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Monday, August 21, 2017

NO ONE READS BLOGS ANYMORE


I worked 24 of the weekend's 48 hours, 
so I slept most of Monday!  

My schedule has been like that lately
and that is why
I am so seldom on the internet.

Sorry.


"In rushing like bulls in china shops,
 we break our own lives."
 - Mark Twain


Of course you balk at my post title,
since you are reading my blog, right?

But reading is on the decline.  

One in four (27%) of us have not read a book in the last year.


Nissa Annakindt has written a wonderful post on "The Mistakes Author-blogs Make"


If we as authors write posts primarily to other authors, 

we are in essence singing to the choir.

It is like kissing your sister, convenient but leads nowhere ... 

unless your sister was Angelina Jolie ...

but that is another disturbing story.  Brrr.



John Locke, snake oil salesman 
and book review buyer that he was

actually had a good idea:


We must write to intrigue and entice potential READERS of what we write.


HOOK 
Google Searchers with an intriguing title

 But you must follow the title with a post 

that amuses, entertains, and persuades the reader that your prose is worth gambling 99 cents on.

 On the internet, you can walk away with a click if someone fails to interest you. 

This happens all the time.



TAKE A STAND


Say your piece and stand by it.  

Wafflers are like warm tap water.  

Be hot.  Be cold.  

But write words of steel not water vapor.

You think most Indie Authors are Brand Whores?  

Say it.  Stand by it. 
Endure the storm and stand tall.  

That is what great spirits do.



ACT "AS IF"


In the documentary, "Conan Can't Stop," 

Conan explains how he gets through situations that are hard. 

He says he acts "as if."  

As if he belongs there. 

As if he knows what he's doing.  

As if everything is going to be a success -- 

no matter what he does, no matter what anyone says, no matter how hard it gets.


Write your blog, live the author life that way ...

Write As If people are reading 

and by golly you are going to entertain the socks off them.

Hey, it might even work! 

16 comments:

  1. Hi Roland - I do read, but perhaps not books so often ... more articles, yet I have lots of books here I need to read. Certainly mixing with friends who inspire or who one can learn from are important - cheers and take care - Hilary

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    1. The twitter and texting age has shortened our ability to focus attention for more than a few words experts tell us. I always am happy when I see you have visited me, Hilary. :-)

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  2. This non-reading of books is scary. How will our imagination be stimulated, how will our vocabulary expand... to me, words are the greatest pieces of clay, to shape, mold, create, shock, entertain, soothe build, break, entice, enlighten, I-should-stop......

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    Replies
    1. What I have my Apache shaman tell Victor Standish: A limited vocabulary hobbles our minds, and our minds are all that stand between us and the darkness.

      Shadow, it wonderful to see you here again. I've missed you. :-)

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  3. And yet I see people reading all the time, in airports, in doctor offices... And I always have a book I'm reading. And therein lies my only regret in life, that I will not live long enough to read all the books I want to read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me, too. But for every person I see reading in those places, I see a dozen more looking intently at the cell phones reading tweets, texts, and enjoying kitten video's on Facebook. :-) How have you been doing, Bish?

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  4. Aren't you one of those not reading blogs anymore? We all have different reasons for not getting about and reading all the blogs. Our personal lives can interfere. I still read books, and have several to review. But the key ingredient is time. And how we have to spend it, it's not all choice.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Not meaning to be harsh, Roland, so don't take offense.

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  5. I still read blogs, although I am actually taking a break right now. Just popped in for a moment and hey - your blog post title intrigued me!

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    1. A lot of folks are taking breaks from reading blogs these days sadly. I'm glad you were intrigued enough by my title to drop by! :-)

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  6. I spend a lot of time on the internet, so even though I don't pick up a book anywhere near as often as I used to, I still read a lot.

    And yes, your title does kinda paste a target on its back, so to speak...

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    Replies
    1. That's what I was aiming for. :-) I do most of my reading by audio books these days, David.

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  7. Sigh.Yes, my own blog has been moribund for a while. But now I'm reading books more and suddenly have a story idea, so maybe I'll work on it. I've always admired how you keep you blog going, despite life's messy interference.

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    1. Thanks, Helena. Life has really been interfering with my blog lately and that is for sure! :-)

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  8. You work so hard, it's a wonder you still find the time to write so much - and so well. I still read books, but I find I prefer to read them on my Kindle. I now have a shelf of unread print books that I hopefully will get to some day. Hope all is well with you.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Inger. Hurricane Harvey may literally be the death of me. Say a prayer all right? :-)

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