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What's Next For The Blog in 2020


Happy Monday!

Two weeks ago, I shared a bit of a life (and writing project) update, so this week's post is an update on this website. If you were wondering what is coming up, here are some answers.

When I Am Posting

I decided to change the day of the week I post on. I've narrowed it down to early in the week.

Why early in the week?

From a statistical standpoint, it's because the posts on my blog have higher view counts when they go up early in the week. Why? I'm not sure, but I'm not going to fight with the direction the numbers are pointing in.

Other reasons?

I used to post on Tuesdays. My posts slid back to Thursdays because I would procrastinate about writing them. When Tuesday rolled around and nothing was ready to go, I pushed it back. Then I told myself giving myself an extra couple of days was fine because at least it would go up that week. My goal at the time was consistent posts, but I let myself off the hook because of my mental state at the time.

My head is in a better place these days. This time around, I'll do my best to be consistent and communicate to you (the reader) when a delay comes up.

Book Reviews - JULY

This was the first and easiest decision to make about what to bring back! I've loved being able to help fellow writers out with reviews. Not doing reviews has been difficult in the last eleven months, but I'm looking forward to coming back to it.

I did update the guidelines for submitting a book review request recently. You can check it out here - "Book Reviews for Authors"

Reading Round-Up - SEPTEMBER

Another series I have struggled with not being able to do is the Reading Roundup series. I was talking to a friend (and fellow bibliophile) from college a month or so ago. When she asked me what I had been reading lately, I had to confess that my reading had slowed down. It HURT, folks.

I have plans to catch up over the summer, so expect to see this series come back around Labor Day.

Writer's Toolbox - Return Date To Be Determined

Before everything exploded last summer, I had outlined a few more posts in this series. I'm not sure what I did with those notes, but I've been spring-cleaning my house the last couple of months (as one often does during a pandemic). I am sure they will turn up eventually.

I've also got some new ideas for posts in this series to play around with. I may bring it back in the fall, but I am not sure yet. Stay tuned.

How Well Do You Know Me Series - AUGUST

This series has been so fun to work on. How could I not bring it back?

I'm trying to decide between Google Play Books and Hulu for the next post. If you have any opinions, or suggestions for another service to look at, let me know in the comments!

Tuesday Blogs (as Thursday Blogs) - Return Date To Be Determined

Because I'm shifting which day(s) my regular posts go up, the name of this type of blog will be changing to Thursday Blogs. They'll still be going up about once a month because I have thoughts and feelings on things. Frankly, I like having a post each month where I get to dive into some of those things.

This will probably come back in August, but depends on what is going on at the time.

SciFi Through the Centuries

Tough decision here. I was working on a post for this series on June 18, 2019, at around 12:30 in the afternoon (when the fire broke out next door). I sat down a couple of times last week and tried to work on it but struggled with both the research and the writing.

When I say struggled, I mean on a mental health level. I love research and I love writing. The time it takes to research and write posts for this series does not bother me in the slightest. The problem is that I started going back into the place my head was shortly after the fire. It's happened every time I opened up the post I was working. I've had similar issues with the novel series and novellas I was working on at around the same time.

The part of me that loves research is sad to set this one aside for now. I hope to come back to it someday.

Guest Posts - LATE SUMMER/EARLY FALL

I'm excited to announce that I will be accepting queries for guest posts in the near future. The guidelines are still being worked on, though. As soon as I have them ready I will add the page to the website and share the link on social media.

Email

I recently set up a site-specific email for the blog. You can now reach me with any book review requests, guest post queries, questions, comments or suggestions at admin@catpollockwrites.com.


I'm aiming for a return to regular posting starting in July. When exactly will depend on how much I can get done to prepare for new posts in the next month. The contract work I'm doing at the moment (not writing) has a set schedule and number of hours each day/week. I know how many hours I'm working when I'm on any given project, but I'm not sure when my current project will be wrapping up. How much I'm able to get done on the blog will depend on how much, if any, downtime I have.


I hope this post answered your questions about what will be happening moving forward. I also aim to post once or twice more between now and July (content to be determined). The one year anniversary of the fire is next month and I want to leave myself some room around that time frame to deal with whatever thoughts and feelings may come up for me.

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