[dee-leone Posts: 46 Status: Offline May you always be hungry for books! WWW]

I'm new to these boards. My name is Dee,
And somehow I managed never to see
This awesome site with each helpful thread,
But I fear that I'm in way over my head.

 

There are so many smiles jumping and flashing,
I think that perhaps, my computer is crashing.
Where do I begin? The info is vast.
Do I read what's first or the things posted last?

 

Can anyone share your favorite part?
I'm taking a tally on where to start.
Thanks in advance, all you Blue Book pros.
I'm trying to discover what everyone knows.

 

[Marissa Doyle Posts: 2,975 Status: Offline Charles Bewitched: out now! WWW]

Dee, it depends on what you need.  Are you researching agents or publishers? Check out the response time threads or the Market/Agent News board.  Looking for craft chat?  Check out the Writing board. Investigating a new genre or age group?  There are boards on everything from poetry to mysteries to fantasy.  Pick a topic or two, and spend a few hours reading old threads.

And if the smilies are too much, you can turn them off from within your profile pages.

Hope that helps!

[Kell Posts: 1,202 Status: Offline On the other hand WWW]

Hi Dee! If you are querying or subbing to publishers, you might like the Response Time boards for agent and publisher responses:  https://www.scbwi.org/boards/index.php?board=58.0

If you want querying camaraderie, try the Trenches in Milestones and Roadblocks. The current one is Love Is in the Air. https://www.scbwi.org/boards/index.php?board=9.0

You might also look at the Picture Book and Easy Readers section, or other genre/age group: https://www.scbwi.org/boards/index.php?board=23.0

Poke around! You'll find something interesting.

[olmue Posts: 3,582 Status: Offline WWW]

That's awesome, Dee.

My own personal favorite is the Writing section. I love learning about craft! And also the Book Talk section. I am always looking for new book recommendations. (I also read the Good News section to know what to look out for in the future.) It all kind of depends on what I'm focused on at the moment, though. There's no way to read the entire board every day!

[JennaWren Posts: 1,779 Status: Offline WWW]

They're ALL my favorite part!!!

But, what Kell and Marissa said. Where I go and what I read depends on what I need at that particular time to help me along this writing journey. The Blueboards are so chock-full of awesome, getting started can seem very overwhelming, so I'd suggest just pick an area and look around. After a while you'll get more comfortable navigating around!

Welcome!

[Cathie Posts: 180 Status: Offline]

The very first thing I do is scroll to the bottom and read the "Recent Posts" section. That's how I found your post 
Then I do what has been suggested by the others, I look for the section where I can find the information I need.

Enjoy!

[dee-leone Posts: 46 Status: Offline May you always be hungry for books! WWW]

 

Thanks, Marissa, Kell, Olmue, JennaWren, and Cathie. Your comments are all so helpful.

Now all I need to know is how to add more hours to my day!