August Writing Blog of the Month

I am pleased to announce the very first Writing it Out Writing Blog of the Month! Lois at Lotus Rising is the recipient of this brand-new award. Although Lois did win the contest I posted in July, her blog is truly a great writing blog for everyone to check out.

Blog Review: Lotus Rising does everything right--neat, clean blog design, clearly organized, and a fun voice. Lois posts encouraging and informative posts about writing, as well as Wednesday book reviews (that also feature her daughter's opinion!), but my favorite posts of hers are the ones that feature her photography in conjunction with writing. A skilled photographer, Lois is able to frame writing problems in context with pictures in a way that perfectly--and beautifully--explains how to solve the problem. (My personal favorite post? The one that compares the shadows in photography to adding depth to writing.)

Get to know Lois from Lotus Rising a bit more!

Why did you start blogging?

Once I had finished writing my first novel I thought I would send it around to agents or publishers or something to see if I could get any interest. I started looking for places online for information about queries. The more I looked, the more I learned through different blogs. At first, I thought of it as a way to learn the business, network with other authors and give myself a "web presence."

What do you hope people get from your blog?

I hope they find helpful book reviews and laughs sometimes, good advice and friendship.

What kinds of features or memes do you try to do with your blog?

The main regular feature is the weekly book review on Wednesdays. (They will return again in a couple weeks. The summer has been very distracting to my blogging and writing.) On Mondays I often feature photography and compare it to writing. It's interesting to me how the creative process overlaps in very different forms of expression. Fridays tend to be a catch-all day--whatever is on my mind that week.

What have been the best advantages of blogging? The biggest downfalls?

Making friends has been the best part. Writers can be so friendly and helpful. We all seem to struggle with a lot of the same things. It's nice to have the support of fellow writers. The biggest downfall is the time drain. I have less time for writing, and that is problematic when I'm trying to make serious progress on projects.

What is your favorite blog on writing or reading? Why?

It's hard to pick just one. I like different blogs for different reasons. I could give you a list of several that I really like and why, but I can't pick just one. I'm the same way with music and books and characters. Who can pick just one favorite? I only decided on one favorite color when my kids wouldn't let me waffle about it. Purple.

I so sympathize Lois! It really is hard to pick favorite blogs...they are all so interesting and unique!

Thank you again, Lois, for being Writing it Out's very first Writing Blog of the Month!