This blog was begun when I got into the Serious Pursuit of Publishing game. I called it a "diablog" in the hopes of getting into conversations about writing. Well, not so much. For one thing, I wasn't anywhere close to publishing, and didn't know what I was doing. For another thing, it's a stupid name. "The Write Stuff" isn't very original. Several other blogs have the same title.
One of the most important reasons for a writer to have a blog is to host an electronic location where readers can give feedback. That's another purpose behind this blog, and I set it up with the best of intentions to fulfill that purpose. But it hasn't worked out that way.
A problem I encountered early on was keeping up with the blog while still engaged in the actual process of writing books. (I have six so far...) It fragmented my focus to think of something new to put on the blog and keep readers interested there while I was trying to solve problems with a manuscript. After a while I joked with my writer friends that my blog had become the tiresome, too-comfortable, too-easily-ignored boyfriend I really should break up with.
Now I'm on the verge of publishing my first novel. I signed a contract with Walnut Springs, a small LDS publisher in Salt Lake City, to publish "Living It Down," and I'm told it should be released by early February. This is a major accomplishment for someone my age. I'm proud to be the poster child for Late Bloomers. In my whole life I've never done anything on anybody's typical timetable. Guess that makes me a reluctant rebel, or unpredictable. Or both.
Although I have put excerpts of my writing on this site from time to time, it has become almost exclusively a way for my kids to cheerlead and encourage me. That's nice, and I've always appreciated their support, but with the book publication, I'm told by Those Who Know that I should have a place for readers--both known and unknown to me personally--to comment on the books and give feedback, and for me as the writer to respond to my audience.
Knowing that the need for a blog hasn't gone away, and trusting that Those Who Know have some knowledge of this territory, I'm giving serious consideration to launching a new blog specifically tied to my published works (there WILL be more than one!). However, I need a new title, and while I'm good with book titles, I'm not so good with naming blogs. So help me out here. I've thought of a few, but none of them really grab my imagination, such as...
Pam's Permutations (how many would have to look up that word to know what's going on?)
Book Patter (sounds lighter than I want it to be, maybe too cliche as well)
Get it Write (maybe too pretentious; maybe somebody has already claimed that one--sounds more like a grammar website anyway)
Comment Conjunction (alliterative, but does it make sense?)
Pam's Paranoia (no, no, too literal... after all, most authors are shockingly insecure, but we shouldn't brag about it)
Pam's Book Brawl (now this is getting ridiculous!)
Here's the deal: you send title suggestions, I'll entertain them all, and a signed copy of "Living It Down" goes to the person whose suggestion I choose as the name of my new-and-improved reader-writer blog. Ready, set, go. Get back to me by January 12. That's my birthday, so I won't forget it.
