Setting the Stage

Written by Writer Dad on October 6, 2008 - View Comments
Categories: Blogging

“Are we not like two volumes of one book?”

~Marceline Desbordes

Hello, everyone.

Happy Monday.

This blog was born in a blended broth of belief and bravado.  I told no one of the undertaking, save Daisy and a family friend.

Mom, Dad, and KittyTown were gathered in the hug on my second Monday.

I expected to be lonely, at least for a while, but I wasn’t, ever or at all.

I knew I would speak, and hoped I’d be heard, but never presumed to be passing words like pastries across a table, toward every other page in the atlas.

Blogging has been anything but hermetic.  For that I’m thankful.  Maintaining a blog has been like building a talk show (albeit much smaller), where every audience member is afforded equal and instant voice .

There are no phone lines to light, or commercial breaks to pause thought in the white space of the blogosphere.

A blog is not a diary.  It’s an alliance between reader and author.

In the fullest relationships, both parties feel as though they’re standing at the best end of the bond.  Yet no relationship can achieve such sure footing without clear, consistent, and honest communication.

So goes this week’s discussion.

I’m penning this post in Pages, Apple’s answer to MS Word; the icon, a svelte fountain pen, inclined against a bottle of ink.  I’ve always used WordPress to write for Writer Dad, never Pages.  Pages is the suite where I edit my novel, or write letters to my wife and children.  It’s where I scribed our farewell, and where I’m writing the words you’re reading right now.

What rendered these words significant?

I’m laying foundation we’ll be walking a while.  Of course, this blog is enslaved to evolution no different than anything else, but I believe  it is time to place the planks of the floor where we will dance.

Penning our pre-school’s adieu was liberating.  I felt like it kicked down all the doors inside an empty mansion.  I enjoyed being Writer Dad, a lot, but it’s nothing compared to being Sean Platt, Writer Dad.

Now I can sing with all of my voice.

I’m not afraid to try new things (except sushi), and am certainly willing to pioneer, especially while the frontier’s fresh.

The internet is gridlocked in repetition.  I’d like to ponder a model that, to my knowledge, doesn’t exist.

Over the next few days, I’ll discuss why Writer Dad doesn’t display paid ads, and why it likely never will.  We’ll further discuss the new Renaissance, and writing for SEO and keywords.  I’ll elaborate on WeeBooks, ask some questions, and hopefully make you smile.

I’ll smear my ideas across the week.  On Friday, a surprise.

My favorite so far.

More than ever, I’d love to swap thoughts as the cement dries around our blog’s identity.  Please, for the next five days, ask questions, link, and stumble as much as you’re willing and able.

Thanks.

Writer Dad

If you enjoyed my words, please subscribe (for free) by RSS or Email.  If you’re a Stumbler, please consider Stumbling. Thanks

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  • When you mentioned SEO, it made me wonder whether you could create pages on the Web outside of your blog that help people searching for things like WeeBooks, find what you've got. You don't have to change your blog ... instead, it's setting up lighthouses on the Web for all your potential audience you have yet to meet.

    <abbr>J.D. Meiers last blog post..Help Your Colleagues Look Good</abbr>
  • I'm late to the conversation...but hey, that means I'm off to read Tuesday's post as soon as I finish typing here. Sushi...I didn't try it until a couple of years ago...very tasty!

    I look forward to the week unfolding...

    <abbr>Lances last blog post..Regrets</abbr>
  • Hi Writerdad,

    My novel is nothing special, just my first attempt in English -God may forgive me-. It's a YA adventure with a touch of SciFi.

    In case you are really interested the link is http://callitfreedom.com

    <abbr>Miguel de Luiss last blog post..The web’s most important resource</abbr>
  • Writer Dad,

    I second your nod towards Bean. It even has a "full screen" mode for those distraction free writing sessions. In fact, I used it last night to draft up two posts.

    <abbr>Brett Legrees last blog post..still doing crazy things…</abbr>
  • Writer Dad
    Dereck: It's brought. Congratulations on your traffic. That sounds tremendous. It's good to know it can happen all at once like that. People seem to like it when they find me, but the traffic's pretty dim. You're page views for those four days are more than mine in history. I'm really happy for you.

    Matthew: Scrivener is excellent. It's possible that I may not have ever attempted to write a novel without it. It allows you to separate your thoughts and organize things into chapters, move them around. It's built for Mac and has the instinctive touch that makes mac apps such a brilliant joy to use, and make me wish I had more time to use them.

    Robin: Eric Hamm did that for me, just because he's a super nice guy. I feel so lucky.

    Malathionman: No, but I am thinking of Dejavuesdays where I run an old post (I'm totally not kidding).
  • Does this mean you will be starting Marxist Mondays?

    <abbr>malathionmans last blog post..If They Can Get Batman Right...</abbr>
  • Blogging is an art form all it's own isn't it! (I notice you have a new header image/name - groovy!)

    <abbr>Robins last blog post..Why We Want To Live</abbr>
  • I've been using OpenOffice for all my needs (when I am not at work). It's /hard/ to get used to the keyboard shortcuts. I still don't have it down. I am a shortcut kind of guy. I need to know the differences and be used to them.

    What is Scrivener? I've been yearning for a program to help me get started on my novel...but I'm just not sure where to go to find it. I used to use yWriter3 (which is a great program, just not exactly for me), and I've used Microsoft Word. I think I might take a stab at OpenOffice (I hear they have some good addons for that ), but other than that I am at a loss.
  • Bring it on :)

    Looking forward to it.

    <abbr>Dereck Coatneys last blog post..Hello to All the New Visitors</abbr>
  • Writer Dad
    Jamie: If there isn't, there should be. I can't imagine not working in
    OS X. Leopard is so unbelievably sweet. If I had to live without spaces, now that we've been introduced, I'd probably cry every day. If you ever need to work in Word on your Mac, you should try Bean (if you haven't already). It's free and delicious.

    Steph: I'm excited to hear what you think.

    Jim: Thanks for the Stumble; always appreciated.

    Brett: That would be yummy. Scrivener is probably, dollar for dollar, the best application I ever bought. I haven't used it in a while, but only because my writing has been different. I'll be all up in Scrivener next month for NanoWrimo though.
  • Writer Dad (and Jamie),

    I wonder if the Scrivener people would ever do something like that - Liquid Story Binder XE on Windows has a feature that could (sort of) do that. LSBXE has a similar concept to Scrivener (in that it is a free form writer's program), and one thing you can do with it is specify an external editor - whatever you like (Word, Q10, Dark Room etc.)

    Hmm... maybe I'll send an email to Literature and Latte to see if it could be done.
  • You have me hooked, waiting for Tuesday...

    Stumbled...

    ~ Jim

    <abbr>Jim Gaudets last blog post..Why are you here?</abbr>
  • Love the changes you've made thus far, and look forward to what you have planned!

    Like Chris, I communicate more with my online friends than my "real life" friends. Blogging has seriously changed my life in several ways.

    <abbr>stephs last blog post..Push Forward or Move Ahead?</abbr>
  • Don't get me started on the Apple thing! Isn't there a saying about once you go Mac you never go back?....Oh, wait, maybe not. ;)

    I would be most interested in that Love Child, too Sean.

    Sadly, I purchased Word for Mac when I bought my baby, because it was what I was used to. It works like crap. It flips through screens, freezes up and reminds me of Vista... oh yeah! Bill Gates made it too. That explains it!

    <abbr>Jamie Simmermans last blog post..Picking the Brain of THE Pen Man: James Chartrand</abbr>
  • :D Awesome!

    <abbr>Allison Days last blog post..Mitch’s Fish Market - Honolulu, Hawaii</abbr>
  • Writer Dad
    Allison: You have my word I will.

    Ellen: Can you imagine doing this alone? No way, Jose!

    B. Wilde: Thanks for saying that, I almost ditched the tagline yesterday when someone was placing a new header for me. I try to write as genuinely as I would if I were speaking (with time to craft my words ahead of time). It also helps to know who I'm speaking to.

    Hank: It's just so refreshing to see a professional theme that isn't littered with ads. They are rare. It's how I like my meat, and myself.

    Marelisa: I've heard the collective. I will try sushi before the year is out.
  • Oooh, I love reading about new business models. And do try sushi, it's delicious :-)

    <abbr>Marelisas last blog post..The Hannibal Barca Approach to Achieving Your Goals</abbr>
  • I'm interested to hear the response on paid ads and the likes. It's nice to see some financial benefit from your hard earned wordings I'll admit, but I also have pondered kicking the paid links myself, but find it so nice at the end of the month to cash a paypal check for a few extra bucks to pay the bills...

    listening intently...

    <abbr>hanks last blog post..Hanks Weekly Hangouts #52 (October 5, 2008)</abbr>
  • I am intrigued with your ability to craft your words. I do believe that your theme, "Life's better with the right words" is so fitting for your style. Your voice is clear along these lines in so much of what you write. I'm also finding that you have a nice way of bringing your readers in. At least from my experience, you make it seem like I know you and want to know you better. That is truly an art. I look forward to where you will be taking us this week.
  • Writer Dad,

    Great post, great lines: "I knew I would speak, and hoped I’d be heard, but never presumed to be passing words like pastries across a table, toward every other page in the atlas."
    You always make me smile Writer Dad.
    That's why I like blogging too, the whole social aspect of it.

    <abbr>Ellen Wilsons last blog post..Happy Pigs Play in the Mud</abbr>
  • Whenever you're ready, just shoot me an email and I can send you tons of suggestions. :)

    <abbr>Allison Days last blog post..Mitch’s Fish Market - Honolulu, Hawaii</abbr>
  • Writer Dad
    Rita: Thank you. I didn't even know I was trebling the impact of my words, but I know that if I made you smile from ear to ear, well then I must have done it right.

    Miguel: Affiliate products I am okay with, though I am removing them today. I'll explain more about affiliate ads and paid ads, and why I see a difference. Thank you for asking when you are unsure.

    Sal: There have been no rips in the space time continuum. All is as it should be.

    Brett Legree: Scrivner is so super awesome, I don't even know what to say. It made writing my first book simple because I always had a fresh sheet to work on, plus I could keep my chapters organized however I wanted, and even move them around. I'd pay anything they asked for a Pages/Scrivener love child.

    Emily: Thanks for being such a constant.

    Allison: I know I am. Daisy has been wanting me to board the Sushi sailboat for a long, long time. I think I might take you up on that.
  • Hold up... afraid of trying sushi?!?! *falls over* (Don't worry, you're not alone. James of MwP is afraid of sushi too.) :D

    Rather than spamming your comments with links to sushi that most people enjoy (not all sushi involves sashimi (raw fish), I promise!), email me if you ever want to get past your sushi fears. You're missing a whole world of great food! :)

    <abbr>Allison Days last blog post..Mitch’s Fish Market - Honolulu, Hawaii</abbr>
  • As usual, I will look forward to this week's offerings.
  • Writer Dad,

    I do many of my documents in Pages, and then if needed convert and check formatting in Word - I just like it so much better.

    And I second you and Jonathan - Scrivener is an important part of my decision to buy my Mac (strange as that may sound, to choose a whole platform for one program, but people do it all the time to run AutoCAD or Microsoft Office, I guess...)

    <abbr>Brett Legrees last blog post..still doing crazy things…</abbr>
  • Sal
    "I decided to post in the morning, just to shake things up."

    Oh, you tricky dog you. Look at you setting your own stage (see how I did that, played on your own title and such...gosh I am a clever one this morning). For some reason I thought that while I slept (or didn't as it were) that there was a tear in the space time thingie and that when I got to work, WD was just a big fancy happy dream. I was borderline depressed. I am glad that there were no black holes, and that indeed you are not a figment of my overactive imagination. Whew *wipes sweat from brow* That was a close one...that's it, no more veggie chili before bed time!
  • Writerdad, what do you mean by "paid ads"? I see some affiliate ads here so, I'm confused.

    <abbr>Miguel de Luiss last blog post..Compete to get things done.</abbr>
  • Sean,
    A lovely blog. Your use of alliteration to treble the impact of your words had me smiling from ear to ear. :-)
    Rita

    <abbr>Ritas last blog post..The Night We Had to Send our Daughter to Jail</abbr>
  • Writer Dad
    Eric: Thanks for the compliment, and the help. Congratulations on your guest post from Leo. I'm sure that's very exciting.

    Brett: I like the white space. I think I might start writing a week's worth of posts in pages, then just move them over. It might be a lot more efficient that way.

    Jonathan: I wrote my novel in Scrivener! It is by far, the best word processing program I've ever used. I used if for all my children's stories, pretty much everything I did for the first six months. If Pages and Scrivner would have a baby, I would be in heaven.

    Jarkko: That is a true compliment, Jarkko. Thanks. If there was one thing I could want above all else for this blog, it's that my words are read rather than scanned. I work hard, it kill me to think that eyes just wander over them.

    Matthew: Good things come to those who wait. Paid advertisements are perfectly fine for some blogs, in fact they fit neatly into the design. It's just not what I'm trying to do here.

    Evelyn: I do, and I'm excited to share them.

    Sal: The post was finished before I went to sleep. That's when I usually post. I decided to post in the morning, just to shake things up.

    Janine: Hey, do you remember Kudos, those delicious little chocolate covered granola bars? They were so yummy, I wonder if they still make them.

    Miguel: I love this, Miguel! I totally agree. I have a few ideas for blogs as novels, actually. One specifically far ahead of the others. I'd love to see what you create.

    Bamboo: The basic philosophy is that I don't have a problem with them, but don't want them here. I'll elaborate though.

    CK Lunchbox: I just don't want to write for traffic. I want to please my readers, especially those who've been there since the beginning, but I don't want to write in a way that will change my voice in exchange for ad revenue. I don't care for the notion at all.

    Green Jello: That is a very funny story. Daisy loves Sushi. She's been wanting me to board her train for a decade. It's a tiny hurdle I've yet to hop.

    Dave: It does. I know it will never pay the mortgage, but it can be the machete that clears the path.

    Jamie: I know about the brouhaha last week (or the week before) from a certain blogger closing down their comments section. That may have worked well for her and her model. It would not work for me. Writer Dad has lanes of traffic which move in both directions.

    Ryan: Slowly but surely. I can take no credit, though. Eric Hamm from Motivate Thyself was kind enough to do them for me, without my even asking. This is the wonderful magic whirled inside the blogosphere. Thanks again, Eric. They look great.

    Kool Aid: I don't mind sites with ads, unless it's a brand new site that's already cluttered. That, for me, is an instant turnoff. Since the beginning, I've never wanted ads on the site, even as the emailed requests started to arrive.

    Vered: No way, no how. I did that version before, and still do. It's called journaling. Blogging runs two ways.

    Betsy: Stupefying in its loveliness.... wow! Thanks. If I'm going to be stupefying, I'm glad I can make it lovely. :>)

    Chris: It's hard not to. Communication is fast online. We're all used to email. I have friends that have two week old emails they've yet to respond to. In this sphere, that kind of wait time is non existent.
  • I communicate more with my blogging friends than my off line friends...

    <abbr>Chriss last blog post..GUT CHECK!</abbr>
  • "...I believe it is time to place the planks of the floor where we will dance."

    That phrase alone is stupefying in its loveliness. I'm looking forward to all your plans, and have very much enjoyed everything so far.

    <abbr>Betsy Wuebkers last blog post..OUTSIDE, SEEING</abbr>
  • I agree. Blogging is not lonely at all. It's a very social activity. I don't think I could ever do this without the social interaction.

    Looking forward to Friday. :)

    <abbr>Vered - MomGrinds last blog post..Beauty Standards Have Sure Changed</abbr>
  • I can't wait to see what you have to say. I'm always looking forward to your posts.

    I've noticed you don't have paid ads, and I, for one, am glad. Some blogs don't bother me with their ads and some just seem too cluttered with them. I think on yours it would mess with the flow of things and the overall image of your blog. I look forward to hearing your take on this.

    <abbr>Kool Aids last blog post..dominion</abbr>
  • Have I been asleep, or did you just put up a sweet graphic title/tag line and favicon? I love it. Specially the favicon. Oh, and the RSS image, that seems new. You're branding!
  • Although some bloggers would adamantly disagree about your definition of a blog, I like your description better. Conversation is a good thing, and us freelancers have a solitary work life; blogging helps build community.

    Can't wait to see what you have planned.

    <abbr>Jamie Simmermans last blog post..Pick Another Pen Men Brain: Charlie Pabst</abbr>
  • Writer Dad, I wait in excited anticipation for you to reveal your model of blogging (writing) success, for surely this endeavour must have additional purpose to you? Can’t wait to read more.

    <abbr>Dave Fowlers last blog post..Flaps. Check. Undercarriage. Check.</abbr>
  • I shall have to share my favorite sushi story with you... My family was eating at a Chinese Buffet and Sushi Bar, and we had my 10-year-old nephew with us. He wanted to try sushi, and got a couple different things. He didn't mind the crab one, and went for the next type on his plate. He took one bite, immediately spit it out, and cried out, "YUCK! It tastes like RAW FISH!!!"

    I couldn't help but laugh out loud. :)

    <abbr>GreenJellos last blog post..Never Boring</abbr>
  • "A blog is not a diary. It’s an alliance between reader and author."

    Agree, Blogging is best when it's about connection through the expression of personal experience in which others can relate.

    I too, have nixed paid advertising. It threw me off track as I tried to adapt my subject matter to what I thought would attract readers. I glad to hear you have avoided that as well.

    Will definitely reading and commenting where I think I can be useful.

    <abbr>CK Lunchboxs last blog post..Tagged Doggonit!</abbr>
  • I look forward to hearing your philosophy on paid ads and the like.
  • Insightful, wise and direct, as usual writerdad.

    "A blog is not a diary. It’s an alliance between reader and author."

    I believe in that too. In fact, I'm experimenting that approach in a work of fiction, a Young Adult Novel I'm "publishing"(?) as a blog. I think that a "blook" or "blog novel" should not be just a:

    "I can't get it published so I'm putting it online", but a true medium in itself. A blog has not pages, you can't take it to bed, but... you can add videos, images, music, and, more importantly, comments from other people. What I'm saying is, why not?

    <abbr>Miguel de Luiss last blog post..Compete to get things done.</abbr>
  • Can't wait to see what's in store. And kudos to you on the tapestry of words you used to lure us in and get us thinking about what it could possibly be.

    <abbr>Janines last blog post..Postcard Stories.</abbr>
  • Sal
    I was surprised to get into work this morning and not have the lastest post waiting for my eager eyes to scour and ponder. I can't want to see the new changes.
  • I'd most certainly be interested to hear about your plans for this blog. Looks like you've got exciting things in store!
  • Hm. I've had to wait an additional 8 hours to read this one.

    I don't think paid advertisements are good ideas for blogs. I'm happy you don't either. I didn't tell anyone was I blogging for the longest time, I wanted to know that it would take before I shared it.

    I'm excited to hear about your new model.
  • jarkkolaine
    Sounds like there is something big about to come out of this blog.

    I love it how your writing is so different from most other blogs - it's art, not just words put in a line. That inspires me to believe that it makes sense to stop and read, even online.

    Looking forward to what you have in store. :)
  • Have you tried Scrivener for your creative writing needs yet? You'll never go back to a run-of-the-mill word processor.

    <abbr>Jonathan Vaughts last blog post..Let’s Play House</abbr>
  • Pages is awesome.

    That aside :) I'm looking forward to what you've got in store, because the picture you've painted so far is spectacular.

    -Brett

    <abbr>Brett Legrees last blog post..still doing crazy things…</abbr>
  • Hey Sean, you're such a great writer. Every time I read a new post I know I will enjoy light, clean, yet always thoughtful writing. You truly are 'Writer Dad'.

    I'm quite excited about your offerings this week and will stop by often. I certainly will share your great work with others via social media.

    "A blog is not a diary. It’s an alliance between reader and author. "

    Very true and well said! Eric.

    <abbr>Eric Hamms last blog post..M2A! October Week2: Quick and Dirty Little Tips for Exercise Motivation</abbr>
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