Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Blogging

Blogging is overwhelming. I am not overwhelmed by keeping up my own blogs...it seems I always have something to say!

I am overwhelmed by all of the blogs available for reading. How do I choose which ones to read? I could use all of my writing time reading other people's blogs. I would learn a lot, but I wouldn't get much done.

So how do you choose which writing-related blogs to read, how much time to spend on blogs and blogging? Do you set aside a certain amount of time each day? Do you choose one or two blogs per day to read, risking the chance of getting behind on the others?

Perhaps most overwhelming of all is my realization at just how much competition is out there. Everyone seems to have something to say!

Thoughts to ponder...

3 comments:

  1. I agree, Julie! I try to keep up but I definitely sacrifice writing time if I read and comment too much. Setting up a Google Reader account has helped. If I don't have time, I hit the "mark all as read" button to clear it out. If I have a few minutes, I scan the title of the posts to see what I'd like to read. Also, if I'm having trouble coming up with an idea for one of my own posts (especially related to politics), I can go to the blogs I subscribe to for ideas. I imagine there are a million ideas for articles to be had by perusing blog posts, too. Don't feel too badly about not keeping up. Read when you have a minute or be picky about who to include in your subscriptions so you don't get overwhelmed.

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  2. You hit the nail on the head! I agree 100%. What seems to be working for me is that I give myself a certain amount of time each week to read the blogs I am interested in. It's taken some searching to find the ones that fit what I need and learn from the most. But reading and writing blogs takes away time I don't always have to give with a toddler, so by limiting my time for "blog time" has helped. If I need a break from manuscripts I am working on, then I may give myself a little bit of extra time to read blogs, but usually I try to choose blogs about new books in the market that I need to read.

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  3. Julie,
    I just found your blog through the Writer Mama tour, and I like it very much. You're right about so many blogs to read, so little time -- and now I have added yours to my RSS feed, so there's one more! As a new writer just starting out, I feel like soaking up all the great information like a sponge...
    Jane

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