Pros:
1. The kidlitosphere keeps me in the loop and aware of what new books are buzzing.2. Blogging provides me with a legitimate reason to wheedle with sales reps for ARCs and review copies of fresh novels.
3. An active blog helps readers remember I exist, even though I've puttered around so much that it'll be about four years between my first novel and my second.
4. Blogging about books I love makes me feel like I've still got my bookseller mojo.
5. Reading blogs and exchanging comments with other readers and writers is just plain fun, and keeps me in touch with cool people.
Cons:
1. It's work, and though it tends to be a whole lot more fun than laundry, blogging is one of those never-ending tasks. Scheduling posts in advance sacrifices spontaneity, while blogging on the fly leaves me panting.
2. I'm the sort of person who wants to silence all the bitsy little chores from my to-do list before tackling the big ones. Which means that keeping up with my blog and reading journal often gets put before keeping up with my actual book-writing. Not ideal.
3. Maybe this is only a reflection of my own frame of mind, but it seems like the kidlitosphere isn't as dynamic as it used to be. Lately I find myself dropping some blog feeds entirely, and skimming the vast majority of the keepers. Something's got to be amiss when an author I love posts a new blog and my first reaction is to feel put upon at the thought of taking the time to read it. Seriously? Do blogs and/or blog reading have a shelf life?
4. It's not a tremendous time commitment in the grand scheme of things, but keeping up with blogs, Facebook, Goodreads, and my reading journal is fragmenting my attention far more than it ought to, and I do not like that feeling. Not one bit. I want my focus back. (I suspect this also has something to do with writing a book from four points of view, but there's no turning back on that front.)
And yet I refuse to quit. I don't want to lose touch with my virtual buddies, or stop yammering about good books. A break might be in good order, though.
So I'm taking the week off. Maybe the one after that, too. Ok fine, "off" doesn't really mean radio silence. More like maybe-I-might-if-I-feel-like-it. (Because I do predict a blog-worthy day in the very near future.) No obligations, though, except the Sunday TBR updates. But that's it. Sort of.
