2) And then there were blogs

So, now I've got my second computer set up in my study, so I can be doing production on my work, whilst my Beloved is answering all her e-mails. With two people in the house, these days, it's very important to have two fully functional computers. I do have my laptop, but it's not as fast and powerful as I'd like. I may upgrade, or I may buy a new PowerBook and just be done with it.

But back to blogs... Having my print pubs in the works, I'm finding it increasingly important to focus on my blogging, to fill in the blanks and flesh out the details that are touched on in print. I'm finding that print and electronic formats can complement each other nicely, not only in terms of what can be said and debated, but also in terms of what parts of the brain they speak to. Blogs are a great way for "digressionists" like myself to interject into the story additional details that wouldn't necessarily fit in print. In the course of telling a story in print, you need to stay on topic. You need to have flow. But some anecdotes are too good to lose along the way, and I'm finding that a lot of the edits I remove in the course of editing for print, actually work very nicely in a blog.

I'm presently editing Fuel and I'm finding places in the text that could bear some expansion or tie-ins with archived BBC.com comments about the fuel protests of 2000 (even the more recent threats of fuel protests that have been happening). But in print, it would just detract from the storyline. Even if the asides are fascinating and relevant, including them would disrupt things. And they would muddle the subject.

So, here's where the blog comes in... With the blog, http://fuelbook.blogspot.com/, I can talk about the process, talk about the subject, cross-link with relevant online information, and develop a more multi-dimensional conversation about the issues at stake. I can cross-link to material that not only complements the book, but makes the content "actionable", in that people can actually do something with the info that's in print.

Of course, at this writing, the print book isn't officially out yet, so it's a moot point at present. But I'll have a print version ready by this time next week, so I'm not so concerned about that... (and if you're really eager to read the words, you can find an online version at http://members.aol.com/KLStoner/fuel/).
The main thing is, I've figured out how to connect my blog(s) with my print work, in ways that complement both, don't take away.

Another feature of blogs, is that they allow comments from folks. It's a double-edged sword, of course, since folks can post just about anything they like, and you don't have control (horror of horrors), but at least it's a way for readers to get involved. More thinking on this later.