Ten years ago, my children told me to start a blog. “What’s a blog?” I asked innocently. They exchanged one of those looks that makes a parent think, “Just wait until they’re my age and they have smart-aleck kids.” A decade later, I am still asking the existential question, “What is a blog?”
I didn’t know why I needed to start a blog a decade ago. After all, I had a purpose in life, one which did not involve splattering myself across the Internet. (My children also advised me to start a Facebook page and get on Twitter — neither of which they did themselves.) (Hmm…maybe they were smarter than I thought.) At the time, I didn’t really know what a blog would be good for.
I rapidly found out.
A blog is whatever you make of it because, after all, a blog is writing. In some cases, it’s a way to organize your thoughts. (Some people even like to organize other people’s thoughts.) (Oh, avoid “thought leaders.” They think too much of themselves.) There are also those who need a way to keep track of where they are going, or what they are eating, or what their cats are doing. (Inexplicably, everyone on Facebook wants to know where you are going, or what you are eating, or what your cats are doing. If you are a writer, you can make all those things interesting, although on Facebook that will be a worthless endeavor. Just post photos.)
In my case, my blog has proven to be an excellent method for providing easy access to nicely organized publishing resources. It was completely serendipitous that a lot of other people found those resources useful as well.
One important perk of obsessively keeping track of literary journals is that my work gets published. And I occasionally win one of the contests that I post on my monthly lists and on my Free Contests page. (My personal essay, “They Will Try to Kill You” won first prize in the Tell Your Story Contest, and my short stories and personal essays have gotten several honorable mentions.) The fact is, had I not been so compulsive about listing every single publishing opportunity, I wouldn’t have been nearly as diligent about submitting my work, which I tend to forget about once I get my next “must-write” idea.
The same holds true for my novels. I have, at this point, probably submitted my YA fantasy to every agent for my genre (well over 500). And I have gotten three offers of publication. (One of these days, I will write a blog on “Contracts You Shouldn’t Sign.”) I am nothing if not persistent. And in publishing, persistence pays. No matter how many times you are rejected, it only takes one agent or editor to say “Yes!” (Give yourself a boost right now and look at the list of famous authors who were repeatedly rejected here: Never Give Up! Never Surrender!)
The moral to my blog story is that sometimes what starts as self-interest morphs into a benefit for others. In fact, that may be the best path to altruism. After all, if you know what you need, you also have a handle on what others may need. In this case, I hope every writer reading my blog has benefitted from my (only mildly OCD) need to organize absolutely everything.
Keep writing!
Like this article? For more articles about the publishing world, useful tips on how to get an agent, agents who are looking for clients, how to market and promote your work, building your online platform, how to get reviews, self-publishing, as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers (no agent required) visit Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity.
I didn’t know why I needed to start a blog a decade ago. After all, I had a purpose in life, one which did not involve splattering myself across the Internet. (My children also advised me to start a Facebook page and get on Twitter — neither of which they did themselves.) (Hmm…maybe they were smarter than I thought.) At the time, I didn’t really know what a blog would be good for.
I rapidly found out.
A blog is whatever you make of it because, after all, a blog is writing. In some cases, it’s a way to organize your thoughts. (Some people even like to organize other people’s thoughts.) (Oh, avoid “thought leaders.” They think too much of themselves.) There are also those who need a way to keep track of where they are going, or what they are eating, or what their cats are doing. (Inexplicably, everyone on Facebook wants to know where you are going, or what you are eating, or what your cats are doing. If you are a writer, you can make all those things interesting, although on Facebook that will be a worthless endeavor. Just post photos.)
In my case, my blog has proven to be an excellent method for providing easy access to nicely organized publishing resources. It was completely serendipitous that a lot of other people found those resources useful as well.
One important perk of obsessively keeping track of literary journals is that my work gets published. And I occasionally win one of the contests that I post on my monthly lists and on my Free Contests page. (My personal essay, “They Will Try to Kill You” won first prize in the Tell Your Story Contest, and my short stories and personal essays have gotten several honorable mentions.) The fact is, had I not been so compulsive about listing every single publishing opportunity, I wouldn’t have been nearly as diligent about submitting my work, which I tend to forget about once I get my next “must-write” idea.
The same holds true for my novels. I have, at this point, probably submitted my YA fantasy to every agent for my genre (well over 500). And I have gotten three offers of publication. (One of these days, I will write a blog on “Contracts You Shouldn’t Sign.”) I am nothing if not persistent. And in publishing, persistence pays. No matter how many times you are rejected, it only takes one agent or editor to say “Yes!” (Give yourself a boost right now and look at the list of famous authors who were repeatedly rejected here: Never Give Up! Never Surrender!)
The moral to my blog story is that sometimes what starts as self-interest morphs into a benefit for others. In fact, that may be the best path to altruism. After all, if you know what you need, you also have a handle on what others may need. In this case, I hope every writer reading my blog has benefitted from my (only mildly OCD) need to organize absolutely everything.
Keep writing!
Like this article? For more articles about the publishing world, useful tips on how to get an agent, agents who are looking for clients, how to market and promote your work, building your online platform, how to get reviews, self-publishing, as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers (no agent required) visit Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity.
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