Sharing our wriitng, blogs, art, etc.

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Sharing our wriitng, blogs, art, etc.

Denna diskussion är för närvarande "vilande"—det sista inlägget är mer än 90 dagar gammalt. Du kan återstarta det genom att svara på inlägget.

1teelgee
mar 14, 2008, 2:29 pm

I've just started a couple of blogs this last week and am finding that they are inspiring me to write -not sure why that is, maybe something about the combination of writing and photos, I can be more playful and creative - ? Do others have experience with this? I didn't think I'd ever have a blog, but now I have two! and participate on a couple of others.

I'd love to see/read others' work if you're willing to share. One of the blogs I started will have just my finished (or sometimes drafts) essays, poems, short stories. That one is http://teelgeewrites.blogspot.com/ The other is for musings - started out to be just about what I'm reading but it's expanded into other subjects, gardening, transitioning to retirement, etc. That one is at http://teelgee7.blogspot.com/ Feel free to visit and comment. Feel free to ignore them!

Regarding feedback: that's tricky. I think if we share work specifically for feedback, we should say so - even get specific about what kind of feedback we'd like (e.g. does the transition between the intro and the next paragraph work for you?).

So if you're inclined post blog links or writing here in this thread for whatever reason moves you!

2margad
mar 14, 2008, 8:19 pm

What a beautiful, beautiful story about your mother and the African violets! I won't spoil the story for other readers, but I will say that I sensed an inkling of the end - just the barest hint - when you first introduced the row of violet plants and then transitioned into the next paragraph. I liked that. Surprise is good in a story, because that's what keeps readers from getting bored. But it's also good for a flavor of the ending to seep up into the earlier parts of the story, because it adds to the sense of unity and wholeness. Your story maintains a nice balance between the two elements. I like it very much.

3teelgee
mar 14, 2008, 9:21 pm

Thank you, margad.

4TheresaWilliams
mar 15, 2008, 2:03 am

I agree with margad about the story about the African violets. Very nicely written and also moving. Wonderful details. I also thought your daffodils breathtaking! The crocus isn't even breaking ground here in Ohio yet.

I have also found that blogging has stimulated my creative output. I keep one main blog and I have several secret blogs scattered about. I have used the secret blogs to deal with personal grief and also to develop ideas for my second novel. The format of the blog helps me in terms of thinking about a closed space in which a "chapter" might dwell; quite different that a Word Document which, like a roll of toilet paper, is continuous. :-)

This is the link to my main blog, if anyone is interested
http://theresawilliams-author.blogspot.com/

And this is a link to my webpage which has excerpts from some of my published work
http://theresawilliams.weebly.com/

5margad
mar 19, 2008, 12:34 pm

Do tell us more about your secret blogs! I find the concept fascinating. How do you set up a secret blog? How is writing in a secret blog different from writing in a journal or writing in a Word document? Are they secret because no one but you has access to them, or are they available to people browsing the web but secret because you've written them anonymously?

6TheresaWilliams
mar 19, 2008, 4:57 pm

They are public but they are anonymous. I love the blog format and also the thought that someone might find and read what I've written. But I don't want anyone to know who I am because I am very secretive about what I'm working on. Sometimes the act of setting up the secret blog acts as a stimulous to begin a project I've been putting off (usually out of fear that I can't do it). The word document just seems so dead in comparison to the blog format. I feel a sense of excitement about the blog entries. I've kept my public blog for several years now, and it has helped me to keep writing, even when I haven't wanted to, or when I've felt too defeated or intimidated to write anything. The secret blogs also feel delicious, like a secret life, almost. Does this sound ridiculous?

7villandry
mar 21, 2008, 7:00 pm

Nope, not at all ridiculous. I love the idea... Maybe because I've been contemplating doing more or less the same thing. I think it would be freeing and add that little zip of something new and exciting that can get lost in the fear of being "official" with everything.

teelglee - your blog was a delight (violets, lattes... silence. all!)

Theresa - I enjoy reading your main blog and the photos. (that hazel tree!)

Since they started many years ago, the idea of blogging has intrigued me although I've never done it. I think it may be time to take the leap!

8teelgee
mar 21, 2008, 7:12 pm

Thanks villandry, glad you enjoyed!

I felt the same way, intrigued, but do I need more websites to maintain/keep track of? Then it felt like it was time to leap. I really do enjoy the format, Theresa - and you're right, compared to writing on the blog, Word feels dead. (RIP!) I love being able to combine photos and have the nice design - not that I can't do that in Word too, but it's just, well, more alive.

9margad
mar 21, 2008, 10:37 pm

Not at all ridiculous, Theresa - it sounds delicious, just as you say.

I'm thinking about starting a public blog at my new Historical Novels website. But I'm a little nervous about the time commitment. If I start one, it would probably be best to write something at least once a week.

10TheresaWilliams
Redigerat: mar 22, 2008, 11:50 pm

It's funny; I've never thought of the blog as a time committment. But if it ever stopped feeding my creativity, I would stop. I almost stopped a few months ago, but went ahead with it. But I did significantly change what I was doing. I got too focused on writing for others and wasn't focused enough on my needs as a writer. So I changed the blog description to read that no one had to feel obligated to comment on the blog. After that I felt free to do anything. And I started to experiment more.

In other words, things were feeling stale. I had to shake things up: either that or quit.

As for the secret blogs: they have helped launch more than one project and have contributed significantly to getting my second novel off the ground.

I highly recommend blogging, but you have to keep control of your creative space; don't let the blog dictate to you what you should do.

#7: Oh, I just love my contorted hazelnut tree! :-)

11ambushedbyasnail
mar 27, 2008, 4:08 pm

My friend just linked me to http://www.quarterlife.com - I haven't done anything with it yet further than set up a profile, but it looks like you can share writing, art, etc. I'm excited.

Anyway this will be my link once I get my act together.

12belleyang
Redigerat: jun 2, 2008, 5:33 am

I just finished this piece in the Asian style. You can see the painting in its different stages here:

http://www.redroom.com/blog/belle-yang/sleepless

13margad
jun 2, 2008, 3:15 pm

I have indeed started a blog at www.HistoricalNovels.info. It's mostly just information about updates to the site, but I sometimes include pertinent musings and recommendations of specific novels. I've also started a blog at my new astrology website, www.Pathlights-Astrology.com.

14xenchu
jun 2, 2008, 3:17 pm

belleyang What an excellent painting! And it is so interesting to see the process of painting.

Your work area was frustrating because I could see all those books without being able to read the titles.

15belleyang
jun 2, 2008, 5:01 pm

>14 xenchu: Okay, Xenchu, I'll post a better picture soon. Thanks for visiting the post in redroom.com.