Friday, June 10, 2011

Blogging Blog


Blogging Blog

I have been bogging on Writers Who Kill Blog Spot for more than six months now. That should make me a self-appointed expert, right? What other credentials could I possibly need? The blog has survived for a year now. It was attracting new readers when I joined it and it continues to become more popular. We have passed the 100 mark in followers Woo Hoo!

Writing once a week is just about perfect for me. I don’t want to take a lot time away from writing short stories and novels, but I want to have a presence in the writing world. I don’t want to be famous, exactly, that would be a royal pain. I want to be more than a total stranger.

Multiple myeloma, that is bone marrow cancer, makes it hard for me to travel to conferences and conventions. Although I feel fantastic at the moment, at unpredictable times I may feel exhausted or get a migraine headache. My favorite conference — The Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave got cancelled due to financial problems. At this point I am one sale short of qualifying for active membership in Mystery Writers of America, which means I may not qualify for a panel at a convention. All of that makes attending writing conferences significantly less attractive.

Blogging is less stressful. I can do it tottering around in my usual work uniform, gray sweat pants and a tattered sweatshirt. I can write between naps or when I have trouble sleeping but the muse is awake. I’ve attended some readings and conferences where authors dressed casually but except for HARRY POTTER book releases I’ve never seen one where pajamas were acceptable attire.

Blogging is more complicated than I expected. It does take time and research. I believe any writing does. It does need editing and my fellow bloggers (none of whom is a fellow) all offer helpful comments and tolerate my occasion smart-alecky remarks about their work. I have been lucky enough to participate in other blogs after my new book came out. Some blogs have required a serious investment of time.

Another issue for me is I don’t want to write a blog I could publish or better yet sell somewhere else. But I do want to write well enough so that readers think, “Maybe I should check him out, i.e., BUY, his books.”

At the same time I do not want to one of those blogger like Sandra Seamans describes as annoying readers by a constant sales pitches like that

MURDER MANHATTAN STYLE is available at http://www.ninthmonthpublishing.com/books.html and

ABRAHAM LINCOLN FOR THE DEFENSE is available on Smashwords at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/13700

Although I plead nolo contendere to the charge of sneaking in references to my works when it is possible that they are not strictly needed (See above.) In my defense I cite the reader who mentioned in an e-mail that she did not write down the links until the fifth time she saw them. What’s an author to do?

It’s not easy to come up with ideas for the blog. When I avoid writing other projects blog ideas seem to pop up. I will put up the occasional poem, parody, comedic piece serious essay, personal story or whatever.

We on the Writer who Kill Blog Spot don’t want to just echo other blogs. So please tell us.

What would you like to read about?

6 comments:

  1. Once again you've managed to suprise me, Warren. You asked a good question:What would our readers like to see in this blog?

    Good feedback is hard to come by, just like critiques and reviews, so I'm dubious that we will get much response, but I will hope.

    I've learned a lot from you, one lesson is how to cleverly couch plugs within the context of a larger topic. Your boldness inspires.

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  2. Thanks, E.B., I learn from you too. Your edits are thoughtful and your blogs are interesting. I hope we both learn from our readers.

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  3. Warren, great blog and great question. The answer, your blog won't appeal to everyone, nor should it. It's the subjectivity of the business. The question is, are you interested in it? If it has an interest to you, and it surrounds something that others can relate to, e.g. your multiple myeloma, writing short stories, something that genuinely intrigues you, chances are it's going to intrigue others.

    I'm on two blogs now (Lord, help me). It's work. It's time consuming, but sometimes there's things I just want to know. I ask people to blog about it, and when they do, I promote them. Your blog is getting your name out there. I've never met you, but I know your work. If I hadn't become a fan of your blog, I wouldn't have made the connection. Hope this helps.

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  4. Donnell,

    Thanks for the kind words and advice. I appreciate your participation.

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  5. There it is again, if you write about what interests you, you will interest others.

    Thanks for opening up the question about what to blog, Warren. I second Ellen's comment. Your ability to sneak in an ad for your writing is inspiring.

    I think if you're nagging yourself about what to write in a blog, it's time to step out of the way and see what comes up and grabs your attention.

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  6. Warren, when I read a blog, I hope to get a feel for the blogger. Is he a regular person I'd have coffee with or a PIA who'd curdle my cream? Does he talk about things I can relate to or is he trying to convince me he's smarter than I am? Does he have a self-deprecating sense of humor or a snobby, overblown ego? You score high in all those areas, so I'll be back. Best regards, my friend.

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