Author Blogs

I’ve spent the morning looking at other writers’ blogs. I’ve never paid much attention to blogs before because, I have to admit, the idea that somebody would think that they should virtually publish themselves on a daily basis, and that anybody would be interested in reading their musings, seemed wildly grandiose and self-indulgent to me. Now that I’ve started my own blog, of course, I have a much more evolved view on blogging. My new point of view is, everyone else has a blog, why shouldn’t I?

After my first entry, however, I realize that I don’t really know what I’m doing. Is a blog entry supposed to be like an essay? A diary entry? A shamelessly self-praising endorsement of one’s own book? The writer’s blogs I’ve read this morning are all of these things and more. I’ve read an author’s nostalgic recollection of her lost womb after a recent hysterectomy – the reader is treated to photos of the “fruits” of said womb; her two teenaged children (I know, my cheeks burned with shame for them too), an author’s outrage at plagiarism, a tour of a writer’s office and a series of photographs of a chair covered in snow. I read about an author’s family trip to New York City and another author’s mother’s tuna noodle casserole recipe. I read mostly blogs of female writers and I’ve come to the following conclusions about blogs: First, most writer’s blogs have titles that involve writing. Titles like: A Writer’s Edge, My Literary Underworld, and Literary Dreamscapes. I really hate naming things and am awful at it. I have a horse named Mark and another named Snoopy. Horses are majestic creatures who often inspire names like Dante, Charlemagne, Lord Byron, Allegro, White Lightning, Ruffian, Man O’ War, etc. The best names I could come up with were Mark and Snoopy.

Now I’m rethinking “Wicked Good Life.” It seemed great yesterday. I have a good life. It’s “wicked good,” I’ve been told, more than once (I’m from Massachusetts, still have family there.) The other thing that has me worried is that most of the blogs I’ve read so far seem to be devoted to one’s “journey” as a writer and to the craft of writing. I hesitate to write about writing, because, I mean, who do I think I am – Charlotte Bronte? That’s exactly what I imagine the blog reader asking: Who the hell does she think she is?

I had coffee with a friend yesterday, a friend with a blog. A literary friend. As usual she had great insight and useful suggestions. She said that it’s nice if a blog has a theme of some sort. I said that my blog will be all about the great life I lead. This friend knows me very well and she looked perplexed for a moment, because, in addition to being a quitter, I’m also a bit of complainer, and I guess she had to adjust herself to the new grateful, Pollyanna persona that I have adopted for the sake of my blog. I told her that I plan to blog not only about all the colorful characters in our little Connecticut community but also to blog about all the parties and premiers I attend (well, I’ll start attending premiers now that I have a blog, and the characters in our community will seem colorful, once I embellish them up a little) And I’m going to do red-carpet podcasts. That’s right – I’m going to do interviews whenever I go to any showbiz related events but I am going to mostly interview celebrity spouses who are usually far more entertaining than the celebs themselves and usually offer far more revealing information. So keep coming to my blog, and I welcome your comments.