On Writing Online ...
... Jon Scalzi had this to say.
To be entirely honest about it, however, if you are going to take the time and effort to put your writing online, I think it's far less useful to put your fiction online than it is to spend some time creating an interesting blog and cultivating an audience for it. This is not an "either/or" situation, of course, as I have done both. But I will say that one of these you should do first, and that's to work on your blog.
This is true and partly why I've only been posting snippets up till now, "sprinklefiction" I believe I called it. Unless of course you have someone in your corner with a big enough fanbase that, at their command, said fanbase will flock over to you in obedience to their Lord and Master. (Yes, Warren Ellis, I'm looking at you).
Otherwise, you're better off getting yer own fans.
Blogs are fabulous marketing tools because what they're good for is getting people involved with you as a writer; they're tuning in to read what's going on in your head and in your life, and to a very real extent are sharing your life with you.
AND (from the comments)
But the best audience response always comes from ordinary blogging and regular "here's my real life" entries. "Hey, today I ate half a wheel of mozzarella cheese dipped in vinegrette because I was depressed" beats out "you can also buy my book here" any day of the week.
Now this I disagree with - on a personal level at any rate. For the most part, I really couldn't care whether or not an author's cat puked all over their children's bedsheets, be it today or yesterday. Outside their writing, I just don't really wanna know. You are an author. I am a fan. If you're posting interesting links, cool. First drafts, first pages, word-counts, clever quotes, worldbuilding notes or complete stories? Awesome. You have my undivided attention. Personal lives? Tell me about that when and if we ever become friends.
-------------------------
Yep. That's all I have to say right now. Move along everyone, show's over.
PS
Oh and he reads Penny Arcade. Did I mention I like this guy?
To be entirely honest about it, however, if you are going to take the time and effort to put your writing online, I think it's far less useful to put your fiction online than it is to spend some time creating an interesting blog and cultivating an audience for it. This is not an "either/or" situation, of course, as I have done both. But I will say that one of these you should do first, and that's to work on your blog.
This is true and partly why I've only been posting snippets up till now, "sprinklefiction" I believe I called it. Unless of course you have someone in your corner with a big enough fanbase that, at their command, said fanbase will flock over to you in obedience to their Lord and Master. (Yes, Warren Ellis, I'm looking at you).
Otherwise, you're better off getting yer own fans.
Blogs are fabulous marketing tools because what they're good for is getting people involved with you as a writer; they're tuning in to read what's going on in your head and in your life, and to a very real extent are sharing your life with you.
AND (from the comments)
But the best audience response always comes from ordinary blogging and regular "here's my real life" entries. "Hey, today I ate half a wheel of mozzarella cheese dipped in vinegrette because I was depressed" beats out "you can also buy my book here" any day of the week.
Now this I disagree with - on a personal level at any rate. For the most part, I really couldn't care whether or not an author's cat puked all over their children's bedsheets, be it today or yesterday. Outside their writing, I just don't really wanna know. You are an author. I am a fan. If you're posting interesting links, cool. First drafts, first pages, word-counts, clever quotes, worldbuilding notes or complete stories? Awesome. You have my undivided attention. Personal lives? Tell me about that when and if we ever become friends.
-------------------------
Yep. That's all I have to say right now. Move along everyone, show's over.
PS
Oh and he reads Penny Arcade. Did I mention I like this guy?
posted by razorsmile at 10/17/2005 12:58:00 PM
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