I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of blogging. Not the RTB kind of blogging where there’s a community involved. Here at Romancing the Blog, I kind of feel like it’s the online equivalent of the TV show Cheers. It’s a place where everybody knows your name and you can almost hear the masses shouting out to you and giving you props when you show up for a column or offer a comment.
No, I’m talking about the kind of blogging that I used to do on my own website. I’m so done with it, in fact, that I even changed the link on my homepage to read ‘news’ instead of ‘blog’. These are my reasons:
• I work full time. Seriously, when do working people blog? My spare time is spent with my kids and my husband, and when I’m lucky (or masochistic if it’s 2 AM), it’s spent actually working on my book.
• The afore mentioned kids. Five kids, ages 5-15, take a lot—and I mean A LOT—of time. No blogging allowed.
• The afore mentioned husband. Once in a while he likes to see me away from the appendage I like to call my computer.
• Blogging’s all well and good, but be honest, do you really want to know how many mochas I had and that the pool boy hired an assistant and now there’s two hot guys in my yard? Okay, well maybe you do want to hear about the pool boy(s) . If so, read on.
Group blogging is so much more fun than individual blogging. Why? It takes the pressure to be funny/clever/insightful/or all of theses things off of one person. It spreads the love, and what’s better than that? There are quite a few fun group blogs out there, each with a slightly different angle. Romance Bandits are a rowdy group of Golden Heart finalists. Murder She Writes is murderously entertaining. Debutante Ball is a new one I’ve been visiting. And then there’s the Fog City Divas which is a local favorite. There are tons more (too many to mention—see, there’s no shortage of group blogs, either!) and they all have multiple participants that keep the blogging interesting.
While I gave up my own blog, I’ve added a group blog. But our (my blog buddies and me) big thing as we’ve developed our site has been making it relevant. Really, there’s no need for just another group author blog. I mean, really, who are we and why should you care?
We knew there had to be something different about our new site (its more than a blog, come to think of it. Actually, I knew that .). We knew it had to offer something unique and that the reading/writing community would want.
What did we come up with? Refer back to the pool boy idea above and you have the answer.
Heroes.
Everybody loves them. 
We all want to read about them. 
We buy books that help us understand them. 
We’re baffled by the heroes in our own lives. 
Well, now there’s a web site devoted to them. Chasing Heroes is a blog by three writers (with room to grow) and is their contribution to the world wide web. Developing this site has reinvigorated me with regards to blogging. And it has also already helped me in my writing. I ‘get’ heroes now. Sort of. (Really, can we ever fully understand men?) They tend to fall into more than one of the archetypes, and sometimes it’s hard to identify just what makes them tick, but by God, I love ‘em and I’m gonna write about them. 
So I’m down with blogging again. Sometimes all it takes is a new spin on an old idea to make something new again.
How about you? What’s your take on the state of blogging, both individual and groups?
No related posts.
Hi Misa! Your Chasing Heroes blog sounds fantastic. I’m sure it will be a rousing success.
I suppose you know that now you’ve mentioned the Banditas, you’re likely to get a raid.
One of the great things about the Bandits is that it’s such a large, yet tightly knit, group. It means we never have to blog more than once a month if we don’t want to. We are all firmly committed to participating in the discussions as much as we can but if one or a couple of us have deadlines, we can drop out for a while and the rest carry the show.
Our guest authors are never left to sink or swim or do their own promo work and we hope that everyone who comments is made to feel welcome, too. There’s nothing worse than plucking up the courage to join a community and getting ignored.
Anyway, I love the fresh angle you’re taking on the blog and I’ll be sure to add Chasing Heroes to my list of favourites. Cheers!
I have a personal blog and a writing blog, and I often find it hard to “fill” the writing blog. The personal blog is a way to keep in touch with farflung friends, so I’ll ramble on about what I’ve been cooking, my yoga and dance classes, the cats, the guys… But I can’t imagine people who don’t me caring about that, so I never know what to put in my writing blog other than “It’s done!” or “It’s going badly” or “The new story’s out!”
I’m also part of a group blog, Lust Bites (lustbites.blogspot.com), and that is FUN. We talk about the writing process, about what’s sexy, about favorite fantasies that are only now being allowed into the romance world–and of course we post lots of pictures of hot men.
That’s what my blog needs. More hot-guy pictures!
I think of my blog as a way to stay connected and keep in touch. I like the interaction and communication. It’s not the most witty or brilliant or entertaining or relevent blog out there, it’s just where I hang out in my sweats and chat.
I think there’s undue pressure to blog every day. Blogging every day isn’t the important part, it is blogging consistently.
For example: On my writing blog (I have quite a few blogs), I post every Wednesday. That’s it. Once a week (minimum). But my readers know that and they come visit me on Wednesdays.
Then there’s the pressure to write long posts. Why? On one of my most popular blogs, the posts are 150 words or less. On another, I post a photo and two sentences. I’m busy. I figure my readers are busy also. I’m not going to give them a lot of fluff just to have a longer post.
The best blogs are the ones that do double duty. Michele Ann Young’s blog ( http://micheleannyoung.blogspot.com/ ) is a perfect example. She uses her blog as a database for her regency research. It benefits both her readers and herself.
Regularly scheduled blogging is a discipline thing for me, and I make the effort to do it Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There are occasional technical difficulties with my host (like now–”upgrade” pfft!), and there are times the best post I can come up with is too stupid put my name on, so I won’t meet the M-W-F goal, but for someone with my congenital lack of discipline, I’m pretty good at keeping up with it.
I’m terrified of group blogging because I don’t want to reflect badly on the other members of the group. If I make an ass of myself on my own blog (with my readership of four
), it’s not such a big deal. Anywhere else, I obsess about suitability for the venue and offensiveness potential to known commenters and a few other filters, and it gets a little nerve wracking.
Misa, great post!
I’ve only ever blogged with my group of rowdy (ohhhh…..I LIKE that designation
) fellow Banitas but I find group blogs more entertaining for the very reasons you cited.
The energy between us and so many of our friends who visit… not to mention a Golden Rooster that is fought over like the last piece of candy in the Valentine Box….is like a huge party everyday.
Another bandita here. I used to belong to another group blog, The Pink Ladies, but we found blogging even once a week was difficult – not so much the writing – but coming up with a fresh idea once a week. Plus “minding” the blog, responding to comments in a timely fashion, burned up serious writing time. Blogging once a month and supporting the Romance Banditas is a doable proposition. Besides, with all that talent, the energy stays high.
And yes, I want to hear about the pool boys
I am glad you blog and for the right reasons. For many people, their blog is simply a public diary of who they met and what they had for dinner. Unless you are an amazing writer, capable of making pot roast a dramatic event, its not going to be very exciting. For me, the best blogs are not the ranters – you know the ones who scream at the universe about the injustice of something (democrats, republicans, atheists, religious zealots, etc.) – but rather the ones with something to say worth reading, the ones who explore ideas and interests, be they romance-writing or lego-models.
I’m glad you are getting your blog-on again! keep up the good work.
My personal blog is just that—personal. It’s where I’ve established a community of friends and it’s how we keep up with each other both professionally and personally. I can grumble about having a bad day or post music links or rant about anything that catches my fancy.
For the past few holidays, I’ve been part of a “blog tour” of Latina authors who create short stories and post them on our blogs and then link to the other stories. It’s a great way to cross-pollinate amongst our readers. (And we’re getting ready to do another for Valentine’s which should be fun!)
As far as group blogging I’m part of two, formally speaking (The MTV Books blog and of course, RTB) and one sort of informally—my agent, since she likes to have her clients blog every now and again. Sounds like a lot, but the group blogs are a once every six weeks or so commitment, so that’s not a big deal and my own blog, I feel under no pressure—if I’m on deadline or on a writing jag, I just go underground and the blog takes a back seat.
Good mornin’ Misa! Yet another rowdy Bandita here, and may I say how much I love your blog?
When we talked about blogging as a group, the Banditas wanted to bring the energy we’d formed on our GH loop to the internet. We wanted it to be a place to showcase our pubbed and AYUs (As Yet Unpublished). What happened is it grew into this community of fun people, guests, roosters, heck we even have a guy on there who is trainging said rooster in survival tactics!
The fact that we only have to come up with one blog idea a month, and invite great guests, really releives the pressure. And with such a diverse group we never know what topic will come next. One day it could be kissing weird frogs in Puerto Rico, the next how to teach defense tactics to Girl Scouts…oh yeah, and then there’s the fun discussions about heros
Misa, great points about blogs. I also work full time, which makes blogging a challenge (especially when those nasty firewalls at work make it impossible to log on during the day!).
Blogging with a group was the only option for me, and I absolutely love the community we’ve got over at the Romance Bandits Lair. I’m sure you’ll build the same with your new blog! The trick is that you have to love and adore your visitors, and you’ve got to take the time to respond to them and let them know that you actually care about them and MISS them when they aren’t around. We ADORE our readers, and would love to get to know them all.
Chasing Heros looks like a great blog–lovely set up and definitely something different. I’ll have to add it to the list to prowl in the morning!
(Did I mention that I love being called rowdy? I never got to be rowdy in high school or college! This rocks!)
Good luck!
Kirsten
Here’s a shout out to all the banditas… YOU ROCK!!!!
Thanks for your support, chicas!!
I was part of the last Latina blog tour and it was so much fun, Barbara! There are so many ways to spin blogging and change it up. That’s our challenge now, in order to stand out in the crowd. The blog tour with the short stories is a great way to do it.
Thanks for the comment, Mark. Game on!
Kerry, you’d never reflect badly on a group blog! In fact, how’d you like to be a guest columnist on Chasing Heroes? It can be a way to stick your big toe into the group blogging pool and see how the water feels. Let me know! I’m serious, you should give it a shot.
Teresa, we started with the premise of ‘hot guys’ and that’s how Chasing Heroes was born! Great minds…
I agree, Kimber, that many blogs are too long. A friend of mine recently said something to the effect of, if she wanted to sit and read, she’d pick up a book. When she goes to blogs, she goes for a quick stop, to laugh, smile, get motivated, or whatever. She doesn’t want long and involved. I’m taking that to heart when I write my CH blog entries.
You’re right, Charlene, blogging is a great way to stay connected. My family and friends outside the writing community, however, never really visited my blog. Not sure why… I think they love me.
Well, you were warned.
Mention the Banditas and we’re likely to show up in droves…or swarms, depending on your point of view…
I also love being called “Rowdy.” I don’t think I’ve ever been called rowdy before.
I was always a good little girl. Hey, it’s true! I’m just a good little girl who likes to think about how to murder people–and that’s the thing about the Romance Bandits–they haven’t called the police! Gotta love a group like that.
I have to say, that Heroes blog is one of the best ideas I’ve heard in a LONG time. Gonna bookmark that one. Even as we speak…uh…type and read….I’m plotting a novel that is probably never going to happen because I can’t figure out what would motivate the hero. Because I don’t understand men because I’m not one.
They seem like such simple creatures, don’t they?
I would never blog on my own. NEVER. Just keeping up with the Romance Bandits blog–if we do it right–takes time. And I find enough reasons not to write (see the aforementioned motivation paragraph). I think the blogging world will thin itself out to blogs that are actually relevant. People just don’t have time to spend going from blog to blog for no particular reason.
I’m not sure exactly what makes one relevant, but I hope I end up there. It’s an experiment I guess.
BTW, this is a great site. Great look, great “feel.”
Pool boys? There are pool boys? I’m THERE!
Another Bandita swinging in to “raid” on the blog. Congrats on it, BTW. As Cassondra said, nice look and feel to it. I’ll also second her comment that I’ll most likely never blog solo. The group thing is just SO much easier, especially with the Banditas! Thanks for calling us Rowdy. We do love the compliment. 
(My Mama used to call me that so I also had to let loose with an “Awwwwww!”)
I only have a personal blog under my real name as a way to express myself freely without worrying about who’s going to get offended by what I say. It’s very personal. Hardly anyone visits it, but that’s cool.
Now as a writer, I don’t have a personal blog, even though several fellow writers tried to convince me of getting one as soon as I became published. The reason I didn’t get one is that it’s time consuming to keep a blog. For one, you need to post regularly. Keep it interesting so people feel the need to come and post. Then you have to blog in order to have people coming to your blog.
Like you, I work full time, and my job demands long hours so I don’t have time to blog much.
From the beginning I found it easier to be part of a group blog. 
Together with fellow paranormal erotic romance authors Cora Zane and Cassandra Curtis, I formed Midnight Moon Cafe.
One of the advantages of being part of a group blog, aside from the obvious ones, is that I developed a strong bond of friendship with the other two writers. We’re not just three authors with similar writing taste sharing a blog just to boost book sales anymore. We are friends. We call each each other on the phone regularly, email each other almost every day. We’re there for each other when things get really tough and the crap is about to hit the ceiling.
In a business that’s so competitive, where some try to claw you just to get ahead, it’s always good to have real friends who share your goals.
Shoot, now I wanna be kidnapped by you rowdy banditas. You are a fun group! Thanks so much for all of your outlaw support! Chasing Heroes really does require the stealth of banditas, so we hope to see you there.
**I’m not sure exactly what makes one relevant, but I hope I end up there. It’s an experiment I guess.
BTW, this is a great site. Great look, great “feel.â€**
Thanks for the compliment, Cassondra. We love the look and feel of CH, so it’s great to hear that you agree.
I’ll be looking for you, Kelly. =)
Hi, Misa! Another Bandita here. I confess, I have a blog of my own, but it has languished from neglect since we started Romance Bandits.
I think I will have my webmistress remove the link and let the poor thing enjoy a peaceful retirement. I always tell people if they want to know what I’m up to, check on Romance Bandits! The Banditas know a lot more about me than my other friends do. Secrets tend to come out in the Lair!
GREAT POST, Misa! (waves to my chapter-mate) And BIG THANX for giving me and the other Banditas a shout-out.
I agree with what was previously said about the blog-sphere shrinking down to blogs that have some sort of relevancy.
We Banditas had lengthy discussions and did lots of up-front prep work before we launched Romance Bandits. I think it shows. And rowdy or not (definitely ROWDY!), I think we have the commitment and variety to keep our blog going for the long haul.
Not that I’m biased or anything…
**For one, you need to post regularly. Keep it interesting so people feel the need to come and post. Then you have to blog in order to have people coming to your blog.**
So true, Tempest, and that was always my dilemma with my own blog. I always came back to ‘who really cares’! And my life isn’t that interesting (which is why I write
) so keeping it interesting and fresh was doubly hard. With Chasing Heroes, it’s all about the men, the archetypes, and, uh, the men. Much easier to drive the posts.
Cindy and Caren, you are so ROWDY!! In a great way. I hope CH gets the ROWDY bug from all the bandit visits and support. Keeping it interesting is key, and I agree that having more people with different perspectives helps keep it fresh. The Bandits do a great job.
I have a blog that’s all about reading and writing books. No personal stuff there, although occasionally I’ll mention Hubby or one of the kids. Hopefully not too often.
Because I don’t want personal details online. Not comfortable with that.
But I do want to commune with other writers. I get advice and encouragement from the folks who read my blog, most of whom are also writers/bloggers.
There is a lot of pressure to blog frequently (I’m down from daily to a few times a week) and come up with new, insightful things to say. But my blog is about my journey to publication. Sometimes it’s insightful and sometimes I’m floundering. Either way I’m honest and open to the dialogue that ensues.
I do like to read group blogs though, especially those that are unique like The Seekers, which is all about romance writing contests, or The Wet Noodle Posse, a group of GH finalists who talk about writing topcs, or Blogging in Black, a group of AA authors who talk about a wider variety of writing-related topics. I’ll certainly pop over to Chasing Heroes to have a look.
I’m tired of most blogs, especially those belonging to authors. I don’t care that much about all the personal details of even my favorite authors’ lives, and I certainly don’t want to hear about the times when the writing isn’t going so well. I don’t understand why authors would risk alienating future readers by mentioning that writing their latest novel was like pulling teeth, or that the only reason they made their deadline was by staying up for three days straight, with only diet soda and sugar-free gum to keep them going. These scenarios are totally fictional, of course, but most authors give out too much information about the writing process for my taste. Just write the books! This goes double for the aspiring writers, who spend way too much time schmoozing and creating an online presence instead of focusing on creating something worth publishing.
Another Romance Bandit checking in. Fun blog, Misa. And I just checked out the Chasing Heroes blog and bookmarked it. I think I need to clone myself so one of me can just read books and blogs while the other one works.
I really like the energy of blogs where it seems like you’re sitting around on comfy couches talking with a bunch of friends. We have that at the Romance Bandits. I admit that I do still blog on my own on my site, but I also take part regularly in four different group blogs (RB, Wet Noodle Posse, Title Magic and the Harlequin American Authors blog). OMG, I’m a blog ho!
I love the Chasing Heroes idea–what a great concept!
As for blogging, it comes in waves for me. Some weeks are just filled with little nuggets I can’t wait to share, while others leave me feeling like there’s a party going on and I’m not sure I have the energy to put on a pretty dress. On those days, though, I try to rise to the occasion. Because one of the best things about being a writer is the amazing community of authors who share online about their lives in this odd, fabulous profession. To whatever extent I can be part of that, I’m in…even if my dress is slightly wrinkled and my shoes don’t match
Hey Misa – another rowdy Bandita dropping by – one of the ones with cool boots! Great topic!
I agree with Kimber – letting readers know when to expect new blog posts is important and it takes pressure off personal blogs as well as group blogs.
Personally, I like blogs which make me feel like I’m one of the gang, or that the writer is talking to me as a pal. But I’m not too fussed about the daily details of family life! A bit is okay – but like with all good things (except shoes and hunks) a little goes a long way.
Thanks for all the great and encouraging comments, everyone! Looks like Chasing Heroes is here to stay. We hope to see you all around. Here’s to Heroes…
I have… wow, if you discount the character journals, six places I blog, plus my gig here. Different things go into different blogs or journals, but three of them are dedicated to what I call my pro writing persona. There’s a Blogspot blog (the one linked here in the sidebar) which is for writing chat and industry issues and just generally things having to do with the biz, plus I talk about my submissions and when I have something coming out. I think of that one as my main writing blog. Then I have a blog on my web site, which I think of as my promotional blog; my original intention was that readers who don’t really care about all the writing blather could subscribe there and just hear about when I have a story coming out or when I’m doing a chat or anything else I figured a reader who’s not a writer might find worth reading. Then I have a journal on LiveJournal, because Torquere Press has a social community and all their writers are asked to take turns hosting it; if I want to be able to take a turn there periodically, I need an LJ to do it from.
I post different things in the three blogs, for the most part; the only posts which get regularly cross-posted are publication announcements. And yes, it’s hard to keep them all up.
For the most part, I blog when I have something to say. I don’t see much point in posting about what I had for breakfast or what my husband’s cat is doing or what movie I saw last weekend. If any of that sort of thing seems to be so incredibly interesting I just have to share, that’s what my main personal journal (another LJ) is for. But I don’t particularly care what my favorite writer’s favorite shoe store is and I don’t expect anyone to care where I get my clothes, either. [wry smile]
I’ve heard various people say that you should blog regularly so people get used to visiting your blog, so you have some new content whenever someone shows up to look. But, umm… that’s what RSS feeds are for. :/ Seriously, if I’m looking at a writer’s blog and I see a bunch of personal posts about their golf score or their kid’s math grade, and that kind of post greatly outnumbers the posts about actual, like, writing, I generally go away and don’t come back, and I certainly don’t subscribe.
On the other hand, if I see that most (or better yet, all) of a writer’s blog posts are about writing — about what they’re working on and what they’ve submitted and what’s coming out, about research they’ve done or a new style they’re experimenting with or what they really hate about first person POV and why, about cover letters and edits and branding — I’m there with an RSS subscription, and I don’t care that there are only a couple of posts per month. With an RSS feed, I don’t have to go manually check their blog over and over in hope of finding something new; whenever they get around to posting something, it gets delivered to my reader. There you go. Only the good stuff, no need for random blathering just to fill up the calendar.
Because I think you’re right, most people can’t blog meaningfully every day. Whether they have kids or not, it’s just tough to come up with something interesting and on topic to say on a daily basis. Bernita Harris is one of the few exceptions I can think of. I don’t want to read someone who posts regularly just to post regularly, though. I want to read people who blog when they have something interesting or useful to say. If that’s every day, or four times a week, then great. If it’s once a week, or every other week, or once a month, then that’s great too. I just want the good stuff, however often or seldom it comes, and that’s what I try to give my readers when I blog.
Angie
Great post, Misa. Sorry I’m so late coming to the party. Blogging, yikes, it does take a lot of time, but done right (like with the Romance Bandits where my buddy banditas hang it) it’s very rewarding.
I love your Chasing Heroes site. And we Banditas can’t wait until you guest with us later this year.
Super job!