#whyareyoustartinglikethis
I promise, this won’t be about politics, crappy attitudes, money, or anything remotely dealing with “real” life.
#sowhy
It’s all about the hook, baby!
#ugh
Ok, truly, my frustration is with the Slice of Life Challenge.
#WHAT
Hee hee, again, all about the hook. I got my first blog in fairly early. I love doing that because if that happens, it sets up being productive for the rest of the day. Yesterday, not so much, I think it was 11:45 EST when I got my blog and comments done. Good grief. Not so productive.
I am a WordPress dude, so I enjoy the “reader” function they offer, allowing me to have a look at all those people I follow. I’ve picked up so outstanding, funny, generally genius writers from the Challenge and when they post, I might get an email notification, but normally, I see them in my reader.
When the Challenge rolls around, I head over to the Slice of Life Headquarters at Two Writing Teachers. Yesterday, I find that there are 300+ posts. 300?? Seriously?? How am I going to know who to read? What to read? How to I find those new follows?
#Ithoughtitwasaboutthehookbaby
Hush. However, there is something to be said about a title. A good title brings the readers in, there is no doubt. Something snarky? Something witty? Something downright stupid? Each will pique my interest and likely get my click. I look back through my blog posts and I laugh, cringe, and just wonder “what in the hell was I thinking” about some of the titles. However dorky they seem, they bring in readers, which I guess is the main thing.
When I say frustration, it is in jest. I love reading all the slices, seeing the experiences of those who are in worlds so much different than I am. Urban setting, different countries, different situations, they all draw in this middle-aged, balding, white guy who feels his relevance slipping away. Blogs in the Slice of Life give me hope in the human experience, that there are places out there, people out there, who believe in the goodness of the human heart, who believe that in the random acts of kindness, who simply believe in those around them.
So, write away, my friends, share your slices. I can’t say I’ll get to all of them, but know you are seen, heard, and that your voice is pushed out into the world.
AND now, my blogging question: How do you get to all the Slices? Do you only read/comment on a few? Only those you know? I’m curious how you manage the volume of writing that we do?
Have yourself a spectacular day and remember your words matter. Your blog could be that one that sparks another slice, another great idea, another conversation. Be confident. Be passionate. When you click that publish button, rejoice on a job well done. As we travel this month together, if I can follow my own advice here, damn, it’s going to be amazing!
And most of all, don’t be too frustrated! 😉
March 3, 2022 at 10:48 am
Darin,
I was thinking about titles this morning when I just slapped one on my post. I tend to use two or three-word titles that could definitely use more #hook! Thanks for the reminder of how important they are in getting readers to first engage with a piece. I need to work on it!!
As for reading posts – I was always a late-day slicer and seemed to mostly read those who posted around the same time as me, or bloggers I followed. This year I am trying to post in the morning and read and respond to a few posts and then revisit in the evening and read/respond a few more. I also printed out the list of first-time slicers and am going to try and hit as many of those as I can during the month. Fingers crossed,
March 3, 2022 at 10:52 am
I love this question because I want to sit there and read every single one. I do the Cursor Roulette Swipe. I scroll down fast and let the cursor travel until it stops. And then I read the 2-3 blogs that are in that window. Then I’ll swipe up and read a few…but then I’m always drawn to a few blogs I follow and enjoy. 🙂
March 3, 2022 at 10:54 am
I usually try to look for new to me blogs or ones that I haven’t commented on yet, in the comments section. I will agree however, it is the hook that makes me want to read that particular blog.
March 3, 2022 at 11:08 am
Fun to read this read. Golden line: “I love reading all the slices, seeing the experiences of those who are in worlds so much different than I am.” I am new to this. Interesting to hear yours and others strategies for participation.
March 3, 2022 at 12:19 pm
Me, I look for the title, the people I know, AND those who comment on my blog. I’ll go read some of their word, and more often than not, follow their blog. It brings some pretty crazy diversity to my life, and I’m all of it! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
March 3, 2022 at 11:14 am
I like hearing your thoughts. It can be hard to choose which ones to read, but it’s fun to see names I recognize from previous challenges. I’m also drawn by clever titles.
March 3, 2022 at 12:18 pm
Titles get me, every single time. The fact I’ve not been hacked because of a snappy title is beyond me! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
March 3, 2022 at 11:31 am
Interesting read. I’m glad I stopped by your post, that made me wonder on the same thought, making me not alone.
March 3, 2022 at 12:17 pm
So much wondering during the Challenge. I love all the writing and perspectives that are shared! 🙂
March 3, 2022 at 12:03 pm
Read all the slices?! Who has that kind of time! I read the people I follow, then choose from the little teasers that catch my eye.
March 3, 2022 at 12:16 pm
But I WANT to read them all. There so much diversity in our writing. It brings me joy to see how we all are writing slices, yet, they are so different! 🙂
March 3, 2022 at 12:31 pm
For sure. I could go down the rabbit hole every night reading slices. I may have done it once or twice over the years…..
March 3, 2022 at 6:27 pm
I have some go to blogs that I always read, both because I love how they write and because they’ve been very supportive of me. Then, like some of the people above, I try to find a few new people to read every day…like yours. Pretty soon I have even more go-to blogs to read. I agree that it can be overwhelming, especially when I also need to be writing my own.
March 4, 2022 at 8:04 pm
LOL! What, do you own writing?? What is that?? 🙂
March 3, 2022 at 6:44 pm
I never get through all of the slices every day, but certainly would be impressed with anyone who did- even if only once! There are a lot of us! To balance out those I “know” and follow and new voices and new ideas, I try to balance a few things. First, I scroll around and pull some out of the beginning and middle and end of the day. The deadline is 9pm my time, so it is easy for me to cover the entire day. Of course, I read posts with titles that make me laugh, confuse me, or generally pique my interest. If I am having a good day, I pick posts with titles that sound like someone is having a rough day, so I can say something positive to them. I am a mom, a teacher, and an animal person, so yes, I am going to pick out titles that are about your kids, your pets, and your weird classroom events (possibly I will pick the weird events over classroom triumphs). Lastly, I pick blogs based on interesting profile pictures and interesting blog titles. As a reward after I have read and commented on many posts, I go ahead and read the ones in my WordPress Reader.Clearly, I have given my system a lot more thought than I have given some of my own posts!
March 4, 2022 at 8:05 pm
Wow! That is impressive!! I agree, you HAVE given this a lot of thought and it makes me wonder what the heck am I doing?? 🙂
March 4, 2022 at 8:12 pm
Haha! What you are doing is blogging a heck of a lot more frequently than I do!
March 3, 2022 at 10:12 pm
The hashtags for today are *chef’s kiss* as the kids are saying these days. To answer your question I don’t necessarily get to all of the Slices. I seek out ones who have a title that pique my interest, find my Slicer Friends from over the last five years, and try to find two or three New Slicers to keep encouraging and get to know.
March 4, 2022 at 8:07 pm
You know what, I thought the hashtag were very on point as well, but I appreciate your compliment! 🙂
March 3, 2022 at 11:02 pm
Darin, that is so sweet that you want to read all the posts! Thanks for this encouragement for the journey! I do pick a few friends that I follow and read their blogs each day. Then I also try to pick another few posts that look interesting. Today I added a couple of new slicers from the list shared on the site. Usually, I comment on around ten posts. Out of 300, you say! Yes, that’s about it.
March 4, 2022 at 8:08 pm
I love the fact so many people have so many different ways of doing this one task! It shows me there is NO right way! 🙂
March 5, 2022 at 6:09 am
I always find it hard to know which ones to choose too!
March 6, 2022 at 3:54 pm
I routinely follow about ten blogs. I comment on the three blogs that proceed my post and anyone that comments on my blog. Usually I have my five or so welcome wagon, so this year I try to pick out a new blogger from Stacey’s list every day.
March 7, 2022 at 9:37 am
Seems like a reasonable plan! 🙂