Up way too late.
It’s been awhile. Just got back my first feedback on the novel … i see lots of revision on my horizon. Ugh. More on that later …
Trying to figure out what to put in this here blog thing. Been thinking about getting back to the music and art posts but also have lots of big important stuff going on in my life right now. What do you want to hear about?
Who am i writing to anyway?
I haven’t figured out what to report. What’s balanced? My friend Neil mostly keeps his blog positive, professional and light, but he throws in little bits of his real life too. (Though he waited quite a while to get into some really personal stuff.) Ferrett practically exposes a raw nerve every day on his blog. I don’t think i’m looking for that much exposure, but …
I don’t quite know what to share, and what not to. I like doing the art and music for the blog, but i worry i’m not putting enough of myself in here. At the same time, i don’t really want to get all confessional either … whew! Complicated.
Honestly, i have this blog thing for a variety of reasons, some contradictory. I want to keep in touch with people. I want to entertain. Partially i just want to get my name out there, build an audience for my work. (I hope that’s not mercenary. I just have big plans and want folks to read my stuff.)
There’s people in my life, i want to talk about them, want them to know what and how much i think about them, how much i care. I want to hold a sign over their head that says, “SIGNIFICANT.”
Should i make a chart so you’re clear on who’s who? Or should i just talk about my life and let you figure it out from inference?
When am i hiding things, accidentally hurting by omission? When am i saying too much, walking through a bus station, screaming TMI?
How much of blogging is entertainment and how much is diary?
*thinking* *going to bed*
The art/music posts are fun, but I do wonder if they're taking you away from writing. Maybe that's a needed break, rather than a distraction.
Besides the people who know you, your visitors will include people who've read your writing and want to know more about you, so stuff about you and your life is good. You seem to have a pretty good balance so far.
Pati_Nagle
Thanks, Pati. 🙂 Sound advice.
Grá Linnaea
The advice on blogs that I've heard is financial and mercenary: if you can generate the same or more money writing the blog than you can writing a story, then do the blog thing.
I personally find that my output to the blog is cyclical. When I have the discipline, starting the day out with the blog jump-starts the rest of my writing because it's a chance to work out dreams, distracting thoughts, and I can treat it like a writing exercise. I also try to time the amount of time I spend on the blog, post-date entries to build up a back-log of "keep 'em coming back" entries (when I'm really good), and use Twitter in a side-bar for the 90 second breaks.
That said, your blog makes me incredibly jealous because of the music and the prints and the calligraphy and the handmade macrame rainbow banner you're creating out of lawn clippings and dyes distilled from the compost and cat hairs while you were flying in an ultralight with a friend from a mysterious Eurasian country (who is visiting to promote queer farming techniques).
— er — yeah. So keep writing and blogging.
John Burridge
Thanks, John, both for the advice and liking the art stuff. 🙂
Ohhhh, macramé pride banner from lawn clippings and compost cat hair dye? I'll have to do that next!
Grá Linnaea