Tuesday, November 20, 2007

The Blue Boards

Ok, if you haven't heard or been on the blue boards, aka Verla Kay's website, you must immediately go there. Don't pass Go. I'm addicted to them and wish I had discovered them sooner.

It's an online forum for writers, but agents and editors do pop in to chat. Yes, they are literally blue. The forums have categories by genre, response times for agents, publisher, and magazines, contest, and so much more.

There is a wealth of knowledge about the industry posted by writers in all stages of their careers.

Check out the site at Blue Boards

















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Saturday, November 10, 2007

Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

Netflix delivered an amazingly well written and well acted movie to me today. Julianne Moore portrays Evelyn Ryan a woman from Defiance, Ohio that was quite the contest queen during the 1950's and 1960's. She was the mother of 10 children and used her writing wit to win contests that helped to support her family. I was struck by 2 things: 1) She was an incredible giving and nurturing mother 2) She believed in the dream and had the writing talent to realize those dreams.

It gave me a boost to believe that they only way to win anything (i.e. a book contract) is to put yourself out there and continually work at it. I've been entering little writing contest like the one that Parenting magazine had a couple months back. The topic was the best parenting advice you ever got. After seeing, this movie, I'm going to keep doing that.

It's a touching, fun movie. So add it to your list of must sees.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Cynthea Liu.com

If you have not been out to her site, you must navigate there immediately. I found her site through the SCBWI discussion boards and am now a regular fan. She's got an incredible amount of rich content for a new writer. The best part is when she periodically offers free critiques in the forms of contests.

In late Oct., she offered the Academy Award of all contests, the opportunity to get your writing in front of a literary agent from Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Those of you in the children's writing genre know that this agency is one that you would love to have represent you.

She announces the finalists tomorrow and even did a random drawing for a free critique so everyone had a chance.

I submitted 25 pages of a middle grade novel that I'm re-working. If I remember correctly, she received over 200 entries.

Take a look around her site and see what you think.