I started this blog in February, which is also about when I started seriously following other writing blogs and a few months after I began spending a lot of time at the Absolute Write Water Cooler. Big recommendation for AW, if you haven't been there. Great people, lots of great forums. But don't look for me -- I didn't plan this out too well and I set up my AW account under the wrong screen name.
So it may seem that I'm new to writing. Well, I'm new to talking about my writing. I'm older than you probably think, and I've written more than I'm willing to talk about.
After my four months in the blogosphere, I've had some thoughts about writing. There's a lot of advice out there, and a lot of it is:
1. vague.
2. nearly identical to other advice.
3. and if it's not those, it's what works for one specific person.
4. geared towards beginners. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but after you've been doing this for a while you want new advice. I find myself clicking on a lot of blogs and finding the same old same old. Yes, I know I need to develop characters, have a plot and build a world. However, as you get past the beginner stage of writing things become more difficult to talk about. Because then it's not about what the tools are, it's about how you use them and that can be very subjective. A question of style.
Maybe this is where mentoring comes in. I wouldn't know -- never had a mentor.
I've been blogging for four months and there are some people who come around and read my blatherings (which is very kind of them) and I'm wondering what it is that people want from a blog that's about creative writing. Maybe this is obvious to some people, but I'm socially awkward and easily distracted, so please bear with me.
If you've been reading my blog, what do you come here for? Are my Word Choice Wednesdays interesting? Are my posts rambly and confusing? What do you want me to talk about?
Everyone's got strengths and weaknesses in their writing, and if you've read the samples I've put up recently for blogfests (convenient links: here and here) you've got an idea what mine are. I'm not going to presume I can teach people how to write good fiction, but if you wanted to pick my brain about something, what would it be?
Or do you just want a blow-by-blow of another unpublished writer hacking her way through her umpteenth novel? Would not expect that to be interesting, but you never know...
They say blogging is about self-promotion -- definitely not my strong suit. Don't even know what people would want to see. So I'm asking. First person to answer will get an inordinate amount of influence. :)
2 comments:
I'm probably the last person you expected to be first to answer (haha). Anyways...
"What do you want me to talk about?"
Going to answer this with another question: What do YOU want to talk about?
Yeah, I know, it's not helpful. You want guidance, but the thing is, it's your life, your blog, no one can tell you what to do with it - well, they can tell you, but then you have to think: do I enjoy being told what to do?
But your case isn't unusual. A lot of guys that I know online don't have a clue what to do with their future. They sit around playing video games, hoping the answer will fall into their lap. Well, it ain't gonna happen like that. First, you have to know yourself, lots of introversion, lots of conversations with yourself to figure out who you are and what you want. Once you figure that out, you can start planing on how you obtain what you want. Or in this case, planing on what you want to blog about.
Using myself as an example, I don't like to talk about my writing, because I know most people don't get into it the same way that I do. But I do like to debate in an intelligent manner and I like to share cool stuff that I find on the inter-webs, and therefore, that's what I blog about.
Yes, I'm feeling like an inspirational speaker today. :P
*waves* new here!
Interesting post but I don't think there is a blanket answer to satisfy everyone. For me personally I enjoy an honest blog voice so I feel like I'm getting to know the person behind the blog rather 'another superficial writer advice' blog. But I'm usually the odd ball so you can't depend on my personal preference. I can back via Twitter actually. :)
Post a Comment