Short & Sweet
What a lot of nice birthday wishes for both me and the blog. Thank you, dear readers from me and the blog.
I went back through my archives (don’t worry, you don’t have to) and realized that I post about five or six times a month. How could that be? I feel like I post all the time. (In fact, I do post almost every day up there in the pages, where I go on and on about my efforts to find an agent to sell my book and a journal to take my stories and natter on about how hard it is to find time to write because I’m so busy living life.)
It occurred to me that maybe I’d post more (twelve times a month instead of five or six) if I wrote less. Every blog post I write is a sort of essay. Okay, maybe they’re not essays, maybe they’re just run-on posts. Anyway, would it kill me to try to be more Wittgenstein-like, more aphoristic? But then I’d have to be wittier, and get to the point. I doubt I can do that. But this month, I’m going to give that a try. New year, new things. Short. Sweet.
I don’t know about sweet, but I have been trying short for ages. And I have been having some success recently. But sometimes, posting short stuff is just a way of postponing the big things that can’t be conveyed in a nutshell (unless it’s a 1000-word coconut).
I thought your hens were very sweet, so you’re doing well there, Mandarine.
I often feel that my short posts are more to do with feeling that I need to say something - anything - rather than leave an uncomfortable gap in the conversation and find that everyone has sneaked off, never to return, when I have something else significant to say. Or else I stick a photo up. Photos are always good for something short and sweet.
My last two posts were photos. Even tagged the same, I realized, after I hit ‘publish’. I like the longer posts and admire those that can post them regularly. Don’t worry Lily; we all came back after your summer hiatus.
Cam, you are a dear, you know that don’t you? I suppose we are who we are, and I am a person who types fast and edits little, every sixth day of the month. Still, maybe I can come up with a “the limits of my language are the limits of my world” kind of observation once in a while. For your amusement.
U-Dad: Placeholding! I like photos. Maybe that’s what I’ll do. xo, L
But I like your long posts, Lily…they’re so friendly in their rambling, it’s like eavesdropping on a conversation that’s been going on for days.
Long posts, short posts, whichever, I’ll be there. I’m a dyed-in-the-wool fan.
I missed it - Happy (belated) Birthday BlogLily!
On the subject of your postsings - your blog has a truly unique voice, and I really enjoy your “essays.” I read so many blogs that it works out just fine for me that you don’t post every day. I really enjoy your writing BlogLily, why mess with perfection?
Best,
Jade
Hello dear Jade, No, you are dead on — the day of my maturity being today. And thank you. As for the essays/run-on posts, I like writing them. Still, it’s fun to experiment with other ways of blogging. I mean, how are you going to release your inner Wittgenstein if you don’t try?
And I, Charlotte, am similarly dyed as to Charlotte’s Web.
Marie, I do think one of the pleasures of a blog is the way it satisfies voyeuristic desires, particularly about daily life. Short/long whatever — what I love is looking over someone’s shoulder at their life.
Happy Birthday Lily. Hope your day is special.
Love ya,
Tom
Thank you Tom. I got your phone call too. You’re a wonderful brother. Love, Lily
Some people have long, winded posts that say nothing. Your may occasionally be long, but they’re full of interesting juicy thoughts. Write what you want. I’ll read it.
I see from the query wars that you, too, have a dog that hates other dogs. Ours, Nunuk, was never properly socialized by the time we got him. Sweetest thing at home; occasionally scary outside, but we’re taking this zen approach toward him that seems to really be helping him.
oh, and thanks for the bag compliment!
Happy Birthday Lily!
from one of the 5% who is NOT younger than you are…
You can post whatever you want, whenever you want, and I’ll still be virtually ringing your doorbell all the time. And happy birthday!
Emily, I think short & sweet might actually be harder than long & rambling. Although poems and aphorisms look easy, in fact, you have to do a lot of thinking and pruning to get them right. SO, I think I’m just going to have to ramble and then, w hen the doorbell rings, stop.
As I recall, Ms. Freedman, you are in fact YOUNGER than I am because your birthday is in May. I have you by two months.
Mari, The zen approach sounds like a fine idea. We’ve been sending Archie on playdates with Peppermint, a neighbor dog, and he seems to be calming down a little bit.
[...] recall — said three was okay, rather than two. And, finally, I think I might be incapable of short & sweet blog posts because it actually takes more time to write something witty and short — like a [...]