A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a literary agent's blog who said that writers should not express strong opinions on their blogs because publishers don't like this. There were other recommendations but this one is the one that surprised me. There are readers out there who disagreed with this agent's recommendation claiming that writers who do not express their opinions are not interesting and can be boring.
I tend to write posts on which my personal views and opinions are made evident to the public. If I think that a subject is controversial I may take some time to process my ideas and thoughts before I dare write about it. In some cases I avoid writing about some topics altogether fearing that it may not be the right time in my career to do so.
As writers we already take risks when we craft our own stories. Do we also take risks when we blog?
Do you tend to gravitate towards blogs that are not opinionated? Or do you prefer blogs that express strong opinions? Do you prefer to sound neutral when you write a blog entry?
What is your personal approach?
There are some where the opinions are so in-your-face-bordering-offensive that I tend to avoid. The picture above is beautiful! I love it when posts have greats pics.
ReplyDeleteHi Rebecca. Thanks for stopping by and giving me your opinion. That is a very good point. Perhaps it all depends on the way the opinions are expressed. Being offensive is not a very wise approach when expressing opinions. I'm glad you like the picture.
ReplyDeleteI think the agent has a point. One can alienate readers before they buy your book.
ReplyDeleteI read blogs for two reasons -- I enjoy catching up on the lives of the people I follow, or I read a blog for instruction/education. For example, photography, creative writing, or making music.
Thanks for sharing your motivations and views. I enjoy reading your blog even though I haven't been commenting on it lately. Thanks!
DeleteThat's a good question. I think it probably depends on what you want for yourself. You do put your opinion out there, strong opinions, at the risk of losing potential readership. But if you're catering to a certain audience, for example, Christian fiction, then it's not necessarily a bad thing. If I wrote Christian fiction, I would want my Christian readership to know that I believed the same things they did, even knowing that might mean potential readers might be scared away.
ReplyDeleteGood point. I have an independent mindset and I like to keep a non-judgmental open mind, so I am learning a lot here from all of you. Thanks for stopping by April!
DeleteI think the people who aren't afraid to let their light shine are the ones most interesting to read in a blog post. Like Chuck Wendig, for instance. Definite point of view, and not afraid to express it. And, doesn't seem to be hurting him any either. That's not to say I want to read someone shouting horrific things, but I say we should never be afraid of having an opinion and expressing it. Yes, a few people might not like your point of view and will never visit you again. But you'll make it back ten fold in people who DO like how you think. I don't think you should have to suppress or fake who you are in the hopes that a publisher will like it. That said, I do tend to avoid a few topics...religion, politics, Mac vs PC. I avoid them because I'm not interested in debating them. But that's just me. I have a friend who blogs about politics all the time - it's who she is. I see no problem with that either, and eagerly read every post she puts up. /shrug
ReplyDeleteInteresting point. I like to be honest on my blog so thanks for the encouragement, Melinda!
DeleteAs I tend to approach my blog as a bit of fun, I keep it as silly and frivolous as possible. Every so often something happens that upsets me - usually some animal cruelty issue - but I don't "lay it on thick". I guess for me - I really do not mind what people blog about - it's how they present their views/thoughts/opinions. For me it's always, always about presentation. If you write eloquently and intelligently and wittily about a subject matter whatever the topic and I am entranced then that for me is what matters.
ReplyDeleteTake care
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I agree with you Old Kitty. It is important to be tactful, sensitive and clever when expressing opinions.
DeleteI think everyone is different. You have to decide what kind of persons or publisher you are interested in and then work on your blog accordingly. There is no right or wrong answer.
ReplyDeleteThanks, flutietootie. I wanted to open a discussion and to encourage people to share their thoughts, views and perspectives and you all did that very well. I enjoyed it.
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