Blog reading can make you a better writer...

Wordplay and Witticisms: SOMNIFEROUS - (adj) causing or inducing sleep
"He has gone outside the usual channels of stodgy academic journals and somniferous lectures."

My current writing soundtrack: Soundtrack from French Kiss

Need a little pick-me-up? Check out Rachel Gibson's first sell story over at Dear Author. Six years, 25 rejections, a Golden Heart (an award for unpublished romance authors) and still no publisher in sight? Rachel Gibson - author of at least 13 books, a NY Times and USA Today bestseller? Puts things in perspective for me. How about you?

OK - so some of you are still writing and some of us have reached "the end" and been commanded/encouraged to take a break for a couple weeks. So, what's an aspiring author to do? Two weeks is a long time!

Glad you asked. That is precisely what we will be talking about over the next eight to ten posts. Things you can do that will benefit your writing but don't entail directly working on your manuscript. Writing is still the best activity in which to engage in order to improve your writing, but there are a lot of activites that are beneficial but will give you objectivity and space from your recently completed rough draft.

How about picking up a great book, one that you read solely for pleasure? Who knows, maybe that little sponge of a brain of yours will subliminally pick up a tidbit that will inspire you down the road!

On the subject of reading, you could wax your surf board (AKA your computer mouse) and hit the blog waves of the world wide web.

In her blog, The Writing Bug, Kerrie Flanagan (Director of Northern Colorado Writers) highly recommends reading blogs of other writers. In fact, she recommends you make time for it in your daily routine.

Lisa Vella over at "Getting it Write for You" says blog surfing makes her a better writer. She finds inspiration, resources and friends through her blog reading.

So, in your quest to be a better writer and take a break from your WIP (work in progress) read some blogs - learn something new, make new friends and gather resources! If you need a jumpstart, check out the blogroll here at "No Rest...".

P.S. An easier way to read blogs is to use an online RSS reader. I use Bloglines. All of the blogs that I like to read are there in one place. You can create folders for easy access and organization. Check it out!

Already a A+ surfer? What are your favorite writing blogs? Where have you found killer info?