There are so many wonderful LDS writer blogs and websites out there that I could not possibly link to all of them here. So for now, to have your blog/forum/website on my links list, it has to be a site that is PRIMARILY for support and/or education for LDS writers; not simply an author's slice of life, or even his/her daily experiences as an author. It also needs to be kept current and posted to on a regular basis.
If you'd like to be linked here, e-mail your site address to me.
P.S. All links will be listed alphabetically. I don't want anyone accusing me of favoritism. (Although, favoritism has gotten a really bad rap. Every choice we make in life is based on favoritism of some sort...)
P.P.S. If you'd like to put a link to me on your blog, have at it. And thanks.
12 comments:
Here's something I found on one of those lovely blogs you link to. The writer is blogging about how we should, like her, find time to write instead of finding excuses not to. As an example, she posts a photo of herself in a hammock, with this line:
"See that picture up there, that’s me on the beaches of Costa Rica and what am I doing? Why, I’m writing. I’m on vacation which means no kids, no phone calls, no schedules."
http://josikilpack.blogspot.com/
Well, pin a rose on her nose. Goody for her that she could find the "hidden minutes" in her vacation day to write while on the beach at Costa Rica. And then she tries to tell us she's just like us, writing while the kids are in gymnastics and etc.
Well, some of us are lucky to get a few hidden minutes to ourselves to go to the bathroom. Some of us have to deal with the reality that not all published writers earn enough to write full-time and pay for such glamourous writer's retreats. Some have a house full of kids, or have two jobs (work outside the home AND writing books), or have time-consuming church responsibilities for which we willingly have to sacrifice time in other areas--including our writing time. Some of us haven't had the money or free time for a vacation in years.
I guess I'm venting, but ya know, when I'm out here busting my butt to meet all my responsibilities and write too, I don't see the connection between her life and mine. Not at all. So I don't feel like that supported or educated me at all. It just made me depressed.
ohmigosh! how bitter can you get? i read her post too and i didn't get that at all. i don't know any writers who just write. all the ones i know juggle full-time jobs, families, church, hobbies, and a whole host of other things. and i bet josi does too. i'm glad she got to take a vacation. it gives me hope that if (i mean when) my books get published, maybe i can take a vacation too.
If you didn't like the way Josi said it at
The Red Pen try this one.
Chastisements accepted. I am guilty of breaking the writer's rule: I sent work out immediately after writing it instead of letting it rest and re-reading before sending it out.
I was exhausted, overworked, overwhelmed, and frustrated when I wrote that post. That's no excuse so I'm not justifying the rant.
Still, FWIW, I can relate better to the author who wrote his blog entry while eating his cold macaroni and cheese during his lunch break (using those microwave minutes for writing instead of warming his meal) than the writer who tells us how much writing she got done while sunning on the beach.
I'm with you! I just have a really hard time feeling any empathy for someone on the Costa Rican beach when I'm stuck here in the desert wondering how I'm going to pay that annoying bill collector!
So you're not alone, that's for sure! Just do me (and yourself) a favor, and don't give up! Someday when we're famous we'll look back and this and say, "can you believe what we used to go through?". Hopefully, we'll laugh about it.
:^>WLElliott (she, by the way *grin!*)
Just an interesting aside. I met Josi Kilpack at a writer's conference. She works and has four kids and still finishes her books between soccer practice and getting the dishes done. I think her point here was that even on vacation, she's a writer and writes EVERYWHERE! She writes in her van while waiting to pick up kids, and she writes at home when her baby goes down for a nap. And she writes while on a vacation where she's supposed to be relaxing. This seems like a case of don't judge a book by its cover. I wish I had that picture taken of me since honestly . . . the last time I went on vacation, I left my pen home. I'm actually glad you ranted or I would never have gone to see her blog. I'm truly inspired to make my pen an attachment to my hand and take it everywhere.
What I got out of Josi Kilpack's blog is that if you want to be a writer, you have to be willing to make sacrifices--even if it means giving up a piece of rare vacation time.
The way I see it, the entry had nothing to do with seeing how much free time she had--because I'm sure she's just as busy as the rest of us. (Just read her December 7, 2006 blog entry!)
I've been squeezing my writing into a busy life for well over a decade, and it never gets easier. But had I not done that consistently, I wouldn't have four published novels and dozens of published articles under my belt.
You have to find those small moments--even if it means doing it while on vacation. I think that was her point.
Oh, this is so interesting to me. Josi is one of the sweetest writers I've had the privilege of getting to know. Her heart is kind and she has desires to bless the lives of so many, not just with her books, but with her words written at her blogsite to help others.
For me, I found this particular post she'd written to be kind and inviting...completely within the desire to help others see that *anybody* can be a writer, if they just add 5 to 10 minute writing sessions into their day. Writing in the cracks, some call it. :0)
Part of the problem with the web, I think, is that we can't hear the tone of voice. But I bet if people could hear her read her words, those intonations and sounds would capture her wish to help as many people as possible.
She is an inspiration to me and I'm working now to try to keep up! :0)
I was surprised to read the bitterness in "Anonymous." Josi is a good friend of mine. She is the most unpretentious person I know and extremely generous with her time and talents. I waited until my kids were out of the house to start my writing career, thinking that I couldn't possibly juggle all that I had to do and write as well. The thing I admire the most about Josi is that she is able to balance work, children, family, church, and still find those stolen moments to write. Honestly, if she got a vacation it was well derserved and hardly because she is rolling in the dough. I don't know if I've ever known anyone quite as talented and yet so down to earth.
One day I hope to have a picture of me writing in Costa Rica. Or even showered with make up on. Usually when I write my books I look like a homeless person who parked in front of a computer because all of the heating grates were full.
Still Josi is a wonderful lady, so don't take her advice the wrong way. None of us, I suspect, think that writing is an exotic career choice.
Janette Rallison
I second Carole's post. Josi and her husband have worked very hard to be able to afford an occasional vacation, and she is a generous and amazingly talented person. Nobody gave her a free pass to get where she is.
She is also an EXPERT on plot, pacing, characterization . . . her critiques of my work are spot on and extremely helpful. Her books continue to touch the hearts of her readers, and they're about real-life tough issues that face women. No fluff. Just like Josi.
And you should see her with her kids. She is a wonderful mom. She deserves that vacation!
Anonymous, I hope you get to meet Josi. It would change your perceptions by 180 degrees. And I hope I get to meet you too, sometime, because as writers we all need support from each other. I hope I get to sit across from you at lunch at a workshop and get to know you. We draw strength and inspiration from asssociating with each other.
I should add - - when we were in grad school, my husband and I had a small, modest apartment. And when we both had papers due, we had to take turns using the typewriter (yes, typewriter) on the card table that also served as our dining table (the best wedding gift we could have gotten!) We have a picture of me sitting on the floor in the bathroom, my typewriter (manual!) on the toilet seat, working on a paper! I admit the picture was posed, but it wasn't far from the real deal. When I find that picture I will post it at my blog!
Janet
Post a Comment