Saturday, April 21, 2012

Why Blog?

The How's and Why's of My Blog:
I got serious about blogging in December of 2011.  I had no idea what I was doing but I was determined to teach myself.  I was reading an online article from Writer's Digest and the author was Robert Lee Brewer (http://robertleebrewer.blogspot.com/).  The article was about blogging and he gave some very good advice.  He also had links for several blog host sites, his being blogspot.com.  Well, I decided if it was good enough for a writer from Writer's Digest Magazine, it was good enough for me.  And that's how I ended up on blogspot.

I wanted to blog about my writing experience and maybe connect with other writers.  I had no idea where it was going to go or what exactly I was going to say about my writing, but I decided I'd figure that out as I went along. 

And, guess what?  I found out I had a lot on my mind that I wanted to share, and it wasn't all about writing.  Over that last several months, I've posted about my writing, my foster kids, my pet peeves, what I'm reading, and just about life in general.

I'm having so much fun at this and more than accomplishing my goals.  I've been able to connect with some awesome people, some awesome blogs, plus I'm learning so much more about my chosen (needed) craft of writing.  I'm not just sitting here writing my stories that will hopefully get published one day soon, but I'm also finding so many people out there that are going through the same insecurities about their writing that I am.

The dreaded queries and synopsis', the holding-your-breath while waiting to hear that an agent might want to read your manuscript...it makes me feel like...whew, I'm not the only writer that's going through this.  But it also gives me something else very important. 

When I get a new member or a new visitor that stopped by to read my blog, it feeds my ego.  Now come on, if you're a writer, and even if you're not, you have to admit that it feels pretty darn good to know that people are actually interested in what you have to say. Especially when they keep coming back.  And isn't that what every writer wants...an audience that wants to read what they've written? 

And input...I love when a reader takes the time to comment on something I've written, whether its a suggestion, their thoughts, or just an atta-girl comment.  They're all welcomed and appreciated. 

All that said, I realize how haphazard my blog is.  I don't post on certain days about certain subjects, so maybe it's time to get a little more organized with this.  I'm going to try, I say try just in case life gets in the way, to blog on certain days about certain subjects.  That way my readers will know when they can find me.  I may change this in the future if I feel I need to, but for now, here's what I've come up with.

Since different readers are interested in different subjects, I will be posting on Monday - about writing, Thursday - about kids (foster and otherwise) and maybe some more recipes, and on Saturday - odds and ends (this will be all the other stuff on my mind at the time).  Hopefully, this will put some structure in my blog and keep me on a set schedule. 

I appreciate all my readers, I hope you know that.  I look forward to your comments and seeing your little red dot show up on my globe.  I like knowing where my readers are from.  But as you can tell, and as I posted the other day, I've lost all my little red dots because of a stupid decision I made to try to upgrade my globe, only to decide that I liked my old one better.  So please add your little red dot to my globe, read my posts, and I promise to try to be informative, newsy, maybe funny, and hopefully a little more organized.

What I'm Reading Now:
I've changed the picture of what I'm reading now and had to put "Three Weeks To Say Goodbye" on hold.  My books-waiting-to-be-read pile was out of order and James Patterson's Private Games was going to be costing me some overdue fines, so I had to read it instead.  And, by the way, I'm loving it!  But I'll write that review when I've finished it. 

Quotes of the Day:
Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers. ~ Brian Clark

Your blog is your unedited version of yourself. ~ Lorelle

Success does not consist in never making blunders, but in never making the same one a second time. ~ Josh Billings





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