Good morning friends, haters, and other loyal readers!
I have a confession. I am bored out of my skull with the political ranting and raving and nitpicking. I’ve got to take this blog to the next level, mix things up a little bit.
Since November 2003, I’ve basically done the same thing: check the headlines, pick a story, rant and rave about it, link to other bloggers blogging about it, try to get links from other bloggers blogging about it (“chasing the link”), wait for the comments, read the comments, comment on the comments…and start over again the next day.
That’s what most bloggers do, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with it. It’s just not the right format for me anymore. I do some of my best writing on the blog. I put most of my time and energy into it. In fact, I put so much time and energy into it, I don’t have time to do writing outside the blog.
My former boss at the former day job, a liberal, gave me very good advice at a “goodbye and good luck” lunch. Although he leans left, he really liked my writing. He didn’t agree with most of it, but he thought I was a good writer. I told him about my plans to build up the blog, and he advised me to get into the habit of submitting op-eds to print publications once a week. At the time I waved it off. My focus was the blog, the online world. Now I remember why it’s important for a writer-blogger to do non-blog writing.
I need to focus more on filling up this page than joining the next blog swarm or catching the next meme. I want to reach more people with my ideas and opinions, and the best way to do that is to be published in a wider range of print and online pubs. Instead of being one of hundreds of bloggers commenting on MSM stories and op-eds, I want bloggers to comment on my MSM stories and op-eds.
Before the blog, I used to submit op-eds to newspapers twice a month. Sometimes I hit, sometimes I missed. But the process became a habit. As the blog began to grow, I lost the habit and concentrated on writing for the blog. The audience grew. If all I wanted to be was a blogger, the goal was achieved. But I want to be a writer again. In fact, I want to be considered a writer first. Blogging is great, but I want to be influential and known outside the blogosphere.
Starting a business, learning the business, getting clients, and finding a niche have all cut into my blogging time, and there’s still so much I want to do. I like blog consulting, and this post in no way implies that I want to give it up. I get excited when businesses contact me about starting a blog. I sell the idea of blogs first, and once people are sold, the fun really begins. I’ve got a couple of “anchor” clients now, and I need more. Visit The Language Artist. 
What does “retooling” LBC mean? It means that I will blog less. I’ve been doing less blogging these days anyway. I used to post two or three times a day, sometimes more. These days if I write one decent post, it’s a major accomplishment. Of course, less frequent posting means fewer readers. Fewer readers mean lower traffic stats.
Traffic has never been the most important part of blogging for me, although in recent months I focused on it too much. I’m ready to let that go and trust the process.
Then again, political bloggers with heavy traffic tend to do a lot of outside-the-blog writing and speaking. I’ve been approached by literary agents and publishing house editors about writing a book (because of this blog!), and I’m just now at the point where I can focus on it. I’ve written a couple of very rough draft proposals, but I need to get serious. I’m such a dunce, though, dragging my feet the way I have. Some writers would give a couple of fingers to be contacted by agents and editors.
Retooling would also mean fewer rant posts and more original reporting. It could also mean a new design, although I really like the way my site looks now. I may want a more professional, sleeker look. I guess that would be difficult to achieve with those ads in the sidebars. 
Side note: I put out a call for guest bloggers a few months back, and although I still may do this, it’s moved down the to-do list. As someone who likes to control all aspects of her site, I need to put more thought into how I’d implement the guest blogging plan.
That’s all I want to say for now. Thanks for reading LBC.
Update: An anonymous reader just sent me three homeschooling books, including Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style, with a note that reads, “For your future children.”
It’s gestures like this that make blogging worthwhile. Thank you.
Another Update: Boy, can I relate to Neo-neocon’s post. Some readers can’t resist urging bloggers to blog about something. (Suggestions and links are OK).
One reader with a phony name kept e-mailing links to stories and urged me to blog about this issue or that controversy. I told him to start his own blog and cover the topics himself. (I wasn’t hostile at all. I even put a sincere smilie in the reply.) He responded with a sarcastic “great way to create balance and credibility,” as if I’m obligated to be balanced or care whether my post topics help or hurt my credibility. In whose opinion?
When such readers start paying me a salary, then I’ll blog about what they want me to blog about.
By the way, my friend Joseph Phillips has a book coming out on May 1. My turn!
Joseph and I were on a panel together last year. See Reclaiming Our Destiny and Vanguard. More photos here.
One more item before I call it a day. Bucktowndusty wants to start a blog swarm. A cardinal is instructing priests not to follow immigration law.
