Questions for You!
2. Have you check out my sister’s new web site, The Red Dress Club? It’s a new writer’s community (for women grumble grumble).
3. Why does writing take forever? Why can’t I get everything right with the first draft? Why are revisions endless? Hmm…Maybe those are rhetorical…
4. Better question: Why do I endlessly underestimate how long any task I do will take? Why don’t I ever learn?
Okay, enough questions for today.
I have TOTALLY lapsed with the blogfests *hangs head in shame* but I'm doing the one on the 18th *nods*
ReplyDeleteIt's mainly because I've been writing acutally WiP stuff so I don't have so much time, they still interest me!
Also I am off to look at the site :)
It does seem to take f o r e v e r sometimes. I totally WISH I could get it all right the first time with no revisions. Gosh could you imagine. Have a fabulous weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteIts summer. Blogging in general has gone down. Most people are on hiatus's because they're out traveling with the family. I bet the Blogfests pick back up in the fall/winter.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI've only just started participating in blogfests, and I find them fascinating. Some hosters, though, think posting the details in a blog post is advertisement enough! It's not. Posts become obliterated (pushed down the blog listing) and that doesn't help newbies detect details of blogfests.
Why are blogfest hosts and those participating not bothering to post advertising image (billposter) on front page (side column)of their blog and thereby directing would-be particiating posters to blog url sign up and rules.
I've done that in respect of advertising Dawn Ember's blogfest out of politeness to the host.
Another thing I've noticed is that not all sign-up functionality is working properly on one blogfest hosts' blog. Or wasn't yesterday.
best
F
I think some of the problem with the blogfests is that people don't know about them. Most discouraging, however is when I take the time to comment on all the links entered and less than half do the same. Kinda makes the time investment harder to justify.
ReplyDeleteI will check out your sister's blog. Love the name. =)
As for your time lapse situation...my husband is incredibly creative and has the same problem. Maybe its just that he's in his head a lot.
Happy Revisions!
1. For me, my only excuse is that it is summer time and all four kids are home all day, I'm teaching cooking classes 3 days a week, and I'm actually working on a new wip. I miss blogfests though. I hope to do more soon, just have to prioritize. :)
ReplyDelete2. Nope, but I'll head that way next.
3. Because the possibilities are endless. Wonderful curse that is!
4. When you learn the answer to this one, please share. ;)
I lost my hold on blogfests, owing to the amount of work it takes to find, track, and participate in them. I also lost interest in the topics, and haven't seen any that I really wanted to participate in lately. I've also backed off a little on blogging to focus on writing.
ReplyDeleteYou can't do both, you know, or at least you can't spend a tremendous amount of time on both. I had to pick.
BFs are a great way to make friends and get quick one-off critiques of your work, though. I'd probably participate in a Writerunner fest.
Good writing SHOULD take forever.
- Eric
Thanks for the shout-out! We're growing fast, considering we just launched this week, and the private writer's critique blog already has over 30 members. Check us out!
ReplyDeletehttp://thereddressclub.blogspot.com
1. Some of it is busy-ness, and probably some of it is burnout, too.
ReplyDelete2. Not yet, but I will now.
3. Seriously. No, seriously.
4. It probably has to do with our perception of time vs. ability. I'm the same way. This also makes me late all too often...
Good questions.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that people seem to forget that they are signed up for a blogfest. On the rare occasion, even the host doesn't take post on the day, which seems weird to me. Sometimes when there are too many in one week it can be hard to keep up, but I do love them still.
I need to work on promoting my own blogfest. (Thanks F, I appreciate your efforts.) I'd love to have an image connected to it but I'm not tech savvy.
As for drafts getting done. I know how you feel. My problem is I work on too much at once, and I struggle with finding the right project. That and I'm easily distracted... ooo look, something shiny. mmmm pastry with vanilla creme... Okay. Time to stop rambling. *walks away*
I can't answer the blogfest question, as I don't participate in them. It comes down to that time thing.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm actually glad I don't get everything right the first time around. I love editing.
Re: Blogfests, I'm trying to spend less time online and more time actually writing. But also, I feel like I've posted as much as I'm willing to about my WIP. So I'm kind of running out of excerpts to use.
ReplyDeleteAlso, several of the recent topics just don't apply to me. A lot of them seem to be oriented towards urban fantasy, contemporary and/or YA.
Answer to 2. Not yet!
3. If you find out the solution, please let me know.
4. As a procrastinator, I don't have that problem! LOL!
I guess I feel the same as a lot of you. Blogfests take a lot of time, there are too many of them, and I'm running out of excerpts that I want to share. Some of them require writing new material.
ReplyDeleteAs far as how I find them, I basically search Google Reader and Twitter for them. I hopefully have an up-to-date list of them here:
http://blog.dawnsrise.com/p/upcoming-blogfests.html
@Mia: Me too. Thanks for looking!
@Lisa: There must be a secret...
@Lilah: I hope so.
@Francine: Yeah, people don't advertise them for some reason. Do they want people or no?
@Raquel: I wish I had the time to read everyone's entry. I do on my own. I do check out every who comments on mine plus anyone I'm subscribed to.
@Charity: I want to take a cooking class!
@Eric: Good points.
@Cheryl: Kewl
@Jordan: Or it's the distraction of shiny objects...
@Dawn: Maybe hosts need to say that entries must be posted before that day so everything's ready to go...
@cat: I don't love it so much...
@Christine: What else is there? ;)
Great post, I wondered the same and have all the same concerns that others have posted here. Another one for me is: many times the entry that is posted is so long that I just can't physically get to them all. The Top Title fest was great because it only took a few minutes with each entry and it was FUN!
ReplyDeleteI'll check out the red dress blog now, thanks!
~That Rebel, Olivia
I love reading the blogfest entries, although I've never entered one as yet! I have posted a small exerpt on my blog which is a first for me.
ReplyDeleteOoh and revisions are endless - are they ever completed? Even when you push that post button or end key. I always find myself rewriting!! ;)
I participated on lots of blogfests, but there was one time where I had like, three in a row, and I couldnt post other things.
ReplyDeleteSo, I decided to stop a bit, but will definetly return also with a blogfest of my own! I participate on yours, you on mine. Deal? =)
On the first draft: The first draft is art. Revisions are where the craft shows up. Its a lot of work, I know exactly what you mean.
1.) I think there's been a bit of a blogfest overload...but if people would pace them to say, one a week, that might work better. Also I think you're right about the theme thing, it's going to get harder and harder to be original on that... maybe holding a poll for your followers would be a good idea of figuring out what was popular...?
ReplyDelete2.) I'm already following your sister's blog.
3.) Writing is endless. It just is. But isn't that why we love it? :)
4.) If you figure out the answer to that question, let me know. No really. TELL ME. I NEED TO KNOW!!!
Writing does seem to take forever.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people are on vacation, thus the lack of blogfest participants. I'm at work on a manuscript right now, so any writing blogfests are out of the question for me at the moment.
I guess I'm just lucky that I have a lot of time on my hands when I'm not at work, but even I, with no children or anything, still find that there have been A LOT of blogfests lately, and as a newbie, I also find that I have to write new things for them. Which might not be sooo bad, but still. And yes, I have seen your sister's new blog, I am a follower already! It's awesome! Good luck with that time thing, I haven't found an answer yet. :)
ReplyDelete1. I think blogfests have fallen off because blogging has fallen off for the summer. I've noticed lots of people taking blogger breaks - me included. Maybe people don't feel so guilty about chaining themselves to the computer during the cold, rainy months. My blogfest is at the end of July and I'm worried too many people will be otherwise occupied with fun family things about that time. (shrugs) Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your last blogfest, and will enter again whenever you have it. September sounds good; most schools have already been in session for 2-3 weeks and people are back to normal routines. Lots of viable subject matter for fall/winter blogfests.
2. Like your sisters blog (which is she, or are both?). I'll check it out again later.
3 and 4. All rhetorical questions; ones that need asking, but the answers are obvious and personal to each person asking. My answers - if I chose to share - would fill volumes with my complaints. And how is the revision going?
Blame everything on the heat Andrew. Isn't the weather the source of all rhetorical questions?
......dhole
@Olivia: I'm going to stipulate on my next blogfest that all entries must not exceed 500 words. Especially me!! And no multiple entries! :)
ReplyDelete@Talei: Nothing is ever perfect. The question is...when is it publishable?
@Clara: I hate craft. :p I just want every word I type to be magical!
@Tessa: Maybe there are secrets best left unsaid...
@Alex: I know what you mean. I barely have time to respond to my own blog posts! :(
@Charlie: I'm running out of material for blogfests. Some things reveal too much! So I've started writing scenes that aren't even in the book.
@Donna: Things are going okay...will have fancy charts up soon...