I don’t visit the BlogHer website regularly and I’m not an eager contributor when I do. I’m not part of the BloghHer ad network because they don’t want me. I went to BlogHer Chicago not really knowing what BlogHer even was.

But, I’m headed to BlogHer NYC in a few days. Why? Because that’s where the magic happens. BlogHer could be a potluck in the middle of a cornfield with sessions held in tents and it would still be magic because of the people that attend.

Of course, cocktails at a triple diamond hotel with air conditioning and a Starbucks is a much better choice.

So, for all you BlogHer virgins out there, I thought I’d share my top 10 tips on how to survive Blogher…

1. Change your TweetDeck group names before you get to New York. Nobody wants to peek over your shoulder and find themselves on your “Attention Whore,” “Swag Hag,” or “Dramalama” list.

2. Bring Advil and deodorant and carry them with you at all times. Your feet will ache, your head will pound, and you will start to smell a little ripe.

3. Don’t poke. Don’t bump. That’s how you end up having to make a doctor’s appointment because it burns when you pee. Start a conversation and exchange business cards.

4. There will be swag. Lots and lots of swag. Be gracious. Say thank you. If you don’t want it, give it to someone who does or donate it to someone in need. There’s no need to get all uppity about it.

5. Wear comfortable shoes. It’s a conference, not the red carpet. I don’t want to see 1,500 women walking around Manhattan barefoot because of poor footwear choices.

6. No. You didn’t get invited to that party. Or that one. Not even that one. Don’t get your panties in a bunch. Go to the bar, have a drink, and start talking to the bloggers sitting next to you. You’ll have a blast.

7. Amidst all the parties and swag suites, there is a conference taking place. With informative sessions! Lead by people who are said to know things! Read the BlogHer agenda and pick a few to attend. If nothing else, you can Tweet about how you should have been on the panel instead of so-and-so.

8. It’s okay if you meet someone and aren’t familiar with their blog. They probably don’t know who the hell you are either.

9. Naps are good. Skip a party. Skip a session. Take a nap so you aren’t cranky and don’t accidentally elbow a baby.

10. And for crying out loud, don’t let your roommate do your hair or makeup. You’re a grown woman, you’ve been doing your own hair or makeup for years, I’m sure you can do a fine job by yourself. This isn’t a 5th grade slumber party.

BONUS TIP:

11. Have a sponsor? Lucky you! Now, do them proud. Don’t make every conversation a hard sell. Don’t pitch your friends. Don’t spam the Twitter stream or the Blogher hashtag. Do give them the recognition they deserve for supporting bloggers and BlogHer.

Without these rad sponsors, my trip to BlogHer would not be possible…

I partnered with GoGirl for Blissdom 2010 and they are back for BlogHer! GoGirl is the female urination device that is perfect for girls on the go. The GoGirl is super small and compact – perfect for purses, backpacks, and glove compartments. All you do is firmly press the GoGirl against your girlie bits, aim at your intended target, and…go, girl!

FlightWise Luggage by Lands’ End is specifically designed to fit in overhead storage spaces to enable smart travelers to save money on airline baggage fees. Genius! Somebody let the guy who spent 15 minutes with his armpits in my face cramming his luggage into the overhead bin the last time I flew know about this! Even if you’re a casual flier, FlightWise bags pay for themselves. I’m looking forward to packing my FlightWise carry-on upright for NYC!

Savvy Source focuses on all things educational for parents of young kids. Savvy Savings & Scholarships offers discounts of up to 75% on family-friendly educational activities across the country. For every purchase, 5% is donated to the preschool of your choice as well as 5% to the Savvy Source preschool scholarship fund. If you’d like to share Savvy Savings deals with your readers, lets chat at Bacon, Eggs and Coupons!

This fall, clogs are set to hit the fashion world in a big way.

Lord only knows why.

Actually, he probably doesn’t have the slightest idea, either.

I cannot, in good conscience, have anything to do with condoning hooves for feet as a fashion statement for an entire season. I just can’t stomach clogs. They are hideous. Not to mention I can’t fathom anything with a wooden sole being comfortable.

Ew Clogs by CorrinRenee featuring Jeffrey Campbell shoes

Sorry, clog lovers. I can hear you coming from a mile away and I’ve got my money on Fashionably Late to win.

(What? That’s a real racehorse name! And I bet he’d make it across the finish line faster than anyone in clogs.)

So, what’s in your (imaginary) shopping cart this week? Any current trends that you love or loathe? Leave your link below so I can stop by and window shop (or get fashion judge-y) with you!

If you don’t have a blog, don’t sweat it – just leave a comment!

Dear Mariah Carey,

You are not 14. No one that is 14 was alive when you were relevant.

Get a grip. (But keep whoever does your Photoshopping cause you look good, girl.)

Love,

Someone who remembers when you were relevant (meaning too old to buy Lollipop Bling)

My nana always said that when nothing else fits, buy shoes and underwear. You can always find shoes and underwear in the right size. You might not be buying skimpy lingerie, but even a brand new pair of grannie panties makes you feel better (about being a cow).

The steel toed boots? Not on my wish-list. Not since 1994, anyway. They are for my husband. He’s being shipped off to the Gulf Coast on August 1st to help with the oil spill cleanup.

So, what’s in your (imaginary) shopping cart this week? Leave your link below so I can stop by and window shop!

If you don’t have a blog, don’t sweat it – just leave a comment!

(I’ve removed the Mr. Linky for now, but if more people join in, I’ll add it back!)

In my free time, you can usually find me with my nose in a book and my hand in a bowl of Raisinettes (I made the mistake of going to Costco hungry and came home with a 5 pound bucket), so I thought it would be fun to turn you on to an author whose latest book is at the top of my to-read pile – Katie Williams.

Katie has some great exercises to get your creative juices flowing. I think everything she suggests applies to bloggers as well as those who aspire to write the next great American novel. My suggestion is to relax and poor yourself a drink, because lets be honest, booze helps when putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) – just don’t hit publish till you’re sober.

Also – Katie flatters me when she calls me a writer. I’m just a big mouth with an internet connection.

Enjoy!

PS – Make sure to leave a comment. One winner will be chosen at random to receive an autographed copy of Katie’s new Book, The Space Between Trees! Contest ends Saturday, July 24th at Midnight!

**********

Oh, hey, what’s up? Your sassy blog-mistress, Corrin, has been generous enough to let me, Katie Williams, write today’s blog entry. I’m on an Internet tour this month to help promote my new novel, The Space Between Trees, a coming-of-age story about a teenage girl who tells a series of lies in the wake of a childhood friend’s murder. You can read all about The Space Between Trees at my website, katiewilliamsbooks.com, so I’ll stop shilling now and offer something just for you.

Corrin, as many of us know, is a reader, and a voracious reader at that! Corrin is also, as all of us know, a writer. Here we are, after all, reading the blog that she writes. So I figure that many of you out there are also readers, and some of you-some of you-might be interested in writing, too.

I was a reader before I was a writer. Yes, I know, duh. What I mean to say is that my love of writing grew from my love of reading, and I began writing with the hopes of creating the types of stories and books that I wanted to read.

Now reading is no easy business. As Kurt Vonnegut says in his essay “How to write with style,” [Readers] “have to identify thousands of little marks on paper and make sense of them immediately.” After years of practice, we’ve grown proficient at deciphering those little marks, but creating them? That’s tougher.

So to aid the booklover who’d like to become a book author, I’ve collected a few simple exercises rooted in the books you love.

What’s in a Name?

Go to the bookstore (or your unread book stack) and pick out a book that has an intriguing title. Make sure that this is a book you haven’t read or read anything about, not even the synopsis on the jacket. Now, print the title of the book on the top of a blank sheet of paper, then fill that page up with your own story inspired by that title. If you need extra inspiration, look at the book’s cover image.

It might be fun, once you’re done writing, to go back and read the book by the same title. I’d wager that the two stories will be completely different!

Keep a Character Journal

Pick a book with a character that you love-major or minor character, it doesn’t matter. Once a day, for at least a week, keep a journal in the voice of this character. You can choose to have these journal entries take place during or after the events of the novel. You might even go to the store and pick out the sort of journal that your character would buy.

This exercise might feel a little strange, I know, but it’ll help you to see all the levels of a well-developed, intriguing character. It’ll also help you practice writing in a voice different from your own.

Sleep with the Enemy

Choose a favorite story and rewrite it from the villain’s (or antagonist’s) point of view. This exercise can be especially fun with a classic myth or fairytale. Heck, Gregory Maguire has made an entire career out of this exercise!

Take Dictation
(exercise idea from writer and instructor Allyson Ritger)

Anne Rice claims that while writing her vampire novels, she simply wrote down what the characters were saying in her head. I can promise you that my writing is never so easy! Let’s take a hint from Anne here, but instead of taking dictation from the voices in our heads, we can take dictation from her.

Pull a book by your favorite writer off the shelf, open it next to your computer, and start typing the first lines of the story. Is this base plagiarism? Sure, and you’ll delete these lines later, but by typing them, you get the rhythm and flow of the author’s prose. Better yet, you’ve gotten your fingers moving. When you feel ready, move from the author’s sentences to some of your own.

See? Now you’re writing!