I just got finished looking at a video presentation from Terry Brooks on Ted X and it was thirteen minutes well spent as a writer. There was one quote that I thought was especially insightful especially if you’re a writer. Brooks says:
And because fantasy must approximate reality in order to work, given the parameters of the world, and because the characters within the fantasy must behave in rational, believable ways, in recognizable ways to the reader, the story has to resonate in a way that makes it seem like it’s possible.
This is true not only for fantasy but for all fiction. Maybe more so for fantasy but all fiction must have that element.
Now, why did I share that little tidbit? Because that’s the purpose of my website, to share not only things that are going on with my writing in particular but also to share information from the industry and wisdom from other successful writers. That being the case, I write quite a bit.
One thing that I have noticed in my research on a lot of writer’s website’s is their lack of writing regularly at their websites, Brooks being the exception. As I go to their websites, I see that the last post that they have was last year in 2014. I know some of these guys are busy but whoa…eight months or more in between posts is a little long in the tooth.
Many writers put up websites with no specific goal in mind. They have a website because…well…everyone has a website. However, there has to be a raison d’etre, a reason to be. Just to have a presence is just meaningless clutter.
Personally, I want to connect with my four fans (yes, it has increased 25%. Not bad) and any others that come along by God’s grace. The problem I have with some writers at their websites and beyond is that all they can seem to do is scream about their writing. There’s nothing wrong with that. You have to talk about your writing if you believe it’s worth talking about. To want people to read and enjoy your material is a writer’s ultimate goal. However, if that’s the only thing you do at your website, you’d be better off not having one and just having an Amazon account to hock your wares.
That’s one of the annoying things about Twitter. Most of the people on there are simply blasting stuff about their material and that’s it. No attempt to engage. No desire to connect. Just a constant stream of, “Buy my book!” which is why it took me a long time just to make a Twitter account. Having second thoughts now to a degree.
My website is my hub to connect and help people in a small way. Help them escape reality for a bit and immerse themselves into one of my works, or help them with solid information about writing or life in general. That keeps me busy writing quite a bit.
What’s the reason for your website? Are you a writer? How many times do you post a week? A month? I’d be interested to here your responses in the comments below.
