Here are some of our favorite new blog posts for the past week, along with some older posts we’ve stubbed our toes on while wandering the blogosphere. We  hope you enjoy them as much as we have.

Inspiration:

• 7 Reasons to Be Grateful You’re a Writer [Victoria Mixon via @Writeitsideways] A. Victoria Mixon provides positive thoughts on why writing is a privilege.
• You Have to Believe [Rants & Ramblings] Commentary by Rachelle Gardner to keep the faith that you can succeed in publishing.
• Childhood is Once [Lee and Low via @LEEandLOW] Jason Low tells us why working in children’s publishing is unrivaled.
• 7 Things I’ve Learned So Far [Guide to Literary Agents] Author Lara Ehrlich offers advice, as she reflects on her journey to publication.
• 52 Qualities of the Prosperous Writer: Number Twenty, Clarity [The Sharp Angle via @thewritermama] For an author, clarity can mean your career path. It can mean your drive. It can mean learning from your past mistakes. For me, it is an understanding of past, present, and future.
• Pros and Cons of Writing for Young People [Ginny’s Fiction Writing Blog via @simplywriting] YA authors have more fun with writing and create better work than people who are trying to win awards, but people still wonder when they will graduate to the real work of writing for adults.
• 5 Tips For Playing a Smart Publishing Game [Jody Hedlund] Author Jody Hedlund reminds us of what we can be doing to improve our chances at getting published.

The Craft of Writing:

• Why You Don’t Need a Prologue [Learn to Write Fiction via @elizabethscraig] Cheryl discusses omitting a prologue, as well as why you may need one.
• 21 Tips for Writers of All Ilks [Jodi Cleghorn via @Bubblecow] Write Anything shares great advice for writers of all types.
• I Have an Idea! Now What? [Janice Hardy via @elizabethscraig] The Other Side of the Story breaks down taking an idea into a story in 10 steps.
• 6 Tips on Writing Picture Books [WritersDigest] To succeed writing picture books, guest columnist Kathleen Pelley suggests you read aloud, find space to listen to your inner voice, wonder, trust beyond yourself, find heave, and love.
• How To Know What You’re Doing [Editorial Anonymous] Editorial Anonymous makes the case against rhyme in picture book manuscript submissions.
• Symbolism Thesaurus Entry: Loss [The Bookshelf Muse] Angela Ackerman does a fantastic job of inspiring us to include symbolism in our writing. (Scroll down her blog for others great posts!)
• Advanced Summer Writing Course [UCLA Writers Extension Program] Submission deadline is June 7! Send submissions to writers@uclaextension.edu
• How To Use The Semi-Colon [The Oatmeal via @AdviceToWriters]  The proper use, when, how, and why of semi-colon useage–in CARTOONS!
  Connect with Other Writers [The #amwriting directory via @johannaharness] More about being included in the #amwriting directory for Twitter.
• Use Foreshadowing to Keep Your Readers Reading [Wordplay] Video post from K. M. Weiland.
•  [HelpINeedAPublisher via @dirtywhitecandy] Nicola Morgan says pace is not just for thrillers, it’s for all stories.
• A Little Advice from Rick Riordan [Anna Staniszewski] Advice from Rick Riordan on putting action first when writing your story.
• Help Readers Keep Your Characters Straight [Wordplay] Video post from K. M. Weiland.
• Crafting Characters.
• Best of the Blogs: Crafting Characters [The Writing Bug via @Kerrie_Flanagan] 18 great links on how to create and make the most of your characters.
• Getting Your Sneakers Dirty [Stet! from Backspace] Lara Ehrlich says setting is all in the details.
• 20 Questions to Enrich Your Setting  [YingleYangle via @BubbleCow] All the questions you need to help picture your setting in your mind as you write.
• Four Tips for Portraying Young Adult Characters  [Plot to Punctuation via @elizabethscraig] Jason Black discusses attitudes and how to use treat dialogue as dialect.
• Describing a Hero [JustJanga via @elizabethscraig] Janga discusses how much description to include about your characters.
• Crafting a Villain [CBI Clubhouse via @JonBard]  Jim Murdoch discusses why the best villains don’t know they’re bad.
• 4 Do’s and 4 Don’ts for Writing Series Fiction [Victoria Mixon] Clear and succinct points every writer should consider.
• Really, Actually, Absolutely Adverbs Are Maligned [Help! I Need a Publisher!] Nicola Morgan comes to the defense of adverbs (when used properly). 

Self-Editing:

• Editing Your Novel [Behind the Mystery via @jaysubject] Copywriter and writer Lisa M. Stiles round of up great advice on editing.
• Use Past Perfect Property [Speculating about Fiction] A writer, editor and teacher of writing and editing explains how and when to use the past perfect verb tense, and how not to let it slow your pacing.
• How Not to Fix Your Novel [James Killick’s Blog] Writer James Killick tells us why the cure can be worse than the cause.
• The Craft of Editing [Terry’s Place] C. Patrick Schulze guest blogs and describes his revision process including some usefult tips.

Critiquing:

Rejection:

• 4 Articles Dealing With Rejection [Nancy Parish] Guide to Literary Agents consolidates helpful rejection articles.
• The Ogre and the Slushpile [Paranormal Point of View] Lisa Gail Green explains who really has the power to reject you — and what happens to rejected manuscripts. Read and laugh.

To Market:

• Newer vs. Established Agent [Mary Kole] Kidlit.com discusses the pros and cons of selecting an agent with experience as opposed to a newer one.
• Following Up, Giving Up, and Saddling Up [Editorial Anonymous] Editorial Anonymous provides advice on submission timelines and when it’s time to open the old desk drawer and give your manuscript a new home.
• Choosing and Finding an Agent [MacGregor Literary] Chip MacGregor gives practical advice on finding an agent with your eyes wide open.
• Is traditional publishing dead? [Bob Mayer]  Author and writing coach doesn’t think traditional publishing is dead, but believes it will be even more competitive in coming years and urges writers to be aware of new technologies.
• The One-Sentence Summary [Rachelle Gardener] Literary agent provides instructions for creating a 25-word book summary and a contest to test your skill and your finished mss.
• Mixing Metaphors and Petting Peeves [Happy Endings via @jeannieruesch] Linda Epstein, a submissions manager at a literary agency, provides insight on the slushpile.

Congratulations:

• The Plot Whisperer Makes Its TV Debut This wonderful site was used as an example during a television show segment on starting your own blog.

Contests:

• Emily’s Reading Room Turns 1! Great contest with must-see, unique prizes!
• Very Celebratory Contest [Michelle Hodkin] Michelle gives away ARCs of Beautiful Creatures, Matched, and DUFF!
• The One Sentence Summary [Rachelle Gardner] A post about the one-sentence summary and a contest, too!
• Shade Review and Giveaway! [Candace’s Book Blog] Great contest with the chance to win Shade!
• Books that Go Bump in the Night [Supernatural Underground via @kimberlyderting] Book giveaway & contest from HarperCollins to celebrate it’s new blog for paranormal authors.
• Psychic Storytellers Contest [Writers’ Ally] Tell a story about a picture.
• Notes from the Underground [Literary Lab] Enter by August 15, 2010 and win a spot in the 2nd Annual Genre Wars Contest. Awesome opportunity to experiment and stretch yourself!

Trends, Conferences, and Issues:

• Where Do Trends Come From? [Insert Literary Blog Name Here] Peta Andersen analyzes trends in YA.

Twitter & Blogging:

• Writers Must Blog [Making Your Writing Dreams Come True via @thecreativepenn] Jo Parfitt explains why blogging regularly will help you.
• Interview with Casey McCormick [The Writers’ Ally] S.A. Larsen interviews the blog queen.
• Holding Successful Blog Contests [ProBlogger via @elizabethscraig] Jodi Friedman provides advices on how to put together a win-win blog contest.
• Security Tips For Bloggers [Inkygirl] Inkygirl gives us a MUST READ article for anyone with a blog to protect.
• Social Networking [Bubblecow] Use social networks to build your profile and your platform.

Just For Smiles:

• Signing in the Waldenbooks [Editorial Ass] Parnell Hall’s song and video brought Editorial Ass such LOLs that, in his own words, he “almost peed his pjs.”
• When Bad Writing Becomes Funny [All About Writing] Nicole Humphrey provides us with some serious laughs.
• Grab a Pen [Tahereh Mafi] We normally link to a particular post, but the wonderful Tahereh has been announcing the winners of her original short story contest all week, and interspersing that with some reflections you’ll enjoy.

Other Weekly Round-Ups:

• Favorite Tweets for Writers This Week [All About Writing] Nicole Humphrey Cook’s round-up of writing tweets.
• Jane Friedman of Writer’s Digest also does a wonderful list of best tweets of the previous week. 
• Alice Pope does a Wednesday Tweet Roundup for the SCBWI Children’s Market Blog.
• Northern Colorado Writers do This Week in the Writing World every Friday.
• Jennifer Roland does a Writing Roundup on Fridays.
• Ricki Schultz does an “In the Blogosphere” post on Fridays where she lists posts she’s stumbled across during the week.
• Elizabeth Craig, has started posting a weekly list of all her helpful Twitter posts.
• And don’t forget to check Nathan Bransford’s blog later this morning for his weekly recap of publishing news and information.

Did we miss anything? Anyone? Please leave a comment!

Happy reading and joyous writing,

Martina & Marissa