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| Black Bowl (c) Jonathan Ruchti |
I recently became part of a group called One Four Kid Lit, a conglomeration of YA and MG authors whose debut novels release in 2014. It’s a fantastic group of people and I’ve already made some great friends. Some of whom may have won a costume contest by dressing up like Honey Boo Boo. š
One of the bonuses of One Four Kid Lit is being able to participate in a forum where we can chat about promotion and taxes and how terrified we all are of failing miserably to write a decent second book. Actually, when I put it like that it doesn’t sound all that fun… BUT I SWEAR IT IS!
On the board, someone started a discussion about blogging and whether or not it was worth the time and effort it took to maintain a good blog. Some people said the more interesting blogs are more like a diary rather than a series of posts on writing because fans want to know about YOU. They’re already reading your books. And, also, not all readers are aspiring authors–as strange as that seems to me. š
That conversation got me thinking…
Since 2007, this blog has mostly focused on writing and my path to publication with random tangents here and there like when I talk about books I loved, trips I took, or gush about how amazing the new Star Trek movie is going to be (because OMG HAVE YOU SEEN THE TRAILER?!). Should I be writing more about my personal life and telling random stories about things that happen outside of book news and writing revelations?
The problem is, this theory assumes I have a personal life outside of books and writing. This is not always the case. Okay, fine. This totally isn’t the case.
I am obsessed. When I’m not at my day job (about which there is nothing to say that wouldn’t bore you to tears or annoy me), I am usually watching movies, making jewelry, reading books, or writing my own. Mostly, writing my own. I have more story ideas than I have brain cells and I want to write them all, like, RIGHT NOW. Which isn’t possible. Unless I somehow make exact copies of myself to each work on a separate project. So for me, posting about writing and sharing publishing news is blogging about my personal life.
Maybe it’s not what people suggest you do or what most readers will find interesting, but it’s what I have to say that isn’t being said in my books. Writing and books are what I like talking about so they’re what I plan on talking about. And, know what? I’m totally okay with that. š
–End random internal monologue–
Exactly! š This ended up being slightly more ranty than I originally intended… but that's okay! The conversation on the boards really just got me thinking about this subject in general, so I thought I'd work out my thoughts blog style. š
The purpose of blogging is whatever you want it to be. And I think you're suppose to have a bit of fun doing so, otherwise it's just work (“the sort that will bore people to tears” haha).
I like reading your blog posts as they are š Fair enough, I'm an aspiring author so I like hearing about the writing related things, but I think I do see 'you' in your blog posts, not just writing things.
-Ailsa
Thank you!! It's always good to know someone is reading the words I throw out into the wide world of the internet! š