So with a full day ahead with the little person and a night out in Norwich to check out East Twenty Six with the girls this evening I want to get my blog done early so I don't fail my challenge within the first week!
Already I've reached a point where I am actually finding it quite difficult to decide what to write about. I've got a few stories noted down but they might be a bit deep at this stage in the game. I've read back the last four blogs and I'm astounded that so many people have read them. Thank you guys, seriously I'm so chuffed! What I'd really love though is some feedback... did you fall asleep half way through? was it boring? or with a slightly more positive outlook do you enjoy them and have you read them all? If so what do you like about my writing? This 30 day blog writing challenge is really about shaping my blogging to suit my audience and whilst I have a plan for a specific topic come September (when I start my slightly more spangly blog site) it would be really useful to get as much feedback as possible so I know what is most interesting to my readership, as it might be that the planned direction changes a little if I hear what you want. The other thing is, aside from the demographics Google gives me about the audience of this blog, I don't really know who you all are? So please please please leave a little comment under my blog to tell me who you are, or subscribe to the blog, send me a tweet or leave a comment under the link post on Facebook, Google+ or wherever else you find it. This way I'll see your comment and have a bit of an insight into who I'm talking to. Don't be shy, I need you guys to do this to enable me to carry on with this blogging lark. It's my research and with your help my World of writing should be a lot more comfortable and targeted.
I also have some competitions in mind for subscribers that will likely involve bottles of Prosecco for readers so get your names down and you'll not only receive the blog in your inbox but also a chance to win a bottle of bubbles or something soft or chocolatey if that's more to your taste. Without sounding too desperate, I need you all and if you can help me get to the point that I'm writing for a job then I'm going to be throwing some treats your way, that's a promise!
Anyway, it's time to go and make pancakes so I hope this blog wasn't a bit dull and salesy, but if you don't ask you don't get 😁
Kaori – if you’ll allow me onto your blog, following my being severely reprimanded by your mum in an earlier life for stealing my wife’s FB identity, I’d be delighted to contribute. Naturally I am intrigued by what you promise in September as something “spangly” (an interesting derivation of spangle that my spell check underlines in red). Folks as old me may remember the square tube of synthetic boiled sweets that were only distinguishable by their colours and all tasted the same! Whilst your day 5 blog is marginally less exciting than an episode of The Archers I have the necessary circumspection to see precisely where it is going and that is why I am volunteering my support, for what it’s worth. The golden rule with blogs (correct me if I’m wrong) is to avoid at all costs writing it as you would a diary. The recently departed (rather than late) Anthony Wedgewood Benn was a skilled diary writer but the reader had to have an insight into politics to really appreciate his narrative. Samuel Pepys (who died of kidney failure in 1703) makes fascinating reading today because he wrote his diary mid-way through the 1600s. Aside from other journals published at the time his was a day by day account of city life 400 years ago so is of huge historical significance. Imagine 400 years from today history students will be drawing on such enlightening documentation as a micro-chip holding every TV soap opera since Coronation Street and East Enders began. They might even be able to access your blog so a final pointer to its construction is possibly to regard it as something Pepys would never have dreamed of; a history student’s text book! By the way you must be prepared for today’s worst affliction that has assumed pandemic proportions and that is “lethargy”. Your concept has grabbed my interest. Not so sure about the prosecco though – could you not offer champagne? May I post again in a couple of days?
ReplyDeleteHi Mike, thank you so much for taking the time to make such a lengthy comment. I'm glad to see that you are allowed back near a computer after the mentioned identity theft and impressed that you have created a profile in your own name, it suits you much better!
DeleteAs it stands I have no specific agenda for this series other than the challenge of blogging every day for thirty days and stretching my writing brain a little in the lead up to some more purposeful projects. Ok, there might be a little hidden plan of growing an audience that enjoy my writing in the hope that they might follow me onto the next platform for my succeeding venture. However from a writing point of view some constructive criticism from someone with your experience would be highly valued.
In terms of a blog not being like a diary, I would have to disagree as this really depends on the type of blog you are referring to, as there are many that have the sole ambition of being just that. There are many journal type blogs that are exceptionally popular these days and written in essence for the reader to feel as though they are in fact privy to a personal diary. That being said plenty of other blogs have a specific program and are written more in the style of articles covering topics within specific industries. We have a blog for my company which executes this type of script and is something that might do the job for the history students text book you mentioned. This is far removed from the diary style manuscript that makes a myriad of blogs so prevailing, but of course does not make either style more or less successful than the other, as they each have contrasting goals and devotees.
I like the idea of looking ahead in time to how people might perceive my blogs in many years to come but I wouldn't want to lose any personality in my writing for the good of history students in 400 years time when my main objective is to connect with people here and now. In fact who know's if Earth will still even be habitable in another 400 years?! What I'd love to know is in what way, if Pepys diary is so successful, would you imagine he would want to have changed it? What do you feel it is missing?
By preparation for "lethargy" do you mean people not commenting on my blogs? It's a shame when many don't, especially when I can see the stats for how many are actually reading it. I'm hoping in time this will improve and with enthusiasm will come comments. It doesn't help with this particular platform as Google don't like to make leaving a simple comment easy, as you yourself discovered. I'm going to look into this!
As for Spangles, The Archers and Champagne... I am familiar with them all and I'll work on improving the blogs to a higher standard than a dull radio soap opera in future and consider a selection pack of sweets and champagne as an alternative give away.
Please feel free to comment as often as you like and maybe you should consider your own blog too...
Hi kaori,
ReplyDeleteI'm not a blogger, but probably like a lot of people, I like insight, I can relate to the at home pieces with India, as I have many inner monologue moments with mine. I suppose I like to read it for that sense of connection and validity of our own actions. Maybe that could be a piece, on connections, ask people to put down a memory of you and see what it triggers in your memory. It's funny what sticks in people's head, you to me will always be the loving, fun girl from next door, who we used to sneak under the fence at the back to play lol. X
Thanks Sarah, I really appreciate your comment and I think relating to what I write is hopefully how lots of people feel when they read it. I love the idea of a connections themed blog post and I've added it to my list. Your memory is the same as mine of you and Lawrence. What would we had done if that bottom fence piece had been replaced?!! Please keep reading and thanks again for the comment x
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