Monday’s Top 5

I was fortunate to have my sister visiting for a few days this week, which was an absolute blast. Much food and beer was consumed, and very little sleep was had. The only downside to her visit was that when I logged on to the internet this morning for the first time in five days, I had 179 unread items in Google Reader.

Yes, 179.

The smart thing to do would have been to mark them all as read. But if I’d done that, how could I have provided my wonderful readers with this week’s Top 5 list? Ah, the sacrifices we make…

The majority of writing-related posts this week were about NaNoWriMo in one way or another (either “I Quit”, “I’m behind”, or “I love this, I’m so far ahead, I’m so awesome!”). I really wanted to find something a bit different, though. Those people doing NaNo are probably too busy to be reading extra blogs, and those who aren’t are probably sick of reading about it.

So the first writing post this week is one by Jami Gold titled What Makes a Story Feel Unrealistic, where she explores some of the potential pitfalls in helping your readers suspend their disbelief.

Ever feel like Writer’s Block is hovering just around the corner, just waiting for you? Then check out this hilarious post on Peas and Cougars.

Laura Stanfill shares some interesting and clever tidbits about the Oregon Zoo’s penguins and their #OccupyPolarBears demands.

In a change of pace, Tricia from Critters and Crayons guest posts on Twinisms with What My Kids Taught Me About Leading. This is an absolutely amazing post, full of honesty and compassion. Tricia discusses the Decision Matrix she used to make the decision to move from being a woman in the military to a working mother, and then a Stay At Home Mum, and reflects on the things she’s learned about leadership since her children were born.

Finally, Chris White has a beautiful post celebrating his second wedding anniversary, where he leads the reader through the journey of him meeting his wife, and why he’s now A Changed Man. Happy Anniversary, Chris and Heidi.