My Responses to My Own Questions

Posted on by inkbiotic

There were some excellent answers to these questions in the comments and on various blogs, so thank you to everyone who took part (and to anyone who still wants to, please do!) These are my own answers…

If you are a blogger, how would you describe what you write about? Are there specific themes you stick to or a style you use? (feel free to add a link)

I write a hodge podge of daft stories and pictures, with occasional posts on things I’ve learned about mental illness and brain injury. I don’t really intend a style, but I think my stories tend towards the odd and my health stuff is very focused on sharing solutions.

Do you write driven by inspiration or do you struggle to find things to say?

I try to write three posts a week, and sometimes that involves more thoughts than I have, so I try to keep a backlog of ideas.

Which kinds of posts do you most like writing? Do other people like reading them?

The stories. I like to play with ideas. I think people tend to like them. Although often I write something I love, but nobody else really notices; or I post a story that I think is so-so, but readers love it. I am not good at predicting opinions.

What wouldn’t you ever write about? Why?

I don’t want to slag anyone off (although sometimes the temptation is there). I do write about real situations in stories, but I make sure I play with the characters enough to remove them from reality. I try to avoid complaining posts; although they can be interesting to read, they make me feel miserable when I write them.

What’s your favourite post that you’ve written? (again, add a link if you like) What did you like about it? Did other people ‘get’ it?

Lost Islands of Xogulano these are very much niche fiction and I know they leave most people cold, but they’re probably the thing I’m proudest of. I just love mixing science and imagination, but finding ways of doing so that aren’t typical sci fi. Some of the BI posts are also very important to me, like Overcoming Panic and Phobias, because they were hard won lessons. I suspect much of the stuff I learned recovering from a brain injury is alien to people – close friends didn’t understand what i was talking about most of the time – but I like to know they’re available to anyone who might relate to them and find them useful.

What’s your favourite post that someone else has written? What about it caught your attention?

There’s  there’s this short fiction by wordwitch. I like it because she mixes poetic images with pure oddness; making a funny and beautiful story, with complex ideas contained in a tiny space. And Booky Glover wrote this poem, Booky’s poems always have melancholy elegance and for that reason they stand out.

Do you keep a blog because you want it to lead somewhere? Or do you just like writing?

I do like writing, I feel lost when I don’t write. However, I also have a bit of an end game – I’ve written two books now, one published, one not yet, and I hope by blogging I can find people who like how I write, in the hope they might also like my books.

What sort of blogs do you most like to read? Personal? Stories? Factual? Pictures?

All of those. I think I like a variety. I love reading a good story, but then I get curious about the people who wrote them and I want to find out more.

What kind of posts put you off reading?

Bitchy, bitter ones. Bigoted, hateful ones. Fortunately there don’t seem to be many of either on WordPress (although I might just be missing them).

Is there anything else about a blog that puts you off (eg fonts, popups)?

Anything that makes the writing difficult to see – hefty side bars, odd fonts. And I hate popups, I think they’re rude. On my blog, I want an email sign up button linked to my Mailchimp account, and trying to achieve that without using popups has been seriously complicated.

When do you write and read blogs? From work? On the toilet? Inside a volcano?

At home, in the one chair that doesn’t wreck my back.

How do you find other blogs to read (or do you not)?

I follow many, I go looking under tags to find more. One of the best things about WordPress is how many brilliant blogs are on here.

29 thoughts on “My Responses to My Own Questions”

  1. Thanks! My goal is to write 5,000 words each 30 days, so by the end of the year I’ll have some serious content to work with. Also, if I DO NOT write, I start to feel as if I am missing something.

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  3. I share your sentiment about popups; they are so obnoxious. Same for videos which auto-play when you scroll down your screen towards them; I consider it an invasion of my privacy and AdBlock them with impunity.

    Thanks for the insights!

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      1. Amen to that! What gets me is the websites which tell you “please turn off your adblocker to support our site’s sponsors.” I’d be happy to support static, non-invasive ads, but those annoying pop-ups or auto-play videos just slow my antiquated spaceship computer to a crawl. 😦

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  4. Your answers encapsulate exactly why I follow your blog: honest, sensitive and imaginative, all with a perfect balance between humour and seriousness. It makes me think, but it also makes me feel good. And that’s the best kind of virtual companion, I think.

    And that’s enough gushy-gushy, however sincerely meanr!

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  5. Thanks for the “shout out” – I’m really glad that in some way, you find some of what I write inspiring or curious 🙂

    I think you have a special blogging space – reflective of you and your interests and generally, when I pop in, I always feel like I’ve just slipped into a good zone – quiet, safe, yet not boring or routine. No matter what you’re posting, short stories, the niche ones, or something more personal, relating to your BI and all of that, as someone else has said, you’re space is honest.

    And as you know, I really like how you write – your stories, your more specialized serials – I think your style is unique, your ideas interesting – because even if you draw from the most “day to day” – you put a very unique imprint on them; as for your serials, I think because you write with such curiousness, interest and passion, for yourself – well, even if you feel like they might not be “understood” or reachable – they are.

    Passion, interest and enthusiasm, especially when written for oneself – that’s infectious, even if the specifics of the content isn’t someone’s cup of tea. So yup, I always enjoy stopping in.

    And when you write about your BI experiences, you are sensitive and understanding, compassionate – and not closed minded.

    So yeah, I really like your space.

    And for the next series of adventures – the published book and the one in the wings? Well, it’s a big bundle of possibilities and directions – and I’m sure, you will be successful – however it comes together. 🙂

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    1. You’re just ace. 🙂 I’ve had a bit of crappy day and coming home and finding nice messages like this (and others) has made me feel all fuzzy and happy (actually the cider may be helping with the fuzzy, but the happy is all due to you guys). I do love writing, but if I never got any feedback, I think I’d lose enthusiasm; but knowing that not only do some people like what I write, but those people also have a lot of talent, it means a lot. I hope you have a lovely evening (or day, depending) and keep writing that delightful, spiky prose! 🙂

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      1. spiky prose! oooh … that’s interesting …. I’ll stuff that in the brainbox and let it drip in the pain 😉

        sorry you had a rough day …. but since it’s now the weekend, hopefully you get to relax, wind down and everything will be better tomorrow 🙂

        well feedback is important – for sure – but if you have the passion, it’ll still run …. so have a “hug on the house” …. rest well and here’s to more creative inspirations and wonderful reading moments 🙂

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      2. Your post has made me grin out loud! (is that a thing? gol?) Thank you for the hug, I’m sending one through the Internet waves also. This weekend will be a lovely, I hope it is for you too! 🙂

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      3. oohhh …. I like “gol” … and if it isn’t a thing, it should be 😀

        thanks for the hug and glad to know your weekend will be lovely 🙂

        I have no idea how things will be here, so I’ll just wait and see how it comes 🙂

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  7. Wonderful answers to your own questions. Great to have a better insight into your writing philosophy and interests. And more things to read in your links. Hope you have a less stressful day tomorrow. Kat

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