Why Do Bloggers Blog?
By Ilene S. Goldman
Welcome to the SCBWI-IL blogger meme. I’ve rounded up the answers from several of our chapter members who write blogs. You’ll be enchanted as you learn all the different reasons these bloggers blog. These ladies (and one gentleman) are quite thoughtful and funny. Based on their favorites and raves, I now have a new list of blogs to check out. I invite you to read their blogs after you’ve learned about their inspiration.
Once you have read our roundtable, you’ll probably want to read more blogs. You may even want to meet some of the bloggers that these writers mention. Well, you’re in luck! The First Annual Kidslitosphere Conference will convene in Chicagoland on Oct. 6. The list of attendees includes all of my favorite bloggers and most of the bloggers mentioned below. Check out the website for the RSVP list, and maybe we’ll see you there. Look for my “report from the front” in the next column.
Our esteemed participants are:
Brenda A. Ferber (BF): Author of Julia’s Kitchen (Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2006) and Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire (Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2009). Blog: www.brendaferber.blogspot.com. Website: www.brendaferber.com. Brenda’s blog may be unique in the kidslitsosphere; as she discusses below, her children write it!
Bev Patt (BP): Author of the forthcoming Some Birds Stay (Blooming Tree Press, 2008). Blog: beberly.livejournal.com. Website: beverlypatt.com.
Anna Lewis (AL): An award-winning toy designer now pursuing the dream of becoming a published children’s writer. Blog: annamlewis.livejournal.com.
Cynthea Liu (CL): Most recently author of the middle-grade novel Paris Pan Takes the Dare (G. P. Putnam’s Sons) and YA novel Forbidden City (Puffin S.A.S.S. series), both forthcoming in spring 2009. To read more about Cynthea’s published work visit her blog. But make sure you have a cup of tea, quiet, and plenty of time. It is truly a fountain of information. Blog: www.cynthealiu.com.
Sallie Wolf (SW): Author of Peter’s Trucks (Albert Whitman, 1992), Truck Stuck (Charlesbridge, Spring 2008) and The Robin Makes a Laughing Sound, a birders journal (Charlesbridge, spring 2009. Blog: thelittlehorse.blogspot.com). Website: www.salliewolf.com. Like Brenda, Sallie has an original blog approach; her blog tells an ongoing story (which she describes below). To me, it’s like kidslit meets serialized literature. I’ve been reading it for a while, but I didn’t realize Sallie was one of our own until she e-mailed me!
Mary and Richard Chamberlain (MRC): The husband-and-wife writing team who authored the award-winning Mama Panya’s Pancakes: A Village Tale from Kenya (with Julia Cairns, Barefoot Books, 2006). Blog: richnmary.blogharbor.com/blog. Website: www.richnmarywriters.com/index.html.
Kim Sullivan (KS): Author of Stones of Abraxas (Medallion Press, 2006). Read about the next book in the Abraxas Pentagram series and Kim’s other new projects on her website. Blog: blog.myspace.com/kosbornsullivan. Website: stonesofabraxas.com/.
1. Are you a writer? An illustrator? Both? Neither?BF: I’m a writer.BP: Writer of picture books and middle-grade.
AL: I mainly write, but I can illustrate too.
CL: I’m just a writer, and right now I’m very glad I don’t do both or I’d never get anything done.
KS: I’m a writer only. It would be great if I could illustrate, too, but I’m lucky I can sign my own name, let alone draw a picture.
SW: I am a writer and an artist who is beginning to illustrate her work. Art and illustration are two entirely separate things. At least, you can be an artist and not be an illustrator. Most illustrators are artists. So I have been a non-illustrating artist for about 10 years or more, and now my art is suggesting book ideas. My writing is being inspired by and directed by the art.
MRC: Husband-and-wife writing team.
2. How long have you been blogging? What/who inspired you to begin blogging?
BF: My kids, Faith (age 12) and Sammy (age 11) started a blog for me in April 2007. So we’re new at this. I was hesitant to start my own blog because I didn’t want to spend the time on it, and I didn’t know if I’d have anything interesting or unique to say. But when my daughter asked if she could blog for me, I realized what a great idea that was. As far as I know, Blogging for Mom is the only blog about writing children’s books written by children of a children’s book author!
BP: Two years? My online critique buddy Cynthea.
AL: I’ve been blogging for a few months now but reading for a couple of years! I’ve been telling everyone that I want to speak out regarding art education and creativity in our schools when I get published. But then it dawned on me that I can speak out on the topic now!
CL: I’ve been blogging for about two and a half years now (I think). I felt it was time to go public and I didn’t want to miss out, either!
KS: I started blogging when I started my MySpace page last year. It seemed like the thing to do at MySpace. Plus, it gives visitors something to read, and I hope they’ll like me enough to offer me a friend request. Yes, I need external validation.
SW: I have been blogging since October 2006. I did not really know what a blog was, probably still don’t, but I wanted a place where it was easy for me to post on a more frequent basis than my website provided.
MRC: Had a website for a while, just starting blogging.
3. Where do you blog? What noise is in the background?
BF: My kids blog in our office. Background noise: instant message sounds and my husband and me nagging them to do their homework, clean their rooms, practice their instruments…
BP: At my desk in my office; background noise is mostly birds in my backyard or those darn leaf-blower guys all my neighbors employ. Arrrrgh!
AL: I write on my PC at my desk in my office with my dog Cooper at my feet. I don’t like music playing, but lately my son has been playing his GameCube on the TV in my office. I’ve been hearing Simpson’s Road Rage (Homer saying “Doh” over and over!!), Harry Potter and Mario theme music!
CL: I blog in my kitchen mostly, usually with my pet rabbit Snoop somewhere close by. (He is never far from the kitchen.) He inspires many of my posts.
KS: I sit at my computer and may or may not have music on. Some days it’s too hard to concentrate with music. Other days, I want the background noise. Apparently I have multiple blogging personality disorder.
SW: I blog on my Mac which is in my older son’s bedroom. My son lives in Boston so his bedroom has become my office. Noises include faint sounds of airplanes overhead, a fan rattling softly, my husband calling to me to ask me questions but I can’t hear him. Sometimes I play iTunes. Music from the O.C.
4. What is the primary reason you blog? To market your books? To write about your writing process? Do you write about children’s literature in general (book reviews, reading and the like) or maybe not about books at all?
BF: My kids blog about my writing process and their unique perspective of having a mom who is also an author. The primary reason is to join the party!
BP: Exposure, market my book and name. Also for support and a sense of community. Sometimes just to put a thought out there to whoever may be reading and make them think, laugh or learn.
AL: I blog to build up a reputation as an art advocate who writes. I have listened to Cheryl Richardson’s Life Makeovers to motivate myself for years. My focus is to add ART to my life everyday! I’m quite passionate about it. My blog is titled “Got Art: Musings on art, creativity, writing, reading, toys, and motherhood.”
CL: I blog to share information about children’s writing and stay in touch with my writing homies. Snoop and I also hold lots of free-tique contests which also happen to be a GREAT way to procrastinate!
KS: My blog started as a marketing tool for my YA fantasy novel, Stones of Abraxas. Then it evolved into general writing-related stuff that occurred to me. Then it evolved again into general life issues, usually ones that annoy me. In general, though, I always have that hope in the back of my mind that blog readers might decide they like my writing and will want to read more by going to my website or reading my book.
SW: I blog to learn to write. My blog is an ongoing story of the adventures of the little horse, a toy I have had since I was 9 or 10. It began as an experiment and continues because it’s fun to do. The content and point of view evolve. I think I have about three readers.
MRC: To educate and inspire. Also, we want to share our unique perspective on writing and publishing, pancakes and Africa, as well as on raising a reader rabbit and a writing dog.
5. What has been the unexpected delight of blogging?
BF: The kids are most amazed that they actually have an audience. I’m delighted to see how well they write.
BP: The friendships I’ve made, especially when there is a crossover from people on Verla Kay’s and the person has “outed” themselves to me, saying something like, “I’m so-and-so on Verla Kay, and we seem to be querying the same agent/editor” or whatever. Then individual correspondence starts that way. I have made two very nice friends that way.
AL: People I don’t know friending me. . . “They like me, they really like me!!” (Sally Fields’ quote.)
CL: The unexpected delight of blogging is realizing my pet bunny Snoop is infinitely more popular than I am. (But that’s OK because I happen to like Snoop a lot, too).
KS: My husband reads it! How bizarre is that? It’s also nice to get things off my chest. Like going to a therapist for free!
SW: The unexpected delight of blogging is learning that I have three readers, people who are interested in the adventures of the little horse. Also, taking the pictures to illustrate the blog opens me up to unusual questions and interesting comments from onlookers.
6. What has been the hardest part of blogging?
BF: That will happen this summer when my kids go to overnight camp. I might have to pick up their slack or else leave the blog alone for six weeks. Decisions, decisions.
BP: I tend to go in spurts and forget to post for stretches of time. I also started out proclaiming I was going to do something useful like post little known word facts, like how a phrase came into being, etc., every day, which I promptly forgot about!
AL: Computer problems! My husband is a computer consultant and flies around the country solving other people’s problems. When he sees me, he runs the other way. I occasionally mess up, but I’m learning. Retyping posts is a pain!
CL: Trying to stay away from blogging when I should be working. THAT has to be the hardest part of it by far.
KS: I sometimes forget to do it. Then I’ll happen to remember and am embarrassed to see that it had been weeks since my last entry. I always feel like I’m betraying the people who read my blog when I go so long between posts.
SW: The hardest part of blogging is posting regularly. I’m in a particular slump right now. I have no time to sit at my computer and compose. Instead, I find myself answering endless e-mails which have nothing to do about the blog.
7. Describe your day, in detail, from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed.
BF: My day is a million things at once. Being a mom. Being a wife. Being a house manager. Being a sister. Daughter. Friend. Author. You get the picture.
BP: On a typical school day (summer doesn’t count — everything’s up for grabs), after the kids (4) and hubby (1) are off to school, I check and respond to all my e-mails, read the daily posts to listserves I’m on and generally fool around until about 9:30 or 10.
Then I write until about 1:00ish. MWF, I go running then, and usually come up with an answer to a writing problem I had that morning or envision where the story is going for tomorrow’s work. I usually get back on the computer when I get back to make a note to myself of these changes or ideas. Then, it’s off to the shower, the basement for laundry, the grocery store, etc.
From 3:00 on, it’s all kid stuff: family dinner, homework help and my favorite, reading to whomever still wants to be read to. My 9- and 11-year-olds still love it and get their little noses out of joint if it’s too late. Sometimes my 14-year-old son will come in and lie on the bed and listen, too. Then I read MY book or work on my laptop in bed until I realize I’m working or reading with my eyes closed, which doesn’t really work too well.
[ISG: I’m exhausted just reading this. If you want more detail, check out A Day in the Life of This Writer.]
AL: I have three kids in three schools. Each day is different!
CL: I wake up. Check my blog and reply to comments. Read other people’s blogs. ALL BEFORE BREAKFAST. This continues all through the day, while I work on my own stuff until I fall asleep.
KS: If only every day were similar enough to generalize like this! No, on second thought, it’s the diversity of my days that drew me to the writer’s life in the first place. I love it!
SW: I get up. I do lots of stuff. I go to bed. Every day is different. I try to see each day as a gift.
8. Have you ever been a guest blogger or done a virtual book tour? Tell us about that experience.
BF: Not yet. My kids and I were just interviewed for Edge of the Forest. [ISG: The interview is posted at www.theedgeoftheforest.com/adayinthelife.shtml.]
BP: No, but I hope to soon!!
AL: Nope, not yet! But I have lined up interviews that I hope to post soon which involve art questions with interesting people!
CL: I’ve never guest-blogged before, but I have featured guest articles on my blog. It’s always cool when I find a great post I think will help inspire other writers.
KS: No, but I’d love to. I did do a presentation on the Internet about my book once called “Fairy tales, myths, and dead relatives: Creating the world of Abraxas.” I was the guest speaker in a college online course. The presentation is one I use for school and library visits, and this was the first time I ever did it in a virtual environment. It was fun, once I got the hang of talking into a microphone, changing presentation slides, reading and answering the students’ questions, and hearing the instructor’s voice over the telephone. Talk about multi-tasking! It went really well, though, and everyone was so nice.
SW: No, I’ve never been a guest blogger or done a virtual book tour. I’m not even sure what these are.
9. Of all the blogs you read, what is your favorite? Why? (Check out my first column!)
BF: I like the Longstockings. They seem like nice people. I’d probably fit in with them if we met in person.
BP: Laurie Halse Anderson’s is amazing. She’s very deep. Every day. [ISG: Halse Anderson has two blogs. Check her out at halseanderson.livejournal.com/ and www.myspace.com/lauriehalseanderson.]
AL: Lisa Yee, and my friends! I have Lisa’s since I got a chance to meet her last year at the St. Charles Lit Fest. Her blog is casual and fun, and I feel like a friend is dishing to me about her writing adventures! [Lisa Yee also has two blogs, www.livejournal.com/users/lisayee and www.myspace.com/lisayeeblog]
Writing from home is very isolating and “talking” with my blogging friends helps keep me sane! It is wonderful to “talk” to people who share my writing passion!
CL: Hmmm. . . that’s tough. My very favorite blogs are the ones from my closest Livejournal buddies. Often these blogs are FUNNY. But I also happen to think Cynsations is Cynsational! Extremely informative.
KS: Oh, no you don’t! There’s no way I’m going to choose sides. Nice try. . . And question No. 10 is pretty tricky, too. Without naming names and upsetting anyone who is left out, I will say that I usually read the funny stuff. The funnier, the better. That’s the rule I try to stick to with my blog, too, but sometimes I fail. Still, finding a writer who can consistently make me laugh is like striking gold.
SW: I don’t really have any favorite blogs. I’ve been sampling ones that come along through our listserve or that I stumble across., Cynsations, Miss Snark and Notes from the Purple Desk have caught my attention. I love the book Julie and Julia, which is the result of a blog.
10. Which KidsLit blogger would you like to meet in person? Why? What would you ask them?
BF: I’d like to meet all The Longstockings. And John Green. He is awesome in Brotherhood 2.0.
BP: Hmmmm. Well, Jennifer_d_g and De_scribes just because they both are sooo nice, and we have had some private conversations and really jive. Cynthia Leitich Smith because she’s so well-connected and so generous in giving out help, information, interviews, etc. She’s a great source of information for writers. [ISG: Cynthia Leitich Smith is also the author of Cynsations, mentioned above.] I’m grateful to have already met Tamarak and Cynthea [ISG: This is our own Cynthea Liu whose other blog is mentioned above]. They are the best!
AL: The only blogger that I haven’t met is Sarah Darer Littman. She just recently blogged a shout-out to me to help with a German translation. Very funny!
CL: Well, she’s not KidsLit but she has a lot of KidLit fans. I’d love to meet Miss Snark. Who wouldn’t?
SW: I think Miss Snark would be fun to meet because she dares to call it like it is.
Thanks so much to everyone for generously contributing your time and thoughts. We learn so much by understanding why you blog and what other blogs inspire you!
Chicago writer and blogger Ilene S. Goldman is the author of many articles for grownups on film and television. She reviews children’s books for The Edge of the Forest and Children’s Literature. She first rocketed into the online universe of kids’ literature while researching authors for her reviews. Ilene is working on a picture book that came to her in a dream. Learn about Ilene’s adventures parenting a medically complex but thoroughly cute toddler at Charlotte’s Journey Home. E-mail her at isg_124@yahoo.com.
