Eighteen writers spread across twelve states. Honing their craft in five different fiction genres.
Two 2010 Genesis finalists.
Four finalists in the first annual 2010 My Book Therapy (MBT) Frasier contest.
Eleven published writers--in both fiction and non-fiction.
One editor--gasp!--to cross our t's and dot our i's.
Three PhDs and one PhD-to-be.
A software engineer and several small business owners.
Women who are single, married and widowed.
Stay-at-home moms and work-from-home-moms and go-to-work women.
A marathoner and a dog walker.
A potter and a jewelry maker.
All of us experiencing two-steps-forward, one-step-back successes and setbacks as we pursue our goal: publication.
All united by one event: a MBT coaching retreat.
We call ourselves The Ponderers.
Why?
Well, basically because we are a bit rebellious. At the first MBT Storycrafters retreat in October 2009, bestelling author Susan May Warren forbid us to ever use the word "ponder." She hurled the verbal gauntlet--and we picked it up when we caught Susie using "ponder" several times during the weekend.
So what's our plan for The Ponderers' blog?
We'll be talking writing. Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday a different Ponderer will post on topics like:
- Creativity
- Balancing your "real" life with your writing life
- Why you should care about commas and periods and spelling (Guess who is writing that post?)
- Recaps of MBT online chats
- Interviews--and Susan May Warren promises to drop by the blog!
- A runner's perspective on writing & a gardener's perspective on writing
- Jumpstarting your writing career while working fulltime
- The craft side of writing & the spiritual side of writing
Author Jessamyn West said, "Writing is a solitary occupation." When it's just you and your work-in-progress (WIP), that's true. But thanks to the relationships forged between The Ponderers, we've discovered the writing life doesn't have to be lonely. This blog is our way if inviting you into our corner of the writing world. Join in the fun. Share your thoughts. And if you want to use the word "ponder," that's okay with us too!
We're having a contest to kick-off our blog. Leave comments during the month of July and you'll have the chance to win a fun assortment of prizes, including:
- A Starbucks gift card
- A signed copy of Susan May Warren's latest book, Sons of Thunder
- A signed copy of Sara Evan's and Rachel Hauck's The Sweet By and By
- A signed copy of Jenness Walker's romantic suspense, Double Take
- A signed copy of Beth K. Vogt's book Baby Changes Everything: Embracing and Preparing for Motherhood after 35
- A copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul's A Tribute to Moms
We're still collecting items for our prize basket, so who knows all the goodies you'll win! Use the word "ponder" when you comment and we'll enter your name twice!
48 comments:
Great debut post, Beth! So excited to be a part of this pondering awesomeness!
You had me at "Book Therapy" lol
...on Lisa Jordan's blog :D
Yay, Beth! Thanks for getting us started. And LJ, thanks for setting it up...looks great! Oooh, this is gonna be fun...
Oh the ponders you can ponder...no, Dr. Seuss said it better! In any case, welcome friends and let the pondering begin!
Thanks for joining us, Kelly! Don't forget to leave your e-mail so we can contact you if you win!
Great start! I'm pondering how great it was that God winked, gathered these pondering individuals in one place, and connected us to give the fun of journeying our writing roads together.
Kudos to Kelly for jumping right in!
Yay! Here we go, ladies. :-) Can my name be put in the basket for the drawing? lol
Um, no, Jenness . . . I should have listed that all Ponderers are excluded! But chocolate is now included in the giveaway goodies!!
I was kidding. Really. Although I haven't read Sweet By and By yet... :-)
Oooo, what fun! I love the look of your new blog and am excited to get to read all the great posts.
I happen to live on Ponder Island and can be caught at any given moment staring at the skies, pondering about God, life, and the various characters running about in my head.
Welcome, Sherrinda! Wow, you actually dwell in someplace named Ponder ... Would love to see a photogaph of it! Thanks for dropping by.
I was pondering whether or not I should post a comment on pondering, since I sometimes ponder topics of great importance (more often not). I look forward to reading great and wonderful ponderings from this blog.
Pam Zollman
pam.zollman@gmail.com
www.pamzollman.com
www.anauthorworld.com
Welcome Sherrinda and Kelly! We are so excited for you guys to Ponder with us!
and Pam too!
Great opening, Ladies!
As I read the post, I had to ponder whether the misspelling just above comment about the editor checking things like spelling was intentional or an editorial oversight. Hmmm....something to ponder...
Wonderful group! Good concept! The prizes look fun!
Blessings on you all!
Hey! Beverly used ponder twice; does she get entered in the contest three times? Do I get an extra point for using a semicolon? I ponder these things as I watch my grandsons play. I also ponder if I should put this site on my blog. I ponder a lot.
LOVE THIS BLOG!!!! It's going on my must-reads-on my home page. I'm so proud of you guys. Off to ponder all this.... XO
Gasp! A misspelling on our very first post--and by our resident editor, no less! Good catch, Beverly! And now, I shall make the misspelling magically disappear! Would you like to guess how many times I guess how many times I read that post before it went live? *Blush*
Wow, a second blog, Jenness? I'm sooo impressed! :)
Looking forward to the writing-related posts. I'm now a "follower" and I've added this to my blog's blogroll.
Looks like I've found another writing blog to ponder. :)
I ponder how God will use my writing in someone's life. :-D
Donita, no extra points for semi-colons this time, but you did use ponder three times so maybe that will do. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks to everyone for joining us. Agghhh! Susie discovered our rebellion here! Thanks for having fun with us, Susie! You've taught us so much!!
Ava, I know! Thanks for linking us!
Donita, your pondering is over--add us! lol
Thanks for stopping by, everyone.
I didn't have to ponder at all whether to follow this blog or "like" your Facebook page. It was a total no-brainer! Thanks to Jenness for inviting me over. Looking forward to learning lots and pondering your posts. :-)
When I saw your challenge to use the word ponder, naturally I thought of two beloved cartoon characters from my youth. Pinky and The Brain. So here's a quote from them in honor of your new blog.
The Brain: Are you pondering what I'm pondering?
Pinky: I think so, Brain, but if the plural of mouse is mice, wouldn't the plural of spouse be spice?
Yay, Lynda! Welcome to the party. :-)
Thanks for the quote, Evangeline!
Enjoying meeting all the new friends and visiting the new blogs! Who's up on Monday, you might wonder? Our resident potter, Pat!
I love that quote, Evangeline! And thanks, Lynda for the follow! By the way, our basket of goodies keeps growing!
I love to ponder, in fact right now I'm pondering about pondering. How often does a ponderer ponder to truly be classified a ponderer. Do you have to ponder about deep truths or can you just ponder silly things. What are the rules? Does anybody know?
Jan! Great to see you here! LOL! You certainly deserve to be added twice to the drawing! You used ponder 8 times!
From my experience with these Ponderers you can ponder both deep things and silly. Notice some of our pictures--we can all be pretty silly.
As our quote states: “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!”
~Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!
Welcome, Jan! And you're high scorer in the ponderer game! :O)
Before I came to the blog I pondered what MBT was. Then I got here & had to smack my head. Roxanne has told me this a dozen times & yet I still didn't remember. Guess I'll have to go ponder why my brain is a sieve. I look forward to the musings of this group of ponderers. MBT sounds like so much fun, it almost makes me want to put pen to paper to join the group. Okay, my handwriting is illegible, so I'd have to write on the computer--which is not nearly as poetic. So I guess I'll just stick to being a reader & not a ponderer.
Jeannie, don't smack your head too hard. Thanks for stopping by. And, yes, it's so much fun to be a ponderer--except we can't read a novel using the word "ponder" without bursting out in laughter.
You probably never realized how often the word "ponder" was found in literature till you were forbidden to ponder! Roxanne, thanks for including me in the ponder blog invite! Looks like a great blog to follow...or ponder!
Great start ladies! Can't wait to read what you've been pondering,
Great Blog! Thanks for counting me in. Enjoyed reading this. My high school jounrnalism teacher was the author of our class textbook. One thing sticks in my mind as I remember that class---Always leave paper and pen by the bedside as those creative thoughts that you pondered all day come out write them down and some of your best work is done.
Oh, it's so much fun to see you all here Pondering with us! Great analogy Pat, you make me want to get my hands dirty and dig a little deeper into my novel!
This morning I was pondering on what I should have for breakfast...After I decided on a chocolate muffin, I pondered on how I should spend the rest of my day and I decided...(after a short nap) I should google the word ponder and see if you are the only pondering blog. :) Best wishes with your new blog.
This looks awesome! I love the word ponder - it always sounds so much more interesting than "think"... :)
Megan, we like the word "ponder" too--and not just because we're rebellious!
:O)
I'm already making you guys a bookmark on my web browser, and I can't wait to read what you guys post!
By the way, I just drove through Missouri and Iowa today and I saw two tiny green lakes next to each other. They were both pretty pondy but one was "ponder" than the other.
:)
I have been a ponder type since childhood. All through my years of school my pondering would drive my teachers crazy. Now when I have told some stories from my childhood to friends on the internet they have pondered as to why I do not write the stories into a book. My ponder is would anyone want to read a book full of growing up in a small southern town. bobbie4florida@yahoo.com
so I just comment and use the word "ponder"- like this? I wonder what happens if I use it twice? or wait, I suppose I should ponder what might happen if I use it twice. Hmm. I ponder as I wander... ah, that only sounds good in my head, it loses something when I sing it out loud. Right now I'm pondering instead of packing. That's 4x, that'll have to do. :-)
4x will do, Jody. :-) Welcome!
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