Monday, October 12, 2009

Being a good blogger

Recently Robert Brewer posted the characteristics of being a good blogger. Among them were...blog regularly, even if once a week; try to find a theme for your blog so readers will have a feeling for what to expect and return.

I've decided I'm a terrible blogger:-) I've been running this blog for years and even though I do disappear at times I manage to get back once a week, but I have no theme. I play here. I post whatever comes to mind, be it music, a book recommendation, an art link. I'm all over the place.

I used to post more of my poetry but with more and more journals not accepting any poetry found on the internet already I've finally caved on that one and don't post it often. Only if I don't plan to submit it or else to a journal that doesn't mind.

I should start digging up older published poems, but my next book goal is a collected 'best of' poems, so I want to keep the poems to myself before the book. When I worked for the two years on my current book out, Sea Trails, I only submitted and published three of them. I kept the others under wraps. This book was and is special to me. It's the story told in prose (log notes and musings) and poetry of my 1977 trip down the east coast in my 22 footer. That journey was a turning point in my life. The tumultuous relationship with my sailing partner (husband for a moment in time after) only accentuated the fact that despite the despair of a deteriorating relationship, the sea...nature gives us its arms and welcomes us. A love such as that never abandons us. The sea fills me. I couldn't let go of those poems until they were ready to come together as family in my book.

The book can be ordered at www.lummoxpress.com. Click on my book cover and you'll go to a paypal site but if you scroll down you'll also find some of the poems in the book, and comments. Of course I wish everyone would read it, but..

So, I'll go on being a 'bad' blogger and hope some of you stick with me!

On a different note, late breaking research indicates the strong possibility that a retrovirus may play a large part in the illness I have. This is the first real hope for all of us in the history of this illness. More work is yet to be done and then possible testing to see if any existing antivirals will work to either eradicate it or at least moderate it. I can no longer remember being well. I want to remember again.

16 comments:

Jim K. said...

Most blogs are semi-abandoned
or for closed groups. You're doing
great.
It's hard to say the role anymore,
since most have moved activity
to group things like facebook or
twitter or stumble or goodreads or
,,,more response, but less new
faces. Blogs are truly wide
open public though, like pages.

Jim K. said...

Best luck on the
virus theory...would be nice
to have a break.

Pris said...

Hey Jim, thanks.

And yes, a break would be wonderful!

Dusty Bogwrangler said...

Well, maybe it's you that's the theme. I stay following because it's always something different with you and in the background there's the CFS thing. Reminds me it's not all about being ill.

Pris said...

Jo, what a wonderful thing to tell me. Thank you so much!

Collin Kelley said...

I've been a bad blogger, too, but to be honest it seems most people have abandoned blogging for Facebook. Maybe I just need a good rant post about poets and poetry to liven things up. Keep blogging, Pris!

Pris said...

I know. Facebook is the new blog, it seems. One advantage there is that if you make your profile private you can post a poem for a short while and the search engines don't pick it up. I'll stick around here, too. I post things here I wouldn't put on Facebook.

And you're a great blogger!

me/cfs warrior said...

Your book sounds wonderful. I'm going to check out the link you posted.

On being a bad blogger-I'm one. I had a 3 week spell where I couldn't post anything. I should have posted something.

Interesting about Facebook being the new blog. I've been trying to get into it but can't.

I really enjoy your blog so I'm glad you'll be sticking around...

Terri

me/cfs warrior said...

I had to come back after reading about your book at the link you posted. I had to come back to say "Wow". It looks great. I'm going to order some copies, keep one for myself and give a couple people gifts.

Terri

Pris said...

Hi Terri
First of all, I'm so pleased you like what you saw of the book and thank you in advance for buying it.

The pace of blogger is so much more relaxed than Facebook where people are tagging you, messaging you, etc. I originally joined and stayed since it seemed that nearly everyone I'd known from different poetry/haiga boards and more over the years showed up there and were easy to find.

The trick to enjoying Facebook is to find people with similar interests and share postings.I've found a group of poets I enjoy and we share our poems via tagging. I've started blocking all application requests since those were exhausting to deal with each time I signed on. The other part, too, is that I've become aware of a lot of journals I didn't know about before. They generally form a group and seem to find me eventually and invite. That way I get submission announcements.

You can begin to see how blogger is a port in a storm:-)

Joyce Ellen Davis said...

I enjoy your blog just the way it is! And your music and poetry and pictures! I think all of us are slowing down for one reason or another....

Feel better!!!

Pris said...

Thanks, Joyce. Yes, the pace slows after a bit and especially during tougher health times.

Lyle Daggett said...

I've never been much drawn to Facebook -- I opened a Facebook account a while back just so I could view the Facebook pages of a few friends (talking here about actual friends, not Facebook "friends"), but haven't ever done anything with it beyond that. Same for MySpace.

Just keeping active on the one blog I have is enough of a project for me -- as it is, I don't manage to post there as often as I might like to. Last thing I need is another website to feed. :-o

I've never posted any of my poems on my blog -- I didn't start the blog to do that -- so that hasn't been a consideration for me.

Actually, thinking about this, for some reason it makes me think of something I read in (I think) Time or maybe Newsweek years ago --

Ball State University in Indiana, was planning to build a new building for their school of Broadcast Journalism, and David Letterman, who went to school at Ball State, made a donation of something like $10,000.00 to the building fund.

As a gesture of thanks to Letterman for the donation, the school installed a bronze plaque at the main entrance of the building. According to the article I read, the plaque reads, "Dedicated to all 'C' students before and after me. David M. Letterman."

I guess I don't mind settling for the title of Bad Blogger... ;~]

Olga/Maddie said...

Well, if you are a bad blogger, then I must be atrocious (as you will see on my blog. *BG*

But I think you are a wonderful blogger. *big smile*

I so enjoy reading your entries on this particular blog. And I thank you for sharing them with us. *big big smile*

Also, I hope that sometime soon that you will again remember what it's like to feel well. *GG*

Hugs, hugs, and hugs. *HG*

God bless and take care. Bye, :)!
Olga/Maddie

Pris said...

Hi Lyle, when you blog you REALLY blog. I love your book reviews and , as you know, have bought many of the books you recommended and enjoyed them.

MySpace wore me out. Facebook, I'm keeping at a manageable level having learned my lesson at MySpace.

Olga, you're a fine blogger! Thanks for being such a sweet person.

Olga/Maddie said...

Thank you, Pris.

That's very kind of you to say. And it also means so much to me. *big smile*

And you're most welcome, my dear. *big big smile*

Hugs. *HG*

God bless and take care. Bye, :)!
Olga/Maddie