I’m not sure I’ve asked this question, but I’ve been thinking about this lately. I started here to blog about my book. So, I began blogging for me. Then, people showed interest and I began blogging for others. I was obsessed with likes, views, and comments. I don’t look at numbers any more, but I still try to blog what I think people might take an interest in.
I’m wondering if this is wrong. I get a little down when I make a post and nobody comments. This really seems to hurt when I put up a piece of creative writing like Nimby & The Thief King on the CSB. I need to stop this. I don’t know what to do to gain comments like other people. I have no idea why some of the constant comment makers have been silent for weeks. The truth is that it’s not something within my control. I worry that it means I’ll have less support for my third book, but most of my real life friends remained silent for the second book. I’ll survive and push on.
I see blogs where it’s obvious that the person doesn’t cater to an audience and others where that’s all they do. Probably smart to fall in the middle, but not fret about the comment levels. Just go and figure it out. Post what I feel like for the day and forget the schedule.
Who do you blog for?
Legends of Windemere 
Myself. And if you like it great. If not, great.
Are you feeling better today, Charles?
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First day without a fever, so the meds are working. Going to be a few days before the aches and cough are gone. They got worse in an attempt to strike me down in retaliation for the meds.
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Yowwch.
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Technically I guess the 17 other people that are City Data Forum members, but they only really care about the stuff I write about City Data Forum, haha.
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17 is more than some blogs have. 🙂
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Well, they are the silent Krew members that send me the data. So I don’t count them as “audience”. They are on the team as it were. I just do the social media stuff. And analysis of the hate speech and stuff.
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To gain comments, talk to other people.
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Same here. The dwindling comments are what had me thinking about this.
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It’s an excellent question … one that you’ll know from reading my blog that I struggle with. I don’t have an answer yet. My standard line has always been that I wanted to blog to be able to have a conversation. I’m not interested in just posting my thoughts and experiences for people to read. I want them to read them and respond. To engage in a conversation about the things I share. It rarely happens. I also blog to create an audience and a platform for my writing. That has been very slow going and I’m struggling significantly with that. I’m not sure the blog is doing much for my books, to be honest. This is all part of why I’ve retreated a bit.
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I’ve been wondering about the effect on my books, but I think mine is because I have it attached to so many other social media outlets. The blog itself has helped me connect with other authors, which has been a great help. Still, I agree that many posts where I hope for a conversation gain nothing. It’s disappointing.
I was wondering where you went, but I thought you went on vacation like a lot of other bloggers. At least I think they went on vacation.
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I know I don’t comment as much as I should but that is in part because I am following so many blogs I find it difficult to read all the posts of everyone let alone to comment….plus I tend to get too many of my own projects on the go… I recently started my third blog dedicated to just my short stories I did this to accommodate three separate audiences… poetry…short form prose…and my ever evolving story… there is some overlap among the blogs but they each have their own following as well. The point of the prose blogs is to allow me to have my prose stand on its own merit.
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Wow. Maintaining 3 blogs is a tough gig. I can understand that. I’ve been falling into the situation where I comment less because I need to focus on my writing. The truth is that people have their own stuff to do. It’s difficult to maintain a blog and not get praise for a post, but that’s the nature of the beast.
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I love the comments I get, but sometimes I find myself scratching my head when certain posts go overlooked.
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That happened to me a few weeks ago on the CSB. I did a 3-part post of a fairy tale I wrote and I may have gotten 2 comments throughout the three posts.
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You know, this is a good question…
On the Arkside of Thought, I blog for myself. That said, I get most of my comments there and I think it’s because I’ve employed the “Call to Action.”
On We Drink Because We’re Poets, I’ve been pretty demanding with regard to the focus remaining on members of the community. That is, I try to limit promoting my own work on that blog because that blog is supposed to be for the artists and the readers. I feel the other administrators are very much on board with this particular methodology, and, from what I’ve seen across the We Drink Blog and Facebook page, people truly appreciate that. Now, I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t get something out of it, which is a high similar to the high I’ve gotten when gambling (I know that might sound odd) or the high I get when I’m taking photos. I mean, it’s fun to be able to highlight people and their works, which is the ultimate mission.
Where I’ve come into conflict, a time or two, was with regard to blogging for money. By which I mean taking advantage of the works of others for profit. I’m of a mind that, if should make money off of any of my blogs, it should be because of my own work: my own photos, writing, graphic designs, drawings, what have you. But that’s hardly the interest, even as it plays into who I blog for. I don’t want customers; I want participants, ideas, a free exchange.
Then there’s the 13th Floor Paradigm. I haven’t quite figured that one out.
One thing I’ve noticed, lately, is that I’m not paying attention to those same things: likes, followers, views, etc. I do pay attention to the comments, though, the importance there being that, while I’m not looking for “customers”, so to speak, being in a customer service mindset almost constantly, I tend to think ignoring or disregarding comments is a big no-no. It’s bad representation and says one does not care. IMO. That said…I think I need to review all of these blogs and ensure that I’m staying on task. I’m too flighty at times, a constant problem when it comes to blogging.
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I’m not sold on the blogging for money either, but I guess I kind of do that by pushing my books. I don’t market my books here that much these days. I’m trying to work off the opinion that I’m part of my brand and being interactive with fans helps sales. That’s where part of the disappointment is coming from. I enjoy comments more than the other stat items because those are interactive. I’m connecting with people, which is part of the fun of blogging. So, when I make a post that gets no comments, it makes me go back to the post and wonder what went wrong. It’s been such a wide variety of ‘failed’ posts the last few weeks that I don’t even know what works and what doesn’t.
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For your posts about your characters and what not, do you think length might be an issue? This is what I’m saying. I’ve noticed on my longer posts, I rarely ever get comments. My lady might go out of her way to comment, but other than that, nil. I heard somewhere about separating long posts into series, something to do with attention spans and all that. I can tell you, the same as I was told by blogger Geo Sans, that I tend to concentrate on shorter posts and won’t press like if I didn’t actually read it. I’m not suggesting that people don’t read the posts, but they might be rushed because of the length, and if there are no comments, maybe it’s one of a few things: either people don’t feel compelled to comment, unless you’ve asked for feedback/comments in that post; people only skimmed through the post and, thus, can’t think of anything of note to say (I’ve actually done that several times myself; or people are intimidated by those particular posts. I’ve run into that, too, where I’m actually afraid to comment because I don’t want to sound stupid, considering what I’m reading, so I won’t comment, even if I really, really enjoyed the post. I’ve done that with a few of yours, too.
Dude, the simplest thing I’ve tried, myself, that seems to be really effective is the call to action, just asking at the end of the post for feedback. I haven’t been paying attention much, so I don’t know if you already do that (failure on my part), but if you don’t, I can only say from personal experience that it’s helped me out immensely. And if that doesn’t work, maybe it’s one of the other things I’ve mentioned.
You well know I’m no expert blogger, so these may all just be pointless assumptions on my part. Or, it might be that not one size fits all type of thing.
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I ask questions at the end of some blog posts or throughout. I try to keep between 500-700 words for those posts, but it isn’t easy to nutshell a character or story idea. I can try to pepper it with pictures, but I’ve seen long posts with no pictures get a slew of comments.
It could be the intimidation thing though. People find it hard to comment on an author’s characters or ideas? I always assume that people know I’m looking for feedback.
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I’d be intimidated. I thought feedback was a given for a while, just like I thought rebogs were a given. But, letting people know you actually want feedback might, I think, reduce our fears as well as informing those of us who may not be aware you appreciate feedback. Knowing that you don’t mind feedback definitely helps me because now, I know I can come to your blog, say something about your characters, and you’ll take as just feedback (mind you, I wouldn’t be insulting or anything – it just helps to allay future concern).
Apologies for the long-wind, by the way.
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No problem. I ask questions a lot, but I slacked off on that a bit. It’s why I stopped doing the character stuff for a while. I think I have one set up that deals with Clyde on Wednesday. Did my blogging in advance for a few days to make time for healing and editing.
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Reblogged this on The Arkside of Thought and commented:
Who do YOU blog for? Check it out from Charles at Legends of Windemere.
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Dear Charles,
I loved your second book, and I am sure I will love all to come (unless you kill off Luke, then we will have issues!).
I don’t comment some times simply because I feel it has already been said in a previous comment, thus I will usually ‘like’ what someone else has said. I also don’t comment on all posts, even though I read them if I don’t feel good. There are times I am reading the blogs while in really inconvenient positions in bed, in order to have less pain. So, I am able to scroll, but seeing and typing on the keyboard is so straining or impossible, I am just able to like a post.
I have, in my own blog, found that there are some who will respond to every post I do. Sometimes in doing this, their comments become redundant and don’t hold a lot of meaning. I would rather someone not comment on everything, and then make a meaningful comment on one post, than feel the need to comment on everything. I guess I learned about responses from doing my Master’s degree online: we had to do quite lengthy and substantive posts about a subject, and in turn responses were expected to be meaningful and say something of importance about our post. We were not allowed to just say, ‘good work’, ‘good post’, etc. So, in this vein, I have gotten into the habit of either saying nothing, or saying something of worth. In my case, sometimes I know my responses can be wordy, but I don’t feel like it is wasted writing on my part. Perhaps the reader feels I rant or go on too much, in that case, they are not obligated to respond to what I wrote or even read the whole thing.
Just like I don’t have deep posts all the time, very rarely of recent, my health is to blame for much of this.
You are one of my favorite bloggers, and I do follow what you write, especially on this blog, as I like your writing.
Do not get frustrated, we are out here reading you.
The reason I blog is to try and stay connected to the outside world and have some sort of communication with something other than furry creatures. I love my friends from all over the world, and all the different viewpoints. I am also appreciative of Word Press as it is nothing like Face Book, and there is much more work that goes into a post and to responses, and a great deal less negativity. I used to have, still do just don’t use them, blogs on Blogger, but I couldn’t get any followers, even after I advertised on FB. My Mom follows them. It was after a post on one of the three blog I have through blogger that she read it and got her feelings really hurt. I didn’t say anything mean towards her, but she takes things very personally and gets her feelings hurt rather easily. So, I created this blog on Word Press and she knows nothing of it. It allows me the freedom to write what I need to without her critique or hurt feelings. My life is challenging right now, being 50 and living with my Mother in a 2 bedroom apartment in a senior community. I am waiting for disability, and until then, I can do nothing about this situation. Because of this situation of which I had no part in creating, just the draw of the cards on my health getting worse and worse with genetic diseases and a deformity in my knees which needs to be fixed, I have gone from a wonderful free single life, to this. I am used to living on my own, having my own transportation, friends, job which has always been management or lead paralegal, and my own freedoms. This life has become very stressful, so I need this blog to relieve a bit of the stress, if only reading what others write, and clicking like.
There is the long answer to your short question.
Peace
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Think it was a great length. Sorry that your life has become so stressful. I live with my wife, son, and parents (their house), but I don’t think that compares to what you’re going through. My situation is mostly financial. I hope your health and situation improve soon.
I run into the same problem with the commenting on posts. I’ve taken the opinion that even if I say something simple, I’m showing support. I try to say something unique, but it gets tough with poetry. I did some on-line classes and we had the same rules you mentioned, but I took a lot of joy out of the non-graded discussions. So, I look at comments as a method of conversation.
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Yes, I try to use the comments as conversation as well. It is funny to see how many people just can’t let one person have the last word in a discussion thread though. I kind of giggle each time I see something like that.
Thank you for your comments on my situation. I hope your situation improves for you as well.
Peace
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Thanks. I get into the last word thing a few times. I come from a family are debaters, so it’s an instinct that I try to fight. I’ll admit with some commentators, I battle for fun.
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I blog for me. I write my thoughts down because it helps me to think things through. I post them on the internet because it helps me even more to get other people’s perspectives on what I’m thinking.
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That’s a great idea. Simple and helps with the mental processing.
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For myself, although what I love most about blogging is joining communities and just giving other people what they want, and that is feedbac,opinion,chance for a conversation.
My friends and ppl around me keep telling me I should “make a schedule”, cause that is how “proper blogging” is done, but truth be told I could never do something like that. I feel really crappy when I think about doing post-a-day, cater to this audience or that other one sort of events and I could not even manage to post anything if this was my daily routine.
You have awesome books, so it is, in my opinion, harder for you to stir a direction, because, your books are like your kids, you wanna give them the best even if it means you are pushing your own needs and cravings aside. It all comes down to are you enjoying what you writing and posting on your blog? That is what is the most important, in my eyes.
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I tried a schedule with certain post types on certain days and I kept breaking it. I still do a few theme-like things, but really I just try to make 1-3 posts a day. 3 is only if I do poems.
That is a great question. I think it’s hard to answer at times because I enjoy what I write, but I take some enjoyment from the response. That’s the author side of things. I like getting feedback, so not getting feedback tends to be a sign that I did something ‘bad’. It’s a rough mentality.
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I am scared to give constructive feedback to people to be honest, I always feel like I am going to break their heart (even tho it’s gonna be constructive) because I think “Maybe they just wanna write, not improve/grow”, so my feedback mostly consists of support and letting the writer know how I felt reading his writing and give the constructive criticism only to people who directly asked it from me and don;t mind. My point is, I think lots of people feel this way, because online communities don;t have a safe zone anymore, it is usualy either you get hell or a clingy heaven (its harder to believe good criticism, the bad one leaves a much greater impact and not everyone knows the definition of ‘constructive’), so a lot of people who have something to say just click “like” and be safe.
I think in order for this to change, we must and should directly state that we are ok with constructive criticism and encourage people to give it to us if they have it. There is nothing shittier to see then a post without a single comment and 30+ likes.
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I think one of the worries about constructive criticism is that once you give the green light, people will overdo it. There’s a fine line between constructive criticism and being mean. I say this from the experience of college where students will focus entirely on what the author did wrong. It felt like the only target of the critics was to give the author a ‘thick skin’. So, there’s that fear of opening the floodgates.
I do agree that I get driven a little nuts when I get a ton of likes on a post and no comments. Especially creative posts like short stories, excerpts, and poems.
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That is why I say that many people do not know the definition of constructive. For example, one needs to reognise and feel the person inside the writing and critique according and approach everything as a suggestion,instead of an order that sounds like mocking and demeaning,
I personaly think growing a thick skin is partially bullshit – I don’t think all of us should be cubed and squeezed into one same thing,where words get to carry no meaning at all. If the bad ones stop hurting you,solely for the fact there is a person unwell enough to throw onto another, the good ones will stop having a meaning as well. Thick skin is not a filter, it is a shield and shield repels whatever you throw at it.
The liking is terrible indeed, especially when a person lieks something straight out of the reader, 1 second after you psoted it,without even reading it. This literaly makes me blow steam out of my ears and makes me so dissapointed.
In any case, WP is a great community in a sence of you so easily get connected to people and you crave their feedback, you get a little sad when you don;t see that person that often comments stop by when you posted something that is really important for you. because of a connection like this is why I think in your case it would be ok to ask criticism/cnstructive feedback/deeper discussion.
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The odd thing about the thick skin mentality is that it’s basically saying ‘I’m purposely being an asshole to toughen you up’. Don’t get me wrong. Some people do it right with a balance of positive and negative. Yet, so many opt to go full negative and use quotes that talking about ‘murdering your baby’ and throwing everything out. That’s not helpful.
I will admit to liking something immediately, but I do it and read after hitting the like button. Then I hit the end and realize that I can’t think of a good comment. I have that horrible moment of ‘do I keep the like or not?’
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Charles, I don’t have a lot of time to get into something that would make a good roundtable discussion, suffice it to say, I write for myself on one hand, to do something outside myself that makes me feel good. But ever since I got my first few followers and I don’t have that menty I’ve been comitted to doing what I do because I feel an obligation to be where I am when I say I’m going to be there. I write poetry. There are lots of times I’ve posted a piece that was on the money and got no reactions. That doesn’t mean nobody liked it, it just means people didn’t either catch it or didn’t have the time to show their reaction. I try to write poetry thaty people can relate to and can read wityhout having to feel like they are missing the point. I’m not writting to or down to therm, it’s part of my poetics. I still employ all the tropes I can but I think my message is accessible. But still poetry is usually read by other poets who feel more comfortable with it. You write in the genre you do. It’s not my thing but I like what you have to sayu about writiung in general and other things which is why I follow you. Do I read everything you write, no. But what I read appeals to me. I don’t comment usually on your site because I don’t have much to say about what you do. But others will if you just keep at it and try to write like you’re talking to them. I know you advert your books–hell you’ve got a book to sell.There’s nothing wrong with that. Everyuone does it. I would too but I have collections, 5 to be exact and am not into e-publishing. But that’s me. Posting my poems and commentary is a real thrill to see on screen. Give it time. Look at all the comments, and long ones, you’ve garnered off of your question. That might be a clue-in of something that’s missing. A chance for people to have reason to interact with your site. Just something to think about. Best>KB
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I have noticed a lot of people dive on the ‘why do you blog’ types of questions. The difficulty with utilizing them for comments is that I can’t see how it would fit the writing/book theme. I try to make posts that open for comments and opinions, but people don’t really pounce on them. As you mentioned, things I write don’t appeal to everyone and fantasy tends to have a specific audience.
I hate to say it, but I do see that a lot of my depressing/angry stuff gets attention. That’s rather disappointing because I don’t want to be that type of blogger.
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What about beginning a writing project that is interactive. I’m not going to really read fantasy–hell, I didn’t like Lord of the Rings for structural issues but I enjoyed reading it anyway. But you could try starting out with a single character and either just introduce them, history etc. or ask people for ideas or give them options. Find a way to make fantasy fiction interesting to people that donm’t know anything about. Don’t take this wrong, but ‘you guys’ are sort of like a club an d no one knows what you do. You could look to find ways of explaining fantasy. Like explaining almost like a diary how you’re working on a story. But tell people in advance that you would like to let them in on your world . It might not work but you just have to try somethjing and give it time. If yuou can do something like that, appeal outside your audience I’d re-post (I hate the ‘b’ word) you. I don’t know maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about. But you can’t take any of it personal. That’s like death, make you depressed doing something that yuou have to like to do in the first place. You should look into that site run by that youngh guy from Romania, Christian Miel or something like that. Hell he has 51,000 followers in little over a year and all he does is talk about being an artist and he plugs for money all the time. ?He sells spots on his site. IU’ve used it and it did wonders in the last two months. In fact I paind him to do an interview with me–he was offering, it comes out in two weeks. >KB
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To be fair, I’ve heard the same mysterious club analogy made to poets. 😉 I do try to explain fantasy in my posts. The difficulty with doing an audience driven story is the time. As important as the blog is, I need to work on my books too. I recognize the name. What’s the blog address? I’m pretty sure I already follow him.
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Yeah we’re a feral bunch us poets. I was just throwing things off the top of my head. Here’s Chis’ blog.
http://cristianmihai.net/
You know one of the things I do is mix it up, poetry everyday but like M-W is quote and commentaryT-&F is Poet of the Week. On the weekends I do all poetry. But I started doing some specialized poetry on M & F. ?My point is my readers know what to expect to see. >KB
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I do follow him, but for some reason I wasn’t getting the emailed posts. It should be fixed.
I try to mix it up too. M & F were discussion post days, W is a thinking about writing post, and Th was a whatever day. The posts that are book excerpts seem to be terrible when it comes to getting comments.
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So stick with what works and slowly make in roads with the rest. See ifd you can’t use those ghood days to your advantage in some way. I don’t know. Poetry seems a lot simpler to me. Writing prose is not something I can do. I mean I can do it but it’s painful. >KB
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Poetry seems simpler to me too. I think the openness of deciphering poetry puts people more at ease when commenting. A poem about a dragon can be taken so many ways while a story about one can only be taken as written.
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Well, I don’t agree with you about a story. Any story can be interpreted in as many ways as people who read it. I doubt your wwork in only two dimensional. Just from reading your interviews I know you have more goingon than what greets the eye. Poetry should be simple. It needs to be accessibler but it also has many layer. Layers thatr sometimes I’m not even aware of. >KB
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I guess what I meant was that poetry is more open to interpretation than stories. I’ve seen people take the description of an eye in poetry as the coloration of a person’s soul while in a story it’s a simple physical characteristic. The top layer of poetry (to me) can be more malleable than that of a story because as the author I do require certain aspects to be shared across the readers. I think that makes sense. It could be crazy rambling since my flu medication is kicking in.
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I see your point Charles. I’ll have to continue this tomorrow. It’s bed time for me. But would like to re-visit this. Best>KB
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I should pass out too. Still need to conserve strength. Night.
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I don’t always get commnents all the time either.>KB
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I would love to say that I only blog for myself, but I do very much enjoy the interaction with others to what I write. Unfortunately, although I read as many blog posts as I can, I find that if I don’t have something to add that hasn’t already been said, I may “Like” the post but not make a comment This really is not a reflection of how much I enjoyed the post, but rather that I prefer to say nothing than to say something stupid, meaningless or both. Great post with a great question and I’m glad that you seem to be feeling at least somewhat better.
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My personal opinion is that there are no meaningless comments. This is probably my author mentality, but even a ‘great post’ or something simple is good to hear. It seems so much easier to garner negative comments than positive. Think I mean reviews on that one.
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I’ve often wondered if simple comment such as “great post” would be enough. Sometimes I just don’t know what to say even though I love a post so I don’t say anything.
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It could depend on the blogger you’re commenting to. Some would be annoyed while others will be happy to get a recognition. Thanks to Facebook, people click ‘like’ without thinking, but a comment is a sign that time was taken to read and write.
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You can pretend to blog for me. I read it all (except the reblogs) and the book. Sometimes I don’t comment, but not often.
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I’ll do that. Do you mean the book excerpts? I’ve been wondering if I should stop doing those because people are scared of spoilers. The ‘excerpts’ from books that are part of other series might be better since those ideas are still in flux.
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I mean Beginning of a Hero
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Ah, I’m not doing that any more. I’m putting some from later books, but making sure to edit out big spoiler stuff. Still, I can see how you wouldn’t want to take the risk.
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I am new to your blog. Thanks to Sahm and Oloriel for bringing me here. I think it’s a wonderful irony how rich and loquacious the comments are for this one Charles. I may be new here but, to me, it looks like you’ve got a firm community of support here. With others, I’d suggest finding those topics that inspire your passion and write about them whether you get comments or not. Imagine that the next post you blog will model a response to your earlier post. You’ll be talking to yourself only for so long before others get the hint and respond in kind.
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Great to meet you. Love hearing from new people. To be honest, I have my posts scheduled through Wednesday. I need to catch up on editing my third, fourth, and fifth novels. I’ve been wondering about this for a few weeks because a lot of bloggers I started with have been quiet for a while. So, it stirs my wondering about blogging in general.
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I think you have to be yourself. You also have to find yourself, which sometimes means trying new things. Balance is important, too. Some scarcely read posts might have value to you beyond the numbers. Your posts tend to be highly creative, even when you post information that would otherwise be mundane, and you’re full of good ideas. The creativity provides value to you and others, even if the stats are low for given posts, and the support you provide to others has a profound effect on the community (I can see it in other bloggers). (At the same time, you shouldn’t feel that you can’t pull yourself away when you need to; you certainly deserve it.)
If the blog were all about marketing, it would be a passing fancy for most. Fortunately, it’s much more, and for must of us this is a very pleasant surprise. I discovered that it’s a great way to try to help others, in addition to the wonderful sense of community.
Sometimes, it’s hard to keep up with everything. I follow more blogs every week, and when I get a few busy days, I know I miss out on some posts that I’m sure I would love. The numbers provide a little insight; the challenge is not letting them to affect you far more than they should. 🙂
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I don’t even remember when I last checked my numbers. Ever since I switched to one post a day, I get a clear idea of the traffic without checking. I’m trying for quality over quantity. The idea of taking break has been crossing my mind. The main reason I don’t is because I’d miss a lot of people around here. Maybe that’s another odd reaction to not getting any comments. Going for a long amount of time with minimal comments on posts could make one feel as if they’re falling out of the group or no longer interesting. The trick is probably to remove ego from blogging.
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Yes, that’s probably good advice (at the end), and it ties in nicely with your question. 🙂
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My blog is like my accountability partner. It’s there. It’s public. I can’t give up because people know what I’m doing. They probably don’t really care, but I like to act like they do.
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Almost like you force yourself into the spotlight, so you to focus on what you’re doing?
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yep, exactly, uncomfortable, but it makes quitting more difficult
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I agree Charles, blogs do seem like a waste of time especially when no one makes the effort to respond. That, to my mind is the curse of the internet. Everyone lives in the fast lane and has developed the fine art of taking a quick look and passing on in an effort to get their next quick fix. Some people use them as a soapbox…and others are genuinely sharing their story, but for authors, they are an opportunity to advertise their books and even that can be a waste of time especially when you are lucky to get one visitor a day. It does make one feel very despondent when no one makes an effort to respond, other than by clicking on the LIKE button. I started blogging because it was a great new way to communicate…but its also an excellent way to see what people are up to in other parts of the world…and you don’t see that on the news.
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That fast lane thing really nails me. I try to take my time with posts, but I will admit that I do a few quick reads when things pile up. Time management is an important part of blogging and some days are better than others.
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I think that I blog out of boredom… I started the blog to sell my novel but I’m sure that I didn’t get more than 5 sells from it. I continue blogging just because it’s fun to have a creative project to do on the side. I know that the things that I’ve put the most time in to, the prose works, and longer pieces get the least comments because it just takes a time commitment that people are not ready to give. The poems always get much more attention but what kind of conversation can you really have about most poems? “That was great,” “thanks.” the other pieces will have more of a conversation but much less readers… There are so many blogs out there and it is really mostly other bloggers that read blogs, so they will all be in the same position. I think very few blogs really have just readers – that aren’t writing also.
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Great points. The poems are short enough to get readers, but people are awkward about commenting on them. I think that comes from school days of discussing poetry in a way that makes one feel every poem is deep and confusing. Yet the long posts can garner discussions, but most people are casual readers of a blog. They’ll skim and move on. So, the goal of a blogger might be to gain a solid core of followers instead of a vast group.
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I blog for me to get things out of my system to vent, rant, rave, occasionally to share wisdom gained through a huge amount of pain, why squander it, all that suffering should at least do some good. Above all to make a connection. To reach out to some other human being out there who knows what I am on about. No correction I ask for less, not even understanding or empathy. I need them merely to be there, pair of virtual ears and shoulders to cry on.
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I’m always scared to rant and rave on my blog even though I do it a lot. I used to do that on Facebook and people would pounce on me to tell me to shut up or simply make me feel bad about feeling bad. Oddly enough, these people never commented on my happy posts.
I like the idea of spreading wisdom and making a connection. I think blogging is great for making new friends.
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Charles been reading the other comments. Tbh it would turn me off reading your blog if I thought it was purely to promote your book. I hate ads on tv, radio etc because it feels bit like Jeohovah’s Witnesses, ramming stuff down your throat.
If you really want comments then set a good example.
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Thanks. I try not to do all book promotions. I write about the origin of the characters and other book ideas. The book promo stuff does leap up about a week before a new book debuts. I also share my experience of being an indie author with those that are preparing to do the same. I can’t see myself making every post a book promotion. Feels boring.
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Wow Charles you hit gold with this question. I blog for myself first and foremost. I like reading other people’s work, and find it inspirational very often and I like to comment and receive comments. I also like the community spirit. Over the months, I’ve taken on more and more writing projects and I now write for my two blogs and three other blogs besides; I’m finding it nearly impossible to read the reader or even my subscriptions. Just this morning, by the time I finished writing: Just a Note, a poem, a prompt, did my photo blog and then did the prompt for Lilith, plus answered a few comments, it was no longer morning and I had 200 new notifications in my in-box…and this was one of them 🙂 Oh and I also straigtened up the house and had breakfast. Recently I read what I can and comment when I really have something to say, like now. I love your blog, read your first book and liked it too, I just don’t have a lot of free time left.
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You are a very busy and prolific blogger. I always wonder how you do it.
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Me too.
Basically though, my kids are grown, I’m an early riser and a touch typist. When I go for walks with my best friend, I also snap photographs, my mind is almost always full of words, so they come easily when I write. I also do pilates twice a week, at noon.
My husband is a night person, and he wakes up late (until recently) and he has his art.
He’s usually collaborative and is a neat person, so we share the household affairs, shopping and all that.
He’s out now getting things ready for his next exhibition right now, which starts on the 5th of October. So in that period I’ll have to schedule my posts to be at the exhibition, and I might have to cut back somewhere for those two weeks…
I teach only two hours a week and don’t have to spend a lot of time making lesson plans etc.
Oh and we don’t own a television.
The big problem is basically reading and commenting…that takes a lot of time and there are so many to visit! It’s becoming an almost impossible task if I want to write and keep up with everyday life.
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Sounds very busy. I’ve been having to cut back my reading and commenting a bit. Lately, I’ve had time to do it . . . guess some good came from the flu.
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Well, it is busy, but one never gets bored! I don’t think the flu would help me though.
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When I first created my blog, it was because I had read somewhere that it was a great way to get my name out there. That by keeping a daily/weekly blog, I would be able to draw attention to myself and the work that I was creating. At first, I followed the advice I had found, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that it just doesn’t work for me.
It’s funny for me to say this, but I’m not a man of many words. Wai-what? A writer? Let me explain. What I had read about blogging suggested that I write about anything and everything under the sun. Don’t constantly pimp out my work, but make myself appear more worldly. I’m sure you’ve seen these types of articles out there, most of us probably have… It just wasn’t me. I can’t write a review one day, come back tomorrow and talk about what I did with my children and then the day after rant about something new I just ate. It just seems so…incoherent to me, to change subjects so often.
Early on, I put out a small post about my first book, but that didn’t feel right either. It starts to feel like an infomercial after awhile, and I think we know what happens when one stumbles across ‘those’. One simply changes the channel.
You have an excellent question here; “Who do you blog for,” and it’s one that I ask myself from time to time. Just who, exactly, DO I blog for?
When I write under my Misc. Posts category, I’m writing mostly for myself, but a little for the audience. Sometimes, not often, but sometimes I find that I have something I want to get off of my chest and this category is the best place for it. Most times, however, my blog is a way for me to showcase my style of writing for the audience, making it FOR the audience and just a little for myself.
I know I don’t always make comments and sometimes I feel guilty for it, but you should know that if I have liked a post, it’s only after I have read it first. I think that’s something that holds true to the WordPress community as well, but then again, I’m basing that on what I see in other people’s blogs. (Such as yours!) For example; I’m still fairly new to WordPress, even though I have been here for several months now, and only have a small community of followers to my work. Of that community, only 1 person comments regularly and maybe a small handful even click on the like button.
Should I worry about this?
If I did, I would worry myself sick. Above anything else, I write to appease the demons inside of me which are constantly trying to claw their way out. They aren’t physical, they are more akin to a feeling; like hunger, which must be given constant attention if I am to have any peace. You know this feeling, I’m sure of it, as well as every other writer, musician, or other creative artist out there.
Sometimes when I write a new post to one of my webseries, and it’s one that I positively proud of, I do get a little anxious for the likes or comments to come in. It’s a guilty pleasure we have as artists, and it’s nice when a reader throws us a bone every now and then, but I simply can’t wait for it to happen.
I press on. I increase the wordcount in my current book and I write a new segment to my webseries when time allows.
So does this mean I blog for myself, or am I only writing for my audience?
Earlier, I alluded to the answer being both. Perhaps that is true, but now that I have gotten this far, I think that answer is a little bit more complex than trying to satiate my own, or my audience’s, needs. I blog for the same one that I write; for that beast inside which is constantly yearning, is forever hungry, and is always pushing me to create new ways to satisfy it for the next given moment.
Charles, I don’t always comment, but when I do, I do it blog post style. lol
Get well soon.
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I remember hearing those suggestions at the beginning and I never really went along with them. I did book promotion stuff every now and then, but I filtered in whatever I thought would be interesting. I guess I didn’t really play to the audience, so much as throw lines out to see what kind of audience bit. These days I try to hold onto the writing-based posts and creative posts.
Complicated reasons are good though. I think those lead to more honest posts than trying to come off as worldly. People can figure out when you’re faking that, so I don’t think the risk is worth it.
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Wow, you’ve received 76 comments on this so far. I’m guessing you’re not worried about the lack of comments anymore 🙂 I started my blog to connect with other writers and blog about my own writing journey. While the blogosphere has been a wonderful source of information and support, it left little room for much else, so I cut back and started writing more. Kinda need to write if I want to be a writer. 🙂 I love your blog Charles and will continue to read, although I may not comment as much. I’ve dedicated the morning – afternoon for writing so by the time I see one of your posts, it seems what I have to say has already been said (like this response).
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I do hope this carries over to my more creative posts. Though, I don’t remember what I scheduled for tomorrow and I’m too lazy to check. I know I have a Clyde/vampire post on Wednesday.
I try to use the morning-afternoon for writing too, but I spend an hour of the early morning going through blogs. Otherwise, I have a terrible pile to sift through. I don’t think there’s a problem with repeating a comment. It’s like an open discussion and yelling ‘I second that statement’.
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I pretty much blog for myself…WP is my outlet to let out my thoughts where I can’t seem to share anywhere else. My posts I think really only make sense to me. I don’t consider myself a writer nor a poet. Just want to write of anything im feeling at the moment. I have no personal friends or family that know me here. (they don’t even know I have this blog) I actually feel more comfortable sharing my words with the WP family.
Now, as for you, I tend to read almost all your posts. I don’t comment as often as I would like because I feel its a tight circle in this WP community. So I really don’t know how my comments will fit in. That being written, I love your posts and I’m here following…:)
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Funny that you mention the tight circle in WP thing. I thought that too, but I quickly realized that a lot of tight circles are easily entered. There are in-jokes and goofing off, which can be joined in with. At least I like it when new people leap into the comedic fray.
A lot of people seem to use blogging as a secret venting area. Like a diary for strangers to see?
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It must be the writer in you because you hit it on target “Like a diary for strangers to see?” those would be my words exactly! And I’ll try to take that leap more often…
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Thanks. 🙂
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I’d have to say I started blogging for myself, because I was having problems writing anything at all and thought if I had a blog I’d be, not forced exactly but, I suppose committed to putting something out there. Discovering that being on wordpress and connecting with other bloggers could help me produce more and learn other forms, well that was an added bonus I never expected.
I’m lousy at commenting, usually by the time I get to a post anything I would have said has been said or I’m not sure if the poster would be annoyed or happy with a simple “Awesome! Loved it!” if that’s all I do have to say, so I just hit the like button. I read a lot of blogs through my email and mean to comment or like a post on them when I sign in here and then of course forget. Honestly I know it it happens with yours all the time, which by the way, I love the character poems you do in case I’ve failed to mention it! 😉
I haven’t found a balance between blogging, reading, and life in general. I don’t know if there is one.
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I should do more character poems one day, but I got through the Legends of Windemere characters. At least the ones that have already debuted.
A few people have mentioned bloggers being annoyed with a simple ‘Awesome! Loved it!’. Is that really a thing? I mean, I guess I can if someone writes a poem about being sad/depress and people go ‘Great poem!’. Yet, I don’t see that as being the norm.
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I know I wouldn’t get annoyed by a simple “Awesome, loved it!”. I don’t know if anyone actually does get annoyed with it, it may just be from all the “liking” done on FB (and everywhere else now!) that no one is fully comfortable commenting. Some days I think the like button, while nice in a way, took something away from actual communication.
LOL and I think even if I wrote a sad/depressed poem I’d be thrilled if someone said it was great 😉
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I agree that the FB ‘like’ obsession is a big thing. It really trains you to hit ‘like’ and feel as if that’s enough. I have friends who claim the button says everything they need to say. I believe my response is usually ‘BS’.
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I think I’d agree with your response, even when I hit the like button it’s doesn’t say everything I need to say. I’m now picturing a world where someone says something and the person next to them gives them a thumbs up and says “Like!” 😉
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I’ve seen that only without the thumbs up. It’s awkward.
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Please tell me you’re kidding.
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I wish. Right up there with someone actually saying LOL instead of laughing.
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Isn’t that a sign of the apocalypse? Speaking in gibberish? 😉
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Not sure. I thought it was just a sign that people are getting dumber.
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I blog for myself and for others. When i feel i write a really great post and i don’t get much response i get sad however sometimes i think i write an average post and i get more likes and comments than i thought!
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I get sad when I write something creative and get nothing. I think that’s natural.
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I blog for me to get the thoughts out of my head. It’s fun to see people read my blog and comment and sometimes they don’t which is ok too. ~Gina
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Fun really should be a central part if blogging.
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