Google Reader Roundup

The Blog and I want to thank everyone yesterday for the birthday wishes. The Blog got a little uppity over its age this morning and we didn't get this post lined up until late this morning. We hope you will forgive. We were partied out!

• Nathan Bransford has a comprehensive post about voice...with many elements I hadn't thought about before.

• Rachelle Gardener posted about mothers who don't have to work for money and why they should relax their publishing dreams to just enjoy their kids...and not um, hurry toward publication? I seem to be the only one who took the post this way -- and what about us working moms? Is it okay for us to go ahead and pursue publication because we're not spending time with kids? I don't know. I'm not sure what she means. But many people found it uplifting. You decide.

• Agent Holly Root compiles some answers to a recent #askagent tweet session.

• Author Jody Hedlund talks about ways to find blogging ideas.

• Jessica Faust talks about the tired storyline of surprise pregnancy -- and I have to agree.

• Rachelle Gardener, again, has a very short and sweet template for pitching agents at conferences and the like.

• Kristin Nelson says that if you've got an offer from an agent, why not shop around if you have your manuscript out with other agents?

• Gah! Moonrat answers a very good question of what happens when you have the same working title as another book that just sold, in the same genre! Horrors!

• Tahereh, who is just a clever and very funny person, further proves her creativity by writing a newspaper style post about Twilight. In the comments, people said how hard they laughed, but what you should note is Tahereh's sheer inventiveness. She just showed us why her forthcoming novel is going to be very good indeed.

• Anne Allen has a great post on ignoring bad advice from your critique group. This is such a good post (as are all of Anne's) and I loved how each one of her points are exactly things I've heard being harped on in my writing group. What's so great about this post is that by calling each thing out, I almost feel that ignoring each one is validated. I bow to you, Anne. She wins the Roundup prize this week.

• And last but not least, even though I had to come back in here and add it, is this awesome You Tube video of the Bronte sisters action figures, fighting the MAN! via Dystel and Goderich. This is so enjoyable. I love that they took the woman vs. man angle instead of just book action figures (which is a good idea too).