What <em>Is</em> a Writer's Blog Anyway?

To begin with, let me apologize for writing yet another post on blogging (that's three in a row!). I do not want to turn this blog into a discussion on writing and blogging and am only too aware that I must get back soon to my usual subjects. But my mind is preoccupied with the Writers' Blog Alliance (see The Writers Buzz and my post Writers' Blogs and the Mighty PR) at the moment and that's all I have to write about.

I have been thinking about what constitutes a writer's blog. There was no intention to post on this, particularly as I am beginning to bore even myself with this constant hammering away at the Writers' Blog Alliance, but this morning I read a comment on Deborah Woehr's blog that demands an answer. Have a look at Andrew Kaufmann's comment and then visit his blog, Lunar Adventures. I think you will agree that his writing is excellent, even though his subject matter varies greatly (as does mine, I admit!). So how are we to define what makes a writer's blog?

A suitable place to begin such a definition would be to look at a few blogs that describe themselves as such. There are those that cannot be categorized in any other way: the blogs consisting of creative writing and nothing else. Doug Worgul's blog, Smoke Meat, is a perfect example; each post is a chapter of the novel he is writing (and it's so good that it makes me feel insecure!).

Then there are those that combine some original work with posts on incidental thoughts or comment on current events. My own blog is an example, but have a look at A Little Bit Rusty, the blog of a young writer who shows exceptional talent.

Many writers do not post their work but blog about the writing experience. This can take the form of a personal diary (Dana's Southern Gal Goes North) or posts about writing and technical tips (Karen Lee Field's blog, Scribe's Writing Desk, for instance). Some writers extend this idea to provide blogs that are resource centers for writers, as in Deborah's blog, The Writers Buzz, and Kendralynn.com's Fictional Persepectives.

All of these can be said to be writers' blogs in that they are written by writers. I admit that I have my doubts about the personal diary type as I don't really care what they had for breakfast and what their cat's name is (Dana's blog is excused because she usually mentions her writing and has links to some of it). But it may be that readers will be interested in these glimpses into a writer's life, especially as this type of blog often comes from published writers (perhaps the reality of earning from writing makes one less willing to give work away for nothing).

That mention of readers brings up another important point: do we include readers' blogs in our (visibly expanding) definition? There are many blogs that deal only with literary criticism and reviews of books, although the blog owners may have no aspirations to writing. And there are readers who read for enjoyment only, a breed upon whom we all depend. Can we fit these into our definition too? Certainly, for the purposes of the Writers' Blog Alliance, I think we must, for they form our market. Dialog with readers should be a major part of our Alliance.

So the definition becomes almost all-embracing. Remembering that I am carrying out this exercise with the Alliance very firmly in mind, it may be that we should say that anyone with an interest in writing has an entitlement to membership.

And the answer to Andrew Kaufmann's question must be, therefore, a resounding "Yes, of course you have a writing blog!"