The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day when you are writing a novel you will never be stuck. That is the most valuable thing I can tell you so try to remember it.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
This is the sequel to my original housekeeping post. These posts serve as updates to the Gentle Reader on what is happening with the C-Blog and yours truly. Unlike the last housekeeping post, this edition will be more topical in nature.
1. PUBLISHING
Once upon a time, my aim was to publish a post every single day. This resulted in a great deal of busyness on my part and a great deal of filler on the blog. Then, I stopped publishing almost entirely as I had to start doing something more for my therapy other than writing and as my vision dimmed away to almost total blindness. I had two eye operations that restored my sight, but I have been reluctant to go back to writing blog posts because they exhaust me.
My newfound love for sensibility and sustainability tells me that one post per week makes more sense. My belief is that it is better to be consistent than prolific. It is also inspired by the writing advice that I quoted from Ernest Hemingway.
2. LAYOUT
I go back and forth with some of the widgets I put on the blog. I have decided that simpler is better, so I have reduced those elements to the bare minimum. I recognize those widgets as filler. People can find other material to read on their own.
3. THE FUTURE
One day, Google is going to pull the plug on Blogger. They have done this with other product offerings, so I have no assurance whatsoever that the C-Blog is a forever gig. I will always post as long as it is free. When I have to pay for a website, I am out of the blogging business. There is no money in writing, so I draw the line at paying for the privilege. When they pull the plug, I will turn to writing in a personal journal that no one will ever see or read.
4. ADDITIONAL BLOGS
I have experimented with publishing other blogs. One was a fiction blog, and the other was a Drudge Report style links blog. I have nuked those. It just hit me one day that I only need one blog. This blog is it. I am not interested in creating any new blogs especially those dedicated to a single topic, memes, or what have you.
5. AUDIO/VIDEO PROJECTS
I am a writer. I am not a talker. My TBI has only exacerbated this talking issue for me. Podcasts and videos are very popular now and represent a real opportunity for those with the gift of gab. I don't have that gift. When I talk with people, they don't understand anything that I am talking about. When I write about those things, they understand them perfectly. I could blame it on the listeners, but I am the common denominator in all of those conversations. The problem is me. I am a writer not a talker.
6. BOOKS
I have had ideas for books, but they would be the same things I write here on the C-Blog. A book for me would be like those pretentious rock stars that do concept albums and rock operas. They should recognize that they are only good at writing three minute rock songs. This is what the people want to hear. Likewise, people want to read short blog posts. A published collection of those posts would be redundant since they can already be accessed here on this blog for FREE.
7. UPDATES
I am a Columbo fan, and I crack up when he says, "One more thing. . ." The backstory of that line is that the scriptwriters needed to go back to a scene to establish plot points and information but didn't want to rewrite the whole scene. So, they tacked on what they needed with the "one more thing" which became a Columbo catchphrase. As a writer, I thought it was genius. So, I do the same thing here with updates I tack on to the end of old blog posts. This spares me from writing new blog posts or rewriting old blog posts. The downside is that the Gentle Reader may not always see these updates on old posts. My advice is to come back again to your favorite posts to see those updates.
Conclusion
That's it for housekeeping topics. I may have a third edition in the distant future. The main thing is that I have charted a course for my writing that I think is sustainable.
