Saturday Edition – What We’re Writing and Reading

Welcome to this Saturday Edition of What We’re Writing and Reading.

We’re taking a little detour on the weekends now to share some of what we’re up to with our writing (when we’re not here) and what we’re into with our reading (around the web). We’ll also pull back the curtain a little to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what went into a piece.

We hope you enjoy this little diversion and encourage you to share your own posts and picks in the comments.

Happy writing! Happy reading! 

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Lisa J. Jackson: It’s been a super-busy week for me with editing work, networking events, and business meetings, so I haven’t had much time to do any reading or writing. I did read the submissions from my critique group partners, and I obviously have to read the documents I’m editing, but I don’t think those count. <grin> I’ve also been reading airline schedules as I strive to plan an August getaway. I should be back to a normal schedule next week and have books and blogs to share with you, since I have a lot to catch up on!

photo: M. Shafer

Deborah Lee Luskin: The week began with the VPR broadcast of Some Came By Ship, a commentary on Passover and immigration (written the week before). Midweek saw the publication of Slow Democracy in The Commons, Windham County’s independent newspaper. I’ve done a fair bit of work-for-hire this quarter, so I also spent some time Thursday sending out invoices, which feels almost as good as depositing the checks that will come in! I also sent in promo material for Bookstock, a literary festival I’ve been invited to speak at in Woodstock, Vermont on Saturday, July 27, 2013, and I worked on a course description for a Revisioning Workshop that I plan to offer to prose writers beginning in May. And, I worked on my novel! If this all sounds frantic, it’s because I’m trying to clear my desk before driving to Kentucky to attend the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville – and visit my daughter the playwright.

Jamie Wallace: It’s been another crazy week. I can’t believe that this weekend is Easter and Monday is the first day of APRIL!! Where is 2013 going?!? Like Lisa, I’ve had little to no time to do any writing except the stuff I get paid for (most of which you wouldn’t be all that interested in – ebooks and other marcom materials for my lovely B2B clients). I did, however, get another column up in my local paper, and I published what turned out to be a mini manifesto of a blog post on my marketing blog:

Unexpected Small Town Regrets is my latest column for my local paper. I got a little more personal in this one than I have in past columns. I wasn’t all that sure about opening up the way I did, or even just turning the spotlight more on my inner thoughts rather than keeping it focused on a more generic experience. In the end, I followed my heart and sent the piece off to my editor. I still feel a little naked with it out in the world, especially in a way that is so close to home; but it’s also somehow comforting to let my guard down a bit.

On my own blog, I posted Easy Marketing for Small Businesses: 5 tips that will help you today. The inspiration for this piece is some conversations I’ve been having with local business owners. Though I often work with mid- to large-sized B2B companies, many in technology and most with global offices, I love working with small and micro business owners and creative entrepreneurs. (In fact, I’m working on some products and programs designed specifically for these people.)  I love helping these small business owners see all the possibilities of today’s marketing tools and techniques, but before I can get to that conversation I usually have to get past some marketing misconceptions.

Finally, here are a few of my favorite, writing-related posts from other bloggers around the web:

• The Best Bad Choice by @SPressfield
• Make a Living as a Writer, Part 2 by @RachelleGardner
• Make Every Moment a Work of Art by @jaltucher
• Paris Review – The Art of Fiction No. 189, Stephen King 
• Herbert Weitz, Book Binder To The Stars (VIDEO)
• 50 Reasons You Should Be A Bookworm
• Book Marketing: 9 Activities to Boost Your Author Career  by @danasitar via @thecreativepenn
• You’re Distracted. This Professor Can Help.