It’s been a while since I asked anyone to nominate me for a blogging competition.

I don’t want to be greedy. I’m already asking everyone I know to purchase a copy of my new book, The Writer’s Workout. (And yes, I’m asking you too. Please order soon!)

But what the heck, I have been blogging steadily and multiply since January 2007.

If you would like to nominate me for as one of the Top Ten Blogs for Writers, please do!

I’m going to be blogging more often than ever this year, since I’ll be promoting my new book all year, and responding to all of the questions and concerns that writers bring up while I’m around and about.

So let’s see if we can still get me in the game. What do you say?

If we are going to do this thing, we’d better hurry, the nominations end by December 10th (so I think that means by the end of the day on the 9th, I’m not sure, let’s go with that).

Here’s the rules (taken from this post):

How to Nominate Your Favorite Writing Blog:

→ Nominate your favorite blog in the comment section.
→ You have only one vote (only your first will be counted).
→ Please include the web address of the blog.
→ Explain why you think the blog is worthy of winning this year’s award.

To make the cut, a blog must be nominated more than once.

Need ideas? Here’s the 411 on me as a blogger over the past four years:

I’ve been blogging continuously since January 2007.

I started blogging my The Writer Mama Riffs blog and my Writers On The Rise blog.

I ran each of those blogs for two years, not only blogging regularly myself but also featuring many co-contributors such as Kelly James Enger, C. Hope Clark, and many more.

While I was already running those two blogs, I started my Get Known Before the Book Deal blog in January 2008 and ran it for two years with more great contributors such as Meryl K. Evans and Cindy Hudson, and many more.

Eventually running all of these overlapping blogs proved to be too much time and creative energy away from my paying work, so in November 2009, I built THIS blog and started phasing out my old blogs and pouring everything into this one.

I’m not sure that I have been the most perfect blogger in the extended writing community (if there is any such thing), but I have definitely experimented a lot, been pretty darn consistent for FIVE years, and I have learned a ton.

Along the way, I have helped to expand the reach of many writers, who have worked with me. Quite a few of them have gone on to get book deals and ramp up substantial platforms as experts. At some point I realized that I needed to either focus on expanding my classes and taking good care of my students or being the most popular blogger on the block.

But you know what? When I let go of being the most popular blogger on the block, that’s when I feel like I found my blogging legs.

When I stopped focusing on pointing the spotlight on others and just started standing in the spotlight myself and taking the mic and letting whatever I wanted to say come out, that’s when things got cool.

I hate to see blogging become something with too much peer pressure and parameters and unspoken rules.

I think the highest path for a blog is for it become what it wants to become according to what makes the most sense for the blogger, the audience and the topic.

That’s what I teach my students anyway. Because I don’t want them to have to spend years blogging “right” before they finally start blogging real.

My blog is a work in progress. I change the name as often as I change my hairstyle. I don’t blog only about writing because I don’t like that rule. In addition to blogging, I also write books, ebooks, curricula, articles, and things in forms that don’t even have names yet.

I blog because I want to blog. Because I love to blog. Because it’s a natural extension of who I am and what I do.

If you think any or all of this is worth a vote, then thanks for voting for me.

Hop on over to WriteToDone, Unmissable Articles On Writing and nominate me accordingly.

I always appreciate your support. Thank you for reading.

On Stands Thru Mid-April -- Don't Miss It!

On Wednesday, March 30, all day long, F+W Media is donating 50% of the profits from all of bookstore sales across all communities to help aid Japan. So, if you would like to purchase copies of my books, or any of the wonderful F+W books currently in print, head on over the Writer’s Digest Shop and shop until you drop. It’s all for a good cause.

• • •

And speaking of Writer’s Digest, you can still catch my article, “50 Way To Grow Your Platform In Only Five Minutes A Day” on stands through mid-April. Better hurry, though. I’ m sure they are selling fast.

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On April 1st, the e-book we’ve all been waiting for on the future of publishing by former Writer’s Digest Publisher, Jane Friedman, launches. I’ll be posting an interview with Jane here in this blog on April 1st and I hope you will come back for it. She says the book is fairly irreverent, as I am sure you will probably notice. While we are all in suspense, here’s a little teaser:

The Future of Publishing: Enigma Variations is a definitive and comprehensive view on how book publishing will evolve and transform. It analyzes the future of not only authors, but also agents, editors, publishers, bookstores, and reading in general. If you’ve been curious, fearful, or anxious—or if you just want to know the future ahead of everyone else (and who doesn’t!)—then don’t miss this excellent and informed perspective.

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April 17: The Northwest Author Series Presents Gigi Rosenberg on Fund Your Projects: Grant Writing for the Literary Artist at the Wilsonville Public Library. I will be hosting. Writer’s Digest Market Book door prizes will be awarded to two lucky writers.

In this hands-on workshop you will learn to write compelling and lively grant applications to fund your writing projects. You will discover how to research funding, decode application questions, and let the grant writing process focus writing goals. You will also find out how to enlist colleagues and friends to help write a successful proposal and leave knowing whether grant writing is the best use of your time or if you would be better off continuing to build a body of work. (…more info and check out Gigi’s new book)

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April 3o: I’m a featured speaker at the Terroir Creative Writing Festival. I’ll be kicking things off and making sure all the writers are wide-awake…at least to the necessities of platform. Other speakers include Monica Drake, Jean Auel and more! (…more info)

• • •

Abigail Green and I have classes coming up that begin on May 4th (register by April 27th). You might think, “Classes in May, really? But for many fall and winter are hectic times and their creative sap runs a lot faster during brighter, longer days. I know I am sure feeling it lately. So if you want to spring forward in your writing career and put all that extra energy to good use, now’s the time to sign up for Writing & Publishing the Short Stuff, Discover Your Specialty & Launch Your Platform, and Personal Essay That Get Published Level 2.

Scholarships are available for BOTH of my May classes. Apply by Sunday for consideration for a $250 class!

Happy bunnies, daffodils, and sunshine, everyone! And happy writing.

THIS JUST IN: Only a few calendars left. Order today!

If you are a Pacific Northwest author, you don’t want to miss this.

The 2010 Oregon Writer’s Colony Fundraiser Calendar

This is not just any calendar, folks. This calendar contains 12 naked writers including my good friend, Sage Cohen.

Okay, I know what you are thinking.

Naked writers? Isn’t that kind of…frightening?

It’s okay. I won’t tell Sage you thought that.

By the way, it also includes naked pictures of some of my other favorite people like Marc Acito, Elizabeth Lyon, and Jennie Shortridge.

Yes, in the buff.

But trust me, the tasteful and hilarious photography from Eric Griswold won’t leave your mouth hanging open. (Really, I promise.)

Furthermore, proceeds from the calendar will benefit the Oregon Writer’s Colony upgrade their Colonyhouse so that the Accessibility and Development Campaign can make the Colonyhouse, a log house in Rockaway Beach, Oregon, accessible to any member wishing to attend writing events or make use of the writing space.

Naked writers, anyone?

On October 13, author Elizabeth Lyon underwent major surgery for severe osteoarthritis of the spine.

You have probably heard of Elizabeth, she is the author of such wonderful books as Manuscript Makeover, Nonfiction Book Proposals Anyone Can Write, and A Writer’s Guide to Nonfiction.

If you feel the spirit of giving this holiday season, consider making a donation to Elizabeth to help her through the three-month recovery period from her full spinal fusion surgery. The recovery period is long because the graft bones and her bones, T-12 through the pelvis, must bind and then grow strong.

I don’t want to publicize Elizabeth’s home address, so if you feel so moved, you can send your checks to me (made out to Elizabeth Lyon, please) and I will batch them and forward them to her as a holiday gift.

Thanks for your consideration and caring. Every little contribution helps pay for food and the expenses of a long recovery with significantly less ability to work.

You can mail your check, made out to Elizabeth Lyon, to me at:

Christina Katz, PO Box 1354, Wilsonville, OR  97070

Thanks for your support!