Inkygirl Golden Cupcake Winner: Kite Tails Newsletter

Congrats to the SCBWI Tri-Regions Of Southern California KITE TAILS newsletter for winning an Inkygirl Golden Cupcake Award!

KITE TAILS is a free online newsletter published by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. 

Each issue is packed with all kinds of useful info about the craft and business of writing and illustrating for young people, including interviews with agents and editors.

Some of the focus is on the West Coast, but there is still a ton of valuable advice and information of use to all children's writers and illustrators.

In the current issue, for example, you can find:

- What is a Sketchcrawl?

- Common Core State Standards: Education Reform and What It Means For Illustrators

- Report from SCBWI-L.A. Illustrator's Day includes useful details about what attendees learned. Advice from children's book writer/illustrator Dan Krall: "Don't try to second-guess what other people to see."

- If It's Work, Is It Supposed To Be Fun? A First Look At SCBWI-L.A.'s Working Writer's Retreat 2012

- On Queries - by literary agent Michael Bourret

- A Will Write For Chocolate comic by yours truly :-)

- Journey To The SCBWI Summer Conference - by my friend Maple Lam (who won a place in the SCBWI-LA Mentorship Program!)

- A Poet's Perspective - by Sheila Ellis

- The Hollywood Writer's SChmooze

- Profiles of local authors and illustrators

....and sooooo much more.

You can browse past issues in the Kite Tails archive online. And I should remind you again: all this info is FREE.

Congrats again to Kite Tails on winning the Golden Cupcake! :-)

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Here is a list of other winners of the Inkygirl Golden Cupcake Award.

Inkygirl Golden Cupcake Award: The World According To Maggie (Stiefvater)

This week, I'm awarding the Inkygirl Golden Cupcake Award to Maggie Stiefvater for her The World According To Maggie blog.

I'm a huge fan of Maggie's books, including her Wolves Of Mercy Falls series and most recently, The Scorpio Races. Wonderful stories and characters, but I especially love this writer's voice.

Just some of the things I love about Maggie's blog:

- She talks about her writing process.

- Lots of great visuals. Not just photos but also Maggie's own drawings.

- Her wry, frank personality shines through everything she posts.

I've tweeted about Maggie's great posts frequently from @inkyelbows; her blog is one of my go-to blogs when it comes to looking for tweetable quotes. 

She also comes up with the BEST post titles, like her recent:

Why I'm A Writer & Not a Fighter Pilot

in which she answers reader questions about knowing one's goals as well as keeping true to yourself and your dreams despite other people. Do go visit her blog now! You'll be delighted, inspired and moved.

http://maggiestiefvater.blogspot.com

Established in July/2010, the  Inkygirl Golden Cupcake Award is given to blogs  or sites I find particularly inspirational to writers, especially those that may not already be well-known. Criteria is unapologetically subjective.

If you win the award, you do NOT have to display or acknowledge the award (but feel free, if so inclined). Just bask in the ephemeral, golden glory of online blog stardom and then move on, continuing to be an inspiration to the writing community. And THANK YOU for doing what you do.

Here is a list of other winners of the Inkygirl Golden Cupcake Award.

Inkygirl Golden Cupcake Award: Writer's Knowledge Base

Congrats to Writer's Knowledge Base, who wins an Inkygirl Golden CupCake Award! Created by mystery author and writing advice curator Elizabeth Spann Craig (@elizabethcraig on Twitter) this search engine is specifically geared toward writers.

It's a pretty amazing resource. Are you feeling dejected about a recent rejection? Entering "rejection" in the search field will turn up over 1400 posts on the topic! If you haven't already, I encourage you to try it out yourself.

URL: http://hiveword.com/wkb/search

Established in July/2010, the  Inkygirl Golden Cupcake Award is given to blogs  or sites I find particularly inspirational to writers, especially those that may not already be well-known. Criteria is unapologetically subjective.

If you win the award, you do NOT have to display or acknowledge the award (but feel free, if so inclined). Just bask in the ephemeral, golden glory of online blog stardom and then move on, continuing to be an inspiration to the writing community. And THANK YOU for doing what you do.

Here is a list of recent winners of the Inkygirl Golden Cupcake Award.

Routines For Writers, Erin Bow and Writing Spaces

One of my favourite sites for writers: ROUTINES FOR WRITERS. Their posts are almost always inspirational and/or informative. Not surprising, considering their tagline: "Helping Writers Write More"

Today's post on their blog is no exception, an interview with Erin Bow. I've always enjoyed learning how about how writers organize a space, and it was fascinating to read how Erin ended up using a pole dance studio for her writing office (!).

I'm also intrigued by the fact that her office has no Internet access, no phone and no doorbell on purpose, so she can totally focus on her writing. Wow, now THAT'S dedication. Since so much my work is tied into being online, I don't think I'd be able to do this.

But hm...maybe a variation? Must think on this...

Meanwhile, congrats to ROUTINES FOR WRITERS on winning an Inkygirl Golden Cupcake Award!

Blog highlight: Rachelle Gardner's Rants & Ramblings

If you're not already following Rachelle Gardner's blog, you should go add her site to your RSS feed RIGHT NOW.

Not only is her blog a great glimpse into how a literary agent operates, but Rachelle's site is packed with fantastic advice for writers.

Blog highlight: Between Fact & Fiction, by Natalie Whipple

Natalie is a YA writer, and her blog is packed with great inspiration and tips for writers. Love the emphasis on positive thinking, and her sense of humour runs through all.

Natalie is holding a contest right now, challenging writers to make her laugh in 150 words or less. Rewards include critiques as well as drawings; see the rules in this entry.

Visit her blog at:

http://betweenfactandfiction.blogspot.com/