Blowing out the candles
|February 11, 2008|
Of course, when you get to my advanced age, which is (I’ll admit this) three years, you tend to forget birthdays, as I did yesterday. Yes, this blog started three years ago, with the first posting on the old site.
So perhaps it’s time for an informal survey (and let’s hope the comments are working today.) Anything you’ve particularly enjoyed reading about? Any stuff you tend to glance at and move on? The subject matter of Mutterings is broad, generally whatever is kicking around in my brain at the time, but I can nudge that a bit, if I know you’re interested.
Posted in Blog
For my part, I look forward to reading whatever you write. There’s always something informative, funny, thought-provoking. Surprise us.
Ooops. Clicked on Submit Comment before I meant to.
What made you decide to start a blog, anyway? (So glad you did.) I mean, it’s not like you don’t have enough to do already. Was it a marketing decision? Or for the ‘fun’ of it? Something to tide your fans over in between books? Something else? All of the above?
Great question Roxanne.
I started reading the blog when you were just about to publish TAoD and found that very interesting. Then I was able to follow the writing of Touchstone. I have found the whole process of writing, rewriting, polishing then letting go of the final work for publication facinating to read about. There has been very little in your blog that did make me stop and think, appreciate, or just laugh. Please keep doing what you have been doing — sharing your life and thoughts.
Well, I should proof read before hitting summit.
That line should read — There has been very little in your blog that did NOT make me stop and think, appreciate, or just laugh. **shaking my head and walking away**
Let’s see, I started reading the blog last year (or was it a year and a half ago *boggles*?), a little bit after I had discovered your Russell series. Thus far I’ve enjoyed everything you’ve written about. I may not always comment, but I’m lurking ;). Sometimes I’m late in catching up because of real life. There’s nothing I would change though. I’ve enjoyed reading your thoughts and insights on a myriad of topics you’ve posted about. Everything from writing to politics has been interesting. I think its also neat to see your thoughts as you’re in the midst of writing a novel, as we did with Touchstone :).
Personally, I think the idea of you maintaining a blog, reading our comments, responding to us and even asking us for advice and what we’d like to hear from you is flattering. There are so many authors out there that do not do that, nor are they entirely interested in interacting with their readers. You’re always interested in taking the time with us and I really respect that and appreciate it. You’ve also been good and genuinely interested in taking constructive criticism, which again, I find amazing. So perhaps we should thank you for being as kind as you have to us! Much thanks for being a down to earth person truly interested in what your readers think 🙂 and thanks for being part of your reading community :).
Wow — I just went back and saw that, under my old nome-du-blog (WDI), I commented on that first post! I agree with everyone above that I’ve enjoyed the full scope of your blogging. None of it has been boring, and the fact that you range widely in your topics means every post is a bit of a surprise. I personally tend to like the longer, meatier ones — whether they’re about writing, politics, family life, gardening, etc. But I always appreciate the time you take to share your thoughts — both here on the blog and on the VBC.
Happy birthday!
Laurie,
I love it all. Really. In fact, when I first discovered you and your great web site last year (after first finding “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice”), I went back and read every single blog entry in order. Whew. In a whirl, there were your book tours, your favorite indie bookstores, your writing process (the good, the bad and the ugly!), your political thoughts, your frustrations and passions and joys as well as the parts of your personal life (your son in the military, your daughter’s wedding, and most sadly, the loss of your mother) that make me feel all the more supportive and appreciative of you because I know what kind of a human being you are as well as how talented a writer you are. So please don’t winnow out anything. I enjoy it all. As long as you don’t mind that when those of us who do get to meet you in person feel as though we are catching up with an old friend instead of meeting a stranger, then please keep sharing. Since I am, most of all, a Russell fan, hearing about “The language of Bees” through your blog as it is created is very exciting. Will Shakespeare,Charles Dickens and for that matter, Arthur Conan Doyle never did share their writing process with me. My loss. Happy 3rd and I wish you many many more.
–Marjorie
I truly love reading about your travels…what may seem mundane to some..is fascinating to me. I’ve never been to England…so anything you care to share about your research and travels are a joy to read.
As everyone has pointed out, I enjoy reading whatever is top of your mind. In particular, I have to say, I enjoy hearing your commentary on news stories/politics, gardening and cooking. I’m not quite sure what that says about me that those would be my favorite, but there you go.
Following your thought processes as a writer, as you actively promote both your work and that of the entire mystery genre, is enthralling. Any bits of background as you gather them for use in the current work would be interesting. Of course any new direction or vignette occasioned by current discoveries would be wonderful. It seems to me that a major satisfaction to a writer must be the ability to give her characters prescience.
I just started reading last month and have not had time to read all the archived stuff. I hope to do so post-graduation. Despite my ignorance regarding the majority of the blog, I have an opinion: Everything is interesting. As a writer-wannabe, the posts about writing are inspiring. I loved reading about your book tour and the tidbits about the various shops. There’s no doubt in my mind that I would love anything about your travels to England.
That being said, Happy Birthday, Mutterings!
L
I have been reading this blog since its inception (conception?), back when it was on a different site. And since the Russell series has been with me for over 10 years, when I realized that the actual person who penned them had more words out in cyberspace, I was more than delighted. I am a daily ‘Mutterings’ reader now.
And frankly, I don’t care what you write about. I like reading it all. Writers often can put into perspective with the most exactly perfect words that which the rest of us cannot articulate. Please, please continue.
I love it all!! In fact, mostly what I want is more more more!! It’s hard enough waiting for each new book to come out and this tides me over.
I enjoy it all but am particularly interested in what you have to say about your writing process. Happy birthday!
Hurrah, hurray I can post again!
I was devistated when I posted the other day and it went away…see for me one of the most wonderful things about ‘our’ very own LRK blog spot is it gives us a virtual community in a time when community is well, struggling to begin anew in the ‘real’? world. Or is it that the real world holds so very much horror these days. Here, here is a welcome relief and supportive perspectives from you Laurie and all of us back and forth. Why just reading about the posting difficulties gave me hope because of course we all have computer ghosts of our own to cope with. Alone one can feel just certain that it’s all because of something we just will never get right. More more lets us continue…
best,
M. Diane
Hi, Laurie,
Congratulations to ‘Mutterings’ on reaching this happy 3rd birthday right on schedule in vitality and development. Like Marjorie and others, I came a little late to the party in reading your books and then finding the blog–maybe 2 years ago, while you were still on the old site–but then read from the beginning, enjoying the delicious morsels along the way, as I read my way through each of your equally delicious books. I used to comment more often, but initially couldn’t when you switched to the new format, and more recently have begun gently directing my daily energies to my own writing. So, I have a small feast once a week or so, catching up on your posts and responses, with glee at this community. I don’t often comment now, but I do listen!!
Some of what I most appreciate reading are your high standards for editing, revising, proofreading your work: increasingly, I lose interest in reading a book if the author and publisher haven’t bothered to treat it with care, and I hope that excellence will continue to be a high value as the whole industry navigates the electronic waters of publishing in the future.
Thus, I bow in respect, big smile blooming,
Laraine
I enjoy reading all about a writer’s process. It is completely fascinating to learn the nitty-gritty of how you think, and what that means to how you write, and then how that gets to be what you want to say. I’m even more recent than most of your blog readers — I just signed up this month. I’ve read every one I’ve received, and forwarded a few to other LRK appreciators. Thanks so much for doing this!
O, many many happy returns! Sorry to be late, but I never seem to have time to respond in a speedy way to anything in web land. (perhaps why I resonate so much with the post for Valentine’s Day!) I like all of it. I daresay I like the things on writing best and an occasional tidbit on what Russell and Holmes are doing. and thanks for again venturing in March into our Behemoth of the South. cheers! –Meredith