Blessed* Blog

Congratulation, Karen G!

“Follow me, don’t follow me…

We are agents of the free

I’ve had my fun and now it’s time to…”

-Berry, William; Buck, Peter; Mills, Mike; Stipe, Michael. Song “Orange Crush” REM

I blog for two main reasons:

1) It gives me an outlet to vent about these subs jobs, which makes the work more fulfilling (Read: keeps me sane).

2) Reaching out to teachers and writers makes me part of a larger community

The blogging community has been more of an asset than I ever could’ve imagined. Family, friends, parents, teachers, writers, and a few others have become followers and commenters. When I started my blog, I was worried that it wouldn’t appeal to anyone. Would teachers want to read about writing days? Would writers want to read about teaching days? Would anyone besides my family want to read the “domestic” posts? Would anyone want to read any of it?

Before I began my blog, I thought each one was about a particular subject. What I’ve found is that most are a hybrid. There are some more businesslike blogs, which exclusively dish out advice. But many touch on family, friends, and life in general. So, I wasn’t being so radical after all.

I have, along with others, struggled with blog etiquette. It's too much to officially follow every follower I have. (And some of your blogs don’t show up on Blogger profile. You should fix that so readers can easily find you.) I have a bunch of terrific blogs listed on my blogroll and profile. If someone comments on my post, I make sure to comment on one of his or her posts. And if someone follows me, I try to check out and comment on his or her blog about once a week. Being a blogger is becoming a lot of work!

This time commitment is one of the reasons that I started my morning writing routine for the days that I don’t have a sub job**. It’s easy to make time to read a blog and comment; it’s more difficult to devote an hour or two to writing and editing a post (along with finding a fabulous comment to go with it), but it takes a block of uninterrupted time to write fiction. If I sacrifice my creativity, then it defeats part of the purpose of the blog.

I find myself relying more on my blogging community for advice, encouragement, and camaraderie. So, readers, and especially, commenters – THANK YOU! As my follower list grows, I want to give back. How about a contest?

I’m giving away a $25 gift certificate for Amazon.com, which should be good just about anywhere. If you win, but it’s not good where you live, we’ll work out something else. It also should be a good prize for just about anyone who follows my blog.

Now, I don’t want to make you jump through hoops to win this thing. It’s not like I’m offering an agent critique (If only I were BFF’s with any agents). But I do want my readers to meet one another. Here are my rules:

1) Become a follower (1 point) or already be a follower (2 points)

2) Make two comments on two followers’ and/or commenters' blogs (2 points)

3) Find one new blog from my followers’/commenters' list to follow (2 points)

4) Place a comment on this post to let me know which blogs you commented on and which one you decided to follow

That’s not too bad for a chance to get a gift certificate, is it? Contest ends 03/21.

I have a great idea for the next contest. I’ll post that information if and when my readership reaches 100 followers.

* Meaning bringing happiness or good luck. I haven’t received any blessing from God or The Pope (That I know about).

** Post about writing time:

http://theresamilstein.blogspot.com/2010/03/we-too-must-endure-and-persevere-in.html