Blog - Page 2 of 4 - Anita Kharbanda

What is prewriting?

Happy Friday folks! Today’s blog post is informational, and I hope it will support you in your writing goals. Writing requires a level of pragmatic action and strategic planning. And though it is truly a creative pursuit with no ubiquitous process, most successful writers will agree that pre-work is key. The topic of today’s blog is prewriting. What is prewriting, and how does it add value?

Prewriting happens before you begin your draft. It includes brainstorming over the what, why, and who of your topic. Oral storytelling is an effective way to brainstorm for a good topic because writers discern whether the topic will be interesting based on listeners’ reactions.

Reading is also effective in sparking ideas for choosing a topic, and researching a topic once you’ve chosen it. While gathering material, often writers pay particular attention to the vocabulary used in discussing the topic.

An additional tool to really hone in on a topic is to free-write. Free-writing is when you write every idea that comes to mind, without regard to grammar. Some writers like to time themselves. Do you engage in free-writing?

Mind Maps are another great prewriting tool once you’ve chosen a topic. What is a mind map you ask? It is a visual strategy to use during the prewriting stage. They resemble the map of a geographical location. Radiating from the center—your main topic—a mind map uses lines, symbols, words, and colors to transform information into a colorful and organized diagram of your writing plan. The ‘roads’ extending from the center reflect your thoughts, and special images or shapes can represent key ideas. Check out this example of a mind map.

Once you’ve brainstormed, free-written and mind mapped, I suggest outlining your story. Typical outlines are organized by chronology, relationships, or by subtopics. Chris Fox shared a helpful video on how he outlines his novels here: Chris Fox Outline

Though there is no clear-cut process for prewriting, below are the key steps and sequence I recommended above:

Brainstorming
Reading
Free-Writing
Mind Mapping
Outlining

Prewriting sequences and necessity can vary depending on your writing project. This said, please don’t accept my above recommendation as written in stone. Fiction requires more imagination, while non-fiction writing requires stronger organization. Persuasive writers convey information, but also focus on how to open a reader’s mind to new ideas. Historical fiction will require research on the time period to understand lifestyle, as well as separating fact from fiction—trust me I know because my current work is historical fiction. Depending on your writing task, a unique combination of prewriting strategies may be utilized in a different order.

And remember friends, prewriting is recursive, occurring at any time and often returning as you write. As you progress with your drafts you may need to discuss the material with someone, or adjust your outline.

So now that you understand what prewriting is, how does it benefit writers you ask? Well, most importantly it helps you transfer your thoughts out onto the paper. Writers develop clear reasoning, organized thought and discover weak parts of a topic. You construct a clear plan to follow while writing, while allowing fluidity for creative influence. Prewriting also supports you in determining your audience.

Do you prewrite and if so do you have a process you follow that you’d like to share? Do tell—I’d love to know. If you don’t prewrite, will you start prewriting after this blog post?

Thanks for checking into my little corner of the webosphere. Blog ya later!

Writing with Self-Care

As writers, self-motivation is key. But often this can lead to burnout, or worse yet demotivation. How do we find that writing balance, especially during the holidays? My blog post today speaks to just that—writing with self care, while staying on task.

Do the upcoming holidays have you watching every single Christmas movie you can find on lifetime or the hallmark channel? Did you start them as early as Halloween? No, I am not talking about myself. Jeez. But, if I were to, say, have watched a couple, then I’d have to applaud the increased diversity in these feel good movies. Are any other holiday-ish happenings deterring you from your goals?

The holidays make me feel giddy and nostalgic. I want to cozy up with a good book, or hot chocolate and a movie. I don’t always feel like ensuring I accomplish a 2,000 or 3,000 a day word count, and a part of me thinks nanowrimo is purposely scheduled in November—just to keep writers on task during the holidays. (Don’t know what nanowrimo is? Click the link above.)

Whenever I finalize a major editorial or draft a few heavily-researched chapters, I take a well-deserved break. Because writing is a priority for me, I pour myself into it exhaustively when reaching towards a goal. Recently, I completed a major round of edits to my novel, and returned it to my agent and editor. Ensuring the content updates and additions grew the story and characters was key to me. And that desire for meaningful content and a moving story propelled me forward. But that didn’t deny the fact that moments after returning the draft, I exhaled. I felt accomplished, and relaxed.

So, here are a few helpful tips from me on how to maintain balance in writing, with self-care in mind. In the days that have followed since my editorial draft, I have of course continued to focus on my family, work and exercise. But, I’ve also watched a few movies (not saying which ones), and worked on a few home organization projects. And, I have meditated, read, and caught up with family and friends. I’ve dipped into a relaxing bubble bath. Next week I’m getting a massage. Gawrsh, do I feel recharged. Literally, I’m like a toy with new batteries installed. We’re talkin’ double AA, top of the line batteries. Does R&R after accomplishing a goal recharge you? What is your idea of R&R—maybe long walks in nature, a mini-getaway, or gardening?

It would be easy to continue with this writing hiatus, citing excuses such as I am awaiting a revision, but I would only be dis-servicing myself. And you friend, would be doing the same if you halt moving forward with your goals. Discipline is key. So, set a time limit on your retreat from writing or your goals, be it one week, two weeks, or three. And then stick to it.

Now that I am recharged I am so excited to have some time to blog and work on my super-secret next novel. To be clear, I am not saying I will be writing on Thanksgiving, when I will self-inflict a food-induced coma. But you better believe Black Friday will not only be a shopping day.

My mother, the hardest working person I’ve ever met, used to say ‘everything in moderation’. It is a phrase I often repeat to myself. So, if this blog leaves you with one message let it be to: grind, work hard, grind some more, REST (in the way you need it, without apology). Repeat.

How do you maintain balance with your family, work, and life? If you are a writer do you take breaks after major accomplishments? Do tell, I’d love to know.

Thanks for stopping by my blogspot friends! See you soon, same time, same place.

Benefits of Journaling

Hello friends. Thank you for checking into my little space of the webosphere. I am so happy to have you back! I wanted to delve into the benefits of journaling today. To be completely honest, I don’t journal (GASP), so it feels super hypocritical to write a blog post about an activity I don’t participate in. I have convinced myself that there is no time amidst working full time, writing manuscripts and blogs, and enjoying time with my family. Still, maybe if I write the blog it will persuade many of us to start journaling.

I watched a video teaching in a writing program I am enrolled in through compel training last night. I was reminded in the class, that journaling benefits writers because it provides you with writing practice, IF you focus on grammatically correct writing. Also, you may use some of that journal content in a blog post or book. I decided to dig into some of the other benefits of journaling, and thought you might appreciate me sharing what I found out.

One benefit that stuck out to me is the link between journaling and memory. We draft our ideas in words, and forming those letters causes our minds to compose and edit, forcing us to recall information. That continued recollection strengthens your memory. I know I could use that, jeez—what did I go upstairs for again?

Additionally, discipline is a key benefit of journaling as well. If you commit to journaling every morning, for say fifteen minutes, that discipline becomes a habit. And habits are just that—habits. So, if discipline in journaling exists, then that same dedication will bubble over into other areas of your life.

There are some more obvious benefits as well, such as increasing your vocabulary. Unless your journaling is purely an emotional outlet, which is beneficial and therapeutic in itself, then you will have a natural inclination to research new words. And if anyone else remembers the SAT, vocabulary is a systemic measure of intelligence. Would you agree? And has your vocabulary increased through journaling?

The artist in me could not leave out the creativity and healing journaling provides. If you let loose, and allow ideas that pop into your mind flow through to your fingertips and onto your keyboard, you will probably create some magnificent language-art (like that word?). Also, if you write through any challenges you face, working through them in words, might actually resolve them for you. Journaling increases your emotional intelligence as well by allowing you to process your own emotions, and empathize with others’ feelings. If you journal, have you noticed enhanced empathy?

Finally, journaling can help you hone in on your goals, and improve communication, which are relevant skills in almost any line of work. And those who communicate well on paper are linked to being better speakers.

So, if you weren’t convinced to journal before, hopefully you are now! (I am a little more open, folks.) What did you think of this blog post? Do you journal? And if you don’t, will you start? What have you gained through journaling?

Thanks for stopping by my blogspot. See you soon, same time, same place.

Book Review: The Gifted School

Hi there, friends! Today, I am sharing a book review on The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger. It was published in July of 2019. The novel was brilliant, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you. You can buy the book here.

The story takes place in the prosperous, liberal, high-achieving, fictional town of Crystal, Colorado. It follows the lives of five families, four of whom have been friends for over a decade. The fifth family cleans the houses of some of the other four families. The author wrote the story in the third-person omniscient point of view through one member of each family’s perspective. The title of each chapter tells you whose perspective you are going to hear. I thought it was nicely done, and I loved how one person from each family made you feel connected to all five families.

The community of friends are well intentioned, but when a gifted magnet school opens up for all local communities—not just Crystal, all of their kids are competing for a spot. Or maybe it’s just the parents competing, because most of the kids seemed to feed off that energy. And, of course, in the land of Ivy league degrees and old money—all of their kids are gifted—right? Even if their parents hire the best tutors to ‘teach’ their kids how to ace the gifted test, they are still gifted, right? High expectations for their children and individual ambitions end up colliding in a mess of emotions, old dark secrets, and special surprises.

Though we hear the perspectives of members from each family, the most amplified voices come from Rose and Beck. Rose works in a hospital where some kids fight to live another day, yet she still obsesses over her daughter Emma’s entrance into the magnet school. She is especially consumed by competing with her best friend Samantha’s daughter, also named Emma. Beck is characterized as a self-focused, alpha male. We have all met the type, right? His first marriage failed, and his second one seems to be on that same path, but his twin boys are talented and need a strong father figure. I won’t say anymore, because you need to read the book to find out.

My favorite character is the son of the cleaning woman, and grandson of the family member whose perspective we read in the novel. His small, service-oriented town falls within the qualified region of testing for the magnet school, and to say the boy is gifted would be an understatement. The eleven-year-old boy is an intricate paper folding (origami) genius. In my opinion he has to be the most gifted kid in the whole novel. But truly, within every kid, like every person, lives a unique gift, even if not the kind of gift required to get into a magnet school. And shouldn’t we all be grateful for our unique gifts? And shouldn’t we all be proud of our children’s unique gifts?

The author held my attention with the suspense, intelligent writing, and a whopper of a surprise ending. I cannot recommend this book enough friends—5 out of 5 stars.

I will say goodbye with a quote from the book that made me chuckle: There is something so tantalizing about having a gifted child that some parents will go to almost any lengths to prove they have one. (Sheila Moore and Roon Frost, The Little Boy Book)

Hope you enjoyed this book review about The Gifted School. Will you be scooping this novel up for your next read? Have you read The Gifted School, and if so what did you think of it? Do tell, I would love to know.

See you again soon at my blogspot for the next bookish topic. Keep reading, fellow bookies.

Joy of Reading

In case you can’t tell by now, I love to read and write. Yes. I am being facetious. In light of my interests (and maybe yours!), today’s blog post speaks to the joy of reading.

For me there is nothing quite like curling up with a good book and traveling to another place from the comfort of my living room couch while wearing PJs. I mean, if I can go to Italy five minutes after putting my kids to bed, why not right? Jokes aside (because I want to go to Europe and not just read about it in books), I love feeling connected to the characters, excited by the action, and caring about what happens to the protagonist. And my favorite part of every book is the carefully woven in messages—the ones that teach you a lesson about life.

The hardest part of any good book for me, is when it ends. Paul Sweeney expressed that feeling perfectly when he said, “You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.” Yep, that sums up how I feel.

In literary works, I live for reading novels that use language to paint a picture. My favorite novels master that quality effortlessly, though I am sure the authors’ efforts are carefully crafted. While looking at black and white words on a piece of paper (or screen), these works create a vision of a young woman weaving through the busy streets of India, or a couple enjoying dinner in a bustling restaurant. Does anyone feel me on that? No? Jeez, you are a tough bunch.

I still remember the book that turned me into a reader. I was in seventh grade and I walked into my middle school library and scooped up a book called The Power Kid. Since then, I have lost count of my reads. Was there a certain book that turned you into a lifelong reader?

Recently, I read an interesting article in The New Yorker which asks the question: Can Reading Make You Happier? The article discussed the science of bibliotherapy—the practice of encouraging reading for therapeutic effect. Yes, studies have confirmed that reading can make you happier, and reading is being ‘prescribed’. This article cited the therapeutic effects of fiction books (not self-help, surprise!) because they offer a transformational experience. The studies conducted found that when people read about an experience, they exhibited stimulation within the same neurological regions as if they went through that experience themselves. Most readers know that the themes, messages, and feelings of reading a good book provide enhanced relationships and empathy, but now there is science to prove it! So, keep reading folks, you are growing from it.

How does reading bring you joy? What other activities or hobbies bring you joy? Any good fiction books you recommend so I can add them to my list? Do tell, I would love to know.

Thanks for stopping by my blogspot. See you soon friends, same time, same place, new “bookish” topic. Have a wonderful weekend!

Book Review: The Far Field

Hello friends. I have another book review for you, so I hope you are ready! The book review is about a novel entitled The Far Field, written by first-time author Madhuri Vijay. The novel was published in 2019. I stumbled onto it in the new releases section of my local library, and scooped it up. Isn’t the cover beautiful? You can buy the book here: The Far Field

The South Asian adult fiction novel centers around the main character Shalini, a well-off young woman from Bangalore adrift after the death of her mother. Coupling elegant literary prose with a socio-political scope through the eyes of native Himalayan Kashmiris, the novel follows a complicated view of the Indian subcontinent as Shalini heals from her grief, and rangles with her uncertain present. Shalini travels to Kashmir to find Bashir Ahmed, an old friend of her mother’s. She feels certain that Bashir Ahmed’s disappearance from her mother’s life was somehow connected to her death. The cause of her mother’s death is not revealed until the end, creating an element of surprise. The rest I will leave for you to read and find out.

The novel was a slower read for me, and I almost lost interest in the beginning, but I am glad I didn’t stop reading, because eventually I was drawn in and hooked to Shalini’s fate. I took each step with her. I also think the The Far Field was constructed with the intention of it being savored. The visual imagery and slow moving plot allowed me to put the book down and pick it up over a couple of weeks, versus devouring its contents in a few days. And while there is excitement in books with a hot moving plot that rope you in, there is a silky-smooth charm in slower, literary novels like The Far Field.

The main character loved to teach. She taught students with cerebral palsy in Bangalore, and then taught a bright young girl in Kashmir. This said, it would have been nice to have an ending where maybe Shalini began teaching again, or even assisting. The ending left me somewhat dissatisfied because it wasn’t exactly a happy one, but it made me realize my own tendency to expect happy endings in books. If stories imitate life, then I think as readers we need to shift our expectations in a more realistic direction. Would you agree?

Goodreads gave The Far Field 3.84 stars out of five, but I give it a solid 4 stars, especially because it was Madhuri Vijay’s first book. If you are looking for an enjoyable read on your nightstand, or while taking a trip, give this one a go. It will not disappoint.

What did you think of this book review of The Far Field? Have you read The Far Field, and if so what did you think of it? Have you read any other good books lately? Do tell, I would love to know.

Thanks for stopping by my blogspot. Come visit anytime, its always here! See you next time.

Minority Writer

Good morning fam! If you are taking the time to read this blog post, that warms my heart up, just like my family does. So, today I wanted to talk about my writing scenario—as a minority writer. I am an American born South Asian female who writes South Asian fiction.

I wanted to start off by talking about my audience. Though my first novel is still in the works, and certainly anyone could enjoy the contents, depending on interests, chances are my audience would primarily consist of South Asians. Right away that tailors my audience, and the business of books is still just that—a business. A strong premise, near-perfect writing, and a relevant topic to today’s climate would be necessary for me to traditionally publish. Pressure? Just a little. Still, I believe strongly in the topic, and the messages brought about within the novel, so I continue my relentless pursuit. And the wonderful news is that there are many literary agents and publishers seeking diverse books and voices. Hooray!

Secondly, as a minority writer of minority topics, I’d like to talk about, the footnote. How do you ensure your readers understand a non-English word? When South Asian fiction first became ‘a thing’ in the states many years ago, I remember seeing a Bengali word footnoted for it’s translation. Now you rarely see them, with most authors including a semi-translation in the sentence. Other authors write under the assumption their readerships could easily google and/or understand simple enough words—see sari. My (awesome) beta reader, suggested I drop the footnotes, and though my draft currently contains a few, I will likely remove. Do you think footnotes should be included for non-English words not translated within the sentence?

Now, I’d like to share my thoughts on my authority to write South Asian novels, particularly those set in India. I have struggled with this, because though I feel connected to my cultural roots, I grew up in America. How can I write novels set in India when I have never lived there?

I came to this conclusion on that question which lingers in my mind: I can write about my heritage, even if set in a country I have never lived in. I visited India several times, and experienced its colorful presence coupled with the warmth of my Indian family surrounding me. My parents grew up there, so our life in America consisted of the food, the language, the religious background, and the cultural traditions. Most importantly though, I hold the unique ability to enliven and share the message with American readerships, in a way that only a first generation child of Indian immigrant parents could. Score.

I cannot tell you how proud it makes me feel to write a novel including minority characters, and settings. That is the beauty of authoring a book—as the author it is your message, however you choose to relay it. And whatever your message, and however you choose to relay it, may you OWN it, and may you SHINE with it.

I follow @MinoritiesinPub on twitter, and listen to their podcast ‘Minorities in Publishing’ in case you are interested.

Are you a minority in any field? Are you a minority writer? How has your journey been impacted by your status? Please share. I would love to know.

Thanks for stopping by my internet-corner. See you soon. Same bat time. Same bat place.

Book review – The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters

Hello and happy Friday folks! I’ve got another book review for you, so hold onto your seats! The novel is called The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters published in April of 2019, and written by Balli Kaur Jaswal. You can purchase the book here. Previously I read another novel by the same author called Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows.

The book centers around three sisters Shirina, Rajni, and Jezmeen Shergill, who partake in a pilgrimage to India following the death of their mother. Rajni, the eldest sister, is depicted as a control freak. The middle sister Jezmeen has her head in the clouds, and the youngest sister, Shirina, is the peacemaker. Being Punjabi Sikh and coming from a family of three sisters myself, I felt a natural connection to the novel and characters. The gentle tug of war of balancing tradition and modernity, when you are a first generation child to immigrant parents, was also relatable for me.

The novel’s three main characters each carried a unique burden or two. Two of the problems were surprises, one was alluded to, and one threw me for a loop and pressed upon an issue I feel passionate about. You will have to read the story to find out though because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. My curiosity around the alluded to issue along with the ongoing challenges the characters faced kept me hooked.

As a writer I applaud Balli Kaur Jaswal’s well constructed plot structure, reeling in the book’s readers. The writing itself was not complex, consisting of simple verbs and easy to follow transitions. In that way a broad audience could enjoy the novel’s contents.

My favorite parts of the book were the excerpts from the letter the Shergill sisters’ mother wrote to her daughters.

I wondered, when reading this, if my own parents felt this way when they immigrated to America:

Be patient. India is not going to be like London. The pollution and the bustling crowds will overwhelm you immediately. You girls always joked that I talked too loudly, and I turned everything into chaos. When you enter India, I want you to think about how it felt to leave this place and go somewhere as orderly as Brittain, with ruler straight rows of houses and trains that run on time. I also want you to understand how hard it was for me, adjusting to all of that quiet.

I couldn’t agree more with what their mother wrote in her letter below:

Listen to the conversations around you. Watch people rejoicing as they rush to meet their relatives on the platforms of those smaller steps along the way. There’s no greater show of love and faith than traveling a long distance for somebody.

The below quote was not in the letter, but from either Jezmeen or Rajni’s thoughts. I do wish it was clearer whose thoughts they were in the novel. It was related to Indians who relocated abroad, but built vacation homes to return to in India. The quote rung true with what I have observed, and I appreciated the simplicity with which a commonality of humankind was relayed.

Everywhere people went, they had to remind themselves that they were somebody else.

Overall I enjoyed reading The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters, and I would give it a solid 4.5 stars out of 5. If you are looking for a good book to pick up or add to your TBR list, give this book a shot.Have you read this novel, and if so what did you think of it? Read any other good books lately that you recommend? Do tell – I would love to know.
Thanks for stopping by my blog-spot. See you soon!

Book Review – The Silent Sister

Hello folks! I wanted to share a book review on The Silent Sister for your reading pleasure, as you venture into the weekend. The Silent Sister was published in 2014, and written by the internationally best-selling author, Diane Chamberlain.

Believe it or not, I stumbled onto the novel in a local Barnes & Noble and I was intrigued by reading the back cover, even though it’s not 1998! It has been forever since I scooped up a book from a bookstore on a whim, versus keenly selecting a novel through pre-meditated research on goodreads. Fellow writers, a good back cover, and a well-designed cover carry weight, so all of our efforts are worthwhile! OK, so, one additional tidbit. As I stood in the purchase line I quickly looked the novel up on amazon, and purchased it once I saw it had 2,719 reviews and 4 ½ stars, so that is more in tune with 2019. BUT, I still would not have known about the novel outside of the walk-in bookstore occurrence.

Now, onto the review. I read the book in two days, which for me represents a plot driven novel. Right off the bat you feel incredible empathy for the main character, Riley, who lost both of her parents by the tender age of twenty-five, a sister who killed herself when Riley was two, and one mentally unstable brother left as a family member. She had no husband or children of her own, and her best friend had moved away. As Kurt Vonnegut said, ‘No matter how sweet and innocent your lead characters, make awful things happen to them-in order that the reader may see what they are made of.’ Chamberlain was successful in this regard, and without spilling the beans on what happens in case you want to scoop this novel up this weekend, I will leave it at that.

Somehow in the midst of a sad setting, the writer managed to keep the read from becoming heavy. The main character is rather focused on what matters—her brother, and managing her parent’s estate. That is until, of course, she begins to uncover some hidden family secrets. This takes Riley in a direction completely off course, with a multitude of shocking revelations. In this way, the author was successful in moving the story forward and reeling you in as a reader. And though this novel is not my typical read, I enjoyed the thrill as Riley unraveled the realities of her family and life.

A good book review draws attention to the challenges of a novel as well. This said, the story was a bit predictable. Also, Riley seemed impossibly reasonable given everything she endured throughout the duration of the novel. Still, at the end of the day, the novel kept me hooked.

Goodreads gives this novel 3.94 stars out of 5, and I would rank it at 3.4. If you are looking for a page-turner that you cannot put down, this is a great novel go-to!

What are your thoughts on this book review? Have you read this novel, and if so what did you think of it? Do tell, I would love to know!

See you back at my corner of the webosphere soon!

Writer’s Tips

Hello friends, and happy Friday! Anyone writing, editing, learning, or curling up with a good book this weekend? If you are looking to spend time educating yourself on all things literary this weekend, look no further. Today, I wanted to share some tried and true writer’s resources and tips in the great world of the ‘webosphere’. They have supported me in my literary endeavors. Hopefully you will find them equally useful.

My primary educational resource is a monthly membership website, Compel Training, and it has been invaluable in guiding me. From platform building, to editing, to agent querying tips, to self-publishing tips the weekly trainings, forums, and sense of community this website provides have been key in my development as a writer. I have really honed in on my craft thanks to the writing education this platform has gifted me.

Now, if you are interested in resources, but don’t want to fork out the $30 per month membership fee, below are some free websites:

This website, writer’s digest, contains a wealth of information, including agents to query, suggestions for getting published, a tip of the day, building your platform and more. A literary agent I queried put me onto this site, and quite honestly it is a gold mine. They post new literary agent alerts, which is a wonderful opportunity to contact new agents seeking out authors to represent.
Another site, Association of Authors Representatives Inc. is where I find agents to query. It is a professional organization of over 350 agents. The opportunities here are endless.
Below are several writers’ blogs I stumbled onto or fellow writers shared with me:
- Janice Hardy’s Fiction University I haven’t read her books yet, but I have heard they are useful if you are seeking a book resource: “Plotting Your Novel” and “Revising Your Novel”.
- Chris Fox Writes For self-publishing authors he shares a wealth of information on marketing your books.
- Holly Lisle: read with hunger,write with joy,live with passion She hosts a weekly podcast providing tons of writing tips.
- K.M. Weiland I love the reason she gives for why she writes: Stories are like breathing. Life without a story in my head is one-dimensional, stagnant, vapid. I love the life God has given me, but I think I love it better because I’m able to live out so many other lives on the page. I’m more content to be who I am because I’m not trapped in that identity. When I sit down at my computer and put my fingers on the keys, I can be anyone or anything, at any time in history. I write because it’s freedom.
- Nathan Bransford’s blog This blog provides excellent resources for query letters, book proposals, self publishing, finding a literary agent and more. It is a favorite of mine.

These are just a few web-based resources, and there are many others, especially in the bookspace. Did you find this information useful? Do you have any recommendations for writers’ resources? Please share, I would love to know.

Thanks for stopping by my blog corner. See you in a couple of weeks. Same bat time, same bat place.