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Activity or Productivity?

4 Comments »6th July, 2006; Category: Blogging, Blogs

Chris on his blog The Qwertyrash Blogs asks the question: Are you Productive or Active? (Sorry – this link no longer works.)

…years ago, I learned that there is a difference between productivity and activity. Productivity either makes you money, or directly has the potential to. Anything else is activity.

In BlogLand, productivity is writing posts and promoting your site. I’ll let you say putting ads on it, but that’s all. All else is activity.

Reading other blogs, while important, will not bring in any money. Making comments and links, also important, may bring in some traffic, but in themselves will not bring income. Productivity is mainly gained through posting and promotion, claims Chris.

While I agree with Chris I would counter his argument to say that, for me, reading other blogs is still quite an important part of my day. I am still very much in a learning curve. Each day I learn more about this thing called blogging. It’s my apprenticeship stage in the craft.

Similarly, just over a decade ago when I started writing seriously I went to seminars, workshops, subscribed to writing magazines and read every book on writing I could get my hands on. That was my apprenticeship in writing. Now I have a fair handle on the craft I am very selective in what I read or the seminars I attend. With my writing I am now in the stage of applying all that learning.

Still, Chris has a good point. Sometimes we are so active doing related tasks we forget the important basic aspect of blogging. Activity is not productivity.

Updated November 2013.

The Queen tells children to read books

No Comments »5th July, 2006; Category: Events, Young Readers

Queen Elizabeth has recently celebrated her 80th Birthday. As part of the celebrations she hosted a big literature party in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. It sounds like great fun.

  • Read books, says the Queen to children A Children’s Literature Party at Buckingham Palace, a pantomime-style play featuring stars like Jerry Hall and others, and a reminder for kids to “read…wonderful books…and to discover the pleasures of reading.” That’s all part of the Queen’s 80th birthday celebrations in the UK recently. Just as Roald Dahl’s Big Friendly Giant would say, it was clear from the very start that the children’s event was going to be one “golden phizzwizard” of a dream come true. It was held in the Queen’s back garden, which has been transformed into a living treasury of tales. There, the overawed youngsters – selected by ballot – got to mingle with their favorite literary characters, including Lewis Carroll’s Mad Hatter, March Hare and Dormouse. When the Queen entered the scene, she was announced as – “Her Majester, Ruler of Straight Lines” and vanquisher of bad giants. More on this at the links below.
  • Courtesy of SCBWI Australia (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators)


Making money from your blog

No Comments »4th July, 2006; Category: Blogging, Blogs

Some writers are turning to blogs to not only promote their print publications but they are using advertising on their blogs to bring in extra income. Many bloggers are writing regularly in order to generate traffic so as to develop income from their blogs. Tales of bloggers bringing in huge incomes from blogging abound. What many who jump on the bandwagon don’t realise is the long-term effort required to generate just a modest income, if any.

Tony Lawrence in his posting “Just two posts a day” suggests that the reality for most bloggers is that they will never make any income from the writing. Most bloggers, he suggests, write a few dozen posts over several months and wonder why their income from ads is zilch. He takes a very long term view of blogging. It is not until a blogger has posted many thousands of posts that the traffic generates enough income to be regarded as anything like a reasonable income for the effort and time expended. He has posted over 12,000 posts over several sites. This is a rather daunting statistic for anyone just setting out on the blogging pathway, but it has taken him 9 years to achieve this.

One step at a time.

One post at a time.

His concluding comments are encouraging – and challenging.

My suggestion is that you treat your blogging efforts like you treat your 401K investments. Small, regular investments now can pay out big dividends later. I’ve made this suggestion to dozens of people: start now, write about what you love. Do it well, and do it every day. For the first few years, you probably will generate very little income. Don’t think about it. Your day will come. If you keep plugging, chances are you will get a pay off. Maybe not: you may be dull, uninspiring, and completely uninteresting. If you don’t see the numbers starting to climb after a year or so, maybe you should forget it: this just isn’t your “thing”. But you aren’t going to find out unless you start doing it, are you?

So.. are you ready to write your two posts for today? I’ve done mine..

Well.. not yet.

But then, I have written nearly 30 posts over the last 5 days. That may seem a lot, but then, I do have 3 blogs to feed daily.

Short Fiction #2 A Matter of Convenience

2 Comments »3rd July, 2006; Category: Short Fiction

Elizabeth, always suspicious of Phillip’s motives, spoke first.

“Why did you do it?”

“Do what?”

His innocent countenance fooled her not.

“You know very well that I detest such unthinking inconsiderateness.”

“But seriously – what difference does it make?” protested Phillip.

“All the difference in the world!” she fumed. “In future, leave the toilet seat down!”

Notes:

Avoid cliches like the plague

1 Comment »3rd July, 2006; Category: Writing Hints

There is an excellent article about eliminating cliches in your writing on the Writers’ Digest web page. It’s called Beyond Basic Blunders. It is quite a long and thorough article full of simple to follow hints on making your writing cringe-proof.

Clichés come in all shapes and sizes. There are just as many clichéd scenes as phrases and words. For instance, how may times have you seen a book begin with a main character being “rudely awakened” from a “sound sleep” by a “clanging” alarm clock? Have you written an opening like this yourself? Wondering where to start, you opt for first thing in the morning. Speaking of clichés, been there, done that. We all have. Don’t ever do it again.

Yes sir.

I think I’d better stop this post before I, too, fall into the trap of writing phrases that are beyond the pale, full of hackneyed statements that make you think I am as nutty as a fruitcake. I’d better write this carefully in case I get a tongue lashing from my readers. I can see the writing on the wall already, and that’s nothing to write home about. I wasn’t born yesterday and I know when I’m skating on thin ice. I need to keep on top of things and turn over a new leaf.

And I think I know when enough is enough.

To be serious for a moment, I found this cliche finder an interesting site.

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