blogging extra's

A few days ago Tim Jones commented on my writing is a business blog post.
Tim is a great poetry and short story writer and he has been in the blogging business for a while so he knows all about interviewing people and adding extra content to his blogs...
Tim has let me know that his interview with a NZ children's YA writer is up on his Blog

Jump to it if you want a great read.

maureen

what to write...

It’s Thursday, Blog day...
Toss the baby into bed after an exhausting time being social at playgroup (which is on at her usual sleep time.) Mum potters around tidying breakfast dishes still on the table, folding laundry and thinking...Eeek Blog...what to write... what to write...
Should I write about Lloyd’s comment when accepting very generous PMs prize...you shouldn’t give beginning writers any money- they have to find their own time to write, if they want to write...
(huh! finding time... to be that lucky...)
Behind every successful male writer there is either a bloody amazing woman or
NO ONE....Who could stand the slog deep into the night...juggling work and family. The anti-socialness of the committed writer to their craft...(or just needs committing...)
I Liked Elizabeth’s comment much better... Writers are grateful for any money at any stage of their career.
Yup! The advance I got for Bones (small that it was) paid for two terms gym, one terms Irish dancing, the book launch and $100 went to three nights away so I could write my Mars story-oh and there was tax. So let’s see children... promotion... tax and a little writing time for me...Is that ok Lloyd? Of course I can see that you would use the $60,000 so much better than I.

I could write about meeting the editor of the Horn Book Guide who was here in NZ on vacation, at an exclusive (sorry librarians) pot luck dinner. Those gathered enjoyed the evening and she recorded it for a podcast on their website. That was interesting. What she wanted to say and what she did say depended on whether the recorder was switched on or not. Her big question of the night “Why don’t we (America) know more New Zealand children’s writer’s?
Sadly we had to tell her that the publishers don’t think NZ stories will travel overseas...We are often more vigorous in our writing and it gets translated into American and the guts ripped out of it...(was one famous NZ writer’s comment.)

I could write that I got to Mars twice this week and did some research on radiation. I feel good about my writing week if I get to Mars. Of course my usual writing week consists of lots of emails trying to tee up a conference group meeting time...and other must reply stuff...so to get to Mars is a bonus. (funny that...here I am trying to get this writing career off the ground...do emails count Lloyd?)

I could write about finding out that my mother in law was too sick overseas to get the market book I wanted...so I had to order it myself... which was really bad because then I saw lots of other books that might be useful (but I restrained myself... sort of) racking up nearly $90 on the credit card.
Sorry Honey!
For the writers out there who may read this...
What is the one indispensible craft book on your bookshelf?
Let’s start a list....

In the meantime I'll figure out what to write on the blog...
maureen

Postcard 5. Up from the ashes and into the dust.
Soil samples from Martian Arctic.
Another cool image from Jacob Egan.