Today I’m pleased to present part two of Jennette Fulda’s guest post on the differences between blog writing and book writing. Jennette is the author of two memoirs, Chocolate & Vicodin: My Quest for Relief from the Headache that Wouldn’t Go Away and Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir. She also blogs over at PastaQueen.com. If you haven’t read part one of Jennette’s post you can find it here. See the end of the post for a list of winners in the Jennette Fulda book giveaway! Thanks again for posting today Jennette!
Cutting the chaff
After I finish a book draft, I go through all of my notes to see if I can include things I’ve left out. Some parts of my books provided easy openings for me to add a sentence here and there. Other times, I could not find an opening. Ultimately, I had to accept that I was not going to be able to cram every cute story or deep thought I had into my books. I could only include the best stories, the most necessary ideas, and I had to cut anything that did not move the book along. All the rest of that stuff? Well, that’s what the blog is for. It’s like the deleted scenes on a DVD.
The importance of accuracy
I always try to be accurate on my blog. But since it’s like a conversation, I don’t pretend to be a journalist. I don’t cite all my sources. I’ll link to an article if it’s convenient, but that’s about it. Similarly, if I were at the water cooler at work (although my work doesn’t actually have a water cooler), I might say to a colleague, “I heard that yo-yo dieting might have a bad rap.” I don’t say, “According to Karen Collins’ article in a July 8, 2007 on MSNBC.com, yo-yo dieting might have a bad rap.” If I started talking like that I’d have to check what they were putting in the water cooler. Since a book is more permanent than a blog, I sometimes have to back up the statements with footnotes or information in the appendix. Essentially, I get to be lazier as a blogger than I do as a book writer.
More revision and editing
Before I was published, no one told me how many times I was going to reread my book, so I’m going to tell you now: you will end up rereading your book more times than you can count. You have to read it after your first draft, after your second draft, after you make the revisions requested by your editor, during proofreading, during copyediting, and after the design proof is ready. Your book will be looked at by several people who will correct your spelling, grammar, and find any contradictions or errors in your prose. It will be polished and near perfect.
When I write a blog entry, I write it, I read it once or twice, and then I publish it. Sometimes I spell words wrong, which readers are happy to point out. But overall it’s a more casual medium and small errors aren’t a big deal. If I want to change something, I can log into WordPress and do it. Once a book is published, you can’t make any changes unless you bring a bottle of white out and a ballpoint pen to every bookstore in the world.
Deadlines
When you sign a book contract, you are legally obligated to submit a manuscript by a certain date. If you don’t, you have to give your advance back. Those deadlines have always given me the motivation to write at least 1000-2000words a day. In contrast, I’m the boss of my blog and if I don’t feel like writing an entry today I don’t have to. I know that if I don’t create new content regularly I might lose readers and my ad revenues might drop, but those are consequences I can moderate according to my desires. Also, my entries can be as long or short as I want and don’t have to be within a certain word count like a book.
One moment in time
My memoirs are constantly frozen during certain eras of my life, eras I am constantly moving farther and farther away from. Because of this, I still get email from readers commenting on events in “Half-Assed” as if they just happened, whereas I feel like they’re trying to contact the me from four years ago who no longer exists. It becomes harder and harder to give them relevant replies because the issues I wrote about then are not as relevant to me now and my memory of certain events has faded. Whereas a blog keeps readers up-to-date on the most recent version of yourself, so you don’t run into that issue.
Those are some of the major differences I’ve noticed between blogging and book writing. I enjoy creating content for both mediums, but I have to tailor my writing so it suits each platform. My blog helps promote my books, and my books bring new readers to my blog, so the two formats play nicely together. Just be sure you mind the rules.
Contest Winners! Each of the following people win a copy of Chocolate & Vicodin and Half-Assed: Shannon P., Rebecca, ShelleyRae, Kathy P., and Ashley M. (Winners were chosen at random.)
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I am thrilled to win a copy of Chocolate & Vicodin and Half-Assed:! Thank you to Mandy and Jennette
Shelleyrae
Although I have no idea how the traditional publishing process works, indie writing is much like this, except with more paranoia. hahaha
I was just thinking the other day, how much I would like to be a book blogger. I’ve had a super secret online journal for years, but it’s not for the general public (only a special few read it), so it’s only now, because I’ve been told I HAVE to, that I’ve been writing a blog. You know, I’ve found that my blogging voice is completely different than my writing voice. Have you found that is the case? If not, do you think it’s because your work is autobiographical?
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