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How important is it to you that a writer's blog/website match the genre he or she writes in?
As you can see, my blog is not creepy or dark or edgy. It's relatively pleasant in terms of colors and pics and overall content.
Now, if you had read my published stories or my flash fiction collections then paid a visit to the blog, how would you feel? Deceived? Disappointed? Would you wonder if you were in the right place? Would you be expecting darker colors, more horror-related posts? Would you wonder if this was really the online home of the person who wrote about ghost children and spiders as man's best friend?
Or does it not matter at all? Would you just be relieved to know that some light does manage to get through all my mind shadows? Would you enjoy the photos of the beach and the palm trees and the tortoises? (Who, let's face it, are really in charge here, and I'll need to run any blog changes by them first anyway....)
I'm not trying to promote stereotypes or anything like that. For me, it's more about expectations. And what I really don't want to do is let my readers down.
With the tortoises' approval, I'm taking a brief blogging break (go ahead, say that five times fast.) I'll pop in and out but won't post anything new until Monday, the 18th.
*****
With the tortoises' approval, I'm taking a brief blogging break (go ahead, say that five times fast.) I'll pop in and out but won't post anything new until Monday, the 18th.
I've never thought about it, but I think it's fun to see glimpses of the "real" person behind the stories. I don't think I would be disappointed at all if I just came here after discovering your books. And of course who could be disappointed in Larry and the Mrs? They run an amazing blog.
ReplyDeleteGood point about seeing the person behind the stories - I enjoy that, too.
DeleteThe tortoises really do a good job here, don't they? Although they would prefer more pics of basil and banana. :)
Well, I guess I might be disappointed if the author wrote dark and I went to his web site and found pink flowers and unicorns. I don't necessarily want to see dark, creepy scenes, but I'd like some inkling of the genre even if it's just in the header or font.
ReplyDeleteI'm taking an unexpected break too today. My back went out--and didn't take me with it. :)
The header on my blog is pretty direct so maybe that's good? I try to keep the colors, etc a little more muted, too.
DeleteYikes, Maria! Hang in there!
That's a valid argument. I've been thinking about redoing my website to reflect more of my writing (MG mysteries). Thanks for the push!!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome for the push. Good luck on your site's re-do!
DeleteI agree with Maria that as long as it's not a complete 180 from your genre, it's probably fine.
ReplyDeleteI've also been thinking about content - like, maybe in 2018 I'll try to work in some romancy/chick-litty type of posts along with my authory posts. I'd be interested in hearing about some of the things that inspire your horror plots & characters.
Thanks, Nicki! I think doing some more horror-related posts - like you mentioned about the inspiration behind some of the stories - would work well even with the blog as is.
DeleteAs an author, I want to see the person behind the stories. So a site being different than the genre doesn't bother me. Yet as a reader, I do wonder why a writer doesn't add some aspects of their genre to their site. I'm happy as long as it's easy to navigate and easy to read.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your break! :)
I'm totally with you on the site being easy to navigate and read. I hope I accomplish that here!
DeleteI don't think a website has to reflect a writer's genre. It CAN, but I actually think it's more interesting to see a more personal-type blog that gives readers a glimpse of the person behind the pen. (or keyboard...) Here, you can be YOU, whereas in your writing, you have to take a backseat to the story.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your break!
Susan, that's an excellent point about the author taking a backseat to the story whereas on the blog or website, the author is more in the driver's seat. (Or, in this case, the passenger seat since the tortoises are driving this bus.) :)
DeleteI like your blog a lot just the way it is! I think that the way you lead into your story writing - always telling your blog readers beforehand that it's grim or horror - works with the lighter theme.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tyrean! I appreciate that. :)
DeleteI don't know that I've ever thought about an author's website matching their chosen genres. So I guess that means it wouldn't bother me either way.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your blogging break!
It's funny because I'm not sure I ever really thought much about it before either. Lately though, all the talk about branding and marketing, etc, made me take a step back and consider it from that angle.
DeleteThat's a hard question. I guess if the feedback from your commentters is good and your getting the visits, don't change a thing. If it isn't working for you any more then change it.
ReplyDeleteI see you as more than a writer. Hope that's not a bad thing. Your soul is not dark even if your writing is. :-)
Anna from elements of emaginette
Anna, how nice! Thank you!
DeleteI'm pretty sure my soul isn't dark. It's my imagination that needs the nightlight. :)
When I was helping my friend this past week, she had the same dilemma. She wanted imagery for her brand that represented her writing, but she didn't feel it was a good fit for her blog. I say they don't need to match. You are you. Your stories are something else. :)
ReplyDeleteLove this, Loni - "You are you. Your stories are something else. :)"
DeleteEnjoy your break!
ReplyDeleteI did try to make my site look science fiction. Maybe you could fake a death scene with Larry? Make it look like Mrs. Larry did it.
Ha ha ha! I know just how she'd do it, too - she'd have Larry slip on a banana peel....
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI like the way you have your blog set up. It has light. I don't have to strain my eyes to read it and if I were you, I wouldn't change it.
Relax during your break.
Shalom aleichem,
Patricia Everything Must Change
Thanks, Patricia! I'm glad my blog works for you. :)
DeleteRelax? I might get my body to do that but my mind? Not so much.
Not remotely important to me. I look at blogs as sort of a friendship thing. I don't want creepy friends. But I prefer my fiction a little creepy. If a blog has creepy content, I prefer it is delivered with humor. I just really don't care for a deep scary vibe in something like a blog.
ReplyDeleteDuly noted re creepy friends and a deep scary vibe. :)
DeleteThankfully, the tortoises keep things light around here.
My mother always swore that I needed to keep the blog personal, to not worry about genre and what-not, but let it be the place people can make a personal connection with me. She's probably right. Personal posts always get the highest amounts of hits.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your break!!
I definitely agree about the personal connection! Like Julie mentioned in her comment, it's fun reading about the real person behind the stories.
DeleteThis is such a good question. So I write dark thrillers, and if you look at my website, it's very clean. One of the reasons for this, is that I find clean websites provide a more user-friendly experience. I find that graphics clutter the experience, and the eye has to work harder to navigate. This said, there are benefits to matching your website brand to your genre.
ReplyDeleteI like a clean site as well so I definitely aim for that anyway. I like graphics but only so many. Pop-ups and the like drive me nuts. :o
DeleteI love your blog design. And seriously, how could you do this without Mr. and Mrs. Larry? My vote is for doing what YOU want to do - it's your space.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lee!
DeleteI really couldn't do any of this without the tortoises. I mean, I do all the typing sure but Mrs. L is the beauty while Larry is the brawn. I guess that makes me the brains. Hmm....
Obviously . . . LOL
DeleteGood question. My writing is also dark, but as my stories are set in different time periods (1980s, Victorian era), I use this to help lighten it up a bit, both in my posts and how it looks. As others have said, it gives the reader a glimpse into my personality. Enjoy the break!
ReplyDeleteThe glimpse into an author's personality seems to be important and definitely something to keep in mind.
Deletei agree with most of the other comments - 1) your blog is great the way it is and 2) as long as it isn't a striking difference from the genre, your blog is more about you - now if i had an author website separate from my blog, i would consider designing it with my brand as an author in mind... great question!
ReplyDeletei also like your encouraging posts, don't change those!
happy sept!
Tara Tyler Talks
Thanks so much, Tara! I'm glad you like those encouraging posts. I enjoy writing them. I always hope they help you all the way they usually help me. :)
DeleteI think it's neat when a blog/website matches the author's book/genre as part of their brand with colors and content...that's something I discussed with Evan ;) but I think all authors can do what they want. A blog has a more personal feel, and yours accomplishes this. A website is a little different, if you get one separate from your blog, and for that I'd suggest making it match your brand/books/genre. But I think your blog is great as is. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chrys! Interesting point re the look and feel of a blog vs that of a website. And I remember you talking about a lot of this kind of thing with Evan - great interview, by the way. :)
DeleteLOL. It's funny how we expect writers of horror or 'creepy' fiction to be dark characters themselves. But now you have me thinking maybe I should look for a better background for my blog.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't trying to cause trouble, Susan, I promise! :)
DeleteYeah, I'd probably be expecting something a bit darker, something that matches your writing. But, if you write a variety of things, it shouldn't be so catered. And besides, who doesn't like pictures of tortoises?
ReplyDeleteHmm, maybe the tortoises could go all dark and goth....
DeleteYou raise a good point. Come to think of it, my blog also doesn't match my preferred genre of fantasy. Maybe a change is in order...
ReplyDeleteSee now, I really didn't mean to cause trouble and give you all more work to do. Sigh.
DeleteI thought your words almost poetic and definitely created a feeling. I agree with Chrys about your blog. Hugs Juneta @ Writer's Gambit
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Juneta!
DeleteHuh. I'd never thought about it, but you did hit on something. Still, by keeping your blog 'open', you don't pin yourself down to one genre. . .which is good too. Fans might be surprised but I don't think uncreepy or light turns anyone off either. We're all people too.
ReplyDeleteMy work does tend to be darker, but I have written some lighter things in the past so I guess we just never know what will happen, where our imagination will take us. :)
DeleteYour blog is one of my favorites. I think your flash fiction is great too, and I'm not a horror girl. I'll make an exception though, for great writing, which I find here.
ReplyDeleteLiza, thanks so much! I really appreciate your comment. And I'm so glad you enjoy my writing. :)
DeleteI've never thought about it. I usually just look for a blog to be easy to read and navigate over matching the genre the author writes.
ReplyDeleteEasy to read and navigate are definitely things I aim for here at TSR. :)
DeleteHi Madeline, I don't think it matters that a writer's blog matches the genre they write. I write middle grade but there is nothing of that kind on my blog.
ReplyDeleteGood point re your blog, Rachna!
DeleteI see what you mean but that said, I like the look of your blog. Sometimes scary things can still lurk behind what appears to be pleasant.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I've been told I have a nice smile yet all of us around here already know what lurks behind that...mwhahaha! :)
DeleteI think it's a nice idea for a blog to give some flavour of the author's writing - I recently gave my blog a redesign with that in mind, but it was needing it anyway so thought I'd give it a shot - but it's by no means essential. Ultimately the writing on the blog is what's important, and regular readers get to know you and what you write.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the content being what's most important, and I will continue to keep working on that, making it as interesting as I can. :)
DeleteI guess it depends on the purpose of your blog. If the main goal is to sell your books here, then yes, you might want the look and content to reflect the genre of your books.
ReplyDeleteIf you want this to be a place to write a blog about whatever, then I wouldn't worry about it.
Perhaps you could "gussy-up" the published works pages if you haven't already.
I guess the purpose of my blog is to have one online home - I'm not on other social media besides Goodreads - so it's about my published works, about me as an author, etc.
DeleteSuch an interesting blog post and comments! I never really thought about blogs matching up to the author's writing style. I'll have to pay more attention to this when I visit writers' blogs. Enjoy your blogging break.
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying reading all of the comments here - you all are great!
DeleteThanks re my blogging break. Irma put a bit of a damper on my plans, but hopefully I'll get back on track soon.
I'm late to the party here, but I'm thinking that having the blog be lighter than your writing is probably okay. If there is an issue, I'd say it would be the opposite of the one you mention--I'd worry that people who find your blog might be surprised by the horror aspect of your writing. And yet...the blog is about YOU, so other than not posting things that would attract children, I don't see why it should match the stories completely.
ReplyDeleteI do work on keeping my blog in keeping with my books to some degree (I write children's books and cozy mysteries), so I keep everything clean. But I do experiment with genres in my flash fiction, and I review some books that are well out of my own area and it seems to be okay.
I, too, was a little worried about the blog seeming too light for the heavier story subjects, but I think stating in the header that I write dark fiction and horror is a good heads-up. I also don't think most of my stuff goes too far - too gory, too gross, etc. - so even if people stumble across something that's not their thing, they - hopefully! - won't be too traumatized. :)
DeleteI'm not sure if you know this, but my blog used to inspirational. All about leading your best life, achieving your goals, rainbows and sunbeams. I met a NYT-bestselling author, who took one look at my profile and said, "I didn't know you wrote horror. It doesn't look like you write horror."
ReplyDeleteThat one comment inspired me to change my brand, and to use my blog to reflect what I write. And that's when things really took off for me. It changed everything.
I think glimpses of your life are just fine (who doesn't like tortoises and the beach?) but you have the opportunity to showcase your writing chops for people who might love the kind of things you write. If you build it, as they say, the readers will come.
I didn't know that! Wow! Not that you can't be all smiles, like that pic on your blog of you at your signing. :)
DeleteThanks so much for sharing this, JH. Definitely something for me to consider.