Monday, January 30, 2017

Just writing whether Journaling or blogging




The last few days I have been blogging as I write my latest novel. I must be careful because I get so wrapped up in my novel I  forget to make an entry.  I honestly don’t know how long I have been journal-ing (AOL) and blogging.

When AOL shut down Journals, I do not remember why I came to blogger, but I do know I followed a friend here.  AOL gave us a chance to copy all our entries, but I am not that forward looking, I should have. ‘AOL Journals’ were good. 


Out of the thousands of bloggers AOL would pick a journal of the week. Once the Shipslog was chosen and I was thrilled. I received hundreds of comments that week. The reason we were picked, I am sure, was because of the interest in the AT. We were hiking the trail at the time. I am actually laughing now, I had to journal on a tiny laptop with the flip cell phone attached. 

When I started the Shipslog it was to let the family know where we were (we were all over the USA, just enjoying traveling.) My entries were TOOOOO long, many times over 2000 words. That is a chapter in my books now. LOL

I kept trying to cut back after a niece was honest enough to tell me I was too wordy, and I REALIZED I was. I was like a preacher who does not know when to stop, and keeps saying ‘good’ things after he has lost his congregations to their stomach and watches.  LOL  I have friends and some nice folk that say I am never too long, but I know I am. I have reached a plateau of about 400 words and am trying for 300.

This is 290 now, so I am out of here. hahahaha!

It was months, maybe years before I received my first comment. Lindie from Missouri. She pops in about every 3-4 years. I still think of her.

Nite Shipslog

 This is somewhere in the late 50's early 60's Chrysler came up with what they called the 'Forward-Look. This is probably a Dodge.

8 comments:

Mevely317 said...

So excited that the new book is taking on flesh and bones! That's a cute back story how Ship's Log - as we know it - came to be. :)

Funny, your mention of your first commenter. After some embarrassing baby steps, by the time I got my first 'real live' comment you'd have thought I won the PowerBall AND Publisher's Clearinghouse. She rarely blogs anymore and comments not at all, but I wonder if she knows what a difference her few words made.

betty said...

I started following your blog in about 2007/2008 :) I did like AOL journals, so much more personable than I think Blogger. So many of us came over to Blogger and then found other great blogs to follow :) I remember my first commenter. I don't think she blogs any more, but she was such a sweet lady. Commented on tons of blogs and had tons of comments on her blog, but she took the time to read the entry and add a comment about what she had written :)

Glad the new book is coming along!

betty

Lisa said...

My first commenter was a friend that I demanded her go comment! Haha. Needless to say, I only have about Three friends that say they read my blog but they never comment. My mom is the only one in my family that reads it. Not even Nick or my daughter!
I cant wait till your book comes out. Are you taking pre orders?

Keep writing
Lisa

Paula said...

AOL journals had so many things that were fun. One I remember was a ball every year and people would post what they were going to wear. I didn't even know how to post a picture or find a dress to wear but it was fun to look at other women's dresses. Don't remember the men doing that. I was picked for something once but I needed to post a picture of myself and I didn't have one on my computer and wouldn't have known how to post it. I didn't transfer my journal entries over to blogger either.

TARYTERRE said...

I just lurked when you had the aol journals, but joined right after everybody came over to blogger. We always remember that first comment, don't we? How sweet it was.

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

funny that you should mention the AOL guest posts. I just recently came across a notice I'd printed out about just that from years ago. Honestly I kept everything, but it was an honor for me to have been selected too. Going through all my old stuff has been truly a trip down memory lane. I never really counted how many words I use in my daily posts. I do know that some times I tend to go on and on and them find myself repeating the same things. Glad you remember to include us in your writing.

Dar said...

I never was an AOL gal but was begged to start a blog by two sisters. Life happened and I haven't returned to entries in my blog but do plan to. Back to those sisters, they called me in, I joined, loved it, then they stopped too. One is hardcore FB, the other, like myself, busy with LIFE. I always read yours and love every 290 plus words. You and your followers all have the knack. I had a tendency to photo-overload. I'm getting hungry to blog again.
Love n' stuff...Bill is plowing and I have a Scrabble invite. It's looking all clean outside again with all the fresh snow cover.

shirl72 said...

It would not post my first comments. If I can remember what I said.. That is a 59 Dodge my first car was a 59 Dodge. I ordered it all White with Black fins only.
Dad was with me when I ordered it I drove it wor 10 years.

The cats that wonder in my yard will not hug the neighbors dog. That is funny.