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!)

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?

Oh, but blogging is not a waste of time!

I mean, seriously, you can use as many adverbs and adjectives as you want. Not to mention exclamation points and passive verbs like is, are, was, and were. That alone makes it worth while, right? Even better, though, are the discussions that almost always follow a well-intentioned, but not so carefully worded post. This is exactly what happened here on Wednesday. If you missed it, you can scroll down and read it now. Yes, in that post, I stated that my blog wasn't helping me sell books, and I meant it, just not in the way in which it was taken. To set the record straight, I'm here today to clarify. Is my blog helping me sell books right now? No! Will it in the future? Absolutely. And it's never too late to start branding yourself. I've spent the last week catching up on blog reading, and so many of you are talking about taking a break from blogging because it's such a time suck. The point of my post on Wednesday was to say, "Hey, it's okay. Your writing should always come first." I in no way, shape, or form, meant to imply that social networking is not a valuable marketing tool. It truly is the best PR out there, and we should all use it wisely. By that, I mean, use it to our advantage rather than our detriment. I'll be exploring this topic further next week with a repost of an interview I had with marketing expert, Shelli Johannes over at Market My Words. It was a super long post, and I hate those, so I'll spread the interview out over several days (one question at a time) to allow for continued discussion. Until then, I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Time... There's Never Enough of It!

If you read my post on Monday, you know that social networking has been weighing heavy on my mind. One of my goals for 2010 was to expand my activity in this area, and I've regrettably gone backwards. Or have I? I'm not so sure that it's a huge priority right now. Obviously, marketing is important when it comes to selling a book, but what about for those of us who don't have a book to sell yet? How important is social networking? Some of you will remember a series of post I did about a year ago involving using social networking as a marketing tool. I still stand behind every single one of them, but I have some additional thoughts to add. For those of us who are not published yet, building a platform is a daunting task, and reasonably so. I think this is because, in part, we aren't ready for that yet. How do you market something that isn't for sale? Ever since I came back from my five week blogging break, I've noticed an increase in people stepping back from social networking because they are overwhelmed by the time it takes. I'm so glad I'm not the only one feeling the undue pressure. My blog isn't going to help me sell books. I mean, seriously, unless I wrote a book about shoes, how in the heck would this be a good marketing tool? Maybe, if I wrote women's fiction, it might work, but for young adult... I don't think so. My point is this: each and every one of us needs to define what blogging means for us. After we do that, we can decide how much time we should devote to it. If you are an unpublished author like me, the majority of your time should be spent honing your craft, not socializing here. Now, that's not to say that interacting with others who are learning as you are isn't helpful. I'm just saying don't beat yourself up about not blogging regularly. Writing should be your priority. Blogging is an enjoyable pastime that helps me associate with others who are in the same place as me. When I start feeling too much pressure, well then, it's like the bad friend who sucks me dry because she's too needy. When it feels like that, it's time to take a break. If I didn't, my posts would be ridiculously boring, and who wants to read that? I love you all dearly, and the decision to start blogging was one of the best I've ever made. I hope to feel that way in years to come. Thank you all for sticking by me during my inconsistent blogging period. So, you tell me, why do you blog? Are you feeling undue pressure? I hope not. If so, let it go, because there are much more important things to worry about.

Shoe Cake Anyone?

As many of you already know, I celebrated my 100th post a couple of weeks ago. I had deleted a few posts, so on record, it was only my 88th post. Well, today, it is official. According to Blogger authorities, this is my 100th post, and my side bar even says so. Because I love parties, and I hit 200 followers this week, something I never imagined possible and am so grateful for, we are celebrating again. This celebration is in honor of you, my blogger friends. So, kick off your shoes, grab a piece of cyber shoe cake, and enter my very first drawing ever. Just leave a comment telling me the title and author of a book you really, really, really want to read but do not already own. On Sunday, at high noon (I always wanted to say that), one of my little pests, who most people like to call children, will draw a name from a bucket. The lucky winner will be announced on Monday and will receive the book they named in the comment (as long as it's available and not some collector's edition that costs a fortune, that is). I want to say thank you to all of my followers, commenters, and occasional stopper-byers. You've made my blogging experience more than I ever expected it to be. I love you guys! Have a great weekend! And if you want to order a cake like that or some other novelty cake, visit cakecentral.com.

The Time Factor

Note: This is part repost from August and part new thoughts added in. I have to admit that I could spend all day blogging. But I don't. Aside from the kids taking over the computer regularly, I have other things I have to do. I follow over 100 blogs. If I were to read and comment on every single one of them, assuming it took five minutes for each, that would take more than 500 minutes. That's over 8 hours, and it doesn't include writing my own posts or responding to comments on my posts. Would I love to be able to read and comment on every blog? Absolutely. Is that possible? Absolutely not. Thankfully, not everyone posts every day. That helps. But I also have my priorities. The most important thing (aside from my family) is writing. If I spend too much time blogging, I lose out on valuable creative time. You know those people we've been talking about who know all about networking for writers? (You know who I'm talking about.) Well, they all agree that the unpublished writer should spend most of their time writing. That's not to say they shouldn't do some social networking like blogging, but their efforts should be focused primarily on writing. I take this advice to heart. Several people have asked me recently how I manage my blogging time. So, I thought I'd post about it. I spend an hour in the morning blogging, a half-hour in the afternoon, and another half-hour or so in the evening. It's two hours out of my day, but I consider it time well spent. The rest of my day is devoted to my family and my writing. This is the only way I know how to handle it. No one should allow blogging to overwhelm them, so we each need to find a way that works for us and go with it. What about you? How do you manage your blog time?

If You Can't Say Something Nice... (Repost)

The other day, someone (I won't mention any names) says to me, "Your hair really is getting gray, isn't it?" Now, I'm making a big confession here to all of you bloggers. I have gray hair. Well, I would if I didn't color it. On this particular day, it had been quite a while since I had done it. In fact, the box of hair color had been sitting on my counter for several days waiting for me to have a chance to use it. Did I know my head was starting to look like a skunk? Yes. Did my mother-in-law (oops...I wasn't going to mention any names) have to point it out? No, but she did. I've never encountered any rude bloggers, but I know of people who have, and I can't believe it. Someone might argue that if the world was a perfect place, everyone would be kind, but it's not, so as bloggers, we have to deal with it. I disagree. I think being part of a community like this comes with the responsibility of interacting in a positive and respectful manner. It does not come with the right to say whatever you want. What do you think? Have you ever come across any rude bloggers?

To Follow Or Not?

Last week, my son received an invitation to a birthday party from a boy who he was not friends with and never had been. Convinced the boy had only invited him to get more presents, my son did not want to go. I made him, though, because I thought it was the nice thing to do. We'll never know for sure what motivated the boy to invite him, but my son ended up having a great time and making a new friend, too! This situation reminded me of the whole follower business on blogger. Yesterday, I talked about how much I like getting comments on my posts. Nearly everyone who responded admitted that they, too, love the comments. I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that you all also love followers as much as I do. We've been told time and time again by people who actually know what they are talking about how important it is to develop an online presence. These same people all agree that in order to build up your own following, you must follow other blogs. While this seems a tad bit on the insincere side, it is true. And, I'll admit, I have followed blogs with the hopes that they would in turn follow me. I've also followed blogs because they followed me first. Now, is this really such a bad thing? I look at more like the birthday party my son went to. Perhaps the boy only invited him to get more presents, but they both gained a new friendship out of the deal. In the few short months I've been blogging, I have developed some awesome friendships. I've found so many blogs that provide valuable information. I've found so many bloggers who are on the same journey as I am. I've found blogs that make me laugh, and who couldn't use a good laugh sometimes? My point is this: The following game doesn't have to be insincere. The key is to follow blogs because you find some value in what the person has to say, not because you are trying to build up your own following. Chances are, they will also find value in what you are saying and will follow you, too. Okay, that's my far-from-expert opinion on the matter. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

You Light Up My Life!

Many of you will recognize that this is a version of a post I've already done. Since we were on the subject of blogging, I decided to re post bits and pieces of a series on blogging that I did back in August. This shoe lights up. And so does my phone. When I have a new email, a flashing red light appears in the corner of my phone. I used to look forward to seeing this light because I hoped it would be a response to one of my e-queries. On more than one occasion, this light saved me from the typical refresh-every-five-seconds syndrome so many writers suffer from. Since I stopped querying three months ago, I now look forward to seeing the light because I hope it is a comment from one of my blogger friends. Every time it is, I smile. I've spent the last couple of weeks talking about the importance of maintaining a professional blog. Just as important, though, is the concept of sincerity. It doesn't matter how professional your blog is. If you aren't sincere in your interaction on it, no one will want to come back. Commenting on other's blogs is one way to show your sincerity. Your comments bring me joy, and for that, I want to say thank you! Is it just me, or does anyone else love the comments?

Part 2: What's In A Name?

When I Google 'Converse', I get a zillion results related to the shoe company or the products they offer. When I Google my name, I get a zillion results related to anything but me. In fact, I discovered that there is another author named Susan Mills. YIKES! I can't have the same name as another author, can I? Yesterday, I discussed my user name, Lazy Writer, and how I thought I should change it because of the impression it gives. I want to thank you all for your feedback on this. I guess I've always known I would have to change it some day, and I think that day has come. Now, I have a new dilemma. What do I change it to? I could come up with another catchy name (many of you had some great suggestions yesterday), but I think it would be best to go with the name I intend to be published under. The problem is, though, I don't know what that is yet. Given the fact that 'Susan Mills' is common (not to mention boring) and that there is another author by that name, I've decided I need a pen name. What do you think? And what about your name? Are you happy with what you find when you Google it?

Part 1: What's In A Name?

My answer to this question is: A LOT! The name of this shoe store defines exactly what you are going to find inside--affordable shoes. I've been thinking about my blog user name, Lazy Writer. I chose it back when I had no idea what blogging was all about. The more I learn about blogging, the more I question this name. It doesn't convey what I'm about at all. For my newer followers, I posted here about why I chose this name. In summary, I'm not lazy when it comes to my writing. I'm lazy when it comes to other areas of my life because of my writing. I don't think that's the message it sends, though. If an agent or editor were to visit my blog (or any of yours that I comment on for that matter), I wonder what impression they would get. Although I am quite fond of the name, I'm thinking it needs to go. What do you think? What about your name? What do you want it to say about you?

I Knew Exactly What to Expect Here

When I walked into a Nine West shoe store, I knew there would be at least ten pairs of shoes I really, really, really wanted but couldn't afford. (Okay, I indulged, but only on one pair, not ten.) It's important for stores to be consistent in what types of products they offer. In much the same way, I think it's important for us, as bloggers, to be consistent with what we post about. Our readers need to know what to expect when they visit our blogs. That's not to say that we can't go on a tangent every now and then, but for the most part, we need to stick with the usual. That being said, the first thing we must do is determine the purpose of our blogs. If we are no where near the submission stage, our blogs might be more focused on building an online support community. Or, maybe, our blogs have nothing to do with writing at all and are more of an outlet, or they are personal and just for fun. Regardless, once we determine that purpose, we should post accordingly. I decided a while back that my blog would be about my journey as a writer. I've tried to keep my posts writing (or blogging) related. I often use real life experiences to develop a point, but I usually relate it to writing. That's what my blog is about. I follow many blogs, and I enjoy each of them for a different reason. I love the diversity of content out there, but I also like knowing what to expect from each one. Sometimes, I'm pleasantly surprised with a twist, which is great, but for the most part, I find satisfaction in the usual. (Kind of how I imagine Norm on Cheers felt when he walked into the bar every night.) I'm curious what you all think. Does your blog have a purpose? If so, what is it? And how important do you think consistency in content is?

Putting All Our Shoes Out There...

...might not be a good thing. I recently read an agent interview (don't remember which one, of course) in which the agent said that when she visits a potential client's blog, she specifically looks to see how much of the manuscript the writer has already made public by posting it on their on blog. She went on to say that bits and pieces are okay but not entire chapters. I've never been one to post samples of my writing on my blog, but I know many who do so successfully without giving too much away. I don't know what this particular agent considers bits and pieces, but I do know that it is something we all need to think about. We have to find that balance between enticing readers with sneak peeks and giving away too many details. My blogger friend, Robyn Campbell, asked a question yesterday about whether or not posting a pitch line on her blog for feedback was acceptable. My not so expert opinion is yes, it's okay. My gut feeling on this issue is that if something doesn't give away more detail than the blurb on the back of a book cover would, go for it. Again, I'm no expert, so I'd love to hear your opinion. How much is too much? And it's Friday, which means Silver Shoe of Sincerity Award time. Frankly, though, I can't keep narrowing it down to just one person. You are all such incredibly kind and sincere bloggers. I have to wonder why I ever subjected myself to having to make this weekly decision. That being said, and in honor of my 100th post (just keeping the celebration going here), a Silver Shoe Award for everyone! Feel free to pass it on now or to wait until someone truly touches you as being kind and sincere in the blogosphere. Or, don't pass it along at all. It's entirely up to you. You are all the greatest. Have a great weekend!

Okay, Now! None of That!

As writers on the journey, we often become frustrated and even angry at times, and no doubt want to kick someone. That's all fine, but should we do it on our blogs? I don't think so. If you haven't been here all week, I've been discussing what message our blogs convey. I veered a little off course yesterday with my 100th post celebration, but today, I'm back on track, and I'd like to talk about venting frustration. We are all at a different stage in our writing journey and, thus, have different goals for our blogs. But, if you are at the query stage, or close to it, you might want to consider what your blog says about you. As we muddle our way through our journey, it is tempting to vent all of our frustrations: How can Mr. Agent judge my work from one letter? Mr. Agent represents so and so. Why won't he represent me? My writing is way better than Mrs. Famous Author, and she got published. Why can't I? These thoughts, most likely, fly through all of our heads as we struggle in this publishing world. But blogging about it is not going to help us any. Agents/editors don't want to visit a potential client's blog and see a 'poor me' ranting of how everyone else is to blame. When they see this, they immediately think: this person will be difficult to work with; I think I'll pass. I'm no expert here, so what's your opinion?

Party Time!

As I mentioned Monday, today should mark my 100th post, but I deleted some older posts, so now it's only my 88th one. But, we are going to celebrate anyway. First, though, I wanted to take a moment to clarify something. My posts this week are based on things I've read in agent interviews. If I was super organized, I might have saved the links to those interviews, but I was far from organized, so I didn't. I do know of one location where several pieces of my information came from. Shelli at Market My Words interviews agents regularly. If you haven't visited her blog, you should. It's full of useful information. And one more thing, what you choose to post or not to post on your blog is entirely up to you and should also be based on where you are in your writing journey. My advice may or may not pertain to you. Okay, that being said, let's get on with the celebrating! What better way to celebrate than with music? My friend, Karen Amanda Hooper, tagged me on her blog last week. I'm supposed to list seven songs that have been influential in my life. I could not possibly narrow it down to just seven, so I decided to list ones that were influential to me when writing my first book. Keep in mind that it is a contemporary YA and the music I listened to at the time was consistent with that genre and not a reflection of my favorite songs. Although, I do like these songs. 1. I Don't Care by Fall Out Boy 2. I'm Yours by Jason Mraz 3. Let it Rock by Kevin Rudolf 4. Disturbia by Rihanna 5. Try to Leave a Light on when I'm Gone by David Cook 6. Angels on the Moon by Thriving Ivy 7. I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas (Okay, I'm cheating with this one. It came out way after I finished my book, but it now reminds me of a certain scene.) Now, consider yourselves all tagged. Feel free to post your own top seven songs on your own blog. Oh, and have some virtual cake and ice cream. What would a party be without that? I wanted to send a message to Ellie Kings. Ellie, if you are reading this, I just wanted to let you know that your comment feature on your blog isn't working. You might want to check into that. I'll have more on blogging tomorrow. Have a great day!

These Shoes Have Already Been Discarded

Why would I want them? I certainly don't want an agent thinking this way about my manuscripts, so I probably wouldn't want to advertise this, now would I? When an agent looks at a prospective client, they don't want to hear about the twenty rejections they've received. When I first started blogging back in May, I did so as a means of logging my journey. It started out as a diary of sorts. I have several posts that reveal how many queries I sent and how many rejections I received. Knowing now that agents don't want to see this, I've decided to delete all of those posts. (Don't bother searching for them. They are already gone. And, now that I think about it, I guess I'll have to delete this one eventually.) Unfortunately, this means tomorrow will no longer be my 100th post. No worries, though; we will still celebrate, and then in a couple of weeks when I hit 100 for the second time, we can celebrate all over again. Double the fun, don't you think? What about you? Does your blog reveal how many times your manuscript has been rejected? If so, what are your feeling about this?

How do shoes end up on power lines anyway?

Most of you know that I took a semi-break from blogging last week so I could focus on some much needed revisions. I called it my "I'm hanging up my shoes" week, and a picture similar to what you see here accompanied all of my posts. Well, thanks to my blogger friend, Karen Amanda Hooper, it has come to my attention that, in some parts of the country, shoes hanging on power lines indicate that drug deals take place there. GASP! I would never want anyone thinking that drug deals take place on my blog, so I thought I'd better clarify. It go me thinking about what message my blog is sending. I've read a number of blogs recently that discuss how agents google names of those who query. They quite often stumble across blogs in the process, and should an agent stumble upon mine, I certainly want it to convey a desirable message. Between this, and the fact that Wednesday will mark my 100th post, I've decided to discuss what we should and should not post on our blogs this week. If and when an agent reads my blog, I hope they will see a determined, aspiring author who is willing to work hard at improving and to do what it takes to rise to today's literary standards. What message do you hope to convey through your blog? Speaking of Karen Amanda Hooper, she tagged me the other day on her blog. Thanks Karen! I'll be following up on this next week.

If You Can't Say Something Nice...

The other day, someone (I won't mention any names) says to me, "Your hair really is getting gray, isn't it?" Now, I'm making a big confession here to all of you bloggers. I have gray hair. Well, I would if I didn't color it. On this particular day, it had been quite a while since I had done it. In fact, the box of hair color had been sitting on my counter for several days waiting for me to have a chance to use it. Did I know my head was starting to look like a skunk? Yes. Did my mother-in-law (oops...I wasn't going to mention any names) have to point it out? No, but she did. I've never encountered any rude bloggers, but there seems to be a case of it going around. Nathan Bransford had to block anonymous commenters because of a rude person. Stephanie Faris had to switch from My Space to Blogger because of several rude people. Jenna Alexander decided to stay completely away from the internet for a week because of a rude comment she read on someone's blog. Someone might argue that if the world was a perfect place, everyone would be kind, but it's not, so as bloggers, we have to deal with it. I disagree. I think being part of a community like this comes with the responsibility of interacting in a positive and respectful manner. It does not come with the right to say whatever you want. What do you think? Have you ever come across any rude bloggers?

The Time Factor

I have to admit that I could spend all day blogging. But I don't. Aside from the kids taking over the computer regularly, I have other things I have to do. I follow over 100 blogs. If I were to read and comment on every single one of them, assuming it took five minutes for each, that would take more than 500 minutes. That's over 8 hours, and it doesn't include writing my own posts or responding to comments on my posts. Would I love to be able to read and comment on every blog? Absolutely. Is that possible? Absolutely not. Thankfully, not everyone posts every day. That helps. But I also have my priorities. Not that I don't enjoy every blog I follow, because truly I do, but there's something to be said for those I feel a real sense of interaction with. These blogs are my priority. These are the blogs I read every time there is a new post. These are the blogs I comment on regularly. As for the others, I visit them as often as I can, and I comment when I feel I have something of value to add. This is the only way I know how to handle it? What about you? How do you manage your blog time? On a related note, if you haven't read Jody Hedlund's Posts this week, you should. She's doing a great series about the top ten mistakes bloggers make. Pop on over. It will be well worth your time.

To Follow Or Not?

Yes, those are penguin feet. But I promise. They are not Mooch's. Last week, my son received an invitation to a birthday party from a boy who he was not friends with and never had been. Convinced the boy had only invited him to get more presents, my son did not want to go. I made him, though, because I thought it was the nice thing to do. We'll never know for sure what motivated the boy to invite him, but my son ended up having a great time and making a new friend, too! This situation reminded me of the whole follower business on blogger. Yesterday, I talked about how much I like getting comments on my posts. Nearly everyone who responded admitted that they, too, love the comments. I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that you all also love followers as much as I do. We've been told time and time again by people who actually know what they are talking about how important it is to develop an online presence. These same people all agree that in order to build up your own following, you must follow other blogs. While this seems a tad bit on the insincere side, it is true. And, I'll admit, I have followed blogs with the hopes that they would in turn follow me. I've also followed blogs because they followed me first. Now, is this really such a bad thing? I look at more like the birthday party my son went to. Perhaps the boy only invited him to get more presents, but they both gained a new friendship out of the deal. In the few short months I've been blogging, I have developed some awesome friendships. I've found so many blogs that provide valuable information. I've found so many bloggers who are on the same journey as I am. I've found blogs that make me laugh, and who couldn't use a good laugh sometimes? My point is this: The following game doesn't have to be insincere. The key is to follow blogs because you find some value in what the person has to say, not because you are trying to build up your own following. Chances are, they will also find value in what you are saying and will follow you, too. Okay, that's my far-from-expert opinion on the matter. I'd love to hear your thoughts.