My Tiara's Stuck

[AmyDoodle]

Okay, I threw my tiara into the blogging ring, then got stuck trying to decide whether to continue as is, start over, or pluck out the rhinestones and make some nice costume jewelry.

Please tell me. Am I on the right track? Thanks for your help!

[Ava Jarvis]

You've only been blogging for three months. Now is not the time to give up! :) I know the temptation is strong, but this is the equivalent to hitting the wall partway through a novel. Keep going, and keep the faith, and keep searching for your path.

As someone who used to drop blogs after three months, I caution against dropping too early. This time I stuck with it, and it took a little over three months to even just barely start getting my act together. And I'm still so not totally with it.

Your blog is definitely not in need of stripping down. Your content is there, and you have your archives prominent (good idea).

What are your goals? What do you want to use your blog for? What kind of audience (numbers, niche) do you want to see?

What's getting you down?

[jenngreenleaf]

I linked to your blog awhile ago - I may not comment, but I do read. I hope you'll continue on the pace you're on and don't give up! :) I have doubts about my blog, too, but I've been too chicken to ask for a review. LOL You're braver than I am!

[AmyDoodle]

Thanks so much to those of you who have been to check out my blog and special thanks to those who commented here or privately. We all need encouragement and guidance. You have helped me tremendously and I hope I can do the same for you!

[Marilyn Braun]

Your content is very compelling. The first thing I noticed about the layout was the spacing - the text is in a solid block, which personally I find very difficult to read. It's a bit of a turn off. The text format for Jammin with Jimmi is much easier on the eyes.

[CACTUSWENDY]

:roll:Color me laughing my head off......What a joy to read. You are one funny gal. (IMHO) Erma Bombeck style. You should put all of these in a book.

Thank you for sharing this and much success with your site. :ROFL:Will be grinning for awhile. (And I am skinny.)

[AmyDoodle]

Hmmm . . .I see what you mean about the spacing. I'll work on that. I'm just starting to learn coding, but the spacing from the Jimi piece comes from how I did it in Word, so I can start with small changes right away.

Thanks to Marilyn Braun and Cactus Wendy for stopping by. And Wendy, we all love you even though you don't require stretchy pants. . .yet!

THANKS!

[jenngreenleaf]

I really need to stop being afraid and just ask to be reviewed. LOL

[AmyDoodle]

Jenn, Go for it! I've been to your site. You have knowledge to share and remarkable insight. (I forgot to tell you, but I linked to you. Hope that's Okay!) :)

[jenngreenleaf]

Jenn, Go for it! I've been to your site. You have knowledge to share and remarkable insight. (I forgot to tell you, but I linked to you. Hope that's Okay!) :)Thank you! I'm one year away from being in this business for a decade and, to be honest, every single day is still a learning experience. (in one way or another) And, YES, it certainly IS okay to link to me!!! (and everyone else reading this response can, too - yes, I'm talking about YOU over there - come on, link! You know you wanna! :D)

[wordsmith]

Amy, you'd better not stop blogging...where will I go for my daily dose of pee-in-my-pants humor?

Seriously though, I think your blog is great. Like one of the PPs said (yes, I'm too lazy to scroll up), I agree with the spacing...but considering that the funky spacing hasn't detracted from the content at all, that's minor in the grand scheme of things. Your description of the blog is great and well...woman, what can I say, that I haven't said already? Keep on trucking. :)

[AmyDoodle]

Thanks! I've started working on that spacing, and I can really see a difference. I find it also makes a punch line stand out when it's separated from the text.

I reckon with this kind of encouragement I'd better go work on some more posts. You know me; if I can make somebody wet their pants, it's been a good day.

[Gina M]

Whenever I read the subject line, "My Tiara's Stuck" I laugh and laugh. I have a friend named Tiara and one night she got so drunk she could barely speak. She just kept saying the same thing over and over again - she was stuck.

So, thanks for the laugh. I would say for the memory too, but really, it wasn't a pretty one:)

Gina M

[AmyDoodle]

Oooh, there's somebody named Tiara? I love it. Maybe I need to change my name. . . .

[CatMuse33]

Amy,

I'm going to be straightforward with you. I LOVE your blog.

The only problem I have with it (once you started adding more paragraph breaks in your essays, which has helped a lot in terms of readability) is I think your stuff is publishable for more than a blog, girl. You should be getting paid for it--and paid well.

I guess I'm still a bit "old school", in that I look at books and magazines as... well, paid writing..whereas a blog is mostly for fun. But the blogosphere is so much richer for your presence. You are WONDERFUL.

I was not kidding or merely flattering when I said you are the next Erma Bombeck... your stories are brilliant. :) You've been published on CSM, which should be proof enough.
Your blog rocks. :D

If I were you, I'd collect them all in a book, write a proposal, find a publisher, and then we can all come to your book signings and TiVo your appearance on Oprah.

For real.

But don't stop blogging and don't change a thing. We love you and your tiara, you silly bajaffe, you.

[melaniehoo]

I'm a daily reader so I really hope you stick with it. As others above me already said, your writing style is very energetic and you tell a great story. You and DonnaDuck are my daily laugh!

I agree with the spacing issue, but I've noticed it's been better a couple times.

Keep it up!

[AmyDoodle]

Cat, Melanie--Buckets of thanks for the positive comments. I'm so hard on myself that I'll work on a piece until I don't think it's funny at all and I'll have to go ask somebody else whether it's usable.

I've backed off to twice a week posting so it'll be more fun, and I think that'll come through. Melanie, I'm working on keeping that spacing. The ADD in me (oh, that's documented, I'm not making fun) means well, but gets distracted by important things like the cat snoring, the dog wanting a cookie, or the teenage sons doing heavy-duty riffs on Guitar Heroes.

Cat, I've had trouble getting people to accept humor. Local papers ignore me and magazines seem to want complete non-fiction, and the whole point of humor is to start off truthfully and really mean to keep at it, but, well, discover along the way that a certain amount of fudging makes a better story. So I originally started the blog to have something to show to editors, but you're right. I'm using all my good stuff. Reckon I could sell 'em as a book? I mean really?

[plaidearthworm]

Are you kidding? Of course it's good enough for a book!!!!!!! Your blog is consistently hilarious, and I hope you keep doing it, because I'm a selfish, greedy worm who can't survive the week without a bajaffe injection directly into my funny bone. But those essays are more than good enough to be published. I admit, when I first started reading your blog, I did an Amazon search on you so I could get the book, because I thought, surely she's got a collection. The spacing never bothered me, because I got so wrapped up in each entry.

[Chumplet]

Linwood Barclay had a weekly column at the Toronto Star, writing in a style much like yours, with anecdotes about his family. I laughed out loud every time. He's got a couple of bestsellers under his belt right now.

People love this stuff. Keep it up, and find a way to get your vignettes published. I'd buy it!

[Chumplet]

I see you have wonderful credits listed on your blog, too. Great stuff!

[CatMuse33]

YES! I definitely think it could make a book. I'm surprised newspapers haven't snatched it up, too. But... you're a columnist in TWM now, right? That's a start--and a GOOD one! :)

Dawn

ETA: Pick up some of Laurie Nataro's books (http://http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/105-9164002-7518053?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Laurie+Nataro&x=0&y=0) if you get a chance. She writes short, somewhat connected humorous essays, but is younger, unmarried, no kids. Same sort of self-deprecating humor, though. And, demographically speaking, yours is the larger demographic right now... a humor book targeted at baby boomers should be a HUGE seller!

P.S. If the link doesn't work, search her name on Amazon..that's where the link should lead. LOL

[kellytijer]

I so love the blog and would so read a book of the same stuff.

[AmyDoodle]

I've had a double whammy with Crud/Flu this month and get back to read these wonderful, inspiring comments. I'm off to research Laurie Nataro and Linwood Barclay.

You guys are the best!