Reading, Writing, and the Blog

Any writer will tell you that reading is as important to the craft as anything else.  Writers are readers.  They read for pleasure.  They read to learn.  They read to support their fellow writers.

I read blogs.  No, not just mine, but I read the blogs of friends, fellow writers, and interesting blogs I happen upon in the vast pool of distraction that is the Interwebs.  Blogger's new little gadget that allows me to easily follow blogs on my Dashboard has been a wonderful addition to my daily web-surfing.  Instead of spending twenty minutes typing in the different web addresses of the blogs I read into my Internet window, I can just look at my Dashboard and open the blogs that have new entries.  I love it!

As I've been adding to my I-read-this-blog list, I've been thinking about what kinds of blogs draw me in and make me check them regularly.  (I don't comment on people's blogs as much as I should, and I'm working on that, but believe me: I read your blogs.  So keep writing!)  There are a few reasons I might add a blog to my Dashboard following thingy.

It might be a fun, unique blog that makes me smile.  A great example of this is Cake Wrecks.  In this blog, Jen posts pictures of professionally made cakes gone wrong with accompanying snarky comments and corny jokes.  I've never seen a blog like it, and even though I'm not a foodie (or a cake-ie) I love seeing the wrecktacular creations Jen posts each day.  Especially when it's broken up with masterpieces like these.  Cake Wrecks gives me a dose of fun each day, so I keep going back.

I might also add a blog to my Dashboard if it's one that gives me advice I can use.  I recently discovered the blog of literary agent Nathan Bransford.  His blog, too, makes me laugh, but I've bookmarked many of his posts because of the great insider advice he gives about the publishing industry with a much more neighborly approach than other blogs I've read.  He even has said on his blog that if you're not sure whether he'll like your work or not, send it anyway.  That's my kind of agent!  Mr. Bransford's is a blog I've also recommended to fellow writers to give them good information for getting started or how to keep going or what to do next.  The information I get from his posts has already been incredibly helpful, which has earned him a place on my Dashboard.

As I mentioned, I also regularly read blogs by friends and fellow writers.  I have a bit of a wacky schedule, so reading blogs is sometimes a good way for me to keep in touch with friends.  It's no excuse for lack of emails or phone calls, but it gives me a little information from time to time as to how they're doing, that they're still around, and reminds me to call or email once in a while.  As for fellow writers, well...any blog that offers political and religious snark and tequila is okay by me.

How do bloggers get on your Dashboard?