Friday
is the day I’ve been posting on the topic of fiction – talking
about vampire
books, classic
books, celebrity
writers, author
franchises, and more. Not today. I have an announcement: I'm
revamping my blog!
One
fabulous feature of a blog is flexibility. Unlike a book, where your
plot better stay on track from the prologue to page 343, you can
meander a bit. It's like taking a nature hike and seeing a trail off
to the side. Are you the kind of person who thinks, “I wonder where
that leads to”? Well, I am. I wondered about doing something
different and decided to give it a try.
Next week, there will be a new background, a tag line, and a change to my posting schedule.
I'll be blogging twice a week – on Wednesdays and Fridays.
First,
however, why do I blog at all? For me, blogging has a few purposes:
Flexes the writing muscles. I write novels. That’s my job. If the novel is a marathon, blogging is a refreshing jog around the block. Like crafting a book, blog posts require an idea, research, organization, and delivery of words on a page (okay, screen). It’s a shorter run, but it keeps me on top of writing. After all, runners run and writers write. It’s what we like to do.
Flexes the writing muscles. I write novels. That’s my job. If the novel is a marathon, blogging is a refreshing jog around the block. Like crafting a book, blog posts require an idea, research, organization, and delivery of words on a page (okay, screen). It’s a shorter run, but it keeps me on top of writing. After all, runners run and writers write. It’s what we like to do.
A
conduit for information.
Through others' blogs, I've discovered what's worth a watch on TV
(Tiffany A.
White), fascinating true crime and paranormal stories (Catie
Rhodes), social media tips (Kristen
Lamb), and much, much more! When you visit my blog, I hope you
learn something, get a different perspective, or refresh a memory. I like sharing information.
Helps
you get to know me. I’m not that
interesting of a person, and since I spend a lot of my time slamming
keys on a laptop, perhaps you’d do better to hang out with Lady
Gaga or Tiger Woods for a good time. However, like most readers I
enjoy getting to know authors and friends better, and reading their
blogs helps me to do that. So here I am, hoping that I can say
something worth reading a couple of times a week.
Helps
me get to know you. By tracking which posts get a lot of hits and
perusing comments left on the blog, I get to know y'all. In fact, one
of the best things about blogging is that it opens up an avenue for
conversation. I like reading through blog comments and finding a chat
between readers. It feels like a virtual coffee shop where I brought
up a topic and friends weighed in one at a time. I’ll have
virtual mocha latte now (I hate real coffee).
Allows
me to sound off. Let’s face it: We like to say what we think.
Through blogging, I can highlight topics I find interesting or
lessons I’ve learned or books I’ve read. People are interesting,
and what they think can be interesting. I’m talking people in
general here, so maybe I’m
not as entertaining as Glee or your cousin’s
Cheetos-up-the-nose trick. Yet trading ideas can be a stimulating
experience.
So
what do I find
interesting? What makes me
interesting? I'll be blogging twice a week
with these themes:
Amazing Words Wednesday – Same as my usual Wednesday Words with a new title. All about words, grammar, and the fun of
language! These are not posts from a cranky red-pen-gripping grammar
purist (although I do enjoy proofreading). Instead, my posts have
covered word wonders like Tom
Swifties, The
Perfect Comeback, and Tongue
Twisters! A couple of weeks ago, I traced the origins of Rock
Band Names. Language is cool, huh?
Deep-Fried
Friday – On Fridays, I’ll be writing about whatever strikes
my fancy. And by “fancy,” I mean fiction, movies, television,
flashbacks to the past (like my 1980's
Quiz and my 1990's Quiz), and other culture and people-watching
topics. Why call it “Deep-Fried Friday”? Growing up in Texas, I
recognize that everything
is better deep-fried. Chicken fried steak, fried okra, hush puppies,
fried shrimp, French fries, fried turkey for Thanksgiving, and so on.
Hopefully, these Friday posts will be deep-fried thoughts – my
juicy ideas with a crunchy exterior you can sink your teeth into!
 |
| Threadgills, Austin, Texas World Famous Chicken-Fried Sirloin |
What
do you think? Have you chosen themes for your blog? What topics do
you cover and why? What inspires you to blog?
14 comments:
My theme for my blog (which may not quite come through) is "a lurid peek and the freaky and the weird."
If I'm going to talk about movies, I try to pick the ones that people might not know. Same for books. Same for music. What is true crime and paranormal other than freaky and weird? So there you have it.
My blog is a reflection of me. I love to dig through antique stores, junk sales, and flea markets. I'm in perpetual search of the ceramic kangaroo (which means I'm looking for something unique and interesting). I love to visit scary places and use my imagination to scare myself further.
My reason for blogging. Honestly? To let some of the weird out. If you like my blog, you'll like my fiction. It's weird, too. :D
I always enjoy your posts - I like the themes you've selected.
I love the "getting to know you" aspect of blogging. You learn so much about others through their comments and interest in your posts.
And, blogging is an excellent "brain dump" for me. :)
Oh, I can't wait to see your changes. I sort of snuck in on them a few weeks ago, LOL.
Ah, my blog could use some serious organization and I have no idea what I really want to do with it.
I sort of like how blogging is a way to let out your thoughts. People can get to know me, like you said. And I like when commenters let me get to know them through their reactions. I feel the posts that ring most true from me are when I talk about my kids :), though I don't really want to have a parenting blog, necessarily. Ya know?
Oh, and I see you are reading Anna and the French Kiss. YAY! And when you finish and you must have more, Lola and the Boy Next Door released yesterday :). I can't wait to read it.
What a great idea... a blog revamp.
I do tend to get tired of the same-old, same-old. My problem is I still have no real focus on my blog. I'm all over the map!
Julie, it sounds fun. I'll agree with every one of your statements on why you blog. It's the creative juices flowing.
I think y'all are hitting on exactly what's great about some people's blogs - they reflects who the person is. In particular with authors, even if they don't write about their book, you get an idea of whether you might enjoy their writing generally (like Tawna Fenske).
@Patty - Maybe you should do a "Where in the world is Patty?" theme! Ha-ha!
I can't wait to see your new look. I just revamped my Friday blog to give it more YA curb appeal. If I want to reach my audience, I have to create a place they want to come to again and again. Today I'm asking for feedback from people about what they like to see on blog's and websites.
Sounds like you have a good plan, Julie! I've been enjoying your posts, common theme or no. Your new stuff sounds like fun too!
I blog on Monday and Thursday. I do My Town Monday, where I highlight some of the positive things Dayton (and Ohio) have to offer - interesting history, fun things to do, quirky facts. Thursdays are a little less consistent, but usually focus on reading and books, or time management (those are popular posts). Good luck and have fun with your new look!
I like your new look, PJ! Hope you get a lot of hits on your website (and sell LOTS of books).
Jen - Your last post of time management was great! I need those reminders because I'm loosy-goosy about my schedule if let to my own.
Thanks for the support, ladies!
I blog for all the reasons you do (great list, btw). I don't really have themes yet, as I only starting blogging for RoW80 in July, but I'm thinking about it.
My blog posts are things I'm interested in, but I've also written some in response to interest from comnenters.
I like the where in the world is Patty? comment, because I definitely go all over the map. It's always language and research, and history, but beyond that, who knows?
It is a work in progress, I guess! :D
I love your blogs, Julie, especially the ones about words and your 80's and 90's posts. I'll follow you no matter what because I enjoy reading your writing.
Patti
Sounds great, Julie! I really enjoy your Word Wednesdays. As you know, I post on Mondays with my "Margarita Moments." In January, I'll be adding a second post.
I'm mulling around the idea of calling it "Thursday Thoughts." This will be my avenue for delving into issues such as parenting (especially special needs parenting) and current events that concern women. What do you think?
Sorry I'm late to this, Julie. I really enjoy your blog, especially the Wednesday posts. Looking forward to the new look.
Like Catie, I'm trying to make my blog a reflection of me. Manic Monday and Tempting Tuesdays are for the lighter side, and Thriller Thursday is what really interests me, dark as it may be. And I suppose it's a big part of the whole "brand" thing.
For me, the two great things about blogging are meeting other people and honing my writing skills.
@Elizabeth - I think it takes a while to figure out exactly which direction to go, but you seem to know your interests well!
@Patti - Wow! Thanks so much.
@Jolyse - I like you expanding. Your Monday posts are great.
@Stacy - I truly enjoy your blog overall, but your Thriller Thursdays are captivating - even though they sometimes make me shudder.
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