They say that to get readers for a blog, the author has to offer something. The agents who drop hints about how to approach them, what not to put in a query letter, the salesmen pitching consumer merchandise, the teacher expounding--all these offer something. It seems to me, though, that some of the most intriguing blogs are those that supply some kind of insight either into the authors, or the work of other writers.
My old blog said it was about writing and aging, and this is too. Since it's supposed to put me in some tiny way on some huge map, I'm willing to give it a try, but the reason is that I want some readers. The old blog provided some, of course (not many), but they read the blog. I wanted them to read my books and the essays and reviews and poems published online.
On a bad day (of which there are a great many, since I read a lot ) I wonder why I should spend any effort on my own stuff. I've just read a novel, an essay, a poem that puts my best efforts in a shadow so deep, even by groveling figuratively, I know I'll never be able to be seen. You have to ask yourself how those authors managed with such apparent ease to put something so perfectly in precisely the way you've been struggling to do for the past five or ten years. In my case, for a good many more than that!
Still, I can't make myself feel satisfied with the thought that some day my children will run across all those pages.
I've given them copies of my books, and only by asking have I ever elicited a comment from any of them. It was acceptably non-committal--something to the effect of, "I enjoyed it," or more likely, "I haven't read it yet." Hence the drive to find someone who will. As time marches on, I'm becoming cynically convinced that if you don't have pull in the right places, there's no way to get into print with a traditional house or even a small press. That leaves the alternative of self-publishing, and there we are, back again to that demon dollar.
If I put a short poem on this blog, it will be considered published, and therefore be automatically disqualified for publication in 99% of places I might find to offer it to. So, I guess I'll just plug along like this, trying to think of something, anything that might catch the eye of someone looking for manuscripts. Unfortunately, half the places I check out are overloaded and not accepting anything new for the time being.
C'est la vie.
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