Monday, September 17, 2007

The blogger is IN

Greetings, faithful NRJW readers and stoppers-by. The manuscript that has come between me and blogging for the past couple of weeks is finally finished and in the mail to New York (a day late, and yes, I did send an apologetic e-mail to my editor), so this morning I'm putting my blogging hat back on.

As I was perusing some favorite blogs just now, it struck me that I haven't added any new blogs to my daily(ish) reading list in quite some time. The blogs I'm reading are good blogs, but some of them have begun to bore me, perhaps because I'm getting to know the bloggers so well that I'm no longer finding delightful surprises when I click over.

I am not talking about Terry Teachout, a kind, classy, sensible guy who remains my gold standard for bloggers. Neither am I referring to Joe Carter, who consistently delivers the goods. Or Neil Gaiman, a bloke who could take out his trash and then write a fascinating post about it. Or The Amateur Gourmet, who daily offers up food and nonsense, with pictures. I still have lots of favorite blogs. But I have just deleted a handful of yawn-inducing blogs from my RSS reader (it's not them, it's me) and am looking for some new thrills. Maybe some of you are feeling the same way.

So. Have you read any good blogs lately? Here's your chance to sound off on the ones you've found particularly helpful, inspiring, or entertaining. Leave a comment here and list as many of your faves as you like. (Don't forget to give us the URLs so we can check them out.)

Another thing you might do is tell me what you'd like to see on this blog. I'm open to suggestions, but I'll save us all some time by mentioning two things I'm not willing to do, no matter how sweetly you ask:

Post book reviews. Sorry, but I absolutely stink at writing reviews. I either like a book or I don't. I either finish it or I don't. I can't go on for paragraphs about why I loved or hated a book. Those of you who can have my admiration.

Post pictures of cats. Not in this lifetime. I don't like cats. If that offends you enough to delete my blog from your RSS reader, so be it.


9 comments:

Heather said...

Check out Charles - http://charlesgramlich.blogspot.com/

he writes about writing and I always love that ;)

And JR http://jrthumbprints.blogspot.com/

who is a prison teacher who also writes...he has fascinating posts about prison life etc.

Happy surfing!

Shauna said...

LOL! Brenda, I am not a cat lover either, so I have no desire to see pictures of them here...or anywhere. Also, I like blogs that make me laugh and lift my spirits. Here are a couple:

girlswriteout.blogspot.com
jenstersmusings.blogspot.com
mom2my6pack.blogspot.com
swishygirl.blogspot.com

All of these make me laugh on a regular basis. However, if you're looking for something educational...*shrug*

Anonymous said...

101 Reasons to Stop Writing is always good for a laugh (www.101reasonstostopwriting.com)

Also, Good Girl Lit (http://goodgirllit.blogspot.com)

Good luck finding some new reading material!

Jennifer Shirk said...

I like the World Magazine blog: http://www.worldmagblog.com/blog/

and Chip MacGregor: http://chipmacgregor.com/

and Writer Interrupted: http://ginaconroy.com/groupblog/wordpress/?page_id=568

Anonymous said...

The Stone River, blog of fantasy writer Beth Shope. She doesn't often update it, but when she does, it's always worth reading, for her thoughts on writing craft and the snippets of her Novel in Progress. She has had a short story Dragon's Eye, published in the Fantasy anthology, Lords of Swords. Check her out:

http://thestoneriver.blogspot.com/

I second Chip MacGregor's blog. Very informative. Great sense of humor, too.

Anonymous said...

I've just discovered *your* blog and I'm having a great time! :)

Brenda Coulter said...

Kathy, you're very kind. Thanks for speaking up.

Everyone else, thanks for sharing the links. I'll give all those blogs a look.

Carol Burge said...

If your a western romance fan (or writer) you should check out Petticoats & Pistols. It's a great western site!

http://petticoatsandpistols.com/

Brenda Coulter said...

Not a fan, Carol, but I'm sure somebody else will read your comment and eagerly click over there.