Random Thursday: I Feel a Change Coming On

[hrj]

Originally published at Alpennia.com. You can comment here or there.

To date, in 2016 I have posted 333 separate blog entries (in the early part of the year on Live Journal, and then both on Alpennia.com and LJ). My goal was to blog every weekday, and while I missed some calendar days, I clearly over-shot that target in terms of total posts. As I've mentioned in a couple of recent round-up posts, I've been pondering exactly why I've pursued such a rigorous schedule and what I'm getting out of it.

Let me be bluntly honest: I took on such an ambitious schedule in the hopes of building a larger "presence" online. I've been trying to establish my blog (in whichever of its incarntions) as a "happening place" that provided useful information, interesting discussions, and entertaining ideas. It seemed worth a shot, given that I enjoy writing and never seem to run out of ideas. But it's still been a fairly grueling standard to maintain. And I don't think that what I was trying to achieve is actually achievable anymore in today's cyberspace. People don't go to blogs for community or interaction any more. I'll get a bunch of traffic for specific items, but it's tourist traffic.

I don't typically make serious New Year's Resolutions, but I'll make an exception. In 2017, I'm going to stop doing things just to try to impress people who don’t actually care. And one of those things is blogging five days a week.

So what do I plan to do with this blog? The projects that I'm doing for myself. Obviously I'm going to keep working on the Lesbian Historic Motif Project. Because even though other people don't care about the Project, it underpins most of my fiction. And I'm going to keep processing Abiel LaForge's diaries, because it's a family heritage thing. And I'll keep posting the occasional review, though I give myself permission not to review everything. And when I have something new and different to say about my fiction projects, I'll post about that too. But not every week.

In fact, I'm planning to set up something different for news and announcements about the fiction. I've been looking into doing an email newsletter, so if you find that interesting, keep your eyes peeled for further information.

I know this post sounds like a bit of a downer, but it's really just a reassessment. What I was doing wasn't getting the return on investment that I needed to make it worth while to continue at that pace. And that investment was taking time and energy away from things that might produce a better return. Like writing stories.

Comments

[kareina.livejournal.com]

While I, for one, have really appreciated your posting regularly as it meant there was always at least one new thing to read on LJ when I woke up in the morning, I totally understand why you would want to change your focus to things that provide a better return. Thanks for having made the time to post so regularly and often, and I shall look forward to reading the things you continue to post, and the books you write next.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

I fell down on my own intentions too. I'd started the year trying to interact with other people's LJ posts on a much more regular basis. And it slips away...I read in quick bites and then never go back for something more thoughtful.

[kareina.livejournal.com]

yah, it is so easy to forget if one doesn't reply right away after reading, but in these days of mostly reading while on the phone it is tempting not to reply.

[elbren]

well, it seems to have worked in that I, for one, found out about your books this year, though I don't recall how and lj seems as likely a vector as any.
at any rate, yes absolutely blog at the rate that works sustainably for you. I'd much rather you keep blogging for a long time about what you want to than try to keep up an unworkable pace and have to leave off entirely.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's always the quandary: it isn't that blogging so often had *no* impact, just that it didn't have the impact I needed to keep going. And on the down side, having that schedule inspired me to come up with some posts that turned out to be popular that I might not have written otherwise.

A certain part of the problem is the emotional toll of feeling like I'm talking to empty air. Even when the air isn't entirely empty, it's too thin to breathe.

Alpennia and brain connections

[shaunacarrick.livejournal.com]

I hope you will keep on with the Alpennia writing posts - I truly enjoy them!

On another (but somehow related) note, I wanted to tell you about something that my brain won't let go of.

I play quite a few different 'match-3' games, and one particular company in Europe has a series called 'Jewel Match'. The tokens have been, until now, all jewels, as the name indicates.

The latest game I got notified of is called 'Jewel Match Royale', and the tokens are not jewels. Instead they are things like crowns and helmets. One set of tokens reminds me constantly of one aspect of your books - the balls. The items are masks, fans and gloves! Every time I hit one of those puzzle boards, I am reminded completely of your descriptions of the balls, especially from Jeannette's point of view, with the 'language of the fan'.

Okay, so it is not earth-shattering by any means, but I really wanted to tell you that your books have embedded in my brain and even silly things like a match-3 game can remind me of them to the point where I have to stop and go re-read a couple of chapters!

I look forward to whatever you care to share with the world in 2017!

Re: Alpennia and brain connections

[hrj.livejournal.com]

Thank you.