It’s been a slow one at Chez Curvy. To be honest, I kinda like it that way. Too much to do, too busy, not enough  time stresses me out. I’m more of a ‘let’s see what’s up’ kinda lifer. So, it’s been nice.

I’ve been reading all your blogs, though. And I do mean ALL YOUR BLOGS.  I probably haven’t commented, either because I’m really too lazy to go thrugh the motions or  just can’t think of anything helpful to say and ‘hi’ just doesn’t seem to cut it, or because I don’t have time to say what I really want to say but I always intend to go back later and then I forget because I need some gingko biloba.

I must follow hundreds of blogs in my reader. Nothing brings me greater joy than opening my RSS Reader and seeing so many new posts from everyone. I am sad when my reader is empty (subliminal message: If you haven’t updated in awhile, GET TO IT!) I’m not sure when I got so into reading blog (maybe when I started writing one two?) but I adore it. I love to read about people like me- readers, writers, lovers of life, friends, people who live in Atlanta, black/ mulitcultural. Not big on gossip and entertainment blogs, since I don’t pay attention to most of what’s out there. It’s gibberish, to me.

Do you read a blog that you think I should be reading? Someone who is both prolific and profound? Introspective and yet extroverted? Fun and creative? Dedicated, with lots of drive? Or just downright deliciously naughty? Yes, I am a mild freak. I know you’re surprised. Lower your eyebrows.

But I want MOAR! So, Rec me! Point me to some bloggers that you can’t live without. I may have already pillaged your blogroll but recommend away, for the other readers who want to pick up some new material.

What, me??? OOOH.  Some new blogs I am enjoying the heck out of:

Vibrations of a Vixen -NSFW, seriously, but she is delightful. Probably my complete and total opposite but I love. it.

My Vivid Green Eyes I’d tell you she’s the best bestie in the West but she’ll tell you herself, so… *shrug*

Scale Junkie- I took the plunge and rejoined the Healthy You Challenge that I was on in 2007-208. Made a HUGE difference in my life, and I found a lot of great weight loss blogs to follow as well. Check out my first progress report  under New Life Tuesday!

Nicole is Better – I don’t even know what to say about Nicole, except that if you like Vixen, you’ll love Nicole. ’nuff said.

The Beautiful Struggler- Sometimes we need someone to tell the truth. And not be nice about it.

Awesomely Luvvie- Creator of the Red Pump Project. Her twitter and blog posts have me ROLLING. FREQUENTLY.

Critique This- a new blog for writers, about writing. I love writing blogs that talk about WRITING. Nothing against those who are at the point of being published, looking for an agent/editor/publishing house… I’m just not there. Back the truck up, and let’s talk about writing. LOVE this new blog.

WriteMeg- this girl is my book reading HERO. She must read three or four books at a time, and reviews every single one. I’m hoping that someday I’ll see her name on a book spine, but until then, I’ll be reading this blog and picking up book recommends.

I should rec myself. My writing blog is much slower than this one but I am trying to get back into the swing of things over there. I write about writing, working my current pieces, what my goals are,  trials and tribulations and also accomplishments. It’s mostly for me but for grins and giggles, if you want to take a gander, it’s at The Sweet Escape. Don’t laugh at my fanfiction, yo.

I think that’s it for today. We’ll save some for our next Rec session.

It’s your turn now…. GO!

I think this set of questions is more directed toward the professional and not the personal blogger, but as I was skipping through them looking for something to blog about today, some thoughts came to me so I decided to pretend that it was relevant to me, and do it anyway.

These questions came from The Pajama Professional:

1. What do you like most about your blog or the niche about which you write?

I think what I like most is that it’s completely mine. Unlike at work where I am usually editing a letter or website content or a marketing piece that isn’t about me or what I want to say, what I put here are my own thoughts and ideas and musings. Since I’m not all that popular (yet, *sniggle*) I have the freedom to say almost anything I really want to say, within reason. I can be honest and gracious, as opposed to tactless and mean, about things that really matter to me. Above all, I love the control I have to show as much or as little as I really want to show.

2. What made you stop thinking of yourself as someone who writes a blog and give yourself the title of “blogger”?

I don’t know that I’ve crossed over that threshold yet. It may take some time and a few hundred more blog posts. Maybe when things begin to come to me without having to think what am I going to blog about? and when I feel like I have stories to tell and things to share that people actually want to read. It’s kind of like the transition between saying I write and finally being able to call myself a writer. I think that step came with validation from other writers? Interesting question– I’m not sure there is a whole helluva lotta difference between someone who blogs and a blogger. Though I imagine pro bloggers might beg to differ.

3. If you could write in any other niche and be successful (pretend you’re an expert in the field even if you’re not) about what subject would you write?

I’m a big fan of crime drama– Law and Order Original/SVU/Criminal Intent, I will watch until my eyes fall out, if there’s a marathon. I used to be big into CSI: Las Vegas.  CSI: Miami kind of snuck up on me when I got cable and started watching the reruns on A&E-which was how I discovered my new obsession, Criminal Minds. Cold Case (both the documentary style show on A&E and the drama on CBS), Forensic Files– I’m all over the stuff.  I love the puzzle. I love seeing the pieces spread out, and watch them come together into one big picture, 42 minutes later.

I can’t write it, though.  Pains me, because I’d love to but nothing really comes to mind, when I set out to write it. I usually default to general dramatic fiction or romance, which is just… laughable, really.

4. The best selling magazine in the same niche as your blog has just offered you a full-time writing position. The only stipulation is that you will no longer be able to maintain your blog for conflict of interest reasons. Do you take the job or keep the blog?

Since this is a personal blog, I can’t imagine where that would be a logical proposition. If I was writing a blog on a particular subject matter and was offered a full time position doing the exact same thing for a bigger audience, I’d likely take the full time writing job. It’s hard to say, though, since full time writing is a little bit of a pipe dream for me. I’ve often reflected on a full, busy, satisfying day at work and think now imagine if I could have the same feeling from being able to write all day! I used to follow a lot of writers on twitter and discovered that I was  jealous of how much time they had to spend on twitter and blogs, writing about writing, while I’m at work answering phones, arguing with the fax machine, trying to stay on top of everything on my plate. If all I had to do was get up, fill the coffee cup, and go into my office and write (and get paid to do it), that would be heaven.

5. What traits or stats would you use as criteria if you had to determine whether or not a blog was successful?

Well… what is a successful blog?  Are the criteria for personal blogs any different from professional blogs or even entertainment/gossip blogs?  To me, a few things translate across the board: high readership and active commentary, content that gets quoted and passed around the internet and back-linked all to hell are signs of success to me. I said something, and people not only listened, but passed it along. A successful personal blog, to me (and I’m thinking in terms of what I want for my blogs and not for anyone else’s) would be

• Regularly updated content
• Easily readable, memorable material
• Relays a point of view that readers can relate to, respond to, resonate with
• Have a great track record. 3 months of great, regular blogging don’t equal success, to me. Longevity matters
• Active reader participation. I think this goes to the question of why people maintain blogs– do I blog for me or do I blog for the people who read me? Back when I decided to open this blog, I went back and forth on it because while it’s not at all expensive, I am paying for web space. That $5 a month makes me think about what I’m doing, here and who I’m doing it for.  Every time I pay my hosting bill, I think about the purpose of my blog and evaluate it– am I doing what I set out to do, or is this a waste of $5?

This also goes back to the age old writing question, especially if you’re part of a community that offers reviews and critiques. There are a lot of whiny writers out there who throw a tantrum if they feel like they’re writing into oblivion. If they don’t get enough reviews or others get more reviews than they do, they start turning into high school sophomores whining about cliques. What it boils down to is that they’re not getting feedback. Not only are people not reading them, people aren’t saying why they’re not reading them. And when they whine about it, we ask what does it matter??? Do they write for themselves, or do they write for reviews? Do full time writers write to see their books on a shelf, or to see their books on a best seller list? I wonder if Stephen King ever throws a tantrum when a book doesn’t debut on on the New York Times Best Sellers List? (Not that this has ever happened, for Stephen King…)  I’m guessing not, but then again, comparing a hobby writer to Stephen King may be an insult.

As for me, I write for myself first… but if I put it out there for others to read, I want it to be palatable. Pretending that it doesn’t matter if people find me boring or nonsensical or not memorable does me no good, because it directly affects what I publish and becomes part of my standards for myself.  If I truly blogged for myself, I wouldn’t invite others to read it and respond. I wouldn’t be obsessed with my stats and marvel and how they climb higher as time goes on. I wouldn’t *squee* whenever I get an email that I have a new comment, and rush here to see what someone had to say.

Since most of my readership- all eight of you– are personal bloggers, what are your thoughts? When you write, what are you aiming for? Is your blog just an outlet, or do you feel like it’s a ‘show’? Or a combination of both? If someone were to tell you ‘here’s what’s wrong with your blog’, would you heed that advice or keep on keepin’ on?  It’s totally okay to be self centered right now.  Let’s talk about YOU.

This meme is from Sunday Stealing. Its called the Pretentious Blogger Meme, lol.
1. How long have you been blogging?

Counts…. well, regularly here since August.  I’ve tried, in some form or another, to have a blog in the past but I never found myself interesting enough to write about. I’m trying, now, to have more of a diary type thing than a popular blog where I postulate and pretend to know a lot of things about stuff. I just want to blog about life and things.

2. What made you start?

I found I had things to say, stuff I wanted to talk about. The Diary was born.

3. Who inspired you?

I’ll do the PC answer… I follow a lot of bloggers because I’m inspired by real people telling their life stories, a post at a time. People who are open and funny and real. I’d say, if your blog shows up on my blog roll or my reader, you inspire me.

4. About how many hours a week would you estimate you spend on your blog?

Depends on the week. Some weeks, less than 1. Some weeks I spend hours a day here.

5. What kind of experience or background do you have with writing?

Until recently, no professional experience. I feel like I write well, but I don’t focus a lot on proper grammar rules and editorial aspects of writing. I’m more of a fiction writer– I prefer to make things up. Non fiction (and my life is pretty much non fiction) is hard for me, but I wanted to press myself to do some things that weren’t easy and expand my repertoire.

6. Talk about how you come up with blog topics. Where do you get your ideas?

Usually it’s something sparked from conversation on twitter, message boards, or real life. Sometimes from TV or music. Sometimes ‘ripped from the headlines’. Recently I’ve been trying to gather a list of ‘things to talk about’ because I get a little dry and boring.

7. What or who inspires you and your blog?

Is it me or did I already answer this?

8. Where and/or how do your brainstorming for your blog?

I don’t really. Perhaps that’s an issue? If it doesn’t come from my life (and frankly if I don’t have the energy to blog it) it doesn’t get blogged.

9. Do you have any blogging rules or guidelines you follow?

Not really. Just blog. Try not to get spammed.

10. Is there anything you will not blog about?

Politics, probably. Religion, maybe. I feel like those are really personal and I don’t really care what people think about my choices.

11. Do you have any sort of a publishing schedule in terms of day of week or topic?

Not really, but thinking of developing one.

12. How many drafts of potential blog posts do you have right now?

None.

13. In what medium do you draft your posts?

Sometimes email, especially if I’m at work.

14. How often do you completely scratch or delete drafts or blog post ideas?

All the time. If I’m in the middle of writing it and I don’t care or I’m yawning, I might stop, mid-sentence, and send it to trash.

15. If you had to leave your blog in your will to another blogger, who would you choose?

No one. It’s about me. I’d hope KF would delete it.

16. Are there other blogs that you feel are similar to yours in content, style, or voice?

No, I am unique. Just like everyone else!

17. Has anything surprised you since you started blogging?

People actually read this stuff…..

18. What are your goals or plans for your blog going forward?

Do more of it? Maybe, you know… become more popular. Or whatever. I dunno. I don’t have huge plans.

19. Do you make any money from your blog? (optional) about how much a month?

None.

20. What blogging system do you use?

WordPress, self hosted, because I am a control freak.

21. How did you come up your blog name?

Gonna shout out MissShellie. :D She told me she liked to read about my adventures and that I should start a blog, sort of Bridget Jones-ish but with my flavor. It took awhile to get it up and running, but it’s here finally.

22. How many blogs do you have? What was your peak?

2. I had three but the third I just didn’t really care about and I’m looking to replace it with just a static page, since it’s the home page/CMS for a forum. Actually… I have a blog strictly for my *NSYNC fangirling and crazyness. I don’t post in it often. I also help run stillnsync, which uses WP as a CMS.

23. Are you having as much fun as when you started?

Even more.

24. Where do you find other bloggers like you?

Twitter mostly. WordPress.com does a great job of grouping bloggers by topic. I wish WP.org had the same thing. Google is great as well. Lastly, I cruise blogrolls of bloggers I love, looking for the blogs THEY love.

25. What’s your one wish when it comes to blogging?

More readers. Lots of comments. Lots of interaction. Tons of fun. Oh, that’s more than one, huh?