I read Jessica Faust's post this morning over at BookEnds about re-evaluating how much time she wants to put into blogging. I can really sympathize with this, and I wonder if agents in general all will get to this point after some amount of time, the way Miss Snark one day woke up and said, "I think I've covered about everything about agenting I feel like I need to cover." If new writers would peruse through the archives of agent blogs like BookEnds and Miss Snark and Nathan Bransford, they would find just about everything they need to get their publishing career started without looking like an idiot, so even though writers like the immediacy and feedback of the live blog, I can imagine agents feel like they are constantly going over the same things.
Maybe it's not the same for writers, but it sure feels that way to me. How many times can I post about voice and queries and marketing techniques and POV without feeling like I'm a broken record? While I throw in family posts every now and then, I try to keep this blog mostly about writing, and I'm getting to the point where I feel like I've said it all before. Also, writing the first draft of a WIP is not always particularly interesting to blog about. How many days do you want to read about me wrestling to get down 500 words so I can call it a day?
I'm thinking of coming up with a schedule - something specific to blog about every day (or three times a week maybe). Like family/personal stuff one day, writing stuff one day, etc. That way, instead of floundering for something to write about, I have a guideline. And you as readers can know to skip the days you aren't interested in in case you don't want to hear about my writing, marketing, or personal stuff. Of course, the worry in that is that it won't feel fresh.
What is it that keeps you going back to certain blogs every day? And how do you keep your own feeling fresh?
I find I go back to blogs that I have found interesting or helpful. I really should start a file because I spend a lot of time thinking. Someone wrote about this, where was that again.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with topics to write about too. I don't give out writing advice like many writer bloggers do. I am such a newbie myself and I just don't feel I can offer anything better than what's already out there. I do, however, keep my blog real and share my experiences. I think that's what most blog readers want...real stories from real people. I share my real life stories and my thoughts and fears on life- general or writing related.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand - and debated doing that myself this year (though, for me, it would have been once a week and I already would have failed). Although I jot down lots of notes of things to post about, sometimes just finding the extra time can be a real challenge. Since I write mostly for me/as worship, I give myself a pass. But then I see that people have been hitting the site looking for something and feel guilty. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Sometimes I find myself posting the same thing I already posted...or that everyone else in the blogosphere has posted. I guess what keeps me going back, even if the conversation is the same but different, are the people.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you mentioned this. I've been blogging for almost 4 years! And so many times I wonder what I can blog about next. Sometimes I go days without posting and then God will give me something and I post it. Doesn't always have to be about writing. That gets boring. Doesn't always have to be about my life--not that would really get boring (lol) but it is whatever interests me and I write it. People will come back to your blog because you are you and care about them:)
ReplyDeleteI struggle with "getting to the page" every day, and I'm not working on any publishable work in the meantime. The blogs I love the most are the ones that I can count on to make me laugh, or ones that I can relate to. So I think writers (especially aspiring ones) probably love to read about writing, even though you might feel like you're repeating yourself. Sometimes I don't write because I think I don't have anything particularly interesting to say, but I think we have to remember that that isn't the reason we write. Keep doing what you're doing - I think your blog is terrific!
ReplyDelete