When Bloggers Panic
by Hannah Roveto
You'd think sharing a blog with three other people would be easy. Once a week, plus an answer to a prompt on Friday. We're writers, we can do that, no problem. After all, it's about writing, too, so what could be easier, really?
Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. Think about blog post for next day. Something scintillating, although how to match Lisa and Amy's? "Close to done revising" won't cut it. So what? Distracted by child needing ride.
Tuesday 9:00 p.m. Drag to bed. Shoot. Didn't even think of what to post.
Tuesday 9:15 p.m. Once thought about posting my paid writing as comparison to the literary side of me. "Do you dream of sitting by the seaside, on a villa patio, or in a tropical paradise, yet think you can't justify such a splurge?" This lead sentence continues, one graph later, into five tips for creating a fabulous outdoor area, layering in Furniture as a Focal Point, Tabletop Touches, Details That Create a Difference, Don't Forget Fabrics, and Give It A Glow. All in under 400 words. I'm so convincing I want to decorate my own patio, which is saying something as my whole house, nevermind the bricks outside, suffers from being highly "underdecorated."
Wednesday 6:00 a.m. While riding the exercise bike, think of letting the cat out of the bag. Elinor Lipman agreed to be interviewed for this blog! Am so excited. Start to finalize my question list for her and stop thinking about the blog. Did you know Then She Found Me is coming out as a movie? It is being screened outside of Boston tomorrow night, with Elinor doing an intro, then Q&A afterward. Helen Hunt, who directs and co-stars, was told Salman Rushdie wanted to read for a small part and responded with the following: "Shut up!" Yes, he got the part.
Wednesday 7:00 a.m. One child out the door, the other lumbering down the stairs. Spy the book I've been reading on the coffee table: Waiting for Teddy Williams by Frank Mosher. Fun read, by the way. My library had a whole section of baseball fiction, which will be great when my own book comes out. I've thought of posting about dream blurbs; I scan Mosher's for people I might approach: Ken Burns, Dan Shaughnessy, Bill "Spaceman" Lee, Jodi Picoult, Chris Bohjalian, Richard Russo. Gulp.
Wednesday 7:45 a.m. Two children out the door. What to write? What about how I can't decide what to post? Too boring. What about my outdoor entertaining patter? That'll scare everyone. Elinor Lipman? I haven't interviewed her yet, and she's got that screening tomorrow. Blurbs? Not yet. All of them together? Maybe, maybe, although then I've used up multiple ideas in one shot. Then again, I've got time.
6 comments:
Ha! I'd never thought about it, but I imagine a once a week solo post plus Friday prompt is probably more stressful than maintaining a blog solo! This cracked me up :)
Hannah, you could have simply written about Elinor Lipman, Helen Hunt and Salman Rushdie and created a memorable post...after all, who knew?
Hannah,
I enjoyed reading your post... glad to see you're human...and running around with like a chicken is something we are all familiar with... good luck with your writing.
I keep a notebook with post ideas in it. Then, if nothing during the week inspires me, I look in the notebook and choose something.
I do think ahead, and try to even write ahead, but this was one of those weeks when each idea unravelled, or didn't seem quite as fun on paper as I'd thought. So how to take all the bits and tie them together? Figured I'd just have fun with it. I should actually jot the ideas down for good measure, though!
Hannah
I loved this post. It helped me to realize that a blog posting can be worthy even without the perfect idea. It kind of reminded me of my old journals that I wrote in grade six when no topics were assigned. Though at the time my thoughts seemed "too boring" when I read them now I think, wow quite insightful for a ten year old. You have inspired me to visit my own blog tonight rather than put it off another day. Thanks!
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