Thursday, April 17, 2008

Reader Input, Please!

I've been blogging for a little over three months now and enjoying it very much. It's been great fun to share interesting bits of history with you and to ponder questions of craft. I hope I've succeeded in interesting you in an era you might not have been terribly familiar with beforehand and inspired you to search out some novels or non-fiction works set in or about sixteenth-century France.

I extend heartfelt thanks to all the readers who visit the blog often and participate in discussions through the comment trail. I really want to make Writing the Renaissance worth the time you spend reading it, a destination that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. With that in mind, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what interests you here.

What, in particular, would you like to see more (or less) of?
  • articles on historical figures and events
  • articles on daily life and customs in the sixteenth century
  • articles about sixteenth-century authors and literary works
  • posts on the craft of writing in general
  • posts on particular issues inherent to the writing of historical fiction
  • posts on the business side of writing: submitting to agents and editors, contracts, etc.
  • reviews of historical novels
  • interviews with authors of historical fiction
  • excerpts from my novels
  • quizzes
  • something not mentioned above
I'd appreciate some feedback as to what you like to see when you click on the Writingren link. I worry that the frustrated professor in me takes over and bores you all with mini-lectures you really have no interest in reading. On the other hand, there are so many fascinating historical topics I could write about... I've tried to make this blog a bit different by mixing historical content with topics on writing. But what do you want to read? Be brave and de-lurk, if you haven't commented before. And if you're a regular participant, jump in and let me know what works--or doesn't--for you.

I look forward to hearing from you!

6 comments:

Susan Adrian said...

Julianne:

Well, I like your craft and business posts, and a bit about your life too. And pictures! I tend to skip over the historical posts...but then that's only me, right now at this point in my life. :)

Why don't you make that a poll, so people can vote easily?

Sheramy Bundrick said...

Hi Julianne!
Prof-Me likes all the historical posts, Writer-Me likes all the writing posts. I think you've got a good mix going, and I certainly enjoy your blog.

Don't know about putting excerpts from your novels. Call me paranoid, but I personally wouldn't post any of my unpublished work online. I know some folks do it, but I worry too much about being ripped off. Mainly because every semester I catch at least one student cutting and pasting from a website into their essay!

I think what it comes down to is: what do YOU want to blog about?

Cheers, Sheramy

Susan Higginbotham said...

I'd like to see the first three in particular--there are just so many people blogging about the craft of writing, I tune those types of posts out. And I find reading excerpts frustrating when the entire work isn't available to be read!

Julianne Douglas said...

Susan, Sheramy, and Susan,

Thanks so much for your input! It's funny how it all cancels out--one person says less history, more writing, one says more writing and less history, and the third says there's a good mix of both! {s} I guess it all comes down to what Sheramy says--I need to blog about what I want to blog about! I like doing the history posts and I'm glad to see that most people like to read them (sorry, Susan--I'll try to do some more personal entries, but I'm always hesitant to post anything too personal). I'll try to keep them interesting!

I hope one day to be able to post more about my journey towards publication, but right now there's not much I'm at liberty to say. And I'm certainly glad no one wanted book reviews, because I certainly don't have time to write them! {s}

Off to think of a topic for tomorrow...

MM said...

First, let me say I love your blog. I'd like to see more on everyday life, and more quizzes. Reader participation is always good

Julianne Douglas said...

Thanks so much, mm! You don't know how great it is to hear that you like the blog. I'll work up some more everyday life posts and plan for another quiz soon.