Why I’m Changing Up My Blog
I’ll be making some changes to my blogging schedule starting April 1, 2012.
As many of you already know, I think Kristen Lamb and her WANA (We Are Not Alone) methods are the smart road for writers to take when it comes to balancing the load of writing and platform building while still making time to live your life.
In her post Sacred Cow Tipping – More Common Blogging Misconceptions, Kristen points out two pitfalls we often fall into as new writer-bloggers. We feel we need to have separate blogs for separate topics and we give all our energy to a group blog at the expense of our own. I did both these things, and I was burning myself out, leaving little time for my novel or my life away from my computer.
Lisa Hall-Wilson and I have absolutely loved the year and a half we gave to Girls With Pens, and we don’t regret a moment of it. But it’s time for us to take the next step. We will no longer be blogging at Girls With Pens. (We’re also not getting rid of it entirely—read on.)
So with Girls With Pens shutting down, instead of posting here Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (which I have been), I’ll be posting Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Instead of having separate blogs for separate topics, I’ll be loosely grouping my topics into days. If you’re only interested in one of the topics, I won’t be offended if you ignore the others 🙂
Mondays will be where fantasy, science fiction, and real life collide in posts like Who’s Your Unicorn and The Lie of Helen of Troy.
Wednesdays will be devoted to posts on writing, editing, platform building, and blogging like 6 Grammar Mistakes that Will Cost You Readers and What Do We Mean By “Strong Female Characters?” If you’ve also been following Girls With Pens, you already know what to expect on these days. I’m simply moving locations.
Friday will be the new day for interviews with fantasy and science fiction authors to help you pick your next weekend read, behind the scenes looks at the worlds within the books (like my Bertie Botts posts), v-logs, and mash-ups.
I’ll still be bringing you excellent guest posters, but they won’t have a set day.
What about Girls With Pens? Even though we’re shutting down the blog, you can sign up for our monthly Girls With Pens newsletter where we’ll be bringing you interviews with industry professionals.
I hope that you’ll sign up for my blog here, and if you’d like to hangout online, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. I’m also on Pinterest, and would love to have you follow my boards and get a chance to see your boards in return.
Mar 31, 2012 @ 07:56:48
That sounds like a great decision to me! You do have to put your own blog first. And time for life away from writing is so important.
Mar 31, 2012 @ 09:09:35
Having time to enjoy my life apart from writing is hugely important to me. As much as I love what I do and am willing to make sacrifices, I also believe that some sacrifices are too great. When my life is over, I don’t want to be known just as a writer, but also as a good wife and friend (and someday mother). It’s a work-in-progress, but I really think this is one step in the right direction to making the best use of my time and finding more balance 🙂
Mar 31, 2012 @ 08:50:29
Good luck with your changes! I made the same move a few months ago, shutting down my writing blog and moving everything to my author blog, and it’s been the best decision I could’ve made. It’s streamlined everything and made it much more flexible for me topic wise. It’s a hard move to make but definitely wise for the long term. 🙂
Mar 31, 2012 @ 09:06:53
That means a lot coming from you because you’ve gone through a similar switch already (and because I’m a regular reader of your writing posts and your transition looked seamless from the outside). Thanks for the encouragement 🙂
Mar 31, 2012 @ 10:00:59
Change is inevitable, and you have to look out for yourself first. I’m sure this will free up more time for you.
Onward and upward, as they say.
Mar 31, 2012 @ 10:07:58
I’ve just recently made this change to. Congrats! And to a similar schedule like you. On Mondays I post about everything spies, murder, and mystery and on Thursdays I post about publishing and my journey. On either day I’m open to guest posts, book reviews, and author interviews.
so far, I’m glad I made the change! Good luck!
Mar 31, 2012 @ 10:21:17
sounds like a good change, Marcy, altho I will miss the GWP conference reports.
Mar 31, 2012 @ 10:38:17
These sound like ultra-positive changes, Marcy. Congrats on making such wise decisions! Blogging is such a journey of learning and growth. It’s important to recognize when those needs for change arise.
Mar 31, 2012 @ 10:38:55
PS I love the GWP newsletter plan. 🙂
Mar 31, 2012 @ 11:11:59
I love your writing posts (which says something, since I only read so many writing-related posts) so I am happy to hear that they will still have a home here.
You are a great blogger, Marcy. Looking forward to the changes!
Mar 31, 2012 @ 11:36:54
Glad you and Lisa were able to do this and not hurt your friendship. Sounds like a move in the right direction. Best of luck to both of you.
Mar 31, 2012 @ 11:56:06
It sounds like you girls are on the right track here and these will be very positive changes. I will definitely be watching for all the good stuff to come.
Mar 31, 2012 @ 13:02:43
Wise move, Marcy! I’m rooting for you! 🙂
Mar 31, 2012 @ 14:25:59
Your new changes sound exciting, Marcy! I can’t wait to read what you’ve got in store for us. Congrats on the move.
Apr 01, 2012 @ 11:01:49
Good luck with your new changes! I hope they make it easier for you to keep up with everything. Glad to see you’re not fully letting Girls With Pens go.
Apr 01, 2012 @ 12:02:26
Love that quote!
Sounds like a great way to bring more balance into your life 🙂
Apr 02, 2012 @ 18:35:11
Sounds like a very positive change. I think you’ll be very happy with your decision. I often wondered how you both kept up with it all.
Apr 02, 2012 @ 20:33:12
Thanks everyone. Even though I’m sad to see Girls With Pens go, I really think this is the right choice and I’m excited about the new opportunities I’ll be able to pursue 🙂
Apr 03, 2012 @ 18:43:53
This is just awesome-ness, Marcy!!