First of all, our list for the Critique Partner Blogfest is growing, but there’s always room for more. If you’re looking for someone to read your work, or if you’re looking for something new to read, check it out.

A couple of quick things about the blogfest, based on comments I’ve received. Just some clarification is all 🙂

1 – Anyone can participate, even if you don’t have a story to have critiqued or are just looking for readers, not for things to read. Sign up if you’re interested in reading new work. Sign up if you’re interested in having your work read. Work out the details from there with whomever you connect with ^_^

2 – Everyone who is looking for readers will be posting information about their story(s) on their blog. Please only volunteer to read if you feel you can provide useful, constructive help to the author. Some (or all 🙂 of us write in distinct genres and we’re looking for people who appreciate the tale we’re telling, but still can offer insight on our writing.

Okay, now that’s out of the way…I was thinking about novel writing and blogging. I have certain habits that are a part of both. They’re also a part of my spoken communication. When I tell a story, written, verbal, fiction, non-fiction, I have a way of delivering it in its unpolished form.

That method frequently involves focusing on the wrong details. It’s something that’s not easy to fix, even consciously, until revisions. However, I don’t do a lot of revisions on my blog. I type and I hit ‘publish’.

So there will be days when I have this tremendous thought I want to share with the internet world, and I’ll type it out, and lots and lots of people will come and respond. They’ll all have fantastic insights, and I’ll think “wow, good point.” Except…on those days, what they read in my post and respond to is not the message I meant to convey.

For instance, I may put up a post about baking oatmeal cookies (with chocolate chips, not raisins). I may preface the story by talking about how my best friend in elementary school loved the swings. And I may spend more time on that thought than the actual cookie thought. In my mind, the two are probably related (probably). But since you don’t live in my mind (feel grateful), you don’t know this as a reader. So readers will come along and send me amazing comments about their best friends from elementary school, or swings, or parks, or whatever.

And I’ll read those comments and go “wow, good story.” and something in the back of my head will say “but what does it have to do with cookies?”

If most people see the cookie aspect of the post as being key, then I probably conveyed my message. If most people don’t see that, the fault lies with me as the author, and not the reader.

So, I’ve started using instances like this to adjust my story-telling approach. The voice doesn’t have to change, but what I focus on in the delivery does. I can go back and look at those posts, compare them to the comments, and see why someone assumed why I was talking about cookies.

It’s actually been very helpful in my writing. I don’t think I’ll ever overcome this particular trait, but it makes it easier to find and edit on a second or third pass.

What kind of things has blogging taught you about your fiction writing?