Ever Been To A Blog Hop?

I've been tagged! Yep, my writer friend, Annette Gendler, tagged me to participate in the #MyWriting Process Blog Hop. To be fair, she did ask my permission first. She's a considerate person as well as a fine teacher of memoir writing and excellent blogger. Annette credits Carole Malone for starting the Blog Hop several months ago.

To participate, a blogger answers four questions about her/his writing world and process, then tags two or three more bloggers. It's a good idea to provide a link to the tagger's blog somewhere within your post. I was intrigued while reading Annette Gendler's Blog Hop post yesterday. Four simple questions gave me a lot of insight as to Annette, the writer. Perhaps you'll feel the same after reading my answers.

Questions and Answers 

1. What is Nancy working on? 
     Only days ago, I mailed my entries to the annual Kansas Authors state contest. I sent in 4 to the Prose Contest and 2 for the Poetry Contest. Winners are announced on the final day of the convention held in October. So, it's time to move on. Right now, I'm working on a personal essay to give seniors some insight into making the decision to move into senior living accomodations. A middle grade novel is always in the back of my mind. It's one I wrote several years ago but am constantly revising, hoping to make it a published product one day. Will Jamison and The Black Dog Mine is based on childhood days of my maternal grandfather. He was taken from school at the tender age of 9 to work in a below-ground coal mine. His story hauned me for years and inspired the book.

2.  How does Nancy's work differ from others of its genre?
     I write a lot of creative nonfiction, concentrating on memoir and personal essays but I also write articles on the craft of writing and dabble in kidlit and poetry. I've been successful in having my stories appear in several anthologies, most of them qualify as memoir. For me, the past is what makes the present what it is, what makes me the person I am, and so I've concentrated on keeping the family stories alive through my writing and encourage others to do the same. As for the craft of writing articles (including my blog)--I taught middle grade kids for a mere five years way back, but somehow the joy of teaching others has never diminished for me. This way, I continue to teach through the written word.

3.  Why does Nancy write what she does?
     I've had a passion for writing since I was a child, but because of life circumstances, I didn't pursue my passion until I was in my mid-fifties. That makes me dance as fast as I can now in my senior years so I can catch up! I realized just the other day that the act of writing brings me true joy. When I'm tapping away on my keyboard, I'm happy. I've always been a service-oriented person and touching others through my writing is a continuation of that.

4.  How does Nancy's writing process work?
     Oh my, must I confess? I don't have a set routine in my writing process. It's more when the mood moves me and when I have time. Correct that last part to be 'when I create time.' I do try to write my blog post in the morning after breakfast while drinking my coffee every day. But the remainder of my writing is a 'whenever' kind of thing. While I may not be physically writing, my mind is frequently working out a new story or article. It's one reason I have trouble falling asleep! I am often working on a story mentally while doing household tasks or taking a walk. I do try to jot bits and pieces on paper so I don't lose the thought completely.

I am tagging two writer/blogger friends: 

Betty Roan Enigk, known to me as B.J., came into my writing world through Our Echo, a website for people to post their writing. It became a community of writers and B.J. and I chatted off and on and have read one another's blogs and other writing. Her blog is Rubbish by Roan, one that is well worth some of your time. She's been a faithful reader of my blog and leaves comments, too, which makes me happy. She lives in Toledo, IL. B.J. has agred to tag more bloggers to jump into the Blog Hop.

Tracy Million Simmons, author of  Tiger Hunting, is the second blogger I'm tagging. Her blog centers on both her writing life and her family life in Emporia, KS. I met Tracy through the Kansas Authors Club several years ago. At convention time, she's a dynamite photographer and helper to all. She's earned my admiration. Tracy has agreed to tag more bloggers to jump into the Blog Hop.

There are lots of links for you to click on in this post. I hope you'll take some time and visit these people and places.