I took a week off from social media of all sorts and it was very instructive.
I got a lot of reading done, much more than I expected.
So I took a close look at where that time to read came from.
Sadly, it's not Twitter.
It's this blog.
It takes about an hour a day, and that's for quick posts.
And my best posts take a lot longer.
Between writing, revising, spell checking (which now has to be done by cutting and pasting
the post into a word doc!) and trying to get the frigging fonts and spacing right, it's more like ten hours a week.
And that's a book.
BUT I love this community, and I do like being able to answer questions. So I'm not pulling the plug.
But what I am going to do is NOT post every day. I'm not going to post on a set schedule. If I have something cogent to say, I'll post. If not, I'll be over here in my corner reading.
I'm probably going to change platforms in the coming weeks. This new Blogger style is maddening. I have a feeling they did this on purpose. A free platform doesn't generate income; I bet they want us all gone.
The great news from last week is that The Power of Adrienne Rich by Hilary Holladay got a rave review in the New York Times. This is a book that was five years in the writing. A long, wonderful journey and now, it's glorious to see this amazing book get the kudos it so richly deserves.
I'm glad to see you back and well, and completely understand why you'll be changing things here. I don't blame you. I thought I'd restart my blog using blogger, but holy crow! The new updates and such have ruined the whole platform. So, since I still like Wordpress the best and Typepad runs a close second, I'll probably go with one of them though I really don't want to spend money on either. Sometimes though, you do what you must.
ReplyDeleteSo welcome back, I'm sure we'll all be here waiting for each new post (I know, no pressure...I'm kidding) but we'll be here. You can't get rid of us that easily. :)
When change collides with comfort it’s either a train wreck or a wedding. I wish you steady rails and many happy returns. I am honored to be invited to your ceremony.
ReplyDeleteGreat to have you back, even on a set schedule. Welcome welcome welcome!!!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like the right thing for your sanity and your job! And I'm really just so glad you feel able to continue with the blog in some form.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm just going to sit over here pretending I'm not chewing all my fingers off waiting to discover if there will still be flash contests and Forti thwarting banterfests and sharks devouring the unsuspecting.
Janet,
ReplyDeleteSo relieved this is not goodbye.
Yours in words & fine Scotch,
Spoon-wielding Kristin
I quit doing my blog because it took too much time. It was great to get me back into writing but now my time is better spent elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're not folding your tent and sneaking off into the night.
I think very few people understand exactly how much of a time commitment this type of activity truly is. Blogs are huge. Social media is huge (though, for different reasons--don't get me started on the psychological and cognitive issues places like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok wreak on our abilities to focus and concentrate throughout the day; we're literally training ourselves to be incapable of concentrating for more than a handful of seconds).
ReplyDelete10 hours a week for this blog is a book read for you. Shifting that time will make a tremendous impact in your work. That's fantastic!
10 hours a week as an author could be upwards of 6,000 words in a manuscript. It doesn't seem like much, but that can also be huge.
I wonder how we can help the world understand these insights so it might not be expected that every person with a job, be she literary agent, author, or coffee barrista, requires a public presence that cuts into so much of a person's schedule.
Alas, I'm a fan of Cal Newport, so I'm probably thinking in extremes.
Welcome back! I understand. Trimming time-suckers is like purging a cluttered room. (Even if the time-suckers exist for a good reason!)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the "on" days!
Off topic: anyone here read any rom-com YA (esp. with a little fantasy) that they recommend?
I think you are making the right choice. I have all but abandoned my blog because it is a time suck. I was always amazed at how you did a daily post and so many of them full of so much treasure. But time is not in infinite supply. This community is fantastic. It still can be once a week, bi-weekly, monthly, or even quarterly. Thanks for all you have done. You have made a lot of writers better at their craft and given us all a better understanding of the publishing world.
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you on the New Blogger. It's almost as bad as the New Facebook. I'll continue to use both of them, because I'm so established in both places, but they sure try their darn'dest to make it hard for us.
ReplyDeleteNow I feel validated!
ReplyDeleteI took a long hiatus from blogging and social media, and learned the same thing about me. I decided to cut back, too, but worried it would sabotage my online presence. Maybe it did, but my manuscripts are so much more polished because I took a hit on my social media.
Sounds like a really good plan! I'm grateful for all of the past posts and look forward to any future posts. I will always check to see if there's any new pearls of wisdom (or cute pets!)
ReplyDeleteWelcome back. I'm glad your hiatus was restful and illuminating.
ReplyDeleteSob! I knew it was us. I have been admiring your perseverance for years; I did a daily blog for 3 months once and that was plenty (plus I ran out of things to say). I am glad you're not totally pulling the plug, and I'll still be out here reading.
ReplyDeleteI hear you about the new Blogger... Hate it with a passion! I totally understand about needing that extra time it takes to post daily. We've been lucky to have you here every day for the last XX years.
ReplyDeleteI am a shy and a lurker but I’m creeping out of the woodwork to say how very much I have appreciated your blogs over the years. In a way, I’m astonished that you’ve given so much time and energy to us for so long. While I’m sad that you’re scaling back, it makes sense that you would use that time in other ways now.
ReplyDeleteYour blogs have started my day for a long time and they will be missed. They’ve given me valuable information about the writing and publishing world, which has been hugely appreciated. They’ve also made me laugh and cry and get angry, and I’ve felt a connection to a world I wouldn’t otherwise know. I realize you’re not completely pulling the plug but I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know how appreciated you are and to send out a huge THANK YOU for all you’ve done.
I also want to say thank you to all you regular commenters. Your comments clarify, entertain and educate me on other ways to see things. I’ve often read a comment and thought, “oh, didn’t think of it like that”. So a big Thank You to all of you as well.
Thank you, Janet, for all that you do. I've been swimming in these waters for many years now, and I've grown as a writer and a person because of it.
ReplyDeleteCan you make sure the new platform has a Subscribe to Posts option? I typically can't check in every day, and the interaction in the comments section is so wonderful that I'd hate to miss the live conversation by a day or two.
I, like many others here, have taken so much from this blog. Advice, insights, community, frequent flyer miles to Carkoon, and a new title. I'll certainly miss the daily 7am check, but do sincerely hope everyone sticks around and still commiserates. I plan to.
ReplyDeleteJanet, hope the extra mental bandwidth is helpful.
Yes, that's perfectly understandable. Hope it's a less time-consuming system and that you get more time to snack on some tasty manuscripts.
ReplyDelete(Love Rich btw -- her "Living in Sin" and "The Ninth Symphony of Beethoven, Understood at Last as a Sexual Message" are among my faves in poetry)
Jumping in with a giant Thank You for the treasure trove of advice and encouragement you've provided readers of this blog, Janet. I've learned so much here and I'm deeply grateful.
ReplyDeleteWhen you have something to say, I'll be here to listen. In the meantime, happy reading!
To be honest, as sad as it will be to not visit here every day, I had figured we were on borrowed time. I'm eternally grateful for everything I have learned here, and no doubt will continue to learn when posts do pop up. No matter what, always QOTKU. I hope the reprieve from blogging continues to give you time to read and relax.
ReplyDeleteI suppose our Reider conversations here will happen when Janet's muse strikes. Until then, everyone stay happy and healthy and writing.
Thank you for all you have done for us writers, Janet. It's definitely past time for you to devote some of that energy to yourself.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Janet. It's about time. There was a conversation over here a while back about whether writers should have a blog (to attract readers) and I strongly advised NOT trying to post every day as it would destroy your will to live. When I started blogging (2006) I generally posted once a week and at times even that was too much. So I feel mostly relieved on your behalf about this decision to cut back.
ReplyDeleteOf course, selfishly, I'll miss the daily posts. Then again, maybe it will lead to a more leisurely and thoughtful conversation on some topics. Not to say people aren't already thoughtful -- this group is admirably thoughtful and wise -- but there have been times when I had something to add to a conversation and by the time I worked out how to say it, everyone had moved on to the next day's topic.
Thanks for not shutting it down completely. Especially not now, this year.
I am touched that you are appreciative of us, the little folk in the peanut gallery. Know that we are very appreciative of you.
ReplyDeleteI am in awe of how you could keep your blog up during this dumpster fire we call 2020. It has been an exhausting year, but the end of it draws near, maybe we will all be revivified when 2021 rolls around.
Thanks again.
So glad you feel refreshed and found time to get lost in books.
ReplyDeleteI will also miss your daily posts but totally get it. Writing a thoughtful blog post is time consuming. I'm a newbie to blogging and started out trying once a week, then bumped it to once a month, and even that is hard going. Here's to more reading time for you!
I'm echoing everyone else here, I'm sure, but I totally support your decision not to post every day. While I always have time to read your posts, sadly, I've found I can't spare the time to read everyone's comments every day, as entertaining as they are. And as I'm not on FB as much, I sometimes miss what's going on in The Writer's Room over there, even though I pop in from time to time. One month a year, I blog every day, although I have some many 'toons in the archives, I can do greatest hits, on all days by my regular days of 2 new 'toons a week. (For those who are interested, 31 Days of Pandas starts December 1st)
ReplyDeleteWriting and drawing cartoons is sort of like and completely unlike having to come up with blog content. Honestly, I don't know how you've managed to maintain this all these years.
FWIW, I like Wordpress as a blogging platform. I started with Blogger and left long ago. If one is to do something from the goodness of one's heart and for self expression, at least it should be easy. Definitely get someone tech savvy to transport all your content to where ever you end up. The archives of this blog are a treasure!
I'm grateful for this community, and for meeting several of you in real life. I hope there is a time again where we can travel and gather in person!
I echo the others in my thanks to you Janet. I've learned so much from you and I'm grateful this isn't goodbye. Happy for you in that you will gain so much from stepping back a bit!
ReplyDeleteLennon Faris, Janette Rallison does YA rom-com well, and her "My Fair Godmother" series is fantasy.
We appreciate you, Janet. Please link on twitter so that it's easy to see when you've posted.
ReplyDeleteBrenda
I'll miss the daily posts, but I'm so glad you're staying around. I agree with everyone else about the sheer time-suck-ery of a significant online presence (I've learned that the hard way in the last year!) but I've SO appreciated your posts. There's not enough space here to list how much you've helped me, so I'll just say thanks...and I'll be reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks, April Mack! I will definitely check those out!
ReplyDeleteI used to always post late at night. Now I'm late on the next day.
ReplyDeleteI know you'll be around in the future to put writers in their place, but I might as well take this moment to say THANK YOU. It's amazing to me how much I've learned on this blog. The knowledge I've gained covers several facets too, from industry information to writing to editing to keeping a sense of humor to ... oh, wait, rule of 3, I already broke it. To breaking writing rules. Can't leave that one out.
You've been super helpful in more ways thank I can list without going over the 100-word limit. If this were a flash contest about what your blog has meant to me, I'd need to weave in:
brilliant
funny
educational
clever
snarky
See you soon!
Welcome back, Janet! I've always been amazed at how much time you've devoted to us and to this blog over the years. You're much loved here and we appreciate the time you've given us and will continue to, but we also understand your need to take care of yourself. We'll be here whenever you decide to come and share your wisdom. Thank you sounds so inadequate for all you've done, but what can I say except thank you.
ReplyDeleteI've always been in awe of anyone who can blog daily. And, Janet, you've always gone above and beyond. The content you share and this community you've created is extraordinary. Thank you...
ReplyDelete