This blog has existed for a little over a year now, and I’ve had so much fun with it — more than I ever imagined I would. I have “met” some truly great people, and I have been energized by the exchange of opinions, ideas, and support from people who love poetry — both writing it and (rarer still) reading it. As one year turns into the next, I thought I’d share with you my blogging plans for the next year:
- It has become painfully clear that I need a new theme. I say “painfully” because I love the aesthetic of this current one: the colors, the faint grid, the ’80s retro look, everything. But there are certain things that I can’t do with this theme, and now I would like to be able to do those things. Bonus points for any theme that will allow me to post poems with lines that are longer than usual. A month or so ago, I got really into poems with long lines, and the results were not pretty.
- Widgets. Facebook buttons. A blog roll. All that “stuff” that other bloggers have and that I can’t seem to figure out, so that this blog will be as connected and social as many others are, and so it will look nicer, too — not just a big text hole surrounded by broken things.
- Hey, did you know I’m an editor who is looking for freelance projects? And who has edited a few creative manuscripts (both poetry and prose), and would like to work on more of them — and is willing to do so at a very affordable rate? Well, how would you know? I have not done a great job of getting the word out — which was my primary purpose for this blog, before I discovered how much fun it is to just post poems. In the new year, I plan to make that information much easier to find. But I’ll make sure that art and commerce are separate enough that you don’t come for the poems and end up with a sales pitch (like a “free” visit to a time share community).
I am in over my head with a lot of this stuff, which is why I’ve hired an expert: Dan Kittay of Kittay New Media. (Some of you know that Dan works for me as a freelancer at my “actual job” — so I will hasten to say that he is charging me the same rate that he would any other client of my type, and that I cleared it with our general counsel first.) Yes, I know there’s a handy WordPress tutorial. It’s just that … sigh. Anyway, Dan says he can get things all straightened out and more functional for me and then show me how to maintain it.
Thank you so much for a great year, and please watch this space!
Marilyn Rauch Cavicchia 
Hi, Marilyn–
I am watching this space eagerly!
I’m commenting on this particular post because it occurs to me that the overhaul you’re planning for your blog may coincide beautifully with an expand-your-network game for writers that I’m participating in. I’d like to invite you to join.
It’s called Blog Hop, a.k.a. “The Next Big Thing.” Here’s how it works: I’ve been tagged by another writer (two, actually) to answer a set of interview questions about my current writing projects. I’ll answer these questions on my blog (which I’ll be posting on Jan. 28), and “tag” three to five other writers to do the same. Each round of writers links to the blogs of both those who tagged them and those they tag, so that readers can follow the chains of links in both directions.
Here are “The Next Big Thing” posts of two writers who’ve recently done the Blog Hop so that you can see the interview questions and how these writers responded to them. Also, you can see how they announce the writers they tagged: http://stephaniereneedossantos.wordpress.com/2013/01/04/the-next-big-thing/ and http://andrewsmcbride.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/blog-hop-2013-the-next-big-thing/ .
I’d love for you to be one of the writers I “tag”; I know you’ve participated in a number of month-long writing challenges resulting in multiple series of poems that you’ve compiled into chapbook manuscripts. Where do those projects stand? Do you have a full-length manuscript in the works, perhaps? Which journals are your poems appearing in?
Thank you so much for considering this, Marilyn, and please feel free to ask me any questions you may have about how the Blog Hop works!
My email is jenniferbullis (at) comcast (dot) net.
Cheers,
Jennifer
Hi, Jennifer — More later, but yes, I’d love to do this! Thanks so much for thinking of me.
Wonderful! Thanks so much for saying yes to the Blog Hop, Marilyn.
May I ask you to do two quick things? Could you please send me 1) a short bio (50-60 words), and 2) a date–any time in the next month–that you’d like to post your responses to the interview questions? When I do my post on Monday, I’ll include this information for you and my other “taggees” along with my interview responses.
Thank you so much!
OK, will send this to your gmail address tonight! Sorry I’m running late — this comment didn’t land in my gmail as most others do … Will get on it this evening, though. Glad to have this opportunity! 🙂
No worries about running late, Marilyn! I won’t be putting up my post until tomorrow evening, so any time tonight or tomorrow works fine.
One other writer I’ve tagged has claimed Feb. 17 to do her post, but all other dates in the next month are up for grabs, so you can have your pick of dates when you’d like to post your responses to the interview questions.
Cheers!
OK, how about Feb. 12? And I sent a bio just now, to your comcast address (not gmail, as I said earlier).