Florida with many city chapters. Both groups have provided me with support, encouragement and inspiration.

It is interesting because when I sat down to write this post, I had thought to myself, “You can write this Teresa but then you are going to have to admit you haven’t accomplished anything you wanted to for 2009.” And in actuality by writing these down, I have shown myself, I have done pretty good. I am on the right track to accomplishing my goals for 2009.

Perhaps you too have accomplished more of your goals for 2009 than you thought, hmmm?

Please share with me your experience with goals for 2009.