Do you think people are burning out on reading blogs?
I ask this question because one of my loops is having a discussion about this very thing. I've seen and heard about a lot of blogs closing up shop in the last few months and I've thought about quitting myself. For one, it takes creative energy and I'd rather be focusing that on my books, and for another, after three years, I feel as if I've run out of things to say. I've postponed making a decision because I'm waiting to see if it's the winter blahs that make me feel talked out or if I really have said everything I want to say.
I've tried to answer the question at the top of this blog by thinking about my own habits, but I don't think I'm typical. I've never followed very many writer blogs because whenever I read about someone else's process, I freak out. I never seem to do things the same way as anyone else and I'm always worried that I'm doing something wrong. It's easier to just steer clear. There are also other things that writers post that I don't want to read, so I just fly past those as well.
The types of blogs I do follow are ones like "Overheard in the Office" or "Giveaway of the Day" or my baseball news feeds. What do they have in common? They're short. While the baseball news might point to a full article, the feed has a recap of what it's about and that tends to be all I look at. "Overheard in the Office" sometimes amuses me and "Giveaway of the Day" is not only short, but it offers me the chance to download some kind of computer program for free.
But the biggest thing they all have in common is that none of these blogs require a reply/comment from me. :-)
That's a biggie. I might be able to read a blog in a matter of minutes, but even a short comment takes time and thought, so I mostly don't bother.
The other problem I have with commenting is that I'm usually sneaking on to Bloglines at the Evil Day Job (EDJ) and if I see something I want to comment on, I'll think, "I'll have to pop over there when I get home." Of course, by then I don't remember to post or I don't remember what I wanted to say or I lose the interest in posting.
So after all that, let's return to the opening question: Are you getting burned out on all the writer blogs out there? If you are, what would it take to reignite your interest? What kind of topics are you interested in reading about?
And if you knew of a group blog with a diverse and large number of authors, what would you be looking for there? What would keep you visiting and returning?
