down the writer's path

The surprise of an expanding blog universe

You can’t imagine my surprise when I logged onto the blog today and discovered the banner posted. In between rounds of medicine and fighting the summer croup, I made a fairly pathetic attempt to create the banner. I remember uploading what I had done so I could see how it looked, but for some reason thought the blog had reverted to its old look...apparently not. I confess it’s not finished. I don’t quite have the look I want, but given my inadequacies with Photoshop I’m surprised it doesn’t look worse. Hopefully I’ll defeat this crud overtaking my sinuses and lungs shortly and will be able to make the needed adjustments. In the meantime, let me share another surprise.

A new twist coming on an old blog

Like the image? Let me know. I plan to use it in a banner for this blog, as soon as I figure out how to create one. The cartoon caricature was done by an artist-friend, Eric Payne, as a gift, and the card has been posted on my writing wall for the last several years. I contacted him recently and asked for permission to use the image in conjunction with The Writer's Path site, and he graciously said yes.

How's your e-voice?

I was talking to DW earlier today, actually I think I was kvetching, and bewailing the production process of one of my upcoming books. I mentioned how, as a result, my interest level in the book had declined miserably. She replied saying she could hear that in my e-voice. E-voice. I had never heard that term before, but it struck me as one appropriate to use when discussing blogging, and one much better than, say, Blog-voice. I don’t think my e-voice has fully developed yet, but I confess I’ve given more than a nod to the idea of the voice for this blog. I’m not sure how many bloggers give any conscious thought to their e-voice, but as participants in a writing genre, developing a voice is an important step in the process of writing a blog that intends to attract and keep a readership.

Successful bloggers tend to have clearly defined e-voices. They’re described as having an edge or exhibiting a kind of quirkiness. There are those who growl and, otherwise, act curmudgeonly. They write with bite. There are reasoned, logical voices in the blogosphere, but far more are content to turn a phrase into a turn of the screw rather than attend to the tune of their pitch.

So the next time you decide to post to your blog or update your web site, think about the impact of your words and the web presence they create. What does your e-voice say about you? Take a look at a variety of blogs and see what works for you and what doesn't. Here are a few that have different voices, subjects, and styles: Bookslut, , PaulyD, Wallowworld, and The Shifted Librarian