On the change in tone

I went back and read one of my previous blog posts, and decided it was the most boring thing I've ever read, barring possibly Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. (And yes, for me it was as boring and depressing as the title makes it sound. No offense to Mr. Hemingway; he really was a good writer--I've read some other stuff--but this one was a bust for me.) I think that post might be right up there with the aforementioned book, actually.

*bows* I am so sorry! T-T This thing was supposed to be interesting and witty, dangit! Or at least mildly amusing. (Let's not kid ourselves, Rosie.)

I was gonna blog about how lame I was for blogging about blogging, but I think you can get the point from reading those posts. Doing the above would be both reader torture and kicking a dead horse. The poor thing is already dead; it doesn't need me to blow holes in it. >.<

Car trouble and a successful experiment

My car had one of its pipes pop off (again) yesterday. I noticed the guy welded it on this time, rather than simply using a vise. He fixed it for free both times it popped off, so I won't complain too much. I also know that he had the vise on there so that I could get the catalytic converter replaced if I ever needed to, but I hope not. It'd probably cost more to fix than my poor old car is worth.

It hasn't been a bad couple of days, other than that. I did decide that I'm going to start using some of the drafts I have cooked up in my notebooks, since I've noticed it's difficult to just sit down and write something that's interesting and makes sense day after day. I'm sure that an experienced blogger who reads this will say, "Well, duh," but my blogs before have been like my journals, with me just writing when I felt like it about what I felt like writing right then. I can do that some, I'm sure, but I'd really like to be able to post something at least once a day (minus Sundays), and I have days when I just can't write. 'Tis best to have backup material, I think.

Another thing I noticed actually works as well as advertised is leaving a link to your stuff in your comments. I picked up a number of views just from people going, "Oh, what's this?" Now, I'm not talking about spamming people's blogs or forums with your website name. That's just awkward, not to mention really rude. However, having a link to your site in your forum signature (the box at the bottom of your forum posts with pictures and stuff in it, for those who don't know) or leaving your website when invited in a comment box (some have a setup asking for your name, your email, your site, and then your comment, and sometimes link to your site from your name/username) is just fine. I will definitely be doing that more, since I'm fine with being associated with my blog.

I might also borrow some of my mom's blogging books. She dove in headlong to the research part when she decided she wanted a blog. Mom likes to look things up and learn all the steps first, while I learn best by doing and researching as I go, so--since we like some of the same things--I will often end up borrowing my mom's books and just reading the part I'm curious about right then. :) I drive my poor mother crazy doing that, but we decided long ago that we'd stop trying to learn things at the same time, since the "book knowledge first" method usually makes me want to hit my head against a wall.

On another note, I may well give up on the second "about me" and just let people go read my profile page when I get that finished. (Somehow, I think it's bad form that I'm four posts in and that still isn't done...) I really don't want to keep saying I'll do something and then that's not what I do.

Sadly, 'tis time for me to move on to the next thing on my list, so I'm afraid this will have to do for now.

See you tomorrow.

Love,

Rosie

Next, Please

So, my AdSense application was rejected today. The reason? "Insufficient content." I'm a bit miffed, but now that I'm thinking about it, it makes perfect sense. Once this is actually up, I will have two posts. Two. What advertiser in their right mind would pay to put their content on a blog with nothing on it and no way to figure out its target audience? Heck, I'm pretty sure I don't really have an audience yet.

Thankfully, the lack of content thing is fairly easy to fix. My brain is constantly going anyway, so all I need to do is translate it to words, edit out the irrelevant stuff, and make sure my ranting is followable.

Speaking of, I really would like input when you've had some time to figure out what you like reading here. I do know that's going to take a bit, since I'm essentially still building this blog. It might well just follow my thoughts on how Mom and I are doing, since we're both starting over at awkward times in life to start over.

I do think I'm going to take the advice of the gent over at All Japanese All The Time and "start over dirty", as he calls it. (By the way, his take on disclaimers is hilarious. Also, for future reference, unless I say I'm getting compensated for something--and I WILL get to that point, even if it takes me a decade--any reviews or links or whatever I put up are there because I like them and/or they are relevant to something in that post.) "Starting over dirty" means starting over with a new method without ditching everything you've already learned and done. At this very second, that means for me that I should use here what I already know about life and business to help with my own.

For example, I might take "insufficient content" to be roughly equal to "not enough experience". Not having the experience is why I'm not doing the job I wanted to right now. What did I do? I went looking for a way to get the experience, and I'm currently earning it. I'll be able to apply for similar jobs within a year or so, if I want. (Said jobs do not involve sitting at a desk all day, if you're wondering. :) ) What does that mean for my blog? Keep blogging, of course! How else is one going to build up content?

I do not intend to just dump one-sentence posts or rattle on, brain-barfing pointless drivel to up my post count. (If anything, that sounds like a good way to keep your view count far too low to be worth even derisive laughter.) If nothing else, it will at least be something I think is cool, stupid, interesting, or funny with an accompanying commentary. Nobody should be paying anybody for useless nonsense, even they will probably never have to read it.

Yes. I believe I like this plan. I still don't know if I will even have a primary topic, but I don't particularly care, either. This is my blog, and it shall be whatever I choose to make of it. It's not like I can't make another blog if I want to write about something that ends up not fitting here. As it is, it seems to be what I sais earlier: my (and maybe my mother's)adventures in setting up an alternative income, and all of the self-helpy, psychology-spouting navel gazing and brain reorganizing that go with them. I know that's been done before--I'm not blind, or stupid--but what mystery lover reads only Sherlock Holmes? It's the new things that a new person brings to the table, how they see that thing or plot that sort of crime that keeps people coming back to the genres they love. 'Tis simply a matter of whether I am cut out to write the genre it seems I have chosen.

We shall see, we shall see.

Have a lovely whatever-time-of-day, if you can, and I shall see you next time.

Love,

Rosie