The Blog Book

I love having a blog. I love reading other people's blogs. I like to encourage talented people to start a blog, continue their blogs or expand their blogs. I also like reading about blogging. So when an extended family member who is also a friend posted a picture of a blog book she was reading on Facebook, I ordered the blog book and read it too.

This blog book is Blog Inc. by Joy Deangdeelert Cho. I very much recommend this book if you already have a blog, are thinking of starting a blog, or are generally interested in blogs.

The book is very user friendly. It is not only user friendly but friendly-friendly. The design is whimsical, welcoming and clear. It's readable. Detailed without being too detailed. Accessible for the newbie without talking down to someone more experienced. There's a wealth of practical information and resources.

One of my favorite parts of the blog book are the interviews with established and successful bloggers. The interviews are like mini memoirs about people's creative processes, how they got started, unexpected challenges along the way and stuff they wished they knew when they began. As someone who loves reading about other people, I enjoyed having a peek into the lives of creative folks who  are different from myself. I loved learning about how the blogs fit into people's everyday lives.

When I first started the blog book, my expectation was that I would have an enjoyable reading experience and most likely get some useful snippets. I expected to be entertained because reading books is one of my biggest sources of entertainment. I knew there would be interviews with other bloggers and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into that.

All of this came true. What I wasn't expecting was a huge epiphany and life changing experience.

A little background. I struggle with perfectionism. This isn't some backhanded way of bragging or complimenting myself. At its worst it keeps me literally stuck in one place and spinning my wheels. It can be debilitating.

Things have gotten better for me in this regard. I'm more aware of it. I'm better at managing it.

Before reading the blog book, I established a regular posting schedule for this blog. I'm pleased with how it's going. I'm creating something I'm proud of.

In addition to Non-Fiction Living, I've had at least four other ideas for blogs. These aren't fly by night ideas. They are themes I keep mentally returning to again and again.

Here are my blog ideas in a nutshell. One of them is about how to be a cool old person. Another one is about sharing my success at maintaining a healthy weight while still living really well. The third one revolves around people working creatively. Number four would be me advising people about how to take good pictures with an iPhone camera. I'm talking in generalities now rather than specifics.

I was struggling with my four other blog ideas. I knew I wanted to keep on doing Non-Fiction Living. But I figured that the other ideas deserved their own blogs, along with their own creative identities, their own Facebook pages and audiences. The problem is that I am only one person with many different goals and responsibilities. I was sure it would be impossible to do justice to all of the blogs.

In other words, I was headed full speed toward Multiple Blog Disorder. Joy Deangdeelert Cho coined the term and only thing that saved me from this fate was Blog Inc. She shared her personal experience with her blog Oh Joy! She described the very process I’ve been going through as though reading my mind. She saved me a lot of trouble now and down the road. She got me off of the obsessional track I was on.

Because of the blog book, I'm going to be folding all of my other ideas into Non-Fiction Living. So if you keep on reading this blog, you'll see some food posts, posts about creative people, posts about old people and posts about iPhone photography. It gave me the confidence and permission to expand my present blog.

Many thanks to Joy Deangdeelert Cho for Blog Inc.

Chronicle Books has published a whole series of similar books I'm looking forward to delving into. I’ll let you know what I think of Creative Inc., Mom Inc., Craft Inc. and Art Inc. after I’ve read them!