Sunday, August 21, 2011

Sunday Salon: I Wish I Were a Better Blogger



I wish I were a better book blogger.

I wish I could write an amazing post every day. I wish each post were so good that hundreds of people would comment on my post and say things like, You are the best! and, You should write a book.

I wish people from the New York Times would send me e-mails and ask me to write book reviews for them.

I wish I were a better book blogger.

I wish I kept notes on every book I read, like I did when I was in college. I wish I'd spend hours a day rereading parts of books and writing brilliant observations about the plot and characters and literary devices used in the book.

I wish I knew how to post all my reviews (I have over 2,000!) with links in alphabetical order by author and title.

I wish I were a better writer. I wish I were a better book blogger.

Our school year is just beginning and last week our superintendent addressed those of us work at the schools, telling us that what we as teachers are doing is attempting to repair an airplane that is up in the air. The sermon this morning at church was about how God calls ordinary people from ordinary places. I like to think that this blog is my attempt, as an ordinary person from an ordinary place, to work on an airplane while the plane is in the air. Now and then, the plane may come close to crashing, but I keep working on the plane because, every now and then, I can peek out the window and see how beautiful it is to be flying.

How about you? What's the view from your window?



Don't forget to enter

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares!

(This is open to bloggers internationally!)



What is the Sunday Salon?
Imagine some university library's vast reading room.
It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in.
They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them,
and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go.
Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and
compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake....



That's what happens at the Sunday Salon, except it's all virtual.
Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week's Salon
get together--at their separate desks, in their own particular time zones--and read.
And blog about their reading. And comment on one another's blogs.
Think of it as an informal, weekly, mini read-a-thon,
an excuse to put aside one's earthly responsibilities
 and fall into a good book. 
Click here to join the Salon.


 

23 comments:

  1. It is so easy to compare ourselves to other book bloggers, but we should be happy with what we produce, when we produce it, and the responses we get. That's a difficult task, trust me, I know, but I am working on just enjoying what I produce.

    I love the idea that we teachers are working on a plane that is up in the air, I'll carry that with me as school begins for me this week.

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  2. I think that we all wish were were better, but I hope you are having fun and enjoy doing the blog....I went back to school this week too....it's hard getting back in the "routine." Good luck! I think you are a great blogger!

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  3. What a lovely post! I love the Sunday Salon and other social media (Twitter, Facebook, blogs in Google Reader etc) because they provide a blur of differing experiences that are recounted simultaneously - almost all of them, like yours, with humour.

    Good luck for the start of the new term & I wish you all the best in repairing your airplane midair.

    The view from my window is good, thank you - mostly because I'm watching so many other people do wonderful things, as described above.

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  4. Love your post. These are the things I wish too. But my plane always crashes, LOL!!
    Nice post and hope you have a wonderful week!
    Natalie :0)

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  5. You have over 1000 followers!!! I'm desperately trying to hang on to my 150. I think you're doing fine. ;-) And as long as you're enjoying the ride, what the heck. Have fun.

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  6. You are all so kind! I just wish I were more worthy.

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  7. Don't I wish for the same things! Hope you fix that airplane...

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  8. Great post! I think your blog is great and you do a wonderful job with it.

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  9. My "computer" plane seemingly crashed earlier. It froze, and then when I had to hard-shut down the computer, it wouldn't restart. Alas...I was about to give up, but then gave it one more try, and voila! Everything was working again.

    But now I'm paranoid! What caused that, and when will it happen again?

    So we all have our worries, don't we? That one kept me from obsessing about what I can or can't do, though. LOL

    Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  10. Wherever you look you'll always find someone who has more or bigger or better. I have a very small following on my blog (an expat, not a book blog) and rarely does anyone ever leave a comment (my readers who comment seem to prefer to write to me privately in an email). Sometimes this disappoints me, but in the final analysis, I do the blog because for some reason I need to write, and it beats a diary where I really would be writing just to myself!

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  11. I think everyone feels like that, about wanting to be a better blogger. I love reading your blog though :)

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  12. I wish I could be a better blogger too.
    I see well written posts and think, how do they do it.

    You are a better blogger, over 1000 followers say so!

    carol

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  13. I think you're a great blogger - just keeping doing what you're doing!

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  14. I can definitely relate! I wish I could post more everyday. Or to write better reviews, but then, I think that would take some of the fun out of it for me.

    I look at blogging about my reading more as a personal journal than reviewing books. Don't get me wrong, I definitely love people coming to visit and leaving comments!

    I definitely think 1000+ people think you're great! Thanks for dropping by my blog earlier!

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  15. I think we all wish that we were better. I just keep reminding myself that I started my blog for me. To keep track of my books and the thoughts that I have when I've read them. I think as long as we're enjoying ourselves...that's the most important thing! I love your blog and think you're doing great!

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  16. You are the best!

    You should write a book.

    There. Someone finally has said it to you. :)

    I wish I were a better blogger than I am too, but am glad for what I am able to do as a blogger: reach out and connect with even the few folks that I do, including here at the Sunday Salon.

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  17. Ah, thank you, Unfinished Person. You told me exactly what I wanted to hear and that makes me very happy. Sometimes that's just what we need.

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  18. I completely agree with the airplane analogy when it comes to teaching! Interesting how it relates to book blogging, too, and our need to please ourselves, our followers & potential visitors. I think both jobs require taking deep breaths and understanding that we can't please everyone and we can't do everything, but the least we can do is try our very best to succeed at something, even if it's just a little something, every day.

    P.S. If you want to make a review list, start by using the alphabetical sorting tool in MS Word. It's how I organize my children's book collection.

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  19. No matter what you think you can do better, what you are absolutely FAB at is interacting with the blogging community. I have loved getting to know you through this medium and FB just adds to the fun!

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  20. And thank you, Teacher/Learner, for explaining how to alphabetize my review list!

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  21. I just started my first blog this week and really appreciate your reflection here. I'm finding that it is just so exciting to get myself out there right now and dip my feet into the book blogging world. There are so many amazing bloggers out there and I just feel privileged to join in the conversation. Thanks for this post- I look forward to reading more of your writing. Also, good luck with your school year!

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  22. I love blogging. Now I'm off to check out your new blog, borkadventures.com!

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