March | 2011 | Cathy C. Hall Writes

First up, I wanted to pass along a blog tour/book giveaway going on at a friend’s blog: Words by Webb.

Not only has Marthe Jocelyn stopped by Jodi Webb’s blog to give away a copy of her book, Scribbling Women, but she’s also giving away a TON of books through her publisher, Tundra Press. And Marthe Jocelyn has written Picture Books through Young Adult, so if you’re a children’s writer, here’s a chance to win a bonanza of books! Read all the details and follow along the blog tour till April 10th to win big!

But don’t dilly-dallly too long. You’ll want to join me at MY blog, Cathy C.’s Hall of Fame on Friday, April 1, when Kristi Holl visits. Kristi’s written a wonderful book called More Writer’s First Aid and it’s packed with writing aids for whatever ails your writing. She’s giving away a copy of her book, so you’ll want to throw your name in for that prize! And you’ll want to hear her answers to some of the most common writing problems, too.

If winning books is something you enjoy, then check out blogs where folks review books and sponsor giveaways. Or make sure to sign up for Twitter and follow publishers who produce the books you read. Publishers are always giving away ARCs and debut books. It just takes a few minutes a day on Twitter to find book deals. (And the publishers pay the shipping to you!)

So, finding books to fill up your bookshelves with great reads is easy. Finding time to read all the books? Not so much.

It took a while, but I finally got a Chatty Cathy doll.

Now, you’re probably thinking that a girl named Cathy would of course have a Chatty Cathy. You’d be wrong. You’re probably also thinking that I moved on past that whole Chatty Cathy deficit in my life. Wrong again. There has always been a Chatty Cathy hole in my life.

But no more! Now, Chatty Cathy sits (technically, CC can’t sit. She can only stand.) on my desk, keeping me company as I type away. And if I pull the little string behind her head, she says clever things, like “I’m hungry!” or “I love you.”

Sigh. I love you, too, Chatty Cathy. And maybe it’s my imagination, but I think my writing’s improved. Especially the dialogue. So a big thank you to my friend, Donna at Donna’s Book Pub. She sent CC my way as a thank you for being a judge for the Saturday Writers chapter of the Missouri Writer’s Guild Flash Fiction contest.

I love flash, and reading the entries was as much fun as pulling Chatty Cathy’s string. Judging the entries was not as much fun, because of course, there were more than a few winning writers and it was difficult to choose the top flash pieces.

Still, I’d judge again (and not just because I may get another swell perk out of the deal). Judging those flash entries made me think critically about the elements of flash, what worked in a piece and why another piece of flash didn’t quite work as well. And thoughtful critique makes Cathy a better writer.

So if you’re asked to be a judge for a writing contest, sey yes! It’s not just about giving something back; it’s also about improving critique skills and ultimately, your own writing. And now, let’s pull the string and see what Chatty Cathy has to say to brilliantly wrap up this post:

“I’m sleepy.”

Um, I guess even the coolest doll ever can have an off day. (I still love you, Chatty Cathy.)