Cibbuano
Mr Nice Guy
AhmedDoes Alcohol Make You Write Better - Wordophilia
October 3rd 2006 02:48
Does it?
I don't know, but I do know that I like a stiff drink before going tap-tap-tap on the keyboard.
Homer Joyce posted the question to the Orble network, and he must have hit a chord, as bloggers flocked to his page to add comments. Part of the reasons behind the post's momentum must surely be that Homer replies to every comment quickly and in great detail.
He puts forth some interesting ideas about why writers dance with the green fairy:
"(1) I’m an alcoholic. I enjoy drinking. Enough said.
(2) Writing is by nature, sedentary. I’m too hyperactive to sit still for long periods … Drinking is an activity …(not dissimilar to gym in my learned opinion) … I call drinking my exercise substitute … just as alcohol itself is my woman substitute, albeit a poor one but it does enable me to stay at the keyboard for long periods of time …
(3) Writing is by nature solitary. Apart from alcohol itself, I don’t have any friends. It’s my friend substitute as well. I wasn’t predestined to be a hermit, but I’ve chosen to live like one. Alcohol dulls the pain of loneliness, and keeps me at the keyboard. In fact, at times, alcohol completely obliterates loneliness …oops … way too much information) … "
Writing is solitary, unfortunately... there have been many late nights where I've wished that my writing could be accompanied with a handful of scantily-dressed nurses and a wise-cracking sidekick.
I don't know, but I do know that I like a stiff drink before going tap-tap-tap on the keyboard.
Homer Joyce posted the question to the Orble network, and he must have hit a chord, as bloggers flocked to his page to add comments. Part of the reasons behind the post's momentum must surely be that Homer replies to every comment quickly and in great detail.
He puts forth some interesting ideas about why writers dance with the green fairy:
"(1) I’m an alcoholic. I enjoy drinking. Enough said.
(2) Writing is by nature, sedentary. I’m too hyperactive to sit still for long periods … Drinking is an activity …(not dissimilar to gym in my learned opinion) … I call drinking my exercise substitute … just as alcohol itself is my woman substitute, albeit a poor one but it does enable me to stay at the keyboard for long periods of time …
(3) Writing is by nature solitary. Apart from alcohol itself, I don’t have any friends. It’s my friend substitute as well. I wasn’t predestined to be a hermit, but I’ve chosen to live like one. Alcohol dulls the pain of loneliness, and keeps me at the keyboard. In fact, at times, alcohol completely obliterates loneliness …oops … way too much information) … "
Writing is solitary, unfortunately... there have been many late nights where I've wished that my writing could be accompanied with a handful of scantily-dressed nurses and a wise-cracking sidekick.
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Comment by Homer Joyce
I was more than a bit surprised to see a post on my post.
But you do touch on a subject I’d like to expand on, namely: the popularity of a post.
I notice there are a lot of blog experts on blog sites. They offer invaluable information on the mechanics of blogging (and I’m grateful to them) but I’m more interested in the human angle, as in: What is of interest to other humans? What makes people interested in reading a blog or responding to it? … not: How to generate an income from a blog. I blog partly because of my desire to socialise via the net with others of a like literary mind (if such people exist: Mothers, lock up your daughters).
In my opinion, popularity is as much about simplicity (and the complex subcategories that exist beneath simplicity) as it is about anything else. The old KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) philosophy.
I’m a great one for asking questions. I’ll ask myself, How do you get people to read your blog? I keep answering my own questions with answers that involve questions (so much for simplicity, huh?). Ask questions is my motto when it comes to a blog title. Everyone loves giving their opinion. Why not accommodate that? Why tell people something when their desire is to tell you something? Is that too simple? Am I retarded? I hope so. Give me simplicity any day.
I agree with you that by responding to each comment asap and with a certain amount of detail does help to increase the site’s popularity and make people return. I just call that common courtesy. Someone has made the effort to post something on my blog site. It’s just common courtesty to respond asap and with some attention to what the person has posted. Call it the listening or reading factor. Sometimes I really struggle with what to respond with, but I’ll stay at the computer and think of something because the person has gone out of their way to post a comment, and I believe they deserve a response that suggests that I value their comment. Common Courtesy again.
We’re so preoccupied with people understanding us nowadays … we’ve all lost sight of the fact that we make no effort to understand others. I just read each blog post (in an anally-retentive fashion as regards attention to detail), and try to respond to it in as much detail as I can, because that is the response I would like if I posted something on someone else’s site. Call it the reverse psychology angle on: Ignore me, and I will go away (Pay attention to me, and I will stay).
I’ve read all of the blogs on how to blog, but in my opinion, there is only one rule to writing blog-style: Engage the reader. That implies that you ask their opinion. That means your blog header is a question. None of us want to be told anything (that’s human nature). So, although I’m new to blogging, I believe I have a grasp on what makes a blog site popular (not that that in itself is any big shakes … but it does the ego good), and so, rather than give any advice on blogging, I’ll just offer my suggestions, as I have done … And now, I need a drink ... That was hard work ...
Homer.
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Myself, I find that I can get mired down in the self-masturbation of my own writing - ie, using too many hidden references, trying to be too literate.
ps. send me a message with your email address
Comment by Homer Joyce
It is forbidden to put HTML on posts. (Will they delte HTML?)
So, I propose a little quid-pro-quo (Hannibal-Clarice style).
I am known as homer (no caps).
I have a nic. It is hj. But due to the net I have to insert an underscore between homer and hj.
And then I have to insert another underscore between hj and joyce.
As to where I live in the world of cyberspace, I am at the place that is generally referred to as hot mail dot com.
There is no Hey You (Or au)... it's just dot com.
Homer.
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Homer Joyce
Shsh. We were getting away with it while no-one was bringing it to anyone's attention ...
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
But I'll decrypt your code and send you an email...
Comment by Sisi
Comment by TomN
Boat Heaven
Very briefly I wrote captions for a porn site and after three hours had to give it up. It was fun sharing my room with all that flesh but writing those captions! Not allowed to use words of more that one vowel more than once each half hour and never, absolutely never use a word with more that two vowels.
So I join the otheres in my soltitude but at least out there in the ether...
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by TomN
Boat Heaven
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak