My Great Escape...

I know I've been talking a lot about blogging (or the lack thereof) since my return, and I'm sure you are like "blah, blah, blah...not again." But I do need to talk about one more thing...the pleasures of blogging. You see, it's not a chore. It really is fun. (You do know there's no way those are my feet in the picture, don't you? If I'm on the couch, you can bet I'm in pajamas and slippers, not heels!)

Life has thrown me for a few loops over the last year, and I haven't been around as much as I used to be. I've missed it, though. I've missed the constant inflow of information. I've missed the valuable writing exchanges. But, most of all, I've missed the friendships I've made here and the escape they provide. It's kind of like the CHEERS theme song...sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came...

That's what this place is for me. It's a place I can come to, no matter what else is going on, and have a good time; hook up with like-minded people; and explore my writing ambitions. There's nowhere else like that (at least not in my little world).

So, I'm done ranting about the time-suck that social networking has become, and I'm ready to enjoy all the things it has to offer. Who's with me?

(On a side note, I enabled the pop-up feature for my comments because several of you weren't able to comment. I hope that fixed the problem. If not, please email me and let me know. Also, thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday on Facebook. It really made my day!)

Am I Getting Ahead Of Myself?

Probably, cause I tend to do that every once in a while. Oh, who am I kidding...I tend to do it a lot.

I know many of you participated in the WriteOnCon conference last week and heard much of what I'm about to say. But, for those of you who didn't, this info may be useful.

We've all heard conflicting opinions about the importance of having a web presence even before publication. It was a hot topic at the conference, and from what I can tell, still up for debate. Some agents feel it is of huge ginormous (is that a word?) importance. Others feel it is insignificant at the pre-signing stage. The one thing they all agree on is that after taking on a client, they expect said client to develop a web presence if they have not already done so.

The way I figure, I may be getting ahead of myself, but I'm still getting ahead, right? Maybe it doesn't matter today, but in the long run, this part of my journey will already be on its way.

That being said, I think David Weisman made a good point about my blogging activity here. I did burn out. And, it was because I thought way too hard about what to post. I set myself up for failure when I insisted that every post be a meaningful one about writing with a corresponding shoe to boot (no pun intended).

Bottom line is this...I was so intent on enlightening all of you with my brilliance (and trust me, I'm BRILLIANT!) that I quit having fun. So, no more. I'm here. I'm going to have fun. And if I'm getting ahead of myself, so be it. At least I'm having a good time, right? Just don't expect any more brilliant posts. And definitely DO NOT expect any kind of regular schedule. I've decided to approach blogging like I do the rest of my life...whatever happens, happens.

I know I've been flippant here, but in all seriousness, how do you view blogging? Is it another task in your already too full to-do list? Is it your method of socializing? Or is it a means to a desirable end? Regardless of what it is to you, when it stops being fun, it stops being useful.

(Oh, and Blogger, I still can't see my followers. Do you think you could help me out? You know, so I can have fun!)

Blogger Gave Me A Good Swift Kick

Yeah, that's right. I finally come back, and Blogger lets me have it. Oh, Blogger, why so angry? Is it because I was away for so long? Or is it because you didn't want me to come back? What? What is it?

Wait, I know. It's because you're annoyed by all the shoes I post. That's it, isn't it?

Okay, okay. I'll admit it.

It wasn't entirely Blogger's fault. It was...err...more along the lines of user error. Apparently, I had my cookie filter set too high and wasn't able to comment on some of your posts. Problem solved now, though, so I hope to get around to you all today. (And, Blogger, I'm sorry about all those nasty names I called you. I didn't mean it. Really, I didn't.)

Anyway, I guess I missed a lot of big things while I was gone. Blogger had an epic fail????? Say what????? Of course, I'm probably glad I missed that, huh? Sounded horrible!

But, I also missed the news that my friend, Carol Riggs, signed with an agent. Congratulations, Carol!

And, I almost missed WriteOnCon. Oh, what a tragedy that would have been! (By the way, that's where I've spent most of my time the last three days). It was amazing! If you didn't participate, you can still access the conference events at the WriteOnCon website here. It will be well worth your time, trust me. And it's totally free!

Okay, I think that's all I have to talk about. Oh, wait, one more thing...thank you all for your big-ole warm welcome back. It was awesome! (And on a side note to Blogger...I still can't see my followers, and I have a couple of new ones I'd like to go visit. What's up with that? I thought we were all good...)

Have a great weekend! (Well, not you, Blogger. You better be working hard this weekend to fix all my blogging problems!)

Who Could Forget These Shoes?????

I posted them here over two years ago, yet I remember them clearly. I hope the same can be said about me. I've been gone a long, long time. Six months to be exact. And, I'm hoping not much has changed. (Other than a lot of good stuff, of course!) Many of you contacted me privately or through Facebook and Twitter, and I can't tell you how much I appreciated it. You are all the best things that ever walked the face of the Blogosphere! Oh my! Where did the time go????? Well, I could tell you, but I'm pretty sure you'd be bored out of your minds. So, I'll leave it alone. Let's just say that real life took over. Most of it good...some of it not so good. At any rate, I'm back now, and I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to catch up with everyone. I'm guessing I missed a lot of breaking news (agent signings, books selling, etc.), so please share. What's been going on?