Changes to My Blogs

I've been blogging regularly and steadily on both of my blogs since each one's inception. Both were created to serve several purposes from the outset. One was to bookmark experiences regarding life in Japan so that I could remember them as well as share my perspective on things both trivial and important with others. Another was to set myself a task such that I would develop my writing skills in different directions by focusing on a particular niche (Japanese snacks) or a particular style (short form for 1000 Things About Japan). Still another was in hopes of generating some income for my writing work. Despite my spotty proof-reading, I do put a lot of time and energy into my blogs.

I have realized two of my three goals. For various reasons, I make nearly nothing from my blogs despite having a pretty decent readership that has continued to grow at a slow pace. This is disappointing, but not the primary reason for the changes that are to come.

For some time, I've been writing a book. It's well over 100 pages now, but I keep having problems finishing it. The primary reason for this is that I tell myself each week that I'll do my eight blog posts (five for Japanese Snack Reviews and three for 1000 Things About Japan) and then I'll work on my book. All of my energy and time is taken by the blogs such that there is not enough left for the book and I have decided that has to change.

I've always been the sort of person who believes in structure and discipline. One of the reasons that my posting is regular is that I think that you have to set a goal and stick with it in order to make sure you achieve it. On 1000 Things About Japan, I met that goal awhile back when I hit 500 "Won't Miss" and 500 "Will Miss" posts, but I kept going and added in other content. On this blog, my goal was the number and type of posts and I've steadily stuck with each of my goals for a long time. It is time for my goals to change to getting the books I want to write finished instead of writing a certain number of blog posts each week for each blog.

In terms of what this means, I'll say first what it does not mean. It does not mean these blogs are ending or dying. I will continue to post, but I will be posting like most other bloggers do from now on. That is, these blogs will be second or third in my writing priorities rather than occupy first place as they have for so long. I will blog essentially when I feel like it rather than according to a self-imposed rigorous schedule.

For my kind and faithful readers, this means you'll have to track changes in some way rather than know when something new will be here. I recommend using an RSS reader (like Feedly) as it will automatically notify you of new content when it arrives, but you could simply pop in occasionally to see if anything has been posted. My best guess is that you'll see at least one post per week, but I can't say now as I haven't yet embarked on this new path.

As a postscript, I have to also say that this sort of change was inevitable since I knew at some point that I'd have to start leaving my connection to Japan behind and focus on making new and different ones. That connection will always be there as I spent so much of my adult life there, but it will fade. I love to write, so I will continue to do so, but it will likely branch into other areas rather than be monopolized by all things Japan. I hope you'll stick with me and read when I have something to say. I appreciate all of the kindness and support I've been shown over the years and look forward to continuing to offer something to those who enjoy my writing, albeit on a less frequent basis.

Misc. Blog Stuff and Feedly

I've already posted about this on my other blog, the one about junk food, and I wanted to say a word here. Most bloggers, including me, are getting regular readership from people who subscribe using an RSS reader. Many of my readers are using Google Readers, as I did for quite a few years. The awesomeness of such readers is that they allow you to track when new content is available without daily visits to the site. 

Of course, I'm very happy to have people pop in by visiting everyday. In fact, I'd welcome you with a cup of tea and a green tea chocolate if I could. However, if you're the kind of person who follows a lot of blogs, it quickly becomes cumbersome to track them all and that's where RSS has your back.

For my readers, this equation isn't quite so tricky because I follow a pretty strict posting schedule on both blogs. On this one, I post every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On the other one, I am currently posting every weekday. However, if you are using RSS, it's just that much easier to track new content rather than remember my particular posting schedule.

So, I am kindly asking readers to consider moving to a new RSS Reader when Google Reader reaches its inevitable demise (assuming you already use Google Reader). I decided to migrate early to allow myself to grow accustomed to a new interface and have chosen Feedly. So far, I've found it to be the least annoying. Woo-freaking-hoo? Actually, it's not a bad reader at all, but I'm well aware of the troublesome nature of mastering a new interface. However, you can use it to directly connect to Reader to import your old feeds and set the look to be roughly similar to the venerable reader. 

Thank you all for reading and I appreciate your continued attention and support. I think Google Reader goes dark on July 1, 2013, and I hope that I don't see a concomitant drop in my readership. 

Will Miss #499 - something to write about

I have yet to write about foot monkeys, but you can't cover everything... not even in 1000 posts.

One of my students aspired to be a writer. In fact, she had been trying to change her work from salesperson to something in the publishing industry for quite some time. The only problem was that she was a writer who didn't write. I encouraged her to blog, because you can hone your craft through writing one, but she said she couldn't think of what to say or write about. Many people have the same problem. They blog anyway, but they really have nothing to say so they go around reading what other people write in articles or say on their blogs and comment on it.

I am a writer, and I write about what I think (and I think a lot) and experience. The perspective I gained from living as an outsider as well as the experiences I had were invaluable in stimulating my written work. Living in Japan gave me a wealth of opportunity to express my voice uniquely on topics which not everyone experiences in the manner in which I do, and I'll miss that.