Friday, February 12

Posted by Laurel Garver on Friday, February 12, 2010 11 comments
I'm getting very excited for the THREE upcoming blogfests.

Love at First Sight Blogfest, hosted by Courtney Reese on February 14

So-Long Blogfest, hosted by Karen at Novels During Naptime on February 18

Whoops! Blogfest hosted by Laurel's Leaves (that would here, folks!) on February 22

If you've never participated in one, you might be wondering what all the hubbub is about.

A blogfest is a writing party of sorts. One blogger posts a writing prompt, usually on a theme, and invites other bloggers to join in by posting a scene. The host blogger posts a sign-up sheet for participants so readers have a go-to place to find out who's participating and to easily access links to the various entries.

Why should you participate?

1) It's fun!

And who doesn't need more fun, especially in February? I've been snowed in for days with a bored 7-yo, hubby with a bad respiratory infection and 168 pages of proofreading to do for work. Fun would be a very nice thing about now!

2) It's a great way to get a little feedback on your work in progress, test out new characters, give life to a killed darling, or play with a new genre or POV or style.

For the Kissing Day blogfest, I posted a snippet I'd cut from WIP-2 because it was too racy for the context of my work. But doggone it, I'd worked hard to craft that sensuous moment, so the blogfest was an excellent place to let my work be "published."

For the No-Kiss blogfest, I debuted the bad boy Laughlin O'Donnell, who will be appearing in WIP-2. This poor guy has been lingering in a file cabinet since the early 1990s. He needed a stretch so I could get to know him again.

3) You'll meet lots of cool bloggers.

The energy these blogfests generate is fantastic. Each blogfest widget is a quick, easy way to find blogs you might not otherwise have known existed. Giving and receiving feedback in the online community sparks many wonderful new friendships.

4) It's informative and widens your horizons.

You get to read unique spins on the prompt, often giving you a taste for many different genres. In the Kissing Day blogfest, we saw straight-up romance, as well as fantasy, historical, paranormal, literary, YA and MG. I learned a lot about other bloggers, and about genres I never read but now have a taste for. A good taste. And I want to read more.

Procrastinate no longer, my friends! Go sign up today!

Never participated in a blogfest? What might convince you to try?
Are you a blogfest maven? What benefits did you enjoy from participating?
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11 comments:

  1. My Fight-Scene blogfest entry generated some, er... interesting comments, but also brought close to 100 people by to read my blog. The blogfests are indeed a great way to get out into the blogosphere and meet folk. Highly recommended!

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  2. Thanks for the blogfest round-up, Laurel! Love the cheerful picture. :-)

    Have a great weekend.

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  3. Thanks for posting this! I signed up for the Love at First Sight and I totally forgot about it! Ha! Now I know what I'll be working on today! FYI- you won an award at my blog! Happy Valentines Day!

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  4. Will do my best, Laurel! As soon as I get one written for yours, I'll sign up. Thanks for the reminders!

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  5. Simon: Ha! Now I'll have to go dig up that post to see what people said.

    Can I beg you to help me generate more interest in the Whoops! fest?

    Shannon: You're welcome. Any shout-outs you can do as well would be great. Karen and I both have under 100 followers, so we need help from blog mentors like you.

    Kelly: Can't wait to see your LAFS post. And many thanks for the award!

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  6. Carol: thanks!! Can't wait to see what your creative mind comes up with.

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  7. Sure I'll pimp your blogfest, Laurel. How about Monday?

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  8. Simon: Thank you, my friend! Much appreciated!

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  9. I always have good intentions to participate in these blog fests, but I can never squeeze in the time to write something for them!! Maybe this time...

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  10. Jemi: I think most participants don't write anything new, but post excerpts from work already on hand. It's perfectly fine to post something from a favorite author, too, or just a vid clip.

    Hope you can find a way to join the fun!

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  11. Laurel - I did a link to this post in my sidebar. :-)

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