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Blogs by L.T. Suzuki
Why Do I Blog About Other Authors?
10/29/2009 7:15:46 PM
Find out why this author uses her blog to talk about other authors.
I’ve been asked why do I have a weblog that features so many authors instead of using it to promote and sell my fantasy series or write about my daily struggles to write or get published.
I have a number of reasons that goes beyond the fact that my day-to-day struggles would put the average person to (yawn) sleep. Hell! Even I’d fall asleep blogging about it. And no, it’s not that I’m too lazy to come up with timely subjects that are related to the writer’s life or I’m too timid to share in the events of my daily life because they are tragically dull. (Or mortally embarrassing because any event worth repeating usually means I’ve said or done something that I’d really rather not have the world know about.)
Oh, no! Events like this, I reserve for Twitter. Here I can admit that I sliced my thumb on a tin of cat food after reading authors Scott Kessman and Corbin Silverthorn’s banter about feeding their pets.
What do I do?
I thought: “Good idea! Treat the Kitty to something yummy”. I ended up struggling to open a damned tin of Fancy Feast for my cat only to have the pull-tab snap. Need I say more?
Now, as a martial artist, there’s a certain pride in admitting you got sliced by a sword. But when a faulty tin of cat food inflicts the wound there is a certain level of humiliation that is sure to follow.
In this case, I decide to Twitter this admission. It was brief; 140 characters long. No need to get into the gory details, and I do mean gory. It’s out there and gone. A couple people might have caught it and snickered at the ill-fated exploits of this martial arts instructor, but the vast majority won’t. It was like confessing my sins (not that I have any) or admitting how stupid I am and I kind of feel better for it. (Don’t worry! It was just a superficial flesh wound.)
Now really, tell me the truth! Wouldn’t you rather read about a fascinating, talented author than to hear about my lame exploits trying to get around my house without getting hurt?
I’m a firm believer if you want someone to return and continue reading your blog, you bloody well better have something worth sharing and the old info that you blogged about isn’t sitting there for weeks on end, waiting for an update. Now that’s a sure way to drive away the readers!
As for inviting other authors to guest blog? I can only respond with a: Why not?
If anything, their struggles and triumphs are just as, if not more so, fascinating than mine. Through Twitter, I’ve met so many creative, ambitious writers trying to make a difference, like Corbin Silverthorn of Silverthorn Press. I’ve introduced my followers to dark fantasy author Alan Baxter, a fellow martial artist who shares my same sentiments about badly written fight scenes. Or I’ve allowed my followers to experience vicariously the thrill of getting the phone call from the agent selling the ms or the release of a debut novel as with Kathleen Bolton and Therese Walsh. And what about the joys of publication on one continent while trying to break into the North American market as with the excellent Aussie author of the Quantum Enchantment Series, Kim Falconer.
(On Twitter, that would be .CorbSilverthorn, .Scott_Kessman, .AlanBaxter, .ThereseWalsh, .KathleenBolton & .KimFalconer)
Believe me, these are only a few of the many authors I’ve had the good fortune of meeting and have had the opportunity to showcase their works and to share in their experiences and wisdom.
Those of us who have chosen this writing profession (or maybe it chose us) to immerse ourselves in, body and soul, know all the joys and heartbreaks of striving for literary perfection and reaching for that brass ring. It’s tough and there are far easier ways to make a living, but we all share one thing in common, we are all storytellers and we have something we want to share with the world.
If using my blog page helps to bring attention to these creative, talented authors and introduce their works to potential new audiences, why not? Writing is such a solitary venture, but I think it’s wonderful when authors can lend their support to others.
I know I don’t feel so alone when it’s midnight, I’m pounding away on my laptop’s keyboard trying to squeeze out those last few sentences before I fall asleep and then I get a message on Twitter from an author on the other side of the world thanking me, for featuring them on my blog and they’ve received more followers and maybe an extra book sale here and there because of it. At that moment, I don’t feel so alone and I feel like I’ve done something good for someone else. Nothing wrong with that, I’d say!
And besides, my agent Jenoyne Adams of Bliss Literary Agency International asked that I use my time when I’m not writing or editing my next novel to use it to keep my name out there and my works visible. Through my official website, blog page and Twitter account, I’ve introduced myself to thousands of writers and potential readers and I believe I’ve found a positive use for my blog.
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