Blogging | Cathy C. Hall Writes

I love a good deal. Nothing makes me happier than to find a bargain worth bragging about. So, I’m pretty much busting with joy right now, ’cause I’ve got such a deal for you writers!

The Virtual Writer’s Conference begins today! Posts are going up as I type, and I can tell you they’re packed with great writing advice. I just read the opening post by Leslea Harmon. She shared her thoughts about standing up for your work (she writes an opinion column) and I loved what she had to say. And I saw that Margo Dill was up next with some advice about revising and editing your children’s works. Margo is an editor and has a middle-grade book due for publication this year, so I think you’ll appreciate her pearls of writing wisdom.

Sometime during the day, my Top Ten Reasons You Should Have a Blog will be posted. So, zip over there and see if I’ve left anything out. And share your comments on the Virtual Writer’s Conference blog so that all the attendees can benefit from your pearls of writerly wisdom.

New posts will be added through the 21st, and since this is a virtual conference, you don’t have to worry about missing a single session! Seriously. Is this a deal or what?

Most of the time, I’m fairly fond of myself. Not overly crazy about me, but I wouldn’t kick me out of the house, either. Except when it comes to end-of-the-month deadlines. Then I probably should kick myself. I’ll let you decide where.

All through March, grasshopper, I meant to work on a story for an anthology call out I’d seen, oh, weeks and weeks ago. I had plenty of time to take that story (and it was a good story, too) and make it shiny and bright (or dark and gory, as the anthology called for horror). But did I?

Well, I suppose there wouldn’t be much point in telling you what not to do if I’d done what I was supposed to do. So, for the past two days, I worked like a madwoman on that story. And I finished it, and submitted it, right under the deadline. Oh, I know what you’re thinking. What a clever girl she is! (Thank you). And what’s the big deal, then?

The big deal is that anthologies often fill up before the deadline. So, even if you have the most wonderful, horrific story ever, there might not be any room left for it. All because you waited around till the last minute. (That’s what I’m going to tell myself if my story doesn’t get picked. And it could actually be true, grasshopper.)

And speaking of waiting around…for those of you eagerly waiting to see who won The Cabbages and Kings Blogging Comment Contest and my autographed copy of Query Letters that Rock!, you should know that the beneficent Mr. Hall is nowhere to be found. So, I couldn’t use the patented Draw from the Colander technique. I thought I might use the Hound Picks technique, like in The Penderwick’s books. But Sally the Dog is apparently not as gifted as Hound and refused to pick a name. I eventually managed to think up a random and unbiased picking method, but it wasn’t easy. It kinda taxed my brain so much, I don’t know if I’ll get to any writing today. I can always get my writing done tomorrow.