IWSG - Failure To Launch

Hey, gang! Time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post. (Yes, holy poop it's October already...) It's our monthly tribute to wallowing in self-pity and doubt, or what most of us refer to as: writing. 

Actually, it's usually a bit more positive than all that as we try to lift each other out of the pitfalls that plague a life devoted to creating. If you think you'd like to join or learn more about our band of merry misfits, click the pic below.

IWSG - Failure To Launch

Why do we fail? Sometimes a very difficult and complex question to answer. 

A wise woman (my mother) once told me that we only truly fail at the things we never attempt. That logic yields an equally powerful and simple answer to the previous difficult and complex question: Success is in the trying, not the accomplishing. 

TOTALLY didn't jibe with Yoda's "Do or do not. There is no try." by the way. But I like to think of my mother as a Real World Jedi, so I'll side with her on this one. :-)

I've found the advice has played out as almost universally true in my life. I really only view missed opportunities due to inaction or indecision on my  part as failures. When I've decided to get in the game and play--outcome be damned--I almost always feel as if I've won something.

That's not to say I'm a raging success at everything I do. 

Sometimes I win by falling on my face and learning the limits of what I can and can't do...

Sometimes I win by screwing up so much I eventually learn the right way of doing things by default (see also - writing)...

Sometimes I win by feeling just inadequate enough to keep trying until I'm proficient...

Sometimes I win--like a kid touching a hot stove--by simply knowing and understanding more about the world than when I started...

While those aren't the stuff of workplace motivational posters, they're markers of growth in my book. And not standing still, trying, is all I'm usually after.

I bring all of this up for IWSG today, because I think in writing in particular, we're sometimes so terrified by lofty ideas of success and failure that we neglect to even start. 

Maybe we don't want to go up to the starting line because we aren't sure exactly where the finish line is. Maybe the other runners are more accomplished and we feel we won't stand a chance. Maybe we're worried that everyone will have gone home and not notice when we do finally finish the race.

There are so many reasons to not start, and I can't tell you how much success you'll have if you do go for it. But I can promise you, you will fail if you never try.

If you knew you could only measure success by the effort you gave in the attempt, what would you try?

And speaking of trying and being bold, a good writer-blogger friend, Nick Wilford, started up his own editing business this week. Nick is extremely dedicated to the writing craft, and I can say from previous interactions on a project, he's a joy to work with. So I'm sure he'll do great things with his business. If you're interested in learning more about his services, jump HERE.

~EJW~   

A Writer Has A Lot To Be Thankful For

I wanted to wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving. Simple. But then the coffee hit my brain and I thought what do I--as a writer--have to be thankful for? Yeah, this could take a minute...

Photo courtesy of Pep Talk Polly, WANA Commons

I published my first work this year. (Just a couple of months ago, in fact.) The nature of the story makes it something I'm not certain would've seen the light of day a few years ago. It's short, but long (a novelette, which is longer than a short story, but shorter than a novella); it's written for/in a category that doesn't exist in some publishing circles (NA); and it's speculative (it crosses over a few genres--paranormal, horror, etc.). Basically, there isn't a shoebox to shove it in.

THANKFULLY, in this day and age I can build my own shoeboxes, and I'm certainly trying. I don't need permission to write and share things, just the desire to do it. 

Writing can be a lonely business. It's difficult to share things after you've created them, and all but impossible to do so as you're creating them. We're those solitary kids in the sandbox, building fragile structures that are always grander in our minds. Try to ask us what we're up to, and we might just shush you and say, "Not so loud! It could fall over any second, and I want see how much I can build before it all goes away."

THANKFULLY, I'm never truly alone. I've met so many other writers online. People who do what I do, and struggle with the things I struggle with. Most of them are quick with an encouraging word when I need picking up, and heap inspiration into my world with the click of  a mouse button. They're my homies--my peeps--and most days, they're all the company I need.

When I tell people I write fiction, a typical response is, "Man, I wish I could do that." My typical response is, "That's funny, because that's exactly how I got started. I wanted to do it." It goes deeper than that, sure, but the idea is a simple one: You must start before you can finish.

I'm THANKFUL every day that I started. Frustration bleeds out my ears at times, sure. Yes, feelings of inadequacy nip at my heels with every success, and damn near swallow me whole with the setbacks. But I'd never know the euphoria of seeing the view from the summit--a finished project--had I not endured the climb.

I've been to Jupiter, and it wasn't all that. I've killed a werewolf--and it was awesome! I saved the world three times last year. Impossible? For most, but not for me...

Writing means you have no boundaries. If it can be considered, it can be done. Good guys can be bad, bad guys can be good, and kids can save the adults. That's the true beauty of creating with words, and I'm THANKFUL for the freedom.

Those are just a few of a long list of things that crossed my mind this morning. What's on your 'thankful writer' list?

Hope you all have the happiest of Thanksgivings, and looking forward to finishing out the year on the other side amongst my many dear blog friends! 

~EJW~

When the Web Gets Personal ... In a Good Way

I'd first like to say I appreciate your patience with my non-blogging this week. I celebrated my 34th birthday and decided my gift to myself would be a short blog hiatus. I took the extra time to keep hammering away on a re-write of a current project and to basically enjoy life. 

Here's how I know you guys and gals are great: I get comments telling me how fabulous the comments are! Half the time they don't even mention my post. : ) 

Which is cool with me, because I already know how groovy y'all are. I feel like such a leech at times because I seriously get so much more from your thoughts than my own. 

Speaking of comments, there were so many awesome ones on my last post I'm still trying to get back around to everyone to say thanks.  So thank you. THANK you. THANK YOU. And I'll be visiting your blogs soon ...


Actually, the point of this post is to say another thank you. This thanks goes to Alex Cavanaugh for once again proving that this Internet thing can be real. 

The people we interact with Online all too often seem like phantoms. They fade in and out with comments and Tweets. It feels as though we can't touch them in any meaningful way. We realize they can't touch our 'REAL' lives either, but we're aware of them all the same. 

I think the phantom mentality helps keep things in a healthy psychological place. After all, what do we really know about these people? Sure, we've been talking at each other--in some cases--for years. We've gleaned enough information from things they've shared on Facebook or blogs to know a little about what their offline lives are like. 

We grow close in a casually acquainted sort of way.

But here's the reality: If that blog follower we've known for years suddenly disappeared tomorrow, never to comment again, what could we do about it? In most cases, absolutely nothing. Most of us haven't met each other in real life. We wouldn't know who to call, or what to say even if we could find them. 

It's a two-way street. If someone quits following our blog, or says something mean about us in a review, it stings a little. Especially if it's someone you've interacted with for a while. We promote each other. We comment. But just like all relationships, things can sour. Unlike other relationships, the Web-Life rarely gives an explanation or opportunity for rebuttal.

People are here one instant, gone the next. 



My favorite 'ghost' song...

As such, it's probably better to think of the people we interact with Online as ghosts. They can be friendly. They can be scary. But ultimately they can't really hurt or help us. They're just there. We're all just there.

To be honest, there are times when I think that sucks. Even if it is true and for the best. 

I'm a people kind of guy. I'm the person who talks to strangers at the store. I ask people I don't know about their kids, how their day has gone, etc. I smile with them, try to make them laugh if I can tell they're having a crap day. Just who I am. 

Sometimes this Internet thing is just a little too impersonal for my taste. I feel like I'm building paper relationships that are apt to blow away with the first stiff breeze. And for the most part that's probably accurate. 

As much as I want you to know I'm a nice guy, I mean what I say, and I truly want the best for you and your endeavors, I understand if it doesn't hold much weight. It simply can't. The minute you allow yourself to believe that, then you also have to be willing to believe me--on some small level--if I suddenly say you suck.

That's just more of a risk than most of us are willing to take with complete strangers. And rightfully so.

Then you meet people like Alex. They go so far above and beyond the normal Web pleasantries and protocol that it makes you rethink the concept of friendship. 

You realize you can truly grow to respect and enjoy someone you've never even talked to. You realize you can have an impact on people, because they have an impact on you. They make you see that you can sometimes trust strangers, so it makes you want to keep trying to be real in return.

Sometimes it does work.

I'm pretty sure most of you follow Alex and know all about the swell guy he is, so I won't bother with much of things we already know. I'll just say that I don't think there's a more real person I've met, Online or off. 

He does stuff that no one else takes the time to do, and he does it without asking for anything. In a system (blogging, social media, etc.) built on the "I'll scratch your back..." philosophy I can't tell you how refreshing that is. 

So cheers, Alex. Thanks for helping me keep my heart in this Web stuff, even when it seems like it doesn't have a place. 

~EJW~

Blog Science: Blogging Less and Saying More

Hey gang! I know many, many of you are hip deep in A-Z madness, and I hope to make it to each of your blogs at least a few times over the course of the event. Really amazed by the creativity of everyone I've read so far. 

Seriously, it's staggering to see how creative minds can use such an open premise to such great effect. Sure, there are plenty of 'My Favorite Cat Names' and other frivolous topics (still fun), but I'm mostly reading great poetry, clever short stories and genius writing tips. 

So why am I not doing A-Z this year? Glad you didn't ask! I'll answer anyway: I had nothing to say. Yup, that's the dirty of it. And let's not kid ourselves, that is a 

D (dumb) 
I (irrational)
R (risky) 
T (terrible) 
Y (yucky) 

thing for a blogger/writer to say. 

It's our BUSINESS to have something to say. If we don't, we make it up. If we can't make it up we go find something, or poke someone until THEY say something, we can talk about. Why do we need to talk so much? Simply put, it's expected and it's part of the "formula" for success.

Do a quick Google search for top blogging tips. You'll find 'blog daily', 'blog frequently', or 'blog often' in the top ten of just about every list on the subject. While there is debate on the actual impact of post frequency on blog traffic, you'll certainly see a general consensus. If you're not posting, you're not getting hits. If you're not getting hits, you're not showing up in search engines.

Here's a nice rundown on the subject.

That doesn't even speak to the desires of those fickle followers out there. (Not you! Those other guys...) Some folks get a little antsy if you don't post often enough. How often is enough? Heck if I know, but I think it has something to do with Jupiter and Venus aligning, full moons, hormone imbalances and--suffice to say, it's important to some. 

Important enough they'll drop you like a Bieber paternity suit if you cross that imaginary line. (I'm here all week! Sorry, hadn't done a Bieber joke in a while.)

Yeah, so, I'm ignoring all that. 

BAD BLOGGER! *sticks out wrist--or bum--for chastising*

Yes, that's me being paddled by a leather-clad nun at a roller derby. Hey, it was in Austin, TX! If you've been to Austin this all makes perfect sense... My wife took the photo, so it was all above board. Mostly.

I'm ignoring all that for a good reason. It's for you. Honest. 

There was time when I blogged when I had nothing to say. The book said you were supposed to blog on a schedule and blog often. That's what I did. You can go read those posts if you'd like, but your time would be better spent flossing the cat or thinking about the color blue. Those posts were that empty.

At some point in the last year (or so) that changed. I made the decision to post only when I wanted to say something. Revelatory, I know. Sometimes it's once a week, other times it might be four or five. My reasoning was pretty straightforward: I didn't want to bore you. Even if it meant turning my back on the blogging gods and turning off a few followers. 

Sure, there were extenuating factors. Like me wanting to write more and blog less (they were beginning to cannibalize each other) and a shift in my perspectives regarding writing and publishing as a career endeavor. Basically, the game kind of changed for me, so I set about learning to play it in a new way. That impacted the things I wanted to blog about, and it impacted what I had to say. 

I know this might come of as a little uppity or highhanded, but it really isn't about me thinking I'm bigger than the game or anything. Last I checked that follower count on the right said 300-somehting, not 3,000-something, so I more than realize I'm no bigger than a minute.

In the end, I guess I just respect time. The time you give me, the time I spend doing this--just time, really. Yes, I've lost followers, and I hate that. Yes, I do wish I was more connected with a lot of the other bloggers out there, doing all those fun blogfests and whatnot. I fully realize that's cost me more followers.

Still, I'm having more fun and feeling more in tune with blogging now then I ever did when I was trying to do everything right. A wise follower once told me it was called "slow blogging" and it really stuck with me. It also made me realize that I love bloggers who have something to say, even if they don't say it often. 

What about you? Are you a stickler for the blogging 'rules', or do you go at your own pace?

~EJW~

  

Blog Science: Why People Quit on Blogs, RESULTS

Howdy Gang! Hope you all navigated the week of made up holidays without issue. Yes, I love loving people as much as anyone (check out my posts from last week if you don't believe me), but that doesn't change the fact that Valentine's Day is a fabricated money muncher foisted upon us by retailers the world over. Hey, I buy the chocolate, cards and flowers too--not judging anyone here. Just calling a sheep a sheep.

"Wanna hear a joke?" credit

A U.S. specific phenomenon is President's Day. Which, unless my memory fails, never used to be a big deal unless you were an employee of the United States government, a political prisoner or a kid in school. Now the holiday, originally concocted in the 1960s, has apparently gone mainstream Seems these days everyone is off work and/or having a sale of some kind.


While it wasn't originally intended to replace the respective birthday celebrations of two of our nation's finest men (Washington and Lincoln) that happen to be a week apart in February, it has taken on that significance for many. A day of great patriotism, as it were. I still think it's just an excuse to sell mattresses, cars and other big ticket items that beg for our hard-earned tax rebates. Whatever the case, I enjoyed having a rare breakfast meal with my wife on Monday nonetheless.


The grindstone returned Tuesday for many, and we've all got sore noses to show for it. Right? Right! (Just nod and agree even if you're still being a sloth. We'll never know...) As such, I thought it time to get back to the business of why people hate quit following our blogs.


If you'll recall, a couple of weeks back I had a two-part post on the subject (here and here) complete with fancy-schmancy survey. The votes are in, and frankly I'm a little surprised by the results.


There were 14 options to choose from (listed below) with an 'Other' category that allowed write-ins. You could vote for more than one category and as many times as you'd like, so this sucker is far from scientific. However, I tend to believe the votes are mostly genuine as 1) Why would anyone care enough about this to slant the votes? and, 2) I got an e-mail each time someone updated the survey and almost all coincided with a unique individual posting a comment as well.


Conclusion? This is at least as valid as a Florida election. (Probably more so.)


The premise was simple: Figure out why people quit following blogs. The choices were as follows:


1. Overall content isn't useful
2. Overal content is offensive
3. Don't want to be professionally associated with the themes or message of the blog
4. The blogger doesn't follow me back, or reciprocate my activity on my own blog
5. The blog is boring
6. Too few posts
7. Too many posts
8. Specific post offended me
9. Frequent mistakes in grammar, information, etc.
10. Formatting stinks (blog isn't attractive or simply cumbersome to navigate)
11. Consistent technical difficulties (pages won't load, videos won't play, etc.)
12. The blogger doesn't interact with followers
13. All of the above
14. Other


Here's how the votes came in:

Observations

- Don't be offensive or boring


By far the most common grievances. Both of these are tricky, because of their highly subjective natures. Me, for example. I'm easily entertained (LOL CATS FTW!), so you're not likely to put me off in that way. I also have a broad (crude?) sense of humor and am generally easygoing, so you could probably only offend me by being mean or stupid or both--with regularity.


There was a variation on the 'offensive' line as there was a choice for jumping ship if a specific post ruffled your feathers. It got a good number of votes, but I'd suspect that post would have to be pretty over the top in most cases. Could be wrong ... I read a blog a few weeks back where the blogger admitted to dropping people from Twitter, etc. because the talked about drinking alcohol. From my POV that'd be the equivalent of dropping someone because they like Lebron James. I think they're both issues of dubious moral logic. Valid, yes, but dubious. 


- Momma said to choose your friends wisely. You listened.


This one is interesting. Tied for 3rd most checked, it seems many people are cautious when it comes to the blog company they keep. Not sure if I'm surprised, as I've said many a time on this blog that folks aren't lying when they say the blog, writing and publishing worlds are punchbowl-small. I've read many, many agents say they are aware of what bloggers are saying--or at least check before taking on clients. I know author-bloggers talk a ton amongst themselves, and news travels fast.


Personally? It's a little disappointing. So long as you aren't vulgar and/or threatening I think you should share your opinions and be able (as professionals) to agree to disagree. That doesn't seem to be the case. 


This is one reason I can't advocate book reviews (some of you do awesome ones, btw) if you're an author (aspiring or otherwise). Seems like a lose-lose proposition unless you genuinely love the book. And if you're only 'reviewing' books you love, they aren't reviews, they're recommendations. I digress.


- Surprises


More folks are put off by too many posts as opposed to too few. Who knew?


- Reciprocity is king


If you combine them, by far the thing that you'll get you bounced the most for is ignoring your followers. I consider Doesn't Follow Back and Blogger Doesn't Interact to be branches on the same tree. Both got a lot of votes. The lesson? Love your followers, and they shall love you. Shun them and they'll kick you to the curb.


- Touchy!


Whomever voted 'All' has probably already quit following me. 


- Bug free is the choice for me


Another area that, if combined, generated a lot of hits was issues in formatting, technical aspects and overall user interface. Guess the lesson here is to occasionally go to your blog as a user would (through the browser, not the blogger dashboard) and make sure it looks and behaves correctly. Also, do it right after a post goes up. Check your links, videos, etc. to make sure they're behaving. A little probably goes a long way here. 


- The 'other' write-ins, because they were good


If the blog is a veiled advertisement or the content is idiotic; my interests have changed (IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S ME!); posts are too long (GULP). 


So what do you think? Do you disagree with the majority? Anything we missed?


~EJW~

Blog Science - Why People Quit on Blogs, SURVEY

Blog Science: Why People Quit on Blogs, Part 1

Hey gang! Hope your lives are chugging down the tracks at a comfy and productive speed. I've been going through some formal edits on a long-in-gestation project, and for the first time I'm actually enjoying the process! Probably only means I'm doing it right for the first time, however, it's still cool when you have those fleeting moments of, "I'm getting better at this writing stuff!"and your work actually reflects it.

Don't worry, it'll pass, and I'll get back to the writer default of "I'm worse than I ever imagined"as soon as the second round of editorial feedback hits my inbox. Until then, LET ME HAVE MY MOMENT! 

*stamps foot and demands applause like a three year old in a room full of busy adults* 

Anywho, as part of my Blog Science series I'm really posting today to get to the bottom of something: Why do people stop following blogs?

I posted waaaayyyyy back on my 100th post about the subject and (after re-reading) I think I summed up my personal feelings pretty well. Consequently, I'm going to re-post that post in this post. (Got that?)

HOWEVER, I'm really most interested in what you think. On Friday I'm going to post a survey (first ever for this blog, I think) as part 2 of this discussion. As such, consider this post a primer for that questionnaire. In the meantime feel free to let me know what you think in the comments.

Hopefully see you back here on Friday!

REPOST: How I Know I can Quit You

I'd like to continue my FOUR LETTER WORD theme for the week and discuss blog followers. Actually, I'd like to discuss how we lose them.  The word QUIT came to mind, because that's typically how I'd define the termination of my keeping up with a particular blog.

First, let's take a quick look at why people might follow a blog in the first place.  I follow blogs for a handful of reasons, which include:

They provide useful and/or interesting information - I'm a writer and like to read about, and learn from, other writers.  I also enjoy reading and seek out others who do as well.

An act of reciprocity - The blog world is a community, and the 'Do unto others..." guideline definitely applies.  You must follow to be followed--especially in the beginning.  Simply put: could you make friends and build relationships by walking into Walmart, shouting your name and telling everyone to meet you in in aisle 15 of the parking lot if they want to get to know you?  Heck no.  No one is going to care if you create a blog and start posting stuff unless you make a genuine effort to get to know them too.

For entertainment - Some blogs I follow have nothing to do with writing.  I follow them because they're funny, quirky or touch on some other aspect of life I enjoy.  Sometimes I follow for purely voyeuristic purposes, meaning it's somebody who has an interesting life or (more likely) interprets their ordinary life in a unique way.

Before I get into how to run people off, I'll qualify a few things.  I don't have a ton of experience in 'unfollowing'.  I started following blogs when I started blogging (about a year ago), and in that time I've probably quit following 3-7 blogs.  That's out of the dozens I currently keep up with.  However, I have noticed a pattern in my jumping ship, and that's what I'm going to share.  Reasons I quit following:

Lack of reciprocity - I've dropped a few blogs because I continually left comments on their posts and they didn't follow me (minor offense as I'm willing to accept that not everyone I follow is going to dig my blog and some folks like to keep their lists manageable) or didn't acknowledge my comments (major offense)--ever.  I don't expect every comment I post to receive a direct response, or even be read for that matter.  However, if I comment on your blog weekly over a period of months, at some point it would be cool if you answered my questions or responded to anything I said.  Followers of my blog get a ton of slack in this area, btw.

Continued posting of things I completely disagree with - I can probably be accused of this one myself!  :)  I stopped following a couple of major writing-related blogs because the blogger continually posted offensive content. I'm not talking about nude photos or anything, they simply kept posting things that made me bristle intellectually.  Not to mention one of the blogs posted an outrageous slam of pretty much half the human race and, when commentors began to call them out for it, they disabled the comments.  If you're going to say controversial things in public, you need to be able to take your medicine.  I might delete a profane response to one of my posts, but I'd NEVER prohibit people form disagreeing with me.  As a matter of fact, I think some disagreement is healthy.

Constant pandering to the publishing gods (or being a fake, phony, fake) - We all know this is a fickle business.  It's hard to get started and even more difficult to stay once you're there (so I'm told).  Spitting in the face of conventions is probably not the best thing to do.  That being said, I've dropped blogs because they were constantly trying to mirror things the "industry" seemed to encourage as opposed to being an organic representation of the author's voice and style.  In my somewhat limited viewing, I'd say prospective YA and young reader bloggers are far worse at this than many of the other writing groups.  I don't know if it's a voice thing, a market thing--or something else entirely--but it drives me a little crazy at times.  Don't communicate what you think people want to hear, communicate what you think and what they NEED to hear.  

Again, I'm sure I've done some of these myself.  I've lost a few followers over time, and I may lose a few over this post.  I don't think committing any of the 'offenses' listed above on occasion is going to necessarily lose you followers.  Unfortunately, it might over time.

What say you?  Do you monitor your following?  Do you notice when someone drops you?  Have you quit following blogs?  Why?

PLEASE DON'T QUIT ON ME!

~EJW~  

Language is Almost Dead & the Blood's on All of Our Hands

"Every thing is quiet here in the Camp. Dear I could not even buy me a sheet of paper in Winchester to write to you. There is none to be bought. The boys are writing on paper that they have captured on the battle field. When ever you write to me you must send me a blank sheet of paper in your letter. The boys say that we shall soon have our pay and if so, I will send you some. Dear I would like to see you, and feel lonesome for you. Give my best respects to mother--and to all the enquiring friends. So nothing more at present but to remain your affectionate husband untill death."

Close your eyes. Imagine Tom Hanks or Brad Pitt reading the above. Sounds like something out of a Hollywood script, right?

It's actually an excerpt from a real letter written by 3rd Sergeant John Garibaldi of the Confederate army to his wife, Sarah, during the Civil War. (You can find the letter in its entirety, along with a number of other letters, at the VMI edu website HERE.) 

Maybe he was a poet, possessed a writer's soul or was overly-educated for the time? Maybe, but there are tons of beautifully written letters from the Civil War era, just like this one. We're talking the 1860s! Now I'm not great at the new math, but that's something like a 150 years ago.

We go from that, to this:

"If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn't have went down like it did. There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, 'OK, we're going to land somewhere safely, don't worry." Actor Mark Wahlberg, 2012, when asked what he would've done had he been aboard one of the flights on 9/11

Granted, Marky Mark's response was spontaneous. Not something as painstakingly crafted as a precious letter home in a time before phones, much less texting and instant updates. Still, spend one day at a public school (or follow a Hilton, rapper or Kardashian on the FaceTweet thing) and you'll see the point right away:

As a society, our mastery of language has gone into the crapper.

"My Dear Amanda, It has been a long time since I had an opportunity of writing to you, and I gladly avail myself of the present opportunity. I am not certain that I will have a chance of sending this but I will write a few lines any how and try and get it off to let you know that I am among the living--" J.C. Morris, 21st Texas Calvary, 1861

Educators have understood it for years. The ability to articulate complex thoughts and emotions with words (written and verbal) has diminished to the point of decay. Frankly, it has happened at a pretty alarming rate. 150 years isn't all that much time to have passed to get us from the intricate thought choreography of yore to the lolz, OMGs and IDKs of today.

I've heard the argument that there is no longer a need to speak or write in such an elaborate fashion. A claim, I assume, meant to somehow say that we've simply "evolved" and outgrown it. I think that's bunk.

That kind of thinking insinuates that we could do it the old way if we really wanted, or if there were a good reason for it. I don't think we can. I think we no longer know how.

"Another soldier was shot yesterday. The yankees went to jail and brought him while a citizen was standing near. He said the soldier was very poorly clad but his countenance was that of a gentleman. When the guard brought his horse to him (a broken down one from the camp) he asked what they were going to do with them. On being told to "Mount that horse and say no more . . ." he did so remarking that he supposed they were going to shoot him." From the diary of Alice Williamson age 16, Tennessee 1860

The education system has failed, you say? NOT SO FAST MY FRIENDS!

How many modern day sixteen year olds could pen a paragraph like the above? Maybe the best English students. Maybe the top 1-5% of graduating seniors. It was commonplace then. It's simply how they communicated. The only folks who put that much thought into their words these days are likely paid to do so.

So if they could do it then, and we can't do it now, surely our teaching practices have somehow devolved. After all, our brains haven't gotten smaller, right?

Remember, basic enlisted military personnel with little-to-no formal education could string together words and sentences that most would call poetry by today's standards. (There are grammatical errors, sure. But the comprehension/ability was there.) People weren't very educated (in general), and rarely went through twelve years of formal schooling.

Thus my conclusion is that it isn't a failure in our ability to teach and/or learn. If anything, the only real argument would be that we over-educate, or perhaps allocate our education time and resources to other areas. And I think that's a valid argument.

"I am sorry that Masters cow has so little manners as to eat Onions - in the City of Richmond too - well what a disgrace! I wish you to tell her that our Mountain Cows are better trained than that - and that if she will come up here we will learn her to be more genteel and not spoil the Governers milk - Tell My Master I think all the world of him and long once more to see his dignified steps up our hill--" Lethe Jackson, former Virginia slave writing to her mistress, 1838 

Truly, the degradation of language is at the feet of society in general. The Civil War was at the end of the Industrial Revolution, also known as the beginning of the math and science age. We are currently a world run by machines, and those machines are run (we hope) by average people. Average people with analytical skills far surpassing most of the brilliant minds of 150 years ago. In fact, I'd wager most of our seven year olds know more about science than the professionals of that age.

Just think about how something as simple as a keyboard has greatly contributed to the loss of language skills. Most people use a keyboard (or pad) for 99% of our written communicating, and it's a device predicated on speed, not thoughtfulness. That's why we use it! It takes more time to scrawl letters than it does to click them. The mathematics of efficiency, as it were.

In that way, perhaps time has become the greatest enemy of language. The same number of hours exist in a day as there did when General Lee and General Grant were butting heads; however, there can be no argument that much more is expected out of those hours today. Less time for language, I suppose.

We've all contributed to the decline of language in its purest forms. A crime of necessity? Probably. But we are still partially responsible nonetheless. That also means we can help to repair it.

So we're left with some decisions. Do we try to resuscitate language? Do we rally society around the idea that expressing something in a paragraph is more worthwhile than doing so in 140 characters? Can it even be done? 

What do you think? Does language matter outside of esthetics? Are there other factors you see contributing to the depreciation of language skills? Can we stop it? Should we stop it?

~EJW~

Blog Science - Who Do You Read

Howdy Gang! How're you coming on those resolutions? Me either... Still, it's times like these we have to remind ourselves: What would Brian Boitano do? Know what I'm sayin'?

You might (or might not) recall, not long ago I began a new reoccurring feature on this blog called Blog Science. (Guess I can't call it reoccurring yet 'cause this is only the 2nd post. I digress...) In this new feature we're basically going to take a hard look at blogging 'best practices'. Hopefully we can come up with some new ideas and/or insights that will improve our blogging. Or perhaps we'll just create a forum to bitch about the things we don't like. Either way, we grow, which is the point.

DISCLAIMER: I'm no expert or anything, but like most politicians I enjoy pretending I'm one. No, if you want blog expertise, go check out blogs with follower numbers in the Ks. In all seriousness, this is more about creating a dialogue between bloggers. So don't just sit there, tell us what you think!
  
Today's installment of Blog Science is going to examine the lucky few. The cream. The elite. No, I'm not talking about the the 1%, I'm talking about the blogs you actually read. I suspect I'm not alone when it comes to my blog diet: I've got many on my plate, but actually get around to eating only a few. My eyes are much larger than my stomach, as it were. 

Now before you get all 'hate crazy' on me, understand it isn't because of some kind of weird follower Internet ponzi scheme. I didn't just follow a bunch of blogs, hoping they'd follow back, and then completely ignore them.  This blog thang doesn't go down like Twitter, after all. 

(thanks be to God--mazel tov! mazel tov! Sorry, we caught Fiddler at the local theater a couple of weeks ago and it's been in my head ever since...) 


I can honestly say I've read at least a portion of every blog I follow and followed them because I truly enjoyed what I was reading. It is also a way I've thrown my support behind the friendly faces I've met around the WWWebs. Unfortunately, as I've said before, there are far more awesome blogs out there than there are minutes in the day. 

Chances are, if you've been blogging for a year or more, you've run into a similar predicament. This post isn't about solving that problem. There are far more organized folks out there who can tell you how to sort out and prioritize your Google Reader list. There are also far more ruthless folks out there who can tell you when/how to cut people off your blog lists to keep it paired down to only the essentials. 

What we are going to do is try to understand why we read who we read.  Essentially, who makes the cut and why? In order of importance, here we go:

Loyal Customers Get Dibs -
Okay, this one isn't rocket science. The blogs I most frequent, especially to the extent of leaving comments, are the blogs of people who visit my blog and leave comments. Call it reciprocity, brown nosing or whatever. The fact of the matter is that I favor people who acknowledge my existence. I think most bloggers do this, but if I only have time to read AND comment on a couple of blogs during the day, I usually track down the people who frequently visit my blog.

This doesn't mean they are the only blogs I read. It just means they are the blogs I go out of my way to read, if that makes sense.

The GOOGLE Made Me Do It - 
So I have the cute little iGoogle homepage thing going on. If you aren't familiar with it, you can basically create a custom Internet page with all of your favorite Web content on it. Why? Because it's awesome to be able to see your new e-mail messages, top stories on CNN, Twitter feed, Facebook updates, weather, etc., that's why. It's my homepage, so it's the first thing I see when I jump Online. You can learn about and get it HERE.

As part of my iGoogle page (at the very top, no less) I've got my Google Reader feed. It updates real time, so when someone posts a new blog update it pops up. It has become my blog lifeline. I know there are more efficient reader managers out there, but this one is the most convenient for me because I see it 10-15 times a day.  

The downside? I tend to only see the blogs that have been updated recently. So if you posted in the AM and I get on in the afternoon, your post is waaaayyyy down the feed. Unless I'm dedicatedly searching through the list (which I do from time-to-time) I probably won't see it. 

What I try to do is pick out a blog or two each time I'm on the homepage, that way I get a sort of eclectic mashup of reads from my blog list. Unfortunately, that means I don't consistently get to the same blogs.

Assuming again that I'm not the only person to use iGoogle feed lists (or something similar), here are some ways I choose which blogs to read:

Title of the Post: In my list I see the title of the post and the name of the blog. That's it. If I want more detail I have click the title (it then opens up in-page to reveal the entire blog post).  Thus, one way to make sure I read is have an awesome title to your blog post. Something to get me to CLICK. Granted, this will vary from the interests of the reader. Some people scour for ePublishing content, others for craft tips. So try to cast a wide net with most of your post titles. Enough detail to tell what the point is, but broad enough to appeal to many.

Opening Paragraph: I can usually tell from the opening paragraph of a post if it is going to be about what I was expecting from the title. Consequently, I read that first line or two or three to scrutinize the relevance of the post (or how the message will be presented). Sometimes it catches me with humor, other times with information. Either way, make your openings good and I'll read all of it. If I read all of it I'll probably jump to your blog and say so. I might even take it to the Twitters.

The Early, Middle & Late Bird Gets the Reader: Knowing that some people only see the most recently updated blogs, and that some people only look in the mornings, at lunch or in the evenings I guess it makes sense to stagger when our posts go live. This is something I haven't tried, but based upon my own habits I think it merits some investigation. I know it works for Twitter. (FYI don't Tweet at the same time every day, or only a portion of your followers are probably going to see it. Not everyone stays connected all of the time. Tweeps are creatures of habit, too.)

Frequency: Another easy one. The more you post, the more likely people are going to find you. The more people find you, the more likely you are to create...

BUZZ  - 
Hate this word? I kind of do, but it's probably relevant to this conversation. If I'm on the Twitter, or other blogs, I pay close attention to what my Web Friends are saying. If a trusted blogger or Tweep says, "CHECK OUT THIS BLOG! IT CHANGED MY FLIPPIN' LIFE!" I'm going to check out the blog. 

How do you get "BUZZ"? As best I can tell, two factors contribute greatly: 1) Write something worth reading. The good stuff has a way of getting out there. Study how to phrase your Tweets and blog titles. Learn how to share them effectively (What we're doing right here!) and fire with both barrels.  2) Do unto others. Help other bloggers get the word out. If you read something you love, share it on Facebook, Twitter, etc. They will typically treat you the same. If they don't, don't sweat it. Karma is as Karma does, momma always said. 

Those are the three biggies that sprang to mind. What about you? Who do you read? Why do you read? Share your tips and tricks or we'll hunt you down!

~EJW~