My Blog and Website

I've been doing more and more research into my blog/website versus other people's "professional" websites. The truth of the matter is I enjoy blogging. As you can probably tell, I'm pretty chatty in my "real" life and blogging allows for expression for that mind chatter. Perhaps I'll move my blog back to the free "Bear Blog," and just keep this website more professional.

I know great and professional people who have zero web presence, I know amateurs who have a great deal. I think I'm somewhere in the middle. But I'm not sure if an "honest" blog is the way to go. Perhaps there's too much exposure, too much personal writing.

I met a very successful artist recently in Bangkok and I asked him what he thought the key to being successful was. He answered, with no hesitation, "Do what you like, even if no one else likes it!" It reminded me of Tim Ferris and Seth Godin when they say to narrow, and not broaden your focus and to go for the smallest viable audience. Also, I think one said to focus on an audience of "one," meaning yourself.

I'm not so sure. I've LOVED some of my stories, which across the board were rejected by writers' groups, publications, agents, even friends, etc. Me, the audience of one, was very satisfied, but no one else was. I may have needed some distance from the product. Anne Lamott says in her book Bird by Bird when the writing is done, the story complete, the screenplay finished, you just "know." I wonder how I'll "know."