tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23870519852758368392011-11-28T17:54:07.373-05:00Insider tips for getting your work published onlineNannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.comBlogger2611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-36959439028985346782010-10-29T16:59:00.000-04:002010-10-29T16:59:05.889-04:00

How do you write 450 pages about a battle that didn't happen? Read the entire review on Cross-Reference.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-58344515763987413572010-09-12T19:45:00.000-04:002010-09-12T19:45:58.446-04:00

Personally, I'm in bad need of inspiration these days. While the editing I'm doing for DMS (recently changed their name to Demand Media Studios) isn't exactly enlightening, watching those dollars roll in twice-a-week is addictive. However, I found a competition that's right up my alley--the WritersWeekly 24-Hour Short Story Contest. I've always been my most productive, not to mention my most

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-64704496680626172732010-08-14T16:08:00.000-04:002010-08-14T16:08:06.607-04:00

The articles I edit for Demand Studios have overall word counts and section word counts that vary according to format. However, the guidelines allow for exceeding the word limit when it is absolutely necessary. So--big surprise--just about every writer thinks her topic warrants more words. I sympathize with the writers so knowledgeable in a certain field they can't decide what to leave out of

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-79826957939990283052010-07-24T13:55:00.001-04:002010-07-24T15:50:40.001-04:00

At least not contest rules or submission guidelines. Yet writers do it––all the time. I was reminded of just how often this occurs when I read all the reasons the judges would not accept for breaking the 24-hour rule for the  Writersweekly.com 24-Hour Contest . One would think the point would be obvious––stories must be received within 24 hours of the guidelines being posted––however, every

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-71273097852938104232010-07-04T09:58:00.000-04:002010-07-04T09:58:50.739-04:00

Sounds like something your Mom would say, but in this case I'm speaking as an editor. It may seem obvious, but even experienced writers sometimes get the urge to take a nasty jab, even if it's in the guise of a "thank you." As in, thank you for taking the time to edit my story/article so carefully. While I would not have placed that comma exactly where you did––and, in fact, had a definite

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-59900542965308269702010-06-17T12:38:00.000-04:002010-06-17T12:38:53.102-04:00

New writers often fret over finding their "voice"––that certain distinction that becomes one's own––like looking at an unsigned painting and identifying it with Picasso. When I reviewed for SV, submissions came to us with no name attached, yet, several times, I was able to connect the story I was reading to someone I knew. That's voice. I've never been particularly interested in developing a

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-56170003008654730292010-06-15T20:41:00.000-04:002010-06-15T20:41:52.610-04:00

Isn't it always the way, though, that when I was submitting and submitting and checking my submissions spreadsheet by the day, if not by the hour––nothing, nada, zip. That nothingness, as it always does for me, also led to a major slump in production. So now that I am copyediting for Demand Studios and having to spend every day I'm not working doing things for my Mom or my daughter and whatever,

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-73147952605361548772010-06-05T09:55:00.000-04:002010-06-05T09:55:40.978-04:00

I'd be curious to hear from my readers on this, because, in looking over much of my work, there's often a strong element of weather. And when I think back on the birth pangs of each story, I remember the weather somehow starting the whole thing off. I've written on this before, mentioning my nature journal and almost exactly a year ago in my post Weather Forecasts Depth in Your Writing. I've

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-75266628192093627102010-05-29T20:38:00.000-04:002010-05-29T20:38:22.615-04:00

In my editing there are two errors I see over and over again: writers using "which" when they mean "that," and writers using "that" much too often. The odd thing is, this is one of those rare mistakes as prevalent among experienced writers as it is among new ones. Which vs. That Let's start with the which/that conundrum. For some reason far too many writers think "which" just sounds better. So

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-75568366696376412132010-05-22T11:28:00.002-04:002010-05-24T07:09:56.200-04:00

This is for my younger readers, though I know it will come off as an old person "in my day we walked 10 miles in the snow..." post. But here goes. While a positive attitude is important in the writing business, writers need some humility too. In my experience, the best new and emerging writers expect rejection, are thrilled and surprised by acceptance, and take every bit of advice and editing

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-22724323697537397592010-05-10T11:17:00.001-04:002010-05-10T11:19:59.698-04:00

Last night I watched the 1990s movie version of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. At the end John Proctor (played movingly by Daniel Day-Lewis) reluctantly signs his name to a confession of witchcraft that will allow him and his wife to go free. However, he recants when the judges insist on posting the confession on the church door for everyone to see. Why, he is asked. "Because it is my name. It is

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-60263026223716195472010-05-05T17:01:00.000-04:002010-05-05T17:01:17.489-04:00

Finally, it's up. A few months back I mentioned a story of mine would be published in Bare Root Review. Here it is. Lord only knows why I sent that photo, but, oh well. It's the story that counts. Now SnowWhite Is Dead

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-77790479816762933992010-05-01T20:51:00.000-04:002010-05-01T20:51:13.479-04:00

It's been a frenzied week. I took on an editing job with a content site. Not the classiest gig in town, so it shall remain nameless, but I made $100 since last week this time and I haven't even reached the quota yet. Since my daughter arrived home for two extra years of college with a diamond ring and plans to marry––originally in two years, now possibly one––the money will come in handy. My plan

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-3797395367057081222010-04-20T08:38:00.000-04:002010-04-20T08:38:08.188-04:00

Sorry, I am running a little late with this one, but the spring issue of Rose&Thorn went live last week (tax day, which is why I am running late). There's some great stuff including a story by Michelle Davidson Argyle, blogger at Literary Lab and co-winner of a CROSSxCHECKING critique in the Gumbo Writers Contest last year.  No, "This" (not a typo, that's the name of the story) was not the one I

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-2772328371343683472010-04-18T14:58:00.000-04:002010-04-18T14:58:49.869-04:00

Writing is a lot like singing. Deep down we all believe if a talent scout happened to stand outside our shower, he would immediately sign us for a contract. Same with writing. I don't need to tell those of you who edit/teach as well as write how many more people believe they can write than actually can. Back in the day of the quill this wasn't a problem. First off, being able to write meant

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-769875491819358022010-04-14T13:10:00.000-04:002010-04-14T13:10:25.238-04:00

Read my newest post on Roses & Thorns.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-48737338837420386432010-04-05T14:05:00.000-04:002010-04-05T14:05:21.145-04:00

Hope Clark in her Editor's Thoughts for the FFW newsletter April 4, lams into nonpaying literary journals.  It's a good piece, and reading it I found myself nodding. Only on second thought, I didn't totally agree. As a writer and editor who has written for and worked for both paying and nonpaying markets, I have a foot in both camps here. As a writer, next to getting published, I like getting

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-20858599417071378562010-03-29T14:23:00.002-04:002010-03-29T14:27:06.891-04:00

First I want to congratulate one of my favorite bloggers, Kimberly Davis. Her poem "Alchemy" won Mid-America Review's James Wright Poetry Award. In her announcement Kimberly, as always, has some useful insights into writing contests. Opinions regarding contests vary widely among writers. Some feel they are a waste of money since most require a submission fee and the odds of winning are long.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-28660565690606594872010-03-26T17:46:00.001-04:002010-03-26T17:50:57.179-04:00

Blogger threw a whole lotta new stuff at me in the past couple of days. I've been in touch with a fellow editor offering to send some work my way for CROSSxCHECKING. So I decided to go visit the website, something I haven't done in ages, to see if it needed anything. There I discovered that after all the special work I put into the CxC site and my website so that all the posts would appear on

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-5618256981571828542010-03-25T10:21:00.000-04:002010-03-25T10:21:56.920-04:00

I dragged myself out of bed Monday morning, after staying up late to watch the healthcare vote in the House, determined to get the first Healthcare Reform article up on Suite 101. It was an unqualified success earning three times more hits in one day––actually in half a day–-than I usually get on all my articles in a month. Of course, the revenue comes from ad clicks not PVs and the Google gods,

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-12118830183531876162010-03-15T17:26:00.000-04:002010-03-15T17:26:30.272-04:00

Just an update on my acceptance in Bare Root Review. The e-mail didn't specify what issue it would appear in. I had to ask twice, which got me a weeee bit nervous. Someone in the Poets & Writers forum actually receive a retraction of an acceptance that was sent in error. Ever since reading that I don't assume anything. I kept wondering if maybe my bio turned them off. Maybe the credits I listed

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-73239251979145641442010-03-14T20:27:00.002-04:002010-03-14T20:31:00.396-04:00

I was accustomed to not making anything for my short fiction. Within the ten year period that I've been writing seriously, markets have gotten tougher to break into while the pay has dwindled to little or nothing. Ludicrous as it is, I accepted that more and more publications tacitly required those three little letters––MFA––after a writer's name––a cost of thousands of dollars to appear in

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-78506074933721104542010-03-08T17:29:00.000-05:002010-03-08T17:29:19.117-05:00

The time between posts does fly, doesn't it? Especially when I'm working on other things. I have another cool post to share about the iPad, but I'm beginning to feel like a one-woman fan club, and since I don't plan to purchase one for a while, maybe it's best to give it a rest. With that I'll move on to something that I've been thinking about lately. That is, how individual writers measure

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-8910503605743014902010-03-04T16:48:00.003-05:002010-03-04T16:59:50.062-05:00

Here's a demo of what Penguin is planning to make available on Apple's iPad. Guess it answers my question, "Are we forgetting the little ones?" FULL ARTICLE AVAILABLE HERE

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-34715433407774254332010-03-04T09:11:00.000-05:002010-03-04T09:11:20.747-05:00

This very interesting post was brought to my attention by the blogger. I really enjoyed it, though I'm not sure what conclusion to draw. Perhaps we should all gather at some retreat, write our very best work, then mix up a large pitcher of Kool-Aid?

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-51393386308911670262010-02-26T08:53:00.000-05:002010-02-26T08:53:54.955-05:00

  Here in the western suburbs of Philadelphia this is what I awoke to on my screened in back porch. Guess we won't have a fire in the fireplace this afternoon as the wood is covered and we'd need to put our boots on to get it. Our dog Sheila (she's a ten-year-old Aussie Cattle Dog, seen below) loved it, as it was like being outside without being exposed to the elements, and so she treated the

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-7925237636267317872010-02-24T13:53:00.000-05:002010-02-24T13:53:23.338-05:00

These acceptances are too far between, but I just got one today from Bare Root Review for my short story "Now Snow White Is Dead." Same one that came close at Mad Hatter and made the finals for SLS. I was beginning to think this baby would always be the bridesmaid (many of you may be too young to know that saying). It's the first piece I ever wrote in second person and it is very, very edgy so

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-1775421144594659972010-02-23T16:54:00.000-05:002010-02-23T16:54:31.762-05:00

Note: I'm a wee bit partial to Mad Hatter in that they recently sent me one of the nicest rejection e-mails. They took the time to let me know that my piece almost made it. It was so nice, in fact, that I thanked the editor, who in turn thanked me, and explained why it didn't quite get there. Unfortunately, no two pieces of mine are ever the same, and I have no other "edgy" material to submit to

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-20630412853581057192010-02-20T16:20:00.001-05:002010-02-20T16:47:10.772-05:00

Thanks to blogger friend, Frank Wilson, I came upon this post of Elmore Leonard's and other writers' 10 rules for writing. I always find successful writers' advice at once fun and annoying. Fun like reading those "Do's and Don'ts" fashion tips in magazines. Annoying because, like fashion, one size does not fit all and the advice is often contradictory. Take Leonard's rule #8, "Avoid detailed

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-76270222204937081612010-02-18T20:35:00.000-05:002010-02-18T20:35:39.747-05:00

At least since I was a kid, the media has loved sensational stories about how kids are headed down the road to ruin. In my day we watched too much TV, listened to Satanic music like the Rolling Stones, and used drugs. All of which many of us did––and that's not even counting the sexual revolution––and still ended up living typical suburban lives with the house, the car, and the 2.5 kids, just

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-91009945311462655782010-02-17T10:18:00.000-05:002010-02-17T10:18:25.159-05:00

Personification is a device we most often associate with poetry. It means assigning human characteristics to nonhumans or inanimate objects, as in the classic, and probably overused example of Joyce Kilmer's trees.... Read More on Roses & Thorns..

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-87317422018747319412010-02-12T09:06:00.001-05:002010-02-12T09:13:11.931-05:00

Hey readers, the SLS (Summer Literary Seminars) Unified Literary Contest––that's a mouthful––closes to submissions February 28, so there's still time to enter. There is a $15 dollar fee for each submission of fiction or poetry. The prizes are: First Place–All expenses paid (airfare, tuition, and housing) to one of their three seminars in Montreal, Canada; Vilnius, Lithuania; or Nairobi-Lamu,

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-65555513892651239572010-02-10T20:59:00.000-05:002010-02-10T20:59:20.388-05:00

You know the saying, the more things change, the more they stay the same.  For me, February marked two returns to sites I had formerly been associated with: Suite 101 and The Rose & Thorn. Actually I need to stop calling it The Rose & Thorn and get used to the new name, simply Rose & Thorn. Of the two returns, writing for Suite is like visiting my high school friends and jumping back into the

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-78358899763826253662010-02-07T14:13:00.000-05:002010-02-07T14:13:26.594-05:00

Read a review of Gilded on Cross Reference, my book review blog.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-9880941259094727872010-02-07T09:22:00.000-05:002010-02-07T09:22:48.173-05:00

Here's a great op-ed from the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer about a great writer and great writing.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-77628696480106394442010-02-04T16:17:00.000-05:002010-02-04T16:17:57.224-05:00

Here's an interesting post from the VQR Blog. Seems The Atlantic has entered into an agreement with Amazon to sell individual shorts for the Kindle at $3.99 apiece. I can't imagine paying $3.99 to read one lousy short story or even a good one. Of course the writer gets a "four figure" return. That's a lot too. Is that really necessary? Why do I see failure in their future?

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-69286862429169378112010-02-03T17:35:00.000-05:002010-02-03T17:35:03.519-05:00

PBS' Frontline did an excellent program last night on our Digital Nation. It covered a variety of issues including tests that showed how young people who think they are excellent at multitasking are actually much slower at comprehending and reacting than they realize. I highly recommend you check it out if you didn't see it. Apropos to this blog is something I have long suspected, which is how

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-79659891185466373802010-01-31T11:13:00.001-05:002010-04-11T20:23:34.488-04:00

Here's another article advocating that kids reading what they want, instead of what adults think they should, is a much better way to get them hooked on the habit. Hard to believe 40 years after Love Story was published, it's just as controversial and just as popular.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-35407362381242932072010-01-27T19:52:00.000-05:002010-01-27T19:52:48.506-05:00

So, it's finally here. And it starts at only $499. Pretty clever of Apple to let the prediction add up to $1000. So now this looks ve-e-ery good. I'm not one of those has-to-have-every-new-tech-toy types. I didn't get an iPod until everyone had one. I really have no desire for an iPhone. Why do I need a cell phone that acts like a laptop when I barely use the cell phone I have––honestly. I don't

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-35919843233814517972010-01-26T17:53:00.001-05:002010-01-26T17:55:12.581-05:00

Can Apple Save the Written Word? I thought Google was doing that. Oh wait, I guess they are just preserving it. Anyway more speculation on Apple's new e-reader that doesn't even have a name yet. Yikes, $1000. That's quite a lot of books and magazines and newspapers. Then again, it will be a reader and computer all in one from what I can tell, but I still need the one here on my desk because I

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-12979210203434242042010-01-25T16:19:00.000-05:002010-01-25T16:19:32.883-05:00

In the Poets & Writers; Writers Speakeasy Forum where I enjoy discussing writerly matters with other writers of more or less success (usually more), the topic of submission fees re-emerged. I started the first thread around the time I wrote an earlier post regarding submission fees at Narrative. Since that posting it has become more common for journals that accept online submissions to charge,

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-34143936110040914582010-01-21T20:25:00.000-05:002010-01-21T20:25:32.174-05:00

 Like the proverbial elephant in the room that everyone tries to ignore, inactivity on the Sotto Voce site hangs over this blog like an inconvenient truth. As of now SV appears to be one of those Live Sites/Dead Markets I complained about last May, and I've thought long and hard over whether and how I should address it. My first thought was to go through and erase all traces of my endorsements,

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-30525891663422276142010-01-17T12:07:00.000-05:002010-01-17T12:07:07.757-05:00

Read a review of Street Gang at Cross Reference the Book Review Blog.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-58818921930913012192010-01-17T05:00:00.003-05:002010-02-10T20:27:19.450-05:00

There are always people out there telling you what you should and shouldn't do as a writer. When I first started out new writers were criticized for writing for free. If we all stuck to that model now, most of our work would never see the light of day. Some will tell you never to pay for anything related to submissions, but then you 'd limit yourself to contests that carry little prestige and

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-79236005481590652442010-01-11T16:46:00.000-05:002010-01-11T16:46:48.605-05:00

Check out Watershed  a new short story posted by my blogger friend L.Lee Lowe author of the two serialized YA online novels Corvus and Mortal Ghost.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-19965036185662172792010-01-07T01:00:00.002-05:002010-01-07T01:00:00.761-05:00

Here's an interesting article from The Huffington Post dubbing Apple's soon to be debuted iSlate (name not yet official) as the "Kindle Killer." The author has an interesting point. Why create a reader that is so wedded to print that ends up being not quite as good as a book or a laptop? Instead, the Apple reader will make use of multi-media. I understand the arguments for the e-ink format: the

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-23657158614225811642010-01-05T09:33:00.005-05:002010-01-05T09:46:04.220-05:00

All the discussion about e-reading, whether online or on a device, seems to focus on the comfort/convenience of the reader or the profits of the publisher. Until I read this letter in Indian Country Today about pediatricians "breaking the cycle of poverty" by giving away books during well child visits I never thought about an important demographic being overlooked––kids––and not just the ones

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-3966897292006936612010-01-02T07:28:00.007-05:002010-01-02T07:39:58.025-05:00

Beneath my Happy New Year article this year, under "You might also like" perhaps you clicked on New Year's Resolutions for Writers posted last New Year.  I had forgotten all about that one. The great thing about a blog is I can come back here next year and see what I wrote. Will I have kept my resolutions or will I be like those people who crowd the gym every January and disappear with the first

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-10295289074102450182009-12-30T16:45:00.003-05:002009-12-30T17:44:38.044-05:00

Wow, I remember welcoming in the new decade of the 1970s (please don't go all technical on me about the decade starting in '71) with my first "date" at a friend's house where they played the theme to the futuristic 2001 on the stroke of midnight. Now we are entering 2010. For boomers like me, who spent our lives imagining the metal suits and jet packs we'd be wearing by now, it's a little

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-60954103518201282082009-12-22T13:31:00.000-05:002009-12-22T13:31:11.042-05:00

For this, my last blog post prior to the holiday, I continue my holiday tradition of bringing you something completely different. For the past few years I have been pushing––albeit not that hard since I'm a day late––to have the Winter Solstice declared a national holiday. Just think, this calendar event that falls within days of Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanzaa, could finally put an end to the

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-6390860261639745192009-12-21T08:00:00.001-05:002009-12-21T08:00:10.022-05:00

Read a review of the posthumously published Edith Wharton novel The Buccaneers at Cross Reference.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-2157997516629988112009-12-20T13:13:00.000-05:002009-12-20T13:13:25.868-05:00

For those of you who include book reviews on your blogs like I do at Cross Reference, new FTC Disclosure Requirements  apply to anyone, including bloggers, who receive compensation and/or free merchandise in exchange for a review. This would apply, as best I can tell, to free review copies and free books from the Amazon Vine program in which I participate. I have made a note on all reviews for

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-74047295720991567892009-12-16T07:25:00.000-05:002009-12-16T07:25:25.813-05:00

Last time I checked lead, pronounced with a short e, was a metallic substance and not the past tense of lead––long e. So why do I read lead so often where I should be reading led, not just in submissions but in respected newspapers? "The suspect lead police on a high-speed chase." Perhaps it is because it just doesn't look right? As a little three-letter word, led does seem more the proper

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-16129774221089169902009-12-12T08:00:00.001-05:002009-12-12T08:00:06.130-05:00

Do you frequent social networking sites?  If so, which ones? Why, and how do you use them? To keep up with friends? To make professional contacts? I'm curious because this is one aspect of the Internet I just can't warm up to. My readers must know by now that while I am old, I am not an old fogey. I have embraced the internet from the days when it took its first baby steps beyond the world of

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-19298378433322242302009-12-08T08:00:00.004-05:002009-12-08T08:34:07.087-05:00

Have you ever been watching a sunset or hiking a trail when suddenly a description you read of just such a scene pops into your head? Yesterday, a brilliantly sunny day following an unusually early snowfall in my Philadelphia suburb, brought to mind the "lapis lazuli" sky Edith Wharton described in The Age of Innocence.  Last summer I posted about how including weather in your stories can add

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-3016816918461522542009-12-05T16:57:00.001-05:002009-12-08T08:36:20.235-05:00

The holiday season is upon us, and as a consequence my blog posts are becoming fewer and farther between. I just noticed my last post was over a week ago. But that isn't because I see my blog posts as an unpleasant duty I force myself to perform regularly. I miss my blogging time, which got me to thinking about why we––because I know most of my readers are also bloggers––blog. Once an acronym

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-39977733531441801892009-11-27T17:01:00.003-05:002010-01-01T09:15:12.607-05:00

Here in the US, November is Native American Heritage Month, and, last year, the government proclaimed the day after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day. Those of you who know me or have followed this blog from its beginnings are aware how strongly I feel about how little most US citizens know about the descendants of the first inhabitants of our continent. Among most of us American

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-71174729659440018082009-11-24T07:27:00.004-05:002009-11-27T17:11:33.613-05:00

Last week at a party I had the opportunity to speak with a professor from the University of Penn who noted the difficulties in teaching persuasive writing in an era when shouting––literally and figuratively––passes for debate and logical reasoning is characterized as inertia. What is persuasive writing exactly? You may know it best as the "essay test" where you are expected to establish a thesis

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-24246433400782218742009-11-17T08:00:00.001-05:002009-11-17T10:52:27.351-05:00

 A couple of weeks ago blogger Kimberly Davis posted about choosing first or third person, and as usual she made some excellent points. While most of us automatically fall into the first person or third limited POV, third omniscient can add breadth and allow the author to use descriptive language that might be outside the cultural or educational realm of the characters. At the same time new

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-7283184624631156482009-11-12T08:00:00.002-05:002009-11-12T08:00:01.540-05:00

You know the feeling. The website for the journal you submitted to estimates a response time of six months. You've been waiting eight months. Should you follow up and ask if your piece is still under consideration? Or do you risk irritating the editor and possibly ruining your chances of acceptance? When a response is overdue it usually means one of three things: Your submission is being

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-4921221980293023752009-11-09T10:58:00.000-05:002009-11-09T10:58:53.493-05:00

This article  was brought to my attention by the writer. While I can't vouch for all the sites she lists, I have personally found enough of them of value that this seemed like a worthwhile link.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-59548731813064632052009-11-06T08:00:00.001-05:002009-11-06T08:00:03.132-05:00

Money Matters is a series of not so regular posts on this blog that reviews advertised sites or services for writers where some payment is required for participation. Lately I've been reading a lot about FanStory. I guess I'm a little slow as the site boasts they've been around for nine years. The details of how it works, from rankings to awards to member cents, are pretty complicated, so I'll

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-91066379299353720042009-10-30T07:38:00.000-04:002009-10-30T07:38:42.893-04:00

This is a great site brought to my attention by John Gorman author of Shades of Luz. Reviewers, authors, and readers (with permission) may submit one review per month. The nice thing is it gives books published by smaller presses a chance. For example, you'll find reviews of poetry chapbooks. While I usually prefer sites that link back to read the entire article, in the case of reviews by small

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-84943867860707570462009-10-29T08:31:00.001-04:002009-11-05T20:14:07.479-05:00

I found an interesting post on Writer Beware Blogs! about author mills, publishers whose business model is "selling as many books as possible from a limited number of authors" like PublishAmerica for example. The bloggers are asking anyone who has had experience with this type of publishing––good or bad to contact them.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-8630049142349936462009-10-29T08:00:00.001-04:002009-10-29T08:00:01.044-04:00

You are going through a dry spell. It has been months, maybe even over a year since your last submission was accepted. You've been circulating the same two––three––five––stories all that time. You started with the journals everyone dreams about. You've worked down to the ones where you thought you had a fighting chance, and nothing––nada-–bupkiss. These are the times that try writers' souls and

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-22362324014350017192009-10-26T14:56:00.000-04:002009-10-26T14:56:46.258-04:00

Often I come across stories with all the right elements––good writing that includes varied sentence structure; well-developed characters; even a great plot line––and yet it bores me. Often this happens because the story is told in linear progression when another approach might work better. Simplified to the extreme a linear story is one where events are told in chronological order. First this

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-50106384716331384592009-10-22T08:00:00.008-04:002009-11-05T20:17:24.395-05:00

At the end of an earlier post about submission fees I mentioned a site that claimed to send you writing assignments for which you'd be paid a minimum of $150, but they first required a $20 deposit. That was an obvious scam, but today I came across something legit, but almost as bad––a site I'll call "The Writing Sweat Shoppe".  I found the ad in a respected newsletter that advertises only paying

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-47623385116790043632009-10-18T08:00:00.001-04:002009-10-18T08:00:00.196-04:00

Yes that is a play on words and not a mistake, in case you are wondering. A few days ago I went rummaging through my hardcopies of assignments from the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop searching for a piece I'd deleted from my Word files. Each day that week, we read our assignments aloud for feedback from the group. Then we'd turn our work in to the workshop leader Chris Tighlman and Fellow Tony

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-58669965841626601032009-10-13T12:05:00.003-04:002009-10-13T12:21:43.770-04:00

My friend John Gorman author of Shades of Luz very kindly returned the favor and invited me to guest on his blog Paper Cut. The article deals with how the original literary zines will fare now that so many top-tier print journals have gone online. I warn you, it's a little long, but all those pioneering zines are near and dear to my heart.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-43616988334034530062009-10-12T16:46:00.002-04:002009-10-12T17:36:48.239-04:00

I've taken more than my share of swipes at The New Yorker on this blog, but lately it appears that "times they are a-changing." A good bud of mine passes his New Yorkers to me at the gym, and I trade him my New York Review of Books. Recently, I'd actually describe about four out of five of the stories I read in that venerable periodical as "memorable." Quite a change from what I've read there in

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-53465212283171290062009-10-12T07:14:00.002-04:002009-10-12T07:17:08.308-04:00

While I take issue with the notion that "under 30" equates with innovative, some of you who qualify may be interested in Narrative's 30 Below Contest.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-50878731158893524172009-10-09T19:58:00.001-04:002009-10-09T20:00:39.850-04:00

Read a review of John Gorman's debut novel Shades of Luz on Cross-Reference.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-73777026849559820802009-10-09T08:00:00.000-04:002009-10-09T08:00:02.646-04:00

This post is for all those writers (and also to Amazon.com that regularly sends me free books) for taking so long to review your books. It's time I confessed. I am just an extremely slow reader. This is the bane of my existence as in most cases I do not agree to review books because I feel I should, but because I really want to. I want to see what my cyber-friend has been working on for the last

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-75774761732651531622009-10-04T08:00:00.003-04:002009-11-05T20:36:38.419-05:00

Once again Hope Clark's Funds for Writers newsletter has inspired my post. In "The Don't-Do-That Rut" article from her Small Markets letter, she opines about those writers who "rattle off absolutes" in forums and chatrooms. I've visited those forums where (these are my thoughts, not Hope's) writers who reached their peak some thirty years ago spout outdated dogma like "never write for free" or "

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-17154224998265660562009-09-24T20:55:00.002-04:002009-09-25T11:44:06.827-04:00

So a couple of weeks ago, Monday, September 14 to be exact, my 56th birthday, I was sitting in a restaurant in Raleigh with my husband, daughter (whom we were visiting), and her roommate who had just arrived late from her job at Barnes & Noble where they had been unpacking––but not yet unwrapping––copies of the new Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol set to go on sale the following day. Apparently

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-30719784689468790202009-09-22T19:43:00.003-04:002009-09-23T13:20:24.277-04:00

Editor's Note: While this blog focuses mostly on writing for online publications, I know many of my readers are working on novels. When my friend John Gorman (Boba Fett Blues) contacted me about his new book Shades of Luz , I asked if he would favor me with a guest post about the trials and tribulations of getting that first book published. I think you'll enjoy it.Labor of Love“All of us failed

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-13296348248230386762009-09-18T16:54:00.004-04:002009-09-24T08:22:58.604-04:00

Some writers, especially new ones, assume any submission fee must be a scam. It's important to be wary. There are a lot of unscrupulous types out there preying on desperate writers looking for that first publication, but writers who assume all submission fees are scams may unduly limit themselves, especially in a world where, increasingly, both online and print publications are looking for

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-67527662230354306912009-09-17T08:11:00.003-04:002009-09-17T08:51:13.614-04:00

The short list for this year's Man Booker Prize has been released. Only two former winners were included. Of the nine other former winners who submitted works, one source noted they ranged "from the good to the merely average, with one downright stinker."I'm noticing a trend here in the US as well, perhaps fueled by the popularity of new online innovations, away from publishing the so-so work of

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-75355548206603970362009-09-12T08:00:00.001-04:002009-09-12T17:31:37.307-04:00

Is anyone else feeling overdosed on simile these days? I just read a prize winning story in a very high tier online publication where the word "like" showed up five times in one paragraph describing a woman walking down the street. Her hair looked like this. Her skirt swung like that, etc., etc., or should I say, yada...yada, because that's how it read for me.Simile, according to the Oxford

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-88949707459022735122009-09-10T12:02:00.001-04:002009-09-10T12:04:58.279-04:00

Read a review of Lorrie Moore's newest novel A Gate at the Stairs on Cross Reference.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-47694706736339485882009-09-07T08:00:00.007-04:002009-09-07T09:13:07.705-04:00

Sometimes I come across a submission that is what I like to call "soap opera writing." By that I don't mean melodrama, but a story that reads like it's being made up as you go along.If you're a fan of soaps as I was once, you'll understand this example.Cody and Nevada are characters on As the Tears Fall. Suddenly, one day we learn that Nevada gave birth to Cody's baby 20 years before and put the

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-82841118404930818462009-09-04T17:25:00.002-04:002009-09-04T17:29:24.889-04:00

The Kenyon Review reading period opens September 15 and runs through January 15. They accept submissions only through their online system. Submissions will be considered for both the print and online versions.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-53922687965266449392009-08-30T09:52:00.003-04:002009-08-30T11:39:55.525-04:00

I really like the idea of students having a say in what they read. This follows well on my earlier post Kids & Reading. I see two major problems with required reading at the middle and high school level. One is that while some kids may find a few gems they enjoy, nothing is as much fun when someone forces you to do it. Second, the reading lists are always chosen by the prior generation. Back in

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-31538865916436906322009-08-27T20:04:00.006-04:002009-08-28T12:35:40.070-04:00

Painters working in oils will often layer, painting the basic picture then adding colors and brush strokes to create shadow and light thus adding depth. This same method can add depth and texture to your writing.The majority of submissions I read for Sotto Voce or through CROSSxCHECKING tell great stories. Unfortunately, that's often where it stops. The stories have no more depth than something a

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-26514108623871036772009-08-24T08:00:00.000-04:002009-08-24T08:00:01.994-04:00

On her blog Tender Graces, my writer/editor/blogger friend Kat Magendie has been posting a useful series on grammar. Writers vary greatly on how much weight they give to grammar in their writing, from the college kid who thinks what he says is oh so much more important than where he places the commas and periods (if he places them at all) to the gal who writes dialogue like "Yes, Officer, he is

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-74164088378345499222009-08-22T10:26:00.002-04:002009-08-22T10:29:02.216-04:00

Sorry folks, I know it's a pain but I've been forced to go back to moderating comments and using word verification after a comment showed up from a porno site. I hope I caught in time not to have Google shut down the entire blog.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-60169896164999823312009-08-19T10:08:00.005-04:002009-09-23T13:46:12.525-04:00

Thanks to Rebecca Nazar of Scratch That (who should get an additional award for the most soothing blog design) for awarding me the Kreativ Blogger Award.The rules are:Thank the person who awarded you and link to them.-DoneDisplay the logo-DoneNominate seven worthy souls, link to them, and tell them they've been nominated––see belowReveal seven things about yourself--oooh, that's hard, but I'll

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-68865842583423648772009-08-19T08:00:00.000-04:002009-08-19T08:00:01.886-04:00

In my post Reading Periods: Think Before You Send, I warned against rushing to submit just before a publication closes down for the summer. Hard to believe, but now summer is almost over, at least in the academic world, and that means many of those literary journals associated with colleges and universities will soon re-open for submissions. (If you are one of our readers from Down Under, just

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-70775127311130630162009-08-16T14:54:00.003-04:002009-08-16T15:00:57.739-04:00

Chapter 1 of l. lee lowe's most recent serialized online Fantasy/Sci Fi novel is now live. Click on the title of this post or on the image in the sidebar to go directly to the site where you can begin reading the novel or listen to it as a podcast. Feedbooks are also available for iPhones and ereaders.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-36717409473144151792009-08-16T13:01:00.000-04:002009-08-16T15:40:38.524-04:00

Posting about fellow blogger l. lee lowe's most recent online novel got me thinking what a marvelous boost the Internet has been for networking among writers. Writing has often been called a solitary undertaking, and it can be even more solitary for those of us who labor away in middle class suburbia, where we can go years at a time without making contact with another writer. There are only so

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-43220637740442433652009-08-13T11:11:00.001-04:002009-08-13T11:13:01.906-04:00

You can read a review of this book on Cross Reference, the book review blog.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-11293589788465645282009-08-09T14:07:00.002-04:002009-08-09T14:09:53.839-04:00

Read a review of The Power of the Dog on Cross Reference

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-24460045519849841722009-08-08T17:22:00.003-04:002009-08-09T13:12:59.960-04:00

No matter how many times I use it, I'm still in awe at the ease of doing research on the Internet. At the same time, the phrase "dig a little deeper" has taken on a new more literal meaning in addition to the figurative one.Every time I look up a statistic to back up a point in an article or a fact that will add realism to a piece of fiction, like the day of the week Christmas fell on in 1875, I

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-75692106916078891682009-08-04T08:00:00.000-04:002009-08-04T08:00:07.304-04:00

Hello followers & VisitorsI've always said this blog would be devoted to writing and not turn into a political blog. I also bent my rule a couple of times to blog about healthcare reform, an issue I think is just too important to ignore. So, rather than muck up this blog with other things, I've decided to start a new blog, CROSS-EXAMINE where I will be blogging about healthcare reform for the

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-57592181988695428832009-07-30T08:00:00.001-04:002009-07-30T08:00:02.987-04:00

Reading this blog over the last year––yes, it has been about a year––it may seem as though I see editors of print, particularly top-tier print journals as conspirators in a good-old-boy/gal plot to dash the hopes of new and unconnected writers. While editors of exclusively online journals are all things pure, selecting submissions solely on quality, taking perhaps our one guilty pleasure in

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-40815545895165584112009-07-29T10:29:00.000-04:002009-07-29T10:30:34.882-04:00

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-71853542667952632292009-07-28T08:00:00.001-04:002009-07-28T08:00:03.321-04:00

Recently, in the P&W Speakeasy Forum a poster who had taken a top down approach to submitting was now asking about publications open to "new writers." I immediately weighed in with online pubs, and, in particular, the two zines I know best––Rose & Thorn and Sotto Voce. Said poster replied, "Thanks, but I wasn't looking at online." Which is fine. Once upon a time I'd go all preachy about that, but

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-46190250962663472982009-07-27T17:52:00.002-04:002009-07-27T17:54:30.140-04:00

My blogger friend, Lee Lowe just announced she will begin the serialization of her new YA novel, Corvus on August 14. Don't forget to stop by and check it out.

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-12024737692623171332009-07-23T19:19:00.003-04:002009-07-23T19:32:31.281-04:00

As I noted in an earlier post, I am breaking my rule regarding political posts when it comes to the issue of healthcare reform. As I said in that post, I really believe we need a single payer plan and an overall reform of our entire healthcare system including delivery. I didn't think the mere addition of a public plan would be enough. However, listening to President Obama last night, I became

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387051985275836839.post-87741073032629004722009-07-19T10:37:00.000-04:002009-07-19T15:19:00.443-04:00

Speak about the icons of the Boomer generation and you'll call up images of dead rockers like Jimi Hendrix and Janice Joplin or long-jowled, big-paunched live rockers who can't give up the concert stage. But for those of us who took our activism further than handing out flowers to cops, Walter Cronkite, the man who told us the way it was each week night on CBS, was a true icon.Our generation

Nannette Crocehttps://profiles.google.com/112391031939760002031noreply@blogger.com2