A big round of applause for Tracey and Katie at Sweetblog for tranforming Surrender, Dorothy from a Typepad blog to a writer platform. All hail! (Editor's Note: I don't have to say this. I did pay them.)
When I went to Tracey and Katie, I knew I wanted to change Surrender, Dorothy both aesthetically and functionally. When Sleep Is for the Weak came out, a lot of people told me to do an author site or a book site. I didn't want to do a book site (I probably should have, in retrospect), because I kept thinking but there will be more books! I didn't want to have to build an entire Web site for every book. (I realize how arrogant that sounds, but an entrepreneur must enthusiastically plan for the best.)
In addition to the book problem, I had the resume problem. As I've started writing for more sites, I forget where I've written and when the post came out. I actually forgot I was quoted in the print version of Businessweek about foreclosed homes until I sat down to write the Online and Periodicals page of this site. I have this physical portfolio in my basement of magazine articles I've written, a scrapbook of SIFTW press clippings and a Hotmail folder full of other stuff I did that I don't want to forget. I decided I wanted Surrender, Dorothy to be a one-stop shop that would force me to keep track of my writing life and be easy enough to update that I could do it all by myself.
I also realized a while ago that I will never be an uber-popular personal blogger. Maybe it's my subject matter. Maybe it's my writing style. Maybe it's my hair. I'm not really sure. My stats climb steadily every year, and they're quite respectable, but they never reach pay-your-utility bills-with-advertising levels. (Not that I expected that. Dudes, I'm not that arrogant, but I'm being honest with you.) I pondered this with a "you suck, Rita" mentality for a few months, then I analyzed very carefully why I blog, what I'm hoping to get out of it. And I realized, again, that I want to be a writer when I grow up. I blog to practice my writing. I blog to communicate with my ether people. I blog to establish a catalog of my work, my voice, my style. I'm very pleased with my audience -- don't get me wrong -- but I value you for your quality, not your quantity. Many of my very favorite people read this blog, and that means more to me than 5,000 Google juice runaways a day.
All this blog rumination led me back to the platform idea, which took hold and grew into a bit of an obsession. I wanted one URL that I could put on a business card or in my e-mail signature that would tell that person who I am as a writer and speaker. Who I am on a professional and personal basis. I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like, and Katie and Tracey totally respected my vision and delivered on it (even though I know Tracey was DYING to get me to a two-column format. ha!) I'm so excited that I've spent the last hour staring lovingly at the design, much to Beloved's amusement. It's just another step in legitimizing my writing career, and just taking the step changes my attitude about it all. It's not something I want to happen; it's something that's happening.
