KR LaLonde

Is it corn???

A toddler? Teenager?

Sounds like a good plan!

That is a LOT of writing! Sounds like fun! Don't overdo it though. Let your brain get nice nature breaks and time to talk to people to keep you from making it too much "work"

@JosiAtaraIt won't actually all be writing. There will be a lot of research in there, too.

I'm also not doing so well at it yet.  *fingers crossed I start implementing it soon*

That means a lot. I really appreciate it.

Disclaimer to be clear:
I don't have experience in reading author's newsletters, or writing them, or what should be in one etc... but I've been trying to think about what I'd want in a newsletter. I don't know if anyone else shares my feelings in this, but here's one (odd) person's opinions are on this matter:

I don't have a lot of time to read. I especially don't like reading a lot online. Especially in my e-mail. Even if it's a personal friend, if it's a long e-mail, I have to set aside time at another point to read it. And if I don't get to it right away, I may forget about it for a while. So a long newsletter may fall under, "oops, I forgot to finish reading it and now it's either outdated or not that important for me to go back to."

On top of that, I often feel like it's not really FOR me. I somehow got on the mailing list for Focus on the Family, but I feel like... these people really don't know me, and so why bother reading their stuff?

Now, if I were to outright subscribe to an author's newsletter, there are some things I'd be interested in seeing, though I don't know how feasible it is, or how much an author would care to do any/all of these things. But as some ideas:

*A sneak peek into the writer's life. Not just her writing life, but other things that are special to him/her.

*Some info on how they are doing with writing (be it their main WIP or some side projects). Possibly a snippet of their work. (You mentioned putting a chapter in there, but I feel like that would be a lot. Maybe just a scene, a page, or even a paragraph.)

*Perhaps a writing prompt to get the reader going, that has to do with the theme of the newsletter or something mentioned in it. (This could tie in to your sneak peek into your life--I spent a few minutes watching the stars last night. I was able to show my nieces how to find Mars and Jupiter. Spend a few minutes enjoying the stars, or write about a character who finds something unexpected while looking through a telescope)
*A poll, or some sort of interactive thing. "Tell me your favorite planet." "Vote on a name for a character based on the planets: Jupi, Mara, Satie." I don't know if there are any legal issues with stuff like this, but personally, giving me something in which I can actually interact with the author makes it feel special, makes me want to read because then I look forward to answering the question. It doesn't even have to make it into your writing, something like a poll could have the answers revealed in the next newsletter.

*Maybe some interesting behind-the-scenes information about your book. "This character is named this because _____." "This scene is based off a dream I had."

Anyway, just some thoughts. Again, I don't know if anyone else would be interested in something like this, but for me personally, this is what would make me sign up for a newsletter.

This is awesome!! Thanks a ton!! My apologies for taking so long to read/respond to you. Things have been a bit hectic around here, but they should quiet down starting Monday.

I actually decided not to have a newsletter. I'm thinking if I do share things with people (a likely scenario) I'll share a blog post occasionally. But I'll definitely keep this list.

THANKS AGAIN!!