Here's the Problem:

I was reading some thoughtful, serious essays by Dan Wickett and Maud Newton and the like on what a "blog" is and what a "blog" does and I started feeling like a jerk because all I'm doing is goofing around and trying to sell a few books, maybe. Right now I'm thinking that maybe it's okay to goof around. And maybe it's even okay to sell a book or two! I've heard it's an enjoyable experience. But I shouldn't set up straw men and gleefully boot them to the floor! There are people who put a lot of time and care into their "blogs." And maybe they get their feelings hurt when I (or people like me, I don't assume they've looked at the "blog") make a bunch of sport and such. Also, what if they review my book? And they're like, "Hey, that's that guy who gives everyone a false impression of 'blogs.' Even though I have integrity, part of me hates him!" When I said, in an earlier "post," that a "blog" is "when you are rich enough to have a computer, and you have developed, at some point in your life, rudimentary typing skills," I should have been clearer. That IS really all one needs to make a "blog," but it is not, actually, the DEFINITION of a "blog," and certainly not of a thoughtful "blog." You know, this is exactly the sort of thing I NEVER want to talk about on the "blog." But the AJC controversy has everybody all riled up and excited, and I am highly suggestible. Speaking of which, the other problem with my "blog" came up when I was talking with Sheri Joseph and Teresa Weaver yesterday. Joseph explained that she was resistant to writing a "blog" because it wouldn't be crafted in the way that her writing usually is, and it would just be out there, suddenly, unpolished and jagged, for all to see (I'm paraphrasing, but I believe that's the gist). I answered, "Yeah, but one day we'll all be dead, so who cares?" But secretly on the inside I was trembling with shame! In my case, there's a double trap, because - superficially - my "voice" on the "blog" could be conflated with that of some of my narrators. But when I write a story or a book, the intent is different and certainly the level of concentration is different. Maybe from time to time I should remind everyone that I am not one of my own narrators... or AM I? Maybe this whole thing is secretly very polished, and there's a big scheme behind it, and slowly a plot is being revealed and before long it will be a book. But it's not. I'm just goofing around.