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As an author, why should I blog?
By admin | July 12, 2008
As an author, why should I blog?
By David Van Etten
I get asked this question a lot, as if it were a dental procedure that must be endured, but is somehow needed, and therefore worth the pain. For me blogging is as pain free as breathing. It wasn’t always this way. In the beginning I also had my reservations.
My personal thoughts are just that; personal. Why, would I want to make them public? This stumbling block is a common misconception built around the notion that blogs = diaries. While some blogs are very personal in nature, it does not have to be a public expose’ of our life’s most intimate details. Instead of a diary, think of a blog as a series of letters to a friend. In this paradigm you can be selective in your posts and write about things as you see them, while feeling free to omit the nastiness of unflattering self-analysis.
This idea of myopic opinion generated posts actually drives blogging forward. In the old metaphysical conundrum we are asked, “If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” In a like manner I ask “If you express an opinion on a deserted island, does it really count?” An opinion is only a notion until it is given to another. A blog should have an opinion or at least a general frame of reference as a stage to unleash personal expression.
Blogging is interactive. It is not meant to be locked away in the bottom of your underwear drawer. It is part theatre, part debate, and part forum. It can be as slanted and one-sided as we bloggers need it to be. In this way the personal boundaries of diaries are eliminated and we can truly start expressing ourselves as authors of our own stories.
My raw mental downloads need the polish of an editor. This thought while linked to a good idea is more of a crutch than a reality. In most blogging circles there is generally little tolerance for spelling mistakes and problems with basic punctuation. However, blogging as a whole is about the moment. In some ways it is more like an improv performance than a scripted scene. There are bound to be hiccups and mistakes that are made along the way, but the somewhat rough unbridled creativity that is the end result is often worth more than a highly polished product. The bottom line is; you should work it, but don’t overwork it.
Another advantage of free form writing is the edge of reality that accompanies the text. It is easy to connect to and in so being, it acts as a semi-intimate bridge between you and the reader. This one-to-one (which in reality may be one-to-hundreds) relationship is what brings readers back. In the world of theatre they talk of the fourth wall. This is the transparent space that exists between the players and the audience. In authoring a book we have that same fourth wall, but it is so separated from the pages that we write; that it sometimes fades into the distance, a shadow reminder that there are still people out there that appreciate our work. A blog is the best of both worlds. It is writing to an audience, more intimate, more personal, and therefore more connected.
Readers aren’t interested in me they only interested in the characters I create. Many authors have very successful blogs, Neil Gaiman, Orson Scott Card, Thomas Disch, and many others. But the best modern example of the effective use of a blog has to be J.K. Rowling. Her blog entries were a vital promotional link that existed during the “dead zones” that occurred between her trade-published releases. She of course did not write in character, but instead gave us a new character — herself! We saw her struggles, promotional info, publisher rants, and tempting teases that captivated millions of readers as she delivered progress on her writing. People love to pull the curtain aside, and view the “real” wizard at work. Instead of killing the mystery it can actually add to the suspense of the work at hand.
Writing is a participatory dance between readers and authors. Blogging gives us as writers a tool to reach out and connect. It is a new way of thinking to be sure. It has uncomfortable moments. It also has wonderful promise for those that embrace it.
Topics: General Content | 2 Comments »
July 13th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Your article has given me a much better understanding of the purpose for blogging and the results of doing so. Thanks. M
November 11th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Dave your article brought new insight to me as a writer and as a result you have inspired me to get busy creating a website of my own. Thank you. Ann