It's been awhile since I've posted anything substantial on our sweet little Secret Life of Writers blog, besides some kick-ass interviews. And that would be because I screwed up our group schedule.
I scheduled posts on the wrong days, because even though Stefanie is an amazing schedule monger, I apparently can't read correctly. And then I started feeling a little lackluster in my posting topics because I was overwhelmed with all things real life, and this blog took a back seat.
I wasn't the only one of my fellow group bloggers that felt this way. With looming deadlines and day jobs and tiny banshee children running around, it became difficult for us to continue communicating efficiently, and in a timely manner. And as you guys know, once something feels like it's slipping, it's hard to stay motivated to bring it back to life.
Running a group blog is both harder and easier than running your own. That's the secret. When I first started contributing here, I thought that it would be easier because I'd have four other people to bounce ideas off of, four other people to pick up my posting slack. And that still holds true. But what I didn't account for was that four other people had to be okay with the schedule/topics before they posted. Four other people had to chime in on email chains with their opinions, and four other people had to have the same vision as I did.
Difficult, but not impossible.
But honing those things, including redefining our mission and what we want to do for the writing community, takes time, patience, and persistence. That's why we're taking the next two weeks off. We'll be working behind the scenes to revamp our weekly posts, schedule some upcoming bad-ass author interviews, and become an overall efficient word-crunching machine. We're taking a hard look at the things that works here, and everything that doesn't line up with our mission is getting the boot.
So this is where I need you to chime in, Secret Lifers! Is there a feature you love that you think needs to stay? What about stuff you don't love? We're taking everything into consideration as we overhaul this blog. Tell us in the comments what you'd like to see from us.
See ya in two weeks!
Andrea Hannah is a YA writer represented by Victoria Marini of Gelfman Schneider. She writes stories about criminals, crazy people, and creatures that may or may not exist. When she's not writing, Andrea teaches special education, runs, spends time with her family, and tries to figure out a way to prevent her pug from opening the refrigerator (still unsuccessful). Oh, and she tweets a bajillion times a day, mostly about inappropriate things.
You can find her on Twitter @: http://twitter.com/andeehannah
Drop her an email @: andeehannah@gmail.com
And visit her website @: http://www.andreahannah.com/
And visit her website @: http://www.andreahannah.com/
Like many of you who write this blog, I'm an agented writer who doesn't yet have a book deal. My favorite posts are the ones that talk about things you've all learned and things you've struggled with on your own writing journeys. If the post is written by someone who's farther along than I am (meaning, has a book deal), it's helpful for me to see what's to come; if it's written by one of you who is in the same place I am, then I feel relief to know that there are other writers like me out there.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you guys aren't giving up on this blog! I think it's good so far!
Thanks so much! That's really helpful <3
DeleteI like the ones that talk about what you've learned, as well. Everyone is different, but reading about what does and doesn't (and did and didn't) work for others is really helpful. I like the author interviews and hearing about their journey to publication, whichever road they took. I love success stories and finding out about new and interesting books. ^_^
ReplyDeleteConfession: I have had Secret Life of Writers set to my home page on Internet Explorer for the past four or five months, and every time I open it, I'm never disappointed. If you don't post something new for awhile, I glance through old posts. It's a great way to kick start my netbook session with a reminder that I'm a writer, I'm here to write, and I don't have time to bum around on the Internet. Usually that results in my never leaving a comment and always going back to work, but I have a warm, fuzzy feeling when I leave.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, I just love this place. I especially love all of the up close and personal posts about struggles your going through, goals you've reached, and advice from your experiences. The only thing I didn't love about the writing prompts (Game of Secrets, etc) is that I just didn't have time to do them, but they were super fun to glance at now and then.
Looking forward to the new directions you decide to move in, but just want you to know I have loved EVERYTHING so far.
<333
*you're going through
DeleteThank you so much Rachel! :D We're glad you love this place as much as we do ;) And hopefully you'll love all of the awesome changes we've got planned, too. <3
Delete“Running a group blog is both harder and easier than running your own.” – I agree. To increase the popularity of your site, it’s best to have writers who have the same interest as you or have the same vision for your blog. You should be united on the topics you will share, which should catch the readers' attention. Group blogging is a kind of strategy wherein lots of people are working for the content, but they have one goal, which is to improve the blog’s online visibility. :)
ReplyDeleteDavid Butler
Writing for a group blog can give you endless possibilities of learning and socializing. Your team can teach you things you never knew about, and vice versa. You will also have different circles of followers who can read your posts and share them with others, so it will be easier to boost your online presence with that kind of network than doing everything on your own. I do hope you’ll be able to maintain informative posts on your blog. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteDella Meyer @ Spark Local Marketing