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Here we are at another month and I’m setting up posts in advance. I have my list of topics and . . . they’re kind of lame. I’d like to say this just dawned on me, but we can probably see where I’m going again. 2 years of daily blogging really does eat up the ideas and causes a problem when searching for new ideas. It’s hard to ask for suggestions too since I get a lot of ‘character development’ requests and I’ve been that horse so much that its ghost has a restraining order against me.
At the end of July, I’ll be out of ideas for posts and I’m not sure what to do after that. I do have the Teaser Tuesday and weekend goal posts, but those won’t be enough. A big problem is that I really don’t do anything worth blogging about. You know those goofy ‘bike, cook, etc.’ goals I do? That’s actually the main part of my day. It’s all really standard and boring with not much traveling. When my son isn’t home, I’m writing and running errands. When he gets home, it’s homework, dinner, and the lengthy bedtime routine then writing and TV. Again, nothing that anybody would truly find interesting. Not to mention (they I have before) there are people on this side of the computer that don’t want me talking about them here. Either way, not enough happens to make any interesting personal posts.
I heard someone say writing. Believe it was the man in the back who is hogging the complimentary donuts. I could write about writing, but I’ve touched on so much that I don’t know where to go. Legends of Windemere is so far along that nearly everything is a spoiler issue. All I have is Dariana and Yola Biggs to do origin posts for and that might be saved for the Hype around Merchant of Nevra Coil. The problem with the former is that her entire origin is a spoiler. There are the W.I.P. list, but I’ve become nervous about posting those on here. Not sure I have much there either. Covered a lot in the 2 years without going too far.
So that’s why this month might not be that interesting and next month might be worse. I simply don’t know where to go here. The funny skits and poems aren’t flowing to me as quickly as they used to. I don’t try to decipher the numbers or trends of the Indie Author world like some of my peers. Just never had a head for that and it feels like things are always changing. That or the road to success requires I drop what I’m doing and take up a style/genre that I don’t want to do. I do think what they do is amazing when they draw all of that information together and make sense of it. That’s just not me. I’m the storyteller with his head in the clouds. Start me on a winding path of fancy and I’ll wander down it with a smile. Maybe I can think of a way to use that here.
Legends of Windemere 
I can completely relate because I’ve been having the same problem personally. I never know what to include on the blog, so for the last couple of weeks I’ve been taking part in prompts and challenges. I’m not saying I don’t enjoy that, because I do, but I’d really like a feature I can sink my teeth into. I’ve been toying with a tag-teamed idea for a while now. I enjoy posts where two people have their say – a kind of back and forth which incorporates humour. But I’m not sure at this stage what that would look like! I’m working on it. You’ve probably tried everything I might suggest, but how about a character diary – the life and events as seen through the eyes of one of your characters. What did they get up to, what problems are they currently facing, almost like a journal. It would avoid spoilers because you could make it separate to the books. There is always tips and tricks, or running your own feature.
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I’ve had moments like that with prompts and challenges. Eventually, I felt like I was going through the motions and not trying to grow or reveal my true self. Just following directions. Back and forth would look like an interview transcript. At least from what I remember.
I’ll think about the character diary. That has the spoiler issue too, but I guess I could think of a question to have several characters answer in a post over time. Like ‘why are you an adventurer?’
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I have yet to see one of your posts that I haven’t found interesting or entertaining or generally cool. I keep on falling off the bus and having to catch up, so I think I’ve missed some though. How about your personal heroes? The books and movies and games and so on that inspired you to do what you do today. 🙂
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I’ve kind of scattered those about in other posts. One of the hardest parts about that question is it’s one of the most common in author interviews. Right ahead of ‘who would play your characters in a movie’. 😀 I do remember having an inspiration post or two at some point. I’ll have to check that out.
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I always enjoy your posts, so you’re doing something right. My own blog goes hither and yon, with mixed results. You might add some blogging tips, you’re pretty successful in that regard.
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Thanks. I’ll consider that and write up a few blogging topics for August.
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Like everyone else, I can relate. I don’t post as much as you, so I’m continually amazed at what you do. People still talk about your mazes and dungeons guest post on my blog.
I would be interested in a post on what’s on your bookshelf or DVR list–what you’re reading or watching that inspires you. I’m not looking for a book review per se. Just why you selected what you selected. I also like the blogging tips suggestion of coldhandboyack.
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Good to hear people still enjoy the post. The DVR is kind of bare. I don’t want as much TV as I used to. A lot of it is DVD’s or whatever I find on that isn’t too distracting.
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I don’t watch much TV either. I either catch up through Netflix or watch movies.
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Don’t have Netflix even though people find that to be an inhuman situation. Too much temptation to binge there.
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Short-short stories on side characters?
If nothing is coming to mind don’t worry about it. You always have the option of posting a little less frequently. Not by a lot, just… whatever makes it manageable.
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I’m just nervous that I’ll step away and never figure out a way to come back. I’ve heard a lot of bloggers talk about taking a break for more than a week and returning to find nobody stuck around.
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Stuck around? In the way that as soon as they post there are not the instant views and likes? Or that people have unsubsrcibed?
Do people really watch which of those they follow post regularly… and stop following if your inactive? That doesn’t seem to make sense.
Can it not also be true that if your posts have nothing interesting to say people won’t stick around? Quality not quantity?
Hey listen, I think the Pen name was a detour of fiction closer to reality for you. The story was still worth the time. If you have no long ideas like that, experiment writing about a side character from one of your worlds. I think you’d be good at it. Whether from the world you created or the world you lived. You can do fiction closer to non-fiction without giving the name away. 😉
If you feel like it, ofc. Give it a whirl.
-x-
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That people have either unsubscribed or stopped bothering to check the blog. Basically being pushed back to square one. It does happen more often than people realize, especially if it’s a long hiatus. Quality is always a question too, but there’s the extra issue of time to make such quality. This is why I don’t do short stories and flash fiction lately. I usually don’t have the time and space to do anything that in-depth. The ideas that do catch me that deeply become books that I nurture off the blog until they’re ready for some feedback.
Haven’t touched or thought about the ‘Pen Name’ for a while. Kind of tossed that away for a few other ideas.
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Cool, got you. I now understand the message was for people that might abandon the blog.
The ‘Pen name’ the way I saw it was a nice long-short. Maybe some tales should be told in shorts.
Whatever you decide… some of us will still be here. Promise. Rome may not have been built in a day, but some civilisations were built on smaller groups than that of the loyal base here.
-x-
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Good point. Though I look bad in a toga, which I assume is historically accurate Roman garb. Too lazy to check that after a day of driving.
I think the thing that threw me off was that I forgot about ‘The Pen Name’ until you mentioned it. So I had to be certain you were talking about the story and not something else.
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How about some prompt type stories. You know where you don’t think you just write.
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Kind of like the ‘Olde Shoppe’ stuff? It’s weird but I’ve been finding myself strained on those things. Almost like I’m putting so much into the books that I don’t have any juice left for the other stuff. Not sure if that makes sense.
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Sure.
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Instead of writing about what you do, why not write about what you think? There must be news items that outrage, delight, or puzzle you? Share those thoughts and if you can relate them to issues in your novels you kill two birds with one stone.
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I actually make it a rule to keep that stuff off my social media. It causes fights and ends friendships, especially when you don’t have the visual and physical aspects of communication to work with. That’s really a tough part of blogging for me. I admit there’s a temptation to talk about my opinions on social, political, and religious stuff. Yet those are powder kegs that I’ve seen decimate a blog just as easily as it helps. Remaining with my opinions on writing might be the only ‘safe’ zone I can think of here.
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I wish I could give you some options. I once posted a lot about my settings that came from real life. What I’m working on now is kinda set in a boring place. An interstate exit…seen one, seen ’em all. And then there’s the suburbs of Atlanta…like any other suburb.
I would love a tour of Windemere…by plane, train, boat, dragon. I read the first book and committed to so many others I didn’t get back to the series. And I’ve always told you I’m partial to maps of fantasy lands. I have more fun with the maps at theme parks than the rides 🙂
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I’ll see what I can do. My map making skills are terrible, but I’ve done various city posts as part of the book hyping. All of the big locations have a post somewhere around here. The 2-3 new ones will probably get some attention after the next book comes out to avoid spoilers. At least an origin part.
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