List Of Blogs For Writers

Hay, Everyone!

Happy Easter! I've been busy. Here is a list of writing blogs for you to check out. I found them on a website.

• 2nd Draft Critique Service
  Before you send out your work, have it edited by an established pro!
• Agency Gatekeeper
  A literary agent shares secrets.
• Agent in the Middle
  Agent Lori Perkins blogs and tells all
• Ashley Grayson Agent Blog
  From the Ashley Grayson Literary Agency
• Ask the Agent
  Literary agent Andy Ross in Oakland runs an agency blog.
• Association of Authors' Representatives
• Barbara Doyen's Articles Page
  Agent Barbara Doyen shares her knowledge.
• Barry Goldblatt Literary
  A blog from the whole agency.
• BookEnds Agent Blog
  Agents from Bookends Literary blog
• Brenda BowenAgent Brenda Bowen's "Bunny Eat Bunny" kids writing blog.
• Cameron McClureCameron, with the Donald Maass Lit Agency, runs her "Book Cannibal" blog.
• Caren Johnson Literary Agency
  The official CJLA blog
• Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market Blog
  This blog, run by Alice Pope, is a must-read for anyone writing in the juvenile market
• Chip MacGregor's Agent Blog
  A Christian agent speaks
• Chuck's conference speaking schedule
  See where Chuck will be presenting and when!
• Colleen Lindsay's Agent Blog
  A new agent at FinePrint Literary blogs
• DHS Literary Blog
  David Hale Smith's "Literary Show and Tell" blog.
• Diana Fox's Agent Blog
  A literary agent talks publishing
• Dystel & Goderich Agent Blog
• Eddie Schneider
  An agent from JABberwocky Literary blogs.
• Elaine English Literary Agency Blog
  A blog from the whole agency.
• F+W Bookstore
  Buy Guide to Literary Agents and a bunch of other great WD Books.
• FinePrint Literary Management Blog
  A blog from the whole agency.
• Folio Literary Management's Blog
  All the agents chime in on this new blog
• Fresh Books Blog
  An agency blog.
• Full Circle Literary's Blog
  Agents from Full Circle Literary in California blog
• Girl Meets Book
  Agent Jamie Brenner of Artists & Artisans blogs.
• Greenhouse Literary Blog
  Agent Sarah Davies shares her thoughts and wisdom
• Hartline Literary Blog
  A blog from the whole agency.
• Janet Reid 
  Agent Janet Reid of FinePrint Literary gives her two cents on anything and everything
• Jennifer Jackson's Agent Blog
  An agent with the Donald Maass Literary Agency blogs
• Jenny Bent's Blog
  From the founder of The Bent Agency.
• Jill Corcoran
  A kids agent at the Herman Agency blogs.
• Joshua Bilmes Agent Blog
  JABberwocky Literary Agency
• Kathleen Ortiz Agent Blog
  Kathleen with Lowenstein Associates
• Kelly Mortimer
  Agent Kelly Mortimer's "Perils of Publishing" blog.
• Ken Atchity
  The president of AEI, a script and literary management co., blogs.
• Kid Lit
  A blog by kids agent Mary Kole of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency
• Kimberly Cameron & Associates
  A blog from the whole agency.
• Knight Agency Blog
  Exactly what it sounds like
• Laurie McLean's Agent Blog
  The "Agent Savant" blog
• Lit Soup (Jenny Rappaport's Agent Blog)
  An agent at the L. Perkins Agency blogs
• Lucienne Diver's Agent Blog
  A blog on "Authorial, Agently and Personal Ramblings."
• Lyons Literary Agent Blog
  Agent Jonathan Lyons blogs
• MFA Confidential Blog
  This new WD blog features Kate Monahan and all things about getting an MFA
• Michael Larsen's Blog
  Agent Michael Larsen of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents blogs about publishing and nonfiction writing.
• Miss Snark
  No longer active, but this blog by anonymous agent Miss Snark still has oodles of priceless info in its archives
• Nathan Bransford
  A popular blog from an agent at Curtis Brown in San Francisco
• Nephele Tempest's Agent Blog
  An agent with the Knight Agency blogs
• Poetic Asides 
  A poetry blog from the editor of Writer's Market
• Promptly (Prompts Blog)
  WD's own blog of writing prompts, run by magazine staffer Zac Petit
• Pub Rants
  Kristin Nelson's Agent Blog
• Publishers Marketplace
• Query Shark
  Janet Reid's blog where she dissects query letters
• Questions and Quandaries Blog
  WD staffer Brian A. Klems answers questions of all kinds
• Rachelle Gardner 
  A blog by an agent who specializes in Christian Writing
• Romantic Reads
  Dorchester editor Leah Hultenschmidt blogs romance.
• Sara Crowe's Blog
  An agent from Harvey Klinger blogs.
• Scott Eagan's Agent Blog
  The great Greyhaus agent blogs away.
• Script Notes 
  A WD scriptwriting blog from Chad Gervich, TV producer
• Steve Laube's Agent Blog
  A Christian agent and former editor talks the biz.
• Suzie Townsend
  A new assistant agent at FinePrint Literary blogs.
• Terry Burns's Blog
  An agent with Hartline Literary blogs.
• Terry Whalin's Blog
  "The Writing Life," as told by a former editor and agent.
• The Buried Editor 
  A blog dedicated to juvenile writing (YA, middle grade, picture books) run by an editor at CBAY Books and Blooming Tree Press
• The Gail Ross Literary Agency
  The agency blog.
• The Inside Pitch Screenwriting Blog
  A Hollywood Executive Talks About Screenwriting
• The New Literary Agents
  A few new literary agents share advice.
• The Rejecter (Anonymous Agent)
• The Shatzkin Files
• The Sound and the Furry
  WD contributor Nancy Parish talks writing.
• There Are No Rules
  Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest Books, talks about publishing trends and has interviews online
• Tracy Marchini
  An agent from Curtis Brown, Ltd. blogs
• United States Copyright Office
• Upstart Crow Blog
  A blog from the whole agency at Upstart Crow Literary.
• Waxman Literary Agency
  A blog from the whole agency.
• Wendy Sherman Associates Blog
  Multiple agents blog.
• Writer Beware
  A site dedicated to protecting writers from scams of all kinds - including unscrupulous agents
• Writer Unboxed 
  Primarily devoted to genre fiction, this site features plenty of interviews with industry pros
• Writer's Digest magazine
  This big hub has tons of online articles from past issues of WD. Check out the revamped new site!
• Writer's Digest University (Writers Online Workshops)
  Online writing courses are taught by WD staffers and contributors
• Writer's Market
  This pay site is our online database of listings (magazines, book publishers, agents, and everything else). It has more than 6,000 listings.
• Writing-World
  A huge writing website and resource writers should check out.
• Wylie Merrick Agency's Blog
• Zack Company Blog
  Agent Andrew Zack blogs.

7 Reasons Agents Stop Reading Your First Chapter

(This info was sent to me by email. Read the full article at Writer Digest. Just click at the bottom.)

This guest newsletter is by Livia Blackburne, who attended the Writer Idol Event at Boston Book Fest.

Previously, I attended the Writer Idol Event at Boston Book Fest. It was not for the faint of heart, but for those willing to brave public ridicule, it was a great way to get helpful feedback.

This is how it worked: An actress picked manuscripts at random and read the first 250 words out loud for the panel and the audience. If at any point a panelist felt he would stop reading, he raised his hand. The actress read until two or more panelists raised their hands, at which point the panel discussed the reasons they stopped, or in cases where the actress read to the end, they discussed what worked. Helene Atwan (Director of Beacon Press) and agents Esmond Harmsworth, Eve Bridburg, and Janet Silver (all from Zachary Shuster Harmsworth) served on the panel.

These panelists were tough! I'd say less than 25% made it to the end of the passage. Here are some of the common reasons panelists stopped reading.

1. Generic beginnings: Stories that opened with the date or the weather didn't really inspire interest. According to Harmsworth, you are only allowed to start with the weather if you're writing a book about meteorologists. Otherwise, pick something more creative.

2. Slow beginnings: Some manuscripts started with too much pedestrian detail (characters washing dishes, etc) or unnecessary background information.

3. Trying too hard: Sometimes it seemed like a writer was using big words or flowery prose in an attempt to sound more sophisticated. In several cases, the writer used big words incorrectly. Awkward or forced imagery was also a turnoff. At one point, the panelists raised their hands when a character's eyes were described as "little lubricated balls moving back and forth."

 ... check out The Other Reasons Agents Stop Reading Your First Chapter here.