Thursday, December 30, 2010

By Blog or Bondage

Erm... or something... I'm making wee minor changes to blogging this year... some aren't actually changes, but formalizations... some are simply silly assertions of what I like and don't... so there...

So you know I'm not really all about rules, ne? In fact... they sort of give me a rash? So you MUST understand these things aren't rules... they're more like GUIDELINES really... a manifesto of sorts of how I intend to conduct my blog in 2011.

First. We are all about Prestige around here. *Snort* You didn't believe that, did you? [this statue is actually a fairly perfect representation of how I view prestige] Seriously... remember my real motto? For a writer to sustain a blog, she either needs to be helpful or entertaining? So... when I SEE helpful stuff, I swear I will (try) to pass it on... and if I THINK helpful things, Tolstoy KNOWS you will be the recipients of such helpful stuff... but mostly, I can only be me (and I am more often entertaining than useful... it's just how I roll)... The PLAN, broad and vague as it is, goes something like this...


6.75-1.25 = 5.5

*scratches head*
That doesn't help? It means rather than trying to blog almost every day and missing just a few, I will try to blog 5 days a week, allowing an extra now and then when I am feeling particularly interesting... I figure at least twice a month I will have something extra to share (probably related to my so-called fitness plans or weekend weirdness in Ann Arbor (not nearly as unusual as you might think))

Of the days left... I figure there will be one day devoted to riduculum... (silliness, eye candy, strange things), one day that is sort of personal... (on average... some weeks may be ALL this, while you may go months where I am feeling like a hermit) and three days of either writing, writing related, publishing related, philosophy come writing... strained metaphor... stuff that eventually GETS to writing...

So not hugely different, just a minor cut-back... BUTTT...


[why does iff mean if and only if, but butt NOT mean but and only but? It's a damn shame—if I was allowed to say but and only but with butt... I would swear to only use this image...]

I also am going to work a bit on brevity... I know I run long. I see blog polls and nobody likes long run-on blogs, yet... I write long run-on blogs... I THINK you don't want me to edit this down to strictly coherent thoughts... I think you wouldn't be here if coherence was a primary criteria, but I DO respect the limited time we have, so if I run over 1000 words, I am going to edit, and if I really feel it is all important, I will split over a couple days... I've normally thought 3 pages was stretching limits of how long my blog should be as I write it in word... I am adjusting that to 2. I will try to limit how often I go longer, and try to be concise where possible, though this is distinctly against my personality.



In OTHER NEWS: need an easy January 1 blog... There is an Eye Candy Blogfest! What better way can you think of to spend you blog hopping when you are low on sleep and fighting a hangover!?


And in other other NEWS:

* I SUCCEEDED in finishing this edit of LEGACY and sending it to 2 readers!

* I am still WAITING to make sure the agent is happy with the edit and am getting nervous that the entire publishing world takes this week off, though I vow not to panic until at least 3:00 this afternoon.

* I have decided Kahlotus Disposal Site (cover by my friend Joris Ammerlaan) IS the best and HAS the time for ABNA. I was intimidated by the amount of work but... I can do it! Hell, if I can WRITE a book in a month, I can certainly FIX one! And this is a 60K word one... not as long as my normal stuff (as YA, that is okay). I like the other one I was considering, but thing it needs a few twists to be exciting.


HA! Oh yeah... the likes/don't likes thing...


Awards: LOVE receiving them. Am totally flaky and unreliable about sharing them... (I will try... I cannot be trusted to follow through in a timely way, though)

Blog fests: fun easy one? I am IN! Ones that share writing? Not so much. This is about how seriously I take feedback. I don't read seriously on a computer screen and CAN'T give great feedback without printing and thinking away from this lighted machine... which I can't commit to on a 'blogfest' level.(though I am participating in 'I'll Show you Mine'--the innuendo is too good and it is close enough to NaNoWriMo that I am reading for content, not polish, and won't feel guilty.

Blog Events: You've HEARD about my FOMS, yes? But I am going to TRY to evaluate my writing obligations first.

Guesting: if you have an event coming, particularly a writerly event: book release, that kind of thing, just give a shout. I am happy to have up to one guest every week (though I can't review—I don't have the finances to buy books or the time to commit to reading with very few exceptions—interviews assume I've read, so fall in here, too.)

21 comments:

The Words Crafter said...

Your posts are always fun to read, no matter their length!

Powdered Toast Man said...

that was a lot of info to take in. All I remember is a naked butt..lol

Jan Morrison said...

huh? Oh. OK. I'll love you if you come in shorter and less frequent. That's all you need to hear isn't it?

Old Kitty said...

Blimey!! You so focused and fabulously Naked!!

I'm glad the manly butts are still in though!
:-)

And YAY for your books and edits!!! Take care
x

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I'm sure naked is always a rule.
And I don't do the writer blogfest either, Hart.

erica and christy said...

oh yes, please don't get rid of the eye candy. and there's a blogfest??? thanks! christy (see how very helpful you are?)

Anonymous said...

Blog or Bondage? I'm cool with both, although I haven't been blogging much this week cos I've been rather tied up.

Love your blog. I'll keep visiting cos you amuse me.

Take care. Wishing you a wonderful 2011, from
Boonie (and Mrs S too of course)

Michael Di Gesu said...

HI Hart,

You are always amusing, always interesting, and always helpful in the fact that you entertain with your curious, witty, and over the top charm.

I wil look forward to this years post with great interest and excitement....

Michael

Sarah Ahiers said...

Yay! I'm so glad you're participating in our fun and easy NaNo blogfest! Also, i am excited to see what you pick for the eye-candy one, because your blog has eye-candy pretty much every day.
Also "Hell, if I can WRITE a book in a month, I can certainly FIX one!" needs to be stamped on a plaque somewhere.

Terry Odell said...

I toyed with the idea of 'themes' and 'topics' for my blog -- for about 10 seconds. I know I'd never be that organized. I'll be continuing to ramble about whatever strikes my fancy.

Terry
Terry's Place
Romance with a Twist--of Mystery

LTM said...

LOL! Yes, bring on the eye candy!!! ;p LOVE the new schedule AND the Kahalous cover! Wow. That is too cool... I wonder what it'd be like to see a cover of one of my WIPs...

Happy New Year, dear~ :o) <3

Helena said...

Your blogs don't seem run-on because you have SO MUCH personality they're fun and light. Me? Now I write real run-on stuff and infrequently at that. So my New Year's resolution is less stuff MUCH more often.

Course, you know how most resolutions play out...

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Daily blogging is tough. I did it for two years and then finally had to cut back.

Hart Johnson said...

ACK! I've been horribly absent today! Trying to sort out my deadline... (tomorrow) and what is left to do (a couple new things)... Thank you SO MUCH fabulous friends who are so tolerant of my rambles!

Jan Morrison said...

did ya mean it? did ya?

Cheeseboy said...

I'm all for everything you said. 5 times a week is a lot! The only thing is...I could do without the eye candy.

Helen Ginger said...

Blog or bondage? I can't do both at the same time. Just not that limber anymore. Your posts are always a surprise and fun.

Dawn Ius said...

well, looks like I'll be hanging out at your blog for another year at least :-P Happy New Year, Hart. May you spend it happy and...uh...naked?

Anonymous said...

Lmao! Love your posts, Hart. And your pictures. Sometimes they tie. Soooo checking out that blogfest. ;-) I like your goals and, seriously, you rock. Regardless of plans your blog will still rock.

Katy Foster-Dugan said...

You should always nudify the posts. The great things about nudity is it goes with everything ... except you know clothes.

Lovely cover Joris.

Rachael Harrie said...

Hey Hart, Happy New Year.

Woohoo, congrats on finishing the edits. Best of luck getting done for ABNA, I know you can do it. Just pop your best naked pikkie up as inspiration and go for it :D~

Rach