Monday, January 9, 2012

What Should This Blog Be When It Grows Up?

My poor little blog here has suffered a lot through my years at school. It has experienced summers where I have blogged literally every day, and semesters where I've let it languish in oblivion. So I suppose it's no wonder I only have a handful of few faithful followers.

Granted, I don't expect to have hundreds or even dozens of followers. What I suppose I really want is a community, people who comment with opinions and perspective that I don't necessarily have, challenging me to think in different ways. Of course, to get that I have to write posts that in turn challenge the readers with my views. In other words, the number one rule of blog writing. To get good readers, you first have to write good posts.

In the past I really haven't paid much attention to this blog, but now I have time. I have a life. (Or hope to have one very soon). I am a real person (finally!).

I have so many ideas for this blog but I do wonder if I actually have the time to execute them. Would dedicating time to this blog take away from writing in my novels? Plenty of writers blog, right?

And honestly, I would love for this blog to have more detailed reviews of books and movies, since I read a lot of books and watch a ton of movies. But is it safe for someone who wishes to be published to give their honest opinion of a book, even if it's bad? On the other hand, isn't that why this blog is anonymous?

Of course, there is the question, why do I want to write this blog at all? Am I merely seeking a readership? I think that's not true, as my faithful (though sometimes sporadic) posting to this blog has always been to get my thoughts and opinions down and the lack of response or few readers has never really been something that has disturbed me.

So what should this blog be when it grows up? What do I want this blog to be? Really, I would like this blog to eventually become a website of multiple blogs. I plan on reviving Rocket Science Revealed, where I delve into the basics and the complexities of science and engineering. I plan on keeping this blog, where I am free to be sort of my goofy self, expressing every thought and opinion that comes across my head. And I would like a blog dedicated to reviews of SF/F books and movies, where anyone can come and get my honest opinion—but I also hope the opinions of others. I have friends I would love to pull into the project of a review site: friends who specialize in cinematography, friends who read different books than I generally do, a few friends who only occasionally read SF/F and can bring interesting dialogue to the table.

Oh the ambitions I have! But I don't want any of these blogs to languish as this one has done in the past, and I want them to all be connected.

For now, I think I will dedicate myself to reviving this blog and Rocket Science Revealed. I think my plan is to wait to open the review blog until I have friends who are dedicated to writing in it with me and I have already written quite a few reviews (so I have a backlog).

But those are my ideas, my ambitions. Do you guys have any thoughts on what you hope to get out of this blog or any others I might have in the coming year?

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