I had a post written last night. But then my cat was chasing one of those bouncy balls you get in the 10 cent vending machines, and it bounced under the desk, he went after it, and then BAM. He pulled out the cord to my computer. Everything shut down.
"Slick!!!!" I yelled. He just looked at me innocently (or as innocent as a black cat with green-yellow eyes can look), so I grabbed his bouncy ball and threw it down the hallway, and he bounded after it. I was too tired to boot up my computer again and I prayed that blogger had saved my post. It didn't.
Anyway...
Post for today. Why I love blogging.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm always behind on the latest trends. Some of those are for self-imposed reasons. I don't ever want a MySpace or Facebook account because, well, they're too "busy" with all those graphics and music and pictures and I don't like the format of the pages, plus I already have enough time wasters that I don't need to add more. I also don't have an iPod and have no desire to have one. That may change in the future, though.
But blogging is a trend that I wholeheartedly endorse. The support and sense of community is just, well, awesome. And as a writer, I appreciate it immensely.
Case in point. The comments on Saturday's post helped me more than you could possibly know. Just to know that other writers experience the same thing makes me breathe a sigh of relief that I'm not alone. I love how writers support each other, how we encourage and understand one another. I know professional jealousy exists, but for the most part, since I've been in this writing business (quite a long time now), I've seen the positive side of things. Writing is such a solitary endeavor and is so personal that we need to reach out to others to keep on going.
So. Bottom line, I love to blog because it's introduced me to a whole new community of like-minded people, and the support we give each other is incredible.
On Writing
I also happened to be working on the novel when Slick pulled out the plug, so I hope it all got saved. I just kept on writing last night and started to enjoy the process more. In fact, at one point, I wrote a paragraph in the middle of the chapter that went something like, "This is crap because you're so worried about the editor in your head so just write like no one is ever going to read it but you!"
Ah, the joys of being a writer. ;-)
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I think you can set your word processing program to Auto-Save every 5 minutes or so, so that you wont' lose much.
ReplyDeleteBlogging is a big help in the process, isn't it?
Melissa, I meant to mention this earlier, and I forgot. One of the most useful writing books I've read is The Courage to Write, by Ralph Keyes. He talks about writers' fears and anxieties, how universal they are, and how to use them constructively. You may find it helpful. I have -- in fact, I'm re-reading it right now, as I'm going through my usual beginning-a-novel shakes.
ReplyDeleteDevon - I think I set my Word program to do that and thankfully, when I checked last night, everything had been saved. :-)
ReplyDeleteChristine - I have this book on my shelf - it is awesome!
Hey, Melissa
ReplyDeleteSlick obviously did you a favor and took away the old post so you could write the post you were meant to publish today. Right? I'm trying to save the cat there. I know the frustrations of doggy and kitty writing interruptus.
I'm with you on the blogging thing. It takes up some time, but it's time well spent in my opinion. I've received a ton of great resources from my blogging buddies and the blogging process inspires me on many levels of my writing.
Wanted to share with you an inspirational little film I found today posted at Joe Vitale's blog, http://blog.mrfire.com. It's a seven minute or so film found on YouTube of Napoleon Hill, author of the book, Think and Grow Rich. The presentation is a little dry, but the message is great.
I couldn't agree more. The online writing community is an awesome place. I am so very thankful for the wonderful people I have met.
ReplyDeleteDiane - Thanks for the video link! I'll have to check it out. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnissa - I love the online writing community. It's been a lifesaver these past few months.
Melissa, I always laugh when Scott (who is a professional painter) says that he's always heard that writers are some of the most competitive, backbiting creative types there are. I've told him that I'm sure that's probably true, but none of them are bloggers. I could never have imagined how supportive writers are before I started blogging. Now, whenever I question the time it takes for me to write posts and comment on other blogs, I have to dismiss the thought because I consider blogging to be a necessity and a lifeline in dealing with this solitary endeavor. I well may have thrown in the towel and quit (or put down) things I was writing lots of time, had it not been for the encouragement and support of this incredible online community. Scott calls you all my "invisible friends" :)
ReplyDeleteLisa - The blogging community of writers is just amazing to me. There's so much support out there - not to mention tons of resources and information. I'm so glad I jumped on this particular "technology bandwagon!"
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I agree that blogging is wonderful. I'm able to keep in touch with friends, and it's also a place to save little snippets about my life, things I want to remember, what was important to me at certain times, etc. etc. It's just a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteBetty - Absolutely! I love going back into my archives and reading what I was up to a few months ago or last year.
ReplyDelete