The trials and tribulations of blogging as a SWOT analysis

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There are people like myself, Steve Wheeler and others who think that blogging is a good thing to do for a number of reasons. I won’t rehearse theme here because you can read them in the articles referenced at the end of this one. However, blogging is not necessarily easy. Even if writing itself is not a problem, there are several other factors that need to be taken into account. Steve has admirably listed them
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Ideas for making your blog work for you

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Young girl in morning dress, blogging, after Philipp Friedrich von HetschIt can be quite hard coming up with ideas for making your blog work for you. By that I mean help you generate traffic to your blog, help you to establish yourself as the go-to person in your niche, or how to generate income from your blog (whether directly or indirectly). However, I recently came across a blog post that suggests 90 ways to “make your blog rock”. It’s pretty good.
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National story-telling week

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Maths Activity and Story Telling : PrathaThe only thing wrong with Spark London is that it is confined to London, which is only to be expected of course! However, the good news for people who like the idea of story-telling as a way to improve their writing (see 4 ways that Spark London is good for writers) is that there are story-telling clubs and events all over Britain.
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4 ways that Spark London is good for writers

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SPARK LONDON AT THE HACKNEY ATTICIf you listen to blues songs, you will discover that amongst the angst, the stories of “my baby done packed her suitcase and caught the midnight train” (they must have amazing rail services in the USA because all the trains seem to depart at midnight), and being down and out, there are some real glimpses of a deeper Truth, with a capital “T”.
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Is it possible to write better if you write faster?

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I’ve been prompted to ask this question because I recently picked up, in a second-hand bookshop, a book called “No plot? No problem!”. The author is Chris Baty, who started the "Write a novel in a month” competition, otherwise known as “Nanowrimo”.

I haven’t read very much of it yet, but from what I have read I’m impressed.

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Organising yourself

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The biggest problem facing the would-be writer is getting commissions. I think we all know what it’s like to receive rejection slips. Some of us could even paper our walls with them. The second biggest problem is how to organise yourself to not miss a deadline once you do start to get commissions. The best way, I’ve found, is to use a spreadsheet.
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Discovering Sherman Alexie

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Sherman Alexie at Skylight Books.I always try to follow my intuition. Thus it was that a couple of weeks ago, with deadlines pressing on me, and pressure from all sides, I decided to ignore my intellectual protestations and listen to my inner voice.

That voice whispered to me:

You haven’t looked at The Atlantic for a while, have you? Go check it out.”

So I did, and I came across an interview with a writer I’d never heard of, Sherman Alexie.

Alexie is a Native American writer, which is why I suppose I’d never come across his work. Interestingly, he refers to himself as “Indian”, which we are told is politically incorrect. I think I’d rather take Alexie’s word for that. But anyway….

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The key criterion of a writer’s success

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transactionsHow do you know if you are, objectively speaking, a success as a writer?

Although I may be accused of taking too simplistic an approach to this question, I really do think that it comes down to just one thing.

Well, in practice, of course, there are many potential indications of success. For example, people telling you they like what you write. People asking when your next book is coming out. That sort of thing.

However, nice as such accolades are, they don’t pay the rent, and talk is, or can be, cheap.

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Mind your language! Crosswordese

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P1030269If, like me, you have a love of language, you should explore the strange world of the cryptic crossword. Unlike the plain crossword, the cryptic variety requires more than providing a synonym for a word or phrase. Rather, it involves working out what the clue is getting at.

That sounds much more difficult than the task facing you in an ordinary crossword, doesn't it? In fact, much of the time it's easier, for one simple reason.

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