So I just started my own author blog, and I've been waffling on an issue. I wanted to blog about my WIPs, the ideas behind them, and their progress. What do you folks think? What are the pros and cons of doing this, and do you do it yourself?
Posted by Owasm (Member # 8501) on :
There nothing wrong with doing that. I've seen it on a lot of author sites. The key thing is that you've got to finish the WIP in a reasonable timeframe to maintain credibility.
My own credibility's been stretched a bit on my Guy Antibes site.
I'd say go for it if you want to. Just make sure you don't let your project sit or you'll take some of the steam out of your site.
Posted by Meredith (Member # 8368) on :
Sure. I even occasionally post snippets.
Posted by JenniferHicks (Member # 8201) on :
Sure, I blog about my WIPs, but I'm pretty vague about it. I don't mention any plot specifics or the title, in case I end up entering that story in WotF.
Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :
I've noticed that at least some pros blog about their WIPs so I decided to go ahead and do the same. How much detail I put in just depends on the moment. Sometimes very, very little beyond the title and sometimes some details.
Posted by Osiris (Member # 9196) on :
quote:Originally posted by JenniferHicks: Sure, I blog about my WIPs, but I'm pretty vague about it. I don't mention any plot specifics or the title, in case I end up entering that story in WotF.
Yeah, I have a post about my WotF WIP that I have yet to publish, and I'm not sure if I'm being vague enough. On the one hand, I want the reader to be excited about the post, but on the other, I don't want to reveal too much.
Posted by Heresy (Member # 1629) on :
I blog about my WIP(s) but nothing about plot and very thin on character or world details. Mostly it's about my progress, lessons learned and plans. I haven't had anything yet ready enough to post part of, but I'm thinking of putting up a sample chapter or two when I epub my first book. We'll see what I think when I'm at that stage though.
-Julie
Posted by pdblake (Member # 9218) on :
I mention them in a vague kind of way. I'll note progress but no plot details as such.
Posted by Owasm (Member # 8501) on :
quote:I have a post about my WotF WIP that I have yet to publish
I wouldn't suggest any but the merest suggestion of what you're working on for any contest, especially WotF. As for me, I wouldn't put it anywhere on my blog.
Posted by Osiris (Member # 9196) on :
Oddly, after reading everyones responses, I've decided not to post my WIPs. My rationale is that my reason for doing so would be to generate interest in the work, and that requires a certain level of detail that many seem to recommend against it. Maybe I'll do it for non-contest stories in the future, but not for this one.
Posted by Meredith (Member # 8368) on :
Well, of course, when I say that I blog about my WIPs, they're novels, not potential WotF entries. Posted by Heresy (Member # 1629) on :
I don't know that you need to get into detail to generate interest though. I've had a number of people say that, from the things I say about my characters, they're looking forward to reading my first book. Except all I say is that their names are Fay and Tavis and that Tavis argues with me a lot about what needs to go in the story. Honestly, that's really it. I haven't talked about the story at all, I only revealed the title recently, and yet there is at least some interest already.
*shrugs*
-Julie
Posted by angel011 (Member # 9765) on :
I had one blog post about my WiP, a non-fiction book about cats, and it involved a short non-fiction piece I've written years ago and which was already online anyway.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I don't blog, just post here and there...and when I mention what I'm working on, I generally don't go into much detail, only that I am working on something.
I've found that if I go into too much detail, be it something like a blog post, or just outlining it, that it often dies on me. The act of putting it down in abbreviated form kills my need to tell the story in greater detail.
Posted by Osiris (Member # 9196) on :
quote:Originally posted by Robert Nowall: I don't blog, just post here and there...and when I mention what I'm working on, I generally don't go into much detail, only that I am working on something.
I've found that if I go into too much detail, be it something like a blog post, or just outlining it, that it often dies on me. The act of putting it down in abbreviated form kills my need to tell the story in greater detail.
That is pretty interesting, the effect is sort of the opposite for me. I find it gets me excited to see the story in its fully-realized form. I often e-mail myself nascent story ideas because I'm always afraid I'll lose them to the ether of my mind if I don't write them down somewhere. I can then revisit my notes when I am ready to write the story.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I read that P. G. Wodehouse wrote "scenarios" of his novels up to thirty thousand words. Something like that would just be the writing of it for me---I don't think I could go on. (Of course he had people who would buy his stuff one he finished it.)
I once wrote a biography of a main character that ran over ten thousand words---then never finished the novel she was going to be in.
*****
By the way, I rarely post anything here in the First Thirteen sections, and nothing at all for some years. I never seem to have anything available, though I could generate endless First Thirteens that I never finished...
Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :
As I said I've seen pros that do this to various degrees. One gave a step by step description of the revising of her latest. It looked like over ten posts.
Posted by enigmaticuser (Member # 9398) on :
For me my blog is my hub for directing potential readers, since I foresee continuing to self-pub for the foreseeable future.
So I blog my WIP in a journalistic fashion, saying how things are going lessons learned, hurdles that sort of thing but without being specific (like everyone else here I guess). Basically shop talk.
But I also keep a seperate page for WIPs where I give like a paragraph teaster/blurb about them. I think both are important because one shows I'm currently working on a new story so if you like what I've written keep checking back. The latter is important because it says that not only do I have writing I'm doing, I also have a plan for the future. I'm not just a one-hit (I'd like to be a hit!) wonder.
To get that following you need to keep reminding the public you're there (in our restaurant we know that only too well).
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