And the readers say . . .

When I moved to a new job in corporate communications early in my career, I stuck my head into my boss’ door one day to let him know that I had completed the piece I was working on — an update on an important project. I expected him to say that he would get to it in a little while, but he shocked me when he told me to pull up a chair and that we would review the piece together. Um, now? Really?

I was a very inexperienced writer and he caught me off-guard. I never expected that he would want to read it in front of me, but that’s exactly what he was suggesting. 

Image by Tima Miroschnichenko by Pexels.

Immediate feedback

It was a complicated piece. I remember being anxious about whether I had gotten it right. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I cringed as he started to touch one sentence but then let out a silent cheer when he made a minor change or two, turning my so-so line into something that jumped off the page. The rest of the session was much like that. I would squirm in my seat and then come away excited about whatever change he had just made.

I’m asking my blog readers today to do the same. I need your help. 

Raising the bar

One of the best ways to get better as a writer is to write and get direct feedback from your readers. This isn’t just me talking. Author Anne Lamont wrote in her classic book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.”

Science fiction author Octavia Butler offers similar advice, “You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.”

Image by Tima Miroschnichenko by Pexels.

So, what do you think?

This is me trying to be more “persistent.” I’m looking for real feedback on my writing. I want to know what reader’s think. I’m not searching for compliments or praise, I want to know what you think of my blog, the site, and the stories I feature. Here’s what I’m talking about:

• What about my blog works? Would you recommend it to someone else?
• I currently post Monday through Friday with a smaller post of three or four quotes on Saturday. No post on Sunday. I’m trying to figure out if I should keep a similar schedule next year or post less frequently. What would you like to see?
• Do you read my posts to completion? Do you get bored?
• How does my blog connect with you? How does it not?
• I tend to lump my writing into a few buckets, what topical areas would you like to see more of in the future? What should I write about next?
  • Parenting and family stories.
  • Stories from my past.
  • Life with Brian, things I come across in my day and things that annoy me.
  • Quotes that inspire me.
  • Fictional stories.
• Do my headlines work? I would ask the same about my lede/intros and endings?

If you care to share your thoughts, I’ll be mighty grateful. If not, thank you all the same.

Finally, thank you so much for your comments and feedback on my blog posts. It’s a big reason why I keep blogging, I love the back and forth with readers, I love the community.