— Mark Paxson
When we started this blog a few years ago, I had an idea of creating a community of writers that helped each other. Something much larger than it has become.
I had big plans for having resources that helped other writers, writing exercises, chats, and posts that invited conversation and a give-and-take, not just between those of us who write here, but including other writers who stopped by now and then.
It hasn’t quite turned out that way. I blame myself mostly because I haven’t done what it takes to make this a destination location for writers. I’ve been derelict in sharing its contents on other social media platforms. I’ve been derelict in posting regular writing exercises. And I’ve been derelict in expanding the resources page and sharing resources more regularly via blog posts as well.
I’m wondering at the moment whether this is an effort worth continuing. I enjoy our video chats. They always end with me motivated to keep plugging away at both writing and helping other writers. I enjoy reading what other writers have contributed to this blog. But the conversation and interaction have not been as broad as I had hoped.
So … I’m pondering the future of this blog. What are your thoughts?
Writers Supporting Writers 
I think it’s worth continuing. Don’t blame yourself. You’ve done a ton of work on here. If anyone is to blame, it has got to be me. I haven’t contributed as much as I should.
But I absolutely think it’s worthwhile and I enjoy reading what others post here. And I’ll try to do a better job of contributing to it.
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Part of the problem may be that some of the settings are a bit wonky, which makes it tricky for others to hop aboard. I’ll repost this and see what others think.
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Yes. I sure wish we could figure out how to fix that. It is one of those internet mysteries that doesn’t seem subject to a solution. Sigh.
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The limitations of trying to negotiate with AI, maybe.
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Tough call. I only ever come here when Audrey posts about it because hers is on of the few blog I follow regularly. In just don’t have the energy for more. Also, you are all fiction writers. I’m a poet so while there is some crossover…. ? I don’t know. Don’t beat yourself up. Seriously. Is this a separate website from a personal blog? If this is too much effort you could aways continue the video chats and post them to your own personal blog.
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I agree with your points, JM (and pleased I don’t have to come up with my own.)
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PS The likes do not work for me either, don’t know if that is WP or Chrome’s popups.
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Something with this blog, when it was set up, is screwed up. Several of us have tried to fix it and it is beyond our varying degrees of technical knowledge. It seems unresolvable.
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Separate website without a lot of effort these days.
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I don’t think the follows and likes ever worked here.
Maybe launch a version 2.0?.
I recall starting out, what I really found useful were concrete examples. One can wax on theory for ages. Show me exactly, through repeated examples what your clever heuristic implies.
Do that, build a corpus of specific advice, and maybe writers will find you.
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Yeah. We still haven’t figured out why the follows and likes aren’t working. I do think you’re right that we’ve wandered away from specific advice. Will work on that.
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I have no advice to offer other than ‘enjoy yourself’. -hugs-
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We all start off with good ideas. Then Good Ideas meet practicalities of Life and the Whimsicalities of The Computer Programs.
When it comes down to it, no one should blame themselves. Simply adapt Edison’s classic comment on Endeavor:
‘I have not failed. I have just found a clutch of previously hidden issues,’
And strive on
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I think part of the disappointing response may be the glut of well-established writing advice sites already out there, which search engines will show first when someone does a keyword search. I’ve watched all of the video chats, which I enjoy, particularly the “advice”-busting ones. I think Anonymole is onto something with the usefulness of concrete examples.
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Same problem all around. We’ve done away with the monthly Tidbit Tuesday event on Facebook (which I helped moderate) because attendance had waned so much – didn’t seem worth the effort. Also, I originally had big plans for my own group on Facebook, TermiteWriter’s Time Travelers, and I never followed up properly. I still intend to do more with that. I have so much more luck keeping up contacts over on Twitter, and now who knows where that site is going? Anyway, I confess to not having participated here as much as I could have.
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Several months ago I joined a discord space run by a fantasy author with some 34 aspiring and published authors, mostly traditional members, along with a couple self-publishing authors. The idea is that we can share our work – first sentences, chapters, query letters to get feedback on it, as well as piss and moan about the struggles of getting published. Though I find discord rather janky, you can have conversations and interactions on it far more readily than on a blog. I thought here would be a place to shoot the breeze with fellow authors about writing and books. However, I’ve found that there are days that go by when no one posts anything. And while you can get critiques and learn about agents, etc, it is rare when any sort of extended discussion of any topic happens. Indeed, 80% of the members never have say anything at all. It seems that, to no surprise, authors are more like cats than dogs, i.e. not very social creatures. Plus, I think, the written word being without inflections, can be easily misinterpreted, which means that one has to be very careful in what one writes, which tends to inhibit conversations. All of which is to say that I don’t see this site ever living up to your dream, Mark, of a more interactive space. Plus, as other commentators have pointed out, there is no shortage of writers’ blogs on writing.
That said, it is what it is. I enjoy writing. I do it for fun. I don’t post essays on writing in general on my own site because I don’ think that is what the bots and the odd human who visit are looking for, so I enjoy posting such essays on this site. I have my next one about when and why to quit writing, written and ready to go. So, heck, I’m still in whatever everyone decides to do.
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I appreciate your continued contributions and look forward to your future efforts! I think we’ll just keep going on as we have and see what happens.
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I enjoy the written articles. For me, video or audio podcasts are too difficult to follow, and I don’t. I think this blog is worth continuing.
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I visit here (or watch a video) because I’m prompted from Audrey, not because I first think to come here.
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I say do whatever works best for you. I know how much work running a blog is, so I don’t want to pressure you to keep doing something if you don’t have the time and energy for it.
But I would miss your posts if this site disappeared.
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I think we’ll be sticking around.
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Glad to hear it.
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Hi Mark, I understand your heart-felt message. I too fail miserably to keep up with my own blog. I’d love to have the time to write posts at least every other day but alas I’m a student in naturopathic nutrition so my studies have taken precedence over almost everything else in my life! But hey there are times when you just have to roll with whatever is going on in our life at a given moment. I’ve only just started following this blog via Audrey Driscoll’s posts. Thanks Audrey. So I’d like to say to you Mark “keep it up” but at the end of the day it’s really up to you; only you know how you feel about it… All the best
PS. Apologies for the rather long-winded comment!
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