Comments on: Where’s the Interesting Stuff?

By: Andrea

Andrea — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:16:34 +0000

Thanks! I got the news in your email newsletter and have since added your blog to my feeds I subscribe to.

By: The Writer Mama

The Writer Mama — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 05:39:26 +0000

Andrea, please come by my blog THIS WEEK to learn about The Writer Mama Scholarship. Good luck!

By: Ina

Ina — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 19:01:45 +0000

Vicky is Vicky63401.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:55:40 +0000

Vicky, I can’t find your blog. Please send me a link.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:54:23 +0000

Christina, thanks for stopping by. I’m considering taking your class but can’t really afford it at this time.

As it turns out, there is an article in the paying of the bills. I opened the utility bill and fell out of my chair. On my knees, weeping, that is.

Truth is I am in shock and awe that a Real Published Writer whose book is on my desk visited my blog. Now how am I going to ever be a Real Published Writer if I am starstruck by them?

By: Andrea

Andrea — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:42:58 +0000

Kathleen, thanks for stopping by and giving advice.

I did sign up for AC and have one article there. I am wondering if it’s a good fit for me since I tend to write humorous pieces with ease but struggle to write anything serious. It takes me ten minutes to hammer out a rant about babysitting that people are still laughing about months later but it took me several hours to put together a dry article for AC about protecting your computer from scumware.

People keep telling me I should write. I finally, at age 42, decided to listen. Still, I’m not sure I can write. I don’t remember anything from my single writing class in college. Even if I did, it was a business writing class, not a creative writing class. I don’t know the first thing about grammar and usage. I know if something sounds right or not but I couldn’t tell you why.

By: Vicky In The Middle

Vicky In The Middle — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:33:30 +0000

Yep, Andrea, I’m here too.

By: The Writer Mama

The Writer Mama — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:54:41 +0000

Good morning. Your observations rolled in on my morning Google alert like a piece of beach glass. I have a few suggestions, as is typical of me. For one thing, I’d keep a list, like this one of all the ideas you have as you get further into the book. One of my favorite articles by a former student of mine was about lice. For some reason, I find lice to be a fascinating topic…and therefore I imagine other moms do too. Why not write an essay about lice for Hip Mama zine? Also, not living and breathing homeschooling also sounds like an essay idea that has a lot of energy for you. And the comments prove that you’ve struck something. Maybe for the secular homeschooling magazine or maybe an opinion piece?

Ideas are just the first step in writing for publication, of course. But it sounds like you are off to a good start. Best of luck!

By: Andrea

Andrea — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 04:43:17 +0000

Please link me up if you find it, Vicky. By the way, do you have a blog over here too?

I should read Erma Bombeck and Dave Barry for inspiration and quit pulling my hair out wondering how I’m going to write any serious non-fiction. I was thinking that was all that sells but maybe it isn’t.

By: Vicky In The Middle

Vicky In The Middle — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 04:07:29 +0000

I don’t know, but everyday stuff like that served Erma Bombeck well for a nice profitable career. I’ve been trying to find somewhere on the web with writing prompts. I used to belong to a group in another place. Every week the moderator would give us a challenge. For instance, one I remember was to write the scene in an employee lunch room. One employee had borrowed money from another and never repaid it. We were to write an encounter from each point of view. Things like that were fun. That’s the sort of thing I’d like to find again. I’m not smart enough to think of things on my own.