It is so important to be a part of a dynamic writing community. I receive an immense amount of support and insight from my bi-monthly critique group,The Story Spinners, and my weekly writing group, The NANOS. I also attend conferences and classes (SCBWI and Highlights are my favorites) and subscribe to many writing blogs.  But re-reading inspirational quotes can often lift me out of the writing doldrums. Below are four of my current favorites. The termite analogy is the best!

“We write every day, we fight every day, we think and scheme and dream a little dream every day. Manuscripts pile up in the kitchen sink, run-on sentences dangle around our necks. We plant purple prose in our gardens and snip the adverbs only to thread them in our hair. We write with no guarantees, no certainties, no promises of what might come and we do it anyway. This is who we are.”   — Tahereh Mafi

“Press on. Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”  — Calvin Coolidge

“At the beginning of a novel, a writer needs confidence, but after that what’s required is persistence. These traits sound similar. They aren’t. Confidence is what politicians, seducers and currency speculators have, but persistence is a quality found in termites. It’s the blind drive to keep on working that persists after confidence breaks down.”  — Walter Kirn 

And my current favorite:

“WRITE IT!” – Chris Baty – Founder of NaNoWriMo

There are an infinite number of websites out there for writers.  Navigating these can be extremely overwhelming, so here are my top choices:

• The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators: http://www.scbwi.org:  My go-to organization for everything including, conferences, resources, and great people! You can also click on the region where you live. My chapter is: rmc.scbwi.org.
• On Facebook: Join the group KIDLIT411. It’s the best for up-to-date information on everything there is to know about writing for children!
• Query Tracker: http://querytracker.net:  Great for tracking down a literary agent.
• Children’s Book Insider: http://www.write4kids.com: Articles and market listings.
• Manuscript Wish List: manuscriptwishlist.com:  An up-to-date place to find agents and editors.
• Children’s Writer: http://www.Childrenswriter.com:  Articles, market news and writing contests.
• The Horn Book : www.hbook.com: Reviews of the latest and the greatest in children’s literature.
• Publisher’s Weekly Children’s Bookshelf: www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/index.html: What’s going on in today’s children’s book world. You must subscribe for current articles.
• Publishers Lunch: www.publishersmarketplace.com/lunch/free: Free, abbreviated version of Publisher’s Weekly Bookshelf.
• The Writer Magazine: http://www.writermag.com:  Sometimes you just need to see what writers for adults are doing.
• Cynsations: http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com: Another incredible “Cynthia” with lots of good info and lots of interviews with agents and editors.
• Agent Query: http://agentquery.com/:  Large database of literary agents.
• Smack Dab in the Middle: http://smack-dab-in-the-middle.blogspot.com
• The Mixed-Up Files: www.fromthemixedupfiles.com