I have been reading a book by John Locke recently about online marketing titled "How I sold 1 Million Ebooks in 5 Months". One of the things that this book highlights is the importance of blogging and how it effects you as a writer, a reader, a businessman, and basically a person. I've found it very eye opening.
Since starting the book, I've gone back over some of the blog posts I've written in the past, and there's one thing I've noticed about these posts that remains consistent. They all scream "off the cuff"... as if I didn't spend much time thinking about what I was going to write about. I don't like that thought... not at all. Several of these posts seem chaotic and disorganized... a rambling mess of thoughts thrown out in no particular order. Other posts appear more thought through and consistent, but perhaps they are too long (I seem to like posts that sit somewhere over 1,000 words at least. :P) or maybe they shy off topic near the end.
No more. It's time I start blogging with a new perspective... a more thoughtful perspective. It's time that my blog lives up to the passion I hold for my craft. No more rambling posts; no more halfhearted attempts to update the P&P with small, uninteresting facts about my life that don't pertain to anything in particular.
As a writer, I know that I should be doing better than this. In fact, I know that I could be doing better than this, and all of you deserve better.
As a writer who is also an avid reader, I know what others who are like me or who share my interests might find engaging. I know all of this... and it's time I start putting this knowledge to work. The way things are around here will be changing in the near future, hopefully for the better. It's time that I made the change.
Thank you, John Locke, for the inspiration your book provided me. I may not have read any of your other works, but I will hand you this: you sure know how to write! Every writer I know should get this book and study it thoroughly. It's well worth the price, I'll tell you that!
Nichole
"Blue Moon" by Nichole White
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9 comments:
I like your off-the-cuff style, because I can easily see you through it. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, so the more words there are, the more data on the heart there is. :)
All the same, I'll be interested in what you come up with.
I agree with Philip. I like your off the cuff style too. After all, you're marketing. . . .YOU. Anyone can have polished, professional and market-friendly blog posts. But I don't come here for those.
And while I admire someone who can sell that many books, the imp at the back of my head is asking 'are you looking for $ or impact. Very rarely will the one be found with the other.'
Polish is all well and good, I do spell check and grammar check and make sure there isn't anything glaringly strange on my blog (unless I am wanting glaringly strange to be the topic) but what I don't do, is phoney-it-up. It's not there to sell books or short stories. It's there for me to share what is going on with my life with those that are interested. And I'm not alone in that style.
Check out Pioneer Woman, and Cake Wrecks before you go all "polished" on us. ;) They never did, and are both "New York Times Best Selling Authors"
*AHEM* I was checking my store e-mail account *le sigh* and posted as the store. Didn't want you to think that you were being stalked by AN ENTIRE BOOKSTORE O_O
It was me.
I see both sides of the coin.
Personally, I chose the very polished route and I see some definite advantages to it. I actually have a "blog schedule" in which I decide what I am going to post when, and make sure that it is thoughtful and well-written. In other words, I know what I am going to post and I have the posts written up weeks in advance, although I do leave flexibility for a last-minute stroke of genius. If you want an idea of how this method looks in practice, check out my blog at www.yaashamoriah.com.
On the other hand, Nicole, I've noticed that readers respond very well when they sense that they can connect personally with the author. I find that the posts that attract the most traffic on my blog are those that are not simply informative but personal and even opinionated. Behind all that writing, there's simply YOU--the woman within the author.
I can't tell you how to find the balance, but I know it is important. I'm trying to find my own balance, so I sympathize with your desire to do whatever is best for your craft and reputation. I look forward to seeing what you do as you experiment with the balance.
P.S. I just realized I misspelled your name. Sorry, Nichole with an H! :-)
Philip: Aw! :D Thank you. ^_^ I'm glad you think that.
Everlastingscribe: lol! That's ok. I wasn't worried about it. ;)
But thank you too. I'm actually really not looking for dollar signs. I'm not even planning to go all "polished and market friendly" on you guys. :P :P :P (although I'll admit to being impressed with Mr. Locke's sales... wow! O.o But that is ENTIRELY beside the point.)
Rather, I'm looking for a close sort of kinship and relationship with my readers. I've never felt that I didn't have that before, but I'm always looking to improve, ya know? I've always known that my posts tend to get long, and sometimes ramble... and lately I've been noticing a lot of typos. :P I'm hoping that I can get a little more organized, a little more "reader friendly" so to speak, but still stick with my style, my voice. :D I LIKE blogging, and I don't want to loose that feeling by completely changing EVERYTHING.
(Although I must confess that it's so encouraging and comforting that you guys came on to tell me your opinions about it all. ^_^ Where would this little blog ever be without you guys?! :D)
Yaasha: first of all, don't worry about the misspelling. I can't tell you how many people spell my name without the "h". I'm used to it! :D
Second of all, I know what you mean when you say that the balance is hard to find. It truly is. :P I guess it's sort of "touch and go" and "trial and error" for all of us. *shrug* ^_^
I tend to be more off the cuff too, but I see the advantages of both styles.
No more "uninteresting facts about your life"?
Personally I found the posts about your search for a job and a Christian boyfriend very touching. This kind of personal humanity resonates with readers who are in the same "boat" or who can sympathize with you even if they are not in your situation.
In my opinion, it's the personality of the main characters that drive a good novel, and it's the personality of the blogger that drives a good blog.
I can't remember every detail about The Lord of The Rings or The Hobbit, but I remember Bilbo and Frodo like they were old friends.
People will from an opinion of your blog and of you. Right now I see you as the nice young devout Christian girl struggling to find her way in life and to become a successful author--there's nothing wrong with that. (If I'm wrong in my assessment, I aplogize and please forgive me.)
Perhaps you could divide each blog post into personal and professional sections, each with it's own sub-title. That way readers can choose to read only the professional section, or only the personal section, or both.
I'm not a blogger or a novelist, so take everything I wrote here in light of those two facts.
All of the above is just my opinion and you know better about how you should progress and succeed better that I do.
If you want luck, then I wish you luck.
If you want prayer, then may The Good Lord guide you.
P.S.
I hope you found a good job and a nice boyfriend, or vice versa-- I think. :)
Anon: Aw! :D Thank you for that encouraging word. It means a lot.
Don't worry... I plan to still post excerpts from my life. In fact, I pretty much plan to do everything I did before... I just want to try and keep my random rambling to a minimum. lol! I jut felt like I wandered all over the place in some of my posts, and I'm hoping I can make my posts a little less "all over the place" and a little more concise.
Good luck and prayer would be such a blessing. Thank you so much for your comment. :D
(And no... Haven't found a boyfriend yet, although I'll admit to having interests... I'm sure God has the right man for me out there somewhere, even though it feels like I will never find him, or else he will never find me, or however that works. :P It can be discouraging sometimes, but I just keep praying that God will show me the right one. And I would rather still be in my 20's when it happens if at all possible. :) )
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