A while back I took an internet course on blogging. The gist of the course seemed to be how to network with your blog. I liked that idea as I had been on the net a relatively long while and was used to discussion group lists and bulletin boards where I got to know the participants. I have been thinking about the course lately due a question posed by Julie Lamoe on Crimespace.
Julie had a question about guest bloggers. Do you just invite anyone? What if you don't like their books?
First let me state that I am in awe of anyone organized enough to read the books of all the people who guest blog for them. Although I do the job of requesting (begging for) guest bloggers for my other blog with a very few exceptions, I neither request nor receive copies of the guest's books. I do check out their blogs and am a little tough on their guest posts. Any guest post that smacks too hard of self-promo is declined. But generally speaking, I've looked on it as a chance to get to "know" other writers. And I've learned one heck of a lot from them.
I know the idea is to network to some "better" publishing position.
But the concept offends me.
I like to blog because I'm so...well I prefer the word opinionated, but feel free to insert whatever came to your mind. I like reading the blogs of other folks to see their opinions. Some of the people whose blogs I enjoy reading aren't even mystery writers. But I know that if I tune into their blogs, they will have a post there that will make me think, or laugh, or comment.
Why do you blog? Seriously, if you are an author, it is expected that you blog or at least guest blog. But because something is expected of us has never been a reason to really want to do it.
Christine Duncan is the author of the Kaye Berreano mystery series.
4 comments:
Christine, what a lovely and thoughtful post!
I personally started blogging before my first book was published, back when I moved from L.A. to San Francisco, was lonely and stressed, and needed an outlet. I was naive enough back in the day not to realize that one's blog was open to anyone who searched your name; it also never occurred to me that anyone would search my name. :-)
Now I blog for several reasons - to express myself and my opinions; share things that seem worth sharing, and to promote my writing and that of my friends and fellow authors. I love helping to promote someone else, but I also prefer posts that have more substance than a synopsis of the book. I do a bi-monthly post on a U.K. review site called Un:Bound - the post is always Ravenous Wednesday and is to promote fellow Ravenous Romance authors. But the posts are always funny, interesting, and on a variety of topics. NEVER just about their books.
I started blogging a few months ago, right after I signed my contract for my first novel. In the beginning, I was on unsure footing and I was somewhat intimidated posting comments on blogs by long-published authors. But I eventually got into the swing of it.
Then I developed my own website, where I had to COME UP WITH STUFF OUT OF THIN AIR. After recovering from the initial shock of this responsibility, I fell right into it. Now, I actually look forward to the challenge of blogging, finding topics, pretending like I know something, sounding like English is my primary language, and so on.
I really do believe that blogging makes one a better writer. And isn't that what we're all trying to become?
Probably because I have a big mouth and am always looking for someone who will listen to me. :<) No. Just kidding. I do it for networking purposes, although I rarely, if ever, mention my books.
If I want to be truthful, and I sometimes do, I'll have to admit I blog because I think I have to. Get your name out there is the familiar dictum. When I come up with an interesting topic, the words flow easily. When I'm searching (or reaching), I go out on a tangent that can roam pretty far afield. When I'm tempted to diatribe (okay, so it's a noun), I think who cares about my opinion? Occasionally I do it anyway.
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