Monday, May 2, 2011

And for my next act...

Anyone else find themselves asking, what now?

The A-Z blogging challenge is over. As a result of the month-long extravaganza, I have new bloggy friends whose blogs I follow and according to my Google friend connect, I have about 34-ish people who read my blogs. Holy crap. You're reading this! (I'm not sure if that statement warrants an exclamation point or a question mark.)

But now that I don't have a letter prompt and the daily pressure, I'm not sure what to do. But, I'm going to jump out on a leap of faith that some people will still read this, even after the challenge ends.

If I'm going to do this right, I need to pay closer attention. Sommer Leigh's College of Blogging series pointed out great tips that I was missing, so I kind of have my own checklist of what to/not to do. This is a great help. Thanks, Sommer!

I think whatever I do next needs to be well thought out, so bear with me while I take a few days to regroup. I like blogging and I think a MWF set up is good, but perhaps ambitious. There's no reason why I can't start T/Th and add one more blog a week instead of biting off more than I can chew.

I also need to take some time and really focus on my WIP. I'm feeling the bubbling of excitement to pull together the ending that has eluded me for so long. Once that's in place, I can head back to page one and basically write the whole thing over. That part isn't very exciting at all, but I feel like my story is transforming from its original lump of clay into a respectable bowl or vessel. And while it's not yet museum-quality pottery, it's better than the lump.

It's late and my clay/pottery analogy is getting out of hand. Suffice it to say that I will continue blogging because this is fun, good practice, and I have friends I'd like to keep in touch with. When not blogging (or running or working), I am working on my WIP. I hope to pull the prologue for Margo and rework my "info dump" in a more artistic manner throughout the book.

We'll see.

In the meantime, 13 more days until my very first half marathon. Holy crap.

8 comments:

  1. Eeesh! Good luck on the marathon!

    I like blogging for the practice as well. Theres also some fab people out here in the blogiverse.

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  2. marathon = crazy.
    And i'm still reading. Also, i like blogging because it holds me accountable for my goals. So far, it's worked really well for me

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  3. Thanks for the good luck wishes, though I should clarify I'm only doing the half (13.1 miles), not the full (26.2). :)

    Sarah, I agree. The practice of blogging--and subsequently, reading other blogs and staying informed on the craft--has worked very well for me. It's sort of like a "win-win" because I meet neat people and learn new things all at once!

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  4. I’m so glad I found you through the A to Z challenge. I look forward to visiting again. Good luck on your WIP and the marathon!

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  5. "I hope to pull the prologue for Margo..."

    Ah, no, don't pull it cuz I rant about prologues! I just say know the pitfalls and be able to recognize whether you're using it as a backstory crutch and make your decisions accordingly. (Now feel like Sommer with the blogging post that had so many of us changing our blog templates yesterday!) :)

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  6. Thanks, Sylvia!

    Margo, nope. Do NOT worry. I've been thinking a lot about your comments (reading between the rant lines) and it will be a good challenge for me to NOT rely on my prologue to provide background information. I see this as a good learning experience, so thank you!

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  7. For the record, I really like your blog, layout, design, and all. It doesn't hurt that the background is my favorite color, either :-)

    And I often read one of Margo's blog posts and then spend a weekend obsessing over what I learned from it by going back through and fixing what I'd done wrong. And yes Margo, that is exactly how I felt! It is a crazy feeling when you realize people are listening.

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  8. Thanks, Sommer. :) And wether you and Margo like it or not, I'm a sponge for your combined intellect. I'm like that pesky next door neighbor who just follows you around, eager to know what advice you'll give next.

    Yeah, I guess I'm more of a follower than a leader. :)

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