I figure I’d better give you all a break from Bailey pictures–even if my son did send me some cute ones by cell phone 
But this week I’m still not on my normal schedule either and I’m a bit scattered, so this week will be Blog Light.
We’ll start with a couple witch jokes:
What do you call a nervous witch?
A twitch!
How do witches lose weight?
They join weight witches!
I really have losing weight on my mind (and on other parts of my body), LOL!
Changing the subject here, if you are interested, my local RWA chapter posted a blog on Advice I’d Give Myself here I wrote that blog a month ago and completely forgot about it. It’s weird to think of advice I’d give myself as a newbie now. Experience is the best teacher. Many generous published authors gave me advice, but I didn’t always take it.
For instance, a couple hardback mystery authors strongly suggested I order a few dozen of my first edition hardbacks.
I didn’t.
And guess what? Now they are out of print, impossible to get and i only have a couple copies.
I should have listened. I wish I’d listened.
What about you guys? Any advice you wish you’d listened to?
December 29th, 2009 at 6:38 pm · Link
I think I followed too much of the wrong advice when I first started. I can’t believe I somehow missed all the good advice and fell up against the bad. And then there was conflicting advice that just made me want to tear my hair out. I think the most important thing I’ve learned was best said in a quote by Neil Gaiman: “Write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I’m not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.”
That’s a pretty good piece of advice about buying your own first editions, though. I never would’ve thought of that. Thanks for passing it along, Jen.
December 29th, 2009 at 6:39 pm · Link
Heh, that is if I ever have a first edition.
December 29th, 2009 at 10:53 pm · Link
B.E. that is great advice.
I fell upon bad advice too, and sometimes didn’t recognize or know how to apply good advice. So much of this is a learning curve.
You will have a first edition! Just don’t give up!
December 30th, 2009 at 12:21 am · Link
OMG! I totally blanked out. I read this early this morning and meant to come back to reply. *headdesk*
BE, I really like that quote from Neil. It matches what a writer-in-residence told me way back in college: Write what your heart knows best.
As for 20-20 hindsight, I would tell myself to not give up the first time around, and to have faith in my abilities to tell a good story.