Blogging Mentor Mondays: One Smart Cookie

Peggy Eddleman of Will Write for Cookies is our newest Mentor! Peggy's blog is one of my favorites. Her posts are uplifting, helpful, and insightful. Plus, every Friday I snarf down on the calorie-free cookies she so generously shares with her followers. Welcome, Peggy!

Let's get right down to it. When and why did you start your blog?
I started in June of last year, because I knew that’s what agents wanted. I’d like to say I had loftier reasons than that, but I didn’t. It’s something I had put off for a really long time, fearing it would cut into writing time too much. I’d had a personal blog for years, so I KNEW how much time it took. (Well, okay, a blog takes more time than I guessed, but I still guessed pretty high.)

Blogging is time consuming, but the rewards outweigh the loss of writing time, right? One time saver is having a reliable, regimented blogging schedule. What is your process for writing posts?
If I followed my goals, I’d be able to say that I write them all a week in advance, but the truth is, I don’t. I keep a file of ideas of things to blog about, and many times I decide what I’m going to blog about for several days that week. But the blogging itself usually happens the night before. (Shh. I’ll share a secret. If any of my posts have a time stamp of close to 7:00 am or after, it means I had to wake up extra early, shake of that slacker feeling, and do it then.) As far as more process than that, I find the image I’m going to use first, write my title last, and get down the point of my post as I write and rewrite.

I'm impressed! You've got your schedule down pat. So what is your most memorable blogging experience? 
Definitely announcing my book deal. This community we’re a part of is AMAZING. People will come out in hordes to congratulate and support you. Seriously, anyone thinking about becoming a writer definitely should, if for no other reason than to be a part of this community! Writers are incredible people, and I consider myself fortunate to be able to rub shoulders with them.

Announcing your book deal is one of the highlights of blogging for me. I love to celebrate other writer's successes! Now, what are the top three reasons you continue to blog today? 

1. Because of the people! I became a writer 3 ½ years before I started my blog. During that time, I read tons and tons of blogs and learned mass amounts about the business and the craft. But it wasn’t until I started my own blog that I really felt immersed in this world. It was the first time I really go to know this fabulous group of people. I started blogging to find an agent, but I ended up finding MY PEOPLE. 
2. Because it helps me to become a better writer. There are a million blogs out there (kind of like how there are a million books out there). If you want people to read yours, you have to write well. Use economy of phrasing. Have a point. Get to the point. Write clear, concise sentences. The exact same things that help you to be a good writer of blog posts help you to be a good writer of novels.
3. Comments! (Oh, come on. That’s why everyone blogs, isn’t it?) Seriously, though. When I read comments, I get a glimpse into you, then I go to your blog and get to know you even better, and then this blogging world feels more like a blogging town where everyone lives next to each other and you can walk down the street waving to all the people you know just like in old movies. And who doesn’t love that?

Great imagery! Okay, random question: as a middle grade writer (and soon to be author), what is your favorite MG book? 
I read to my kids every night, and have done so for a whole lot of years. So I’ve read a lot of MG. My favorites are the ones that we ALL loved so much that it made bedtime not such a bad thing. Our #1 favorite is the GREGOR THE OVERLANDER series by Suzanne Collins. I mean of course it’s great! It’s Suzanne Collins! It’s kind of like The Hunger Games for kids. (Also: Warning. It’s kind of like The Hunger Games for kids. Just sayin’.) 

Other favorites have been THE DELTORA QUEST by Emily Rodda, THE GIRL WHO COULD FLY by Victoria Forester, RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE by Shannon Hale, and THE LIGHTNING THIEF by Rick Riordan. My boys and I loved ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS by Brandon Sanderson (but my daughter hated it). Also, I finally talked my kids into letting me read them HARRY POTTER. I can’t believe that was so hard! (I mean, come on, kids! It’s Harry Potter!) We’re on book 5 now.

You had to talk your kids into reading Harry Potter to them? Wow! I remember when kids were clamoring for those books. I was working at a summer camp when the fourth book came out. The older kids spent their recesses and lunch breaks reading. It was a glorious sight to behold!

Thank you for your exemplary blogging example, Peggy. I know I'm not alone when I say I appreciate your contribution to the writer-blogging community. You're an excellent Mentor!