Why It's Important to Read Other Blogs

Due to couple of technical glitches on my end of things, this post apparently didn't run on Monday as I'd intended. Enjoy!

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If you're like me, you watch your fair share of crime dramas on TV. I love Bones, Castle, and NCIS immensely.

But, if I'm not careful, I can allow them to color what I interpret as correct where police procedure is concerned.

This is why it's important that I--and you as a writer--read non-fiction, whether in blog form or in book form.

I love Lee Lofland's book, Police Procedure and Investigation, and his blog, The Graveyard Shift. With Castle in particular, he blogs about what the writers/actors did wrong where police procedure is concerned, and praises them when they get it correct. By reading this blog, I learn a lot, and that colors my view of other shows when I watch them. TMOTH is probably getting a little tired of hearing me go "They wouldn't really do that in real life" or "Oh, boy, I can't wait to see what Lee Lofland has to say about that tomorrow."

The same holds true for reading blogs by writers and agents. Lately, with having a little one in and out of the hospital, and being a busy mom, I don't have a lot of time to read lengthy books on the topic of writing. Truth be told, since I got my Kindle a couple months ago, I haven't cracked open a real book other than review copies for Christian Children's Book Review. So, for the writer in me, blogs are the best way to stay current with my craft.

I almost always try to stay up with three blogs a week: AuthorCulture, Wordplay, and Rants & Ramblings. If I have time, I usually like to check in with several others, but these are the ones I'll read while eating breakfast or lunch, or if I have a quick ten minutes where the kids are being good.

Sure, the four I've mentioned today are probably not the most comprehensive, although I feel they're pretty good. Heck, Rants & Ramblings has been on the Writer's Digest list of best sites for writers several years in a row. But, the important thing for me is that I stay connected. If I were to say "Chuck it. I've got too many irons in the fire. I'll pick my writing back up when the baby's better," I'd lose my grip on the market, on what's good writing, on my passion for doing what I want to do.

By staying active on the blogs, I'm also keeping my name out there. I don't comment on every post, but I comment frequently enough. And that, as a writer desiring to be published, is an important thing.

So, you tell me: What blogs do you make sure you read frequently? Maybe I'll have to add a few more to my "must read" list.

Until next time,