Friday, October 22, 2010

Poetry Tips: Blogging

This is not about reading other people’s blogs, this is the active verb to blog, specifically about poetry. Many poets use blogs to share their own work, many are like myself and post things they believe are interesting or helpful.

For those of you who have blogs you know that it takes more time and effort to create it than for anyone visiting to read it. Even then, your readers most likely skim the material.

So is blogging right for you? Well, Monday’s post about Ron Silliman having three million bloggers would suggest that if you work hard and long at your passion, yes, it is worth the time and effort.

As for myself, I feel I have learned much more trying to blog than by trying to write and submit. This blog forces me to move out of my comfort zone to try new things, send poems to new places, to reach out to poets I would have been too shy to otherwise, and it has allowed other poets to reach out to me knowing that I support poets and poetry in all of its forms.

If you don’t have a blog you do not have to create one. The point for this post is to consider the idea. Find a way to reach out to more readers, writers, and editors and you may just surprise yourself.

For any veteran bloggers out there (I’d say you are veteran if you’ve been posting regularly for at least one full year) I’d love to see your thoughts about blogging in the comments section.

For potential bloggers, please feel free to leave questions in the comments section, even if you are afraid to ask a seemingly simple question all questions are good questions when it is unfamiliar territory.

Thanks for dropping in, please stop by again next week…

8 comments:

Nancy Devine said...

Blogging has helped me connect with a community of writers. It's also forced me to write and read a lot, much more than I expected I would when I started my blog.

William Gabriel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Art Durkee said...

I started blogging about 4 years ago, starting out as a place to park finished essays, and some poems, a lot of them about poetry and creativity. Etc. Music, art, etc. It's turned into less of a monologue and more of a dialogue, but it's still mostly what I intended it to be. I guess I've "published" therefore on the blog, although I still tend to privilege print as more real than publishing online. I know that's a habit of thought, but I like books I can hold in my hands.

Poet Hound said...

Dear Nancy and Art,
Thanks so much for sharing. I prefer holding books in my hands as well, but the landscape is changing. Nancy, you've hit the nail on the head, I read and write much more as a result of blogging than I would otherwise.
Sincerely,
Paula

William Gabriel said...

A weblog is a scroll you can go back and edit (as I did with my earlier comment!)

It's ideal for poetry, I think, because no poetic idea or feeling or expression is ever complete. You can always improve anything, and publishing poetry or writings about poetry can really benefit from that ability of continuous development (as long as you stay on the trapeze!)

BTW, I deleted my earlier post because I thought I was tooting my own horn a little too loudly. Thanks for this great blog you're doing!

Poet Hound said...

Marco,
Thanks for commenting again, I wish I had seen the first one before you deleted it.
You are absolutely right in your description, a blog is an ever-improving scroll, I like that.
-Paula

Hussein said...

Hello . this is Hussein 18 an iranian ! to your surprise I write english poems but as you say this blogging may sound a little slow or useless , by the way this is my blog :goodvsevil.blogfa.com
I wanted you to check it and leave me comments there if you could because I am losing hope, and I write kinda regulary so if it`s no problem with you check on it later
and if you couldn`t contact me that way this is my yahoo id :peny47_hh , email me there .thank you and I hope we make contact !
bye

Poet Hound said...

Hussein,
I enjoy your rhythm and rhyme, and that you take on tougher subjects of life. Keep it going!
Sincerely,
Paula