The Corean Chronicles
The Fascination with the "New"
As for my own personal preferences, I admit I'm a tool-user. If the new gadget doesn't take too long to learn and will accomplish something I need done better and faster, I'll consider it. If it takes a lot of learning for marginal improvement, chances are I won't adopt it until there's something better around... or until I'm forced to do so. One reason for my attitude is simply that almost all new technology doesn't just do the "old stuff" better and faster [and sometimes it doesn't even do that], it also incorporates all sorts of other capabilities, and those, in effect, require the individual to do more and more, often faster and faster, and usually for less compensation.
Take the internet and high-speed connections. These days, it's expected that an author will have a website and a blog and answer at least some email [if only from editors and agents]. By its nature, email almost demands a quick response, and if you don't respond quickly, you get more email. Having email access, even with the best spam filters, means spending some time deleting spam, if only to allow you to continue receiving the emails you need to receive.
Once an author commits to a website and presence, he or she commits to more time spent on something other than writing for actual income, and that time has to come from somewhere, either from previously personal time, from the full-time job, or from writing. From what I've seen, while there is some financial return [one hopes] from exposure to new readers, there's also the "tar-baby" syndrome. That is, you're stuck with it, because if you retreat from that presence, you're ungrateful, or you've become isolated or all-too-egocentric, or fame has gone to your head, or...
The electronic forum doesn't replace all the other aspects of writing. An author still has to produce, edit, and revise. If the author attended conventions, he or she still has to, because the tar-baby effect applies there as well. The electronic world just adds another dimension and another requirement for effort and professionalism -- and this is true across most professions requiring paperwork and communications.
So why is it that everyone is so enthusiastic about so many devices and innovations that gnaw away at that most precious of personal resources -- time?
Reading your blog (heck, most blogs) is interesting for me as a fan - I get more of the writers I enjoy. It helps me get more out of their books (since I gain the authors viewpoint), and is also a helpful reminder when you have new [stories/novels/etc] out.
For you, hopefully, it's a chance to either cover topics you don't write about normally, or in greater depth than is warranted in a novel, or just a way to vent to someone other than spouse/children/pets. And hopefully it'll get you more fans. (And, since it sounds like you're talking about George R.R. Martin, more appreciative fans.)
I think most of us want more content from our authors (surprise, I know), and hopefully you don't feel like you're wasting your time. From authors blogs, it seems that the feeling of running a blog ranges the gamut from "thing I must do" to "thing I was going to do anyhow". I don't know if you read John Scalzi, either his books or his blog, but he covered the idea of internet-as-sales-tool in a post in the past week. Practically, obscurity sucks for an author, and blogs/etc are a good way to avoid obscurity.
Anyhow, please keep on with the blog - if you want to. I enjoy reading it, but I know of other authors who don't have blogs, and I still read and enjoy their books. If you do decide to discontinue it, please do continue posting when the new books are out. It can be hard to know when authors you enjoy have new books out.
I'd bet dollars to crullers you meet dozens of fans willing to help you at every convention. Just find a trust worthy looking kid and see what happens. Or if you're willing to go the protege route, a lot of aspiring authors will work very hard in return for even your most modest advice.
You'll want to keep your private communication away from your volunteer so keep multiple email accounts. One for your private emails and one for the website. Never use your private email to signup for any service online. That'll greatly reduce the spam. The website account will be deluged with crap. That's where the volunteer can help by discarding the irrelevant emails and forwarding you the good ones. If you like the kid, you can let him handle simple questions like "When's the next imager book being published?"
Keep in mind, the volunteer wont have access to your private email. You give that email to your publisher, family and friends. The website email is for everything else.
Lastly I'd like to suggest Twitter. Twitter is modern Haiku where each update is a maximum of 144 letters. This will de-tar the baby while keeping your time expenditure to a minimum.
And yes, Twitter can be used seriously. It's not just for textual Diarrhea.
Oh, if you're looking for extra email accounts, may I suggest gmail? I've found their spam filter works better than most
G--
I guess the tie-in to what you wrote is that while the technology that allows for blogging/emailing appears to offer more choice in how you communicate, you decision to wade into these media means that you cannot cease using them without some reprecussion.
Anyway, thanks for the thoughtful post...I appreciate your reflections
: 3:01 PMEverything old becomes what's new, and everything new twas tried and true. The only one that wins from the churn is the salesman. True improvements are rare.
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