Recently, I've found it really hard to get my ass to the "Compose Post" page. I haven't been reading too much and what I had read hasn't really moved me to write on here. I've also come to an impasse in terms of readership. Checking the traffic flow, my readership has dwindled down to just me, checking in once a day (though I did get a few hits from Beijing which I chalked up to journalists testing the firewall). I credit myself for most of this decline. I haven't really been posting anything of substance and the writing has been subpar, so why would anyone visit here? So I am open to new ideas and have been reading other blogs to find out how they came about their 122-comment posts.
One blog that I came across is Waiter Rant. I discovered this at the New Non-Fiction table at B&N. Instead of purchasing on site, which is what I've been doing the past three months, I was writing down titles for goodreads/shelfari searches, so I scribbled in my day planner and kept moving. Upon googling, I found Waiter Rant, the blog that spawned the book deal and won the "Best Writing" award at the 2006 bloggies. Having been a waiter myself, I was instantly hooked by some of his posts, and, at times, laughed outloud. But what I was more interested in was how it started.
I know that my blog will never have as many readers as Waiter Rant. 75 comment posts are ridiculous. Where would I find that kind of material? I mean, yes, I work in merchandizing for a retailer. A retailer for which people would kill to know its inner-workings. If you think Anna Wintour/Vogue turned Miranda Priestly/Runway is literary gold, then you really haven't seen anything yet. For the most part, it does live up to that hype (though in ways you'd never imagine), but the problem is that I don't particularly want to get fired at this point, so the confidentiality contract is what it is. On top of that, I don't find much solace in working a 13 hr day, then coming home from my 13 hr a day job to write about my 13 hr a day job. You see?
So I was really interested to find out how Waiter Rant went from 0 comments a post to 150 comments a post in 4 years. I notice a bunch of things - forcing himself to post regularly (at which I'm a failure), linking to similar blogs, and incorporating bits of his real life into his stories (all of it is real life, but I mean non-waiter life). So first, I need to post regularly. I'm going to follow his lead and start with 3 times a week mandatory. And if I post more, that's great. As far as linking to similar blogs, I haven't found any. Apparently lots of disgruntled waiters use blogs as their therapy of choice. I can't find anyone without a stick up their ass who writes about books. I'm still looking though. Maybe I'll just post to fun blogs instead. And last, I'll try to write about my actual life without revealing too much of what I do.
So today, I have some errands, and I'm going to pick up Waiter Rant, and Eat, Shoots & Leaves (must work on my punctuation), then to the pool with me. Hope everyone is having an enjoyable close to their summer. For the most part, I am not. Work is dominating my life, I'm tired all the time (for which I blame the Olympics), but it seems that if I go to bed rather than passing out on the couch, then waking up at 3 or 4 in the morning, I am much more rested. Please excuse me now while I go listen to my Sunday talking heads.
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