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| Alas, I am not a leaf on the wind, my geekeje beloveds. |
Everything sprouts in front of my eyes.
B I am a barnacle.
I depend upon what floats by to sustain me.
C I am cottonwood fluff.
The breath of a starling can alter my course.
That sums up my life on the web.* To paraphrase: Branching paths, filtering, random influence.
I'm going to KidLit Con in Minneapolis, and I may return a better denizen of the web--a better, more useful blogger.
I've been floundering, to be honest. It was all fun and games two years ago when I aspired to be as the pumpkin. Now people are actually taking time to show up.
I know I don't want this blog to be about writing--there are many excellent sources of information about that. I am not an excellent source of information. I don't know any secret formulas. My efforts, like Hieronymous Bosch: On the Problem of Audience, aren't exactly actionable advice.
I also know that it can't really be a book review blog. It hurts my brain to even think about that. Many people are doing that brilliantly. I love them for it. I can't do it.
I don't want this to be a diary-found-on-a-bus-seat, either. It happens, like in my My Mother's Obituary.
But I'm being very stupid about this: The expert I really need to ask is you. What are you looking for when you come here? Do you ever find it?
* It takes some discipline not invent epithets D to Z. I'm an abecedarion at heart.
First let me say I appreciate your comment on my post today, thank you. And as for who you and your blog are or want to be-- that's entirely up to you. Whatever you do will find an audience if you seek it.
ReplyDeleteHow about a blog of random thoughts. I know you do that very well. And I actually appreciate the solid randomness of your thoughts. They tend to inspire me.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with all these same issues. I admire many aspects of other people's blogs but realize that I can't or don't want to replicate them on my own. (And I'm with you on the book reviewing, which inevitably either turns into an exercise in pimping friends' books or sets you up as a total sourpuss).
ReplyDeleteI see my blog as a way to mock my own pain. In fact, I may add that to my blog title: Mocking the Writing Life Since 2009. There is way too much overly-serious advice out there and I thought I should counter that to some extent and try to get people to cheer up, fer cripe's sake.
But in the end, a blog visit should be like a social visit. "Here's what's going on in my life, here's what's on my mind today, would you like a cookie?" All the blogs I visit regularly -- I just have grown to like the blogger and am interested in his/her life. Simple as that. I don't need advice or instruction, just companionship.
So do I find what I'm looking for here? Yes. I find Blythe. Although frankly you could do a better job with the cookies. I hate to tell you this, but they're a little on the dry side.
I hope you'll do a post-mortem on the conference and what you gleaned from it.
Oh, and where the hell else can I ever hear the word abecedarion? Only on Blythe's blog.
Blogging as friendly exchange of soup and cookies came up today at the conference. Random--it is my strength I suppose. There is more than one way blogging resembles domestic and neighborly exchange. I'm afraid my blog resembles my actual life.
ReplyDeleteI will be posting about the conference, with links to the golden info and--I might as well accept my lot-- plenty of the random.
I read for the voice. I like variety of subject.
ReplyDeleteDid folks discuss stock and flow at the conference? I like a blog that has at least a 10 percent stock rate. (I feel as though my own blog has been all flow and no stock lately.)
Daughter Number Three: People *did not* discuss stock and flow. That would make a great topic for a conference presentation. I mentioned your blog to several people--I used it as an example of a really satisfying experience.
ReplyDelete