My First Lessons

So here I am on day 3 of blogging.  My time was overtaken by my sometimes-all-consuming-but-always-adorable 2 year old son this morning.  Since he's not feeling well he took my total devotion, and I was unable to post as I wanted to.  But, that's another lesson in blogging:  It doesn't always work out to post every day, and especially at the same time.  (Unless I can arrange to research and post while he's sleeping, as he is now.)
As I type, I'm also thinking that it might be beneficial to type first in Word, then copy and paste.  While I do have a spell check here, I like that Word notifies me right away.  I also like the grammar check.  Being a perfectionist, it's nice to have the program show me places where there's an extra space, for example.  It's the little things.


Why I like agent/author blogs. . .

Today I wanted to give reasons I enjoy the blogs I have listed for "aspiring writers."  I haven't had time to take notes on all of them yet, so today I'm doing four. . .

Scott Eagan
Mr. Eagan is a literary agent representing the romance genre.  Perhaps that is why I started following his blog, Babbles by Scott Eagan, a few months ago--because romance is my strong area.  His daily posts are always helpful because he gives honest advice.  And, although the point he's making may be hard-edged, his words are never mean.
I have sent Mr. Eagan questions, and he has always been very prompt, responding within 1-2  business days.  All of my questions have been used as topics for one of his posts, making public the answers to questions that many aspiring writers like myself may have.

WD Guide to Literary Agents
This blog by Chuck Sambuchino, an editor for Writers Digest, is one of my favorites. 
New agents are highlighted, providing their background information, what they are looking for, and how to submit to them. 
Authors write as guest bloggers, giving advice based on their personal experience.  These posts are usually accompanied by a book giveaway of the author's current book. 
GLA also does interviews with agents.  The same basic questions are asked in each interview, giving different perspectives on consistent subjects.

Rachelle Gardner
I'm new to Ms. Gardner's blog, but in looking through her archives I liked the variety of topics she covers in her posts.  Her advice applies to both published and unpublished writers.  She ends each post with an open-ended question, encouraging readers to leave comments.  This adds yet another avenue for real-world advice from real-world writers.

Book Ends LLC
This is a blog hosted by a literary agency and written by their agents.  It's another great source of real-world info based on questions posed by writers.