Monday, December 30, 2013

2014 blog plans

The purpose of this blog has evolved over the years. Initially I created it to promote my soon to be released E book--The Sweater Curse. (The Sweater Curse was released in 2010--and I've recently obtained the rights. I've added to the manuscript. It is now novel-length. And I'm currently looking for a publisher for this thriller.)
How do I do that? I struggled to answer that question. And I thought I'd found an answer... Blog endlessly about the book. But this strategy bored even me.

Soon I was ready to try something else. So I began to create posts that where related to the book. The protagonist of The Sweater Curse is a knitwear designer. So I interviewed knitwear designers. I thoroughly enjoyed helping to promote their businesses. And I began sharing the hand knitting patterns I'd designed. I was making a career transition from knitwear designer to author. And I felt that my blog was the prefect place for me to showcase my past success. I was very proud of my designs and I enjoyed sharing them with you but... Recently I've been receiving feedback that has made me think that by including my patterns here I'm muddying the waters. Am I a knitwear designer or an author? Have no doubt I am an author. So for the sake of purity of purpose and to enhance clarity I will be removing these patterns from my blog in 2014. 

Though I knew this change was necessary, I was still a little uneasy about it. Would it mean less traffic? Did I have the right to make this change knowing that so many people enjoyed my patterns? These worries and more raced around in my head--until I read Victoria Grefer article 4 Tips to Blog Your Best

What will become of my hand knitting patterns? I'm still trying to answer that questions...

In 2014 I will reduce the number of times I post on this blog from three times a week to two. Thursday and Friday are too close together. If I post late on Thursday and early on Friday it's like I didn't post on Thursday. 
And besides with my new clarity of focus there is no 'without a pen'. This is an author's blog.
Monday's theme will be 'my author journey.' Each Monday I'll post about the events I attend; the things I learn and the stories I read and write.
On Guest Post Friday I will continue to help to promote those in the publishing industry--authors, publishers, editors, and...

This entire article can be summarized into two sentences:  Leanne Dyck's blog is a writing blog. Leanne Dyck is a writer.

2014 will be an exciting year. I'm looking forward to sharing it with you.
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Next post (Friday):  Literature As An Oppositional Disorder by Ernest Hekkanen