Enjoy Tahoe. I'd love to see that someday.

Paula, poor writing is just unacceptable in the writing world. Aren't we supposed to know what we're doing? I'm with you — blog comments are free-form communication, so there are allowances made. But professional sites should be proofread, and a writer should understand basic grammar and sentence structure. If not, they have no business IN business.

I've been spammed on LI by other writers, as well. I've seen writers recommending sites, courses, etc. that they make a clear profit from, yet they don't mention their affiliations. Drives me nuts. It's unethical.

You might remember a self-proclaimed writing guru (or was it "rock star"?) who was adamant that writers don't need résumés when they have a bio page. The link to her bio proved only what a poor writer she is. Proudly sharing links to error-riddled, inconsistent copy only showed her inability to recognize the difference between good and bad writing.

Thank you for the opportunity to chat with the writers yesterday. It was a blast. What a great bunch of people. And, you're right, you can tell they all have what it takes.

I know it has been said before – many, many times – but, one way I see where writers err is those seeking guest posts. They've read how guest blogging is the be all/end all for getting visibility, but then they go about it in such a way to irritate the hosts of the blogs they approach. It's gotten so bad with one blogger that I had to blacklist her email because she ignores my I am not accepting guest posts at this time response and bombards me with requests & follow-ups.

Try participating in blog discussions. Interact on social media. Share posts you like. In other words – build a relationship before asking for guest posts.