Elizabeth Rocks!

Okay, it may not look like it, but this theme ALSO began in Austin... well, it BEGAN when I decided to come out of the closet as a writer and stumbled across Elizabeth, but it was certainly reinforced in Austin.





The Austin Part



Stacy and I talked writing, quite a lot... It is to be expected... we have been friends about 6 years, but both of us just managed our first publishing contracts within the last year, so we paced and worked and toiled together, and now we are panicking together...

The first question, if I am keeping things straight, came when we were talking promotional plan... see... I signed on for a well-oiled machine, and have not yet been ASKED my promotional plan, where Stacy said it was a very stressful thing. My response? When the time comes, I am going to look and see what ELIZABETH does and I'll do that (certainly not so well, but it is a GOOD plan, and so I will aspire to it).



The next one... Stacy was bowing to my blogging prowess... because... you know... you guys are fabulous, and somehow you are all reading ME... (of course I am reading most of YOU, too...) but Stacy said she didn't know how I blogged almost every day. “Do you know anyone who blogs every day?” And you know what? I DO! Elizabeth!

I only wear glasses to see...

The last one I remember, though I'm sure there were at least a few more... we were waiting in line to go through the metal detector into the capitol (didn't even manage to be frisked—RATS!) and Stacy brought up taxes... and did I know you could deduct your writing space... and I said, “Well of course I know! From Elizabeth!”



We laughed considerably that Elizabeth was the answer to every question, but in a way that was full of admiration and fun. It's nice to be able to find all the answers in one spot.





The Primary Lesson



You see... I can be a little flighty (mostly memory stuff) but I have a pretty firm grasp on what I know and don't know. It became clear VERY FAST after joining this blogging community that there was A LOT to learn...



You know what ELSE I know? It is FAR EASIER to learn from someone who knows what they are doing... someone open to questions when you need answers... rather than digging and sorting fact from fiction and having trouble finding the pertinent information.

source

The best move I made in this social networking thing was identifying someone doing everything right... someone generous with her knowledge... and following her around.



Her style and mine are relatively opposite, Elizabeth is helpful, where I am more the frivolous version. But it has helped me over and over and over again to know where to look when I am trying to figure something out.



Whatever it is you want to do, figure out who is doing it right, and go ahead... shamelessly follow, ask, praise... You will learn what you need... You will get something... THEY will get something.







How do I know that?



Among my ABNA friends I've had a few strokes in that direction—thanks for guiding... pushing, sharing... it feels good. It builds good will.



Writing, unlike other professions, doesn't HAVE to have losers to have winners. If we ALL succeed, the whole business benefits and we all win. It is one of the few places I've seen that competition really has great will between competitors. Today they are supposed to announce the ABNA finalists, and I will cheer and be THRILLED for the winners... I've had a really good ride. I've made a lot of friends, learned a lot... and honestly, I think I've helped a few people. It is a win for all.



And to everyone who says to me, 'holy cow! How did you get 500+ blog followers?' I am THRILLED to point at Elizabeth and say she showed me how.





Speaking of, Elizabeth has a book release next month as Riley Adams: Finger Lickin' Dead. Watch for it! (she is visiting here the 14th)

Paying It Forward

[it's a little wonky and unorthadox, but because there was no SUNDAY blog, I am posting MONDAY'S blog early.  So there...]



First, a bit of news. The Burrowers image is up for this week, one created by our Go-To-Graphics-Guy, Joris Ammerlaan, and we'd like to invite all of you to write a drabble to it! All of the details are he here.



It's a GREAT image, isn't it? You definitely should write a drabble to it and enter! Also, we are planning, if people want to put a link back to their blog, to add that components, so even though we'll only post the winner, we will link you for anyone interested. (at least that is what I think I understood—my brain has been faulty of late...)





And now...





Paying It Forward as a Drabble EVENT



Some of you may remember B. Millers May Blog about Paying It Forward, and the challenge she offered up about spreading the word. I've seen a lot of fabulous blogs since then about Paying it forward—there were contests and features.



I've been trying HERE to pay it forward as an AUTHOR—trying to spot opportunities where we can help each other out, even when we don't necessarily have means to buy tons of books.





But from another direction, it inspired The Burrow to plan our OWN project, so that is what I wanted to talk about today.



At The Burrow we have begun a feature with eleven drabbles, one revealed every couple days, whereby each character pays it forward and then the next character takes up the story and pays it forward. It's a fun one, and we hope you'll check it out!



In LOOKING for Pay it Forward STUFF, I learned there was a movie in 2000 called Pay It Forward, and I ran across some stuff right in our own little blogosphere, like this entry from Writers Unboxed. So we are onto something... we can make this grow... we all just need to be kind, even to strangers.





And Some Writing News



I don't think I've let all of you know how the process is going for quite a while. The Cozy is 2-3 chapters from done. It has been REALLY HARD getting the words out for the last week. The same blockage that has kept me from the eating right, has also caused some chaos for the writing. But NEW MONTH, fresh start... I've written through chapter 18, and am TYPING chapter 11-- a little behind there. My writer friends have through chapter 10.



I've also been READING Ted Cross's book The Shard, and am TOTALLY sucked in—it's FABULOUS.



I have a couple days off this week—very excited about that. I want to have a couple writing days, but also want to take the kids to do something fun.



I guess that is it at the mo...



So how are you paying it forward? Have you made any changes to keep the idea in your head, so that when there is an opportunity, you take advantage?