Scanning

Well, I started off with Emerging Writers Network. I think that something that doesn't work for them is

that their background color is very dull. It doesn't make me excited to stay and it just seems very muted. It isn't something that is going to make me want to keep reading, especially on a stormy day like this (Sunday). I jumped to GalleyCat next because I liked the name. I think names are important. Books, movies, and CD's have covers but Blogs need a nice title to catch the readers eye. Something that interested me about GalleyCat
was that it had very short entries. Their titles were interesting and I was willing to read them. Then, just I was getting interested it would end. So, I think they could of used some more information in their posts. At the same time, the length was one of the reasons that I was willing to check out their article. I think it is important to start off very quickly, with interesting pieces of information or a compelling voice to keep the reader interested enough to stay for the more important information. Although I wasn't in the mood to read the whole thing, A Commonplace Blog had a nice voice. It was almost conversational and while it talked about a more intellectual topic the voice made it accessible. It didn't try to sound pretentious. I also learned a few things while reading the blog post. I enjoyed a post on The Millions called "Staring into the Darkness: On Reading Thrillers and Writing One." It asked

good questions, it was relatable. I liked the title and accompanying picture, that was what made me want to read it. The post itself starts right off and doesn't drag. It states facts, feelings, questions, and points but it doesn't over analyze anything. It flows right along, like I'm listening to a fellow tell a story rather than read a blog. I liked the way the blog was layed out, the two most recent articles had a photo and the others looked really cool hanging out in a group. The blog logo was also a nice touch. I wasn't to thrilled with Dani Shapiro. I did like that it started out with a cool quote but that was from another author, so it doesn't help Dani out much. Her writing style wasn't one I enjoy. She just sounds like one of those people who tries to sound all complex and interesting, when, in reality, she is only over analyzing herself. I mean really?Paraphrased, "My most complex emotion right now is Joy." Joy isn't complex, it just is. Those people annoy me, stop over thinking things that don't need over thought!