Slow Starts and Online Marketing Magic

I've been doing something very retro over the summer holidays - offline blogging, aka writing a diary. 

You'd have thought that would be enough to satisfy me, but each time I sat down with my pink notebook, I found myself missing my blogging fix and planning what I would write when I got home. 

So... it's odd that I've found it so difficult to start blogging again.

Every day since our return, I've told myself, I'll blog, once I've finished work - I'm in the middle of editing three novels for teens (not written by myself) - but there never seemed to be an end to the pile of urgent stuff, which had to be done instead. 

To be fair, due to the fact that we're nearly ready to to go to print on two of the books, there has been an unusual amount of research to do, and decisions to make. For example we've had to decide on cover design, layouts, and new-age marketing ideas such as how to go about holding an online book launch: what party games should we have? What about party favours? And, more importantly, what sort of virtual cupcakes should we serve? (Grace Lin set a pretty high bar for that kind of thing - as you can see at the online launch here, of her lovely book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.).

We pondered about blog tours. Were they effective? Who should we approach?

And the biggest project of them all - the making of the book trailer. We've been debating whether to use live action (like a film trailer) or to use photos, voice-overs and interesting film editing techniques. I think we've come to a consensus, so now all we have to figure out... is how we can persuade George Clooney to star in it.* 

See, I HAVE been busy.

Last night however, I realised that all of those excuses were just that - excuses, and that the real reason for my inaction was that I didn't know what to blog about. Like the person who feels guilty at not writing a long overdue letter, but continues to put off writing it until he has enough time to pen a huge, wonderfully entertaining missive (ie never), I'd been stymied by the huge list of things I could/should/would maybe blog about.

So, I decided to ditch the entire list. But then, I still had the dilemma of what to write.

My summer holiday? Yes, I thought, I should at least mention my trip, but, what aspect of it?

The modern and classical art I sought out around Europe? The gastronomic delights? Philosophical musings on communism? My compulsion to bake scones everyday whilst in Cornwall - with related trivia about how clotted cream is made? Should I ramble on about architecture? Document the fishing trip from hell (hint: some of the fisherfolk fed the fish their breakfast)? 

For a while, I even toyed with the idea of transcribing my entire paper diary to the blog.

You'll be glad to hear I decided against it. Nor will I upload the hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds) of photos I took - mainly because I'm saving them to enthrall/bore the pants off any friend who professes an interest in them, and doesn't change the subject quickly enough when I offer to fetch the photo album(s). 

Friends, consider yourself warned.

Luckily, whilst procrastinating, I stumbled upon this site, and had a brainwave... I would encapsulate my five and a half week journey around Czech Republic/Austria/Italy/UK; of being awed by sights both natural and man made; of walking all day till we were footsore to sitting in a traffic jam for hours; of being roasted by the sun and alternately shivering in the biting coastal winds; of eating, drinking and relaxing with friends and family, into a haiku.

Here it is:

A summer of fun

It was hot, and cold.

we walked, saw sights, laughed with friends.

roll on next summer!

*I am, unfortunately, kidding.  

Comments

[Online backup]

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[Mio Debnam]

Cheers online backup... I'll try and update more often now!