And the winner is...Kelly Hobbs! Kelly is a student teacher just about to graduate. She says she's excited about sharing verse novels in her future classroom. Congratulations, Kelly. I'm dropping your ARC in the mail today.
This Saturday, I'll be speaking in New Orleans at an SCBWI technology meeting. I've been asked to share about my blogging experience. While I've already pulled together my talk, I'd love to hear what all of you have to say.
- What draws you to a particular blog?
- What keeps you coming back? What drives you away?
- In your opinion, what three things must every blog have?
- What three things should bloggers avoid including?
- Anything else you have to say about blogs in general?
Thanks! I look forward to the discussion and hope to bring some of your insight to Saturday's meeting.
Welcome to a day of young adult/mid-grade recommended reading! Here's the complete list of bloggers/books participating in Elana Johnson's Spread the Awesome. You can also click on the link below to read the next post on the list. Before you go, make sure to enter my contest for your own signed copy of THREE RIVERS RISING.
I have always loved how historical fiction gives a glimpse of everyday lives at a different time. Add to this the mix of natural disaster, a love story, secrets between sisters, a class system thrown off course by tragedy, and a chance at redemption, and you have Jame Richards's beautiful debut, THREE RIVERS RISING: A NOVEL OF THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD.
Three Rivers Rising: A Novel of the Johnstown Flood, Jame Richards (Knopf 2010)
3RR is a YA historical novel-in-verse. I know a lot of you aren't familiar with NiVs, so here's a feel for Jame's story:
Thunder falls toward us
from high up the mountain pass.
Breath and screams
leave the lungs
all at once.
Fingernails dig into the tree
and my face buries itself
in the wet trunk.
It's coming.
The water is on its way
and I am already drowning.
From the cover: Sixteen-year-old Clelestia vacations with her family at the elite resort at Lake Conemaugh, a shimmering Allegheny Mountain reservoir held in place by an earthern dam. Tired of the superficial cheer and sly judgments of the society crowd, she much prefers to swim and fish with Peter, the hotel's hired boy. It's a friendship she must keep secret -- her parents would never approve -- and when companionship turns to romance, it's a love that could get Celestia disowned.
These affairs of the heart become all the more wrenching on a single, tragic day in May 1889. After days of heavy rain, the dam fails, unleashing twenty million tons of water onto Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in the valley below -- the town where Peter lives with his father.
Told by multiple narrators, Jame Richards's searing novel in poems explores a cross-class romance, the random hand of disaster, and a tragic and indelible event in American history.
Not only is Jame's work remarkable, she is approachable. When I first heard about her novel (thank you, Valerie!), my own historical NiV was on submission. It's stressful having any book out with editors, but I think there's a special anxiety for those of us whose work isn't commerical or cutting edge, or for that matter, written as prose. I emailed Jame, asking about her submission process. She shared with me her experiences and told me there would eventually be an editor who got what I was trying to do. I've kept a print out of that email in my calendar ever since. Thank you, Jame, for encouraging me along the way.
If you would like to win a signed copy of Jame's THREE
The fabulous Elana Johnson has pulled together Spread the Awesome: Books That Deserve Ten Stars for Monday, 3 May. Dozens of kitlit bloggers will come together to promote books they love.
Elana will have the entire list of participating bloggers at her site. Each post will also link to the next blogger on the list, meaning you can click through from one blog post to the next.
On Monday I'll post about Jame Richards's YA historical novel-in-verse, THREE RIVERS RISING, and give away a signed copy of the ARC. For those of you participating in my Verse Novel Challenge (and those of you who aren't), this is a book worth reading.
Come back Monday to participate!
.jpeg?picon=2982)
Hey there!
I like blogs that are friendly and inviting. I steer away from ones with a lot of person information, like family photos and such. I'm a relative stranger and would feel weird commenting on people's families. I also shy away from blogs that are overly political and religious. I blog about writing and those are the ones I go to, so when it gets mixed up with too much personal opinion, that kind of loses me.
Hope this helps!
Congratulations to Kelly!
Blogging and the publishing industry are intertwined these days on so many levels. I know the blogs I follow tend to provide meaningful, positive information. We are all limited on time, so I prefer blogs that get right to the point and give researched, helpful tips. I tend not to follow blogs with a whole lot of "fluff" and personal rambling. That being said, I like to read positive news when someone has a victory to share. Sites that offer humor or a sense of community keep me coming back.
Good luck, Caroline, with your presentation!
Marissa
When I first started blogging I was looking for information on writing from people with more experience than me. And I've learned so much from so many blogs. These days it's more about connecting with other people who are on a journey similar to mine. And I still love interviews with agents, editors and other authors.
I'm with Sherrie, in the beginning it was about gleaning information, now it's more a social thing. Sort of. I'm still looking for information but in a different way.
I'm drawn to a blog if it's humorous or informative, and I tend to prefer blogs that are fairly well focused.
I love seeing what other writers, editors, agents or publishers are going through.
If there are tons of comments (50+) on a post like, "What do you think about Times New Roman vs Courier?" that can drive me away; it feels circular and time-wastey.
Blogs suck!
No, just joking. There are many great blogs around. A good blog should have:
1. Interesting topics
2. Good comments and discussions
3. A nice picture
My blog has only #3 >:)
Cold As Heaven
I love blogs that are informative, friendly, colorful, and happy. I'm turned off by negativity and trivial daily lists, rather than content or meaningful info - even short and simple can be meaningful.
1. consistency
2. a positive and likeable blogger
3. short to med. length posts
1. rude and negative commentary
2. mile-long posts
3. too-dark backgrounds
I love YOUR blog! :-)
I first get drawn by the way a blog looks.
I run away from long boring posts.
I definitely keep coming back when posts are informative, funny, and personal.
And I'm loyal. Once I start a relationship, I'm in it. :)
Honest posts, cheerful outlook, informative posts, meaningful posts, fun personality and the ability to make me WANT to read whatever manuscript they are working on because I love the author as a person due to their blog style.
Negativity is really the only factor that drives me away.
Blogs are a great way of discovering who you are trying to be when you write. If the blog is a facade then you better create that facade well - most of us can see right through it. If it is an honest portrayal of the writer then for me, I know their work is an honest part of their soul. They put heart into it.
Keep me smiling and I will come back every day!
Visit My Kingdom Anytime
- I typically read industry blogs, so if it has good tidbits about publishing and also a nice personal flair to it, I usually add it to my Reader right away.
- Once it's on my Reader, I'll read what you put up almost as soon as you post it (with the exception of weekends). But if a blog doesn't have the promise I once hoped it would, or if the topics meander into a land that I'm not interested in, the blog comes off my reader and I'm done. For instance - I was (or still am because I can't figure out how to delete it off blogspot!) following We Love You So, Spike Jonze's blog about Where the Wild Things Are. After the movie came out the blog resorted to posting hipster art. Not into it at all.
- Blogs should avoid posting NSFW material. Or at least should call it out. Not a problem with my publishing blogs, but the last thing I want to accidentally happen upon on my Reader is some nudie pants gross picture.
That will be so exciting! Congrats :)
I like blogs that are friendly - where there is something to learn or something to chat about. I also prefer if blogs are easy to read and easy to load.
I feel the writing, as well as the personality of the writer draws me to a particular blog.
Interesting/fresh and original posts keep me coming back. Not much can drive me away, but if I had to pick something, I'd say apathy. That, and people who state something without researching and knowing all of the facts beforehand.
In my opinion, ever blog must have: PERSONALITY, something to say, and words (or course!). Okay, okay, that last one was cheap. Anything about books and/or the writing process in general draws me in, so that is a must have for me.
I'm not very picky when it comes to what I read, so I'm not sure I can pick and choose three specific things, but I was have to say what I said earlier: saying something without researching, apathy, etc.
Blogs are fantastic:)
I love a mix of personal, honest insight with writing advice and tips. If it's all advice and how-to or all personal I tend to get turned-off.
I LOATHE having to do the secret word thing before leaving comments. Leaving comments should be as easy as possible.
Have fun at the New Orleans SCBWI I am sure you'll do fantastic!!
1. I love blogs that are warm and welcoming, they appreciate comments and share interesting posts that you can have fun reading and also learn something.
2. Their writing and personality, that is something that simply cannot be fixed. I like fun!
3. Writing (hehe), humor, and the occassional lesson
4. Too personal!
I love all my fellow bloggers, they have wonderful personalities and that is ultimately what keeps me going back, also the drive that we all share to be the best writers we can be! An inspiration through every window!
Some blogs I read because it helps me keep up with lond-distance friends. Others I read for industry information, e.g. agents' blogs. But the ones that keep me coming back are the ones with a great voice. Bloggers don't talk about voice often, but like all writing, a distinct voice keeps the reader coming back for more.
I'm so sorry I hadn't stopped by in awhile, it seems that my blog reader and I don't always get along and it also seems that time I answer blogs yours isn't around so I miss it!! I'm glad that I was able to catch a moment and really catch up on some blogs I've missed, and I certainly missed yours! Happy Tuesday!
This is really helpful, everyone. Thanks so much!
Great questions, Caroline. I think blogging is really such an individual expression. But for writers serious about publication, I do believe blogs need to maintain a professionalism. I did a blog post recently about that and you're welcome to print it out and hand it out if you think it would be helpful. (It's one of my listed posts.)
I am drawn to writing/publishing blogs with a sense of humor, honesty, and good quality information. Beyond this, I've found that there are blogs I look to for writing craft, others for industry information, and finally there are blogs with such fun and warmth that they're just great go-to places when being alone at the computer gets overwhelming. I try to drop by my favorites in each category about once a week or so. Others are "as-needed" :) Great post. Thanks. Stasia
I just read your interview over at Graffiti Wall. Congratulations on your book. I love the way you compared writing in verse to stitching a quilt!
Hi Julie,
Welcome! I'm no quilter, but the idea of working square by square (or poem by poem) kept the momentum going for me. Much easier than wondering how I could sustain a story told through poetry, let me tell you!
Great questions. Actually a friend of mine MissV did the 'blog jog' and visited something like 130 blogs in one day. She then came up with a really great list of things that made her follow or not and I find that this just about sums it up for me too. Here's the post if you're interested:
http://missvspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/05/lessons-learned-blog-jog-day.html
Great interview btw!
CQG,
Just visited your link. Thank you so much! Excellent information, especially about remembering that each post should be able to stand alone for those first-time visitors.
I like ones with good information or questions to comment on. I tend to read ones with shorter posts. I don't have much time & try to follow a lot of them. Also blogging consistently is important to keeping a following.