Hey, I admit I'm envious. I harbor fantasies about someone coming along and asking me to join a group blog, a place where I only have to post once a week and where everyone is so talented and witty that I know by being included in the mix they think I'm talented and witty too. A girl can dream, right?
There are lots of group blogs out there in writerdom. Some are good, others not so good. At least one is so horribly self-congratulatory and full of self-love that I not only never go there anymore, I have developed an aversion to those authors' books. If I buy their books, they will continue to self-congratulate and engage in group hugs and I just can't stand the thought that my meager pennies have contributed to their narcissism. Perhaps they are truly nice people and my assessment is unfair, but them's the breaks.
Two group blogs I really enjoy: Murder She Writes and The Lipstick Chronicles. There are also some blogs by newly published and unpublished writers that are darn good too.
So what is it that makes a successful group blog?
Over at MSW, they pick a theme for the week and everyone posts on it. I like the discussions that ensue. At TLC, I don't believe there is a theme, just whatever the blogger of the day feels like talking about. That blog works because the women are all talented and witty and can bring an interesting spin to whatever topic each has chosen to talk about. (Who could ever forget the famous bl*wjob discussion?)
Writeminded is a fairly new group blog, and I've been checking it out. Just yesterday, Jan Kenny talked about trends, which was my topic of the day as well. 🙂
It seems as if the successful groups have a variety of writers, as in the types of things the writers write about. Self-love is kept to a minimum. Let's face it, the last thing any of us want to read about is a bestselling author's love of herself and her work. No, we love it when a successful author shares with us how her process is no different than our process, how she sometimes hates her words and thinks she's untalented, and how in spite of all that she succeeds and writes books we don't mind buying because a) they're good and b) she's one of us, in spite of her success. I'll help that author all the way to the bank because she doesn't think she's better than me.
In reality, her work may be so much better than mine that I never have a prayer of writing anything half so good. But so long as she doesn't make me feel that way, I'll keep reading her and recommending her to others.
What else makes for a successful group blog? Romancing the Blog is great, but less the sort of group blog I'm thinking about. The Smart Bitches are fabulous, but they're more reader oriented.
So what do you think makes a great group blog? And if you got any tips on how I can get invited into one, let me know. I'll offer up a room in Hawaii, and a tour guide. Uh, no, I'm not desperate. Why do you ask? 🙂
Because I’m nosy, I’m DYING to know the narcisstic blog you’re referring to *g*
I agree with you as to what makes a group blog – interesting writers, fun topics, good back and forth in the comments.
We could always talk the trolls into forming a group blog of our own. 🙂
Oh gee, Nalini, you’re trying to get me in trouble. 🙂 It’s not one that’s listed in my sidebar, so that eliminates a couple anyway. 🙂 And maybe it’s just me, though PBW did do a hilarious spoof of group blogs a while back. I’ll have to go see if I can find that post.
Ha, Terry, a Trollblog! I think we’re the only two with a blog though. Aren’t we?
KC tried it for awhile, but only kept it up a couple of weeks. As far as I know, we’re the only ones who read blogs, either. 🙂
Wonder if they could be tempted to give it a try?
Hey.. there is a blog weekly anamnesis (sp) that hooked me into writing… They post a word a week and you write an essay about it.
Now that would be a fun group blog. If you are planning one, let me know.. I will write on it. 🙂
or graffitti it… LMAO
trying to by witty
Hmm, what would we write about? We don’t all write fiction anymore, do we?
It’d be nice to see everyone get active again. 🙂
Well.. it doesn’t have to be fiction. Maybe a word… and we can have a choice of fiction, essay, or poetry… What ever sparks. 🙂
I would suggest using an action verb. 😛
Another idea, use one of those writing books with exercises. Could be good for practice…
Hi Lynn! Couldn’t help but pop in. Thanks for visiting us. We’re actually not so new *g* We switched from Blogger and so those archives didn’t make it, but we’ve actually been around longer than Romancing the Blog. Of course we’re not a bunch of old farts either. hehe.
And you know, the best way to be invited into a group blog is to simply create your own. That’s what Amy and I did. At least then you get to decide who you partner with *g*
Hi, Sharon! Thanks for coming by. 🙂 I realized as I was perusing the site later that it wasn’t as new as I thought. Duh, I should have dug deeper. 🙂 I do enjoy coming over there though.
It does seem that the way to get into a group blog is to start one. 🙂 So many good ones are out there already. Not sure what another one will add, but I’m thinking about it. 🙂
If you do a group blog, I’ll goad you into doing politics by being my naturally outrageous liberal self. I can also handle mental health (or lack thereof) issues.
I even have the name for it: Very Pretty But Does It Move The Plot. I think you heard that from the trolls nearly as often as I did. 🙂
Hi, Cyn. The word idea is interesting. I went and checked out the site you were talking about, and it’s pretty cool. But I was truly thinking more along the lines of a writing blog about the process of writing rather than an actual ‘writing exercises’ blog. It’s something to think about though. 🙂
I love the name, Terry!! Yep, I remember that. 🙂 And you can be outrageously liberal anytime. I agree with you on nearly everything you say, so doesn’t bother me a bit. 🙂 Who knew way back when we first met that we agreed on this stuff? All we ever talked about then was writing. 🙂
Writing about writing would be interesting… I know that I would really love to know the secrets to moving a fictional plot. 😉
Geez, I need those secrets myself. 🙂